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Archive for May, 2005
Wikilust
Tuesday, May 31st, 2005I just read a fantastic article about wikis from the Educause Review (Sept/Oct 2004). Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not, by Brian Lamb, includes mentions about just about everything that I find so wonderful about wikis. He describes how groups of people have used wikis for such diverse purposes as research spaces, [...]
Even more on our plate
Tuesday, May 31st, 2005Not that we don’t have enough going on at the ALA Conference, but there are going to be two other very cool events happening in Chicago at the same time. The first is Wired’s Nextfest, which is being billed as the World’s Fair for technology. For those of us who love gadgets and [...]
Ooo baby, baby it’s a wiki world
Tuesday, May 31st, 2005What I love best about wikis is that their content is not limited to the imagination of just a few people (like most websites are). Anyone can add new sections and content to the wiki that they think people would find useful. From the Curmudgeony Librarian’s rethinking of the Calendar of Events to [...]
Library services to distance learners
Sunday, May 29th, 2005Where I got my MLIS, distance learners had to pay more per credit hour than students who took classes on campus. I understood that the extra fees paid for the technology infrastructure we used. On the other hand, we distance learners missed out on many of the things that tuition goes towards. [...]
“The Price of Indifference”
Thursday, May 26th, 2005I just saw this article, by Henry Raymond, in the Chronicle of Education that rivaled even the worst of my interview woes:
The committee members repeatedly warned me that their students were not as academically equipped as my current students, and that I’d have a terrible time adjusting to a new caliber of teaching. (My experience [...]
Job search hoops
Wednesday, May 25th, 2005This morning (at 8 am Central Time) I got a call from a college on the east coast. They wanted to interview me for a reference librarian position I’d applied for months ago. First, however, they needed me to get my references to write letters of recommendation that specifically addressed the job responsibilities. [...]
The Simpsons on libraries
Saturday, May 21st, 2005I know this episode aired in 2004, but I was just watching it again today and it made me laugh just as hard as I did last time. And this time I remembered to write down the dialogue:
Lisa: I have to research a paper. Where did all the books go?
Librarian: Books? Books are for [...]
You want to pay me what? To live where????
Saturday, May 21st, 2005Let me preface this post with the statement that I didn’t become a librarian in order to get rich. The average librarian’s salary is more than the average salary for social workers, so it was never one of my complaints. I would rather do something I love than make a lot of money, [...]
Cites and Insights June 2005 is here!
Saturday, May 21st, 2005The June issue of Walt Crawford’s Cite & Insights is out with some interesting articles, particularly those about the open access movement and the broadcast flag. What surprised me was that there were two mentions of my blog in this issue. Wow!!! I guess I’m still surprised that people even read my [...]
Your screencasting experience?
Monday, May 16th, 2005The Indian Blogger recently posted an excellent survey of screencasting and the software that can be used to create screencasts. People tend to talk about Qarbon Viewlet Builder, Macromedia Captivate, and TechSmith Camtasia in conjunction with screencasting. While these probably are the most usable products on the market, there are plenty of lower-cost [...]
No room at the inn?
Sunday, May 15th, 2005So, I’ve heard from several sources that there are no rooms left for the ALA Conference at the hotels suggested on the ALA’s website. Yikes! I live in Chicago, but I have never stayed in a hotel here, and therefore I really don’t have any insights other than to check Hotels.com/Orbitz/whatever and pick [...]
Lorcan Dempsey on library middlware
Sunday, May 15th, 2005I’ve read a lot of posts and articles lamenting the fact that many students and patrons prefer using Google to the library’s print and electronic resources, but few look at why people prefer Google beyond the fact that “it’s easy to use”. Today, Lorcan Dempsey posted an excellent analysis of the characteristics of the [...]
A librarian is born!
Saturday, May 14th, 2005I just want to wish a hearty congratulations to Dorothea Salo who just received her MLS today. So glad you made it through! Ever since I started reading her blog, Dorothea has inspired and challenged me with her insightful comments and consistent questioning of the conventional wisdom (about everything). If you [...]
Dumb down the catalog? Yes, let’s!
Friday, May 13th, 2005I recently had an interesting discussion with a librarian regarding the usability of OPACs. I, as usual, was arguing that there are lessons to be learned from Google, RedLightGreen, and Amazon in how information retrieval systems should be designed. He replied, “at some point don’t you think the responsibility should rest on the [...]
Oh Canada!
Sunday, May 8th, 2005I’ve never really been “up” on Canada. For one, I’ve never been there (not that I wouldn’t like to, but the opportunity has not presented itself yet). Two, I, like many Americans, sadly know very little about Canadian geography, politics, history, culture etc. But I’ve become very enchanted with Canada over the [...]
For those who think there is a librarian shortage (and those who don’t)
Thursday, May 5th, 2005FINALLY there is a thoughtful article on the entry-level library job shortage! Finally, there is an article that actually uses current research to describe the job market rather than statistics that are based on projections that are based on fallacies. I urge everyone to read this Library Journal article by Rachel Holt and [...]
Wiki spam
Wednesday, May 4th, 2005So we got our first wiki spam today. Yuck! Fortunately, the offending content was only up for a very short period of time. Kudos to the valiant member of the ALA Chicago Wiki community who quickly removed the spam. The system does work!
Chat interoperability
Wednesday, May 4th, 2005My new friend, and fellow Wesleyan alum, Stephen Francoeur, wrote:
Wouldn’t it be cool if your patrons could use an IM client to chat with your web contact center software (such as the versions of eGain offered by Tutor.com and 24/7 Reference or Docutek’s VRLplus)? We know huge percentage of our users are already using instant [...]
What’s happening in social bookmarking
Wednesday, May 4th, 2005I have been wanting to write more about social bookmarking for a long time, but I had two job interviews last week and an all-day marathon interview to prepare for next week. So I decided I’d just link to other articles/presentations that I thought were interesting and hope to have more time for a [...]
