promote promote promote

!! This is what I was thinking about back in May/June - Promoting the library on big screens at the airport, and the Swiss Army Librarian has seen it done in America! In Hervey Bay's airport I saw a big screen promoting a local iconic activity (MELSA's trains in the park), but nothing in Townsville's airport. Also I have seen a big screen in Stocklands - great advertising space for the library. And static poster space on some bus stops. Places where people congregate in the community. I like marketing, it ties in so nicely with our focus on the customer.

Thanks Brian! And congratulations to the Las Vegas County Library and Airport.

D*P*C 13 Social networking

I joined the Library 2.0 ning this year, but have not yet gone to Facebook. Technology overload. That you can use video and other apps on Facebook, nings, etc, is useful as a community resource. In the past week I've seen three references to Facebook in the local newspaper. People have died and the paper reports that readers can leave messages on their Facebook sites. Virtual mourning? I explored Facebook v Myspace earlier here: some professional library usage.

Here's the Library 2.0 badge - go there. Actually, if someone can tell me how to make a badge I'd be happy. One for the new wordbox.


Visit Library 2.0

D*P*C 12 Web video

I would like to embed a Cure clip, Close to Me or Love Cats 'cause I was given Triple J's Hottest 100 of all time today, but a) that would breach copyright, and b) the videos have embedding disabled. So watch them yourselves and share the joy: Close to Me / Love Cats.
There is, however a range of library related tubes, some serious even. I posted about USQ's digital open day a while back. And I'm sure we can make some here, on our children's programs, about information services, about our author visits, etc. But I found this fun one, which would be great on the library's big screen:

And yes, they're simple to embed in a blog. Copy the code kindly provided on the youtube site, then paste it on your blog after clicking the 'edit html' code. If you were to embed in the sidebar you just have to go to layout, page elements, add a gadget, add html/java script and paste. You'd probably have to edit the width too: width="425" height="344".

Here's one I like: public art in an Arizona library:


I like that you can share the clip on twitter, facebook etc, viewers can comment and post clip responses which turns it all into a discussion. Viewers can rate it, link to it, embed it in their own blog, thereby sharing the love. Our library site definitely needs more interactivity, currency and visuals. Love the tube.
And since you mentioned 70s shows I was thinking of Welcome Back Kotter, but I found something funny - a parody of Kotter called Welcome Back Potter.

Okay, what do we need to make our own clips?

D*P*C roll call

For our Learning 2.0 program:
#1 blogs a # 2 twitter a#3 web 2.0 & library 2.0 a#4 rss a#5 flickr a
#6 mashups r
#7 tagging a#8 keeping track a#9 communicating online a#10 online collaboration - wikis a#11 online docs and more! a
Up to date again! Now, can someone grant me a parallel universe so I can get some of these applications into my work process?!
Hey everyone, there are prizes, focus groups with Dr Stephens, the #qpla09 tag at the conference, innovative colleagues... and so many more applications to discover, explore and connect with. Thanks Warren, and Neal, and other learning 2.0 adopters. I must talk with Keil about mashups.

update 26 September: #12 web video a #13 social networking a

D*P*C #11 online docs and more

Brilliant! Google Docs is what I need! or Zoho - so far I've only gone into GD. I am forever saving a half-done roster at work and emailing it to my home account so I can finish it there, or vice-versa. Now I can just save it to Google Docs. Less messing about!
There's no drama at work because we're all on a network so I can still access work documents as I work between branches, except for when I may have IT dramas.
I've saved an old doc as pdf - but I can't see where to follow this instruction:
Just click the Share drop-down menu on the top right and choose Publish as webpage. Then, click Publish now. Help!!
It's my submission to SRC last year that didn't get used afterall. When I do eventually provide access; if you're going to try the quiz, ignore the top section blatantly labelled 'answers'!

D*P*C #9 communicating online

SMS, IM and webinars...
I'll have to sign up for IM at work sometime - if enough people were on it may be a way of catching up in real time instead of playing telephone tag or email e-voidance.
SMS though - saves students big phone bills (and they're texting anyway) if library has an SMS information service where they can enquire about opening hours, extending their overdues, etc. I've seen it in use at QUT - very professional service.
Webinars - I recently participated in my first webinar (online tutorial) through SLQ's OPAL, and tomorrow will set up participants for another - on NoveList. We can participate by typing in the text box, or by using a microphone to speak. With Warren's instructions I taught myself how to use the smartboard, so will be able to enable audio for the training room, so participants shouldn't need headsets (fingers crossed).
An hour session is enough as a tutorial. The trainer presents information and allows participants to ask questions. Everything was clearly understandable.
It is beneficial afterwards to have a staff discussion period, and a suggestion for staff to on-train others.
I will gather participants' comments for the next FOCUS issue (our new information services bulletin).
I like that smartboard/whiteboard with add-ons... All the cool classrooms have them now. I'm so far behind!

D*P*C #10 wikis

I was reminded of the deadline approaching for our D*P*C program, because Dr Michael Stephens is coming for the QPLA/PLA conference in October and he will be working with focus groups on our Learning 2.0 program - and I haven't quite finished! However, I discovered that I have covered wikis in an earlier blog entry.
I've used a wiki since then for a work project - I invited colleagues to join the space as writers so they could submit information and links on information service. So far my writers are readers and I've moved on to other projects, but it's still alive, waiting for me to keep it alive. It would work better if it had a more structured content layout, but that's all part of web 2.0 - learn and grow.
I have seen some useful wikis, and I hope to contribute more.
So I've added a lot of content to our wiki - check.
In schools a wiki could be used as a subject information portal - students could contribute information they've found on Egyptian history, etc.
In a public library - a readers' advisory portal. A central space for reviews, suggestions, links, etc.
Some teachers may ban wikipedia as an information source, but what they really mean is that they don't want it used in a citation because the authority can't be checked. I support using wikipedia as an information springboard - launch from there to more authoritive sources once you've got a few more keywords and leads.
When people acknowledge 2.0 tools as a vital part of today's work fabric, they will devote more time to their utilisation. They're not just add-ons!
I still advocate Wikipedia is a good place to start for *some* information searches (see earlier post re film actors), but I did baulk when I saw a quote in our staff magazine attributed to 'wikipedia'. Someone needs a little citation education.
For a short list of library-related wikis, see OPAL's course notes online.
I like Princeton PL's BookLovers wiki as it is a specified-time project which should ensure people's active participation.

wordbox4writers - new in spring 2009

Due to constraints soon to be imposed on Bravenet websites, I am rebuilding wordbox over on wordpress - the new site, a work in progress, is at wordbox4writers.
Please bookmark it, tell teachers, librarians, children, authors,

competition organisers, etc.
More news to come

Arrr! talk like a pirate on the good ship LIBRARY

Arrr! There's fun t' be had in t' libraries this week! Grab yer parrot, yer eye patch and yer peg leg, and head to t' libraries to talk like an old sea dog and sing sea shanties! Yohoho

Tuesday 15th September 10am - Flinders Street
Wednesday 16th September 10am - Thuringowa Central
Friday 18th September 10am Aitkenvale

Check out t' site fer posters an' buttons: ITLAPD

Plenty of pirate books in CityLibraries - dive in!
A day in the life of a Pirate / Emma Helbrough
Captain Abdul's pirate school / Colin McNaughton.
Blackbeard, the pirate king : several yarns detailing the legends, myths, and real-life adventures of history's most notorious seaman / told in verse by J. Patrick Lewis.

Be there or walk t' plank!

Have I mentioned how much cool it is to work in a public library service?? Much?

libraries are about people

With a nod to the Swiss Army Librarian and his reference question of the week, I'll post about mine.
At one of our library branches a woman enquired if I could assist her to find some information from a newspaper about her father. A tragic event had occurred and I had the feeling that having an article to read would provide the lady with some concrete facts and perhaps some closure. The lady knew the town in which the event occurred, so I looked up Newsbank to get an idea of newspaper names (although I know Newsbank only goes back to 1998).
I contacted the newspaper, asking if they kept microform back a few decades (not supposing that they would) and if their paper was of the same name back in the early 80s. So I would know which newspaper to search in. They emailed back quite promptly with the answer that I had already begun a line of enquiry on - the public library.
I called, asking to speak to the information services librarian or interlibrary loans librarian, but the place was too small to have such staff. The staff member who spoke with me though, was quite happy to help. I explained the request, for a newspaper article from a particular time period (a few days date range) with the lady's father's name. The library staffer told me they held bound copies of the newspaper, checked she had that date, found the article, and said she'd send it right away.
I logged the request through our ILL officer, and the article came in the post today. It was a difficult article to read, knowing what it may mean to the lady requesting it. I wouldn't have felt good about just sending it in the post, or leaving at the desk for her to collect. This was definitely a people issue. She wanted to collect it.
That was hard for both of us, I think, but it certainly felt that I had done something meaningful in my working day. Libraries are about people, and that is a timely message for me to take to our working group next week.