Fight for the Future:
Libraries, Tech Policy and the Fate of Human Knowledge
(Keynote by Andrew McLaughlin)
The average smart phone has more data processing power than
the lunar module that landed on the moon; the costs of computing will become
cheaper and computing power will continue to go up; this year KickStarter will
give out more money than the NEA; how will we deal with a borderless internet in
bordered nations?
Hot issues for Nerdy Librarians
-Connectivity (broadband, Spectrum, municipal wifi)
-Open net (net neutrality, wireless, competition and lack of it,
SOPA/PIPA)
-Copyright and the Regulation of Creativity (copyright
office needs modernization, we need open access to research papers, we need to
do something about orphan works)
-Advocacy groups (Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontier
Foundation, Center for Democracy & Technology, Access Now)
How Do I Learn All of
This Stuff? Keeping Up with Patrons Technology Needs
Incorporate patron technology demands into your library;
Determine what technologies your library will support; Decide which staff (or
if all staff) should know those technologies; Know when and where to refer
patrons who have tech problems you can’t solve (such as Barnes and Noble, Apple
store, Best But, local businesses, etc.)
More info at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1219&context=libtech_conf.
Transforming Our
Vision to Enhance Library Services
(Keynote by Chad
Mairn)
Recurring themes/buzzwords: creative disruption, Deep Freeze
(software program?), Learning Management Systems, Education for all.
“Discovery! That’s what libraries are all about!”
Be an advocate for your readers no matter how or what they
chose to read.
How would you re-purpose your shelf space if you just lend
ebooks?
Do our patrons care (or know?) that their privacy is
eroding? (Overdrive gives data to Amazon from Kindle downloads.)
Watch for services or apps that make your library more
visible and/or valuable.
Don’t feel obligated to do everything.
Mobile
refers to the user, not the device.
Monitor and manage your digital identity/brand.
The future is here. Now what?
More info at: http://www.slideshare.net/chadmairn/transforming-our-vision-to-enhance-library-services,
or http://bit.ly/mairn-notes.
We Can Figure This
Out: Creating Online Tutorials/Assessments Tools with the Tools at Hand, In the
Time We Have
Presenters focused on creating online info literacy/library
skill assessments; very little discussion on creating tutorials. They tried:
Camtasia, Lodestar, SoftChalk, Prezi, SMART, WASSAIL, and Windows software.
Decided Survey Monkey and Zoomerang best met their needs. After assessment data
is collected and studied, they will determine if they need online tutorials and,
if so, which online tutorial software products they will try and which they
will eventually use. More info at: https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AYvIBM-kyjstZGZqMndoN3JfMTM2Y3g2dmR6Z2M
Privacy and the
Internet: Have the Rules Changed?
Your personal data may be online, even if you aren’t. (See
article: How Target figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did?*)
If you are using a free website, you (and your data) are the
product, not the customer.
What are your personal data and privacy worth to you? To
others?
Are you willing to give out personal data or give up privacy
if the services you get in return are enticing enough?
Patrons don’t seem too concerned about the loss of their
privacy. (Are they aware of it?)
How do library staff talk to patrons about online privacy?
How do library staff safe guard a patron’s data (even if the
patrons aren’t concerned or aware of the
loss of it)?
EBSCONet Usage
Consolidation and EBSCOHost eBooks (early bird session)
EBSCO reps demonstrated features of these two products. See
YouTube video “What digital natives want from their library.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_zzPBbXjWs.
Presenter also referred to Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves by W. Brian Arthur.
Thursday Keynote by Larry
Johnson
Horizon Report, by the New Media Consortium, will soon
include libraries; world of work is increasingly global and increasingly
collaborative; people expect to work, learn, socialize and play whenever and
wherever they are; the technologies we use are increasingly cloud based; we
make our plans based on the world we envision, but sometimes we need to turn
around and look at the other side; networks connect us and change us, but we (the
people) are the network. Without people the network would not exist. The
network is everywhere. The network is (sometimes?) invisible. Think of the world
we are heading toward—build technology for that world. Cell phones have become
bling. Make buildings cellular friendly, with technological access points. But,
don’t focus only on the technology. Focus on the way the technology is being
used. Community involvement can shape technology.
Libraries in the
Cloud
What is the cloud; Personal clouds; Mobile
devices and the cloud; Website creation and Cloud management; Website hosting;
Online document creation and sharing: Online storage and back-up; Music! Videos!
Photos!; Remote Access, Online Meetings and Video Chats; Servers. ILS &
Library services; How libraries are using the cloud; Cloud City Public Library;
Not every cloud has a silver lining; Dispelling the cloud hype; Is life really
better in the cloud?
“…mobile devices will dictate where the cloud will go…”
Using Social Media to
Promote the Library
Why use social Media? Getting started—who are you trying to
reach? What are or will you be posting? How often? Where will you/should you
post and when? How to get more interaction; When people say bad things. Mentioned:
Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, FourSquare, Tweetfeed, Twitpic, HootSuite, Sqworl
View book trailer for Socialnomics:How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business by Eric Qualmon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhPgUcjGQAw
More info at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=0&article=1225&context=libtech_conf&type=additional
Online Safe, Online
Smart: A Program for Develoing Digital Citizens
Presenter talked about cyberbullying and online safety at a Bloomington Middle School and the curriculum
teachers and school librarians developed following an incident that garnered
media attention.
Your Website Stinks
and Its Your Fault
Library websites are built like old libraries--in rows and
boxes (sometimes with too much stuff). OPACs were created by experts for
experts, not for the general public. Fewer patrons are coming thru your front
door. More are visiting your website. . In an Amazon/Google world, websites and
OPACs need to be more user friendly and easily navigated. Bad library websites
are a symptom of a culture that gives lip service to customer service. Listen
to and watch your patrons. How do they really use your website and OPACs.
Record what you see. Look for patterns, problems, opportunities. Keep a
spreadsheet so you can see what’s bubbling up. Then change and test, test and
change.
More info at: http://matthew.reidsrow.com/articles/16
or https://speakerd.s3.amazonaws.com/presentations/4f616cd23b7466001f00b513/YourLibraryWebsiteStinks.pdf
Highlights:
-Libraries should have an eBook, eReader, and/or iPod
downloading station (or listening station) for patrons who don’t have home
computers or internet access (but who may have received tech gadgets as gifts
and have no other way to use them.)
-the Barnes Noble rep from Roseville (who was demonstrating
Nooks at the Tech Petting Zoo) was distributing photocopies of SPPL’s eBooks from OverDrive for Nook!
-On privacy and digital sharing:
*How Target figured out
a teen girl was pregnant before her father did? http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/
).
“Public Parts: How Sharing in the Digital Age Improves the
Way We Work and Live” http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/public-parts-how-sharing-in-the-digital-age-improves-the-way-we-work-and-live-by-jeff-jarvis/2011/12/28/gIQAQ5KzwP_story.html
--Karen H. @RC
