The Library 101 video debuted today at the Internet Librarian conference.  Created by Michael Porter (a.k.a. Libraryman) and David Lee King, the video is a foot-tapping, library-rocking tour-de-force.  Clear the next eight minutes in your schedule, put on some headphones, and enjoy:

The Library 101 website not only has the video, but also a collection of essays by prominent library supporters, as well as a “101 Resources and Things to Know” page that provides a great overview of just what they are striving to communicate.

To settle any bar bets, as well as disclose a connection:  I am in the video.  I first appear at the 30 second mark (though all you see is my arm and notebook computer), but show up later in full frame.

My using the computer for the “1″ and “0″ was the solution to a problem:  when the call went out for pictures of library people holding sheets of paper containing the magic numbers, I was on vacation in Branson, Missouri.  No printer.  I could probably have found a Kinkos, but it wouldn’t have gone over well with my family because, you see, I was on vacation.  Drawing the numbers might have worked for someone with artistic talent; not for me.

I really like my idea of using the computer… it fits the theme of the video:

So, I hope you watched and enjoyed the video… Michael and David deserve some serious positive feedback for their ideas and efforts.

punypng is a great service for those who work with the .png image format.  If you work on web sites, presentations, or other projects that involve image files, this is really worth adding to your toolkit.

What it does is fairly straightforward:  you upload your .png image file to their site, their algorithm examines the file and determines what can be done to make the file smaller without sacrificing image quality, and offers you the file as a download.

I tried it, and got as much as a 48% reduction in file size, without any visible loss of quality.  Even if all you get is a 10% reduction in file size, it means that your web sites, presentations, etc. will load and run faster.  For a busy web site, like Google or WorldCat, every reduction in the data needed to be sent to each user can add up to large savings in time, energy, and ultimately money.

found via SitePoint

The Ohio Library Council has announced that they are canceling their annual conference due to low expectations of attendance.  The organization surveyed library directors throughout Ohio and determined that most libraries simply don’t have the funds to participate.

Is this the beginning of a slew of cancellations, or will it be limited to areas where funding is being drastically cut?  ALA 2009 apparently did well, but will smaller, regional conferences survive?

Watch for conferences to scale down, or even combine with other events, over the next couple of years in order to provide more “bang for the buck”.  If you are a speaker/presenter, look at how you might be able to benefit conferences in your area… they might need all the help they can get.

found via Save Ohio Libraries and The Limnal Librarian

Web 3.0 Concepts Explained in Plain English is a collection of presentations, all striving to describe the next phase of web activity and development.  If all you look at is the single slide that sums up the differences between the three web generations, you will likely have a better grasp of what is coming than before.

found via Stephen’s Lighthouse

Was the Australasian Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine incident an isolated case, or is it the first of several Elsevier journals that only appear to be legit?

Michael Hansen, CEO Of Elsevier’s Health Sciences Division, issued a statement today that suggests that a division of the company may have created the bogus journal without the knowledge of the top levels of the company:

It has recently come to my attention that from 2000 to 2005, our Australia office published a series of sponsored article compilation publications, on behalf of pharmaceutical clients, that were made to look like journals and lacked the proper disclosures. This was an unacceptable practice, and we regret that it took place.

We are currently conducting an internal review but believe this was an isolated practice from a past period in time. It does not reflect the way we operate today. The individuals involved in the project have long since left the company. I have affirmed our business practices as they relate to what defines a journal and the proper use of disclosure language with our employees to ensure this does not happen again.

Note that this statement uses the phrase “published a series of sponsored article compilation publications”.  Some sleuthing by Jonathan Rochkind and Bill Hooker indicates that Excerpta Medica, a subsidiary of Elsevier, might have published quite a few of these sponsored-yet-unacknowledged journals.

My own poking around Excerpta Medica’s website with Google has produced an interesting Pdf titled Best practices for managing publications through a drug’s lifecycle and balancing scientific rigour and credibility with commercial goals.  The document is a summary of a presentation given at by Hester Kuipers, who at the time was Program Director, Medical Communications for Exerpta Medica.  Here is a brief quote:

Scientific publications in peer-reviewed medical journals are a valuable and credible vehicle to support a medical marketing strategy. Though part of most marketing plans, publications are not a promotional activity, but rather a medical one. The relationship between scientific publications and marketing messages can best be described as the first supporting the second rather than the second driving the first.

The presentation makes it clear that the research must have primacy over the promotion; hopefully the “series of sponsored article compilation publications” turns out to be the exception and not the rule for Exerpta Medica.  Elsevier should investigate this thoroughly and publicly acknowledge the extent of the deception; the credibility of each and every one of their peer-reviewed journals is at stake.

some links found via ResourceShelf and through postings on the Cooperative Information Resources Managemnt (CIRM) list

Notes from last month’s OLE (Open Library Environment) Regional Workshop are on LibShare, and they are interesting to scan through, especially the comments.

I found this through the Disruptive Library Technology Jester blog, and looked into it because of two quotes he included with his post:

• With print items, we’re trying to give people access; with electronic trying to keep them out.
• Isn’t it interesting that users from other libraries have borrowed print books delivered to them, but must travel to another library to get access to their electronic items.

In addition, I will add this interesting tidbit from the same set of responses:

• It used to be about selecting high quality materials, but now have to teach evaluation of available materials.

I think that sums up much of the transition we face in the library world – how to filter useful and usable information in a way that makes it useful and usable for our patrons (aren’t you glad I didn’t say “users”).  We are drinking from the fire hydrant, and the pressure is increasing!

Marian Dworaczek has moved her Library Related Conferences website, so make a note of it.

If you haven’t seen her listing, check it out.  If you know of any conferences that aren’t on her list, let her know!

found via her posting to SERIALST (Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum)

Web 2.0 : Perfecting Imperfection is, on one level, responding to a post by someone who attended an unconference about Drupal, calling it “by far the most human conference I’d ever been to.”

On a deeper level, however, it is about the benefits of mutual cooperation and openness, and how they are both part of and improve many of the ideas that are bundled into that which we call Web 2.0.

Beyond the scope of the post, I feel that this can also be applied to libraries and library technology.  To paraphrase Linus’s Law:  given enough people with a shared sense of committment, all problems are surmountable.

Zotero 1.5 Beta has been released!

When I attended OneBigLibrary Unconference last summer, Trevor Owens gave a talk (un-talk?) on this version of Zotero and some of the new features and ideas that would be part of it (my post about it is here).  It has come to fruition, and it can change the way you do research (especially group research).  See the video for a great overview.

In addition,  Peter Murray (a.k.a. the Disruptive Library Technology Jester) has already set up a way to distribute your own Zotero citations via an RSS feed.  It is a great sign of success for a project like Zotero when people are creating mashups when your product is just a few days old.  Think of the ways that this could be used to promote library services, especially if your library software doesn’t do RSS.

From the entry form:

Walden Media wants to send YOU to the American Library Association’s Annual Conference! Enter below for a chance to win a trip for YOU and one GUEST including:

• Roundtrip Airfare to Chicago
• Ground Transportation
• Six nights at a Conference Hotel
• Conference Fees
• $200 Cash

found via LISNews

continued from here…

Evergreen and Project Conifer (John Fink) was a progress report / Q&A session about the installation of the Evergreen ILS for a consortium of academic libraries (McMaster University, University of Windsor, and Laurentian University). John gave a fantastic overview of the project, intended to go live sometime next year. It is a large undertaking, especially considering that they are writing the code for the Acquisitions and Serials areas of the software. He had an observation that I found interesting (and have noticed as well): people using III’s Millennium ILS tend to have a higher opinion of the software than is deserved. It is good, and it works fairly well, but it is deeply flawed, in my opinion. I will add that users of Voyager need to be reminded of the good points of their system now and then, but that it is also flawed. I will say again that Evergreen is going to have a much bigger impact than people realize.

Open Book, a WordPress plugin (John Miedema) was another high-interest session, since I had installed and used the plugin just one week earlier. To discuss the plugin and the reasons behind its functionality and existence with the developer was a great experience. The group discussed Amazon, OCLC, and Google (and their relative restrictions and freedoms) at length. John is a great supporter of the Open Library project, and for good reason.

Metasearch / APIs / Facebook for Libraries (David Fiander, Geoff Sinclair, Me) was a bit of a blur, since I was at the front and trying to think as effectively as possible (more challenging some days than others). I got to discuss my idea (a piece of software that uses an API that is as straightforward as possible, which passes requests to various library and bibliographic systems and returns the results… this could allow search tools and OPAC overlays to work with a standard set of rules, as well as allowing meta-search tools to become more effective), but didn’t feel that any brainstorming actually took place. If someone doesn’t point out a big flaw in my thinking (especially when I am stretching my abilities beyond their comfort zone) I suspect that I am politely being listened to. Maybe not…

The Wrap-up went fine, but there wasn’t a call for action, or a consensus as to what should come next from all of this. I can’t say I expected one, but I was hoping to have some sort of Eureka moment. I did have a strong feeling that I was going to put everything together in an interesting way during the drive home on Saturday, but it didn’t happen that way (keep reading).

We then walked over to the BiblioCommons office for a buffet tray/beer/wine dinner party. I had some great conversations here, and completely forgot to find out what exactly it is that makes people speak of BiblioCommons in reverent tones. There isn’t a lot of information out there beyond it being a “complete social discovery system for libraries” (from their website). People whose opinions I respect are very impressed with it, and I was in a conversation with one of the people directly involved and never asked one question about it. Shame on me!

I ended up skipping the pub night outing, as I stopped by the hotel and felt tired, and spent the time putting pictures online. I went to bed early, and slept very fitfully, until about 4 a.m. That was when the gunshots began. There were 7 ro 8 of them, from at least two guns, sounding like they were just outside the building. I woke at the first shot, rolled out of bed (away from the window) on the second, and duck-walked to the bathroom with my phone as they continued. I was on the third floor, so I don’t think I was likely to get caught in the line of fire (I figure they were either shooting at each other, or shooting into the air). It was a very unpleasant experience, and I didn’t get to sleep for quite a while (and didn’t sleep well then). When my alarm went off, I decided to cancel my sightseeing activities, get some more rest, and leave Toronto straight from the hotel.

So that’s why I didn’t spend the trip thinking about neat library technology and such. Too bad, because this was as good a conference as I have ever attended, and I complimpent John, William and Stacy on their excellent work. I encourage more groups to consider this format (it would work well as part of a standard conference format as well… just set up a block of time, or a conference track, as an unconference).

Previous posts here and here…

I attended the One Big Library Unconference (Facebook too) last Friday, and haven’t had a chance to post about it yet, so here goes:

I arrived in Toronto around 7 p.m. on Thursday after a smooth journey. I stayed in a hotel about 3 walking blocks from the conference venue, mainly so I could park the car on Thursday and walk everywhere. In daylight the neighborhood, part of Toronto’s Chinatown, reminded me of the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago: a wide variety of people in a busy, urban environment that feels very alive. At night it became somewhat worrisome: many homeless people sleeping in doorways and sidewalks, groups of people “hanging out” and looking a bit dangerous, and panhandlers approaching passers-by for change. I never felt directly threatened, but was very aware of the potential.

The conference was sponsored by York University, and held at the Centre for Social Innovation. The building was very warm, but the facilities were comfortable and pleasant. Everyone I came in contact with was fantastic.

How can I describe everything? Take about 70 people, self-selected to be interested in Libraries and Technology, everyone intent on learning and interacting with others of like mind. I have never seen a conference group as positively engaged in all that they were doing. I think this came about from a combination of the Unconference format, the selection of a well-defined yet general topic, and just the right amount of planning and structure (and not too much of either).

The organizers introduced themselves and described the day’s schedule process. The topics that had been submitted via the wiki were laid out on sheets of paper (see the photos in the second post for detail) on tables, along with blank sheets for newer ideas. I suggested what I had been brainstorming about during the previous day’s drive, and voted on the topics I most wanted to attend.

They ended up combining sessions in order to include all ideas, meaning that I co-presented with two other people (kind of strange, since I wanted a roundtable discussion in order to brainstorm). While they were tabulating the votes and arranging the schedule, we all attended the first session.

Zotero: Start watching for the next update of this incredible tool… it is about to become even more powerful. Then, once you have that gem, watch for the next big release. A great summary is located on their roadmap. I am left with an exceptionally strong positive feeling about this tool and the people developing it. Trevor Owens did a great job with the demo and presentation.

Drupal: This ended up being more of a detailed presentation of what it takes to implement a new web presence in an institution when it involves dozens of people in many departments. Politics, control over presentation of content, and seamless functionality were the main points discussed. On alternate days I think it might just be better for a small team (no more than four people) to install, configure and implement the system. The other days I suspect the “many hands” approach might be better. I had hoped for more tips on installing and configuring Drupal (having installed and configured it for the first time only a couple of weeks ago… watch for an announcement), but didn’t get that. Good session, nevertheless.

Lunch was buffet sandwiches and fruit (and a wonderful coffee bar that was open all day). The highlight was the tours offered to the building’s roof, which has a rooftop garden installed. I enjoyed taking pictures of the people in my tour group.

(more in part 2)

I will definitely be attending the One Big Library Unconference next month in Toronto! I am enthusiastic about this, as it has been nearly a year since I have attended a conference, and I have been very curious about the unconference format. Having worked with Reaching Forward South for a few years, experiencing a participant-organized conference will be a big change.

This (un)conference is, partly because of it’s broad theme, a close fit for much of what fascinates me these days. Unstated, but implied, is the idea that the larger and more distinguished libraries need to join the tiny, underfunded community and special libraries in a way that the world as a whole can benefit. This is a challenging concept, and one that will strongly shape the library world in years to come.

Oh, yes… they’re in Facebook, too.

Google has packaged many of its tools into an offering for non-profit organizations.  If your group has a 501(c)(3) tax status, and is not political or religious in nature, then you most likely qualify.

This is fairly neat.  I worked with a library conference for several years, and much of what I set up for the collaborative and supportive workings for this group are included in the Google offering:  an online workspace, communication tools (e-mail and group discussion), online checkout, and analytics to offer feedback on the website are all analogous to tools I set up for the group one at a time.

In addition, they offers Google Docs, Calendar, and Google Grants (which is basically free advertising on Google search results pages).   For an organization like a Friends of the Library or a library-focused conference, these are tools that can take the work of a few people and turn out very professional, well-organized results.

If your group has a basic footprint on the web, but can see the benefits from increased collaboration and outreach, this is a fantastic offer that should be seriously reviewed and considered.

found via Official Google Blog

Columbus is an exciting town when you are interested in libraries.  This was driven home by the Code4lib Conference Proposal : Columbus, OH page of Roy Tennant’s website.  Take a look, and see if you agree.

The Code4Lib Conference has been something which I have really wanted to attend, but haven’t been able to travel to do so.  2009 may be my year!

Rethinking the Catalogue (pdf) is a paper that was delivered to the Innovative Ideas Forum in Australia by Alison Dellit and Kent Fitch.  It presents another perspective on the state of library catalogues, and how we can go about improving them.

from Resource Shelf  

Ken Varnum – RSS Basics and Beyond : Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most out of Syndicated Content. (PowerPoint) (Handout)

Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

• Data format: RSS, RDF, Atom, etc.
• data interchange (sharing) : syndication – think of what AP or Reuters does with news stories

Where does RSS come from?

• blog software
• CMS/wikis (“what’s new feeds”)
• Perl, PHP, Ruby, etc – search databases (Search Alerts)

Reminder to remember copyright

Tools – common traits

• can access feed
• can track whats been seen already
• can reproduce item content
• can link to original source

Computer-based:

• FeedDemon
• FeedReader
• NetNewsWire (Mac)

Browser-based:

• Safari
• IE7
• Firefox / thunderbird

Aggregators (web-based):

• Yahoo
• Bloglines
• Google Reader (now offline-enabled)

Integration — RSS = Stream of information = easy to integrate into HTML

hooks:

• webblog software
• cms
• wikis

HTML:

• feed2JS (build & post rss html)
• RSS2HTML

Myfeedz — from Adobe’s Romanian office
generates new content based on your feed choices

Create “live” subject guides
del.icio.us (all tags have RSS feeds)

New books lists

Checked out book reminders for patrons

Library Elf

Monitoring the web
web page changes
Google Alerts
Page2RSS

Roll your own
Write by hand (not recommended)
set up free blog
write a script (Perl, PHP, Ruby)
FeedXs

Course reserve lists on class pages as an example of a script

Notes: Kens presentation was great as an overview of what can be done with RSS beyond just blog postings and news story gathering. I plan to use several of his suggestions, and expect that it will change the way I work with the web.

Brian Mathews – Social Computing

When do we reach Library 2.0? No final destination; no “library 2.0″ finishing point: it’s an evolving picture.

Sisyphus analogy: it’s not what you do when rolling the rock up the hill, it’s what you do walking back down… “how do I do it differently this time?”

Website: LiveJournal – geared towards blogging to friends

We use social networks as:

• assessment tools
• opinions
• use
• non-use
• etc.
• outreach tools
• reference
• institution
• tutorials??
• search
• relationship building / collaboration
• etc.

He discussed library storefronts (comment: makes me think of a portal)

• blogs
• photo
• IM
• calendars

Facebook has lots of librarians, and for academic and school libraries, a lot of your patrons

the key to using these tools / sites = social interaction… “not manipulating, but causing ripples”

• They are ready-made for groups
• how do people find out about ???
• can we use new tools to create new messages? new images? experiences?
• can we match our product offerings with their needs?
• the right message to the right person at the right time

Products Needs

• targeted message
• “marketing”

blogs, facebook, myspace, posters, classroom sessions, etc.

• “Don’t just do it because everyone else is”
• “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Experiment! And be prepared to make a mess.”
• “Don’t expect students to get excited.”

Website: Google Groups

q&a question:

Tools for self forming groups (his campus system implemented one; he has generated groups relating to library, i.e. distance learning library resources)

Notes: Social networking is the area I am least familiar with, so this was a great learning experience. I like his emphasis on these services being the means to communicate with our patrons, not the end in and of themselves.

I especially think his approach towards finding campus social computing groups that the library would be a natural part of (study groups, class projects, etc.) and introducing his services into the equation. Very proactive.

Chad Boeninger – Wikis in Libraries : Enhancing Services, Promoting Sources, and Building Community (Powerpoint)

Chad started off with a show of hands – what type of librarian’s were in the audience, including media specialists.

He went on to define what a wiki is.

He emphasized that the strength of a resource depends on the strength of the community.

Software: Gallery (similar to Flickr, but hosted on your own server)

Wiki examples:

• Executive Planet (a wiki devoted to worldwide business etiquette)
• LibrarySuccess.org (devoted to promoting networking among library staff)
  

Internal wiki example:

• ReferenceWiki (only available to Ohio University reference staff – watch the presentation to view)

ReferenceWiki replaces their 3-ring binder of stumper questions, sticky-notes, and shared network folder documents.

Internal wikis ultimately become a knowledgebase:

• keyword searchable
• organized by category
• location neutral (save for network access)
• RSS feed available for new edits
• enables group collaboration

Important extras:

• A how-to page (guide to editing, style, etc.)
• faq (Frequently Asked Questions)
• sandbox (a place to practice editing)

Scholarly software is linked via reference wiki

Their library has skype-based video chat between floors — remote reference!

External wiki apps can be used for:

• communication with library users
• Research guides
• replace html/pdf guides
• can cut through the time and effort needed to maintain research guides
• dynamic content (blogs and wikis)

Wiki example: Biz Wiki (similar to ReferenceWiki in structure and style)

He demonstrated the creation and editing of info on the wiki

So you want a wiki:

• Find a purpose
• it’s not a hula hoop or ipod
• what void will it fill?
• communicate and collaborate easier
• how do others feel about the current system

Choose software

• WikiMatrix to compare and contrast various wikis
• Open Source CMS to use the various wikis without having to install (my suggestion)

Locally hosted options

• requires experience with dynamic websites (php & mysql)
• requires desire to experiment
• allow custom look and feel
• data lives on your server

Wiki farms / services

• very little technical experience needed
• free resources may run slowly, however
• you may have limited customization options
• no upgrade worries
• support varies (better than DIY)

Wiki: WikiIndex (a wiki of wikis)

How to create a community

• start with core group to add content and build momentum
• get buy-in from others
• refer to the wiki in blog posts, emails, etc. whenever applicable (use the resource)
• don’t be a control freak

when is a wiki done?

• never
• static wiki is a bad sign
• maintain, create, and edit to keep it viable

Is a wiki for you?

• flexible
• can be adapted
• save time
• requires time and effort

Challenges

• biggest challenge: getting others to contribute
• more content = more maintenance
• maintain organization and structure with growth
• difficult to see new content
• spam spam spam spam

Notes: This was a very good how-to session with a very well-defined purpose. If someone were asking the question of whether a wiki could be beneficial, and what it would take to make it happen, then 90% of their questions were answered here (the other 10% would be local questions concerning their IT setup, administration, etc.). Having set up a few wikis for a variety of purposes, I found this to be an excellent presentation.

Steven Bell – It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Web 2.0 World : Hidden Treasure or Just More Pressure? (Powerpoint) (Handout)

The title is adapted from It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, the “epic comedy” film from 1963. He likened our (libraries) search for “Library 2.0″ to the frantic search for the “big W” in the film, even showing a couple of clips.

He recommended a Wired magazine article by Chris Anderson called People Power.

A manifestation of the second-generation web is User Generated Content (which strikes me as a good summation of the change taking place).

Business Week’s June 11, 2007 issue of Inside Innovation has an incredible set of charts showing demographics of those using and generating content.

He recommended an article from the v.25#2 issue of Library Hi-Tech called Taking the information to the public through Library 2.0 (abstract only; sounds like an ILL opportunity).

He pointed out a blog post by David Lee King called How Can We Change the Unchangeable, or David’s Rant.

He showed several video clips of library staff scenarios (think of those training movies you see with acted examples):

• Library Director/Admin reacting to a librarian’s blogging
• Co-workers discussing the possibilities of a Wiki
• Instant Messaging as a library tool

His main points were to try out new technology, be open-minded about staff using technology, and recognize that much of Library 2.0 technology involves a time investment, but is otherwise low-risk (and low-cost).

His caveats were to focus on identifying problems needing solutions, find technology with the potential to solve those problems, learn about the technology, and practice.

He referred to an article in the April 2004 American Libraries titled A Dozen Solutions to all Library Problems (which makes some great points with a dose of humor).

Design thinking – libraries approaching problems like designers approaching problems

Library revolution: designers went directly to patrons – how they use library, what they want to do but cannot, etc. They did not use the library staff as a primary resource for the design.

Stages for implementing change:

1. Reflect, analyze, diagnose and design
2. Imagine and visualize
3. Model plan and prototype
4. Implement

Designing Better Libraries (one of Steven’s blogs)

He used an interesting prop to illustrate increased tension associated with technology: a block of wood with a bolt partly screwed into it… he uses a ratchet to tighten the bolt… increasing the tension.

“Reverse the Technology Ratchet”

• consider the opportunity costs
• Balance experimentation and investment of time
• pick your edge – leading or trail
• identify your compassionate pioneers
• reverse mentoring (relatively new library people training established people on newer methods)
• make a plan and let it guide (but there are exceptions)

Website: Steven Bell’s Keeping Up Website

We must learn to evolve

Example: Change. Deal with It. (a.k.a. Jim Carroll’s squirrel experiment)

He concluded with a quote from David Bishop, Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois:

We have watched whole professions go out of business as a result of changes in technology. Libraries are not immune. Change must happen soon and across the board if libraries of all types are to remain viable.

Notes: This was essentially a keynote, and did not go in-depth on any topic. It hit many points, and used a great deal of humor to do so. It was a great start for the conference, and the end quote sets the tone for one of the later sessions.