Libology Blog

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

The first segment of “ALA In Focus”, an online video detailing the inner workings of various areas of the American Library Association, features Gwendolyn Prellwitz, Program Officer for the ALA Office of Diversity & Spectrum.

The video is fantastic to watch, but what has really caught my attention is the interviewer.  His name is John Chrastka, and I had the pleasure to work with him when I was the webmaster for Reaching Forward South.

John was (still is?) involved with the $39 support staff membership for ALA, which is directly tied with their efforts to recruit library-folk who happen to not-be-librarians.  This is still one of the best deals that ALA has offered, and John is a really pleasant and friendly presence.  His personality and enthusiasm really shows in the video segment.

As an additional note, videos like this are much more interesting to me than the polished, professional productions that organizations usually craft to show off their projects and people.  This truly feels like a casual conversation between two people who enjoy what they do.

found on The Shifted Librarian

While at Reaching Forward South last week, I met someone from the Lincoln Trail Library System who is involved in a project called PolyTalk.

PolyTalk is a volunteer group from Illinois libraries that provide translation services between patrons and library staff.  They set up schedules so that when you have someone in your library who doesn’t speak English, and you don’t have someone who speaks their language, you can call them and have your conversation translated.

Also, their list of vendors that specialize in foreign-language materials is worth a look (scroll down the page).

Tracks is a nifty piece of software that is a multi-user To-Do list organizer.  Multiple users, with different levels of access, can organize a project and set up timelines and track progress.

This may be a possibility for RFS…

From OSDir