Social Intelligence

Conferences are always fun! I got to attend the Friday of this year’s British Columbia Library Association Conference. I met all sorts of people from attendees, exhibitors, other volunteers and personnel. I got a chance to see new books at few different stands and talk to reps from a few of the publishers some of which deal mainly British Columbian libraries and are centred in the BC interior.

I volunteered at the reception desk for the afternoon answering mostly directional questions after attending a session on suggestion boxes as analysis tools for libraries. I was described in the brochure as Suggestion Boxes for Academic Libraries, but the women running the session translated it into a session for those from a wider variety of libraries. The overall suggestion was that no suggestions or complaints was not something to aim for in our libraries that we want to encourage this lane of communication whether our suggestion box is a physical item or virtual item. The examples of how suggestion boxes have been used in decision making processes at various libraries was incredibly cool! I am finding that analysis and communication are areas that are starting to perk my interest as I feel the best way to make sure that our libraries connect with our patrons is to include them in the life of said library so that when we need funds or volunteers or are looking at making changes these changes reflect the needs, and wants of our users!

I also enjoyed the readings given by Lorna Crozier, Patrick Lane, Don Gayton, and Dick Cannings. I realized when I came to the readings that I had purchased one of Don Gayton’s books enjoyed it. Lorna Crozier’s memoir gives an interesting view of prairie life which was lovely. I think that if I get a chance to attend the MeadowLark Festival at some point I would choose to go on a hike with either Don Gayton or Dick Cannings as my guide to the natural world.

Wise Owl on the Web for Information has been a real exploration process for me both in the academic realm to see what had been written about older adults, seniors, and baby boomers using the internet and social media. There was much more material out there than I thought I would find and as I result my wiki and paper kept growing and changing. I feel even though I have submitted both that the wiki at least will continue growing and changing. I have information on banking, investment and taxes including credit unions here in the Okanagan and tax accountants. I also have some information on adult education and career planning, but have sent an invitation to a friend in career counselling in hope that she will add to this part of the wiki. I chose tourism information about British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest as well as cooking information as both areas are of interest to this community and to me as well. There is a little about health contacts here in the Okanagan, but this is an area that I think needs more information and last but not least I have a page of links for my library colleague, but it too needs for development. I wish to add information about gardening as it is the season and maybe some information on woodworking or antique cars as both areas seem to be popular hobbies. Books and reading along with history and genealogy are also on the list. As you can see there is much I could do with this wiki so I have understandable butterflies as to whether I have done enough. Come check out my wiki at the following link: http://wiseowlonthewebforinformation.wikispaces.com/Welcome+to+Wise+Owl+on+the+Web

The paper is a collection of thoughts and statistics that could be used to support a similar project being developed through a library. I think it is more important to share information than to copyright it in this case so here is my paper as well if you are curious.

Wise Owl on the Web:

Supporting Documentation for an Informative Wiki directed to Older Users, and the Library Personnel who serve them

Seniors, people aged 65 years and older, are one of the fast growing populations of potential and actual patrons of libraries. Between 2000 and 2030 the population will have more than doubled. (Honnold and Mesaros, 3) Seniors are not only one of the largest user groups for libraries, but they also provide one of the largest volunteer populations for libraries. Ignoring this segment of the community is not a wise choice for the survival and health of public libraries. The mandate for public libraries is to serve their communities to the best of their ability and this means having a strong and knowledgeable base of staff, volunteers, and patrons. The older adults in a community can represent a living library, a collection of human resources, which can be utilized by both the library and the larger community. It is this vast store house of knowledge that I want to harness by connecting older adults with each other and with library personnel.

Some businesses are already recognizing that building wikis into which older employees can upload at least some of their vast knowledge and experiences may mean the difference between success and failure when they retire and the business has to go through a rebuilding and retraining period. (Kapp, 2007) I want to make sure that this is an opportunity for exchange by which I mean that I want to collect a selection of resources that will be of use to the older adult population of the Okanagan. Libraries are about conversation and knowledge construction not just about being a repository for documents and more and more people are now expecting to participate in their knowledge communities interacting with what others have shared and then adding their own content. (Lanke, 2007, 5) Wise Owl on the Web will be as much about exchange of information and ideas as it is about being a knowledge repository.

Statistics Canada has provided some of the most current information about internet use patterns in Canada which is part of the information needed for this project.

According to Statistics Canada (StatCan),

Internet users in Canada, by age, 2007 (% of each group):
- 16-34: 93%
- 35-54: 80%
- 55-64: 61%
- 65+: 29%
This is roughly the same pattern seen in comScore data, where internet users in Canada ages 2 to 17 outnumber the 65 and older age group by more than 3-to-1, and those ages 18 to 24 outnumber online seniors by more than 2-to-1.

eMarketer reports that, instead of a digital divide in internet access based on race, Canada has one based on age (eMarketer, July 2007). Only 61% of Canadian adults ages 55 and older have access to the internet from any location, compared with 88% of adults ages 18-54, according to a report from Ipsos Reid. Ipsos Reid indicates the internet is by no means universal in Canada. The ‘digital divide’ is an issue that must be dealt with by both information specialists and internet providers. The divide is real and must be recognized as an issue that has not completely vanished over the years.

Adults in Canada with internet access by age 2001 & 2006 (% of respondents in each group):
- Aged 18-54: 88% in 2006 up from 82% in 2001
- Aged 55 and older: 61% in 2006, up from 48% in 2001

(The information from Ipsos Reid and eMarketer was borrowed directly from the European Travel Commission, New Media Trend Watch article on Canada.)

People who do not access the internet do have a variety of reasons for this such as not being able to afford a computer, having a computer, but not the internet, issues of literacy and computer literacy to a lack of interest. Some reasons given are that they prefer to spend their time in other ways, a lack of patience, a lack of ease with using the internet and a perceived lack of useful information.(Raptis and Dick, 2007) Many of these issues can be eliminated through access to effective computer training, public access terminals, and straight forward, easily navigable information sites that allow users to get information within the minimum amount time without the aggravation of deciding on search terms and dealing with excessive advertising.

According to Ipsos Reid’s July 2007 report, 32% of 35-54 year olds and 21% of adults aged 55 and older have reported visiting a blog. According to TNS Canadian Facts‘ study completed between April 30th and May 5th, 2007, one third of Canadians 50 and older had been to a social networking site. (European Travel Commission, New Media Trend Watch) By 2009 vis-a-vis the Forrester Research report, “More than 60 percent of those in the Baby Boomer generational group actively consume[d] socially created content like blogs, videos, podcasts, and forum.” (Beesley, 2010) Following these ever increasing numbers it should be obvious that providing online information services to older adults is the way of the future as well as a new area of responsibility for libraries in the present. Wise Owl on the Web follows the example set by sites like the White Rock/South Surrey Seniors Directory and 50Plus.com. The White Rock/South Surrey Seniors Directory is a straight forward and easy to use directory with information on topics from health to entertainment in the area. 50Plus.com has wider scope with a social networking component through a connection to Facebook and new articles available right on the site instead of requiring its’ audience to follow links to the information.

Nearly 4 in 10 online buyers visited more than one online store before finalizing a purchase, and 37% used a search engine to find a retailer. More online buyers used networking tools and platforms to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives than those who purchased offline. Online buyers were more likely than those who did not buy online to have written a product review, posted a video to the web or written a blog. 6 in 10 online buyers said that consumer reviews were their most trusted information source. Only 31% said they trusted newspapers or magazines most. Getting Canadians to purchase online is still a challenge. More than 2/3 of Canadian internet users like to shop online, but only 53% are willing to buy online. eMarketer projects Canadians will double their online spending for retail goods to $16 billion by 2009, from $8 billion in 2006. (eMarketer, July 2007)

Products categories purchased online in the past 6 months by online buyers in Canada April 2006 (% of respondents):
- Books and magazines: 33%
- Computer hardware/software: 31%
- Music/DVDs/Videos: 27%
- Clothing and accessories: 21%
- Gifts: 21%
- Travel: 21%
- Tickets: 20%
- Consumer electronics: 16%
- Toys and video games: 16% (European Travel Commission, New Media Trend Watch)

If people are buying and researching online then providing a site where they can access information on these topics and others such as health, social media that supports alternative communication, caring for aging parents and grandchildren, retirement, careers, volunteering, investments, taxes as well as providing a portal to both public and private sites is important. (Ownby, 2006) The wiki or website developer must consider issues surrounding accessibility for her audience which in the case of older adults: computer skills, flexibility, as well as physical and mental impediments to accessing information from reduced eyesight to short term memory problems that make remembering where you have been within a website and how to get back there an issue. Font size and colour as well as spacing and background colour can make a site easier to read and navigate particularly if coupled with a chain of links, the breadcrumb option, that allows a user to follow the path he has taken through a website or wiki and return to any previous portion of his search without having to go back through all the pages previously accessed. Moving menus and informational bubbles that flash up when someone glides the cursor over a link may be distracting versus useful to some members of the potential audience; however, a message letting the user know when they are leaving the host site may be useful particularly if it is coupled with an option to cancel the action just undertaken or to continue. (Ownby, 2006) Some of these elements while annoying to younger and more computer savvy users maybe important for those with less dexterity and or computer skill so that their adventure in cyberspace is a comfortable and successful experience which will bring them back at a future date and not close them out of the world of computers and the internet due to frustration.

A computer savvy website or wiki designer may automatically go to the internet for information, but not think about how foreign this world and choice could seem to others. This is where a multi-layered advertising campaign is necessary not just directed at older adult library patrons, but also at your colleagues and those who never step foot inside a library. Communicating with computer instructors who teach this population for an opportunity to give a guest lecture and demonstration to their classes in the area, flyers at the library and on community bulletin boards advertising your creation and a willingness to give introductory sessions would also be useful. (LaBelle, 2007) A classified ad or article in the local papers or on the radio might be worth trying as well, especially as many media outlets are now asking us to communicate with them via the web. A good choice might be Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio’s Spark which concentrates on technology in Canada. In my case I will email a number of friends and relatives who are in this age group and post links to my creation in my Facebook and Twitter streams. Communicating with bloggers and site hosts who market their own sites to this demographic would be another useful way to get the word out and get traffic and input on my new wiki, Wise Owl on the Web, as well as trackbacks to any sites linked to my directory. If I was conducting this social media experiment in a library I might choose to conduct some focus groups or take my idea to the Friends of the Library and or the library board for input.

Wise Owl on the Web will come online in a friendly environment for the audience that I am targeting as more and more web designers and librarians are thinking about serving the baby boomer to senior demographic. As my wiki is not directly associated with any particular library system I do not have to worry about seeking permission before bringing it online, however, I may take my laptop to the British Columbia Library Association (BCLA) conference at the end of the month and share the results with some of my colleagues. This wiki may end up being a lifelong project as it has unlimited options for pages and this may mean that I will have to eventually pay WikiSpaces for space to continue. I am continually reminded that not every person that fits the demographic that I am serving will be interested in or ever access this wiki, but it is an experiment worth trying.

Older people are often considered to be the elders, the conservators of traditional values and wisdom-keepers of a society. But as elders and sages, they can also be “new pioneers” (Carlsen, 1991) along the information highway in rural Canada. Given the unprecedented rate of change around the world, the elder as “conservator of old values must also become the elder as pathfinder to the future” (Schachter-Shalomi, 1995) by testing  new technologies, ideas, and styles of living. ((King, 2001, 61) 68 of 70 in Seniors and Technology)

Wise Owl on the Web will be a location that older users can go to access the majority if not all their information needs from links to online banking and investment sites to information for career seekers and those looking for hobby related information. Because this is a wiki project seniors and baby boomers can also share their ideas and discoveries with their peers and library personnel, who wish to serve them better.

Bibliography

Beesley, Caron (Feb. 18, 2010). “Marketing to Seniors and Baby Boomers: Have you ” in “Tips for Marketing to Seniors and Baby Boomers” post by Saskia Wijngaard on February 26,2010 on Boomer Authority:Providing Baby Boomers With Timely Advice When They Need It Most. by The 46-64 Boomer Initiative Accessed on March 30, 2010.

http://boomerauthority.ning.com/profiles/blogs/tips-for-marketing-to-seniors

European Travel Commission (Feb. 22, 2010) “Markets by Country-LongHaul-Canada” on NewMedia TrendWatch. Accessed on March 31, 2010.

http://www.newmediatrendwatch.com/markets-by-country/11-long-haul/45-canada?showall=1
Honnold, Rosemary and Mesaros, Saralyn A. (2004). Serving seniors: a how-to-do-it manual for librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Kapp, Karl M. (July/Aug. 2007). “Tools and Techniques for Transferring Knowledge from Boomers to Gamers,” Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 22-37.

King, Donald A. (Sept. 2001). “Country Roads: Connecting Older Rural Canadians” in[Part] 17: Seniors and Technology of Writings in Gerontology Ottawa: National Advisory Council on Aging, 1-70. www.naca.ca

LaBelle, Shannon, MacEntee, Emma, Parker, Katherine and  Stolbenko, Iouta (Nov. 28, 2007). Planning Computer-Based Programming for Leading Edge Baby Boomers in Public Libraries in Vancouver: A Focus Group Research Project. www.slais.ubc.ca/courses/libr559f/08-09…/L505_ResearchDesign2.pdf

Lankes, R. David (2007). “The Ethics of Participatory Librarianship” (forthcoming) Journal of Library Administration, 1-16. http://www.DavidLankes.org

Ownby, Raymond L. (Summer 2006). “Making the Internet a Friendlier Place for Older People,” Generations, 58-60.

Raptis, Melissa E. and Dick, Geoffrey N. (2007). “The Rise of the Silver Surfer: The Use of Computers and the Internet by Seniors-An Opportunity for Continuing Education,” Journal of Information Education Research 9(1), 141-162.

When I started this course I was a social media neophyte I used Facebook and have an account with WAYN which I check, but do not use to its’ full capability. Now I know that there is a tool for almost anything I want to do in the virtual realm and outside it. If a task would work better with collaboration, particularly, if the collaborators are computer savvy or at least comfortable with computers then social media may be the way to go. This software breaks down the barriers of time and space as well as helping those who are less confident with face to face collaboration to feel comfortable participating in planning processes.

I have participated in conference calls that could have benefited from the ability to send files, create real time diagrams and to do lists. A conference call with instant messaging and file transfer allows work that has been carried out between meetings to be shared and commented on in the course of the conversation. Decisions can be made more quickly as a result of file transfer and virtual clip board/wiki collaboration.

My list of social media tools is growing, but two of my favourite tools at the moment are my blog and wiki. I hope to get other people to participate in my wiki project soon. I love hearing back from people about something I have posted and knowing that what I shared has resonated with them. I love reading about other people’s perspectives on the world or finding the solution to a problem I have been struggling with in someone else’s post. Being in library is about being part of a larger conversation and sharing ideas, worries, concerns and innovations with others. Social media seems to be about the same thing.

As for the tool that I found least useful, I have not mastered Yahoo Pipes yet, however, I must admit to being somewhat distracted with other new online adventures lately. It is on my list of future challenges because I can see its’ usefulness for libraries in the coming years as well as being a useful tool for my own personal virtual exploration and explanation process. I have not tried other mash-up tools, but it looks like my next course may give me that opportunity while dealing with Google Earth and the world of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Academic Libraries.

Mobile technology while interesting seems to require  people to have the right technology such as an iPhone so I have feeling that until more of the world converts to this type of technology the applications for libraries will be limited. I have yet to attain a mobile phone with all the right apps so I found some of the uses for mobile technology a little hard to relate to and some were down right spooky. Maybe part of my problem with this technology is that at this point I get charged heavily for much extra text messaging and the same for web surfing so the idea of using my phone for the majority of the suggested functions did not seem practical. I did use my phone for taking photographs of plants and tags so that we could look them up and figure out whether they would work in my Mother’s landscaping project. I hadn’t used the camera on my phone before today. Now I just have to locate the photos I took! I guess the more functions I learn to use on my present cell model the more likely I will be to upgrade both phone and phone plan; and I think this could be the case for many people when it comes to technology is that they have to see the usefulness of a particular technology and in some cases have the money to try out either preexisting functions or to upgrade their technology before they will support new services,  media policies or projects.

LIS9763 and social media has opened up the world of distance education for me as being something that I can enjoy and participate in with pleasure each week. I love meeting with my classmates and you, Amanda, in the chat room though sometimes our chat felt like it ended before the discussion was over. I was only taking one class this semester so our weekly chats were my only contact with my fellow library students other than comments I left for them on their blogs or they left me, except for our awesome group work team for Cooking the Books on Facebook. I would like to see a few more planned options for alternative routes to this discussion so that if Meebo is acting up we do not lose this opportunity for our weekly visit!

The experience of exploring social media provided by LIS9763 has been wonderful and has opened a variety of new doors for exploration and expansion in both my personal and professional lives. I have spent too many years putting limits on what I felt I could accomplish and what was possible and now I realize that they are just that my constructed limits that I do not need to hold on to anymore. Working with social media has taught me a whole new level of patience as well as when to ask for help and when to just try something until I get it to work because I can and it would be cool to have said feature available on my wiki such as Meebo chat widget that did not work the first few times I tried to set it up. Realizing that if I looked for a solution I could get the mash-up I needed to watch for wk. 11 by downloading a new application and transforming it into a pc friendly format. This course has been a whole series of learning experiences which have given me the confidence and experience to keep learning and pushing the limits of what is possible. I look forward to checking out my classmates final projects and keeping in touch! May we collaborate on all sorts of interesting projects in the future.

What some business people and librarians are recognizing is that people like to be heard and to have an opportunity to participate in decisions, both big and small. This may mean an on-going blog about new ideas and challenges as well as everyday life. It may mean sharing books, websites, wikis, and blogs as well as experiences with the world and your colleagues. It may mean using collaborative virtual note pads, instant messaging, text messaging, email, and VOIP software to connect with people across the city, province, country and world. Being able to attend conferences either in person or remotely and or continue other forms of professional development is also important!

My Social Media Best Practices:

1. Keep up with new technology through reading and listening to as many sources as possible!

2. Use common sense and think about how you could apply this and whether it is right for your library or your personal use!

2. Discover the answers to these questions before starting a project:
What do you want to achieve?
Who do you want to include?
Who you want to connect with?
Which softwares are they familiar with and already using?
Which softwares you are familiar with and have a comfort in using?
Do you need technical support for the project you are planning?
Do you need expertise or ideas from other people?
Who do you have to get approval from or at least inform about you plan? What is their knowledge base? What do they need to know?
Do you have deadline?
How do you want to assess this project?
What stats do you need to prove its’ usefulness?
What sort of feedback system do you need to help with growth and problem solving?

4. Believe in yourself! Be willing to take risks, make mistakes and admit when you are wrong or need help!!!

Here is a blog post that will be of use for those thinking about marketing through social media. It gives a set of step by step suggestions and best practices for starting out. Thank you Sean Gallagher for this useful tutorial.:

http://community2.business.gov/t5/Small-Business-Matters/Getting-Started-with-Social-Media-Marketing/ba-p/13949#A555

My social media tool box will include some or all of the following:

A Twitter account for promotion and communication.

A Facebook page and or group for similar purposes as well as for personal communication.

An account on Skype for communicating over long distances and short ones, possibly to work on projects and attend workshops virtually.

An instant messaging software or site such as the connection through Meebo that lets me communicate with people using different IM providers.

I may also use online clipboards such as the one we used for our group project and the various Google applications from the feed reader to the search engines. And last but certainly not least I will have my bookmarks available on Delicious so that I can access them from anywhere whether I am updating my wiki or my blogs  and or sending an e-communication to someone with research assistance or professional development information.

I look forward to hearing any other suggestions and input on this post!

Imagine the amount of time that you have just put into being a presence in one or more social media realms, then imagine you come online to discover that someone or multiple someones have highjacked your site or page for their own purposes. Now what? Do you delete all these comments? Do you respond right away? Do you breathe deeply and possibly take some time away from your computer and then respond to this new community of users with some useful commentary and a polite request that they remember the original purpose of your page? Do you give them the page and create a new page with information for directing your users from the old page to the new one?
If you wish more information I recommend Jeremiah Owyang’s blog post, Crisis Planning: Prepare Your Company for Social Media Attacksand notNestle’s lead Happy Computing! Thanks for the original links Amanda!

To those trying to decide what role social media will play in your businesses and what sort of policy needs to be in place I recommend the readings for wk. 12 on http://lis9763.net/ as all of the readings added something to my understanding of the topic. None of the readings are too long and most can be read by utilizing their paragraph headings so that if you are in  a hurry you can get the overall gist of what you need to know.

Sharlyn Lauby has a no nonsense way of responding to this issue with her tips as well as the reasons she gives for and against writing a policy on social media. Before your institution starts the using your chosen media you must decide how you want to communicate with your coworkers and your clients.

David Lee King takes a great shot at those libraries who may send the wrong message to their patrons simply by using free software without thinking about the impact of the ads that these sites use to make money. His examples are entertaining and they get the point across. I mutter over the quantity of ads I am exposed to in the course of a day, but it was nice to be reminded of the issues around using social media from a professional prospective.

Jeremiah Owyang deals with the issue of assessing the effectiveness of any social media enterprise and selling this new media to those who may not feel it is a good use of company time. His list of questions and ideas are definitely worth considering before setting out on a corporate social media adventure. They will allow you to analysis the value of your project and make improvements as it grows and ages.

Have you ever thought about what it takes to hire someone for the job of building your library’s social presence online?  Choosing someone or a team of people within your library to maintain your library’s virtual presence in the various social media realms is important and can make the difference between a social media presence that draws people in and enlarges your library’s support system or one that repels potential patrons. Have you ever considered how your future employers could evaluate your social street credentials from what you post online, David Armano certainly has? I have always thought about the fact that what I post will live on well after I am not around anymore, but to realize that people will make decisions on whether I am qualified to work for them or take on a particular project is interesting to contemplate.

UT SouthWestern Library’s Social Media Policy was my favourite of the case studies we reviewed this week as it was positive in defining how their employees should interact with others over social media. The policy is to the point and easy to follow. It raises issues that anyone using social media should consider if they want to be professional and courteous in their use of the available media. The policy also has a flexibility which should stand the university and the library in good stead for the coming years. I also like the idea of adding a social media clause to an existing communications policy recognizing that this is just another new way for people to communicate with each other.

www.web2learning.net/wp-content/uploads/…/mashups-metro2010.pdf This pdf provides much food for thought with examples of mashups and information about what a mashup is.

http://library2.usask.ca/~fichter/mashups/ This is another list of resources and information about using mashups in libraries.

http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2006/09/13/mashing_winners.html No explanation necessary the Shifted Librarian has provided another great post for us to enjoy.

An interesting week with one tool I thought I had never used or heard of that I use regularly, Mashups. I regularly use maps with extra information to locate library branches I need to visit or other tourist sites when I plan a trip to a new city. Now I know that what I utilize is someone else’s mashup. I also regularly use the new book virtual carousels to check out the lastest titles on offer. I feel that I will be confident in creating these soon if I keep practicing with the new mashup sites that were shared in the literature for this week. I admit I have not created a successful mashup yet with Yahoo Pipes.

  Another tool that I will likely use in the future, but have not used to its’ full capacity is Real Simple Syndication (RSS). The amount of use I get out of this tool will likely depend on which sort of library setting I end up in in the future. I am the sort of researcher who often discovers more useful sites and articles by serendipity then by the exact terms I enter in my first search so I am going to be perenially afraid of missing something that will not be provided based on the terms I have given the rss feed aggregator.  I would also want to have thoroughly searched the sites I aggregate so that if the rss feed is set to provide me with the latest news from the site then I am not going to miss providing relevant older articles to my patrons as well.

I loved the translation feature on Yahoo Pipes, but am curious how useful it would be to provide the headlines to my patrons if I did not have translators or translation software that could then translate the article itself as it appears that if you click on the link provided you end up at an article in the original language. Anyone have any thoughts on this issue? The translation sites that I have seen do not seem to be all that effective for translating whole documents.

I will explore both these tools further and may have further thoughts when I have done so. I am a little late posting this week’s thoughts as Shaw had a hiccup in our area this morning just as I was about to post this entry so it had to be retyped before being posted.

An interesting collection of reading for this week from computing clouds to mobile devices and how the changes in technology will affect libraries for the present and in the future. I am curious how many of you out there  would search the library catalogue from using your cell or iphone? I have a feeling that I am a bit of a dinosaur in this area in that I am only really using my phone for making the occasional call or sending text messages. I am happy to head into my local library and check for holds in person or pick them up if I get an email that they are available. I found that when I was getting text messages from an institution versus someone on my contact list I was getting severely charged for the priviledge so I will get out of my apartment, check my email, or my library account to keep on top of my holds and the books due back.

However, I may be part of a team looking after a library website at some point or communicating with providers of library software or online databases. I need to be aware of what my options are for making the library resources more searchable and accessible. I will be interested to see what direction mobile technology takes in the coming years and what people will be wanting in the way of accessible services.

QR codes and their uses caught my attention when Amanda shared the information about them in this week’s video post.  I went looking for more information about this topic and now I am going to share this post by The Proverbial LoneWolf Librarian’s blog. Thanks for providing us with more potential uses of this technology.

As to the augmented reality applications I find them slightly disturbing!!! Yet if you sent a tweet to someone tweeting about issues with research it might be a quiet way to help students, but they might consider it an invasion of their privacy.

I think that whether it is the decision to put part of your resources or all of your resources online on a third party site out in the cloud or to put the hours and technical time into designing applications for different mobile devices much research and thought must go into the implications of the decisions. Consultation is an important part of the equation. Why transfer the resources off site if your internet connectivity is not consistent enough to allow them to be accessed easily? Why take the time to design an application or a service if there is not a wide enough user base interested in utilizing it either within the library community or outside it? Are confidentiality and legal liability going to be concerns if certain files are stored off-site? Is it reasonable to store a portion of the libraries resources off-site and in the cloud so that your library is doublely covered in case of a technological or a nature disaster? Are some resources already located off-site because your library access them via a licensing agreement?

Hi All,

A brief entry to share life saving program for those with video files they receive that they can not play in the format they receive or find them in. It is free and it works. http://www.avs4you.com/AVS-Video-Converter.aspx 

My thanks to the programmers responsible. Enjoy the mashup for week 11.