We got a great crowd of around 20 people for our Drupal ‘Birds of a Feather’. The above is a shot of everybody in the BIGWIG Bloggers’ room — just before we got kicked out by some group from YALSA (bums, we’ll get even)! (We then proceeded to the next available empty room and had our get-together there.) First up on the agenda was setting up the Drupal IG, making sure we have enough signatures and asking for volunteers to serve as Chair and Co-Chair. For the first year, Leo Klein (i.e. me) graciously volunteered to serve as chair and Ian Chan as co-chair. The name for the IG is ‘Drupal4Lib’ and our purpose is “to promote the use and understanding of the content management system, Drupal, by libraries and librarians”. Next on the agenda was the true meat-and-potatoes of the BoF: shooting the breeze about Drupal and demonstrating a…
Author: Leo Klein
Google and Libraries: What's in Store for Google Print and Google Scholar
Boy, that was a packed program! I thought yesterday’s “Top Technology Trends” was packed. Today there were even more people. (see photos…) Participants What everyone came to see was the panel discussion featuring Google’s Adam Smith along with representatives from the five libraries that have agreed to let Google digitize their books. In order of seating, that was John Price-Wilkin (Michigan), Catherine Tierney (Stanford), Ronald Milne (Oxford), Dale Flecker (Harvard), and John Balow (NYPL). Maurice York (Emory) on the far left was moderator. Google Print Although the program was subtitled “What’s in Store for Google Print and Google Scholar”, most of the attention was paid to Google Print — quite rightly because it involves libraries handing over to Google the very things that make them unique, namely, their collections. It soon became clear however that some of the libraries appear to be engaged in “Pilot Projects”. Harvard for example, is…
Google and Libraries (Photos)
I’ll have my write-up of the program a bit later but for the moment, have a look at these shots:
Leo Klein's Top Technology Trends
Just so you don’t think my life revolves completely around pizza, ribs and polish sausage, I thought I’d mention a few things that have caught my eye and where I think we’re headed: CMS for the Rest of Us Sure CMS has been touted before but it always came with fine print that read, “some assembly required”. Zope was a poster boy for this. Not only was “assembly required” but you had to learn python to do it. Beyond that, no problem. No problem? My idea of no problem is where you install the thing, set a few preferences and fire it up. Yes, I know I exaggerate but this very blog — the LitaBlog — is a testament to how far CMS has evolved. And WordPress (what they used here) is only one choice among many. Have a look at OpenSource CMS to get an idea of the range…
Introduction and Welcome to Chicago (Pt. 2 Dining Out)
If at some point you start getting hungry during your stay in our fair city, I highly recommend that you concentrate on the three principle food groups making up the traditional Chicago Diet: Deep Dish Pizza, Ribs and Polish Sausage. Though at first glance, this may not seem like the healthiest combination, just remember that you’ll be leaving in a few days and so will probably avoid the worst consequences of indulging in such fare. The problem is in order to get to the best places, you have to be willing to travel. I mean the best place I know for Ribs — at least on the North Side — is Smokin’ Woody’s on Lincoln and Berteau (the tips are heavenly). Ditto for a Polish (notice we omit the word ‘sausage’) where I make a monthly pilgrimage to a trailer marked “Maxwell Street” on Diversey and Damen. Even my favorite…
Introduction and Welcome to Chicago (Pt. 1 Entertainment)
So much is happening in Chicago during ALA that you’d think it was a conspiracy to befuddle the out-of-towners. Do not despair! In my role as social butterfly, I have taken it upon myself (and the LITA Blog authorities have given me access!) to try and help you make sense of this embarrassment of riches. Of course, you’ll be spending most of your time at the conference. Nevertheless, you’ll hopefully still have opportunities to step out and sample life in the Windy City. The first thing you should do is pick up a copy of the Chicago Reader. This is our alternative weekly and it lists within seven days more things than a normal person could do in a whole year. If you dip into it, you’ll find that the “Big” event during ALA is Taste of Chicago. The “Taste” as they call it in these parts, takes place in…