I took about 6 pages of notes during the presentation, so this is a highly condensed version of a very wonderful session. To make it readable, I am going to post it in four parts, separated by speakers. The title implies that this session will be about libraries as industry, as business, and from the beginning, Cathy De Rosa makes it clear that this is the intent. I like that they do not shy away from discussing libraries as business. Omar Wasow – Library 2.0? “Libraries must both inform and transform.†There is a break in perceptions from what librarians think and what our users think. The brand “library†stands for books, but our facilities are high on the list of what users think about. They are unhappy with the surroundings of the library: parking, signage, building rude staff, etc. The library is not just about technology; it is about…
Author: Michelle Boule
WiFi at the Convention Center
I was under the impression that wifi was not free at the Gonzales Convention Center, but I am happily connected at this moment… for free. Those of you needing to check email, live blog, or surf during those not so riveting sessions now have an outlet. Enjoy.
In and Around Town – San Antonio Style
I am from Houston, but have lost track of the number of times I have been to San Antonio. It is one of my favorite Texas cities. Be sure to visit one of the local Mexican restaurants while you are in town, meander down the Riverwalk, and soak in the atmosphere. The Radical Reference group has set up an informational wiki on San Antonio for Midwinter. It contains many good suggestions on getting around, eating, and leisure time. The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau of San Antonio also has a nice site with a variety of suggestions for out-of-towners. If you have time, I suggest taking the trolley to El Mercado, where you can shop and eat in a Mexican style market square.
Pictures of the Blogger Happy Hour at LITA Forum
Pictures from the Bloggers Networking Dinner.
Re-Imagining Technology’s Role in the Library Building
Susan Thompson & David Walker from California State University-San Marcos, Kellogg Library (I took too long eating my cake and talking so I arrived a little late to this session.) Susan Thompson is up first. California State University-San Marcos is a relatively new campus and they have just completed a new library building. One of their major considerations was developing a building that would support a large amount of technology for their students. They took special care with their classrooms, which they call labs, paying attention to lighting, projection screens, and versatility of the rooms. A collaborative classroom which has round tables provides an area conducive to group work. The instructor has a control screen on their computer that controls all of the components of the classroom, including screens, lights, and to even control and manipulate the student’s computers. Not only did the Kellogg library install over 240 computers, but…
Google Wired
Google put in a bid to provide wireless to SF on September 30th.
Blogging Out Loud: Shifts In Public Voice
Danah Boyd Danah does not hold back and she starts her talk by chastising librarians for some of our anti-Google stances and takes some swings at Michael Gorman for his remarks against “blog people.†“Librarians should not be the sole gate keepers of information.†People detest the gatekeeper and librarians present themselves as the only “real†gatekeepers. There are people squirming in the audience. Danah is challenging us and what we believe is “our†place. (I hope that some people will leave this session thinking about what we do and how we do it from a different point of view.) Blogs have greater increased the sheer amount of information out on the web. They are evolving and therefore are targets for those who do not understand the medium. The inflammatory rhetoric of those who rail against blogs are used to reduce the relevance and worth of blogs. Bloggers can provide…
Library Instruction Tutorials: Bottom-Up Design Structures for Maintenance and Scalability (take one)
Sean Cordes from Iowa State University Sean opens by talking about Pong, the Atari game that many of us grew up with, and makes the point that even though it is simple; it is still engaging. When we first started building web sites, we could envision the entire site in our heads, but now the complexity of the web and our sites are overwhelming (attributed to Peter Morville). I think this is sometimes the reason why our websites get out of our control and we end up with web sites, or tutorials, that do not make sense. Though we have to divide the labor because of the size of our sites, we also need to make sure that we do not become so specialized that we lose sight of the mission of the web site and organization. The mission has to be balanced within the structure of the library or…
Local Forum Fun @ the Movies
If you are unsure of what to do Friday in San Jose, let me suggest the following: Come and watch Serenity with fellow geeks. There is a cinema within walking distance of the conference hotel and they are showing Serenity at 9:35. You can purchase a ticket online from Camera 12 Cinemas for the show. If you would like to join us and you get a ticket, drop a line to me in the comments here, email me, or find me Friday and we will arrange a meeting place. I’ll be wearing a Serenity ringer t-shirt and a big goofy grin.
Blogger Networking Dinner at Forum
Join the blogger shindig Saturday night. Proof of blog not required.