Category: Ideas
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Screencasts from the Patron’s Point of View
Over on Tame the Web, Mick Jacobsen describes how he decided to produce his screencasts not from the librarian point of view, but from the Patron Point of View (PPOV). Which video do you think would be viewed more: Learn How to Search LegalForms or Find a Customizable Contract for Your Business? I think the…
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Search Engine finds a new home
My heart skipped a beat this AM when Jesse Brown mentioned on the Search Engine podcast that due to cutbacks at the CBC, the show had been canceled. But he followed up with the good news that the show had been picked up by TVO, "Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of…
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OCLC takes the OPAC to the cloud
Damn, this is shaping up to be an interesting year in libraryland. OCLC has announced that they're going to offer a fully online ILS (Integrated Library System). As in, no desktop client for acquisitions or circulation, and Worldcat.org as the public interface. The official press release is here, Andrew Pace has a short piece, and…
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Shirky on the newspaper industry: I don’t know. Nobody knows.
Clay Shirky's got a really thought-provoking piece called Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable in which he points out how and why the newspaper industry has gotten to where it is, and how and why nobody knows yet what's going to happen next in this industry (or whatever replaces it). Some quotes to whet your appetite:…
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Reviews and comparisons of ebook readers – Link Dump
All this week I've noticed a large number of other bloggers posting their thoughts on various things related to ebooks; Kindle for the iPhone, other iPhone readers, dedicated ebook readers, etc. Here's the list that I've got: Further thoughts on the Kindle iPhone experience "As the market opens up, more choices will appear. That's all…
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Convergence of Knowledge and Culture: Calgary’s Design for the Future
After searching my site I realize I haven't blogged about it much, but the Taylor Family Digital Library being built outside my window continues apace. A month ago, Tom Hickerson, our VP of Libraries & Cultural Resources and University Librarian spoke at the OCLC Distinguished Seminar Series about the TFDL: Convergence of Knowledge and Culture:…
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Second thoughts on Shortcovers
Yesterday I blogged about the new Shortcovers service. Last night I read a short story and have the following observations. I like how I can browse the website from my desktop, bookmark titles, and then have them appear on my iPhone for reading. (I can also, of course, browse and bookmark from the iPhone). I…