Ref Tech Rob

Paper.li vs. Twittertim.es

2010-09-09T14:31:00.001-04:00

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about using Twitter with Paper.li to create a focused daily paper (link here.) I was impressed with its ability to gather together top tweets from people I follow and to lay them out in a readable format. I was also pleased to discover that, because my follow list is rather focused, what I ended up with was a nice summary of the previous days news in my fields of interest.

Later that week, someone told me about Twittertim.es (Twitter Times.) The Twitter Times is similar to Paper.li in that it collects links from my Twitter follow list and gathers them together in one easy to read newspaper format. There are a few differences that I have noticed since I started using both of them.

The first thing that I noticed was a difference in timeliness. Paper.li pulls in some of the top tweets from the people I follow but it doesn't display them until the next day. Twitter Times updates its paper all day long. Now, neither approach is necessarily better than the other--just different. This may affect your preference for one over the other. I happen to like both approaches, so I still use both papers.

The real difference maker, as far as I'm concerned, is the method each paper uses to post articles. Paper.li carries little more than the header--sometimes just the tweet--while Twitter Times posts a nice snippet of the article that you can expand in the page. It's a lot easier to determine if something is worth an RT if you can actually read it without leaving the page.

Another issue for me is the method each uses for retweeting. Paper.li gives you a box for a simple retweet with no option to edit it with hash tags or comments. Twitter Times opens a text box within the page, allowing you to edit your tweet. This makes a big difference to me, because I use hash tags to select certain tweets for bookmarking or sharing on other social networks. ~~Paper.li doesn't even adhere to standard RT protocol--the originator of the link is not mentioned in the tweet. When I retweet from Paper.li, I feel like I'm stealing someone else's credit.~~ However, Paper.li uses Twitter's retweet protocol, while Twitertim.es does not. This makes me feel like I am stealing someone else's work.

So, while I enjoy using both services, Twitter Times gives me more control over when and how I share information from people I follow. That has me leaning more on towards Twitter Times every day.

If you want to compare the two, feel free to check out my papers at:

http://twittertim.es/reftechrob
http://paper.li/reftechrob

Using Twitter and Paper.li to Create a Focused Daily Paper

2010-08-24T09:48:00.001-04:00

Over the years, I have developed a few techniques to cope with the information overload that most of us deal with these days. Internet searches return millions of results, so I focus my search terms. My favorite sites are constantly updating their information, so I subscribe to their feeds in a feed reader. I bookmark hundreds of sites that interest me and I store hundreds of my own documents and thousands of email messages. When you throw in real time social services like Twitter and facebook, the information flow turns into a flood and it becomes nearly impossible to harvest the most relevant bits of information from your environment. There is a way, though, to simply harvest some of your Twitter gems with an interesting service called Paper.li.

Paper.li is a service that culls the top links from your day's Twitter feed and organizes them into a newspaper-like format. The links are converted into short blurbs like article headers and are then organized into categories. You end up with a summary of trending links that represent your follow list. This paper can be shared with others and even has an announcement feature that tweets the latest edition for you. My latest edition can be found at http://paper.li/reftechrob.

The real value of Paper.li comes when you have an extremely focused follow list on Twitter. For example, if your professional field is engineering and you make a point of primarily following a large number of engineers who are active on Twitter, your paper would probably read like an extremely up to date trade journal. On the other hand, if your follow list is mostly your friends, your paper would read like a random assortment of quirky stories--the feed comes from shared links, not ordinary tweets.

So, if you really want to stay on top of a topic, open a Twitter account, create a focused follow list, and route it through Paper.li. It may give you some of the best reading you've had in some time.

Opinion: Google is Dropping the Ball

2010-08-12T13:34:00.001-04:00

As readers of this blog may already know, I have been a fan of Google since its search engine burst onto the scene. It was fast, clean, and accurate and was quite a find for a reference librarian. In its early years, it was almost indistinguishable from magic. Later on, I fell for Google Reader, gmail, Google Docs, and I was already a Blogger user when Google took over that operation. I envisioned a day when I would be able to access my information from anywhere I had access to an internet connection, and Google Gears gave me hope that I would be able to access my most important items from my laptop even when I didn't have a connection. I also hoped that all of Google's products would tie together for easy information processing, creation, and publication.

In Google's battles with Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook, though, this vision has disappeared. Google has become a "me too!" company that looks at innovation and tries to recreate it (or buy it) in piecemeal fashion. The drive for a web friendly OS (Chrome) and for an open social network (Open Social and Google Me) does not solve my immediate problems--besides, facebook is king and there's no need to duplicate it. Google Wave was innovative, but Google killed it by not linking it to other products, and not allowing everyone in. Without tools and a built in audience, there was no incentive to use the product, so Google dropped support.

No, what I need is a service that will use search to tap into the web's data and my personal data. I need a service that will allow me to sift through the data provided by Google's services and create an organized reading/research list. I need something that will allow me to take snippets of relevant information, create citations, and allow me to easily create a document for publication, or aa study guide, or a project summary. I also need it to be open to working with other services.

Why can't I send a question through Twitter, generate a series of keywords that will search through my feed reader for relevant blog entries, search the web for relevant pages, search my Delicious bookmarks for appropriate sources, and pull in any Twitter responses. All of this information could be dumped into something like paper.li that would also allow me to clip notes with references and add my own thoughts. I could then publish it to my blog or on the web.

All of this data is available to Google in one way or another, but Google has not opened up all of the APIs that would be necessary for an amateur to piece them together. I have been able to generate something in Yahoo Pipes that will search my Twitter account for questions and generate a list of key words, but that is as far as I have been able to get--I have no access to the data in my Google Reader account. Instead of allowing me to work with my data in new and useful ways, Google is fighting facebook. I have always admired Google's 20% philosophy allowing workers to pursue new ideas, but I think that they have neglected to pursue the more important task of unifying their products.

I would love it if somebody at Google read this and did something about it, but I think that Google has become too big to hear one voice and too shortsighted to focus on the bigger picture. Facebook is not the threat to Google that Google is.

Finding the laws that govern us

2009-11-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

Here is a snippet of a recent announcement from Google:

Starting today, we're enabling people everywhere to find and read full text
legal opinions from U.S. federal and state district, appellate and supreme
courts using Google Scholar. You can
find these opinions by searching for cases (like Planned
Parenthood v. Casey), or by topics (like desegregation)
or other queries that you are interested in. For example, go to Google Scholar,
click on the "Legal opinions and journals" radio button, and try the query separate
but equal. Your search results will include links to cases familiar to many
of us in the U.S. such as Plessy
v. Ferguson and Brown v.
Board of Education, which explore the acceptablity of "separate but equal"
facilities for citizens at two different points in the history of the U.S. But
your results will also include opinions from cases that you might be less
familiar with, but which have played an important role.

This looks like a useful feature.

My Wife Wrote a Book

2009-08-21T13:16:00.004-04:00

This blog doesn't usually touch on my personal life, but I just wanted to brag about my wife a little bit. After a few years of hard work and prayer, her first book has been published! A Dress for Anna, the memoir of our first adoption has been published by CSS Publishing, and is available through Amazon, as well. Deb hopes that the book inspires many people to look into adopting a child, and that it would also be an encouragement to anyone currently facing difficulties in their own adoption journeys.

Why I'm Not Using Google Chrome

2009-08-18T10:20:00.003-04:00

Image by Matrixizationized via Flickr

As readers of my blog may have noticed, I'm a heavy Google user. I use Google as my primary search engine, I use GoogleDocs, Blogger, Gmail, GoogleVoice, etc., and I eagerly await an invitation to try out Wave. When Google Chrome was released, I immediately downloaded it and started using it exclusively for awhile. I have noticed that I'm using it less every day, though, so I thought I'd take a look at my usage patterns to see if I could identify the source of my discontent.

The first, and probably most important, thing I noticed was that I rely on a large number of Firefox extensions: Delicious, FireShot, Zotero, ScribeFire, WebNotes, Zemanta, Twitter Bar....My Firefox browser has become my Personal Learning Environment (PLE). At this point, Chrome offers very little of this functionality, although that may change.

Secondly, although Chrome loads much faster than Firefox, and renders pages faster, there are pages that don't load properly. Also, even though each tab operates in its own environment, the whole thing does crash on me occasionally, contrary to Google's claims for Chrome--more so than Firefox. This really interrupts my work flow.

I will point out that Chrome does load quickly. I also like the layout--the way it makes good use of the entire window. I'm also sure that Google will be adding tools and functionality, and that developers will probably release Chrome versions of my favorite tools. For now, however, I'll stick with Firefox.

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WXIX on Libraries and Rally

2009-06-24T11:51:00.003-04:00

Fox19 's take on the library budget and rallies: http://www.fox19.com/global/Category.asp?C=151146&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=15048&topVideoCatNoB=109491&topVideoCatNoC=104760&topVideoCatNoD=141804&topVideoCatNoE=142722&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3896795

Video on Importance of Libraries

2009-06-24T10:47:00.002-04:00

Here is a nicely done video on the importance of libraries. The embed feature was not working, so here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG6CtH3V8Us

A Call for Transparency in Ohio

2009-06-23T23:54:00.002-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Friday morning, libraries across Ohio prepared for another busy day as a new generation of library users discovered the benefit of free libraries in the middle of a down economy. By Friday evening, those same libraries were scrambling to alert these new patrons that the pot of gold they had just discovered was in danger of being ripped away.

Public libraries in Ohio have been dealing with budget cuts since 2001, so news of more cuts was hardly a surprise. Many libraries had drawn up plans to deal with this year's reductions, as well as anticipated cuts for next year. Apparently, however, institutions that were told to expect cuts of up to 20% were shocked to find out that they were being asked to shoulder an excessive 50% cut in state funding. Libraries were blindsided by a process that, in today's communication utopia, should no longer be the norm.

How many of us are aware of the workings of the state budget? As numbers get shuffled, twisted, added, erased and manipulated, we go about our lives blissfully unaware of the impact of each day's maneuverings. When the budget gets tight, we sometimes find ourselves facing a day like Friday--a day none of us could have anticipated.

It shouldn't be this way, though. There are tools available to the state and the citizens of this state that should allow us to keep tabs on the budget process. Our governor and our legislators should be providing us with budgetary information on an ongoing basis. We should be able, through feeds and updates, to keep up with the difficulties our government faces in funding agencies and local governments. We should be able to follow the financial status of the issues that move us, inspire us, or even make us fume. The budgeting process should be an open conversation with the citizens of Ohio.

This isn't about putting down programs that we disapprove of. It's about finding inefficiencies, duplications and gaps. It's about tapping into the knowledge and expertise of Ohio's population to create a budget that better meets the needs of our citizens. It's about avoiding the chaos, uncertainty and despair that comes from a day like Friday. It's about respect for the citizens of Ohio.

While Stressing the Need to Modernize Ohio's Education System, Ted Strickland Reverts to an Old School Concept of Centralized Education

2009-06-22T22:16:00.004-04:00

In a Columbus Metropolitan Speech given on Monday, May 4, 2009, governor Ted Strickland referred to the need to reform education for the "21st century economy." However, in laying out his plans, Mr. Strickland reverted to an old fashioned way of thinking of the school as "place."

As advances in communication have allowed for instant access to some information, education has expanded beyond the classroom. For Ohio's citizens (of all ages) to have a national and competitive advantage, they need access to a breadth of information sources anytime and anyplace. While the internet is an invaluable tool for society, the closest thing we have to a true information infrastructure is our library system.

Schools have a certain role in every society, but while we place all of our hopes in one institution, the cultures which outpace our educational system emphasize the value of learning which extends beyond the school walls and into the library.

Here are some of governor Strickland's statements from May's speech:

To prosper in Ohio, we must <>.
Because the best answer, in fact, the only answer to the question is this: to prosper in Ohio, we must educate. Educate to the very best of our abilities.

Apparently educating to the best of our abilities includes reducing free access to information.

My brothers and sisters, Ohio’s Revival cannot be fueled by low expectations. A better day will not begin with us doing more of the same.

We will still be relying on the old centralized school system model--without the safety net of publicly accessible information.

It is my firm conviction that in order to revive Ohio we must provide the best, most progressive, most advanced educational opportunities for our children, and demand of them nothing short of excellence.

Without, of course, giving them the tools they need to achieve excellence.

Our commitment runs from birth to diploma, from job training to jobs.

Not, however, from school to home, or from Spring to Fall.

For our youngest learners, we are committed to developing a system of high quality services that focus on comprehensive development. We have expanded access to quality early childhood education programs for families and strengthened professional development and training for early childhood professionals.

While limiting families' access to supplementary reading material which would encourage a love of learning that goes beyond the classroom.

For college students and their families, we put a stop to a decade of annual 9 percent tuition hikes, and implemented the only two-year tuition freeze in the nation.

Reducing the funds made available to college libraries for research and inquiry. Ensuring that students will have to dig deeper into their pockets to acquire books required for their classes.

For adults in need of new job skills, we’ve brought job-training programs into the Department of Development and the Board of Regents as part of an ongoing commitment to focus training on areas of high job growth and high employer demand.

We will refuse them, however, public access to the computer terminals necessary for the poorest of these to fill out employment applications.

I believe the time has come to take an education system that in many respects is 200 years old and redesign it for modern students and the modern economy.

We will do this by pushing more money into the old system and removing the safety net provided by libraries.

But, my friends, in the days and decades ahead, a strong Ohio will require creative minds and innovative thinkers.
Each year, R&D Magazine hands out its “R&D 100 Awards” in honor of what they consider to be the year’s 100 most significant American innovations and inventions. These are the Academy Awards of economic creativity.
This year, Ohioans won 10 awards – second most among the 50 states.
That’s the future of Ohio –powered by well-educated innovators.

Where, exactly, will these innovators go to do their patent searches when the public library cuts those services due to budget shortages?

The Cleveland Clinic has spun off two dozen medical technology companies this decade.
That’s the future of Ohio –powered by well-educated entrepreneurs.

They can easily access the databases, books, forms, records and expertise they need at the libr---oops! Never mind.

But our students will not be ready to invent, design, solve problems, and lead companies if we can’t muster the courage and the foresight to provide them a 21st century education.

What exactly is a 21st century education, since it apparently doesn't involve the best information we can provide?

In the last “Program for International Student Assessment” – which measures students’ ability to solve problems and apply information – the U.S. finished behind the likes of Finland, China, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, and even tiny Liechtenstein.
And what do those countries have in common? In economic growth, all rank well ahead of the United States.

Well, let me tell you. Better yet, let's ask Finland's Ministry of Education:

"Finland is known for its comprehensive library network, high user and lending rates and effective use of technology and information networks in libraries.

Municipal libraries, research libraries, specialist libraries and libraries at educational institutions form part of the national and international information service network. Both municipal and research libraries are open to all. Students use public and research libraries side by side.

In Finland the guiding principle in public libraries is to offer free access to cultural and information sources for everyone irrespective of their place of residence and financial standing. No fee is charged for either borrowing or the use of library collections at the library.

About 80% of Finns are regular library users. Finns visit a library 11 times a year on average. Each year a Finn takes out 19 books, discs or magazines on average. The library net sites register over 38 million visits a year. "

And finally, Ohio will have a school funding system that relies on research and evidence to determine the components of a thorough and efficient education. And we are committing to fund those components thereby assuring all Ohio students, no matter where they live, will have the educational opportunities that will allow them to succeed in the 21st century.

Frankly, I can't understand how any situation that involves removing educational opportunities can be considered efficient.

People call this an education plan, but quite frankly, this is a plan for Ohio’s economic revival.
Because a student who graduates from our schools will have been asked to think and draw conclusions, to not just memorize facts, but use and apply them.

Where will this student find "facts?" Are we to find them only in textbooks? Those are always unbiased, right? You could review textbooks over a hundred years and see how "facts" change. Although, that will be difficult to do if the libraries are gone.

We are moving forward even though the tax reforms passed four years ago, which I have supported, will reduce the general revenue fund by more than $4 billion during the next biennial budget.

I'm not even sure how to respond to this one.

If we let this moment pass…we will not only have failed our state, we will not only have demonstrated timidity in the face of challenge, we will have sinned against our children.

I think that goes for those of us who see the values in libraries, as well.

Ohio's Libraries in Danger

2009-06-22T15:27:00.009-04:00

An open letter to Ted Strickland and Ohio's lawmakers,

It has come to my attention that you plan to cut public library funding in Ohio by over 50%. That would be a mistake. To do so would cripple the state's economic recovery. Free public libraries represent society's last chance at educating and empowering our most desperate citizens. They provide free opportunities for families, workers, entrepreneurs, students, and small businesses to move forward and contribute to the community.

Families across Ohio are relying on public libraries to get them through these hard times. As budgets tighten, they are able to seek enlightenment and entertainment for free at their public libraries.

Boomers who have had steady employment for years find themselves out of work, and are told when they apply for new jobs to apply online. Many of these people have felt no need to own computers or to have internet access. When they tell potential employers of their predicament, they are inevitably told to use computers at the library.

People seeking to further their education are relying on the library for GED materials and study guides. Teachers who find themselves without school libraries due to previous cuts are relying on public libraries to provide books for their students.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs are using library resources for market research, grants, business plans and loan information.

Please do not hamstring the state's recovery by cutting the its best remaining resource for parents, educators, jobseekers and small business owners. Please do not cut library funding.

PLE in the Works

2009-05-31T19:26:00.004-04:00

My wife has asked me to help her in the creation of a research skills class for the homeschool co-op we participate in. I accepted, but the challenge has reminded me of how much I do is on the spur of the moment or off the top of my head. I decided it would be in my best interests to create a formal Personal Learning Environment (PLE). I will try to document my efforts over the next few weeks. I have a few articles and documents I have collected over the last two years and I will try to make those available here, either through links or references.

The first thing I have done, however, is to make sure that my Firefox browser is equipped with the latest versions of Zotero, Scribefire, FireShot, and Delicious plugins. Zotero allows me to capture web pages and journal articles, as well as the accompanying bibliographic information. Scribefire allows me to create blog entries on the fly without actually signing into my blog account. FireShot is an excellent screen capture utility. I can easily bookmark and tag items of interest with my del.icio.us plugin.

Zotero allowed me to create a short bibliography and paste it to my clipboard so I could drop it into this blog entry on Scribefire like this:

Bentley, Nancy. Don't be a copycat! : write a great report without plagiarizing. Berkeley Heights NJ: Enslow Elementary, 2008.

Gelb, Michael. Innovate like Edison : the success system of America's greatest inventor. New York N.Y.: Dutton, 2007.

Hunt, Andy. Your research project : how to manage it. London ;;New York NY: Routledge, 2005.

Newport, Cal. How to become a straight-A student : the unconventional strategies real college students use to score high while studying less. 1st ed. New York: Broadway Books, 2007.

Sertillanges, A. The intellectual life, its spirit, conditions, methods, Westminster Md.: Newman Press, 1948.

Hopefully, everything else will go as smoothly.

Cool Presentation Product

2008-11-06T15:59:00.001-05:00

Here's something that could come in handy for a small scale presentation:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/technology/personaltech/05pogue.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Libraries and the Infrastructure

2008-11-06T15:21:00.006-05:00

In today's New York Times article, "I.B.M. Has Tech Answer for Woes of Economy," I.B.M.'s CEO calls for technological investment in overhauling the country's infrastructure. Samuel Palmisano calls for public and private investment in addressing problems with traffic, energy grid efficiency, food distribution and a host of other challenges faced by society today.

I agree with this approach and I think that libraries have a part to play in this, as well. Technology is a powerful tool for problem solving, but not as powerful as technology partnered with efficient information sources--like libraries. This dovetails rather well with what I was trying to say last year about libraries as information producers. We have the information, we just need to do a better job of pushing it.

Libraries are strategically positioned throughout the country to serve as information hubs for large scale information intensive projects. Some may argue that the Internet as it stands right now is sufficient for the job, but a great deal of material is not present on the Internet, including blueprints, community planning documents, community council proceedings, property records, grant proposals, old newspaper records...I know that in our neck of the woods, when someone is looking for archived news, the local paper refers them to the local library.

This information, when used in conjunction with newer technology resources, local telecommunications companies, the support of local businesses, governments, and nonprofit agencies, and a more transparent problem solving approach, should yield more efficient ways of doing things. The community that manages this approach first and best will have a tremendous head start on the rest of us and a powerful draw for new businesses.

Google's Product Development Strategy

2008-10-10T05:39:00.004-04:00

I ran across an article this morning on Google's Android project. Android is Google's attempt to create an open source operating system for mobile phone technology. The idea is that Android would serve as an open source operating system and companies would develop hardware around it. Recently, T-Mobile announced that they would be releasing the G1--the first handset designed to operate with Android.

In his article, Chris O'Brien points to a number of Google's recent projects, including OpenSocial, which is designed to create an open API standard for social networking sites. O'Brien points to a lack of promotion and development for past initiatives and emphasizes their failure to gain significant market share.

If you are just evaluating these initiatives on their individual merit, O'Brien has a point. I'm not certain that I would buy shares in T-Mobile based on the G1, and I wouldn't purchase one of the phones at the moment, either.

I think, however, that many people are missing the point on these initiatives. Google is not trying to become a mobile phone vendor--Google is trying to expand the reach and openness of the web. If Google's initiative results in Symbian making its operating system into a more robust web platform, then Google will have gained eyes for its search services and boosted its AdSense revenue. So even if Google loses the market share contest to other platforms, it wins if those platforms integrate more web services.

The same can be said of Chrome. Even if Firefox and Explorer trounce Chrome, and it ends up with less than 1% of the market share. Google will benefit if the other companies adopt its anonymous browser technology (as Mozilla is already beginning to do) or its faster JavaScript virtual machine (again, as Mozilla is planning to do.)

So, while I don't think that Android necessarily heralds an explosion of open source mobile operating systems, I do think that the G1 may be the vanguard of better web technology in the smartphone market. If Google has spurred mobile phone companies to create better web platforms, Google wins again.

What To Do When You Know You Should Know Something But You Don't

2008-05-30T13:20:00.004-04:00

As reference librarians, we are expected by the public to be know it alls. Many patrons ask me questions and they seem surprised when I consult a resource to answer their question. I have also fielded questions over the phone where the patron has said, "If you don't know it off the top of your head, don't bother looking it up--I'm in a hurry." Sometimes this confidence can be a refreshing moment in a day of lost books, damaged books, disputed fines, rowdy patrons, and long lines. At other times, however, it can be a tad disconcerting because sometimes, we haven't got a clue.

Now, the problem isn't always that we don't know anything. Sometimes, the patron is mumbling (or we're hard of hearing.) Sometimes, the patron was sleeping:

"Do you have Raven in the World, by Aldiss Hussey?"
"Do you mean Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley?"

Sometimes, we're wrestling with inadequate technology, like a million dollar catalog that struggles when you search for more than two terms at a time. Sometimes, the patron doesn't have a clue (just kidding, the patron's always right.)

Anyway, after we say, "I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?" there are a number of things we can focus on to keep our patrons confident in our abilities.

First, we must radiate assurance as we subtly Google the bizarre words that we thought we just heard. This is the point where we are silently thankful for Google's "Did you mean...." result that can make us look so intelligent when we say, "Ah, yes. Here it is!_____________" and say the phrase correctly as if the patron said it that way to begin with. Yes Google is scanning our libraries, serving as the first resource for curious patrons and putting us out of jobs, but really, this kind of image protection is priceless. Just don't let the patrons know what you did.

Next, blame the computer. The patron has no idea what's going on on your side of the monitor. They believe that we are whipping through secret databases, archives or technical "web stuff." They don't have to know that you're frantically Googling, Amazoning, Worldcatting or whatever alternate resource you are using because your catalog freaks out when too much is asked of it (au: Grisham AND su:lawyers....1,000 results....au:Grisham AND su:lawyers AND kw:cancer....does not compute.)

Third, use clarifying questions that help you avoid exposing your lack of knowledge, while you try to piece together the information the patron is really looking for. This is similar to the tactics many of us use when we can't remember someones name: "Hey there, you. I haven't seen you since...since...since....How long has it been?" In library terms, this would involve questions like, "How do you intend to use this information?" or "What aspects of the subject do you wish to know about?" or "Tell me what you know about it so far." Caveat: This approach does not work well if the patron's question was, "Where is the restroom?"

Finally, if all else fails, casually laugh and tell the patron that you don't really work there--you were just looking for the real librarian--and slowly walk away.

Portable Apps Experiment in Limbo

2008-05-22T14:34:00.001-04:00

My little experiment with the portable apps on a stick didn't work so well in the end. Not only does the network interfere with my ScribeFire application, it also resets the bookmarks, toolbars, and extensions in Firefox when I switch computers. I will need to use a laptop if I want access to my favorite applications, and I want to keep my data with me.

ScribeFire Update

2008-05-12T19:28:00.001-04:00

I think that I have ScribeFire working-but it only works at home. Apparently, I can't get it through the network at work. Bummer.

Dealing With Network Lockdown Issues

2008-05-12T14:23:00.005-04:00

As many of you know, MPOW has a very active filtering system. They haven't blocked sites totally, but trying to use services like IM, Google services and anything else that's AJAXy can be a real pain in the butt. I find myself instructing patrons and saying things like, "on a regular computer this would work," or, "what you should have seen at this point is...." Needless to say, that gets old. I cannot teach classes where I just show the patrons how to do something--they have to use their imaginations.

Anyway, I'm trying to build a collection of portable apps on a thumb drive that will allow me to show our patrons how to do things without some of the network restrictions on downloads. So far, I have Portable Firefox with The following add-ons: ScribeFire, Zotero, Meebo, del.icio.us, FireShot, a MindMeister shortcut, and the Google Toolbar. I have made my iGoogle page the homepage for this experiment and added gadgets for todo lists, Gmail, Google Reader, Google Docs, and Google Notebook. In addition to this, I've loaded a TiddlyWiki onto the drive, just for the sake of experimentation.

So far, I have had mixed results. The network lets me open an instance of Firefox. I loaded the MindMeister shortcut on my computer at home, now the shortcut doesn't display at work--I must have left behind a cookie. The del.icio.us button works fine. I haven't had the chance to chat with anyone using Meebo, but it did sign in and open when I clicked on the button. TiddlyWiki works just fine. The Google Toolbar seems to reconfigure with each computer I plug the drive into. FireShot works beautifully, I'm really pleased with that one (I like the ability to annotate the screenshots on the fly.) The only downside is that it only captures the web page, not the browser as well, but I can live with that for now. I can get Zotero to work for capturing complete web pages, but not for capturing snippets.

The real problem, so far, has been ScribeFire. I cannot get it to add my Blogger account. I have tried a number of solutions that I have found in their forum, but nothing has worked so far. The only thing that I can think of, is that the '.' in my user name must be throwing them off. This is a real disappointment, because one of the reasons I had for creating this portable environment was to enable me to post on the fly, from any computer at work, or at home.

I'll keep at it though and let you know how it goes.

Google Sites

2008-02-29T19:42:00.003-05:00

Google has finally re-released JotSpot as Google Sites. I've given it a quick look over the last couple of days, and I'm still not sure what to think. It seems slanted toward organizational use, so I don't believe that I, as an individual, can give it a complete test.

It is being rolled out as a feature in the Google Apps category, but I think that they would be better off billing it as the feature-not that it's so great, mind you. When you tie a domain name to Google Apps, it starts you off at that stupid Google 'Start' page, which is basically just an iGoogle page with your logo at the top (if you add it). I haven't figured out how to change the default to my Sites page, which would be much more functional.

My biggest gripe with Google, to this point, is their inability to really connect all of their features. Google's suite of applications still has the feel of a Frankenstein's monster assembly of parts which sometimes give an appearance of life.

On the other hand, Google comes the closest to giving me what I'm looking for under a single sign-on. I hope they get the bugs ironed out in the future.

The Enquirer - With so much info on phone, why huge library?

2008-01-24T01:06:00.000-05:00

I came across letter to the editor in the Cincinnati Enquirer (The Enquirer - With so much info on phone, why huge library?) a little over a week ago, and I felt I needed to comment on it, but not without thinking about it a bit more.

At first, I was a bit miffed at Aaron Gillum. I thought, "Hey, you have no idea what you're talking about. Data isn't the beginning and the end of information. There's also interpretation, and people want money for that. Who's going to provide that for the people who have no internet skills or access? You? 'Hey, everyone who can't afford a Blackberry with a data service plan go see Aaron--he'll let you use his!'"

But then I looked a bit more closely at his argument, and at the library in question, and I did begin to wonder, "Do libraries have an edifice complex?"

Now, before you judge me, I do believe that Mr. Gillum is missing part of the point--unless you are ready to digest all of the data required to understand every complex issue in your life, you will probably want to peruse a book or two. Perhaps Mr. Gillum likes to read his books on his mobile phone. The typical book, however, makes for very difficult reading on today's computer screens and mobile phones, unless you're willing to shell out $400 for a Kindle. If you're going to get books, or Kindles, you'll need money--something that not everyone has an abundance of these days.

By the way, how will the taxpayers support Mr. Gillum's proposed 43,000 household network? Who will repair the laptops, train the 100,000 residents in their use, and replace those that are damaged or stolen? Where will they pick up their printouts--or should the state provide printers, ink and paper, too?

On the other hand, how will county residents access the news archives, local histories, and other information that has been gathered and even produced by Kentucky's librarians over the years? I don't believe that most people understand the scope of information that is available at their local library regarding local history and government. The internet is global and it's a wonderful way to communicate and store information, but history didn't start in the 1990's--there's a lot that came before it that impacts who we are today, and much of it is local.

I could go on, but I want to come back to my point about this "edifice complex." I think that part of the reason that taxpayers like Mr. Gillum think of libraries as they do relates to how libraries present themselves. We are so focused on getting them into the building that we don't always focus on the value that we add to the community by being who we are--librarians. We are (supposedly) information experts, and information is king in the new economy. So why aren't we making better headway?

I want to explore this a bit further in my next post, but I feel that the future of the library lies in organizing information in the local community more aggressively: stepping beyond the walls of our fabulous buildings and working with members of the community as they create the information that makes us who we are--information that Mr. Gillum failed to seek at his local library.

Cancer Data? Sorry, Can’t Have It - New York Times

2008-01-22T21:09:00.000-05:00

There was an interesting article in the New York Times today about health research and data sharing in the cancer research field (Cancer Data? Sorry, Can’t Have It - New York Times). The article discusses the reluctance of many researchers to share valuable data with other researchers. It seems to me that in an age where people collaborate to crack the genetic code, it is irresponsible to withhold data that could be used to help people suffering from cancer. It's this kind of selfish thinking that can contribute to our early extinction.

We're #11!

2007-12-27T14:29:00.000-05:00

The annual list of the United States' most literate cities is out and Cincinnati is 11th. It's unfortunate that we couldn't make LiveScience's prestigious top ten, but we'll take #11.

Bloger's OpenID Beta Caused Some Problems With Commenting

2007-12-20T21:45:00.000-05:00

Just a note to anyone who has tried to comment on this blog (or any other Blogger blog) in the past few weeks. I read on the December 13th post of Blogger Buzz that their new OpenID beta caused some difficulties for anyone who tried to comment without a Google ID. It looks like it's cleared up, now.

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Teams up With Library of Congress on Veterans Page

2007-12-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has teamed up with the Library of Congress to interview veterans and to record facts, photos and videos about their experiences. PLCH is responsible for training of interviewers, arranging the interviews, recording them, and processing related artifacts. The library has posted some of their results here. After the processing is completed, duplicate records are sent to the Library of Congress where you can find selected recordings.

New Blog

2007-12-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I would like to post more personal musings than what I'm posting here. So I've started a new blog where I will post things that are more relevant to my everyday life. Otherwise, I will continue to post library reference stuff on this blog.

That Wasn't So Bad!

2007-12-13T19:13:00.000-05:00

Well, nobody showed up for the demonstration, but that's okay--another patron asked for an impromptu demonstration of advanced Google search techniques. It went well. I showed him a number of shortcuts that he didn't know were available, so, one program, one attendee. Perfect balance!

Afterwards, I prepared a notebook to keep the handouts so our staff could refer to them, too. Then I created a stealth blog, in order to keep a number of the documents readily available to anyone who may want to see them again. Finally, I created a display of the books and handouts that went with the program in a prominent location, with a sign that reminded the patrons about what they were missing. Next time, I hope to include photos.

Blogging Demonstration

2007-12-11T19:15:00.000-05:00

The fact that I'm blogging during the demonstration is not necessarily a good thing--there is no audience. Tuesday nights are usually dead around here, but I'd hoped for one or two people. Hopefully things will be better when these demonstrations appear in February's program calendar.

Blog Demonstration Tonight

2007-12-11T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm preparing for one of our branch's technology demonstrations. Tonight, the focus will be blogs!

I'll start with a brief overview of what a blog is and then I'll show the audience some of the more popular blogs that I know of. We'll talk about some of the more distinctive characteristics of a blog as we look at the examples. I'll finish up by showing them how to create a blog and find a feed reader.

This is part of a continuing effort to familiarize our patrons with new technology that can enhance their library experience. We are also committed to providing basic computer instruction in group and one-on-one sessions.

Gifted at Home Repair--NOT!

2007-12-10T12:39:00.000-05:00

Well, I was able to get the motorized snake from Lowe's on Saturday morning. After forking over $45, I managed to get the monstrosity home, where my wife and I were able to wrestle it out of the van without impaling myself on the conveniently pre-attached blade. (My wife made a joke here about cut rate vasectomies--not funny.) Anyhow, I managed to get the thing going, relying on some helpful advice from Brian E., a friend of mine and apartment owner/handyman, and I got the drain "cleared" in only 3 hours!

I got cleaned up and made it to work (3 hours late), where we had an interesting day and a nice holiday luncheon/farewell party (one staff member is leaving)/baby shower (another staff member).

It was good to see former and current co-workers and I regaled one and all with tales of my "rooting" expertise.

Then it all came crashing down. Last night, after running the second laundry load of the day, I walked into the laundry room to see undulating waves of sewage covering the laundry room floor. I cut loose with a Gilbert Godfried-like cry of anguish, and a hearty Flintstonian fusillade of fake profanity (so cool) and calmly let my wife know that the previous day's time, effort, and money had been for naught.

Well, the long and short of it is, we have a plumber coming out today and we've decided to do whatever it takes to get the problem fixed, which is going to mean more money, more time, and potentially digging up the front yard.

Hey, maybe I can do it myself!

Not a High Tech Day

2007-12-08T07:27:00.000-05:00

I had big high-tech plans for today: a few new blog posts, writing an online book review, adding some tutorial documentation to my online presence, doing some editing of our system's reference manual wiki.... Instead, it appears that I will be snaking out the main drain line of our house.

Normally (isn't that a funny word in this scenario?) we would borrow our friends electric drain snake, but that one's out of commission, so we decided to rent one. However, the local hardware store decided they weren't going to rent tools anymore--I found out at 6 this morning when I showed up, bleary-eyed, looking for their rental department. So, instead of Home Depot, I decided to try Lowe's tool rental department, but those slackers don't get going until 8 o'clock.

So here I sit, blogging about sewer lines with a cup of tea in my hand, waiting for Lowe's to open their doors so I can spend my morning snaking out a drain. Once I'm done with that, I get to go to work! I may be a little late.

Changing Approach to Computer Classes

2007-11-11T15:39:00.000-05:00

Teaching computer classes at a small branch library can be quite a challenge. I know from daily interactions with our patrons, that the need is there; due to the demographics our neighborhood, many of our patrons are older and have little experience with the computer or the internet.

There are a few problems we face when it comes to giving instruction. In the first place, we have no meeting or computer room. This means that we have to give our lessons when we are closed, or else boot patrons off the computers when we're open.

Secondly, the computers are placed in such a way as to make the most of our outlet and phone line placement--that is, we have five computers clustered around a central point with dividers placed between the computers to give a bit of privacy. So when the lesson begins, not all of the students can see what is going on up front and I can't see what they are trying to do easily, either.

Third, when we do give a class, the students are at such varying levels of experience and knowledge, that it becomes difficult to keep the classes on target. When one student asks for some help in searching the web, another one asks me how to use the mouse.

Finally, I have a tendency to get sidetracked--I probably spend too much time showing the students cool features on Google, or explaining RSS feeds to students who are still learning how to control a mouse.

What I am doing now is dividing the subject matter up somewhat. I am still doing the basic computer classes, but I am offering tutorials to students who are having problems--or even if they have individual skills they would like to brush up on. And to keep myself from following interesting tangents in these basic classes, I am giving technology demonstrations once a week to anyone who will show up.

Libraries as Producers of Information

2007-11-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

I was thinking this morning about ways that the library can reach out to the community and really become part of the information infrastructure—partnerships, packaging of local information, education, leveraging our organizational expertise—when, lo and behold, Michael Stephens provided a link in his blog this morning to the text of a speech given by Jon Udell at the Global Research Library summit in October.

In his speech, Jon talks about libraries remixing information and essentially becoming contributors and producers of information on the web. Jon also addresses the possibility of librarians lending their expertise to people who are trying to package and organize their own information on the web, and he gives a wonderful example of working with his local police force to organize and mine their local crime statistics—okay, he had to twist their arm a bit to get them to go along with it, but it looks like they were onboard at the end.

Anyway, much of what Jon had to say points to the need for libraries to be more assertive in bringing their resources to bear on local issues. We’ve been inviting people for years to come to our buildings, now we can bring our resources and talents to them. We should make ourselves necessary; it’s not enough to long for the public’s attention.

Google Acquires Jaiku

2007-10-09T12:47:00.000-04:00

For anyone who has an interest in the short message communication pioneered by Twitter, Google has acquired Jaiku.

Microsoft and Adobe Enter the Web Office Fray

2007-10-01T11:17:00.001-04:00

Just a heads-up to let everyone know that Microsoft and Adobe are entering the web office/applications fray.

Microsoft announced the imminent release of their Live Office Workspace. Pre-registration is open now.

Adobe announced the acquisition of Virtual Ubiquity's Buzzword, a flash based online word processor. You can try it here--if you have Flash version 9 (which we don't at my place of work).

Picasa Slideshow Issue resolved on this Site

2007-09-25T16:10:00.000-04:00

The issue with Picasa's embedded slideshows has been resolved--on this blog, anyway.

Problems with Picasa's Embedded Slideshows

2007-09-20T10:49:00.000-04:00

If you scroll down to earlier entries in my blog, you'll notice that the entry related to recarpeting has a sizable block of white space. This is where I had embedded a slideshow from Picasa and it hasn't been running for about three days now. I haven't seen anything on their group page apart from one similar complaint, but at this point there have been no responses. I'll check back in when I find out more.

Google Presentations

2007-09-19T16:22:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, Google added presentation software to their web based office suite. After an initial review, it seems that the focus of the software is web collaboration, as you can see in this short example. I'm not sure what happens if the presentation is left online with no moderation, though.

The format is very basic so far, with limited export options and no ability to integrate sound. The most surprising thing to me was that I didn't see any evidence of the ability to integrate the presentations with other Google products, namely Picasa. The ability to subscribe to RSS feeds of presentation changes is a definite plus, however

All in all, It's an interesting start and I am sure that they will add more features soon.

Pushing for Respect

2007-09-08T13:44:00.000-04:00

I read with interest Regina Powers' opinion piece--"A Plea for Respect"--in the August edition of American Libraries. Her plea is a common complaint among librarians today--"the public doesn't know what we do."

Usually, it is suggested that we either stay the course or we add more features for the public at our institutions--game nights, in house movies, "coffee and Danishes".... The problem with both lines of thinking is that we need the public's attention to make either work, and we just don't have it.

What we need to do is connect the information and resources that we have with the public at its point of need. We need to get out of our buildings physically and electronically and begin to push our resources the way other institutions do. We need to create partnerships with news media, local governments, public institutions, ISPs and others in order to connect the public with the information it needs at its point of need.

For example, our library has indexed the local newspaper for years. It carries the complete run on microfilm, as well. Periodically, when people have called the newspaper, looking for research on a dated topic, they have been referred to us, and we have been glad to provide that service.

Imagine, however, if our indexes were provided to the newspaper for use in their online edition and linked by keyword to current articles. An article about light rail would list links to citations concerning an older light rail study, or a series of articles about light rail, or previous council votes. An article about a political candidate would contain links to citations for previous articles concerning the candidate.

A local ISP could provide a start page with local news linked to article or book references.

Physically speaking, a librarian could actually be present with a laptop outside a city council meeting to provide instant access to relevant information concerning the meeting.

My point is this, we can't wait for people to discover how indispensable we are--we have to make ourselves indispensable. As long as we wait for people to come to our buildings and websites, our value will remain relatively hidden.

Branch Recarpeting

2007-09-04T10:34:00.000-04:00

We have new carpet at our branch! It looks great, but getting it done was a challenge and the final stage was a bit of a rush:

Technology and Libraries

2007-05-24T13:31:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about the use that many libraries are making of new technologies with some degree of envy. Libraries are taking advantage of Web 2.0 technology, adding MySpace pages, publishing podcasts, creating RSS feeds and library blogs. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have even instituted a Technology Scholars Program to allow staff to pursue technology projects to advance library goals and interests (thanks to Sarah Houghton-Jan, LibrarianInBlack, for the heads-up on this news)--a program I am extremely jealous of.

With the exception of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County's vast array of tech projects, it seems that many libraries put their technology emphasis on catalog updates and web pages which are visible to the public, but neglect to make changes which might increase staff productivity. This is especially important for larger, urban library systems, in my opinion, because there is a danger of bureaucratic deadness and inertia for these institutions.

When staff members are sending hand entered lists of discards to other branches and departments for potential exchange, this is a waste of staff time--this is something that should be handled automatically through a centralized list. When every branch is creating their own reference manuals or computer training materials, this is also a waste of time--this should be handled through a wiki. An institutional IM service would also be useful on a day to day basis.

Most of this would seem obvious to many of the more adventurous library systems out there, but inertia is difficult to overcome--especially when institutions are creating 5 year plans for technology which changes every 5 minutes.

New Google Features

2007-05-18T12:54:00.000-04:00

For anyone who is interested in looking at topics in map or timeline form, try a couple of new features at Google by typing in'view:map' or 'view:timeline' at the end of your search terms:)

Examples:

http://www.google.com/views?hl=en&q=atom+bomb+view%3Amap

http://www.google.com/views?hl=en&q=atom+bomb+view:timeline&sa=N&ct=timeline

Spresent Web Presentations

2007-04-18T06:56:00.000-04:00

In her Librarian in Black blog, Sarah Houghton-Jan reviews Spresent's web presentation application. I worked with it for a few minutes yesterday and found it to be extremely easy to use. If Google can come close to Spresent's ease of use and functionality with their upcomingaccomplished something. In about three minutes, I was able to produce and embed this silly presentation:

Google to Add Presentation Capability to Google Docs

2007-04-17T15:33:00.000-04:00

Google just announced through their official Google Blog that they will be adding presentation software to Google Docs and Spreadsheets. This nearly completes their web based assault on Microsoft Office.

Back Again!

2006-12-09T08:16:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

I'm back after a long hiatus. My wife and I have been travelling and running paperwork here and there for the purpose of adopting our new daughter, Aly (see photo.)
We have a little more work to do, but we're nearing the end (or beginning) of our journey.

Anyway, I'm going to have a little time in the next few weeks to catch up on my reading and web experimentation.

In the meantime, I've been looking at Google's combination of JotSpot, Google Docs, Google Pages, Blogger, Gmail, Google Calendar, Notebook, Picasa, and Google Base. I have been wondering how far they are from combining these items into a centralized screen and if they will allow users to create faceted displays.

There may also be a way to combine these items into one Personalized Google page using widgets, but I am most interested in the ability to set up separate displays. For example, if someone had an interest in computers, libraries, chess, Superman, Chuck Berry, and the Baltimore Ravens, they could have separate pages for each that would display blog entries, wikis, photos, document collections, calendar entries, and so on. The entries would be made from a unified page, and the author would select the display pages by choosing the corresponding tag.

Hopefully, JotSpot will be able to consolidate these functions effectively, but at this moment, the application is less than intuitive. They've done a pretty good job on the other issues, though, so I'm hopeful that they will be able to streamline the package and add some more functionality to what they already have.

If anyone has discovered a free application that is more powerful and easier to use, let me know.

Writely Open

2006-08-24T20:27:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are interested in web-based word processing, Writely is now accepting new registrations. It will take me a while to see if there are any new features and to explore its capabilities, but I will post again if I find anything newsworthy.

Upgraded to Blogger Beta--Part 2

2006-08-15T15:05:00.000-04:00

Now I'm really starting to get annoyed. I have not been able to put my AdSense ads back on my blog. Now I know that this doesn't particularly bother the rest of you--I mean, who really wants to see the ads on my blog, anyway? It just detracts from the high quality content, right?

But that's just my point! I have all of this great stuff on my blog today, but I won't get a red cent--in spite of the millions of people who are reading this blog right now! There's nothing to click. How are the people going to know that Google provides blogs through Blogger if there are no links to click? How can the economy survive if Madison Avenue can't reach the consumer hoards through my high quality blog?

I'm not sure I can handle all of this stress. I need a drink.

Test of Windows Live (Beta)

2006-08-15T14:56:00.000-04:00

I am writing this post using Windows Live Writer (Beta). The interface is simple and fairly intuitive. I can change the font if I want to. I can insert links, pictures and a Microsoft Virtual Earth Map:

Image would have been here.

Now, the big question for me is, how well does it publish the post?

Here goes nothing.

Well, I was informed by the program that my weblog won't publish images. As you can see in other entries, this is not true. Well, let's try again without the map image.

Again, nothing.

Well, I am now cutting and pasting this entry directly into Blogger. So much for my first test of Windows Live Writer (Beta).

In all fairness, I must point out that I have just upgraded to Blogger beta, so it may be a few days before I figure out where the glitch is. Better luck next time, I suppose.

Upgraded to Blogger Beta

2006-08-15T13:49:00.000-04:00

I upgraded the blog to the new Blogger beta format. In the process, I lost a couple of feed buttons and my WorldCat search box, but I like the look of the blog, the atom feed at the bottom, and the ability to tag blog entries. I also have the option to modify the layout without hand coding the template--I can use the mouse to drag sections around, create new ones, or edit the labels. I'll let you all know how it goes from here.

Tweaks to Google's GMail and Calendar Displays

2006-08-11T08:34:00.000-04:00

Google has added a link to their Spreadsheets and another one to bring up additional services at the top left hand corner of their GMail and Calendar pages. I hadn't even looked at the spreadsheet service since I tried it out once during the early testing phase. There were some problems with rendering at the time which seem to have been corrected since then.

WorldCat.org goes live

2006-08-07T11:40:00.000-04:00

I have added a search box for WorldCat.org's new web search service. Check it out today.

Test of Podcast

2006-07-30T17:24:00.000-04:00

This is a test of a podcast.

I don't think that this is the best way to try this, so I'll keep at it.

Google Help

2006-07-27T13:47:00.000-04:00

Google has centralized all of their help information at Google Help. They have divided the information into broad categories which seem to give an indication of how they think of their own organization. I'll take a longer look at it later--it may be a way to pick up some new tricks.

Taking Notes the Easy Way

2006-07-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

I could just kick myself.

I have always been looking for a simpler way to take notes. I have considered software, notebooks, notecards, voice recorders, ripping the pages out of materials and filing them as is.... I never considered voice transcription software, however. Now, after reading David Pogue's review of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9.0, I could just kick myself for not thinking of it sooner.

Imagine looking up from the middle of a good read and saying "note", to see your computer set itself up for a note entry, and then dictating the note without picking up pen or paper. Unless you have your own personal secretary, I can't think of anything that would beat it.

This fulfills my ease of transfer law. Now if it were only portable...

Tech 20

2006-07-18T10:46:00.000-04:00

Our library held a technology conference for its employees at our main location today. I had the privilege of giving digital photography demonstrations. I spoke about Picasa, Flickr, and Adobe Photoshop Elements among other things--which is great because I'm at about the same level as the listeners! I'm the guy the family designates to take off-center pictures, annoying candid shots and those great shots of headless people. It was reassuring to see that there were people who had less experience than I did.

Laws of Information Needs and Uses

2006-06-27T13:04:00.000-04:00

There are so many formats and protocols for information these days. I think it would be a good idea to develop some guidelines for evaluating and developing new information tools.

People want information to be free.
People want information right this instant.
People want information to be ubiquitous.
People want information to be accurate.
People want information to transfer easily to other devices or formats.
People want information to come from one tool.

People want information to be free.

I think that this is the case in so many ways. First of all, nobody really wants to pay for anything. Secondly, we have gotten so used to free information from the library and the internet, it is especially galling for the majority of the public to pay for it.

People want information right this instant.

Technology should be shortening the distance between our information need and our information acquisition. If I'm hiking in the wilderness and I think that I hear a bear, I will want to know if I'm supposed to make a great deal of noise when I confront it, or if I'm supposed to play dead--the distinction could be a matter of life or death, and I don't have time to go to the library. Ideally, a short phrase spoken (quietly) into my wireless phone or Pocket PC would get me the information I need.

People want information to be ubiquitous.

Looking back at the bear example, it is also important to have access to information wherever possible. Having the information in my house, at the library, or in a bookstore is all very well and good if I'm ever attacked there (provided the bear gives me the opportunity to find the right book and consult the index) but I don't recall any recent cases like that.

People want information to be accurate,

This seems like a given, but there is a great deal of misinformation out there and we need to have some method of determining our source's authority. In this case, I'd hope for some information from the National Park Service.

People want information to transfer easily to other devices or formats.

Once I find my information, I may want to keep it with me for reassurance. I may want it recorded so that I can play it back for myself (or the bear). I may want to save it on my phones display screen. I may even want to print it out--not the greatest idea if you're looking for low-impact camping. I may want to email it to my lawyer for liability purposes ("I did exactly what they said--now they won't pay for my limb re-attachment.") The point is, when I find information, I hate having to type it or write it out again.

People want information to come from one tool.

I say this not because it's the best method, but because it's how people seem to look for information. If someone likes using Google, they will Google everything. If they prefer Yahoo, they will turn there for information. If they always ask their friends, they will continue to ask their friends. When one tool works well for someone, they will try that tool first, regardless of its appropriateness (wrench as hammer).

There are drawbacks and hazards associated with each of these "laws" and I know that there are more ways that people hope to obtain and use information, but I think that this is a good jumping off point for planning and discussion.

Google Sitemaps Update

2006-06-22T22:09:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has a web page may want to take a look at this recent entry in the Official Google Blog about Google Sitemaps. The Google Webmaster Help Center lays out what they are looking for in a web page. Google has also included a robots.txt tool.

Introduction

2006-06-06T13:26:00.000-04:00

Hello!

My name is Rob, and I'm a reference librarian at a public library somewhere in Ohio.

I'm starting this blog with the purpose of exploring the role of new (popular) technology in the traditional library setting. I may discover that the two are incompatible, or that the two go together like peanut butter and jelly, or that I'm totally out of my depth (highly probable).

In the coming weeks, I want to take a look at, among other things, the Web 2.0 phenomenon, AJAX, the Semantic Web and SPARQL, social software, tagging, blogs, wikis, podcasts, vlogs, digital rights, web development, the open source movement, and the giant that is Google. It's just a small amount of information to cover, but I think we could probably stretch it out into a few posts.