#20 Down the tubes

What to do about future libraries? The video below is from Denmark it shows an attempt to completely change what a physical library is. To use the narrators words .."to dismantle the book as a library brand"...They received some irate comments .One person felt the whole approach was contrary to the original mission of libraries .."to encourage reading and good citizenship"... It certainly seems to be taking the library in a new direction . But hasn't this approach been taken already by science works and the museums in general . They do say its just a physical change but difficult to see where the librarians are or where the in depth knowledge access is stored.

#19 So many tools so little time

There seems a definite trend toward saving out in the ether. Security problems may dictate that only shallow tools that focus on narrow projects or at least ones that are not particularly sensitive or of any interest to any one else would be used by a work place. I can see the social aspects could be useful and even fun for some of them, but I can't see the office type tools even though they can be restricted being taken up for sensitive things. The concept of collaborative tools are clearly useful for an organization if they stored on their own server. Knowledge management and group knowledge and information could use prescribed tags (Melville would approve) Important information that cannot be lost or accessed by others will probably not make it out to wide blue yonder. However now that many Libraries have many branches the day to day projects between teams could utilise tools such as Google Doc s and spread sheets just as we are doing in this training and of course we can restrict users to a chosen team.

Frankly only work of no real interest to others except those in the same field is likely to remain open. You can sex it all up with bells an whistles but only key hole peepers are likely to ever see or comment apon it.

Explored wufoo a form building tool that creates its own database it is partially free (different levels ) it could be a useful tool for the many functions ,book talks, training sessions etc that require people to book in it could be online and stats could be used from it for later planning. Feed back forms could also be created with little fuss and bother.

Having said that let me say this (now who does that remind you of) I just discovered ZOTERO and I am in love. This could be the tool that sends me over to to the dark side (dark blue ) it is a research tool that only works on firefox and flock because firefox allows access to more of the background code. It combine all the research tools that you would use in one space and even allows for note taking on a text ,tagging,citation management the works, love it . Problem though my workplace will not allow the use of firefox browser.

#18 ZOHO wandering

Whilst wandering around ZOHO I can see how it could be useful for collaborative work similar to google docs. The need for these may grow with the limitations often placed by IT departments on what one can create and save in the system, these tools by pass this problem by saving out in the ether.

Managed successfully to create the above in ZOHO and publish through to here, it was very fast .The option to email to specific others enabling them to read/ write could be useful it limits collaborative work to a specific document and would not require giving out passwords etc. I like the option of embedding training shows into a staff or public blog.

The wiki option was tempting so I have created a collaborative tale in wiki format. the tale of Janeway 21st librarian Feel free to add to the tale.

#17 sand in my shoes

Playing around in the sandbox adding my love of jersey cows to the list of favorite animals. Such a gentle very civilized animal. A very model of bovine beauty, unlikely to ever be endangered as long as milkshakes (caramel) cafe latte, icy yogurt smoothies (banana) linger on the taste buds.
Where to go with the wikky idea so vulnerable to abuse. More useful as a team tool. It seems somehow only an invitation to inanity (chats about about bovine beauty and such) and pointless chatter unless it is carefully structured and for a specific purpose.

#16 Out in the wikky way

Well now Ok, a wikky could well be one of the most useful tools (along with bloglines) for organizing access to resources for users off site it could be wikky lite (a what’s happening in the library) or wikky heavy as in University of Huddersfield explaining all the electronic resources. This wikky allows users to ask for help or comment. This is equivalent to a real time feed back form that could be immediately applied to improve the service.
They ask that suggestions be on the actual page first and limit editing of the wikky to staff and students only. Currently our library enquiries come through the web page to one place, with a wikky the comments or suggestion are in context to the area concerned and this had advantages and disadvantages.
Pros: solutions can be adjusted exactly where the problem /query lies.
Cons: there will be many more places to look for comments on each page and within the discussion. If someone adjusts the wikky and leaves no comment it may be some time before others realise. If there is and an error this could lead to ongoing problems.

#15 web1234

Rick Anderson in the OCLC newsletter talks of integrating library services into their (the users) daily patterns of work, study and play. Here is the challenge, to get people who do not usually access libraries to make it just part of their day. This is where RSS to the desk top can be really useful I just hope it works better than the alerts we tried to encourage from our library management system I think the fact that the RSS feed can be separate not buried within the daily emails but still as a useful group may work if people get into the habit of opening their feed and their emails every morning the trick is to get them to put the databases (copyright issues?) and library programs into their feeds.
No profession can survive if it throws its core principles and values overboard in response to every shift in the zeitgeist. (My problem with web 2.0 exactly)
..This librarian (the web 2.0 type one) bases all planning and proposals for services, materials and outreach on user needs and wants. (this always happened I hope) I am glad that he feels... honest, human conversations still need to take place even if virtually and in person. I like the way he asserts we should control our technolust (are we doing that in this program?)
However, if we are to provide the tools for users to become their own program directors of their content will we just be pandering to their technolust.
Chip Nilges of OCLC refers to O'Reilly's notion “to reach out to the entire web, to the edges and not just the center,” implies that we are redefining what our community is. Do we need a definition or do we think we can be all things to all people? The edges those places that define communities are changing. (is there an edge?) if the world is our oyster we have some serious thinking to do to stay relevant . OCLC is going to allow non cataloging librarians and other users to access OCLC and create tags, create lists etc .Ok if they keep their own tags that remain relevant to them but browsing through some ones tags is like browsing through their mind very imprecise and cloudy that’s why they call it a cloud. Not sure I am happy about the concept of tags.

The idea of broadening relevance ranking should go some why to tidying up the search
.....wider range of metadata, such as circulation activity, placement of materials on class reserve lists, sales data, and clicks to download, print, and capture citations.....(Reimer OCLC)

So according to Dr wendy Schultz ...the library is everywhere, barrier-free, and participatory. and we are fated to become tourguides.
Her projection of the future library as library 4.0 will add a new mode, knowledge spa: meditation, relaxation, immersion in a luxury of ideas and thought. (Now here was I thinking that was what people were doing each time they opened a book or browsed the shelves
(oh dear I must stop now, where did I leave that gin)

However web 2.0 has very usful tools see below the Google maps mash up of the Boroondara library sites

#14 Technorati tickling

Technorati Profile
Claiming my own.
Searching technorati for Library 2.0 was disappointing way down the list .So is the lesson here that tags must be very relevant to the topic or generic so that more people even know the post or blog is out there. It seems to be very much up to chance and based purely on an individual choice isn' this why Melville put his oar into information organisation in the first place. I mean if you wanted to be contrary (god forbid) you could just put tags that were on the most popular list I can see marketing folks doing this just to get people to the blog ,once you have got them in the door its up to you to hold them.(I have popped few in similar to "boing boing" apologies Mark just testing)