Archives
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Library Websites and Usability
Laura Solomon (webmaster for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library) conducted a usability survey of Ohio public library websites, using Jakob Nielsen’s usability criteria. Her study, “Sinking or Swimming: The State of Web Sites in Ohio’s Public Libraries,” shows that many libraries haven’t focused enough attention on putting the information their patrons want up on their websites.
The article offers some great suggestions.
Website Design — laura
The Tagomatic
The Tagomatic - Have You Tagged It?
It’s like Amazon reccomendations on a wider scale. Valuable for those classic reference questions.
Library Links — laura
Monday, August 29, 2005
David Walker: RSS Creator
A system that leverages SFX and Metalib to create RSS feeds for any journal or newspaper indexed and abstracted in a library’s subscription databases.
Watch the demo (flash). Only then can you truly understand how cool this is.
Web Tools — laura
Thursday, August 25, 2005
A Change in Attitude?
MPOW has guests fill out a short form when they use one of the computers (students, faculty and staff have their own accounts). I just signed in a new freshman and on my way back to the desk I saw him actually reading the form. It just struck me as strange because at his age neither I nor any of my friends would have given it a second thought.
Library Links — laura
One to Bookmark
Copyright Expiration Flowchart
Copyright — laura
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Google Talk
Another instant messaging service, great. 
Google Talk is actually different from AIM, MSN, and Yahoo! in that since it’s based on Jabber it can be used to communicate with other jabber-based services. Also, it works with your Gmail account (email me if you want an invite) so it’s another service without another username and password to remember.
If you already use a client that supports Jabber, you can add Google Talk as another account.
username: you@gmail.com
password: gmail password
server: talk.google.com
Have fun.
Web Tools — laura
Making An RSS Feed
Making An RSS Feed is a set of instructions for hand-coding a feed fir those who don’t have software to do it for them.
Web Tools — laura
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
The Institutional Repository, the Author & the Academy
The Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics: The Institutional Repository, the Author & the Academy
A few weeks ago, I placed a peer-reviewed preprint in SFU’s D-Space called The Dramatic Growth of Open Access: Implications and Opportunities for Resource Sharing and sent a note about the article to a few of the listservs I participate in. Within a couple of days, there were references to my article on a couple of blogs (at least one with very high traffic). Several people wrote to thank me for the article. One person specifically thanked me for self-archiving the article, because their library cannot afford to purchase journals in library and information science. Someone else mentioned that they would be putting some of the resources mentioned on their web site as a result of reading my article. At least two people are using ideas from this article in conference planning.
This is an impresive demonstration of the value of self-archiving.
Open Access — laura
Nobel economist on harm lurking in copyright monopolies
Boing Boing: Nobel economist on harm lurking in copyright monopolies
Joseph E. Stiglitz is a Nobel-laureate economist who has advised the US government on its copyright and patent trade policies and served as Senior VP of the World Bank. In a stirring editorial in the Pakistan Daily Times, Stiglitz talks about the economic irrationality that arises from overly broad copyright and patent regimes, and talks about the consequences for the developing world that arise from them
Open Access — laura
Monday, August 15, 2005
Carnival Time
I ran off and joined the Carnival!
Library Links — laura
What’s on Your Website
Marylaine Block explains what she expects to find on library websites.
Ex Libris–an E-Zine for Librarians and Information Junkies — issue 259
In the process of researching my next book, I’ve been exploring library web sites, from the standpoint not of a librarian, but of a reasonably sophisticated user searching for specific kinds of information about those libraries. And though I’ve come across some really wonderful sites that show off alll their libraries have to offer, I have to say I’ve been pretty disappointed by quite a few of the others.
She has several great suggestions but I do have a couple of comments.
- Things that move or change randomly on a webpage are annoying, particularly when you’re trying to actually find something specific and your eyes keep getting distracted.
- Tell us what we can do online, but also tell us “who” can do it. Every library has online services (databases, newspapers, etc.) that only registered users can access. Let me know up front what it takes to get in before I waste time trying to use something I can’t or ignore something I can.
Website Design — laura
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Open Access Webliography
This webliography presents a wide range of electronic resources related to the open access movement that are freely available on the Internet as of April 2005.
Lots and lots of resources.
Open-Source Software — laura
Open Access Webliography
This webliography presents a wide range of electronic resources related to the open access movement that are freely available on the Internet as of April 2005.
Lots and lots of resources.
Open-Source Software — laura
Monday, August 8, 2005
Job Hunting Advice
Don’t you know, I was planning on writing about getting my job and someone else got to it first. But there are a couple of things that came up for me that wouldn’t have for Chad.
But first I have to agree that you’re most important asset is flexibility. I figured out what my basic needs were for comfortable living (high-speed Internet and cable mostly) so I knew I would be ok most places. It turns out dvr and bookstores should have been on that list but Tivo and Amazon mostly take care of those problems. If I had insisted on staying in my area, I would have had to wait for who knows how long for a job opening.
Also, apply not just for the jobs you want but ones that are close to it. I want(ed) to be a web librarian but anywhere I applied for that kind of job never even got back to me. Electronic services jobs I could get though, so I found ones with a web component. MPOW has an undergrad program for web design that I can go through without tuition. So if I wind up looking for another job I’ll be more qualified for the ones I want.
Qualifications are an important consideration. If you have a definite idea of what interests you, get experience however you can. As I liked making websites, I read voraciously about it and made websites, many (bad) websites. I worked on the one for my former job, did personal ones, helped other people with theirs and volunteered on organizational sites. And I slowly got better. My current boss has commented that already having a portfolio up was a big boost for me. Having the experience with a professional organization was also a plus for the library director. Librarians here are judged on community involvement and professional educational activities for tenure instead of publications.
Now the invisible elephant. Appearance matters. Yes it sucks but there you are. If you want people to take you seriously you have to look the way they expect a professional to look. I took it for granted that everyone knew this but my boss (who is so not the kind of person to notice the way a person looks) has mentioned twice out-of-the-blue how good it was for me that I wore make-up that looked professional.
You have no idea how funny this is unless you know me. My interview was the first time in ten years I wore base. I never wear makeup except here at work. But just as I invested in a good suit (with a skirt!) for the interview. I went to one of the expensive makeup counters in a department store and had a make-over. I told the the lady that I wanted to look polished and professional but I didn’t want the makeup to stand out. I also told her how I only wear blush for contour because of all the natural color I have in my cheeks. In short, I reference-interviewed myself and gave her the details she needed to give me what I wanted. The results were entirely worth it, not just for the colors she chose (best blush I’ve ever had) but for the techniques I picked up. I spent more on makeup that day than the entire preceding 5 years but it worked and now I wear it on a daily basis so I’m definitely getting my money’s worth.
One more thing is blogging. Yes some say it’s a bad idea. But it depends on your topic and how you handle yourself. I don’t mention my personal life or even my job here because a) I’m boring and b) it’s a narrow line between professional and unprofessional and I’m a coward. But the search committee was actively looking for someone comfortable with and knowledgeable about newer technologies and this blog demonstrated that for me. And yes, I do know for a fact that they looked at it.
To summarize, the best ways to get a job are to be flexible in what you’re looking for and to present yourself in the best, most professional way you can, both online and off.
Career Info — laura
JOLT
JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
The MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT) is a peer-reviewed, online publication addressing the scholarly use of multimedia resources in education.
via Open Access News
Education — laura
Thursday, August 4, 2005
PDAs
The Library in the Palm of Your Hand: PDAs - LJ Tech Blog - Blog on LibraryJournal.com - 670000067
The Library in the Palm of Your Hand(PDAs)compiled by Sue Searing is now available on the web as a UI Current Awareness Clip. She has selected and annotated articles on a variety of topics related to libraries and PDAs including the ten myths about PDAs, library services for PDA users, the PDA Librarian, redesigning library applications for PDA use, and more.
Library Links — laura
Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Jabbering
What’s Jabber?
It’s an open instant messaging protocol.
Huh?
You don’t need to know.
So I Care Because…?
Kids and Teens prefer IM to email. IM is interesting in that it’s more casual than email, you know whether or not the person is there by the away message so you can get an immediate response. It’s Hi, can you…
instead of Hello, I’m …
.
So what is it really?
Instant messaging with ICQ, and AOL IM are fun but you can only talk to other people with accounts with them. It’s like only being able to email people on the same server. There’s no reason for it except self-interest of the services.
Jabber, on the other hand, is like real email, you have a username like an email address (you@jabberserver.com) and any other person using jabber, no matter what the server, can talk with you. The software for running a jabber server is open-source so you can set up your own or there are plenty of open servers that will let you register for free. Just install a client and try to login, the server will automatically create a new account for you. I’m using Adium on my Mac and Gaim on my PC because they support both Jabber and AIM accounts (as well as MSN and ICQ). My webhost supports Jabber on all hosted domains, contact me and I’ll set you up with one.
Why would I use Jabber when I would still have to have an AIM (MSN,ICQ) account?
Because it’s a wider channel of communication between you and your users. Jabber users are relatively few right now but it’s only a matter of time before teenagers get as sick of the restrictions of proprietary systems as scholars have. If you’re already using software to manage multiple IM accounts, it’s just one more to add. A Jabber server would be a useful service to the community that would only cost the server hardware and the installation time while getting your library’s name in front of them every time they used it.
Tutorials — laura
