Library Cloud

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:27:00 +0000

Fair-Use Guide Hopes to Solve Librarians' VHS-Cassette Problem
"The Association of Research Libraries might have a solution to what some librarians call 'the VHS-cassette problem.' Here’s the scenario: An academic library has a collection of video tapes that is slowly deteriorating, thanks to the fragile nature of analog media. A librarian would like to digitize the collection for future use, but avoids making the copies out of fear that doing so would violate copyright law. And the institution’s attorneys have advised the librarian that the fair-use principle, which might offer a way to make copies legally, is too flexible to rely on." -- Nick DeSantis, Wired Campus, 1/25/12

Google: Updating Our Privacy Policies and Terms of Service
"In just over a month we will make some changes to our privacy policies and Google Terms of Service. This stuff matters, so we wanted to explain what’s changing, why and what these changes mean for users." -- Alma Whitten, Official Google Blog, 1/24/12

Five Trends Behind the Growing Shift to Video Explanations
"It’s easy to look back at Internet history and spot the points of major change. A famous example is the Web 2.0 era which spawned products like Twitter, Facebook and other lasting features of the Web. Some would say we're in the cloud era now, with nearly everything we do on computers being moved to off-site servers. Within these big, tectonic shifts are smaller shifts that also make a difference. YouTube was a big shift that kicked off online video in 2005 and in the years since, we’ve seen the growth of viral videos and myriad artistic expressions in video form." -- Lee LeFeever, Common Craft News, 12/23/12

Brain Drain: States that Lose the Most College Students
"As I interviewed students at colleges in the Washington area over the past few years, I began to wonder: Why is everyone from New Jersey or New York? And why do so many students look like Snooki and the Situation? Turns out, those states are the biggest exporters of college students. In 2008, more than half of recent high school graduates in New Jersey went out of state to enroll at a four-year college." -- Jenna Johnson, Campus Overload, 1/24/12

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:55:00 +0000

Google Abandons Anonymous Accounts with New Sign Up Form
"Google is experimenting with a new signup form that eliminates the ability to create anonymous accounts. The new form is part of an effort to expand the Google+ social network by automatically adding every new Google account to Google+. Because Google+ requires a name and gender the new signup form effectively eliminates the anonymous Google account." -- Scott Gilbertson, Web Monkey, 1/20/12

Apples new Textbook Platform - Which Way Forward?
"As Apple likes to do, it made a major media splash with its press conference today, held in the Big Apple, still seen as the heart of the publishing industry. (Besides, nudging the announcement a few hours earlier than Silicon Valley time means investors can drive up the stock price before Wall Street ends trading for the day). Several of us live blogged the event, though most of us weren’t actually there." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish, 1/19/12

A Look at the New iTunesU
"iTunes U has long been one of the hidden gems of the iTunes Store, and even with some new features announced yesterday to the online learning platform, it appears that it's again set to be overshadowed. That's hardly surprising -- the news about digital textbooks and their "reinvention" was the focus of the press event." -- Audrey Watters, Hack (Higher) Education, 1/20/12.
Caution Urged in City College of SF Computer Use
"As thousands of students and employees return today to City College of San Francisco - where criminal hackers, it turns out, have been scanning computer data for years - campus officials are warning everyone to change computer passwords, avoid using school computers for banking or purchases, and to check home computers for viruses." -- Nannette Asimov, SF Gate, 1/17/12

Animoto iphone app

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:21:00 +0000

I was excited to see the new iphone app introduced by Animoto in mid-December; their blog post Introducing the new Animoto iphone App includes the following 30 second video:

Being able to create Animoto videos directly from photos on my phone is intriguing, convenient, and time saving. For example, while developing the QR code tab to present at ALAO I took several shots with my phone depicting how I'm using them in the IRC. I determined a Photobucket slide show would run easily in the background while presenting ...

and I'm still pleased with the final result. However, my first thought was an Animoto slide show. I was hampered somewhat by getting the images from my phone (at work) to the Animoto web site and optioned to use my Photobucket account. After downloading the Animoto app I was able to upload images, create a video, and post it to Twitter in fifteen minutes or less.

In some ways, the app is easier than the web site as there is no extraneous information distracting the user. My finished video is 360 p, slightly better quality than non-HD web videos and seemed to allow for a higher number of images for a thirty second free project. After login, I was able to see mobile and web project on both the app and my web account. There are a few drawbacks with the app, with a streamlined process there were fewer style and music options presented and the embed code was not easily accessible. In my opinion, the immediacy and ease of the app far out-weigh any of the drawbacks. Here's the finished product:

Revisiting Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

I've been working with the IRC Twitter account since early November; it's time to revisit and evaluate early implementation. Web services added a Twitter link to the IRC web site providing access to the account, widgets have been successfully added to the IRC blog, and 'follows' added a variety of links to other university accounts. It has been easier than anticipated to find tweetable topics to routinely promote the IRC and keep the account active, in part due to accounts chosen to follow that relate to IRC mission and vision. Two options recently investigated for account support are embedded tweets and lists.
Twitter updated their platform in December making the embed option more viable to users. It's a relatively simple process; choose a tweet to embed > select open to view additional options > click on embed this tweet > choose an embed code. It's possible to preselect tweet position or "control position and text wrapping on the page" by using the alignment option. I embedded and IRC tweet to the IRC blog for holiday hours using the html code provided in conjunction with Bloggers html option (see below):

The IRC will be closed 12/17/11 through 1/5/12 for winter break. goo.gl/lYCby #IRChours #IRCblog twitter.com/IRCaulibrary/s…
— IRC at AULibrary (@IRCaulibrary) December 14, 2011

The link works as advertised, users read the embedded tweet and can easily access the original Twitter account. At this point, I am more apt to promote a blog post on Twitter than a tweet on a blog so its use is somewhat limited. On the plus side, this feature promotes proper citing of Twitter. Authors are able to quote tweets, highlight specific topics for readers, and work to expand readership to Twitter from a number of platforms. For more about embedding Twitter:

I've started to explore and use Twitter lists and must confess it warms my librarian's heart to be able to organize lists. Beyond the simple task of categorizing, lists provide me with the option to follow someone without actually following them:

"If you want to read a user's Tweets but not see their messages in your main timeline every day, lists allow you to do that. Similarly, following someone else's list does not mean you follow all users in that list. Rather, you follow the list itself." - Twitter Help Center, How to Use Twitter Lists

I've recently created a public list for @IRCaulibrary, Ashland University. The list features university accounts. I am able to easily promote tweets from the list and provide options for others to subscribe if interested. More public lists will be developed as current follows lend themselves to several distinct categories (books, educational technology, etc.). In a few months I'll check in again to discuss/update use of the IRC Twitter account.

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Be Your Weird Self
"I’m a weirdo. It has never mattered what community I’m a part of — I live and work in the periphery, and expect that I always will. At this point in my life, I wouldn’t have it any other way. And I think that you too should be a weirdo. You probably already are one. Stick with me here. Almost inherently, anybody working in academe is abnormal. If you are pursuing a higher degree or already hold an academic appointment, you simply aren’t a typical person (if there even is such a thing). And no matter your field, the institution you work at, or your personal values and ideological commitments, you probably aren’t even a good approximation of what most Americans consider in their own minds to be normal. That we are not typical citizens is not, in my opinion, a good or a bad thing, but simply a thing." -- Nate Kreuter, Inside Higher Ed:Tyro Tracts, 1/13/12

Common Craft News: New Video, Social Networking (Facebook)
"This video is a much-requested sequel to our video on Social Networking. As you likely know, a lot has changed in the world of Social Networking as Facebook has emerged to be one of the standards - and this video is aimed at why. It covers the basic ideas through the story of a woman who becomes a member and discovers how the social network and status updates help her feel more informed and engaged with her interests." -- Lee LeFever, Common Craft Blog, 1/12/12

Translating Ed Tech Issues Outside Education Circles
"I'm fascinated by the reactions to blog posts, whether those reactions occur in the blog's comments or whether they're on the various social networking sites where a link is shared. As someone who earns a living writing online and is very interested in engaging with readers, these reactions matter to me (and not just because readers are the first to catch my typos, something I really hate to have happen). But I'm often surprised by what elicits a response from people. Sometimes the posts that I feel are the most thought-provoking get no reaction. And sometimes the ones I feel are the least interesting get the most interest. And sometimes posts that I think are thought-provoking get a reaction that I didn't expect." -- Audrey Watters, Inside Higher Ed: Hack (Higher) Education, 1/12/12

Google Search Gets a Personalized Makover
"Google has announced a new personalized search the company calls “Search, plus Your World.” The update turns the classic Google search results page from an anonymous collection of webpages into something more personal, mining your Google+ network for results related to you. Rather than just scouring the web for webpages related to your search queries, Google will also now find conversations and images posted by your friends." -- Scott Gilbertson, Webmonkey, 1/10/12

Fun Book Store Video

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

I've seen this video, The Joy of Books, several places over the last few days. It's creative and very well done, definitely worth a look!

"After organizing our bookshelf almost a year ago (http://youtu.be/zhRT-PM7vpA), my wife and I decided to take it to the next level. We spent many sleepless nights moving, stacking, and animating books at Type bookstore in Toronto (883 Queen Street West, (416) 366-8973)." -- The Joy of Books, YouTube Channel crazedadman

Two-Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:35:00 +0000

Unpacking Assessment
"ACRLog welcomes a guest post from Lisa Horowitz, Assessment Librarian at MIT Libraries.
As an assessment librarian, I am always looking for different ways to think about assessment. Most librarians aren’t statisticians, and for some, even the word itself, assessment, is daunting in that its meaning is unclear. Additionally, it’s such a broad topic that many of us are interested in only specific angles: learning outcomes, collection assessment, return on investment, the Value of Academic Libraries, and so on." -- Lisa Horowitz, ACRLog, 12/27/11

Five Versatile Screen-Capture Apps for Windows
"Takeaway: When you need a bit more functionality than Print Screen and Paint offer, one of these screen capture tools will come in handy. Screen captures aren’t just for tech writers anymore. If you support users, you probably need to capture screen shots occasionally. When needs are simple, you can probably get by with Print Screen and Windows Paint. If you’re using Windows 7, try Snipping Tool. But if you want serious control or more polish, you need something more powerful. Any of the following apps should fill most needs." -- Susan Harkins, Five Apps, 12/18/11

ALA Midwinter: Best Bet for Metadata Librarians and Call for Bloggers
"Planning to attend a session or already reporting on a session? Think about blogging it here! If you would like to blog any of the sessions, please contact Kristin Martin at kmarti@uic.edu with your name, e-mail address, and preferred session. As sessions are linked to the conference scheduler, and links are provided to fuller descriptions, when available. See a section not on here that you think would be of interest? Suggest it! NOTE: Preconferences are listed for informational purposes only and cannot be covered by the blog." -- Kristin Martin, Metadata Blog, 1/5/12

ALAO: Continuing Education Grant

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:03:00 +0000

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Continuing Education Grant is awarded each year to support the cost of participating in professional development opportunities. Current ALAO members are eligible to apply for funds to defray the costs of attending any library-related educational opportunity occurring during the 2012 calendar year.

The ALAO Professional Development Committee (PDC) will select the application(s) that best explain how the grant will further the applicant’s professional development. The amount of money available for the 2012 Continuing Education Grant Program is $2,500. These funds may be awarded to one individual or divided among two or more top-ranked applicants. The PDC will take into consideration the amount of funding the applicant’s employer will provide for the request, as well as what the employer provided during the past fiscal year. The PDC will notify award recipients and will arrange payment. Within sixty days of the educational event, the recipient must submit a brief report to the PDC confirming proof of attendance.

Please note that awards equal to or greater than $600 USD are subject to taxation and will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Recipients of awards equal to or greater than $600 USD must provide their social security number to the ALAO fiscal agent prior to disbursement of award monies.

Please complete the online application for the grant at http://www.alaoweb.org/events. Be sure to provide the required documentation, including a description of how the continuing education opportunity will further your professional development and an itemized list of associated costs. The deadline for application is January 20, 2012.

If you have any questions, please contact the PDC Chair, Krista McDonald at: mcdonak@muohio.edu.

*Apply Now for ALAO Continuing Education Grant was originally published on the ALAO Blog, 1/6/12

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:30:00 +0000

LSE Produces New Twitter Guide for Academics
"How can Twitter, which limits users to 140 characters per tweet, have any relevance to universities and academia, where journal articles are between 3,000-8,000 words long? Can anything of academic value ever be said in just 140 characters? A new Twitter guide published by the LSE Public Policy Group |and the LSE Impact of Social Sciences blog |seeks to answer this question, and show academics and researchers how to get the most out of the micro-blogging site. The Guide is designed to lead the novice through the basics of Twitter but also provide tips on how it can aid the teaching and research of the more experienced academic tweeter."-- LSE News and Media, 10/3/11 via Jennifer Howard, Wired Campus, 12/15/11

Getting Started with Twitter's Embedded Tweets Feature
"Somewhat lost amidst the news of Twitter’s revamped interface is a slightly more interesting tidbit for web developers: Twitter posts can now be embedded in other pages. The new Embedded Tweet feature works just like a YouTube movie, offering a short HTML snippet that you can copy and paste into any third-party website. Unfortunately using the Embed Tweet feature from Twitter is somewhat awkward since it’s buried in the new interface. First you need to click on a tweet, then click “details” and then you’ll see the embed option." -- Scott Gilbertson, WebMonkey, 12/9/11

Opening Up a World of Educational Content with YouTube for Schools
"We’ve been hearing from teachers that they want to use the vast array of educational videos on YouTube in their classrooms, but are concerned that students will be distracted by the latest music video or a video of a cute cat, or a video that might not be appropriate for students. While schools that completely restrict access to YouTube may solve this distraction concern, they also limit access to hundreds of thousands of educational videos on YouTube that can help bring photosynthesis to life, or show what life was like in ancient Greece." -- Brian Truong, The Official YouTube Blog, 12/11/11

The Trouble with Transparency and the Creative Arts
"One downside of increased transparency of many people’s lives, especially noteworthy people, is that it’s harder to divorce the person from their creations." -- Walt Crawford, Walt at Random, 12/9/11

What You Can do to Support School Libraries in Crisis
"There is a common misconception that technology replaces school libraries and school librarians. Rather, in reality the explosion of technology and information access makes having full-time access to a state certified school librarian and school library program even more critical for today's learners. There is an entire new skill set today's students will need as they enter the workplace, and school librarians are the leaders in helping teach these skills to students." -- Carl Harvey II, Huffington Post, 12/8/11

Google: Zeitgeist 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:09:00 +0000

As we fast approach the end of 2011, a myriad of end-of-year reflections become available. The first I've seen is a video posted on the Google Blog earlier this morning, Zeitgeist 2011: How the World Searched.

IES: Academic Libraries 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:53:00 +0000

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recently released Academic Libraries: 2010 First Look.

The Academic Libraries: 2010 First Look summarizes services, staff, collections, and expenditures of academic libraries in 2- and 4-year, degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Findings Include:

Academic libraries held approximately 158.7 million e-books and about 1.8 million electronic reference sources and aggregation services at the end of FY 2010.

Academic libraries spent approximately $152.4 million for electronic books, serial backfiles, and other materials in FY 2010. Expenditures for electronic current serial subscriptions totaled about $1.2 billion.

During FY 2010, some 72 percent of academic libraries reported that they supported virtual reference services.

Academic libraries reported 88,943 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff working in academic libraries during the fall of 2010.

Academic Libraries 2010 and it's supplemental tables are available in PDF via the IES web site. Special thanks to Stacie Marinelli, Reference Librarian at the National Library of Education for sharing this with the EBSS list.

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:30:00 +0000

If I Had College-Age Children, I Would Give Them This Advice for the Final Weeks of School: Don't Cheat
"I imagine this conversation would occur sometime during Thanksgiving, perhaps as we were washing up the endless number of dinner dishes and de-greasing the kitchen. No, no: let’s put it in a neutral location, as Tenured Radical and the returning college student are having a final cup of coffee at the airport while waiting out a flight delay." -- Claire Potter, Tenured Radical, 12/7/11

The Adaptation of Hugo Cabret
"In Brian Selznick’s Caldecott Medal–winning novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, protagonist Hugo muses, “Machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.” Director Martin Scorsese’s film treatment, Hugo, evinces this philosophy from its opening sequence, in which a complicated clockwork system is turns into an equally bright and busy time-lapse shot of nighttime Paris." --Katie Bircher, Out of the Box (The Horn Book), 12/8/11

The All in One Fear and Public Speaking: 15 Resources
"It's one of the most common fears, they tell us. So why are we so nervous about our public speaking fears? Use these tips from the blog, along with examples from some fellow fearful speakers, to think about your public speaking fears and overcome them:" -- Denise Graveline, The Eloquent Woman, 12/7/11

10 Ways to Change the Minds of Tech-Reluctant Staff
"We often hear about tech-savvy educators and administrators who have an array of best practices and whose love for technology is evident. But as anyone who’s ever been part of a school or district knows, not all teachers and administrators are as comfortable or familiar with technology. In a recent “Question of the Week,” we asked our tech-savvy readers: “How do you get tech-reluctant teachers and administrators to use technology effectively?” Here are our readers’ top answers (edited for brevity)." -- Meris Stansbury, ESchool News (original post), 21st Century Fluency Project (reposted), 12/3/11

SLJ's Top Ten 2011: Technology
"You know what? There’s too much stuff. That might not be what you’d expect, coming from a technology editor. But looking back over the past year, I found myself wading through tons of gadgets, tools, and miscellaneous merch to get to the real goods, and by that I mean the substantive ideas that we wrote, talked, blogged, and tweeted about in 2011." -- Kathy Ishizuka, School Library Journal, 12/2/11

UNBSJ Students Protest for Study Space
"Students at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John held a protest at the campus Tuesday about a lack of quiet study space. Samantha Tinker, one of the rally organizers, said exams are slated to start next week, but the new $25 million Hans W. Klohn Commons is more like a computer lab and café than a library, with students clustered around tables chatting and working in groups. It also comes up short on basics, such as desk space, and even books, she said." --- CBC News, 11/30/11

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:35:00 +0000

Academic Freedom or Educational Malpractice?
"It is time for NYU to take action to silence Andrew Ross. His encouragement of students to default on their loans is irresponsible and reckless—an act of educational malpractice I would argue—and something that should not be tolerated from anyone on the staff of an institution of higher education. Academic freedom does not give Dr. Ross the right to knowingly advise students to do something that will harm them for years to come, and that violates a legal contract between the borrower and ultimately the federal government. Does he also suggest that they steal and evade taxes?" -- Diane Auer Jones, Brainstorm / The Chronicle, 12/1/11

Cambridge U Press Would Like to Rent You and Article
"Will researchers pay for short-term access to journal articles? Cambridge University Press is about to find out. The publisher has just announced a rental program for articles from the more than 280 peer-reviewed journals it publishes. For just £3.99, $5.99 or €4.49, users are now able to read single articles online for up to 24 hours, a saving of up to 86% compared with the cost of purchasing the article,” the press said in an announcement. “After registration and payment, the reader is e-mailed a link, through which they can access and read the article in PDF format as often as they wish during the subsequent 24 hours.” -- Jennifer Howard, Wired Campus, 11/30/11

Announcing YouTube Analytics: The Next Generation in Insight
"Video can transcend language and cultural barriers. It can showcase real human moments all across the globe, even the silly ones. Take the video of the talking twin babies. That video was shot in Brooklyn, and has been viewed more than 10M times in the US and 30M times outside the U.S. 5% of its views came from Brazil, another 5% from Russia. Turns out, 1 out of 100 people in the Philippines watched these two babies from New York. One of the great joys of a global platform is finding out that people from afar can relate, connect, and appreciate your videos." -- Ted Hamilton, YouTube Blog, 11/30/11

Social Networking: Making the World Smaller One Tweet at a Time
" I am not a social media expert. I just wanted to get that out of the way. I know that this title exists, that people give talks on social media and companies are hiring people to Tweet for them and to set up blogs. I’m not that person. I’m just an author who uses social media to connect with other people in the reading and writing community." -- E. Kristin Anderson (Guest Contributor), ALSC Blog, 11/30/11

ALAO Newsletter: November 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:48:00 +0000

A new ALAO Newsletter , Vol. 29 No. 4 (Dec 2011), is now available. This edition features:

Spring workshops for ALAO Interest Groups are just around the corner.

"I encourage you to review ALAO’s offering of spring workshops as the dates, locations, & themes come out over the next several weeks. They provide excellent opportunities for presenters and attendees." -- Brian Hickam, ALAO Newsletter President's Report, 11/30/11

The Future of Publishing

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:28:00 +0000

Voya Magazine, more specifically @voyamagazine on Twitter, shared this video earlier today. Posted by Penguin Group USA, it's a creative look at the publishing industry - backwards and forward.

An interview with the video's creator is available on the Penguin USA blog post, The Future of Publishing.

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:08:00 +0000

Smartphones in the Library
"Finding the right technology to use in the library, particularly the kind of devices that will best suit the largest number of patrons, can be an arduous task when considering the wealth of new advancements that are available. Many of these items can be costly or not intuitive to the user. But two new tools have proven themselves useful and user friendly in all varieties of libraries." --Jane-Rebecca Cannarella, ACRLog, 11/12/11

How Mainstream Media Outlets Use Twitter
"Mainstream news organizations have made the social media tool Twitter a daily part of how they communicate with audiences. But how do those organizations actually use the technology: How often do they tweet? What kind of news do they distribute? To what extent is Twitter used as a new reporting tool or as a mechanism for gathering insights from followers?" -- Pew Research Center Publications, 11/14/11

My Teacher is an App
"So I hope no one minds if I continue to try to document the ways in which “education” is being reframed in this country at the peril, I think, of losing everything that is best about schools and teachers and classrooms." -- Will Richardson, Read, Write, Connect, Learn, 11/12/11

WC3 Releases New Web Privacy Standard
"The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has released the first draft of a new web standard aimed at improving online privacy. The W3C’s new Standard for Online Privacy is a set of tools that will ultimately enable your browser to stop sites from tracking your every move on the web.
The first draft of the new privacy standard revolves around the “Do Not Track” (DNT) HTTP header originally introduced by Mozilla as a part of Firefox 4. The DNT header — a bit of code sent every time your browser talks to a web server — can be used to tell websites you don’t want to be tracked. The goal is to give you an easy way to opt out of often invasive tracking practices like behavioral advertising." -- Scott Gilbertson, WebMonkey, 11/15/11

Employees Like Work More When Social Media is Involved
"When employees are allowed to access social media networks at work one to two times each day a new study has shown that they are more satisfied with their jobs and more likely to stick with an employer. The study found that even employees who are simply offering the chance to check Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other networks on their lunch breaks were more satisfied with their employer." -- James Johnson, The Blog Herald, 11/15/11

Pay Attention in Class
"As college costs have skyrocketed, students and their parents have come to view the college experience more and more as a financial transaction. They are the customer, and the college is the business. That consumer mentality—which I have argued is not as bad as many in higher ed make it out to be—has nonetheless led to high expectations about the quality of everything on campuses from dining options to dorm rooms." -- Jeff Selingo, Next (A Chronicle Blog), 11/9/11

Leaving Library World

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca B.) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:57:00 +0000

I know I haven't been very active on this blog over the past few years. I've been busy pursuing my MBA. Over time I've realized that, while I'll always love & support libraries, my work interests lie elsewhere. So, I am leaving my position as a librarian at Thanksgiving and will be starting a new and exciting job in the corporate world in early December. At the same time, I will be leaving Library Cloud as a contributor. It has been a pleasure being involved in this blog, and I look forward to watching its continued success as a reader.

working with Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:19:00 +0000

The decision to go with Twitter (verses Facebook or Google+) for the Instructional Resource Center was not quick or easy. A consistent web presence exists; the IRC web site was one of the first things I developed when starting as a curriculum librarian at AU and in recent months I have been rebuilding it in Drupal. I've used a blog for the IRC since 2005; it features news, information, and new book updates for the IRC and juvenile collections. We've been lucky to have LibGuides for several years, and resources for Education students and general IRC pages are part of the collection.Taking steps to add another resource required careful consideration:

How will the proposed addition work with existing resources?
The library has a Facebook page, is it necessary to have two?
Do students want the IRC on Facebook?
Students have AU Gmail accounts, but are they using Google+?
Are students willing to use Google+?
How popular is Twitter with college students?
Will Twitter character constraints help or hinder use?

A final question, one of significance, how much time am I willing /able to expend on maintaining the project? Regardless of the social media choice, time and effort will be needed to make the resource viable. Periodic discussions with my student workers and students using the IRC helped me with the decide to use Twitter for the IRC. Why Twitter? It's will provide opportunity for quick, simple, short, and timely updates that will supplement the web site, blog, and LibGuides.

I posted the first IRC tweet on Tuesday morning @ircaulibrary

It took time to research and determine who the IRC should follow, I selected a mix of children's literature, education, AU accounts, and educational technology to start. Using a library background and university colors allowed me to brand the page. To publicize, I've created Twitter widgets for the IRC blog, requested a link be placed on the main IRC page sidebar with the blog feed, posted to the IRC blog, and utilized the library's digital signage to scan the account rotate the five most recent tweets.

I have a short list of subjects to tweet for the next several weeks. At this point, the only drawback has been ...

I usually tweet using my iPhone app, and was surprised to see the little "over capacity" whale shortly after making the account live. In the last three days, I've been subject to "over capacity" while posting tweets - and - when showing students the account. I'm hoping the little whale, cute as he is, does not become problematic (though several of my students indicate he's a regular occurrence).

ALAO 2011: Tweeting @ALAOorg

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:50:00 +0000

This is the first of several planned "conference in review" posts reflecting on ALAO 2011. I'm going to start at the end, so to speak, featuring Twitter hash tags created and used for the conference and individual sessions. Tweeting during a presentation is relatively new to me; I remain somewhat uncomfortable typing while the presenter is speaking about his or her topic. Instead of my laptop, I chose to use the Twitter app on my phone as it's less conspicuous and certainly quieter.

ALAO is officially in Twitter as @ALAOorg; the conference hash tag was #alao2011.

Rob Snyder, Bowling Green University, shared a great Twitter widget during his spotlight session Timesaving Templates: Techniques for Quick Creation and Maintenance of LibGuides. Using the Twitter resource page, he developed a series of Twitter Widgets to consistently update a current events LibGuide.

With a Twitter account planned for the IRC, I was immediately intrigued by how easily these widgets could be developed and placed in blog posts, Facebook, web sites, and (of course) LibGuides. I spent a few minutes at lunch creating three Twitter widgets to follow the ALAO 2001 conference:

While a few issues immediately come to mind when incorporating this into a classroom, hash tags are social bookmarking and anyone can use them for any reason, it would be easy to create a set of tags - controlled vocabulary, so to speak - that would serve to connect a variety of library resources for students. I will definitely be exploring this option further. Enjoy perusing tweets from #alao2011, #alaowebtools, and @ALAOorg!

Library Cloud @ ALAO

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:50:00 +0000

It's time for the ALAO Annual conference!

This year’s conference theme, Academic Libraries: Constant Change, Constant Opportunity "offers library administrators and personnel, vendors, and consultants an array of opportunities network and learn about current trends, technologies, services and strategies" (ALAO 2011). Program information is located on the conference web site and includes conference abstracts and a useful conference grid. Library Cloud bloggers are presenting at two sessions:

BREAKING TRADITION: RESTRUCTURING TO DEAL MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

Karen Plummer (University of Akron), Frank Bove (University of Akron)

Session 1, Henry Room - 10:10 am to 11:00 am

On April 13, 2011, the Electronic Services Department (ESD) was born! The ESD was created by recognizing the increasing prominence of electronic resources to our users. To effectively manage those resources and efficiently deliver information electronically, we have broken with traditional organizational structure, merging the Cataloging and Systems Departments, and adding web development and electronic resources management personnel. This presentation will discuss the who, what, when, where, and why of our restructuring process.

WEB TOOLS: THE MORE THINGS CHANGE
Sara Klink (Stark State Community College)
Diane L. Schrecker (Ashland University)
Spotlight Session 3: Leveraging Web Tools for Reference and Collaboration
Hardin Room - 2:00 pm to 2:50 pm

Nothing says “Constant Change, Constant Opportunity” like web tools. New resources are available with stunning regularity; many are educational and rife with potential to enrich student learning. Non-traditional library web resources are often integrated as viable tools for reference, instruction, and collaboration. This session will feature an overview of several of our favorite tools and how we use them. Try something different! These tools are simple to use, available on and off the cloud, and easily adapted for LibGuides, Campus Guides, Library blogs, and more.

ALAO 2011: It's not too late

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:49:00 +0000

It’s not too late!
Register for ALAO 2011
– deadline October 21st

The exciting ALAO 2011 Conference on November 4th:

Opening keynote with ACRL Vice-President/President Elect Steven J. Bell
Presentations, posters, and spotlight sessions, all centered on change in today’s academic libraries
Vendor spotlights
Lunch with colleagues
Plenty of time for networking
and more!

The ALAO 2011 Pre-Conference on November 3rd features:

Opening keynote by Instructional Design Librarian Lauren Pressley, from Wake Forest University
A panel discussion on ACRL’s The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report with Ohio academic library leaders
Lunch, and time for networking with colleagues

ALAO is pleased to announce an evening social on November 3rd. This informal affair will be an excellent time to mingle and network with colleagues from the region, meet ALAO board members, and enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres . The social will take place at the ALAO 2011 Conference headquarters, Hilton Toledo, in the Pine/Willow rooms from 7-9:30 pm. Please RSVP only if you plan to attend the social.

Important links: Conference Registration and RSVP for Pre-Conference Social

* Originally posted on CMCIG blog 10/12/11

ALAO PreConference Social

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:54:00 +0000

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) is proud to announce an evening social, to take place after the November 3rd pre-conference. This informal affair will be an excellent time to mingle and network with colleagues from the region, meet your ALAO board members, and, of course, enjoy some delicious hors d’oeuvres. A cash bar will also be available.

The social will take place at the ALAO 2011 Conference headquarters, Hilton Toledo, in the Pine/Willow rooms from 7-9:30pm.

Please RSVP only if you plan to attend. We hope to see you at this exciting event!

The ALAO 2011 Conference Planning Committee
http://www.alaoweb.org/conferences/conf2011

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:46:00 +0000

OhioLINK, OCLC Report Reveals Surprises about Circulation
"OhioLINK and OCLC Research have released a report of, and the data set used in, a joint study of OhioLINK circulation, to better understand the usage patterns of books in academic libraries and support further research in this area. The study, which incorporated usage data from 2007-2008, was limited to books and manuscripts because these materials typically circulate, and circulation is a significant element in evaluating collections." - OhioLINK What's New, 9/29/11

OCLC & OhioLINK Release Extensive Data Sets on Book Usage Patterns in Academic Libraries
"OhioLINK and OCLC Research released on September 21 what is likely the largest and most comprehensive study of academic library circulation ever undertaken. Among the more interesting findings, the "80/20" rule, which says that 80 percent of a library's circulation is driven by approximately 20 percent of the collection, may not be accurate." -- Michael Kelly, Library Journal, 9/29/11

No Projector? No Problem. Use QR Codes + SlideShare to Share Your Slides
"Here's a useful and easy social-media option speakers can use to put their slides into the hands of the audience right away--even if there's no projector or the projector's not working. From the SlideShare blog, we learn how: First, upload your slides to SlideShare, the popular website for making slides easily available. Then create a QR or "quick response" code like the graphical bar code at right with a link to the SlideShare version of your presentation. The code embeds an easy-to-scan version of the web address where your slides reside."-- Denise Graveline, The Eloquent Woman, 9/27/11

The Question of Control in the Classroom
"The August 24 post, What Does Your Syllabus Say About You and Your Course?, in which I asked a series of questions designed to encourage revisiting the syllabus in terms of its role in setting course norms and establishing the tone of the course generated some interesting responses. I am always pleased when a post stimulates reaction, including disagreement. This is how we learn and grow as professionals. It also makes blogs worth reading, in my opinion. I do have to say, however, that I found some of the assumptions embedded in the responses troubling. I have been thinking about the issues they raised and thought it might be useful for us to continue the conversation." -- Maryellen Weimer, The Teaching Professor Blog, 9/28/11

Dynamic Views: Seven New Ways to Share Your Blog with the World
"As we said a few weeks ago when we launched a completely rebuilt, streamlined authoring and editing experience, we’re in the process of bringing you a much improved and modernized Blogger. The next phase of these updates starts today with seven new ways to display your blog, called Dynamic Views. Built with the latest in web technology (AJAX, HTML5 and CSS3), Dynamic Views is a unique browsing experience that will inspire your readers to explore your blog in new ways. The interactive layouts make it easier for readers to enjoy and discover your posts, loading 40 percent faster than traditional templates and bringing older entries to the surface so they seem fresh again." -- Antin Harasymiv, Blogger Buzz, 9/27/11

Why I Killed My Facebook Account
"Many Facebook users are in an uproar over new changes, while bigger ones are about to be unveiled. I’ve had a Facebook account since 2005. Today, I killed it. Didn’t just deactivate it, but deleted it. The whole kit-and-kaboodle. Why?" -- Joe Hardenbrook, Mr. Library Dude, 9/25/11

Blended Learning - Cutting Edge Or a Double-Edged Sword
"Instructional Designer and Teacher Kimberly Greene provides deep insights into Brandman University’s implementation of a blended learning environment in their School of Education. In the presentation, Greene discusses the goals of the effort, many of the technologies and approaches used, and identifies what worked well and what they’ve been working to improve." -- K. Walsh, Emerging EdTech, 9/25/11

2011 ALAO Program & Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:57:00 +0000

It's almost time for the 2011 ALAO Annual Conference! Program information is now available on the Conference web site. See also:

Conference Schedule at a Glance
Session Abstracts

Weekly Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Diane Schrecker) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Transmedia Storytelling (A Fun Way to Blog)
"Ever have one of those days where you’d spend more time thinking about something to write about than actually writing the post itself? That’d be this morning for me! Instead of your traditional blog post, I thought I’d put together a ‘How-To’ video of sorts. I’ve always been fascinated with transmedia storytelling (technique of telling stories across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies) and thought I’d use my “slow morning” to provide a very simple example of it. If this is new to you, I think you’ll really appreciate this creative approach to content creation and the various ways you can get really creative with it." -- Chris Vaughn, Social Media Today, 9/21/11

Know Thine Audience
"They are students, they are faculty members. They are hobbyists and autodidacts.

They still prefer to read texts in print, but they are intrigued by the possibilities of digital, especially when it comes to scanning huge swaths of text for key words and phrases. They travel in herds and pledge allegiance to tribes; their social instincts are stronger than their market instincts. Their actions speak louder than their survey responses." -- Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed News, 9/21/11

[INFOGRAPHIC] CV / Resume

"But what has it done for me? Firstly, due to the excellent feedback I have received it has proved my original point that infographics are a wonderful way of communicating. The majority of us are visual creatures, turned on more by the eye, than the depth of detail. To that end, my CV has attracted some lovely comments and in less than a month, 954 downloads. Would my standard CV have received the same level of interest? No chance. So I am embarking on a new journey, to turn our ‘detaily’ product collateral into slick, one page infographics that convey the essence of our key message in a few seconds, rather than a few minutes. As soon as they are complete I will share them with you, together with our current collateral and you can give me your feedback and tell me what you would prefer to receive as a consumer." -- Gareth Case, Social Media Today, 9/20/11

Back in Blackout
"Considering that only 10 to 15 percent of students fully cooperated with the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology’s ban on social media sites last year, the extent to which it succeeded in provoking genuine thought about how (and how much) such sites should be used is debatable. All the more reason to try again -- the operative word being 'try.' 'We did it in the first place last year to raise awareness, particularly in the classroom, about the uses of social media and how it impacts the business of learning,' said Eric Darr, the university’s provost and creator of its now-famous social media blackout. And even though the vast majority of students bypassed the university’s network and logged in to sites such as Facebook via their smartphones or at home (Harrisburg is non-residential), about a quarter reported better concentration, more interest and more productivity in the classroom during the blackout." -- Allie Grasgreen, Inside Higer Ed News, 9/21/11