You have a library degree.  What in the world are you going to do with it?  Well, take a look at this list and re-think what your future might hold.

I recently went from a library job to a non-library position and can testify to the fact that librarian skills translate to many types of positions.  Organization, web design and development, metadata needs, research skills, etc. are all relevant and useful for ANY job!

This is my first blog post of many, many more from our iPad. Like the iPhone, I have no idea what I did without this thing. I love everything about the iPad so far! I can do everything I can do on a regular computer, and much more! This is truly a mobile device and I am definitely hooked!

Do you have an iPad? Do you love it?

I’ve been circling around the question of how to use business cards to my advantage for a couple of years now.  I have a professional card and a card for my budding photography business.  I noticed the other day that the LinkedIn app has a business card function called inPerson.  This is great – as long as other users nearby are using the app at the same time.

There are lots of different ways to go about creating and distributing cards, and this article that was circulated by Scott Brown of the Social Information Group today reminded me that I still haven’t figured out the best solution for myself. 

Are you a virtual business card holder or do you prefer paper cards?

Create a Virtual Business Card with all your Social Profiles

Clever Business Cards

The World Is Obsessed With Facebook from Alex Trimpe on Vimeo.

Found via Onlineschools.org

Kindle books can now be loaned from one device to another for 14 days.  Not all titles are eligible, but this is pretty amazing.  This makes every Kindle like a mini library.  Very cool feature!  What will they come up with next?!  The Nook running Android apps, perhaps?  A Kindle/Apple hybrid?  One can only imagine!

I was listening to an episode of Science Friday the other day titled “Science Friday, 1993: The Future of the Internet“.  To my pleasant surprise, the first caller on that show to comment about the future of the internet was a librarian!  She talked about free internet access to students, how she thought information would be used, and information overload on the net in comparison to libraries.  Another caller talked about wanting to download music and another discussed how mailing lists could be transformed.  All of these points are still very relevant today.  Another topic that was brought up that is far from being resolved is the issue of copyright.

18 years in the making and we are still trying to figure out how to deal with some of the most obvious problems with information and technology.  It makes one wonder if we will ever have answers to some of the most pertinent questions surrounding information storage and distribution…

There is a new podcast in my line-up – The Library Radio Network.  I haven’t listened to it yet, but I’ll be posting a review as soon as I get a few under my belt!  Stay tuned:)

Talk about value added!  This video on the future of the book makes me excited for the future of libraries and books all over again!  Seeing how information can be interactive, visual, and informative is exactly where I think all types of libraries need to be headed.  This interface is great – check it out!

The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.

Prezi and Spiceynodes are two visualization tools that would be super useful for showing workflow, presenting otherwise dull materials, or even showing org charts in a new and fresh way.  As Information Specialists, we are always trying to deliver information that holds the users attention longer than 2 seconds.  These two products infuse a sense of cool alongside the data – which is a great addition to any Info Pro’s toolbox!

Are there other visualization tools that you use and recommend?

Google Docs has a {relatively} new way of uploading docs!  Just drag from your folder and drop it into the specified area.  I love Google Docs and the fact that I can access all my important docs from anywhere!  This is a simple feature that uploads docs without having to click through multiple folders.  Voila!