http://www.widgetsandstone.com/CustomContentRetrieve.aspx?ID=3999890

Various fluorescent colors of the campaign logo.

This was part of a marketing campaign to draw citizens to a visioning event to give their ideas on how the Chattanooga library system could be reinvented.

Other parts [...]]]>
LogoColors, a photo by widgetsandstone on Flickr.

Via one of my students, just discovered this campaign:

http://www.widgetsandstone.com/CustomContentRetrieve.aspx?ID=3999890

Various fluorescent colors of the campaign logo.

This was part of a marketing campaign to draw citizens to a visioning event to give their ideas on how the Chattanooga library system could be reinvented.

Other parts of the street marketing campaign were stickers, coasters and coffee cup sleeves — all done with the initial “Nothing Will Change” message, then followed by the altered “Everything Will Change” message. Ads direct mailers and web page were also part of the overall campaign.

The end result was a success, with over 200 people attending the visioning event (exceeding the 50 expected by the library consultants leading the event).

http://www.InfoToday.eu/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=80411&PageNum=2

Åke explores how Stockholm Libraries are responding to e-book stagnation:

Since 2010 the Stockholm Public Libraries have been working hard at coming to grips with the conflict between a growing public demand for e-books and the devastatingly low percentage of e-books available in their stacks. [...]]]> Don’t miss this article by Åke Nygren at InformationToday Europe:

http://www.InfoToday.eu/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=80411&PageNum=2

Åke explores how Stockholm Libraries are responding to e-book stagnation:

Since 2010 the Stockholm Public Libraries have been working hard at coming to grips with the conflict between a growing public demand for e-books and the devastatingly low percentage of e-books available in their stacks. The overall conclusion: instead of waiting for a print oriented publishing market, paralysed by its anxieties for possible loss of market shares, let’s get the job done ourselves! 

Later:

The third step will be to explore the potential with EPUB 3, an open format that has the potential to move e-reading from a disclosed and lonely activity towards an open, creative and social experience.

In brief, Stockholm Public Libraries response to e-book stagnation is to:

• Cooperate:  we can’t do it on our own, let’s find strategic partnerships, for e-book openness and innovation.
• Digitise: let’s not just sit and wait. If nobody else seems keen on digitising, well, then we do it ourselves.
• Integrate: making literature accessible for everybody in 2012 is not just about digitisation, it’s also a question of packaging and integration of the content in user friendly and flexible user interfaces.
• Engage: let’s explore the potential of co-creating new content together with the users of today: the prosumers.

SLIS Student Research Journal is a peer-reviewed publication of San José State University School of Library and Information Science that promotes graduate scholarship and intellectual inquiry in the fields of library and information science, archives and records management, and museum studies.

For more information: http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/slissrj/  LIS Educators – please share this info with your students, including [...]]]>

SLIS Student Research Journal is a peer-reviewed publication of San José State University School of Library and Information Science that promotes graduate scholarship and intellectual inquiry in the fields of library and information science, archives and records management, and museum studies.

For more information: http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/slissrj/  LIS Educators – please share this info with your students, including the policies for submissions, etc: http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/slissrj/policies.html

My essay “Beyond the Walled Garden: LIS Students in an Era of Participatory Culture” is in the newest issue: http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1067&context=slissrj Here’s a brief excerpt of that article:

Contributions Matter

It makes me happy to see students, especially those who have taken my classes, lauded in the professional networks for their contributions. When an author has commented on a student’s blog post or a notable library figure “retweets” a student’s Twitter post, these actions prove that everyone can be a part of the discussion. Value is present from all who participate. The notion that only professional librarians’ opinions matter, for example, loses strength as everyone contributes. The contributions of original research by graduate students can also be part of the ongoing, scholarly conversation within our field. A strong foundation in research methods prepares students – and not just those interested in academic libraries – for performing user studies, analysis of survey data, and other inquiries. Consider, for example, the wide range of backgrounds LIS students bring to their graduate education. Many who are embarking on second careers may have insights and ideas that might benefit the greater community. Offering a mechanism for sharing and feedback, such as SRJ, gets their voices into the mix as soon as possible.

I am about to present my keynote for the Handheld Librarian Conference. The slides are here:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/239835/HandheldLibStephens.pdf

Extra Links:

Pew Tablet & E-Book Reader Ownership: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/E-readers-and-tablets.aspx

Why QR Codes Are Failing: http://www.imediaconnection.com/article_full.aspx?id=30267

Pongr: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/162/pongr

As information professionals from all around the world digest the wealth of information shared during the inaugural Library 2.011 Worldwide Virtual Conference, a second round of inspiration is underway with the announcement of the Library 2.012 Worldwide Virtual Conference! 

Save the dates of October 3-5, [...]]]> From a press release about this year’s free, online Library 2.012 Conference:

As information professionals from all around the world digest the wealth of information shared during the inaugural Library 2.011 Worldwide Virtual Conference, a second round of inspiration is underway with the announcement of the Library 2.012 Worldwide Virtual Conference! 

Save the dates of October 3-5, 2012, for an inspiring global conversation about the future of libraries. The fully online Library 2.012 Conference will be held in multiple time zones, available in multiple languages, and feature multiple tracks. The conference is sure to be brimming with knowledge as information professionals worldwide meet online for this free forum. Sign up for conference news and updates at Library2012.com.

In the meantime, if you missed one of the 160 presentations given at the Library 2.011 Conference, don’t worry. We understand that you had to sleep at some point during the 24-hour, two-day conference! All the presentations were recorded and can be accessed on the Library 2.0 website.

The San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science is a founding partner of Library 2.011 and Library 2.012 conferences. The nationally-ranked school offers two fully online master’s degrees, a fully online certificate program, and a doctoral program: Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), Master of Archives and Records Administration (MARA), Post-Master’s Certificate in Library and Information Science, and the San José Gateway PhD Program. Learn more at: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu

The deadline for submissions is 12 April 2012.

Internet Librarian International is the innovation and technology conference for information professionals. The conference attracts hundreds of library and information professionals from around the world.

Internet Librarian International [...]]]> ILI 2012 Call for Speakers Open!

Internet Librarian International is the innovation and technology conference for information professionals. The conference attracts hundreds of library and information professionals from around the world.

Internet Librarian International 2012 will take place at Olympia in London 30-31 October (with pre-event workshops scheduled for 29 October). We invite participation from a wide range of professionals – new and established – from all over the world to share their experiences of developing and delivering innovative information services. We seek dynamic speakers from all types of libraries – public, academic, government, national or commercial – as well as those working outside a ‘traditional’ library setting.

Share your success stories. Tell us what lessons you’ve learned if things didn’t turn out quite as expected. This is your chance to help others to rethink and recharge, and to benefit from the insights of others.

Re-imagine, Renew, Reboot: Innovating for Success

This year the conference will focus on how information and library professionals are successfully delivering innovative products and services to ever more demanding customers in a fast-changing technology landscape. Library patrons, users and customers now expect access to information wherever they are, on a variety of devices. Budgets remain under pressure. Access to information, data and knowledge is becoming more open and transparent, with partnerships and new social media contexts expanding knowledge sharing in new and surprising ways.

With all this going on, librarians need to stay at the leading edge of service provision. What innovative and imaginative solutions can make a real impact on our ability to serve our customers and our institutions? Share your experiences with your peers at Internet Librarian International.

Possible topics fall under the following headings.

• Meeting the ‘everything everywhere’ demands of customers
• New and innovative uses of technology
• Managing and maximising resources
• Redesigning services and products
• Using the internet for research and reference
• Marketing the service and reaching new audiences
• Educating and mentoring users
• Career opportunities – new skills and new roles
• Ideas for full or half day workshops

But don’t limit your imagination - click here to see more ideas.

How do I participate?

If you would like to be considered as a speaker, please submit your ideas here. The deadline for submissions is 12 April 2012.

The advisory committee will review all submissions and you will be notified in May 2012. If your proposal is selected, the primary speaker will receive a free registration to the full conference, which includes lunches and a drinks reception.

We’re looking forward to receiving your suggestions and ideas.

Val Skelton, Programme Director

Katherine Allen, Conference Director

Please note that the expenses of attending Internet Librarian International (including travel, accommodation, and any other expenses) will be the responsibility of the presenter. By submitting your proposal, you acknowledge that you accept this financial responsibility.

Possible topics include:

• 21st century collection management
• Big data initiatives; open data
• Content management
• Creating new products
• Demonstrating impact; influencing management; working with customers
• Development and rollout of library apps
• Digital libraries; digitisation projects; digital curation
• E-learning, information literacy; training skills
• E resources; ebooks; ejournals; creating digital collections; ebook policies; acquisition management; contract negotiation
• Financial challenges; new sources of funding; innovative ways to manage costs
• Future planning; service redesign; mashups; marketing the service; raising the profile, collaboration and partnering
• Gamification initiatives; location awareness
• Information legislation; copyright; data protection; managing digital rights
• Leading edge technologies
• Librarians as agents of social change; community development and cohesion
• New ways of skills development; developing unconferences; managing tweetups
• New roles for information professionals
• Mobile, multiplatform information provision; working with tablet devices
• New ways of creating content; crowdsourcing; user generated content
• Managing information flows
• Open access; open source
• Open data; linked data
• Outsourcing, offshoring, insourcing
• Publishing trends
• Redesigning websites; usability; optimisation
• Semantic web
• Supporting the mobile workforce
• Taxonomies; ontologies
• Using social media tools to maximum effect; podcasting; Twitter/YouTube techniques
• Using the internet for research; search tips and techniques; new search tools
• Web publishing; web technology; the cloud
• Web scale discovery
• Sector specific case studies – we are interested in case studies from a range of settings including academic libraries, public libraries, corporate settings, government libraries, health/medical libraries, law libraries, and non-traditional information settings

Emerging technologies for communication and creation of content afford the possibility [...]]]> I’m very excited to be leading a faculty development workshop at Dominican University of California  on February 24th. Here’s the draft abstract, based in part on a talk I gave at EDUCAUSE Learning Initiatives in 2010:

Creative Collaboration and Immersive Engagement: The Hyperlinked Campus

Emerging technologies for communication and creation of content afford the possibility of the connected, “always on” educational environment. The Hyperlinked Campus is a model of open communication, transparency, social engagement, guided exploration, and creativity. This session will explore how some tools can extend the classroom beyond physical buildings to engage learners with their peers and with the world. The session will focus on open learning systems for courses, Twitter in the classroom and virtual learning space, and the creation of  personal learning networks. Moving beyond the walled garden and into participatory networks of learning and engagement can benefit both faculty and students.

http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?p=2045

TTW Contributor Justin Hoenke answers some questions about the library as a creation space for teens:

Every day after school we get anywhere from 30-60 teens using our teen library space.  I see the teens making music, art, and videos on their laptops everyday.  A lot [...]]]> Don’t miss:

http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?p=2045

TTW Contributor Justin Hoenke answers some questions about the library as a creation space for teens:

How do artists use your library?

Every day after school we get anywhere from 30-60 teens using our teen library space.  I see the teens making music, art, and videos on their laptops everyday.  A lot of them also sit around and doodle, and the almost always give me their finished products.  I’ve got quite a compilation of teen artwork created in the library that someday I hope to put together and feature in the library!

This image gallery is a collection of pieces that teens completed in the Portland Public Library as part of the Searching For ME program, where teens designed their own story in their image. The program was a collaboration with The Telling Room and The Maine College of Art. All photos are courtesy of Justin Hoenke.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/ensure-every-child-america-has-access-effective-school-library-program/tmlbRqfF?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

Every child in America deserves access to an effective school library program. We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to [...]]]> Please, TTW Readers, follow this link and sign the petition:

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/ensure-every-child-america-has-access-effective-school-library-program/tmlbRqfF?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

Every child in America deserves access to an effective school library program. We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to the resources and tools that constitute a 21st century learning environment. Reductions in school library programs are creating an ‘access gap’ between schools in wealthier communities versus those where there are high levels of poverty. All students should have an equal opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to learn, to participate, and to compete in today’s world.

*sort of

I bought a Kindle for these reasons and for the past few days, I’ve been using it in a few different ways.  I bought two books from Amazon totalling $6.99.  But most of the space on my Kindle is taken up by a collection [...]]]>

UPDATED ON 1/28/12 (see below)

*sort of

I bought a Kindle for these reasons and for the past few days, I’ve been using it in a few different ways.  I bought two books from Amazon totalling $6.99.  But most of the space on my Kindle is taken up by a collection of PDF’s.  Yes, this is how I’m hacking a Kindle.  It’s my PDF collection device.

Does your library subscribe to some databases?  Chances are, they do, and this will be where you will start your hacking.  My current topics of interest include empowering patrons to create “stuff” in the library, user experience, teens and technology, and The Beach Boys.  I dove into these topics pretty deeply one night and searched for PDF’s that interested me.

I was always happy to see this PDF Full Text icon

If I couldn’t find an article in PDF form, I turned to Google Chrome extensions to help convert that text into a PDF.

I highly suggest "Save as PDF"

Once I downloaded the articles, I sent them to my Kindle account using my Send to Kindle email address.  The next time I turned on my Kindle, I synced the device and viola!  My PDF’s showed up, ready to view, highlight, share, and cite.

At first, the process may be a bit cumbersome (and there may even be better ways to do it!), but once I got into the groove of searching/saving/uploading PDF’s, I had quite a collection in no time.  I highly suggest that if a librarian has a patron that has a Kindle and is interested in collecting their research that they at least think about using this way to aid the patron.

UPDATE!
I got an email from @verbivoria last night (thank you!) that explained how to use Instapaper to  send web articles to your Kindle:

You can use Instapaper to save web articles you like, convert them to Kindle files, and then import to the device.

The neat thing is this: you install a “Read Later” button on your browser, and when you find something that you want to peruse later, you click the button. I find this invaluable.

I found these two articles to be really helpful if you need help setting up this process: Lifehacker   Dave-Smith.org

-Post by Justin Hoenke,Tame the Web Contributor

As we wrote the book, my thoughts went back to one of my former high school [...]]]> Two years ago, I had the painful pleasure of coauthoring a textbook with three other colleagues. This textbook was written for first-year writing students, and I wrote the sections of the book that focused on research and information literacy.

As we wrote the book, my thoughts went back to one of my former high school teachers, Michael McAvoy. This morning I learned through Facebook that he lost his battle with cancer. I have many memories of high school (most of them good), but out of all of them, Mr. McAvoy is the one person who rises above most of the others. As someone who works in education, I hope that I can have the same type of impact in my students.

“Swanson, the machine I am getting to replace you is getting cheaper every day.” Mr. McAvoy would typically say this after I made some sort of smart-ass remark in class. He would smirk, fold his arms, and rock forward on the balls of his feet with an air of mild humor mixed with pretend contempt.

There was a time when I was out sick, and I missed a couple of his classes.  When I returned, I saw him in the hallway, and I asked him whether he missed me.  He responded, “Well, Swanson, I wasn’t shooting. But if I was, I wouldn’t miss.” Then he continued on his way down the hall. He said that at a time when this type of remark did not cause alarm. It was a different time and place.

I remember that he was a Packer fan and a Dodger fan, which were always points of debate since we were in Bears and Cubs country. He only had three toes on one foot due to an unfortunate incident with a lawnmower when he was a kid. One time he participated in a fantasy basketball league with his students. His team name was The Seven-Toed Chest Kickers.

When I think of Mr. McAvoy, I know he was one of my best teachers. He was the reason that when I entered college I was a better writer than most of my classmates. But, I liked him for more reasons than the simple transfer of writing skills.  I remember him so fondly because of the way he engaged us as students. I can distinctly remember the class discussion we had about Julius Caesar getting stabbed to death in Shakespeare’s play, our discussion of the novel Lord of the Flies, and a paper I wrote about Hemingway’s novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. I remember being so amazed that these great works of literature could be understood by someone like me, who was just a high school kid. The thing with Mr. McAvoy’s classes was that these were not honors or advanced placement classes.  They were just regular English classes, and all of us were able to jump into this stuff.

In our public discourse online, on the media, and in debates at dinner parties, it is easy to cast our public schools as places that dampen creativity. Our education system is large and difficult to navigate, and I think that in some instances these systems get in the way of our larger goals. This is because we have an educational system. I would say that any time you have a group of people (so, more than one) who have to do something together you start to have a system. A system is a set of rules, processes, and procedures that explain how people interact with each other. For example, when you drive a car, you are participating in a system. Our society has put together a set of rules that help us work together so that we can efficiently drive at high speeds down our roads. If we had to make up our own rules or if we had to figure out the rules as we drove, then not only would driving be very inefficient, but it would also be very dangerous.

Systems do not really encourage us to be creative. Driving your car is not a time to decide to be creative. In fact, our rules of the road go out of the way to stamp out your creativity. Our police officers regularly give out tickets to “creative” drivers. For me, there are many times we criticize education when we are actually criticizing systems. Their purpose is to allow people to work together by creating solid rules where each person’s actions are predictable and standard. I think about all of the standardized tests I have ever taken. Not much room there for creativity, is there?

In the future, our students will spend a great deal of times within large systems. Our corporations, our governments, our charitable organizations, our religious organizations, and many other groups of people are essentially large systems. They all have rules so that people understand how to work together. But, these systems all suffer from the same problems.  First, how do you develop a system where everyone knows the rules but is also able to creatively come up with solutions to problems? Second, systems automatically include values and priorities that tend to benefit some groups of people over others. How do we create systems that are equitable and fair to everyone?  In high school, some of us found ways to be creative, and I would guess that many times it was our teachers were the ones who inspired us to be creative.

I think that there is a great deal of evidence to say that creativity can exist within systems, especially educational systems. It is my hope that college is a creative place. Yes, we are part of a very large system. Yes, at times, this system can hinder creativity. But, more importantly, for those of us who work in the system, creativity falls on our own shoulders.

I came from a small high school in rural Illinois. The college where I work is many times larger than my entire hometown. I know that many of us that came from there will remember our late teacher Mr. McAvoy. I have always made it my goal to follow his example and never forget that creativity does not come from our educational systems. It comes from educators.

Note: This essay is adapted from an essay in the book DeVillez, Eric, Tom Dow, Mike McGuire, and Troy Swanson (2010). Why White Rice?: Thinking Through Writing. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

Troy A. Swanson is Department Chair & Teaching & Learning Librarian at Moraine Valley Community College. You can follow him on Twitter at @t_swanson.

Context Book: Students will read one book selected from a list provided, and write a 300 word reflection [...]]]> Hi all – it’s that time again. Each semester, I have my students read a current book and apply the topics covered to our work with emerging technologies and my model of “the Hyperlinked Library.” What would you add?

Context Book: Students will read one book selected from a list provided, and write a 300 word reflection or create a media-based presentation relating the topic and focus of the book to libraries, technology and participatory service. 10 points

Checkout a sample book report here.

What can librarians glean from these works? How might the focus of some titles impact library service? Users? The way we exchange and share information. Consider your choice as a way to explore what might be coming for libraries within the framework of participatory service.

The Reading List

(see the list as it was originally posted and what other LIS professionals had to say about it in 2008):

(see more suggestions here!)

http://www.storytubes.info

StoryTubes 2012, the two-minute or shorter,  ”my favorite book” video contest is open as of J

anuary 20, 2012  and accepting English speaking entrants from throughout the world.  It is open for kids in grades K – 12.