A Quick Summary

Lucy says: EVPL is coming of age. This is my third Internet Librarian. Before hearing Steven Cohen in 2004, I'd never heard about RSS. He's still rattling on about it in 2007; he says the aggregator he used then (my favorite Bloglines) is now obsolete--Google Reader is all the rage. Lots of things I heard about only three years ago have passed into the electronic beyond, and there's still more new stuff crowding in behind. The difference this year? Not only did I understand the jargon, but I actually sat in one session and thought, "We're doing this better." Just one, among dozens of others that inspired me, gave me ideas, and educated me, but . . . we're getting there. And then there was Josh and Maryann's presentation on gaming. I watched two people furiously blog the talk; the questions indicated that people wanted hand-on how-tos, so they're getting there too.

This is not an abstract, paper-presenting kind of conference. It's librarians doing things people outside the profession aren't doing yet--or aren't doing as well. It's sharing ideas and information that will, if we can use them, make libraries viable in the digital world. And it's fun--how many ALA presenters ever appear in costume? Of course, yesterday was Halloween . . .

We'll continue to post to this blog as we put together our reports. I hope you'll add comments and questions--but if you'd rather just talk to us face-to-face, that's fine too. Just don't be surprised if the four of us get unholy glints in our eyes when we talk about what we've learned--this is pretty exciting stuff!

Fun Fisherman's Wharf photos

Avid blog readers,

I leave you with some fun photos of Todd and I exploring Fisherman's Wharf today over our lunch break. Ask us for the complete story once we're back!

-Josh

A fabulous presentation

As you've read in Todd's & Lucy's posts, the presentation went very well. We had several folks come up to us afterward thanking us for the information, including a guy asking if we'd brought any gaming equipment as he wanted to take me on in Guitar Hero. (Of course, we also had the requisite number of ladiez come up, wanting an autograph from me. Ahhhh, the life of a rockstar...)

Below you'll find some fantastic photos taken by Todd. Enjoy!

-Josh

Josh and Maryann Update

Lucy says: I just counted the house--there are over 75 people in the room. Considering the number of conference-goers that have already headed out, this is a great turnout. Josh and Maryann are completely at ease (no surprise), and the crowd is engaged and furiously making notes.

There's been a lot of emphasis on gaming here. It's been my experience, as a veteran of 3 Internet Librarians, that whatever we hear a lot of will be the next widely-adopted thing. As further evidence of that, the closing keynote speaker's talk is titled Gaming, Learning, and the Information World.

Twenty minutes left, and they're still going strong--

BREAKING NEWS Josh and Maryann are presenting... LIVE

EVPL's own Josh Weiland and Maryann Mori are currently presenting their Gaming Insight's to a very tech-savvy crowd. They are discussing the how, why, when and where of video gaming programs. Their presentation is effective because it's providing an easy-to-use guideline for those relucant librarians who are cautious about setting up a gaming program. Everyone will come away from this session with great tips and advise!!

GREAT JOB MARYANN AND JOSH!

Here are some real-time photos:

(pictures will come later, I'm having technical difficulties with the digital camera)

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

From the Nerd Herd!

OK, you don't have to say who you are

Folks--Katie's out there, and she mentioned that this blog is set up to only allow comments from people with Google accounts. We set it up that way because we thought it would keep out the riffraff; we didn't think setting up a Google account would be that big a stumbling block. Well, if that's what's been keeping you from letting us hear from you, I fixed it. We can now get comments from any and all, without any fuss on your end. Please identify yourselves if you do comment--so we know we're not being stalked!

Happy Halloween--Lucy

Gaming and Libraries; Some Interesting Facts!

Gaming and Libraries: By: Jenny Levine
Hello, Todd here reporting on a morning presentation dealing with gaming programs in libraries. It was satisfying to learn that the EVPL has already developed and sustained a successful line of gaming events. Many of the presenter’s slides resembled our own events, especially the Guitar Hero Tournament slide. Here are some statistics provided; 90 million Americans under the age of 35 who are active gamers. Out of that number, 62% are male and 38% are female. 75% of libraries support gaming(not all video games, but also board games, puzzles, online computer games) programs, 20% of libraries circulate video games, but only 13% of libraries run video gaming programs.
What Justifies video game programs???
There is value in gaming; in the form of educational experiences, learning, coordination, social interaction, strategy building, complex problem solving, multi-tasking, rapid information acquisition. These are the same qualities companies look for in employees. The EVPL appears to be right on track with this growing library trend.

Are you out there?

Lucy says: We've been listening for two full days to wonderful people talking about Web 2.0; the overriding feature of this is social community. This means people talk to each other electronically, and one of the ways they do this is--stay with me here--commenting on blogs. Every time we get online, we anxiously scroll down to see what somebody--anybody--has to say about all this great stuff we're experiencing. The silence is deafening. Come on, folks, at least comment on the photos! We're headed into day 3, and looking forward to Josh and Maryann's presentation this afternoon. They'd like to know you're thinking of them, standing up in front of 100 or so people to talk about EVPL. And speaking of that--last night we had a presentation by a Dutch team making a documentary about libraries, and particularly gaming, and our own Maryann was interviewed. Her responses were so enthusiastic and so well-put-together that there's no doubt the interview will be part of the final cut. And just in case that news isn't sufficiently earth-shaking--during the presentation we experienced a 5.6 earthquake! Well, some of us did; Todd, sitting right beside us, somehow missed it. He's not pleased . . .

New Rules of Web Design

After two days jam-packed with tons of great information (and an earthquake), I'm pretty exhausted. So before I hit the hay I figured I'd post a blog entry for you, our avid readers.

My favorite session so far has been "New Rules of Web Design", presented by Jeff Wisniewski, Web Services Librarian at the University of Pittsburgh. The tagline was "Web design has evolved over the last decade: Do you know what the new rules are?" His presentation tackled many of the misconceptions of web design; while these rules were applicable in the late 90s, the glorious Netscape days, they no longer hold much weight for today's websites.

Outdated rule #1: Design your layout for 800x600.
Jakob Nielsen, "the guru of webpage usability", states that layouts should be optimized for 1024x768. This resolution is now the lowest-common denominator, as 800x600 displays are now nearly non-existent.

Outdated rule #2: Use web-safe colors.
Web-safe colors are now obsolete. Most web users are using displays with at least 24-bit color.

Outdated rule #3: Provide a text-only version of the site (for print, portable devices, etc)
Not necessary when separating content and presentation w/HTML and CSS. Use media-specific CSS stylesheets for different devices.

Outdated rule #4: Flash is evil.
Pointless Flash intros/greetings are evil. When Flash became popular in the mid 90s, this is what it was primarily used for. The latest versions of Flash have transformed it into a fully-fledged programming language, allowing for much more useful rich uses (instead of simply a pointless flashy animation).

Outdated rule #5: All important info on a page MUST be placed above the fold.
Today's web users are more than willing to scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Other items of note:

• Follow established web standards and conventions: link to homepage in upper-left corner of each page; navigation menus across top of page or down lefthand side; etc
• Higher broadband penetration != design freedom: even though more users on broadband, more users than ever will be accessing on slower portable devices (PDA, cellphone, etc)
• Mouseover menus (like on our current website) have been abandoned: raise usability concerns, require precision mouse skills, not scannable, etc

It was a very informative session, and a reassuring one as well. We are already following all of the "new rules" and his suggestions for the new website.

Gotta get to bed so I'm fully energized for the presentation tomorrow. Wish Maryann & I luck!!

-Josh

Cool Web 2.0 tools for FREE!! Well, some of them.

Screen Casting and E-Learning on a Shoestring: By-Karen Coombs and Michelle Boule
Todd here reporting some information I picked up this afternoon. With the overall focus of this year’s conference being delivering Web 2.0 (interactive online activities and applications) programs to our library patrons, this presentation was based on how to deliver such programs when your library is on a tight budget. I came out of this presentation with some ideas about how we might implement some of these activities in the Tech Center, to compliment our excellent computer instruction classes. Here are some of the tools they recommend.
Online Chat -
Drupal Chat – popular chat platform, highly recommended by speaker
Single Party Clients = AIM, Yahoo, MSN, GTalk (group chat that requires login/accounts)
Third Party Clients = Trillian, Meebo (web based multi chat client)
Group Clients = Campfire, Meebo Rooms (no accounts, logins)
Blogs-
Blogger – newer features, more themes, more settings
Word Press – open source, auto save features; “A lot of bang for your free buck”
Movable Type – free for personal use only, extra features cost extra (non hosted, must be downloaded)
Screen Casting Tools-
Camtasia – great for screen capture, (not free)
Macromedia Captivate – simple to use, exports as Flash, (not free either)
Camstudio – free version, open source, Windows only, exports as AVI or Flash
Mac Users- ishowU
Blip.tv –good site to store your screen-casts
Web Casting tools-
Expensive software exists for large corporate budgets, but for libraries here are some budget friendly ideas
OPAL – Online Programming for all Libraries
DimDIm – open source, free
Zoho Meetings- free while in BETA, requires install
VMukti Meeting Place - free, open source, no install, open or private meetings
Pod Casting -
Audacity – create audio files, import existing files, volume adjustment, edit tools
OurMedia – create a podcast feed, upload audio and video
FeedBunrner – create feeds for podcasting, statistic and usage tools.
PodPress – wordpress plugin, create a podcast feed off your wordpress blog, statistic and usage tools
Slide Shows-
(Cheaper alternatives to PowerPoint)
Slideshare
Zoho Show
Google presentations (located in Google Docs)

Reference 2.0: Ain't What It Used to Be . . . and It Never Will Again

Lucy says: my thoughts on the future of reference were rearranged today by Jon Janes, Associate Dean, iSchool, University of Washington. In a vastly witty presentation--the laugh! you have to hear his laugh--he quickly summarized the history of reference and moved rapidly into what it's become and where it's going. “We need to explore our areas of strength, and the niches where what we do can be responsive," he says. “Provide services to the kind of people you can provide high-quality services to." In other words, be there all the way for people who need deep searching, authentication of sources, and the other things we're good at. For people who call for a phone number, answer the question and move them on; they don't need a 45-minute reference interview, and it's only a matter of time until most everyone figures out how to find that information for themselves. He also says we need to be "somewhere and everywhere" for our customers. Somewhere, as in a place for storytime, a meeting place, a place with comfy chairs. Everywhere, as in Facebook, Second Life, MySpace. Commenting on Lee Rainie's statement that librarians still do things better, and should be confident in their abilities, Janes says yes, we should be confident--but not complacent. We need to be more and better, and we need to be out there. I'm pumped!

Virtual Worlds & Libraries

Virtual Worlds & Libraries: By: Lori Bell, Shawn McCann, Jeremy Kemp
Hello, Todd Reporting here:
During this presentation we received an overview on the growing popularity of Virtual Worlds, for example Second Life. Second life, is a 3D virtual community that you can travel around in with your avatar (online character). There are more than 10 million active avatars in second life, doing all kinds of things; shopping, talking, dancing, relaxing, visiting all types of locations; anything you can imagine. We watched an interesting clip on how you can use the second life platform with your avatar to make social contacts and share information. People spending time in second life, will have questions; libraries should get involved and provide (virtual) reference. Some Librarian groups have already purchased space in the world and have set up virtual reference facilities. Info Island- virtual librarians answering questions, book discussion, education and training; all of this information being delivered 24-7, worldwide!!! We also learned that some major universities use the second life platform to hold their distance education classes. The idea is to transform distance learning from a mainly 2 dimensional, highly textual service to a more interactive, 3D, highly visual, global experience. There is definitely a place for librarians in the virtual world. Libraries should be proactive. It’s where people are; it’s where people will be.

For More Information:
http://www.simtech.com/
http://www.secondlife.com/
http://www.sloodle.com/

MySpace...Oh, Yeah!

Watch for the unveiling of EVPL's teen MySpace page--comin' at ya soon! Charles and I (with Marina as overseer) have been working with Kendra (circ manager at CE) to get our very own MySpace page created. Kendra has plenty of experience with MS, and she's also got the creative background to do some great things with the page. (Just wait 'til you see it!) And not a moment too soon. Today I attended various sessions where the same message was repeated over and over: Social Networking Sites or Services (SNS) are the place for libraries to be. It's where our readers/users are, so it's where we need to be. Having a MySpace page will make us approachable. It will allow us to offer teens access (in a way they might not otherwise see) to the various services and programs that EVPL offers teens. We will be referring teens to our databases, our catalog and our teen events--just to name a few of the offerings. We'll be able to do online book discussions via user comments and feedback. Teens can send pictures and even video that we'll be able to post. In other words, libraries who have a MySpace page allow teens (well, usually it's teens using these pages) to have input in the library. It gives the teens a sense of ownership in the library, which most often ensures that the teens will remain library users into their adult years.

Bookspace at Hennepin County

Heeerrre's Lucy--take a look at www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/ The highlights:

• They have several blogs, maintained by staff; the most recent post is featured at the top of the page. Staff submits reviews from a form on their intranet--all they have to do is write it, give it a title, and include the ISBN for the cover image.
• Reviewing, and posting to the Librarian's blog, are not voluntary. Everyone has to contribute one post a month, and this is reflected in performance evaluations. Gradually the staff has accepted this, and blogging and reviewing have become part of the library's culture--but it didn't happen overnight.
• They allow comment on blogs, and also user comment on books, reviews, etc. In another presentation, we heard that if a library's website isn't interactive, people won't return.
• A member of their Web Services staff (which is their IT department) oversees Bookspace, making sure conventions are followed, etc. She has a team of 5 people outside her department, and they work together with Graphic Design to keep the site current and looking good.
• All blogs and reviews written by librarians have photos associated with them, to make sure readers understand they're reading library content.

There's lots more--but I'm out of time!

The Elderly and the Internet

Todd here, reporting on an intersting afternoon session:
Graying the Internet by Allen Kleiman (ALA Chair)
How can you get seniors in your library involved with new online trends?
22% of Seniors 65 and older douse the internet, but what sites are out there tailored to this demographic?
Search
www.cranky.com = the first ever age-related search engine tailored for folks (45+)
Getting seniors online – attracting baby boomers to the internet
www.thirdage.com – first senior social networking site
www.seniornet.com
Examples of senior friendly versions of myspace and facebook (social networking)
www.boomj.com
www.boomertown.com
www.rezoom.com
www.multiply.com
Additional examples out sites focused on seniors:
www.eldr.com – helping baby boomers and their parents with challenges with aging
www.redhatsociety.com – group of socially active women interacting online
www.boomerstv.com – redefining life after 50

Internet Use by the Numbers

Lucy has finally connected to the conference wifi--the username and password were kind of a secret, for some reason.

Our opening keynote speaker was, once again, Lee Rainie, the director of the Interent and American Use Project of the Pew Charitable trust. He was his usual witty and dynamic self, giving his usual rapid-fire, number-filled addres. Most startling information: 50% of Americans are categorized as "light users"--no broadband, no content creators, no gaming. Most inspiring statement: "Be confident in what you already know about how to meet people’s ref and entertainment (or enlightenment) needs. The value of our work is more important than ever."

Gotta go--low battery.

A Super Searcher Shares 30 Search Tips

A Super Searcher Shares 30 Search Tips:
Mary Ellen Bates, Bates Information Services
Todd here, reporting on an info-packed presentation!!!
Summary – Mary E. Bates is a very informative speaker who obtains great knowledge of all the tricks and tips for quicker, more personalized web searching. She was able to cram 30 of her latest tips into a tiny 45 minute window. Below are her suggestions:

1.CustomizeGoogle.com – remove ads, endless scroll, personalized homepage
2.Google Experimental Search ---
3.Simply Google – overview of Google’s features and sites
4.How to - limit your search to faces (add imagetype=face)
5.Limit to Black and White images (ask.com, live.com)
6.SearchMash – unofficial Google site, integrates blogs, wiki’s, images
7.In Google, * is a placeholder for a whole word ~example “tax ** increase”
8.GooFresh- limits Google search to only recently added sites, freshly changed content
9.more Google date-limiting—go to (advanced search screen)locate pull down menu for last 24 hours, last week
10.Doubletrust.net – compare results between Google and Yahoo
11.Use Yahoo’s Mindset Feature (mindset.research.yahoo.com) results can be sorted into two criteria = Researching or shopping
12.Use MSN’s cool synonym-suggestion tool – (snurl.com/zqyd) (keyword group detection)
13.Search.live.com – Preferred search options (add prefer:word to query)
14.Live Academic Search – (academic.live.com) instead of Google Scholar
15.Use MSN’s misspelling–suggestion engine
16.Use Ask.com Maps – both driving and walking directions (maps.ask.com)
17.Exalead.com – cool search engine with neat features
18.Exalead.com supports true wild card internal truncation
19.Use search engines quick answer feature ~ example (Google’s One box)
20.Gigablast – Don’t forget this search engine
21.SnapSearch – interacts with site before leaving search engine
22.PageBull- meta-search tool – entirely visual, all results shown in images
23.Squidoo – hybrid of a web page, interactive polls, blogs
24.Factbites.com – quick facts – max 30 results in sentence form
25.Textrunner – “information mining”
26.Nationmaster.com –source for national stats, cool graphical features
27.TouchGraph – visual clustering search engine, finds relationships between URL’s
28.Check out Podcast lectures (Yale, Stanford) (professors lectures)
29.OneLook – reverse dictionary – use the definition to find the word
30.Kosmix.com – clustering search engine – filters results by criteria

Epic photos for the epic journey

Since we got here yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, and the conference isn't starting for another 45 minutes, we had a chance for some sightseeing! Check out these exciting photos, and be envious.

-Josh

Technology almost wins

Lucy here. You know how most digital clocks have a little chip that tells them when Daylight Savings Time begins and ends? And you know how the powers that be changed that date? I rolled out of bed at 4:15 a.m., giving myself ample time to make a 7:15 a.m. departure time. Imagine my surprise, not to mention panic, when I looked at the clock in the van to see it read 6:23. See, that one's not a smart clock--just a correct one. I made the flight, barely. I'm going to use this experience to keep technology and our reliance on it in perspective.

Since the conference doesn't begin until tomorrow, we checked in, picked up our registration materials, and then took a sightseeing jaunt down the coast toward Big Sur. And speaking of perspective, all of us arrogant humans should spend time looking at the majesty of the world we've put ourselves in charge of. Nothing like the Pacific Ocean to make our concerns seem pretty minor.

Tomorrow starts off with the usual keynote address by Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. He will astound us with statistics on Internet use and users, and give us his projections for the impact of technology in libraries. Always an impressive beginning for this conference.

Ready to Roll

Todd Here;
Today I received the new laptop for the Tech Center, just in time for the conference! Everything's working great and running fast. Thanks Brett!

Countdown to Internet Librarian

Lucy posting here. Three days and counting. This team was assembled back in the summer, when Josh and Maryann's proposal for a presentation on gaming was accepted by the conference planners. Since the conference paid their registration, and they each had room for a roommate, Todd and I were allowed to tag along. This will be my third trip to Internet Librarian, Josh's second. Todd and Maryann are first-timers, and they're in for an intense experience. Every session of this conference is packed with great information. There are none of those programs where you decide to sit in the back in case it's boring, so you can leave and hear something better. It's three days of learning, meeting other librarians that share your interest in technology, and hearing some really great presenters--including EVPL's own, of course. Our brains will be full by this time next week.