August 06, 2007

RSVP award


RSVP award
Originally uploaded by crr29061
South Carolina State Library Talking Book Services Receives RSVP “Station of the Year” Award

At a recent luncheon hosted by the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) for Richland and Lexington Counties, Talking Book Services was honored to receive the “Station of the Year” Award in recognition of the library’s commitment to volunteerism and support of RSVP as a resource to help senior citizens get involved as volunteers. Each year, the “station of the year” award is presented to honor an agency or organization for its use of volunteers to assist with projects and programs. Since 1994, Talking Books Services has had a strong working partnership with the volunteer program, which has resulted volunteers with clerical skills donating over 800 hours of service.

RSVP of Richland and Lexington Counties matches the talents and interests of people 55 and older to community volunteer needs, performs vital services such as tutoring, mentoring, hospital and library work and assisting local non-profit organizations, and is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. For more information about Talking Book Services, visit www.statelibrary.sc.gov/tbs. For more information about RSVP of Richland and Lexington Counties, visit www.seniorresourcesinc.org/rsvp.htm.

Pictured are (L) Naomi Bradey, SC State Library Talking Book Services and (R) Jennifer Derrick of Senior Resources.

August 03, 2007

Lolfish @ the Library - DISCUS the Feesh


DISCUS the Feesh
Originally uploaded by crr29061
www.scdiscus.org

Loldogs @ your Library


Loldogs @ your Library
Originally uploaded by circulating
Very cute based on Lolcats.

We R ur community beggin fer access

These pets spent most all of one day this week attempting and achieving entrance to the library. Seems their owner was busy inside but returning periodically to give them water in little cups.

Some customers paused outside and waited to enter. Some children inside hurried to open the doors to let the dogs come right on inside.

They could be heard barking from the second floor on occasion and were retrieved promptly when they scurried into the library's Local and Family History room.

Transformation Lab



I just noticed this from the Tame the Web Blog: The Transformation Lab has produced new visions for the physical library of the future. In June the project will be presented at the 17th Halmstad conference in Aarhus. Program & registration: http://www.elevations.dk

August 02, 2007

Comment on: Can This 2.0 Stuff Help Libraries with Promotion?

One thing just really hit home with me while reading Stephen Abram's blog today:


What are the basic marketing building blocks? Simple, really – and classic: Place, Product, Price, Promotion, Public Relations, and Personal Selling. That’s the classic marketing mix. We have a great product. Our price is right on. We’re everywhere – indeed more places than Starbucks or McDonalds! We promote libraries using everything from Web sites to bookmarks. However, we fall down on the personal selling skills and strategies.
I really think that the profession of library and information science has to somehow start to attract more people who can actually do this! For so long, I think the profession has attracted many very smart, but shy and introverted types who are not good with their people skills.  We need to break out of this mold. If you are an "I" on the Myers-Briggs scale, maybe the new library world is not for you...

SirsiDynix OneSource: Can This 2.0 Stuff Help Libraries with Promotion?

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Robin Hood Marketing

This book is turning out to be quite fascinating and something that library staff members should read! I'm at Robin Hood Rule 2 which really spoke to me: "The most important values are those of our audiences, not our own.  The closer we align with our audiences' values, the higher our chances of motivating them to take action."

Library staff of all kinds should remember this Rule and put it into action.  In this competitive era, we need to really listen to our patrons' needs and adjust our services accordingly.  Check your OPAC for this title and you'll pick up some great tips just skimming through it.

Amazon.com: Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes: Books: Katya Andresen

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July 31, 2007

Games in the Library

is this book in YOUR library?

Library of Congress Webcast about OPACs - Life Beyond MARC

I just finished watching this webast and am amazed that almost 2 years later that OPACs are still terrible! I do like what NCSU is doing with Endeca, but I don't know of much else going on to make OPACs more user friendly. If you do that same search in Amazon.com and your OPAC on the two words, Shakespeare Hamlet, check out the difference in results. It's amazing how much OPACs are truly meant for librarians and not patrons.

TITLE: Life Beyond MARC: the Case for Revolutionary Change in Library Systems and Services
SPEAKER: Roy Tennant
EVENT DATE: 09/15/2005
RUNNING TIME: 65 minutes
DESCRIPTION:Roy Tennant makes a case for revolutionary change in the ways libraries do their business and make their offerings available to the public via the Internet.

Life Beyond MARC: the Case for Revolutionary Change in Library Systems and Services Webcast (Library of Congress)

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July 30, 2007

How will Libraries be impacted by the new LG Philips flexible display?

LG Philips, known for its nearly constant pursuit of new flexible display solutions, has recently applied for a patent on a bendable OLED screen technology which would use oil and water to produce images. Apparently, current flexible OLED displays are hampered by the fact that the OLEDs get hotter than the plastic substrate, making manufacture difficult and expensive. The new process that the company is developing would circumvent those problems by making pixels out of oil and water connected to plastic electrodes. The opaque oil would float on the water and obscure a colored surface beneath -- when an electric charge was applied to the field it would reveal the surface and change the color of the pixel. The process is cheap and simple, which hopefully means a future of reading a completely digital morning paper for all of us.

Engadget

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Support for Public Libraries Recognized

David Warren, executive director of the Richland County Public Library, recently presented South Carolina Representative Nathan Ballentine, (right) with a plaque from the South Carolina Association of Public Library Administrators for his work to increase state funding for public libraries. As a result of Rep. Ballentine’s efforts, libraries across South Carolina received $2.25 per capita instead of the proposed $2, resulting in thousands of additional dollars that will benefit people of all ages statewide.

July 27, 2007

Poor NMSL

I recently found out that staff members at the NM State Library do not have access to Flickr, YouTube, and other social softwares/web based technologies that Libraries are using in the 2.0 world to promote their services, offer IM/Chat reference services, and more.  This is a big mistake! If the state library can't access these tools then how are they supposed to do a good job of helping the libraries in the state? This makes no sense to me.  Get with the program NM!

Welcome to the New Mexico State Library

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kameraflage enables your digicam to see more than you



Check this out! i think someone needs to start marketing "I Love Libraries" with this new technology so it'll show up in digital images! Very interesting! :-)

While we've already seen what tricks cameras can play right before our very eyes, kameraflage is a slightly different flavor of optical illusion. The patent-pending technology exploits the fact that cameras can see a broader spectrum of colors than our meager eyes, and as the creator puts it, "by rendering content in these invisible colors we are able to create displays that are invisible to the naked eye, yet can be seen when imaged with a digital camera." Currently, it's being applied to garments in able to for cameraphone addicts to find surprises all over while pointing their sensors at unsuspecting humans, and the tech will even be on display at the upcoming 2007 ACM SIGGRAPH Unravel fashion show in San Diego. Best of all, custom orders will be fielded as early as September, and if we've got any interested VCs in the crowd, give this man a holler.

kameraflage enables your digicam to see more than you - Engadget

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July 26, 2007

Google's Mission



Originally uploaded by Michael Casey
I think this is a very nice, brief mission. However, it is extremely ambitious! And, where does it leave libraries if google is the one to organize it? If they continue to be successful, how does it effect library missions?

July 25, 2007

Decrapification - new word

I just learned about this today and had to share it!

Ever bought a new PC only to realize in horror that it comes pre-loaded with every piece of crapware ever created? Well, it happened to me when I bought my dad a new Dell notebook a few months ago, and it took me almost two hours to uninstall countless of useless software from AOL to Bonzi Buddy. I just ordered a new Dell E1405 and just the thought of going through the process again …. aaaargh. Fortunately, I’m not the only one who hates Dell for doing this. Enter the PC Decrapifier, a script that allows you to automatically uninstall all junk that’s pre-loaded on most new PCs. It was originally called the Dell Decrapifier but the author decided to rename it to the more politically correct PC Decrapifier. After all, Dell is not the only manufacturer that does this.You can download the PC Decrapifier from the author’s website at: http://www.yorkspace.com/pc-de-crapifier/

Decrapify your new PC? « www.popovici.net

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Emerging Technologies Report


emerging tech p1
Originally uploaded by crr29061
click on the image for page 1. Page 2, is also in the photostream on Flickr.