Online Readers Advisory Service

The message below was posted to ME-LIBS last week, and it caught my attention - but then, most anything tagged "Online Reader Advisory Service" will:

Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:24:53 -0400
From: Melora Norman
Subject: Online Reader Advisory Service

Dear all,

We were inspired by a program presented at the 2006 Public Library Association conference to establish a reader advisory service for Books By Mail patrons which is accessible both online and in paper form. Please feel free to imitate (as did we!)

http://www.maine.gov/msl/outreach/booksbymail/readers.htm

For more information on the original concept, please see *Looking for a Good Book?: Developing an Online Reading Suggestion Service*, a program presented in Boston 2006 by staff of the Williamsburg Regional Library:

http://www.placonference.org/2006/handouts_audiotapes.cfm

(It is # 310 on the list)

Best wishes, and enjoy!

Melora

Melora Ranney Norman, coordinator
Maine State Library Outreach
64 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0064
www.maine.gov/msl/outreach

I like both the readers advisory aspect of this program, as well as the books-by-mail aspect. Way to go, Maine State Library.

books by mail, libraries, library, maine state library, online reader advisory, online readers advisory, public libraries, public library, reader advisory, readers advisory

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Reference Question of the Week – 7/29/07

This week has been long and hot, and I think the unpleasant weather meant people were in the library for our air conditioning more than anything else.

So, this week's reference question is an article chronicling a not uncommon patron interaction. It takes place at a library in California, but I'm sure any librarian could relate a similar experience:

In the library, paranoia is rare
By Scott La Counte, OC Register

I not making light of the patron's condition, but there is humor in a situation where someone unprepared and unequipped must handle the bizarre in a professional and straight-faced way.

found via ME-LIBS

libraries, library, oc register, paranoia, public libraries, public library, reference, reference question

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Boston Globe Covers Libraries

A pair of articles appeared in last Sunday's (7/29) Boston Globe about the state of libraries.

The first, "Good Circulation..." is summed up nicely by the article's opening paragraph:

"Library directors remember the talk, not long ago, of technology rendering libraries obsolete. But statistics show that the opposite has occurred."

The second, "...for those who can afford it," is a bit more dire in tone.

"It's the ones who need it the most that get hit the hardest," [Mary Beth Pallis, Director of the Dunstable Free Public Library] said. "Libraries are the great equalizer: Anyone can use the library no matter how much money you make. I'm worried that may be disappearing."

This is the paradoxical reality that libraries face. I bet most people would say that libraries are important to a community, yet community funding is never a guaranteed thing.

Also in the paper was a chart of with circulation details on the 34 libraries in the Globe's Northwest delivery area. It compares each library's circulation levels in 1999 and 2006.

Some stats for the Chelmsford Library:

There are reasons behind these numbers: 1999 was the last year before a building project more than tripled the size of the library. Chelmsford is well funded, which means we have longer hours and more parking than some libraries. And, being part of a consortium, in Massachusetts, means that we serve anyone who comes in the door, not just our 32,000 local residents.

Of course, I really hope it's because these patrons just know the value of libraries.

boston, boston globe, chelmsford, chelmsford library, libraries, library, public libraries, public library

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LibCamp Boston Recap

Just a few quick (overdue) notes about the LibCamp Boston unconference last weekend at BPL.

There were nine area school and public librarians in attendance, sharing our knowledge and experience on what's being done with Web 2.0 tools, and what we'd like to do. It was a very casual and free-flowing discussion, so we also spent some time talking about general library topics, too, and played DDR [?].

For more links provided by Beth Galloway during the discussion, check out http://libcamp.pbwiki.com/sessions (and check out some pictures, too).

Gaming

• ALA recently has a Gaming, Learning & Libraries Symposium
• DDR and Guitar Hero can be used in libraries as a program for all ages to come in and play together. It is also good exercise, which studies have linked to an improvement in homework scores in kids
• DDR can also be considered "web 2.0" since it allows content creation - players can record their own dances, and which others can then dance
• Ann Arbor District Library has a regional DDR tournament, which they are planning on turning into an open national competition

WiFi Printing in the Library

• A problem is that people using the library's wireless connection are not easily connected to the library's printer
• One idea was to have a cheap deskjet printer available, with quick links on the library's website for wireless users to download and install the printer driver
• Another suggestion is to get listed with the PrintMe.com network (only available in certain states

Floppy Disks, CDs & Flash Drives

• Libraries trying to move away from 3-1/2" floppy disks, because they are out-dated and unreliable
• Ideas are to sell or loan flash drives (when loaning, patron could leave library card, drivers license, or their shoe at the desk)
• Another idea for flash drives is to use them to circulate software, instead of installing programs on every computer (a list of applications that run off of flash drives, found via LibrarianInBlack)

Loaning Laptops

• Some libraries were looking at getting away from public desktop computers entirely, and going to all laptops that will be loaned from the desk
• This would require less dedicated floor space, and likely would me more comfortable to use in general

Blogs in Librarys

• Most libraries represented had them, but in a variety of forms
• http://librarygoddesses.blogspot.com is an example of a collaborative professional readers advisory blog, open to both librarians and patrons
• http://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/blog is an example of a library blog for its patrons
• The Newburyport (MA) Public Library has a staff blog, to keep staff up to date on library happenings. They are also working on a staff wiki for their reference desk
• We also talked about the appropriateness of libraries having a presence on MySpace and Facebook - some thought that since the point of these online communities is to meet and communicate with friends, any library presence would likewise need to be active and involved, not just a billboard
• Videoblogs were also discussed, such as Steve Garfield's vblog (and his mom's video series, I can't Open It)

Meebo v. Email

• We continue to hear reports that IM has killed email (let me know what you think)
• A few libraries are including the MeeboMe widget on their websites to allow chatting with a librarian; some libraries don't allow any kind of IM on public computers

Uses for Flickr

• Flickr is great for sharing event photos, but can also be used for collections and showcases
• The Seekonk PL has a Teen Area worth showing off
• The Chelmsford (MA) Library has a set on flickr of historical photographs, and also a photo series of a mural being painted in the Children's Room
• Flickr is also a great way to archive photos of what the library looks like, what past book displays have looked like, etc.
• Flickr's map feature also has potential for making a community-based project, by photo-documenting local landmarks or businesses to make an online virtual tour

Twitter?!?

• What is Twitter?: a service to which people send short (140 characters) updates on what they're doing right now. Accessible by computer, cell phones, and other wireless devices
• Why would someone do this?: to update your friends on where you are and what you're doing, and by signing up for someone else's feed, you can see what they're doing
• Why else?: other uses could be to keep a list for yourself of things you don't want to forget, or to communicate with a group of people
• Can library's use this?: some ideas are to list answers to reference questions, or send out event reminders

Second Life

• Second Life is an online game/community, so does a library have a role?
• There is a library there, which answers mostly information & referral questions about the game itself (how to build something, where to find things, etc). They also have ebooks. This seems appropriate, since these volunteer librarians are serving the needs of this community
• It might not be appropriate for individual libraries, as staff would be serving non-local patrons almost exclusively
• Another role for a library in Second Life is to assist players in accuracy: such as if someone builds a replica of the Globe Theatre and make a recorded tour. This would be content developed within the game that someone could experience without having to see the real thing

Using del.icio.us

• Web resources bookmarked in del.icio.us are accessible from any computer and browser, not just where they were originally bookmarked
• They can be made public or private
• They can be sent to people (by using the tag for:[del.icio.us-username])
• They can also be used for a Library Subject Guide

boston, lib2.0, libcamp, libcamp boston, libraries, library, library 2.0, library camp, library camp boston, library2.0, public libraries, public library

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Library Subject Guides using del.icio.us

Created for LibCamp Boston, here is one method for using del.icio.us to create dynamic subject guides of web resources for a library's website.

Why do this?
Social bookmarking websites (like del.icio.us) allow for easy, no-tech-skills-needed creating & editing of web content. This content can be shared with others in a variety of ways (web searching, rss feeds, or on your library website).

Examples

• A library subject guide using static html
• A library subject guide using del.icio.us

The process I used to create this

• Create del.ico.us account
• Add your bookmarked web resources to your account
  • Use your own structured language in the tags field to create whatever categories you want
  • Using a "post to del.icio.us" toolbar button is helpful
• Create javascript code to embed on html page
  • use linkrolls to build the feed and code
  • use another feed service, such as feed2js.org (will need to grab rss feed link)
• Add to your html page and upload to your web server

Web resources for using del.icio.us as subject guides

• Listing of useful libraries and example websites related to using del.icio.us
• Online presentation: "Make your library del.icio.us" by Jason Griffey
• Online presentation: "Social Bookmarking & del.icio.us: A Personal and Professional Productivity Tool" by Patricia F. Anderson
• library20.ning.com discussion: "Del.icio.us and the library web page"
• library20.ning.com discussion: "Is del.icio.us the best?"

del.icio.us, lib2.0, libcamp, libcamp boston, libraries, library, library 2.0, public libraries, public library, subject guide, subject guides

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Reference Question of the Week – 7/22/07

This week's question is both humorous and kind of sad.

An older woman walked up the desk, dragging behind her a small boy, and I immediately took them to be a grandmother and a reluctant-to-be-at-the-library grandson. She asked if I could show here where the books on antique toys where.

I walked them over to the 745.1's [?], and as soon as the grandmother saw book spines with titles like "Antique Toys" and "Toy Price Guide," she launched into the following story (paraphrased here down from about a five minute speech):

The reason I'm asking for these books is because I want to teach my grandson not to be so reckless and rough with his toys because he breaks most of them before long and I was watching Antiques Roadshow and a little girl brought in a toy that I had when I was young and it was worth $5,000 and I want to make my grandson read these antique toy books so he'll learn that if he takes care of his toys they may be worth a lot of money some day and I made him watch Antiques Roadshow with me but he was still playing rough so I'm going to make him read these...

And then she leaned down to look at the books on the shelf more closely, at the same time calling to her grandson.

Being a child, he had moved on to other things. As it happened, when we walked up to the shelves, the grandson ended up standing by the 741.5's [?], which are books on comics. By the time his grandmother was done with her speech and wanted him to look at the antique toy books, he was fully engrossed in a Garfield book.

She yanked him over to her, said "thank you" to me, and started pulling books off the shelf. As I walked away, I could hear her saying, "now look in this book for your transformers to see how much they're worth..."

I found this whole exchange kind of funny, in using the future value of a toy to get a child to play gently with it now (I don't think this would have worked on me). But this is also sad, because not only was the kid obviously not enjoying his library experience, but it must also be pretty unhappy not to get to play with your toys the way you want. But I don't have kids, so I certainly can't talk.
antique, antiques, antiques road show, antiques roadshow, libraries, library, public libraries, public library, reference question, toy, toys

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