Teaching Search Engine Literacy with a Google A Day
"A Google a Day is a great new way to discover fascinating information about the world around all while learning how to use the wealth of the web to satisfy one’s curiosity. Moreover, it’s a great way for students and library patrons to build search skills that allow them to better put the power of Google’s search engine to work for them in researching for assignments and discovering untapped avenues for further exploration." -- Peter Murray, Disruptive Library Technology Jester, 7/27/11
71% of Online Adults Now Use Video-Sharing Sites
"Fully 71% of online Americans use video-sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo, up from 66% a year earlier. The use of video-sharing sites on any given day also jumped five percentage points, from 23% of online Americans in May 2010 to 28% in May 2011.Rural internet users are now just as likely as users in urban and suburban areas to have used these sites, and online African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely than internet-using whites to visit video-sharing sites." -- Kathleen Moore, Pew Internet & American Life Project, 7/26/11
New Tools for Handling Copyright on Blogger
"In keeping with Google’s public commitment to make copyright work better online, our team has been working on improving the copyright environment for bloggers and copyright owners alike. As access to the web grows, bringing new content and services online, it becomes even more important to ensure the rights of everyone involved are protected and understood. To that end, we’re happy today to announce the release of two significant improvements to Blogger’s copyright handling toolkit." -- Brett Wiltshire, Blogger Buzz, 7/25/11
How to Force Subtitles in an Embedded YouTube Video
"It’s been about three years since YouTube introduced improved automatic captions for some of the videos; in a year they became more common and last year they were enabled for all English-language videos.YouTube captioning is the way to help hearing impaired people to understand the videos and, coupled with automatic translation, it can also help non-English people around the world to access the video content. The feature uses Google speech recognition technology to transcript any uploaded video." -- Ann Smarty, Make Use Of, 7/25/11
5 Questions to Ask When Evaluating Apps and Ebooks
"When it comes to physical books and materials, librarians are confident reviewers and collectors. We can distinguish between a so-so beginning reader and a truly excellent one. We know what makes a particular work of middle grade fiction absolute shelf candy versus a hard sell. We can appreciate what goes into the creation of a brilliantly designed picture book. The good news is that many of the same critical skills used to evaluate physical media are transferable when evaluating digital media. Ebooks and apps, however, do present new challenges as well as new possibilities. It can be helpful to go in armed with a simple set of criteria for evaluation." -- Kiera Parrott, ALSC Blog, 7/18/11
Are We Representative? About the Four-Fifths Minority
"The opening session at any ALA-affiliated conference is always a great way to build anticipation and momentum for the conference. Although hearing Dan Savage speak about the It Gets Better Campaign and his personal experiences resulting from coming out and adopting as a gay parent were intriguing, the one element that stuck with me was Roberta Steven’s discussion of the Spectrum Scholarship. The mission of the Spectrum Scholarship is “Improving service at the local level through the development of a representative workforce that reflects the communities served by all libraries in the new millennium.” Upon further digging, I found that Spectrum Scholarship applicants “must be American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.” I can support this as well, as these racial and ethnic groups have typically been underrepresented in the LIS profession." -- Kyle Cox, Library Leadership, 7/18/11
The All-In-One on Humor and Public Speaking: 10 Ways to Make it Work
"Speakers love to inject humor into their talks and presentations, believing it relaxes the audience (and themselves) and puts folks in a good mood. But that's not always the case. Humor, like a banana peel, can result in something funny--unless it trips you up. Use these tips from the blog to find the right places and cases where humor in public speaking will work for you." -- Denise Graveline, The Eloquent Woman, 7/18/11
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
2011 ALAO Conference
News from the ALAO Blog this morning regarding the 2011 Conference location:
Annual Conference Location: "I wish to personally inform you that the location situation for the 2011 ALAO Conference has been resolved.Our November 4, 2011 conference will be held at the Hilton in Toledo. Our Pre-conference (to be held on Nov. 3rd) will also be at the Hilton. We look forward to seeing you there! The conference website will be updated shortly." -- Brian Hickam, ALAO President
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
College Students & Technology
A new Pew Internet and American Life Project study explores College Students and Technology.
Included is information pertaining to how students are accessing the Internet (broadband & wireless), networking sites for different student populations (undergrad, graduate, community college) as compared to non-students and all adults, technology ownership (phones, computers, tablets), and the role cell phones play regarding "Internet connectivity."
"Overview: By every key measurement, college students lead the way in tech and gadget use. But community college students do not use digital tools as much as four-year college students and graduate students."
"About the Survey: The data in this report come from Pew Internet Project surveys conducted throughout 2010, which were bundled together to collect a statistically meaningful population of those who said they attended community college, four-year schools, and graduate schools". -- Aaron Smith, Lee Rainie, Kathryn Zickuhr, Pew Research Center, 7/19/11
Included is information pertaining to how students are accessing the Internet (broadband & wireless), networking sites for different student populations (undergrad, graduate, community college) as compared to non-students and all adults, technology ownership (phones, computers, tablets), and the role cell phones play regarding "Internet connectivity."
Monday, July 18, 2011
Summertime in the IRC
This post is a loose adaptation of borrowed idea; one of the blogs on my feed reader has begun sharing a picture or image “of the week.” While unsure if this will be a weekly occurrence, I’m pleased to present today's photo, my updated literature rack with freshly developed LibGuide QR codes - in color! The first literature rack slot introduces QR codes and suggests three popular (and free) smart phone barcode apps RedLaser, Kaywa, and ScanLife. Subsequent signs invite users to "Take us with you!" and present simple instructions for QR code use. LibGuide titles are detailed and QR code color matches or compliments the header. Color adds visual appeal to the rack, located on the wall next to the second floor printer station.
Literature rack text deliberately echoes QR code slides developed for the library’s digital sign on the main floor. Color and presentation are great, but the purpose remains providing quick and easy access to online information for our users.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Weekly Reader
How the Recession Re-Sorted Freshmen
"A new study largely confirms what anecdotal reports had anticipated about national college enrollment patterns during the economic downturn: that enrollments of high school students swelled, that larger numbers of students chose community colleges, but that private colleges did not suffer the losses that many had predicted. But the study -- though its data are limited in scope -- also shows that the extent of the shifts, and how different institutions were affected, varied by region." -- Allie Grasgreen, Inside Higher Ed News, 7/14/11
5 Marketing Lessons from the World's Largest Book Club
"Imagine a book club bigger than Oprah’s – where people around the world all read together. That’s what Jeff Howe built on Twitter in partnership with The Atlantic – 1Book140. Each month, the book club nominates and votes on books to be read for the next month. A set of finalists is narrowed down and, with a chosen book selected, the entire Twitter user-base starts reading the book. Each week, Howe sets a chapter to be discussed and the discussion online begins. This month, they are reading Kafka on the Shore. Creating and attaching your brand to a movement like 1Book140 can be a powerful brand-building exercise. But what about starting your own movement? We’ve identified five things you can learn from 1Book140." -- Drew Davis, TippingPoint Labs Blog, 7/12/11
10 Major Mobile Learning Trends to Watch For
"Teachers and administrators have been bringing technology into the classroom for decades now, but with the advent of cloud computing and the proliferation of smaller, more portable computers and Internet-capable devices, it's now possible to bring the classroom into the technology instead. Mobile learning, sometimes abbreviated to M-Learning, focuses on learning through mobile devices, allowing learners to move about in a classroom or remotely learn from any location of their choice. It's a movement that's gained a lot of steam in recent years, and despite some criticisms, isn't like to fade fast – especially as new technologies that make mobile learning more practical continue to emerge and the popularity of remote learning opportunities like online colleges continue to grow." -- Online College Blog, 7/5/11
Professors Consider Classroom Uses for Google+
"Google Plus, the social-networking platform, is so new that most Internet users are not yet able to see it—an invitation is required while the service is in its test phase. But some professors who have tried it say they already see possible uses for teaching and research if the service catches on." -- Jeff Young, Wired Campus, 7/8/11
Teaching to the New Generation
"It is the beginning of the summer period again when I am no longer teaching and when I take some time to assess how the year went. After my experiences in the classroom this year, I am convinced more than ever that teaching with the traditional methods of lecturing does not work anymore on the students of the new generation. I am afraid that the failure to realize this is likely to create a gap between professors and the students, and thus stand as an obstacle to success in our classrooms." -- Itir Toksöz, University of Venus, 7/10/11
"A new study largely confirms what anecdotal reports had anticipated about national college enrollment patterns during the economic downturn: that enrollments of high school students swelled, that larger numbers of students chose community colleges, but that private colleges did not suffer the losses that many had predicted. But the study -- though its data are limited in scope -- also shows that the extent of the shifts, and how different institutions were affected, varied by region." -- Allie Grasgreen, Inside Higher Ed News, 7/14/11
5 Marketing Lessons from the World's Largest Book Club
"Imagine a book club bigger than Oprah’s – where people around the world all read together. That’s what Jeff Howe built on Twitter in partnership with The Atlantic – 1Book140. Each month, the book club nominates and votes on books to be read for the next month. A set of finalists is narrowed down and, with a chosen book selected, the entire Twitter user-base starts reading the book. Each week, Howe sets a chapter to be discussed and the discussion online begins. This month, they are reading Kafka on the Shore. Creating and attaching your brand to a movement like 1Book140 can be a powerful brand-building exercise. But what about starting your own movement? We’ve identified five things you can learn from 1Book140." -- Drew Davis, TippingPoint Labs Blog, 7/12/11
10 Major Mobile Learning Trends to Watch For
"Teachers and administrators have been bringing technology into the classroom for decades now, but with the advent of cloud computing and the proliferation of smaller, more portable computers and Internet-capable devices, it's now possible to bring the classroom into the technology instead. Mobile learning, sometimes abbreviated to M-Learning, focuses on learning through mobile devices, allowing learners to move about in a classroom or remotely learn from any location of their choice. It's a movement that's gained a lot of steam in recent years, and despite some criticisms, isn't like to fade fast – especially as new technologies that make mobile learning more practical continue to emerge and the popularity of remote learning opportunities like online colleges continue to grow." -- Online College Blog, 7/5/11
Professors Consider Classroom Uses for Google+
"Google Plus, the social-networking platform, is so new that most Internet users are not yet able to see it—an invitation is required while the service is in its test phase. But some professors who have tried it say they already see possible uses for teaching and research if the service catches on." -- Jeff Young, Wired Campus, 7/8/11
Teaching to the New Generation
"It is the beginning of the summer period again when I am no longer teaching and when I take some time to assess how the year went. After my experiences in the classroom this year, I am convinced more than ever that teaching with the traditional methods of lecturing does not work anymore on the students of the new generation. I am afraid that the failure to realize this is likely to create a gap between professors and the students, and thus stand as an obstacle to success in our classrooms." -- Itir Toksöz, University of Venus, 7/10/11
Friday, July 08, 2011
Weekly Reader
Class and Summer Classes
"The kids who most need summer classes are the least likely to get them.The folks who study student success in the K-12 system routinely report that much of the learning gap between lower-income and higher-income students is a function of summers. The upper-income students have culturally enriched home environments and activities, so the academic backsliding over the summers is minimal. The lower-income kids, on average, get much less enrichment at home, so they backslide over the summers. I’ve never seen a reason to suspect that the dynamic stops at twelfth grade." -- Dean Dad, Confessions of a Community College Dean, 7/7/11
Microsoft Will Pay for U. of Nebraska's Switch to It's New Cloud-Based Service
"Microsoft has nabbed a new client for Office 365, its cloud-based suite, but it will cost the software giant $250,000. The University of Nebraska has agreed to make the move from IBM’s Lotus Notes to the new Office 365 platform in exchange for $250,000 in business-incentive money to cover the cost of migrating its e-mail and calendar systems for staff and faculty. Officials would not disclose how much the university will spend for the e-mail service." -- Jie Jenny Zou, Wired Campus, 7/8/11
Top 10 YouTube Videos Posted by Colleges and What They Mean
"More than 400 colleges and universities have set up channels on YouTube as part of the YouTube EDU section of the popular video site, but university officials admit they are still experimenting with the service and learning what types of videos resonate with off-campus audiences.." -- Rachel Wiseman, Wired Campus, 7/5/11
To Friend, Follow, or Connect?
Does your institution regulate your contact with students on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn? I've read several conversations about whether or not we should connect with students in online social spaces. Scores of professionals seem to insist on grouping every single social media site into an "all or nothing" / "yes or no" scenario. My opinion is that social media are far too nuanced for one "policy" that covers every site. Here is my take on the top three social media sites. Agree, disagree, that's okay with me, but at least note that not every social media site is the same." -- Eric Stoller, Student Affairs and Technology, 7/5/11
Blackboard Gets Bought
"Blackboard, maker of the dominant online learning platform among nonprofit colleges, has been sold to Providence Equity Partners, the company announced on Friday. The announcement prompted hand-wringing from campus technology officials and reassurances from Blackboard that there are no significant changes in the offing." -- Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed News, 7/5/11
Our Non-MLIS Director is Great! Compared to What?
"One of the programs I attended at the ALA Conference in New Orleans was titled “Hiring Non-MLS Librarians: Trends and Training Implications.” The first panelist shared some research findings from a survey in which library directors were asked about the positions in their libraries that they believed did or did not require an MLS. The results were pretty much what you’d expect. Directors expected the MLS for positions related to reference, instruction, and metadata services – the more traditional librarian functions." -- Steven Bell, ACRLog, 7/4/11
Inforgraphic: Do-It-Yourself Guide to Infographics
"I know what you’re thinking… another Infographic? Wait… I know I’ve been on a roll lately publishing every marketing infographic I can find on the Internet, but this one’s really great. If you’re wondering why there’s been explosive growth in Infographics, the folks at Voltier Creative have made… you got it… an Infographic explaining just that! We develop infographics for our clients and think this is a perfect explanation!" -- Douglas Karr, Marketing Tech Blog, 6/30/11
"The kids who most need summer classes are the least likely to get them.The folks who study student success in the K-12 system routinely report that much of the learning gap between lower-income and higher-income students is a function of summers. The upper-income students have culturally enriched home environments and activities, so the academic backsliding over the summers is minimal. The lower-income kids, on average, get much less enrichment at home, so they backslide over the summers. I’ve never seen a reason to suspect that the dynamic stops at twelfth grade." -- Dean Dad, Confessions of a Community College Dean, 7/7/11
Microsoft Will Pay for U. of Nebraska's Switch to It's New Cloud-Based Service
"Microsoft has nabbed a new client for Office 365, its cloud-based suite, but it will cost the software giant $250,000. The University of Nebraska has agreed to make the move from IBM’s Lotus Notes to the new Office 365 platform in exchange for $250,000 in business-incentive money to cover the cost of migrating its e-mail and calendar systems for staff and faculty. Officials would not disclose how much the university will spend for the e-mail service." -- Jie Jenny Zou, Wired Campus, 7/8/11
Top 10 YouTube Videos Posted by Colleges and What They Mean
"More than 400 colleges and universities have set up channels on YouTube as part of the YouTube EDU section of the popular video site, but university officials admit they are still experimenting with the service and learning what types of videos resonate with off-campus audiences.." -- Rachel Wiseman, Wired Campus, 7/5/11
To Friend, Follow, or Connect?
Does your institution regulate your contact with students on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn? I've read several conversations about whether or not we should connect with students in online social spaces. Scores of professionals seem to insist on grouping every single social media site into an "all or nothing" / "yes or no" scenario. My opinion is that social media are far too nuanced for one "policy" that covers every site. Here is my take on the top three social media sites. Agree, disagree, that's okay with me, but at least note that not every social media site is the same." -- Eric Stoller, Student Affairs and Technology, 7/5/11
Blackboard Gets Bought
"Blackboard, maker of the dominant online learning platform among nonprofit colleges, has been sold to Providence Equity Partners, the company announced on Friday. The announcement prompted hand-wringing from campus technology officials and reassurances from Blackboard that there are no significant changes in the offing." -- Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed News, 7/5/11
Our Non-MLIS Director is Great! Compared to What?
"One of the programs I attended at the ALA Conference in New Orleans was titled “Hiring Non-MLS Librarians: Trends and Training Implications.” The first panelist shared some research findings from a survey in which library directors were asked about the positions in their libraries that they believed did or did not require an MLS. The results were pretty much what you’d expect. Directors expected the MLS for positions related to reference, instruction, and metadata services – the more traditional librarian functions." -- Steven Bell, ACRLog, 7/4/11
Inforgraphic: Do-It-Yourself Guide to Infographics
"I know what you’re thinking… another Infographic? Wait… I know I’ve been on a roll lately publishing every marketing infographic I can find on the Internet, but this one’s really great. If you’re wondering why there’s been explosive growth in Infographics, the folks at Voltier Creative have made… you got it… an Infographic explaining just that! We develop infographics for our clients and think this is a perfect explanation!" -- Douglas Karr, Marketing Tech Blog, 6/30/11
Thursday, July 07, 2011
New Blogger in Draft
I routinely use Blogger in Draft when developing Weekly Reader posts for Library Cloud; it allows for article quotes to be easily inserted in compose, line breaks are simpler between titles and blurbs, and the preview option lets me see how it will look within the template (as opposed to a general preview). I use the traditional Blogger interface with library and IRC blogs because the insert image option is a bit clunky, you cannot drag the image for resizing in draft mode (its draft for a reason). The Blogger in Draft Blog post provided information regarding a platform redesign available, Bloggers Updated Interface Now Available for All Draft Users. I read the article with interest and promptly forgot about the announcement ... until I logged in.
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The layout is clean and intuitive, has expanded post editor options, and the post work space has been significantly increased. I was quickly able to locate most everything I needed, but for some reason am unable to find the post link option allowing me to link a post title. Insert images remains awkward in my opinion; in addition to not being able to manually adjust the image size once the image is inserted it's difficult to change page alignment. For instance, the image of a recent Library Cloud weekly reader post inserted above is centered. I should be able to align subsequent paragraph text using the alignment tool. No such luck, regardless of how many times I changed alignment the post editor continued to automatically generate centered text. I resorted to the post editor html option, removed center command div, and continued. Overall, I like the new design and may soon choose Blogger Draft as my default dashboard.
The layout is clean and intuitive, has expanded post editor options, and the post work space has been significantly increased. I was quickly able to locate most everything I needed, but for some reason am unable to find the post link option allowing me to link a post title. Insert images remains awkward in my opinion; in addition to not being able to manually adjust the image size once the image is inserted it's difficult to change page alignment. For instance, the image of a recent Library Cloud weekly reader post inserted above is centered. I should be able to align subsequent paragraph text using the alignment tool. No such luck, regardless of how many times I changed alignment the post editor continued to automatically generate centered text. I resorted to the post editor html option, removed center command div, and continued. Overall, I like the new design and may soon choose Blogger Draft as my default dashboard.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Weekly Reader
Entitled Students are Ruining Higher Education
"How do you define an entitled student? Let me try. I started out in academic librarianship as a reference librarian at the Lippincott Library at the University of Pennsylvania. That just happens to be the library that serves the students at the Wharton School of Business. The typical Wharton MBA student comes from Wall Street or the corporate office, and is paying a considerable sum for the degree - as they are quick to remind you." -- Steven Bell, Library Journal, 6/29/11
Prepare to Repel Researchers
"An interesting question came up the other day on COLLIB-L, a discussion list for college librarians. A librarian reported that a student who was abroad discovered he couldn't access videos in a library database. An error message appeared saying access would constitute a "copyright violation." Though the library had licensed the material for its patrons, including that student, he was unable to view it because he happened to have traveled to another region. He wondered whether he might have the same problem with articles in databases." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish, 6/29/11
107 Best Websites on the Web
Here at MakeUseOf, we love websites. It’s our very reason for existing and when new sites pop up, we’re one of the first to get all hot and bothered about it. With an estimated 350 million websites out there on the World Wide Web (and tens of thousands more starting up new every day), how do you know which ones are the best for your individual needs? If this is a problem you frequently encounter then worry no more, as MakeUseOf once again has you covered with the 107 Best Websites On The Web. -- Mark O'Niell, Make Use Of, 6/30/11
Twitter Shows Off the Worldwide Flow of Tweets with Visualizations
"Twitter has posted a couple of very cool visualizations that show off the ‘global pulse’ of Tweets being sent around the world, especially when major events, like the earthquake in Japan, happen." -- Matthew Panzarino, The Next Web, 6/29/11
Penn Students Leave School to Launch CourseKit with Million Dollar Seed Round
"Coursekit is like Facebook or Yammer for courses. Like many other students frustrated with Blackboard, the current online course management standard, the Coursekit founders think they can do a better job. “It is really a Blackboard replacement with a heavy emphasis on social networking,” says CEO Cohen." -- Erick Schonfeld, TechCrunch, 6/27/11
Networking for People Who Hate Networking
"Networking is important for at least two critical reasons: [a] the research suggests that the majority of the jobs in our field are not posted but become known through networking; [b] the research suggests that an emerging competence for leaders is their ability to develop their network, through special projects, temporary assignments and community involvement, among others." -- Ken Haycock, Library Leadership, 6/21/11
The Value of Copying
"Everything is a Remix is a wonderful, wonderful video series, and the third episode is my favorite. It’s all about ideas: Where ideas come from, what’s right about copying them, how improvement comes from blatant copying, and why Hunter S. Thompson re-typed The Great Gatsby. Well worth the 11-minute watch." -- Jason Kottke, Digitizd, 6/21/11
"How do you define an entitled student? Let me try. I started out in academic librarianship as a reference librarian at the Lippincott Library at the University of Pennsylvania. That just happens to be the library that serves the students at the Wharton School of Business. The typical Wharton MBA student comes from Wall Street or the corporate office, and is paying a considerable sum for the degree - as they are quick to remind you." -- Steven Bell, Library Journal, 6/29/11
Prepare to Repel Researchers
"An interesting question came up the other day on COLLIB-L, a discussion list for college librarians. A librarian reported that a student who was abroad discovered he couldn't access videos in a library database. An error message appeared saying access would constitute a "copyright violation." Though the library had licensed the material for its patrons, including that student, he was unable to view it because he happened to have traveled to another region. He wondered whether he might have the same problem with articles in databases." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish, 6/29/11
107 Best Websites on the Web
Here at MakeUseOf, we love websites. It’s our very reason for existing and when new sites pop up, we’re one of the first to get all hot and bothered about it. With an estimated 350 million websites out there on the World Wide Web (and tens of thousands more starting up new every day), how do you know which ones are the best for your individual needs? If this is a problem you frequently encounter then worry no more, as MakeUseOf once again has you covered with the 107 Best Websites On The Web. -- Mark O'Niell, Make Use Of, 6/30/11
Twitter Shows Off the Worldwide Flow of Tweets with Visualizations
"Twitter has posted a couple of very cool visualizations that show off the ‘global pulse’ of Tweets being sent around the world, especially when major events, like the earthquake in Japan, happen." -- Matthew Panzarino, The Next Web, 6/29/11
Penn Students Leave School to Launch CourseKit with Million Dollar Seed Round
"Coursekit is like Facebook or Yammer for courses. Like many other students frustrated with Blackboard, the current online course management standard, the Coursekit founders think they can do a better job. “It is really a Blackboard replacement with a heavy emphasis on social networking,” says CEO Cohen." -- Erick Schonfeld, TechCrunch, 6/27/11
Networking for People Who Hate Networking
"Networking is important for at least two critical reasons: [a] the research suggests that the majority of the jobs in our field are not posted but become known through networking; [b] the research suggests that an emerging competence for leaders is their ability to develop their network, through special projects, temporary assignments and community involvement, among others." -- Ken Haycock, Library Leadership, 6/21/11
The Value of Copying
"Everything is a Remix is a wonderful, wonderful video series, and the third episode is my favorite. It’s all about ideas: Where ideas come from, what’s right about copying them, how improvement comes from blatant copying, and why Hunter S. Thompson re-typed The Great Gatsby. Well worth the 11-minute watch." -- Jason Kottke, Digitizd, 6/21/11
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