Library Stuff

Great article on the next generation Web:

“The interactions Web is the next rung up from the familiar point-and-click Internet, industry executives say. For the past decade on the Net, you’d click and get a Web page. If you wanted more information, or to order something, you’d click again. The user has had to do a lot to navigate around….Not only that, but the borders between the Web and its users are breaking down. websites are increasingly fueled by “user-generated content,” and the Net is reaching deeper into everyday life. The best examples are some of the hottest young companies, such as MySpace and TheFacebook.com. Both are ways for young people to post personal information and find and make friends on line.”

Is your library ready for social online interactions with your clientelle? Is your library ready to be part of (or lead the way to) online communities?

I’m in total debrief mode after a great conference. I will write up a full report on the plane back to NY.

Until then, take a look at this movie (7 mgs) that I shot at the end of the collaboration track yesterday. 10KWizard gave out pens that light up, so we closed the lights, I put on some Grateful Dead (can’t hear it) and had a blast.

More later.

Check out all of the dine-arounds that you can attend this week.

I’ll be hosting one on Monday night at Isabella’s on the topic of libraries and online communities. I hope you can join me.

“I’m so glad that you librarians are in town”, said the cab driver to my colleague and I on the way to the hotel last night.

Why?

“Because this town could use some culture, and better grammar”, he replied.

This was how my conference experience started. After landing in an almost fogged-in airport (We almost didn’t land, having been notified that we might be rerouted to SF, Fresno, or [ACK!] back to LAX), I was dropped off at my hotel (a 1 mille walk away from the conference center), worked for a few hours with Jenny on our presentation and fell asleep, realizing that I had been up for 24 hours.

This morning, Jenny and I moderated a workshop on Advanced Weblogs, where we talk about guidelines, ethics, and other advanced strategies for the library web environment. We used PBWiki for the presentation (follow this here linky dinky). I was very impressed with how the wiki flowed into the presentation and discussion. What’s really neat is that the presentation will be updated with other tools and resources that we discussed during the workshop. The audience members also gave us tools to add to the wiki as well. Talk about collaboration!

Tonight, is the Demo Derby at the Monterey Public Library, and I’ll have pictures and commentary to share from that event. I hope that you’ll be able to join us.

Let the fun and learning begin!