Current Awareness

Great Presentation! And, as always, Great Ideas


Jun 7, 2008 2:47 PM
"How to Stay Current" Presentations from Arizona Libraries Institute
from LibrarianInBlack by Sarah Houghton-Jan
I had a good time presenting at the Arizona Libraries Summer Institute, despite the fact that I was rather ill while presenting (darn food poisoning). I had a number of very informative and energizing discussions with the staff who attended, and I want to especially thank Jaime Ball for making my entire experience a nice one (again, sans food poisoning).
I did promise to post my presentations, so here they are!
Methods for Staying Current (PDF)
Tools for Staying Current (PDF)

Some Handy Tools for Librarians!

The usual suspects come through!

Eight Handy Word Tools
from LibrarianInBlack by Sarah Houghton-Jan
PC Magazine has a great article for people looking for Microsoft Word tips and tricks (and who isn't?): "Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Provavly Don't Know About." And which one do I think most of you will smile at? How to compare two documents to each other to find differences. (whoopah!)

100 Free Library 2.0 Webinars and Tutorials
from LibrarianInBlack by Sarah Houghton-Jan
Something to read over lunch: 100 Free Library 2.0 Webinars and Tutorials by Jessica Merritt on College@Home. This is a great list of tools to use when training yourself, staff, or your users. Thank you Jessica!
via Stephen's Lighthouse

QuestionPro Online Survey Tool
from LibrarianInBlack by Sarah Houghton-Jan
A new online survey tool to add to your back pocket: QuestionPro. It has a lot of the same features as Zoomerang and SurveyMonkey. The free version offers an unlimited number of responses and survey duration, though you can only have 10 questions per survey. The pro version offers additional features.
via Darlene Fichter's Blog on the Side

Booklists, making

Shelf Talk is a great resource for this. Scroll down this link for the link to shelf talk

Library Link Odds and Ends
from librarian.net by jessamyn

Webjunction rules!

This feed often has great learning tools.

Webjunction Webinars: WiFi, learning culture, & Shaping Outcomes
from PLA Blog by Andrea Mercado

This time I'm particularly interested in the learning culture section. I'd love to see us add that back into the libraryland staff mix

Open Source?

Open Source is an application found on the web that can be used collaboratively to work on projects or even to build databases, searching, and other fine libraryland tools. Anon herself has used google docs to share genealogical information with a friend who happens to be proficient in the area.

Here is a listing of writer's tools that may be useful

50 open source tools for writers
from LibrarianInBlack by Sarah Houghton-Jan

Imagine how many huge email attachments can be avoided! And how about meeting notes? And how about saving the library money by avoiding all those expensive licenses? Having someone proofread booklists?

Have a user who can't get a document to save to a portable device? Have them cut and paste it into an Open Source tool.

Who Is Digitally Saavy?

As always, Stephen Abram brings us the info we need. In this case the subject of marketing is very timely. How do we market our digital services? Are we targeting the right group?

Who Are The Digitally Savvy?
from Stephen's Lighthouse by stephen

Harry Potter: The Books That Won't Go Away

Not that we have anything against Harry Potter. Far from it!

800-word Harry Potter prequel to be auctioned
from USATODAY.com Books - Top Stories

Still Catching Up to 2.0

Here are some great tutorials. Why not put aside some time during the day to take a tutorial? Even if your library is not completely 2.0 -friendly you never know when it will be.

Try the links here for more info:
100 Free Web 2.0 Tutorials
from Stephen's Lighthouse by stephen

Who Are The Digitally Savvy?
from Stephen's Lighthouse by stephen

Talking Tech Friday - Zoho
from MCLC Library Tech Talk by Anali

Many 2.0 speakers publish links to their latest:

Tech Training webcast now available
from LibrarianInBlack by Sarah Houghton-Jan

Library Journal Booklists

This monthly column is a great resource for both collection building and making booklists! Take a look:

Wyatt’s World: Summer Suggestions—Historical True Crime
from Library Journal - Collection Development

Christian Fiction
from Library Journal - Genre Fiction

The Triumph of the Thriller: The Best of the ITW
from Library Journal - Collection Development

Belated But Great Idea For A Booklist

'Cathedral' is set in medieval stone
from USATODAY.com Books - Top Stories

D'oh! Pillars of the Earth could be slowing down but, what the heck, I'm going to give this a whirl anyway!