web 2.0

Today I played BINGO at work!

This was a question that Micheal Krasny, host of the Forum on NPR's affiliate in San Franciso asked of his guests yesterday in an hour-long program called "The Future of Libraries." Al Escoffier, City Librarian for the Burlingame Public Library, Jane Light, Director of the San Jose Library, Jim Rettig, president of the American Library Association, and Martin Gomez, President of the Urban Libraries Council were on the program.

An interesting thread on publib last week covered a discussion around web 2.0 and how it's used in libraries. I think Sara Weissman from the Morris County Library (NJ) said it best when she mused, "What are the patrons getting out of any/all of this?" Sara continued, "the most effective channels to/for our patrons, to date, are an events listserv (995 subscribers, no postage!) and electronic reference via good-ole web form/e-mail."

Ok, so you've heard the noise about web 2.0, and you've likely heard all the hype, the jargon, and the hullabalo about this fancy new technology with the name that tends to emcompass all that's hot, trendsetting, and must-do-now about the web. But have you heard it described using words librarians know and love?

We're all busy, and there's all sorts of things to keep us even busier, so when I find any tips on saving time, using time, and enjoying time (vs. being overwhelmed by lack of time), I take note. Bobbi Newman, the Digital Services Librarian at the Missouri River Regional Library, keeps a blog worth watching, and recently she posted about how she finds the time to keep up with web 2.0 technology. I particularly liked her first tip...

Sometimes all of this talk of new technology -- especially web 2.0 technology -- can dilute the intent, the purpose of using it in the first place.

I went to an hour long presentation at Aspiration Tech on Wednesday night, where Allen “Gunner” Gunn talked about the potential pitfalls of hosting your data online. However, he used this subject as a jumping off point to discuss the broader topics of data privacy, data security, planning and documentation.

[Welcome Loren MccRory, our latest Guest Blogger! --sarah]
Today I was thinking about tech support and the "off the shelf" vs. "programming" dilemma that comes up from time to time in strategic planning brainstorming sessions with IT staff.

Don’t hate me because I’m not a big fan of Twitter. I have friends who use it and I’ve followed bloggers who swear by the coolness of it, and I haven’t yet determined a reason to join the bandwagon.