Sorry can't resist another post, but was reading up on yet another blog and its a nice follow up to one I mentioned earlier. I was particularly interested as it involved just how can a library, which is often an extended branch of a council body, be your friend? Good 'ol Mr King has thrown up some good suggestions and thrown out some old preconceptions with how a library can interact with the public online, with his posts Attracting Friends parts one and two. Well worth the read if you have the time.
Keith.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Computer Training or Taming?
Forgive the title, I was at a low point with my wit. But anyway the reason for it to be read aright is that I have been busy the past month or two perusing Australian library websites in an attempt to find how much they are using emerging technology, and how they are passing these benefits on to users in the community. This locating information is where the taming aspect of the title comes in, where as some are more compliant with your requests, others require a little more coaxing to divulge the information required.
So after my analysing of whats on offer, it would seem that the majority of Libraries are content to offer basic courses running from introductory computer lessons, through to browsing the internet, word processing, and email. These I feel are always going to be a necessary component of any computer assistance that you offer, whether it be a one on one consultation, or a group class booking.
Some Libraries are taking it a step further, Such as Yarra Plenty in Victoria, Brisbane City Library in Queensland and Sutherland Library in New South Wales to mention a few exemplary forerunners. They have continued the learning experience with value added courses that provide skills using technology in everyday lives, such as digital photography & scrap booking, Social Networking, Vodcasting and pod casting to mention a few.
But then I thought 'how does one run all of this?' I found a great article from Tame the Web: Ten Tips for Technology Training. Sure its a little old, but I do like the ideas that it suggests, not to make it a rigid structure but to have fun with the learning process, and to always keep a keen eye out for new ways to improve content. It's definitely something to think about when implementing new courses. This is reinforced by some succinct comments on David Lee King's blog.
So after my analysing of whats on offer, it would seem that the majority of Libraries are content to offer basic courses running from introductory computer lessons, through to browsing the internet, word processing, and email. These I feel are always going to be a necessary component of any computer assistance that you offer, whether it be a one on one consultation, or a group class booking.
Some Libraries are taking it a step further, Such as Yarra Plenty in Victoria, Brisbane City Library in Queensland and Sutherland Library in New South Wales to mention a few exemplary forerunners. They have continued the learning experience with value added courses that provide skills using technology in everyday lives, such as digital photography & scrap booking, Social Networking, Vodcasting and pod casting to mention a few.
But then I thought 'how does one run all of this?' I found a great article from Tame the Web: Ten Tips for Technology Training. Sure its a little old, but I do like the ideas that it suggests, not to make it a rigid structure but to have fun with the learning process, and to always keep a keen eye out for new ways to improve content. It's definitely something to think about when implementing new courses. This is reinforced by some succinct comments on David Lee King's blog.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Localising your Socialising
So we had our Technovisionaries meeting today and I feel that I have been goaded from my place in the real world to give my virtual persona some airing. Anyway today I was discussing the latest technological developments the Victorian state of Australia has been implementing to improve the lives of our southern brethren.
A big point of interest was the amount of blogs that were popping and a cropping up. Some even sported blogs for each individual library. Whilst this may give direct users a more pertinent source of information to access, the overlap of information across the branches surely would outweigh this. And to add to Bambino's post on the 1% rule, David Lee King Had an interesting point to make with how libraries are creating their own networks online, titled Don't Friend Me!.
A big point of interest was the amount of blogs that were popping and a cropping up. Some even sported blogs for each individual library. Whilst this may give direct users a more pertinent source of information to access, the overlap of information across the branches surely would outweigh this. And to add to Bambino's post on the 1% rule, David Lee King Had an interesting point to make with how libraries are creating their own networks online, titled Don't Friend Me!.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Faces of the Library Staff @ CML
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelsphotos/2762091681/
Originally uploaded by mstephens7
Innovative idea from and American Library
LibraryThing for Technovisionaries
I have today created a LibraryThing library for Technovisionaries and added the titles suggested at our last meeting, as well as some others I thought might be of interest. Will need to add the LibraryThing widget to the blog layout in order to display the titles. If anyone reads any of these titles, please rate the title on the LibraryThing account and add tags if desired. Feel free to add other relevant titles. Access info to the LibraryThing account will be advised!
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