ShelvAR- The best thing since the DDC

Really, what was Dewey thinking? Was he just making sure that no library worker would ever be safe from the dreaded shelf check? So we never would have time to just sit around and read books all day? Yep, never a dull moment while those books continue to find themselves out of order while the Decimal system continues to confuse unsuspecting shelvers. Well, finally,Dewey's plans may just be foiled...

Recently, at a gathering in Ohio called the LITA National Forum, two geniuses from the Miami University, Librarian Stacy Brinkman and Bo Brinkman, Professor of computing, presented our saviour- ShelvAR- a shelf checking Android App! (At last!!!!) While the project still requires funding, and is still in the pilot stage, an Application Programme Interface is available, a code posted to github. An IOS App is a work in progress, the Android App is not open source,and the University may file a patent after the one year provisional phase. Tests have proved the App helps to save time and improve the accuracy of those poor unsuspecting shelvers.

To prepare the collection for use, the staff labelled the books with codes generated by the LC numbers, placed them in a straight line then simply scanned the labels with a smartphone camera.The ShelvAr app then ticks properly placed items and questions the misplaced. Tap the screen and an arrow points you in the correct direction. Check out the ShelvAr in action with exciting demonstrative videos at http://www.shelvar.com/

Making Popcorn!

An online tool to make more dynamic video clips 

This online tool would appear to not only have significant potential to make videos more dynamic, but is also great fun to experiment with! Mozilla Popcorn Maker is an online tool that makes it possible to combine video with content pulled directly from the web including everything from text, links and maps to pictures and live feeds. The creators’ aim was to take “video beyond the box” citing that the only change in videos after a decade on the web has been the size of the box and the quality of the picture!

Popcorn Maker is free to use and claims to work in all browsers (although my web browser apparently “lacks some functionality expected by Popcorn Maker to function properly”!). Working with timelines just as you do when editing video, web events are pulled into the timeline as opposed to clips.

For example, you can include a live feed from Flickr by dragging the Flickr option into the timeline and it will pull in images off the web according to the selected tags. As it is a live feed, it will be different every time you access the video. Other options to include on the timeline, and therefore in the video clip, are Google Maps, Wikipedia, pop-ups, Twitter and images.

In short, it means that videos created like this can work just like the web; dynamic, full of links and completely remixable.  Definitely worth a look! To see some examples of what can be done or to take a tutorial, go to the Popcorn Maker website.

Foursquare

Foursquare seems to be the current hottest thing in social networking. It is a way of connecting with friends and participating in a game whilst exploring restaurants, parks, cafes, bars, museums etc... It can be used anywhere in the world and for mobile access you can either download an app or use their mobile-friendly website.


If you go out to a bar for example, you tell Foursquare where you are ("check-in"). To do this, it uses GPS to give you a listing of nearby places from which you select your location. It will then notify your friends of where you are.

It doesn't stop there.... When you log into Foursquare you can add tips and to dos. These are all location- and experience-based comments. For example, recommend a particular dish at a restaurant or a must see exhibition. Tips are recommendations for others, to dos are reminders to yourself to try a new dish/place etc... Thus when you check-in with Foursquare it will come up with tips from your friends and to dos from you relating to your current location.

The 'game' component comes from a points system used to encourage you to go out and explore. You receive points for each check-in. Bonus points are on offer for those who are the first to register a new place. You can even become Mayor by being the person to have visited a particular location the highest number of times.

Foursquare integrates with other web 2.0 tools. If you choose to you can link your Foursquare account to your Twitter and Facebook accounts and allow it to report updates. Foursquare itself keeps stats on you - they track your activity - number of nights out, number of checkins, ave. no of checkins per night out, distribution by day etc...

Foursquare seems to have found its niche by creating partnerships with businesses that produce shopping and restaurant guides. This gives them a way of creating a money-making aspect to their resource. There is an interesting article about this on TechCrunch.

Yelp is another social networking site that enables sharing of reviews for local businesses, restaurants, shops and the like, but it appears to focus more strongly on the review aspect than does Foursquare. Yelp also has not been around as long as Foursquare and although it seems good it has a more limited geographic representation.

VALA and ebooks

Technology peeps ahoy,

The VALA 2010 conference is underway in Melbourne as I write.
Kathryn Greenhill, librarian 2.0 virtuoso is tweeting live from proceedings.
You can check her out here...
http://twitter.com/libsmatter

Also yesterday's Sunday Profile on Radio National was all about ebooks. Stephen Page of Faber and Faber is interviewed. As this happens to be the very subject we plan to explore with the public in just a few short weeks, I think we should check it out.
Download the podcast here...
http://www.abc.net.au/sundayprofile/stories/2811148.htm?site=greatsouthern

TTFN

QR Codes - assistance on the go

QR codes are graphic codes that can be read using the camera on many existing mobile phones with the appropriate app. There are a number of websites such as http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

that allow you to create your own QR code which can then be printed or embeded into a website. These codes can be used to convey text such as brief details of an event such as a seminar.

When used on a web-enabled phone, they can also direct you to a website for further information. QR codes are appearing in many magazines for this very purpose.

UTS Library is running a pilot project using a range of applications of QR codes. For example, they are including the codes on their promotional bookmarks and brochures to link clients to the relevant online content. They are also placing the codes on equipment used by customers in the library. If the customer is unsure how to use the equipment they can scan the code and watch a short demonstration video. This is a great way of supplementing existing assistance by providing a physical demonstration.

iPad

Apple have finally released the iPad after so much hype, rumour and guess work. Although not available for purchase as yet it has caused a lot of people to tweet, blog, comment and many articles written about it already. Some of these comments have been positive while others scathing for a piece of technology they still haven't touched yet.

Architectures have even already started to design ideas on how the ipad can be used in libraries.

From these articles, blog posts and tweets people can definately start making decisions on whether this new piece of technolgy works for you.

The major points that I can find that will help make your decision are:-

• iBook app at time of release will not be available in Australia. Even when it is, given the Australian laws limiting what e-books can be purchased, we will be limited, as with iTunes, on the content we can purchase.


• Will iPad will be the death of the Kindle? If the Kindle does not continue to develop it is predicted that the iPad will become the piece of technology that will replace the e-book readers.
  
• Apple have made the decision to use epub as the e-book format. Maybe with Apple adopting this format this will urge publishers to finally make a decision on what the format for all e-books will be.
  
• The cost is reasonable from the cheapest to the most expensive. Will the 3G version work in Australia? Only time will tell.
  
• No allowance has been made for extra memory that could cause problems.
  
• No handwriting recognition. What about making notes on e-books is it possible? Why didn't they think of this as an option?
  
• The name - who thought the ipad was a good option? Must have come from a man!

Stream me up Scotty!

Well it really should be no surprise to some that I'm a bit of a Trekkie, being dedicated enough even to order copies of a series at my local video outlet on VHS, that's how much I was obsessed. but then I became a librarian, and my Trekkie desires somewhat abated.

But this article I recently peruesd over on Agnostic, Maybe made me realise that elements of Star Trek are indeed creeping back into my life. With the increasing mobility of access to information, it is only the freedom of access that is keeping us from coming even closer to the way those space faring corsairs had information at their fingertips.

Now considering the fact that the Star Trek world had almost all information accessible anywhere anytime, where does this leave the path of the humble library building? People will have grown up interfacing with the Trekkie information receptacles, so there is no need for the everyday reference interview. So does this mean I should be looking forward to being out of a job?