Facebook for Librarians

Did you know there is a facebook page specifically about librarians using facebook? Here is the link. My favorite part about this page is the Discussions tab. Every question you could imagine is listed here, and any you don't see you can post yourself. Some examples of ongoing discussions are; Do you have a Strategy Plan?, Library policies for Facebook Page Creation/Maintenance, 10 Ways to Promote Your Library with Facebook, and Creating a fully-formed (and non-abuseable) FB page. This is a great place to connect with other librarians and learn how to navigate the new world of social media.

iPad and Social Reading

I just finished reading this article in the School Library Journal. The author points out his disappointment that Apple did not query librarians regarding the functionality of the ereader software for the iPad. He is left slightly wanting and BORED. I went to Best Buy recently on a whim to check it out. I have to agree with him. Yes, it is pretty. Oooooohhh, Aaaaaaahhh. Ok we got that out of our system. But in regards to reading an ebook on the iPad, there's not much more to it. The author of this article makes the case that Apple could have allowed the reader to not only highlight selected passages, but to be able to post them, comment and collaborate with others. This would basically turn the ereading experience into a social media/collaboration phenomenon. My husband says that its coming. The author even apologizes ahead of time if its on its way and just hasn't been unveiled yet. I have to agree, that sounds way cool. Now, when can I get one?

ALA Choose Privacy Week May 2-8, 2010

As I was visiting the ALA website I came across this article that I thought was very interesting and very good for our blog! It talks about how the government and FBI can keep track of our internet searches and if the suspect anything out of the oridinary they can track your calls, online purchases, airline travels, etc. We should take a stand now! You can sign the ballot agreeing that in May we Americans choose to protect our privacy!

Please visit www.privacyrevolution.org for more information.

Budget cuts good or bad?

Some people or employees for a company or organization think that budget cuts can either be good or bad for the library.
I was informed at the start of this month that the library that I work at, The Oceanside Public library is going to be cutting 12 or of 27 hourly employees this June!
The city has to make a cut of 8 million dollars! The sad thing is that, we just had a major cut last October: losing 10 employees, closing of the Oceanside Computer Resource Center, and the closing of our Spanish Bookmobile, Adelante.
Sometimes budget cuts can be good in the sense of "saving money" for future projects or purchasing of new materials. In this case it is a bad one and a lot of the community is blaming our City Council. The community does not understand that we are state funded and if the state of California has no money then we get no money. The cause of this is no good at all for employees and patrons. I had a co-worker of mine tell me that she had a very angry woman on the phone upset on the fact that a book that she placed on hold months ago was still in processing and did not know when it was going to be made available. She then told me that the library technicians are 4 months behind on processing new materials! It is really upsetting knowing about it has come down to and not knowing when it will get better. The library is a place of learning, and getting information and we are slowly losing them!

In regards to Michelle's "it's an ipad world"

I found that you can use www.worldcat.org on your phone real easy to see if your library has a book that you need/want all you need to do is type in your zip code and you get results for nearby libraries. The only downside is, is that you cannot place a hold on this website you would need to call in or go to a desktop or laptop computer to add a hold.

It's an iPad world now

I just ran across this article in my search for information for our next assignment. Very interesting. The author makes the point that libraries need to get with the program regarding delivering information that is more accessible and readable by mobile devices. Trying to operate an online catalog with a mobile device is quite cumbersome apparently! Here is the link. Just imagine if patrons could access the online catalog from their cell phones! They could renew their books quickly and easily no matter where they are, download ebooks and place holds. If libraries offered this accessibility, you would see patrons using the library's services even more!