I love just about anything that will organize my crazy life for me, and I especially love those services that…
Author: Laura
Head Meets Desk (Part Two)
(You can see Part One here.) Last time on MeanLaura, I shared stories from library IT staff about moments they…
Head Meets Desk (Part One)
A little while ago, I put out a call to the public library IT community to share their best (worst?)…
Sunrise: a handy little tool
While there’s lots of ground-breaking technology happening right now, sometimes it’s the little things that catch my attention. I sign…
Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2012 edition)
It’s that time again! Time for MeanLaura’s annual collection of fun things on which you could be wasting your workday….
Why your website layout matters
From a usability perspective, layout has always been important. If the tasks people come to do the most often are…
Subjects go social: Welcome to Sulia
Yes, Sulia is yet another social network. However, unlike many of its brethren, Sulia makes no attempt to promote itself…
“There are no facts inside the building.”
This is one of the rare occasions where I would like to simply take all of the text from someone…
What would YOU tell them? [Need help]
I need some help from all of you, this time round. If you are an IT professional in a library,…
Is Facebook still free?
The answer to that question is, in short: Sorta. Kinda. Maybe. This week, Facebook announced a new feature for Facebook…
Exclamation points. Don’t use them.
“Exclamation points, you see, are evil. “ James Chartrand, Men With Pens I’m fairly certain that I’ve talked about this…
Thinking a bit about online advertising
Advertising your library online is tempting. The expertise required to set it up is minimal, and the allure can quickly…
Have you given much thought to browsers?
Lately, it seems that all I, as a web developer, hear, is about mobile web usage. There’s been a lot…
5 reasons why your library shouldn’t be cross-posting
I know, it’s convenient to use the exact same, exact content for your library’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. And, yes,…
Some lines about logos
In my job, I work with a lot of library logos. Especially because, when possible , I design around the…
Your email signature: good or not? Take the quiz
Recently, a friend complained to me that the email signature of one of her coworkers was ridiculous. It included a…
Want a better presence online? Get over yourself
I was recently asked to come up with a session for new library directors, about how to improve their libraries’…
Getting web images down to size
Generally speaking, most library staff I work with understand that, when you take an image off a digital camera, it’s…
Is it theft? Yeah, it is.
Recently, I had the unpleasant experience of discovering that one of my custom graphics was appearing, without permission, on a…
Here comes the Timeline (don’t run screaming)
Love it or hate it, yet another major Facebook shift is upon us–the advent of the Facebook Timeline format for…
Beware of “smelly” content
Many libraries give a lot of thought to how their website looks, and some even spend a significant time…
Pin your hopes on Pinterest?
Every so often, a new social media site starts to make the rounds on the hype circuit. The latest…
Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2011 edition)
It’s that time again–time for MeanLaura’s annual roundup of sites you can be wasting your time on, instead of actually…
Google + isn’t ready for prime time yet
Google Plus has been around for at least five months or so, and has taken off faster than any other…
Writing so people give a darn
This week, the OPLIN 4Cast took a look at how social media does or does not affect attention. I thought…
Is this the right word?
Yesterday was a Sunday, which usually means that I can be found sitting at my computer, working on my second…
Stop checking in
I want to admit this, right up front. This is more of a rant than my usual, more considered posts….
Where’s the payoff?
I’ve been doing a lot of teaching about social media lately, and one of the points I drive home constantly…
Website work starts with education
“Though art may be subjective, Web design is not. In Web design, there is a right way and a wrong…
Grown-up Easter eggs
This weekend, millions of children will be searching their yards in search of eggs and goodies allegedly left by the…
Why library websites don’t win awards
I wasn’t able to share this at my Computers in Libraries presentation (not enough time!), so I wanted to post…
Social search & grokking Greplin
Many times, only half-jokingly, I have told people that I have the memory of a sieve. That is to say,…
Up to speed? The perils of using online speed testing
If you’re a library network admin, you are probably familiar with complaints concerning slow download speeds on your local network. …
Phishing: it happens, even in libraries
When the folks I work with at OPLIN suggested this topic, my first reaction was “Isn’t that too basic for…
Time to queue up for Quora?
Quora is somewhat new (heck, it barely left beta 6 months ago), but already has gained major traction. Wikipedia describes…
Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2010 edition)
The holiday season is upon us. Yes, you’re still working, but I’m betting that your brain is still curled up…
Lock those virtual doors
What would happen if your library closed up at night and purposefully left the front door unlocked? Every night? Eventually,…
Stop putting out the “welcome mat”
The temptation is overwhelming. After all, libraries are friendly places, right? We wouldn’t want our patrons to think they weren’t…
Ignorantiaphobia
It’s no secret, yet it’s not widely talked about. There’s a divide in library staff. It’s not between degreed and…
Web images: TANSTAAFL*
Recently, I heard about how a public library recently found itself in some very hot water. It ran afoul of…
Making the most of your social media effort: Part II
(One concern I hear a lot of is “How do we find time for this social media stuff? We don’t…
Making the most of your social media effort: Part I
(One concern I hear a lot of is “How do we find time for this social media stuff? We don’t…
Got a Fiverr?
We all know that libraries are in a major budget crisis. What we don’t always know is how to cut…
What’s this TokBox thing?
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak about teens, tweens and social networking at the NEO-RLS Youth Services Symposium. …
Nibbling at Lunch.com
You know those sites that have a name that is in no way related to what it does? Lunch.com is…
What if you don’t have Photoshop?
What it comes to image editing, for either web or print, Photoshop is arguably the king of the roost. But…
What is Second Life?
I admit it; I’ve put off writing about Second Life for a while. Mostly because I’ve gotten very tired of…
Broadcasting with Qik
As more people start using smartphones (e.g., Droids, Blackberries, iPhones, et al), we’re also starting to see a lot more…
Figuring out Foursquare
Physical locations in combination with the web are starting to hit it big, and is predicted to seriously take off…
Considering 2010 for libraries and technology
At the end of every year, lots of media outlets and assorted gurus make predictions about what is going to…
How are you wasting time?
It’s the week before Christmas. Let’s be honest here…most of us are not thinking about work. If Twitter and Facebook…
Webinars that don’t drive people nuts
I’ve had the experience in the past several months of being both a regular presenter and regular attendee of webinars. …
[GUEST POST] Can you see me now? (Or, how transparent are you?)
Today’s guest post is by Bobbi Galvin, Customer Relations and Support at OPLIN. The Global Language Monitor has released its…
HTML 5: don’t get too excited yet
Yes, it’s finally coming. The last official release of HTML was in 1999 (yes, you read that right, 10 years…
The Internet of Things
“The idea is as simple as its application is difficult. If all cans, books, shoes or parts of cars are…
Crowdsource and engage
I crowdsourced this week’s post. I asked (via Twitter/Facebook) library staff to tell me what their favorite technology is, and…
Unsticking Glue
This week I’m chatting about a web application called Glue . I look at a good number of web applications,…
What is “The Real-Time Web?”
When Michael Jackson died on June 25, millions of people flooded onto Google News to find the latest information about…
A tale of social media woe
Recently, a frustrated librarian contacted me because she wanted to discuss a situation that had occurred at her library. After…
Listen up: you’re in charge!
It’s a pain, but security is each user’s responsibility, not just the tech’s.–Bobbi Galvin, OPLIN One of the most common…