Not one comment has ever asked anything akin to “Why do we need [INSERT TREND HERE] in libraries?”
Category: Keeping Up
Are librarians the next prompt engineers?
My head is swirling after I read this article in The Atlantic. The title is: Talking to AI Might Be…
The Googly-Eyed Technology test
Years ago, I worked in a library where the administration was intrigued by every new available technological advancement. There were…
Libraries: let’s be honest about “emerging technology”
A couple of years ago, I was asked to do a series of this type of workshop for an out-of-state consortium. When the evaluations came back to me a few weeks afterwards, I got very good marks as a presenter, but some comments threw me for a loop. A common complaint was that the technology topics I covered were not being used in libraries. I was stunned.
Is your library ready for mobile payments?
Drive up to almost any McDonald’s drive-through window and you will see stickers proclaiming that the restaurant now takes payments…
Forget Pokemon Go. Your library has real problems
Ok, I admit, that’s a bit of an incendiary headline, and I’m not really advocating that your library forego taking…
Tell me your worst trouble spot right now
It’s still pretty much a new(ish) year, and I’m interested in addressing even more topics that would interest you, the…
Link roundup: things your library should be paying attention to right now
I’ve only listed the three I think are most important right now, because we all get overwhelmed. Fill up on caffeine…
3 things you can learn from other websites
Let’s start with defining “other” here: I mean sites that aren’t library websites. If you do nothing else, I want…
How well do you know your web usability myths?
Learn about more common UX myth at http://uxmyths.com/. [qzzr quiz=”26203″ width=”100%” height=”auto” redirect=”true” offset=”0″]
Are you playing by the social media rules?
As many of you already know, I spend a lot of time looking at research as it pertains to the…
Carousels: time to go
Carousels have almost become ubiquitous. I am frequently asked about them when I start designing a site for a library. …
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…
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’…
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…
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. …
Lock those virtual doors
What would happen if your library closed up at night and purposefully left the front door unlocked? Every night? Eventually,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Social Media in 20 Bite-Sized Pieces
“Winners take imperfect action while others are sitting around perfecting their plans.” –Kevin Nation Be the voice that is remembered,…
Why it’s time to kill off Internet Explorer 6
(Don’t know if you’re using IE6? You can check by opening up IE and going to Help–>About Internet Explorer. If…
CSS Part II: a gentle introduction to using it
A few weeks ago, I hopefully provided you with the reasoning behind why library web sites have to move from…
5 ways for your library to Fail at Twitter
Twitter has finally hit the mainstream (If Oprah isn’t the mainstream, then I don’t know what is). So we’re finally…
Technofascists, technophobes and cyborgs…oh my?
Several weeks ago I had the privilige of attending the Virtual Worlds: Museums, Libraries and Educators conference held in the…
Laura’s truths about social media
(In case you missed the memo, a lot of folks have replace the label “Web 2.0′ with “social media.” Probably…
Polar bears, Che Guevara and porn
(Eric Jordan did an update to his first “Webmaster” vignette, and I’m posting it here for collective enjoyment. Thanks, Eric!)…
Who is living in your house?
I count among my good Internet friends a certain Eric Jordan, who can not only outpun anyone I know, but…
Why web standards matter and why your library (really) has to care
It’s pretty easy to explain to people why their web sites need certain kinds of standards; take, for example, Section…
Intermediate Twitter: #hashtags
(Thanks to Don Yarman for suggesting this topic–I’m always on the lookout for new fodder. Send your ideas to meanlaura@oplin.org.)…
Sharing your slides
Whether you do presentations in Powerpoint, OpenOffice or something else, making your slides publicly available can sometimes be a headache. …
Getting buy-in
I am often asked about how to get buy-in for new web-based initiatives. I ran across this slideshow today, which…
Cloud computing
What does weather have to do with computers? Well, not much, actually. But cloud computing is a term that has…
Augmented reality: the future is truly here
First, there was virtual reality. Then there were virtual worlds. Now, we have augmented reality, and it may change the…
Signing in with ONE account
One of the most common complaints I’ve heard about using various web services and social networking sites is the need…
Because you’re probably not getting much work done anyway….
I thought I’d give you some more ways to waste time, online. 🙂 Check out some of these sites: Web…
Is your library coded?
Well, I am. See that 2-dimensional code to the left? That code contains the following information about me: First &…
Consolidating your Web 2.0 profile
If you’re like me, you belong to more than a mere handful of social networking and sharing sites. Keeping track…
Walking the Web
Virtual worlds are everywhere now, it seems. Their purposes range from socializing and networking to education and conferences. And some…
Hulu: TV on demand
If you’ve ever seen my Facebook profile, you already know that I basically don’t watch television (much to the chagrin…
Firefly: every page a chat room?
Lately, I’ve been checking out a newish web app called Firefly. It’s a simple chat script that enables people to…
[GUEST POST] Listening & the pattern
Dan Rockwell is a User Experience Researcher at Lextant. [BACK STORY: I met Dan at BarCamp Ohio and started following…
Yelp: is your library in there?
There are a lot of online review sites. But one in particular is hitting the mainstream and has made the…
Short and sweet…URLs
Sometimes, URLs can be insanely long. For example: http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch.com/ Or: http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?CMTYSvcSource=MSCOMMedia&Params=%7eCMTYDataSvcParams%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ID%22+Value%3d%221032301951%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ProviderID%22+Value%3d%22A6B43178-497C-4225-BA42-DF595171F04C%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22lang%22+Value%3d%22en%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22cr%22+Value%3d%22US%22%2f%5e%7esParams%5e%7e%2fsParams%5e%7e%2fCMTYDataSvcParams%5e Yes, both real. Both annoying. And, if you try…
Grabbing a gravatar
Do you like to use online forums or comment on blogs? If you do, chances are you’ve seen, or perhaps…