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The Best of the Best: The 20 Most Important, Thought Provoking, Helpful Posts I Wrote in 2010

December 23, 2010
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The Best of the Best: The 20 Most Important, Thought Provoking, Helpful Posts I Wrote in 2010

That’s a pretty bold title if I do say so myself  I know there are 7 days left but with the holidays I feel ok publishing this list now. I didn’t base these on stats or comments but rather what I feel was the most import. Sometimes I put my heart and soul into something and it gets so little attention I want to cry, and other times I spent 15 minutes cranking out something I’ve barely thought out and people go mad for it.  So I decided to hand select what I feel where the most significant posts. Thoughtful and thought provoking (I hope) 1. Librarians Play a Vital Role in 21st Century Literacies Many organizations are looking at the definition of literacy and expanding it to include the knowledge and skills it takes to be an active participant in today’s society. What baffles me as I read through reports and recommendations from so many organizations is the lack of mention of libraries and librarians 2. Employers You Don’t Have a Facebook Problem You Have an Employee Problem – My response to all the “how do we stop employees from wasting time online?” question 3. Defining Transliteracy – Any early attempt to clarify transliteracy, especially timely given the

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The Donate Button Versus Google Ads- Your Tips Are Appreciated

December 15, 2010
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The Donate Button Versus Google Ads- Your Tips Are Appreciated

I’ve toyed with the idea of ads on the blog for a while now.But I’ve been hesitant for a couple of reasons including I know some people have a strong opinion about them or block them with browser ad-ons.  I also have some concerns over lack of control and the appearance that I am endorsing the advertised item or service when I am not. When I considered other options the possibility of a tip jar occurred to me, heck they are everywhere now, it seems like I can’t get a sandwich or an oil change without seeing one.  I thought I’d give tips a try before ads so I’ve added a donate button to the right side of the blog. If you only read the feed you’ll never see the button. As much as I hate the ads that show up in my reader along with blog posts I do see why it happens and I think that most people like me have just accepted them as the way things are and ignore them.  But for now, I’ll see how the tip jar works out and hold off on ads. So if you like what you read and find this blog useful feel free to tip as little or as

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The Four Most Valuable Lessons I Learned in 2010

December 12, 2010
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The Four Most Valuable Lessons I Learned in 2010

Inspired by Justin Hoenke’s great post I decided to make my own list of libraryland/professional things I learned in 2010. 1. Not everyone is going to like you This was probably the most important and the hardest lesson I learned. I was having a conversation with a friend in April when he said these words to me, and I’ll admit at first I was pissed. Easy for him to say I thought, then I cut the conversation short and went right back to feeling slighted. But the words stuck with me and as I thought about it, I realized the truth of them. There are plenty of people I don’t care for, some for very good reasons, others just rub me the wrong way. I try to be professional and courteous to everyone but I’m sure at some point these people have felt slighted by me. Of course if I don’t like everyone I certainly can’t expect every to like me. And I don’t want them to. I’ve always believe that if I’m not rocking at least a few boats I’m doing something wrong. If I have done all I can to connect with someone and they don’t like me I

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Voting for the Edublog Awards is Open

December 6, 2010
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Voting for the Edublog Awards is Open

I’m thrilled to be on the list of librarians nominated in the Best Librarian/Library category, its an honor just to be included among such great company.  Voting is open until December 14th. For those of you visiting for the first time – Welcome! I write about a wide variety of topics related to 21st century literacies, learning and working. I’m also excited to announce that Libraries and Transliteracy was nominated for Best New Blog and Best Group Blog! Thank you to everyone who nominated this blog and/or the L&T blog! Please vote! If you’re not familiar with the awards: The Edublog Awards is a community based incentive started in 2005 in response to community concerns relating to how schools, districts and educational institutions were blocking access of learner and teacher blog sites for educational purposes. The purpose of the Edublog awards is promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social media. The best aspects include that it creates a fabulous resource for educators to use for ideas on how social media is used in different contexts, with a range of different learners. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Share on FriendFeed Buzz it up Share on netvibes share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it

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Ned Potter Interviews Me For the LIS New Professionals Network

November 19, 2010
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Ned Potter Interviews Me For the LIS New Professionals Network

My first memory of interacting with Ned Potter is when he emailed me about the Library Day in the Life style for a new project called Library Routes.  We quickly connected via Twitter and occasionally email, and Ned soon became one of my favorite UK Librarians.  (In fact if you click on the link to his blog you’ll find he has even been gracious enough to let me copy his theme)  He has helped introduce me to other library-types outside of the States and get me thinking about important issues like the Echo Chamber, so when he asked if I would answer a few questions for LISNPN I agreed without hesitation.  My interview is part of a set he did that also includes Andy Woodworth and Buffy Hamilton.  I have copied my portion below and you can read the interviews  in their entirety on LISNPN. Q. Welcome to the first ever LISNPN interview! Seeing as this is a US librarian special, let’s look at some cultural differences first of all. In your opinion is there any difference in the way people in the UK or America view the library as an institution (and the people who work there)? A. You know I’m not sure

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photo by Beth Tribe

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