For Digital Natives There Is No Web 2.0

March 1, 2010 · Posted in Video, Web 2.0 · View Comments

From the New Canaan High School Library

Tags: <digital natives, high school, media specialist, Technology, Video, Web 2.0>

Top Ten Links Week 7

February 19, 2010 · Posted in Links, Read This · View Comments

CC image used courtesy of holeymoon on flickr

My personally selected top 10 from the links I shared on Twitter from 2/12/2010 thru 2/18/2010

Why are you for killing libraries? a thought-provoking post from Tim Spalding of LibraryThing questioning why libraries are embracing ebooks, especially when the ebook market is set to cut libraries out of participation.
RT @vonburkhardt: New blog post: Ambient Awareness in Twitter for Reference – good suggestions on using Twitter to connect with your community
The Future of Media: Framing the Debate – from the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy – “The Federal Communications Commission has launched an examination into the Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities in a Digital Age with a public notice that calls for public input through March 8, 2010.” public input – thats you!
RT @VenessaMiemis: people share news online that inspires awe, researchers find – from the New York Times Will You Be E-Mailing This Column? It’s Awesome, we much prefer to share good news than bad news! hurray!
Friday Poll: TED Attendees Talk Top Technology Trends – an informal poll from Mashable in which they asked TED attendees – ““What do you think is the most interesting thing happening in technology right now?”
8 Things You Need to Know About Collaboration – great list including number 3. Collaboration is a human process – throwing technology at people won’t magically/automatically create collaboration
The 10 Top Reasons Why The 10 Top Reasons Don’t Really Matter - you gotta love a list that debunks lists plus it actually has some good points like number 5. “Not everything that counts can be counted; and not everything that can be counted counts.” (Einstein)
Digital Books and Your Rights: A Checklist for Readers – I don’t care if you love or hate ebooks, as a librarian you need to know about ownership rights, they are different from print books.
History of media technology scares, from the printing press to Facebook. – fear that the latest popular technology is a sure sign the world is ending isn’t new. “Conrad Gessner, might have been the first to raise the alarm about the effects of information overload. In a landmark book, he described how the modern world overwhelmed people with data and that this overabundance was both “confusing and harmful” to the mind. … he died in 1565.”
RT @theREALwikiman: RT @LISNews How close is the library to death? The Unspeakable Truth Ned Potter’s essay for the LISnews essay contest takes a hard look at the place of libraries in the future. Be sure to read the comments too

Tags: <collaboration, digital books, eBooks, fear, future of libraries, future of media, good news, lists, reason, rights, sharing, Technology, Twitter>

Thinking Outloud About The Echo Chamber

January 25, 2010 · Posted in Digital Services · View Comments

Last week while I was traveling Net Potter brought to my attention a discussion happening on Twitter about the echo chamber (#echolib). This is an incredibly important topic to be thinking about and discussion to have. I’ve been thinking heavily about the ideas of the Echo Chamber and the Bubble lately (well last longer actually).

Let’s talk about the Echo Chamber first – let’s face it most of us are preaching to the choir. Chances are if you didn’t believe in what I write and agree with me (most of the time) you wouldn’t be reading this blog. Chances are if I read your blog and/or follow you on Twitter I agree with you. I occasionally wonder if this is any different from a pack of high school aged “cool” kids, one of them says something and the others say “right on man”! We’re just puffing each other up. What about the unconverted? What if (gasp!) we’re wrong?

In December when I decided to take a two week break I quoted from What Matters Now: “The echo chamber we’re building is getting larger and louder.” – Connected, Howard Mann. I was thinking about and concerned that I am only preaching to the choir. That blogging and twitter are not making the difference I want (hope) to make.

When Seth Godin posted about libraries I loved watching the reaction that went across the web, I even wrote a long comment on Toby’s blog post*. But at the same time the little voice in the back of my mind said – “you are preaching to the choir” and indeed I got several “right on man”s from it. Not that I’m ungrateful for the words of encouragement and support from my colleagues, its always wonderful to hear they don’t think I’m an idiot. I do believe there are positives from the echo chamber – its good hear you are not alone, to have other like-minded people to share ideas with, this is important for motivation & inspiration. Just don’t forget there are others out there who don’t agree with you.

I’m worried though, that as Howard Mann, said “the echo chamber we’re building is getting larger and louder”. At the time I posted the comment I was just thrilled to put my 2 cents in. But later I wondered are the people who don’t agree with me hearing this? Chances are they don’t read blogs, or if they do they don’t read this one, or that they were out-of-town this week. Even if they did see it one of the disadvantages of the web is you don’t have to wait for the opposing viewpoint to finish speaking before you start your response and they don’t have to listen to your response. The web makes it easier to shout louder and longer. Shouting louder into the echo chamber provides support for what you’re yelling and diminishes the chance of hearing a dissenting view-point. Or engaging in real conversation.

Are we, the twittering, blogging, technology inclined shouting into the echo chamber? Are we only puffing each other up? Do we care that this defeats our purpose and goals? I guess it depends on your goals. (Some I’m sure, are just happy to have choir to preach to.) But for most of us, its not. If we’re too busy telling each other “right on man” who’s engaging in discussion with those who don’t agree with us? Because let’s face it, they aren’t reading your blog or following you on twitter.

*I want to be clear that I have the utmost respect for Toby and believe his post on his blog and The Huffington Post were appropriate and well thought out. I am not disparaging them in any way, it is a just a recent incident I could use to make a point. I was and am thrilled to see so many great people responding to and thinking about this issue. You’ll have to forgive me, but I have to say it to them -right on man! :-)

Tags: <advancement, echo chamber, librarian, Libraries, library, preaching to the choir, Technology>

Top Ten Links – Week 3

January 22, 2010 · Posted in Links, Read This · View Comments

CC image used courtesy of holeymoon on flickr

My hand selected best links I shared on Twitter from 1/14/2010 through 1/21/2010 in no particular oder:

not enuf women have what it takes to behave like arrogant self-aggrandizing jerks Clay Shirky’s “Rant About Women” post. Both men and women should read this. I meant to blog my reaction to it but have run out of time, I may still do it next week. In a nutshell I agree with him.
RT @toptechtrends @sirexkathryn Talking about copia – @griffey and about blio #alamwttt #alamw10 – Take a look at blio & copia, I know I mentioned them in my Top Tech Trends notes, but these 2 things are probably the biggest changes we’ve seen to ebooks and how they work
sad to hear so much focus on tools & not the service they provide or needs they meet #alamw10 – This isn’t a link, its one of my tweets but I think it’s so important I’m including it. If you’ve heard me speak you’ve heard me say stop focusing on the tools, focus on your patrons and what’s best for them.
The Most Important Success Tip: Stop Lying Down with Dogs, Already from Johnny Truant over at Copyblogger. Did you know your salary & your habits are a reflection of the 5 people you spend the most time with? No, this article isn’t telling you to ditch your friends, and it provides some good advise.
stop judging yourself as “better” or “worse” than other people this post from The Confidence Guy blog is a response to Stop Lying Down with Dogs has some great thoughts too, including “…you need to stop judging yourself as “better” or “worse” than other people, which means you start thinking of yourself less, rather than thinking less of yourself.”
RT @theanalogdivide: So Gale is saying we should demand the right to choose which vendor screws us over? This tweet is in response to Gale’s Open Letter to the Library Community which is a response to Ebsco’s announcement that they will be the exclusive provider of content from many popular magazines. Read more here, here and here
New LJ Column on User Experience – Aaron Schmidt’s new Library Journal Column – The User Experience
Anticipating Apple Tablet, Amazon Bumps Kindle Royalty Cut – I think we’re all anticipating the Tablet
RT @ALALearning: RT @TheLiB: I am the newest contributor the to ALA Learning blog. Hurrah! YAY Sarah! – Sarah Houghton-Jan of Librarian in Black fame joins the crew (Peter,Maurice, Betha, Buffy, Lori, Marianne, Lauren, Paul, Jay, Stephanie and me! ) over at the ALA Learning Blog.
Library Day in the Life Round 4 begins Monday January 25th don’t forget to sign up – did you really think I wouldn’t include a mention of Day in the Life? Go sign up.