This piece on ReadWriteWeb caught my eye this morning. It discusses the results of research carried out by Universal McCann to investigate the impact of social media.
Looks like more and more of us are putting ourselves out there; blogging, networking, uploading, contributing…
One of the most interesting revelations is that China boasts the biggest blogging [...]
Archive for April, 2008
Blogging librarians in the UK…
Posted in public libraries, web 2.0, tagged Blogging, Blogs, Librarians, uk librarians, wikis on April 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A few weeks ago, Jennie, a law librarian from the UK began a journey to create the definitive list of UK based librarian bloggers.
Following an initial ‘quick and dirty’ (her words!) search she’s established a wiki featuring everyone she’s found so far. I’ve volunteered, along with Joeyanne Libraryanne, to help Jennie out with visiting all the blogs listed to make [...]
The library is alive…
Posted in public libraries, tagged Books, borrowing, living library, public libraries on April 24, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Bored with borrowing books, DVD’s and CD’s? Why not try borrowing a person for half an hour? That’s exactly what happened at Camden’s Swiss Cottage Library recently when they showcased the UK’s first ever Living Library.
You’ll benefit from the wisdom and experiences of other human beings and you won’t have to read a single [...]
What are we afraid of?
Posted in public libraries, web 2.0, tagged john dolan, public libraries, university of strathclyde, web 2.0 on April 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
That’s what John Dolan demanded to know during his speech at today’s Library and Information Show in Birmingham.
He blamed “fearful and restrictive thinking locked inside IT offices” for the delay in delivering adequate digital services to public library users and called for “training and development” to better equip library staff to meet the demands of 21st century users.
Interesting, [...]
San Francisco hosts Web 2.0 Expo
Posted in web 2.0, tagged enterprise 2.0, web 2.0 on April 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Large corporations go where the money is, they always have. And they’ve become increasingly aware of the potential of Web 2.0 in delivering enhanced revenue streams and cost effective communications with shareholders, customers, staff etc.
Enterprise 2.0 is the latest buzz word in the business world and involves commercial organisations driving business via blogs, mashups, podcasting, RSS, social networks, widgets and wikis. It’s [...]
What’s the point of a search engine if we can’t figure out how to use it?
Posted in Search Engines, web 2.0, tagged amazon, archives hub, chacha, copac, edina, google, guardian, intute, Search Engines, the bookseller on April 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Couple of articles today (in The Guardian and The Bookseller) discussed how students and researchers are settling for mediocrity from commercial search engines that offer user friendly interfaces and convenience over quality and depth. Fewer of us seem to be exploiting the many benefits of academic search engines such as Archives Hub, Edina, Intute and [...]
Has the British Library become too cool?
Posted in Books, public libraries, tagged British Library, public libraries, young people on April 22, 2008 | 2 Comments »
It was suggested today in The Times that some critics aren’t happy about the massive popularity of the British Library. Apparently young people are being drawn to its front doors by a ‘groovy magnet’; attracting them to ‘hang out’ at the library; chat over coffee, meet new people; access the internet, even request [...]
A public librarian from California tells it like it is, for him anyway…
Posted in Books, public libraries, tagged Books, Librarians, public libraries on April 21, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas is a memoir about life as a public librarian in Anaheim, California.
Haven’t read it yet but the reviews make for interesting reading; check out this one on One Minute Book Review compared to the one printed in the Scotland on Sunday yesterday.
I’m looking forward to [...]
CILIP celebrates the best in children’s books
Posted in Books, public libraries, tagged Books, carnegie medal, children's books, CILIP, illustrations, kate greenaway medal, Librarians, libraries on April 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The shortlist for the 2008 Carnegie Medal for outstanding children’s writing and the Kate Greenaway Medal for exceptionally illustrated children’s books has just been announced.
The Carnegie Medal is one of the few awards that I actually look forward to. Each year the shortlist and eventual winners are always of such a high quality that their work rivals the recipients of many of [...]
