Most library users think librarians are the nice folks handing out books and reference advice; some folks haven't quite gotten over the staid, prim librarian image: pencil in bun, hush puppies, and that shushing finger. Sure it's as funny as blonde jokes! But actually, librarians, cybrarians, knowledge managers, informationistas, are an acutely savvy bunch. We embrace innovation! We're constantly exploring & embracing ways to use information, resources and develop services while harnessing the newest enabling technologies to deliver them. Ask a librarian what Transliteracy is he/she can tell you! Ask what Semantic Search is and you'll get an answer and a demonstration. . .We stay on top of the techno world and translate into new services and new ways to deliver information to ALL segments of the community!
Check out what this article says about public libraries as business incubators! Public Libraries as Business Incubators
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Globetrotting Librarians on a Shanachie Tour
The two Dutch librarians who travel the world discussing library innovation and related topics, Erik Boekesteijn and Jaap van de Geer, are the focus of a new book about their 2007 trip across America.
Boekesteijn and van de Geer were in New Zealand just last month on their current tour that's taken them to about 10 countries, including Jamaica, Canada, France and Australia. Perhaps we can invite them to visit Belmont on their next tour! They're well known to librarians across America where they traveled 4 years ago in the tradition of Irish shanachies or storytellers – sharing and collecting stories about best practices in libraries, particularly in technology, in return for food and lodging.
Both work for nine months of the year at the coolest library anywhere, the Library Concept Center (DOK) in Delft, Netherlands
Mr van de Geer says their library is a pioneer in adopting new tools and technology to bring historic information to life and create new stories.
A multi-touch application at DOK lets patrons place their library cards on a screen, which reads their zip code and shows them pictures of their street and area from the local photo archives, and patrons visiting exhibitions can create and contribute their own stories on the topic in text, audio and video.
Although digital content will proliferate, the pair say bricks and mortar libraries will remain invaluable as venues for meeting and sharing ideas.
Mr Boekesteijn says DOK could team up with Hyves, a hugely popular Dutch social networking site, to link its patrons' Hyves profiles to the library's profiles so DOK could connect patrons with common interests and encourage them to meet in the library. Mr van de Geer says libraries need to prepare themselves for the e-reading revolution.
Their book ShanachieTour: A Library Road Trip Across America and the accompanying DVD documents a tour of libraries around United States that Boekesteijn, van de Geer and Geert van den Boogaard took in 2007.
The book includes original blog entries from the trip, insights from library professionals, and vivid color photographs of libraries, their staffs, patrons, and environs. An entertaining one-hour “road movie” on DVD brings the trip to life, featuring conversations with innovative librarians and educators from east to west.
With its infectiously upbeat outsider’s view of American libraries and the many challenges they face, this book and video set is sure to galvanize librarians of all stripes. Shanachie Tour is a heartfelt love letter to American libraries: informative, inspirational—and a whole lot of fun!
Boekesteijn and van de Geer were in New Zealand just last month on their current tour that's taken them to about 10 countries, including Jamaica, Canada, France and Australia. Perhaps we can invite them to visit Belmont on their next tour! They're well known to librarians across America where they traveled 4 years ago in the tradition of Irish shanachies or storytellers – sharing and collecting stories about best practices in libraries, particularly in technology, in return for food and lodging.
Both work for nine months of the year at the coolest library anywhere, the Library Concept Center (DOK) in Delft, Netherlands
Mr van de Geer says their library is a pioneer in adopting new tools and technology to bring historic information to life and create new stories.
A multi-touch application at DOK lets patrons place their library cards on a screen, which reads their zip code and shows them pictures of their street and area from the local photo archives, and patrons visiting exhibitions can create and contribute their own stories on the topic in text, audio and video.
Although digital content will proliferate, the pair say bricks and mortar libraries will remain invaluable as venues for meeting and sharing ideas.
Mr Boekesteijn says DOK could team up with Hyves, a hugely popular Dutch social networking site, to link its patrons' Hyves profiles to the library's profiles so DOK could connect patrons with common interests and encourage them to meet in the library. Mr van de Geer says libraries need to prepare themselves for the e-reading revolution.
Their book ShanachieTour: A Library Road Trip Across America and the accompanying DVD documents a tour of libraries around United States that Boekesteijn, van de Geer and Geert van den Boogaard took in 2007.
The book includes original blog entries from the trip, insights from library professionals, and vivid color photographs of libraries, their staffs, patrons, and environs. An entertaining one-hour “road movie” on DVD brings the trip to life, featuring conversations with innovative librarians and educators from east to west.
With its infectiously upbeat outsider’s view of American libraries and the many challenges they face, this book and video set is sure to galvanize librarians of all stripes. Shanachie Tour is a heartfelt love letter to American libraries: informative, inspirational—and a whole lot of fun!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
What are Information Literacy Skills? Why do you need them?
So what is Information Literacy?
Information literacy is the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand. Like: am I eligible for a mortgage re-structure, what do I need to do to open a small business, how do I find out if my weed killer is toxic, is there a foundation that supports people from Azerbaijan, plus, there's all those BHS theses research projects?
Knowing there's a need is the easy part, it's the rest that stumps many of us--where to start, how to identify the right information, how to keep track of it--where do I store it--how to store it, cite it, and then effectively use/apply that information.
In principle, the school librarians from K to 12 would be teaching classes on Info Literacy with the Belmont Public Library teaching it to the adults in our community--from Town Hall to the DPW to the guy trying to clear the weeds from his backyard--we all have information needs Alas, Belmont's 2 school librarians are tasked with so many responsibilities, that this important work can't happen. The case is the same in the public library. I think it's time to search for some grant monies to see if we can address these needs.
Check out the Information Literacy Blog for lots of interesting strategies and examples of how librarians are helping the cause for info literacy: http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/
American Library Association's Presidential Committee on Information Literacy reports from their summit on info literacy that "library, and business leaders stated that no other change in American society has offered greater challenges than the emergence of the Information Age. Information is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and enormously rapid strides are being made in technology for storing, organizing, and accessing the ever-growing tidal wave of information." If the library gave some information literacy classes would you come?
Information literacy is the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand. Like: am I eligible for a mortgage re-structure, what do I need to do to open a small business, how do I find out if my weed killer is toxic, is there a foundation that supports people from Azerbaijan, plus, there's all those BHS theses research projects?
Knowing there's a need is the easy part, it's the rest that stumps many of us--where to start, how to identify the right information, how to keep track of it--where do I store it--how to store it, cite it, and then effectively use/apply that information.
In principle, the school librarians from K to 12 would be teaching classes on Info Literacy with the Belmont Public Library teaching it to the adults in our community--from Town Hall to the DPW to the guy trying to clear the weeds from his backyard--we all have information needs Alas, Belmont's 2 school librarians are tasked with so many responsibilities, that this important work can't happen. The case is the same in the public library. I think it's time to search for some grant monies to see if we can address these needs.
Check out the Information Literacy Blog for lots of interesting strategies and examples of how librarians are helping the cause for info literacy: http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/
American Library Association's Presidential Committee on Information Literacy reports from their summit on info literacy that "library, and business leaders stated that no other change in American society has offered greater challenges than the emergence of the Information Age. Information is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and enormously rapid strides are being made in technology for storing, organizing, and accessing the ever-growing tidal wave of information." If the library gave some information literacy classes would you come?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Belmont has a whole new website! Emily Smith shows it off!
The long awaited re-design of our Belmont Public Library website goes live today! Emily Smith, the library's techno maven takes you on a video tour of the new site.
Thanks to our wonderful Friends of the Belmont Library we now have a beautiful and easy to use website. Take it for a spin and see for yourself!
Thanks to our wonderful Friends of the Belmont Library we now have a beautiful and easy to use website. Take it for a spin and see for yourself!
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