Is the Librarian on duty?

Many libraries with a significant online presence have a feature on their web pages that invites users to contact them with their queries. We have a link to helplibrary@central.wa.edu.au but I sometimes wonder if this is enough. There are several possibilites for making ourselves more accessible and available for our online users; I have suggested embedding a Meebo widget or some other live chat service but theres are issues with rostering staff to have someone available all the time. Some libraries offer help 24/7 but we, of course, cannot run to that.

This is an example of the type of form I would like to see on our web pages. You can see immediatelty whether or not anyone is online and if you are likely to receive an immediate response. You can also select the type of query so it will go directly to the person most qualified to answer it.

Would this work for us? There would be some creases to iron out first but it is something I would really like to see.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Central TAFE libraries are. For years we have been using excess tea-money and other donations to build up supplies of Christmas decorations in our four main campuses. Library staff love the chance to pretty-up their work environment and invite all library users to enjoy the festive displays.

Christmas tree in Perth campus library

eLearning & Second Life

For more than a year I have been advocating the use of Second Life for education. Suddenly the college’s priorities for 2009 include promotion of e-learning and a so called “expert” from Victoria was recently invited to address lecturers on how his college has implemented SL. Suddenly everyone wants to know more about virtual worlds but those of us who have been quietly spending time in-world and finding out as much about its possibilities as we are able find ourselves sidelined. It really is the noisiest people who get the attention.

Second Life Library Reference Desk

A recent FUMSI article highlights Second Life for Business and advocates Ten Techniquesfor maintaining a business presence in virtual worlds. It includes a section on how Information Managers and Librarians can contribute and finishes with this summary: “VWs aren’t going to go away. My view is that different types of VW will evolve for different purposes. They may also get more popular when the ‘Club Penguin generation’ (enjoying baby VWs at the moment) reaches adulthood. SL may not last forever, but if you want to stay an early adopter, then it’s currently a good place to find your virtual feet.”

Google vs. the Library

Getting Your Attention

Is The Fridge getting the attention we hope it deserves?This striking picture was taken from a post Why Start a Blog and 25 Tips to Make it Work. For anyone who is already or who is thinking about starting blogging this is an invaluable resource. There is so much good information in that blog that I have added a link to it from the blogroll in the sidebar.

Back to my first question. If you read this blog we’d like to see your comments and ideas on how we can improve.

e-Learning tips

More tips For making virtual classroom sessions more interactive from Sue Waters’ blog. She reports on several innovative ideas for using Elluminate.

You are also encouraged to subscribe to her Google calendar so you have no excuse to miss the future online PD sessions,

Graphic Novels for Information Literacy

Katherine Greenhill, in her most recent blog post, tells about the information literacy package used at the Universirty of Auckland.

Te Punga uses online graphic novels and simulations to introduce students to the library catalogue. They have the same platform, Voyager, as is used at Central TAFE and this presentation really shows it in a new light

Quotation of the Day

“More than a building that houses books and data, the library has always been a window to a larger world–a place where we’ve always come to discover big ideas and profound concepts that help move the American story forward. . . . .

“Libraries remind us that truth isn’t about who yells the loudest, but who has the right information. Because even as we’re the most religious of people, America’s innovative genius has always been preserved because we also have a deep faith in facts.

“And so the moment we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold into a library, we’ve changed their lives forever, and for the better. This is an enormous force for good.”

President-elect Barack Obama in a speech at the American Library Association annual conference in June 2005.

(With thanks to Margaret Fowler)

Applying new technology

In her blog You are Never Alone Kerrie Smith writes about the problems of applying new digital technologies in a school system. These include wi-fi, use of personal laptops, open-source software and access to online applications like Second Life and Facebook.

Until our colleges adopt more of these technologies we are unlikely to move ahead in the type of material we offer to our users, both staff and students. The biggest challenge to this approach is bandwidth (and Education Department policy) but we must work together to create the best possible environment for all.

Some users are becoming more familiar with these technologies but all are encouraged to look at the OIL module, Digital Information Literacy, to help them to find out what is available and acceptable,