February 2008 Archives
I am going to try a new direction with my blog. I think blogging is important, but I've been having trouble finding inspiration to work on it and struggling with ways to make it happen. I think I have a solution...pictures. I <3 pics and I'm going to use them as the primary focus of my posts.
Here's the first one...and it's good. We don't see elephants in libraries very often, but we did yesterday. A student art project, which was a play on the phrase "the elephant in the room", had a brief display here yesterday. I believe the project centered around the idea of how people reacted about something obvious going on. What an awesome idea! Where else but on a college campus do you get to see this stuff?! (this is one reason I love my job!)
I'm glad the library was able to host this...word on the street is the students picked the location because a lot of students are always at the library. Yay! It's not just us librarians noticing this!
p.s. I had to leave before this was fully blown up (meetings)...but the Collegian has a good pic.
This week we began testing a few handheld devices for some of the activities that we do in the library. Ellysa has a nice description of the devices we are testing on her blog.
What I've learned so far, after taking the OQO to a conference is:
-biggest limitation is not the device...it's the lack of wireless to use the device. On this device (as on many others) no wireless = nothing. This one is running a full version of Windos Vista, but really, who's going to start building a spreadsheet or composing their next masterpiece on this? The internet has become the computer.
- A new, un-thought-of use for our Research Jumpstart page. We created this page for other reasons, but all of the primary things we want to do with the handhelds can be done from this site and it means less typing/mousing on the device. Perfect!
- A lot of people have the immediate reaction to these devices that "oh they're too tiny...I can't use it." They are tiny and it does take some adjustment, but that's all....you get used to it, you adapt...that's what's great about us humans. Give them a chance.
- The opposite reaction from geek-types is priceless. You whip these devices out, immediate gadget lust and ohhing and awwing commence. Librarians are not accustomed these kinds of reactions...but we could get used to it. :)
I've been a bad blogger...I've been buried by big bad deadlines, burly meetings, and bothersome winter blahs. I will be better.
