Internet Librarian

• Email both presentations to myself
• pack paper copies of presentations
• download presentations on USB drive
• make sure book proposal is also on USB drive
• pack extra bag for all the goodies I’ll find in Monterey
• Download cool songs for MP3 player (preferably Death Cab for Cutie)
• pack earphones
• Pack laptop for blogging
• pack cell phone
• pack PDA for blogging backup, songs, and possibly a bible
• remember to redownload bible software onto PDA
• pack PDA and cell phone power supplies
• print out e-ticket confirmation
• make sure the van really is picking me up in San Francisco
• Pack grant proposals I need to read
• Pack the book I want to read
• pack hotel confirmation
• download pictures from camera onto home PC, then pack camera
• set alarm clock about five times
• remember to get up when alarm goes off
• pack clothes and stuff
• make sure contact case, glasses, and iboprophen go with me in the plane
• check weather in Monterey
• post something about Internet Librarian 2005 conference
• email schedule and cell phone number to department and supervisor
• tie up any loose ends at work
• give schedule specifics, flight numbers, hotel phone numbers to wife

IL05
IL2005
Internet Librarian 2005

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The Internet Librarian 2005: Advance Program is out - I just received mine in the mail today (along with a bunch of speaker forms I need to fill out), and it’s on the web. There are a lot of amazing programs this year - I can’t wait.

And don’t forget to check out the “Top Tech Trends for Public Libraries” track on Monday. Public Libraries have a whole day-long track this year, with lots of good stuff - web trends, primers on digital content, managing techie staff, social software, hardware best practices, and future tech trends… whew! I’m already dizzy (but then, I’m often that way…:-).

See you in October!

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Check out the hip Internet Librarian 2005 Conference. The Advance Program is out, so you can check out the many dynamic programs taking place at this year’s conference.

I’m not sure if this is a first or not (but it’s cool nonetheless) - this year’s conference has a Public Libraries track! Personally, I think of this conference as one of the Do-Not-Miss conferences for librarians. Whether or not you consider yourself a techie, you are guaranteed to learn something new, something useful that you can actually take back to your library, and something fun.

That techie/non-techie part is important, too. Sure, there are sessions that will go way over your head (they’ll certainly go over mine). However, a great majority of sessions are given by librarians like you or me - librarians who discovered something new or something that is helping connect their libraries to their customers - and got up the gumption to share about it with others.

Here’s the track - hope to see you in Monterey!

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TRACK B: Top Tech Trends for Public Libraries

This track explores what top technology trends some public librarians are using to reach their users and explores how medium and small PLs can successfully implement some of those new technologies. With an eye toward cost, staffing and the ROI, these sessions offer useful tips, take-home examples, and loads of practical experience. Moderated by Michael Stephens, St. Joseph County Public Library & Tame the Web

Web Trends & Innovations
10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Glenn Peterson, Hennepin County Public Library
Sarah Houghton, Marin County Free Library
David King, Kansas City Public Library

A lively opening to our day! Meet the experts for a discussion of the state of public library Web sites, including what smaller public library Web sites arefocusing on in terms of content, tips for effective Web presence and maintenance, bold design and new technology, and what cutting-edge public library Web sites are doing and plan to do in the next year, including integrated subject guides and a team approach.

Digital Content
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Ken Weil & Joe Latini, South Huntington Public Library,
Long Island, NY

Meet librarians who have implemented a successful audio books program in their libraries detailing many valuable lessons about choosing the right vendor, configuring the Web site, promoting, and eventually surveying users. And don’t miss the librarians from the first public library to circulate iPod Shuffles!

People and Technology
1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
David King, Kansas City Public Library
Michael Stephens, St. Joseph County Public Library

How do we manage technology, people, and ourselves in the public library environment where change is constant. King discusses how to hire and keep tech-savvy staff and Stephens presents ways to promote staff buy-in when planning and implementing technology.

Social Software & Sites for PLs
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Jenny Levine, The Shifted Librarian
Jessamyn West, www.librarian.net

Learn what public libraries can do with social software and sites. Images! Bookmarks! Tags! Presented by two notable blogging librarians, this session offers tips and tricks to use in your library for marketing, outreach, and presence!

Hardware Solutions
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Aaron Schmidt, Thomas Ford Memorial Library
Bernadine Goldman, Los Alamos County Public Library

Schmidt outlines the best practices for configuring the public computer. From reasons not to “dumb them down” to spyware solutions, these hints and tips offer useful insights for participants’ public libraries! Goldman outlines how to take control of public library computing stations with step-by-step instructions and tips for planning.

Future Tech Trends for PLs
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sarah Houghton, Marin County Free Library
Joe Latini & Ken Weil, South Huntington Public Library
Jenny Levine, The Shifted Librarian
Aaron Schmidt, Thomas Ford Memorial Library

To finish the day, join another lively panel of practicing public library technologists for their forecasts and implications of new technologies. What’s next? How do we plan successfully? How do we keep on top of this evershifting world? Take time for questions and discussion to round out the day!

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Michael Stephens is organizing a track at the Internet Librarian 2005 conference. This could be a VERY COOL THING.

So take a look and send him ideas! What would YOU like to hear, if you went?

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For those interested, here’s a link to the Internet Librarian 2004 Presentation Links.

And here’s a direct link to my Internet Librarian presentation.

And… I just sent an article off to Computers in Libraries that covers what I spoke about in my presentation… look for it in February’s edition!

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“Monterey Salinas Airbus provides exclusive, inexpensive, scheduled bus and minivan service to and from SFO and SJC international airports from the Monterey Peninsula.”

So you don’t HAVE to fly to Monterey (probably cheaper, too). I’m certainly gonna try this next year.

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First off - I really SHOULD have tried to stay for the whole conference, for a number of reasons… but mainly it looks like I missed some great presentations! I was there for Monday’s presentations.

Alrightie… The Pew dude was cool (Lee Rainie, Director of Pew Internet and American Life Project)! By the way, they have an RSS feed (just subscribed). Here’s some stuff I wrote down during his talk on internet trends:

- Popular internet has only been around for 10 years! I’m amazed that something so new has taken such a major role in … well … everything. 10 years - that’s my whole professional library life (MLS in 1994)!

- He didn’t use these words, but - the Internet pretty much mirrors what’s already in people’s heads. Very interesting thought, if you take ALL the net into consideration.

Anyway… there’s a library concept in there somewhere. What do people like to do at the library? On the library website? What do WE want to put in our customer’s heads? Or how do we facilitate our customers putting stuff into their own heads? And how do we do that using a website? Just something that struck me during the talk.

- Seniors really don’t use the web as much as we think they do. Mr. Rainie said that any small increment in stats for seniors makes it look like a huge growth area. But by and large, seniors aren’t as interested in the web - they “don’t need it and don’t want it.”

- The web is becoming very social. When you’re online nowadays, you tend to join things and share. I’m doing that now.

- Broadband influences people’s use. Definitely.

- The doctor/patient thing - people are starting to see doctors as more of a health care partner, rather than the end-all DOCTOR. That’s because we can look up the basic research on most anything health-related, and we go into the doctor’s visit on a more equal footing than before.

That’s it for Mr. Rainie. Next, I spoke on creating a community resource on the web (seemed to go over well), and then I hung out in the link resolver/openURL/Federated search track for the rest of the day. Cool stuff there, too. The OpenURL concept is awesome! I learned a new term, “Information Silo.” That’s basically any of our individual article databases (ProQuest, EBSCOHost, etc). They’re “silos” because they hold a lot of good info, but our customers don’t know how to use them (if they can even find them), especially when each product has it’s own interface. Our customers want to go to one place and find everything.

And last - I had a great time meeting, hanging out with, and getting to know some of the other speakers. So much better than the usual “meet and greet” times that are provided to speakers and vendors (probably ’cause I’m not much of a schmoozer). It’ll be fun to meet up with them again in DC for Computers in Libraries.

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