librarian.net

We’re going through some growing pains at the Vermont Library Association requiring a lot of email, extended explanations and apologies, and a revisting of what is and is not “normal” for libraries and library associations to do and to know. I’ve been quoting John Blyberg quite a bit.

Some people also just don’t like to step out of their comfort zone. They don’t want to absorb new things. I was on a top technology trends panel at OLA last January when someone asked, “what if we don’t want to learn about all these new technologies?” (paraphrase). I don’t think I was in the mood for hand-holding because my answer was, “it’s your job.” Really. I don’t believe libraries are life support systems for staff. We need to work for our bread. That means that we have so stop bunting and try to knock it out of the park every single time. That takes passion, and too many people in every industry, including libraries, lack it.

Blyberg comments on Tennant’s “cheeky” post. Upshot: people are getting used to rapidly shifting away from services and institutions that don’t meet their needs. Does the library meet their needs? Let’s make the library meet their needs.

John Blyberg talks about the social tools built into the new Social OPAC (SOPAC!) he’s rolled out — and released the source code for — at AADL.

Cartalog is an online gallery of card catalog art, a great companion to John Blyberg’s Catalog Card Generator, check this post for more information about how the generator came about. Sadly, by the time I heard about the cartalog, they were no longer sending out cards.

Newest on my “list of librarians on IM who I bug a lot” is John Blyberg (I know, I am slow on the uptake) who I haven’t met and in fact had never seen until this past conference. This will all change at Library Camp East, coming in on the tail end of the Virgo Month of Leisure, on Septemebr 25th in Darien Connecticut. It’s an unconference which means that anti-authoritarian — and broke — dorks like me will probably appreciate it. I’m just hoping I can carpool with both Meredith and Casey. Here’s the wiki. sign up and I’ll see you there.

I went to a panel discussion the “Catalog Transformed” featuring Andrew Pace, John Blyberg, Jina Wakimoto, Jill Newby and Cindy Levine. Andrew showed off their Endeca-based OPAC and explained why it had a feature set that ran circles around all the other currently available tools. Cindy did some sample searches and generally showed the thing off. John Blyberg, speaking about his ILS Customers Bill of Rights started out this way, “How many people in this room are satisfied with their OPAC?” No one raised their hand… except for, after a moment, Andrew Pace. Bump, set, spike.