Author: jessamyn

Jenny uses her librarian superpowers for good

Posted on by jessamyn

I talked to Jenny a bit at ALA about Digital Rights Management and the ListenIllinois project. I was concerned, as she was, about the interoperability of the ebooks that the program provides, and the fact that their books won’t play on iPods, among other platforms and hardware device options. Luckily for ListenIllinois patrons, Jenny was in a prime position to do something about it. Her solution, though admittedly imperfect, is a glorious example of a librarian seeing a problem or an inequality of access, deciding that it needs to be fixed and setting policy to address that inequality: libraries that join the ListenIllinois contract now need to purchase at least one MP3 player to circulate audiobooks to patrons. I applaud her decision, her plan, and her dedication to explaining it and trying to err on the side of inclusivity and access instead of shrugging and saying “well, what can you do?”

It’s a proven fact that libraries help bridge the digital divide, and now we need to step up and help bridge what is a growing digital audiobook divide. It’s simply unethical to say you’re not going to circulate players because it would be too much of a hassle for your staff. This is the future format of audiobooks, and we need to make them available to everyone, especially because there are some titles that are available exclusively in this format. There are so many reasons to circulate your own players right now that it’s almost a crime not to. If you look at it from a PR standpoint, do you really want to be the one standing up in front of the microphone explaining why you couldn’t spend $70 on one measly player for those patrons that don’t have one of their own?

pimp my library

Posted on by jessamyn

Do you ever watch that weird TV show Pimp My Ride where people bring in their lame old cars and get them tricked out in these crazy unbelievable ways? I read this article by Stephen Manes about the glories of libraries; he concludes by saying

My biggest complaint is that some libraries’ Web sites don’t detail the amazing range of services they offer online until you cough up a card number. Memo to those insular institutions: Put the info in the shop windows out front and I bet you’ll see a lot more card-carrying customers walking through the electronic doors.

I’ve got an idea….

Pimp My Library would take some ratty old library with an outdated web site, half-busted computers, no good YA room and terrible signage and trick it out to a level suitable for a modern-day information crossroads. Librarians and other staff would be forced to take the day off under the guide of professional development and would be returned to a sparkling new ergonomic and fashionable workplace with accessible standards-compliant web site. We’d still call the library. It can be done. Maybe we’d need to call the show something else though. Side note: Manes mentions an error in Wikipedia’s personal computer entry. Someone with a sense of humor has since fixed the error, all in the last three days. [thanks mark, rick]

me: blah blah blah blog

Posted on by jessamyn

Rebecca Blood wrote one of the first blogs I ever read. She turned out to be a local contact and good friend. Her husband Jesse James Garrett helped me with the design of the very first librarian.net pages and is an early and continuing inspiration. When I went fishing around for a date for their wedding, I met my current boyfriend Greg through his blog. It’s been a pleasure having all of these people in my online and offline world. Rebecca is starting a series of blogger interviews on her site. She did one with Matt Haughey [of MetaFilter, Creative Commons and and PVRblog fame], and this months she’s done an interview with me. I talk about stats, birdwatching and why this blog doesn’t have comments.