Are you dreaming of a new look for your library, and does that dreamy look include new furniture? Check out this fun collection of library chairs put together by Flavorwire. My favorite? That would be #12, a design they call OpenBook, although the white is a bit worrisome with doodlers and dirty snow slush this time of year! Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/lvk4obt
Were you too busy to watch the January 8th American Libraries Live Webinar? Me too…..but it is not too late!
The moderator was David Lee King, the format was a Google Hangout. King is the digital branch and services manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, where he plans for, implements, and experiments with emerging technology trends. He speaks internationally about emerging trends, website usability and management, digital experience planning, and managing tech staff.
• Joseph Murphy, Director of Library Futures, Innovative Interfaces
• Marshall Breeding, Library Technology Consultant, Speaker and Author
• Bohyun Kim, Digital Access Librarian at Florida International University Medical Library
Many interesting ideas emerged including….
Listen for yourself! The archived hangout is available at http://americanlibrarieslive.org/
The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Debbie Disher, Media Specialist at Holdingford Schools
TIES 2013 Conference – Fast Forward; Transforming Pedagogy with Technology
After missing last years TIES Conference I went to the December’s conference with great excitement and anticipation. I was not disappointed. I found myself in several great sessions covering technology and staff development.
One of the things that I took away from the conference was the need for me to change our staff development for technology. Although I am always encouraging teachers that we need to change the way our classrooms operate, I realized that our staff development hasn’t changed that much. In a session by Kriss Zajner he shared his passion for technology and how they are doing staff development in his district. He shared how they are using Twitter, mini sessions, 15 minute sessions, continuous learning and sharing, etc.
Another great session was “IGNITE Technology – Enhanced Professional Development” presented by 4 different schools. Some of the key points in this session included:
Because of these sessions we will be working on several changes for our technology staff development. We plan to start some weekly introduction sessions, Tweeting and making staff development sessions fun.
Ready, set, go….everyone loves a free download!
I must admit I post this one with a little trepidation. I certainly cannot be sure each of these sites is indeed legal, although the title of the site says so, but I certainly recognize many of them that are. But then I remembered my reading audience….staff in Central MN libraries, people who care about detail, about copyright, and the rights of authors! Organized into fourteen categories (not arranged alphabetically) but including everything from the classics to plays to rare books to textbooks. Certainly a treasure trove for book hounds….share your favorite finds (or concerns) in the comments field please! Oh, the link…..go to http://tinyurl.com/qzkws3l
Hopefully I have not already lost you by titling a post with what appears to be code! The Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2014) just finished up in Las Vegas, and there is buzz on the street about 4K or Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV, which is four times the resolution of our current high def experience. Why should we in the library world care? Because in two to three years our end users may expect this type of viewing experience, which takes much more bandwidth! If you are thinking it will not happen soon, Netflix has already shared that it will be producing and streaming shows in 4K soon, and the next season of House of Cards has already been produced in 4K. But, don’t take it from me, Jason Griffey, head of library information technology at University of Tennessee, Chattanooga recently gave a great accounting of his experience at CES at http://tinyurl.com/l67acxk
Interested in more gadgets beyond libraries? Get all of the highlights of CES 2014 including the OneWheel and the Pocket Drone, which look pretty fun!