Category Archives: General

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

TED-Ed Brain Trust Online Forum

TED leaders recently announced the upcoming launch of a new initiative called the TED-Ed Brain Trust. The TED-Ed online forum will build upon the strengths of the traditional TED site and related content, but will have a focus on education. Anyone can join this forum, and short videos that are “catalytic to learning” will be accessible for free through the site. In addition, the previous 900+ TED talks will be available through the forum and organized with educators and their specific disciplines and uses in mind. According to the site, visionary educators, students, organizations, filmmakers and other creative professionals are also welcome to join the forum and possibly add their own educational videos, which will be “enhanced” by TED officials. The forum will be live soon, sans videos. The videos will be made available in the months following its launch. Read more here.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/3251451369/ by Jurvetson

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Minnesota Library Futures Initiative Update

Minnesota Library Futures Initiative Update:  3/1/11

The Minnesota Library Futurists are continuing with their exciting work. Their last meeting was held at the Plymouth branch library on February 11th. A portion of the day was used to discuss marketing and advocacy for libraries, while the majority of the meeting focused on planning, logistics, and outcomes. The Futurists plan to revisit the topic of marketing and advocacy in the near future.

The January meeting was held on January 21st at the St. Paul Academy and Summit School. The discussion focused on the topic of technology in libraries. Additionally, the group benefited from a panel of four forward-thinking professionals from a variety of backgrounds. The conversation between the panelists and the Futurists explored real world conflicts that information professionals face when using technology in libraries — and the world beyond. For more detailed information about this and past meetings, please visit the MNLFI website. A Twitter feed (@MNLFI2025) has been added to the site and the blog continues to abound with innovative posts and ideas.

The next MNLFI meeting will be held on Saturday, March 19th at Saint Mary’s University’s graduate campus in Minneapolis. The focus for the day is Education and Information Literacy. Guest speakers include Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology at Mankato Schools, and Tom Eland, Librarian from Minneapolis Community and Technical College. This free event, from 9:30-11:30AM, is open to the library community, but space is limited. If you plan to attend, please RSVP. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Kate Peterson (katep@umn.edu, 612-626-3746).

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

The National Broadband Map is live!

The National Broadband Map is now live, and available at http://www.Broadbandmap.gov.

 The National Broadband Map is a tool to search, analyze and map broadband availability across the United States. This is an important link for those interested in the Broadband issues, especially in rural America. It is created and maintained by the US Department of Commerce NTIA, in collaboration with the FCC, and in partnership with 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/5009919328/ by Smemon87

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Primer for Minnesota Library Advocacy

**Courtesy of MLA Legislative News**

Want to have more information while talking with your legislators, either on Library Legislative Day or anytime during a Legislative Session? Check out the Primer for Minnesota Library Advocacy!

This primer is intended to assist both newcomers and old hands in advocating for Minnesota libraries of all types. The hope is to provide a one-stop spot for information about what is going on in the current legislative session, an overview of how Minnesota libraries and systems work together to meet the needs of all Minnesotans, how to participate in Library Legislative Day, and an “Advocacy 101” introduction to those who may be new to advocacy.

You can access this primer by clicking on “Primer for Minnesota Library Advocacy” on the Advocacy and Legislation page of the MLA website. Please contact Michael Scott, 2011 MLA Legislative Chair, at mscott@selco.info, with comments or suggestions for the primer.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Smartphones Outselling PCs

According to research firm International Data Corp (IDC), smartphones outsold PCs in the final quarter of 2010 on a global level. Researchers indicate that the smartphone industry has seen a year-over -year increase of 87 percent in the fourth quarter. This is faster than most experts predicted, with many thinking that smartphones wouldn’t outsell PCs until 2012. So, how can we account for the success of smartphones? Mainly, PCs have market saturation, so it’s natural to see some growth in the “latest and greatest” product. Additionally, there’s something to be said for the convenience of smartphones and their ability to connect to information, people, or data sources almost instantaneously. Who can resist having an app for that?!!

Want to know more? Check out the following articles http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d96e3bd8-33ca-11e0-b1ed-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1DTdKFg99 and http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/07/idc-smartphone-shipment-numbers-passed-pc-in-q4-2010/.

Image from: Osde8info http://www.flickr.com/photos/osde-info/4623612094/