"Slamming The Boards"

*We currently have a suggestion box in the library where clients can submit their suggestions or questions to the manager, she will answer them and post the reply on a noticeboard kept in the foyer for all to see. This would be the perfect application.
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The specialist groups could again utilise this tool. We receive questions from HLS members all over NSW which could be posted on the website and answered by the remaining members. This would prevent the need for people to double up on questions and answers and provide ongoing universal information. It would almost be like having an ongoing meeting but with a broader audience.

*Book clubs are limited to the time they actually get together and meet to review a book. It would be great whilst reading the designated title to go online and interact with more than one librarian along the way to share and question.

*It is always difficult to get people to take the time to fill in a survey when they come to the library, they often have too many other things to do. An online survey that was interactive (this is related to the suggestion box to a degree) might encourage people to expand more on what they really want to say and feel more comfortable to ask about the directions the library is taking. People who take the time to question or participate in this way should be the kind of people who are really interested in their library and the path it takes. They could really become a part of the process of directing our public libraries into the future based on their needs, expectations and desires.

Tagging- Two heads and more are better than one.

There are always difficult assignments that students bring to us for assistance with research. When these assignments initially appear (you just happen to be on the desk) it can take literally ages looking for information that only just skims along the surface of providing the answers needed. Then the Reference Librarian has to investigate (with his or her extensive knowledge of research) and compile a folder of resources for the students to come with the same questions. This is methodology of the past. Quick reference tools such as tagging not only provides just that a quick and easy access but tools that have been provided by a number of people with similar expertise. Often when a number of experts are researching they inevitably turn up different results and therefore the pool of information is so much richer. This makes the Reference enquiry so much more manageable. See my account at http://del.icio.us/horsenround888

Utube: A New World.

Utube opens up a whole new world of possibilities for Housebound Clients. We host regular morning teas at the library and a Day at the Races for Seniors but for the clients who are very frail and incapacitated they don't get out into the world very often, if at all. The idea of being able to take them on a virtual tour of the library; or anywhere for that matter, is a very exciting one. Elderly housebound clients rely almost entirely on books to venture into the world beyond their four walls. Experience of life is limited to their memories or what family and friends relay of their activities. Imagine how much fulfilling life would be for them if they could travel to new places, visit art galleries and museums, take a tour through a wonder of the world or take a trip down memory lane and revisit their childhood home town. On a less grand scale they could 'participate' in library activities in a virtual sense, view a bookclub meeting and perhaps send in their review of a book so that their view is shared with the group, take an historical tour of heritage sites in the Council area, take part in the art and photographic exhibitions held frequently, share the experience of our author talks , health and law seminars. The list goes on and on. How exciting to think that just when your body made it almost impossible to enjoy life that this tecnology could give you a second chance to experience almost all the world has to offer again. The only limitation I can think of is that many of these seniors don't have access to the internet and for many the idea is quite daunting. If we can improve their quality of life by providing books imagine how utube could open a whole new world for them.

Wikis for specialist groups

I could imagine that Wikis could be a very valuable tool to enable participation statewide for specialist library groups. There are a number of specialist groups endorsed by the MPLA such as the Document Delivery Group, the Multicultural Group, Home Library Service Group etc which meet regularly in the Sydney metropolitan area. Obviously this would limit attendance for those libraries not located geographically within convenient travelling distance. Wikis would provide the opportunity for members of the groups to interact in current projects, without the need to attend every meeting. For example, I am involved with the Home Library Service Group and a few years ago we did a survey of Home Library Services in NSW. This was a very long drawn out process which could have been streamlined by setting up a Wiki. The survey data from the Libraries represented at the meetings could be set up as the original data. Notification would then be sent to all libraries statewide to contribute to the Wiki entering the information relevant for their individual service. Their may be a need to set up group membership with an invitation key to control access to the Wiki. Most groups are restricted to quarterly meetings each year which seriously limits the projects that can be undertaken. The idea of interactive sites, Wikis, Blogs etc could allow greater membership with regular participation throughout NSW from all members, and enable the group to commit to more projects without the need for more meetings.

RSS Feeds

I have always found it very useful when I log on to the internet at home and the internet provider has a wide variety of current information available for me to access. Anything from current news nationally or internationally, weather updates, latest gossip, great travel deals etc. All this at your finger tips without the need to search. Really this is the quintessential internet for the average person who is always busy and also for those who are not comfortable finding their way around the net and need access to information quickly and easily.

RSS Feeds would enable library and council websites to promote services and events and to obtain a captive audience, so to speak, with an 'active' site that is constantly changing with the latest and greatest information. They would facilitate information access for the public in a much more user friendly manner, and perhaps gain more regular interest. It could also be a way to bring services to the fore that are somewhat lower profile. I am involved with aged services within our library and would be very keen to find ways to encourage more seniors in the community to become actively involved in the library and more aware of what is available to them. We have seniors activities all the time that can be listed along with multicultural activities and functions, childrens activities, author talks, book clubs, internet training sessions. Enough library events to be archived as an interesting blog attached to our council site one that could be accessed by the public quickly and easily. The RSS feeds are already set up to provide this access now we just need to set up the blogs. The feeds also allow our site to be an easy reference for patrons who want to access the library system quickly and easily to renew or reserve items.

Flexibility

As you can see by this photo learning new things can be very challenging and at times seems almost impossible. I wanted to find an example of a photo to demonstrate the difficulties one faces when learning a new skill. For this purpose Flickr is an excellent resource to access a range of pictures on almost any topic, no matter how obscure or specific. A very useful tool for locating a photo or picture needed for some of the rather challenging school assignments we are faced with on a daily basis.

Primary Entry

The name says it all. Computer technology was always something to be considered for the future when I was at school and really held no interest for me. However my work in public libraries regularly throws me into the deep end to face the constantly changing world of technology and how it affects our daily lives. I like to avoid using computers at home because all my time at work is spent dealing with internet, data bases, library system programs, email, word processing etc etc. I am well aware, however, that it is very necessary to be receptive to all learning processes relating to the way technology improves service delivery in public libraries and in day to day living.
Being part of a Library service that is operated in an area of low levels of literacy I can already see the benefits of encouraging feedback from the public in a more informal situation that allows the customer to express themselves in their own language. This would be an extremely valuable tool for general staff to improve the level of service we can offer clients who perhaps would normally be reluctant to try and communicate because of poor English skills. From a management perspective blogging would allow interactive surveys with this same group of customers who often seem reluctant and uncomfortable to answer formal surveys in traditional formats.
Online 'chatting' seems to be a very popular reason for people to access the internet and the amount of children/teenagers booking computers on a daily basis for games is paramount. Both of these groups could easily be encouraged to interact with library activities online that encourage people to blog responses, entries, etc that would breath new life into what we offer across the board as a library.
I can also imagine that libraries that offer to train people in the new technology that we are addressing here with Learningfast 2.0 would be opening up a whole new educational process for people who are reluctant to self train online. Seniors for example may be reluctant to do an online training course by themselves because of the fear factor and a lack of technical advice for any problems encountered. If public libraries were to introduce them to something like blogging they could participate in online bookclubs if they were not always able to come to the library physically. There are a number of seniors who are more housebound and quite lonely and this could provide them with a much needed social link as well as invaluable community information. The information is all their on the internet but this slightly more informal, chatty type of format could be a good way of introducing those who are indeed techophobic. After all if I can do it anybody can.