Digitize your library on the cheap

I came across this site (DIY High-Speed Book Scanner from Trash and Cheap Cameras) in an article on Slate and it really struck me. I'm not a great do-it-yourself-er, but what if libraries created these, and scanned stuff, and made it available for free and . . .

Wake up! Well, of course it's not legal (for materials still under copyright), but this is an interesting application of re-using old technologies (environmentally sound!) to convert materials from print to digital. I'm not saying that the e-book trumps the printed book, either, but there are some very intriguing convergences here.

Please do not try this at work. But at home . . . 8-)

Top Tech Trends from LITA at ALA

The twice a year run-down of technology trends has just had its most recent report from ALA. Here's a summary of the trends by David Lee King LITA’s Top Tech Trends | David Lee King (there's also a link on David's page to a webcast recording of the session. It's always interesting to listen to the tech experts give their takes on what we should be watching or adopting next.

Check out the cover!

Just to update you on the progress of the 3rd edition of the book, printing is moving forward and the book should be done sometime this month. The new cover is displayed on the blog now. I think it looks great! It's very mobile technology-focused, which really speaks to me as an intriguing development for society at large and libraries in particular. I hope that focus also shows in the book (not that I don't cover a wide array of other technologies, too . . . ).

It's been fun to see the covers evolve over the editions (I've liked each of them in turn, but it's nice to see it change with each new book). It's also linked on the Neal-Schuman site and orders can be sent in at any time. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Technology - and other - Competencies from WebJunction

WebJunction - Competencies - Here's the site to find a set of competencies for library staff skills. There is a lengthy report to download and to use in your own library in setting expectations for competencies. They have also posted the results of their technology skills survey, which I am quite curious to compare to my survey results to see what overlaps and divergences exist. This is a very interesting project and could prove very useful for libraries to determine what individuals in different positions need to know and for individuals to plot out areas to grow in. I'll be interested to hear how individuals and libraries make use of it.