I'm interested in hearing opinions about the advisability of creating a Google document containing the user names and passwords we all have to keep track of now. The advantage would be having access to what is needed no matter where in the world you might be. The article I read said that this was secure. Comments?

QR codes

We had a long conversation about QR codes in OS. I had a patron ask me about them also. She had actually seen an add at DIA airport from one of the banks. they were offering Ebooks to download through a QR code for patrons at the airport. I did some investigating and like you we tried some out of the magazines and went to those web pages. Sharon Hill, Cheryl S,Jim Larimer, Gelina and I all talked about this. Interesting Gelina felt that the QR codes would be obsolete as newer forms of Tech come out.

Should I be broadening my search engine horizons?

Oh, Google, how we love thee. When posed with a trivial query, you don't 'bing it' or 'yahoo it' or 'look it up using the inter-web', you 'google it', but is google's dominance justified? Is it really the best way to search for information? Is there a tangible difference between search engines?

I set out to find an answer, and quickly came upon this article from PC World from 2009 (when Microsoft launched Bing, which might be too dated to still be relevant)

http://www.pcworld.com/article/165749/bing_vs_google_vs_yahoo_feature_smackdown.html

The slideshow style article examines a bevy of criteria, from which I have culled the following:

Home Page: Bing is prettier (i.e. flashy), but still navigable. Google is clean and simple. Yahoo is busy, but they are trying for a more integrated 'Internet surfing experience'. Winner according to PC World: Bing. Winner according to Laura: Bing. It's true, I can't resist the pretty, pretty pictures, though I like when Google mixes it up with their logo.

Search Results: Bing groups search results in logical categories and has a left-hand navigation panel to help you focus your results fast. Google simply lists blue links in descending order from most to least relevant. Yahoo... well, they didn't talk about yahoo. Winner according to PC World: Google. Winner according to Laura: Google. Maybe I've just been conditioned to like Google, but I like the no-frills approach and having the most relevant results be the first I see.

Pop Search: When searching for popular musicians etc. Bing allows you to view videos just by hovering over the link, Yahoo also offers prominently placed, and easily accessible videos. Google offers videos, but not as prominently. PCW's winner: Bing. Laura's winner: I really don't know. I guess Yahoo or Bing, and I like the 'hovering' videos of Bing...so... maybe Bing?

Airfare Search: This one is between Bing and Yahoo, as Google offers no such service. Bing offers 'Forecast technology' which charts the ups and downs of airfare in recent months and uses that to predict rates in the near future. Yahoo offers similar technology to compare prices and to adjust your itinerary 'on the fly' for maximum savings. PCW's winner: Bing. Laura's winner: OK, the author does not present a compelling argument for their choice, so I really don't know. Both searches seem similar, this might be personal preference (i.e. bias).

Hotel Search: Basically, same as above. Bing and Yahoo use the same forecast technology for hotels as they do for airfare, but Yahoo seems a little flashier here. Yahoo alerts to 'Getaway Deals' and flags good deals. PCW's Winner: Yahoo. Laura's Winner: Yahoo. Why dissent?

Refining Searches: When using Bing, the search-refining tools are always located on one side of the screen. With google and yahoo the search-refining tools are always at least a click away. PCW's Winner: Bing. Laura's Winner: Bing. Easier=Better.

Video Search: To be honest, all three seem pretty similar. Bing and Google allow you to refine your search based on video length, and all three allow you to choose official vs. unofficial videos. When you hover your mouse over a video link in Bing, it triggers the video to start. That's cool. Yahoo's at a major disadvantage here, because its videos do not always load in the search window, instead it sometimes directs you to the original website. PCW's Winner: Bing. Laura's Winner: Bing. Love the hover.

Shopping Search: Bing and Google highlight 'Reviews', 'Technical Specifications', links to related items, etc. Bing culls reviews from a variety of websites. Yahoo's main attraction is the close up and varied views of products they supply, but reviews and tech specs are a little harder to find. PCW's Winner: Yahoo. Laura's Winner: Bing. Unless I'm purchasing jewelry (happens more than it should), I want reviews, and specifications. Pictures are nice, but give me the nitty gritty!

Local Search: Go green! Go local! Go slow! Once again, Bing and Google are neck-n-neck. Bing offers aggregate reviews and ratings, Google gives you maps. Yahoo was limited. PCWorld: Bing. Laura: Google. I need a map, and chances are I've heard about the restaurant from a source I trust more than a search engine. In theory, I like Bing's approach, but it hasn't ever worked for me in practise.

Health Search: Bing links you to respected sources like Mayo Clinic, and the aforementioned search-refining tools help you refine the search. Google's health search functions much like its regular search, with the most relevant links leading the results. Google's big thrust with Google Health is to provide a place for people to store medical record, find doctors, and connect with online health services. Yahoo really shines in this category. It brings up a lot of information, about symptoms, treatments, etc., but it also provides videos!
PCW: Yahoo. Laura: Google. I like the Google Health angle of providing information, but also connecting you with your records and health professionals.

Maps Search: All three look very similar to me! Yahoo might have old information. Bing and Google have cool satellite views, and easy controls within the window. PCWorld: Google. Laura: Google. Google is king of maps, forever and for always.

In Summary (i.e. Laura's opinion): If you've made it this far with me, then here is my opinion: Google remains the standard barer for information searches and maps. Bing is good for shopping, for media, and for travel. Yahoo is the awkward cousin at the wedding, that no one really cares if they show up, but is there anyway.

Caveat: Maybe it goes without saying, but come tomorrow (or a week ago) this information might be invalid. I had trouble finding any sort of comparison of the three search engines that wasn't a few years old, as it seems no one really cares after the initial launch of Bing. Also, my personal preference for Google (email, docs, reader, everything!) may bias me against its competitors.

Children's Apps Resources & Reading

I was invited by Padma to speak briefly to the May staff this afternoon about the iPad, and children's apps in general. I wanted to create a handout for further reading and exploring, then realized I could just post all the links here at Tech Talk!

I've been gathering resources for a few months. This is a fascinating area, one that touches on a range of issues:

*children's development (What amount of screen time is appropriate for children physiologically, socially, and cognitively? What is beneficial and exciting about interactive digital media? What can be detrimental?)

*collection development issues for libraries (Should libraries be providing access to these apps? How so? To whom? If so, should libraries provide access to just the book apps, or to all games and educational apps as well?)

*evaluation criteria (How do we tell if a children's app is any good? Who is reviewing these apps? Can we trust their judgment? How should libraries be assisting parents and caregivers with selecting apps?)

What are the issues you are thinking about?

Here's my kind of long list of links and resources:

OVERVIEW BLOG POSTS
From the Cooney Center (the research arm of Sesame Street)
The iPad according to Twitter

From the ALSC Blog:
iPad and Smart Phone Apps for Kids

Added 5/24/11: What are people saying about iPads for kids? Read this post, then read the comments for a peek at the various sides of this discussion. Why Every Child in America Needs an iPad

VINCI
Site for the Vinci, a tablet designed for children 3 and under

SCREENTIME
American Academy of Pediatrics has a 10-year-old recommendation for screen time limits for young children.

Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood wrote a letter with recommendations about children and screen time to NAEYC last year. NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) is currently revising their position statement on Children and Technology.

iPADS IN THE LIBRARY
This library is letting families “check out” an iPad loaded with learning apps while they are in the library. This is their blog, which reviews some apps and reports on their first day of the service. Unfortunately, the blog hasn't been updated since January.

The Houston Public Library is piloting an iPad in the library program

REVIEWING
Elizabeth Bird, who writes the Fuse #8 blog for School Library Journal, wrote this article about reviewing children’s book apps, and developing selection criteria for this new media.

Kirkus Reviews is now reviewing children’s book apps.

Kid Lit Apps is a blog written by a children’s literary agent, who writes about children’s book apps and digital books.

E is for Book has a post with links to app reviewers

Best Apps for Kids is a review site

Added 5/24/11: A recent review of favorite apps by School Library Journal advisors. I like this round up because they discuss WHY they like these apps.

EDUCATION
iPads in the Classroom is a site from educator Kathy Schrock. She has lists of apps she has downloaded for K-12 classroom support as well as links to web resources on classroom iPad use

Photo and video sharing

As all of you know sharing pictures and home videos with friends to facebook is very simple and they will be available to everyone on our friend list. Facebook offers high resolution downloads and is the most widespread mobile application for smartphones. I use facebook to share pictures with my family in Mexico and I have found a very good site from google to edit pictures. This is a free site that I find very helpful to edit pictures online. Picnik.com provides simple tools for editing pictures in just one click, crop and resize and rotate in realtime, use special effects, put stickers on pictures, without ever registering with the site. This works on Mac, and Windows. Enjoy!

Coolest gadgets website

I came across this interesting website http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/ It is reporting on the latest coolest gadgets including Apple news, audio-video gadgets. mobile phones, digital cameras, children gadgets, cooking gadgets and more. Check it out!

QR Codes

Hi Folks!! I hate to admit it, but I received an email today about QR Codes...and I had NO IDEA what they even were! I talked it over with some people here and researched a bit online. When Donna came in with her smart phone, we were able to use the app to scan some that we found in a magazine and have learned SO MUCH. But here is the best part: you can generate your own QR codes. I have posted one here with a secret message for you to scan if you are able. I was able to generate this at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

Oh, and ALSO, I learned how to post images to the blog in the process. :) Lots of new things today...not bad for a FRIDAY!!!

Google Analytics

A couple of years ago, I dusted off and restarted a blog in order to have a place to post library program and storytime ideas to share with my Twitter network. In the last 6 months or so, I have begun to think about being more active in the blogosphere itself. In other words, I've been using the blog as a place to put content that doesn't "fit" on Twitter, but there are lots of children's librarians who don't use Twitter at all, and share ideas completely via their blogs. Some of these folks have been linking to my blog from theirs, and I have been curious about what kind of traffic my blog gets separate from Twitter, so I could return the favor and be more linked in to that group.

So with my husband Bill's help, I installed a plug-in on my blog that would allow Google Analytics to gather statistics about my blog traffic. It's been up for a couple of weeks now, and it's been very interesting to start to learn about how people find my site, what they are searching for, where they are visiting from, and what they look at. I know this is the same thinking that Digital Services uses when they are looking at ALD's websites, so I appreciate the glimpse at the process.

One of the things I do on my blog is upload pdfs of flannelboard patterns that people can then download and print and use in their storytimes. Since they are documents and not pages, Google Analytics doesn't keep track of how many people click on them. However, as I read a little more, I learned that there is a piece of Javascript code (a scripting language for the web) that I could add to the html for the download link, that would allow Google Analytics to count downloads as page views. Very cool!

I know that Tales' Treehouse uses pdfs for the kids' coloring contest, so I checked with Alyson Corcoran to see if she knew this trick. She said they were already doing something similar, but it was fun to check!

Amazon to pilot lending Kindle eBooks through Overdrive

http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/04/21/6506792-soon-youll-check-out-kindle-books-from-your-library

Given the superiority of the Kindle app to the OverDrive interface, this is wonderful news. I'm still eagerly awaiting the announcement that someone is going to compete directly with OverDrive in this space, though.

Love Hate Technology!

When I first got my smart phone in December, I truly had a love hate relationship with it. It was definitely a learning curve going from a regular cell phone to a touch screen phone. I remember feeling so frustrated with it (and with myself) half the time and so awed by all the cool features the other half. Four months later, I can't even imagine life without my smart phone. Recently, I was in a new city, and I used my phone navigation system and another super cool app, Lattitude, to drive around and get to where I needed to be. I also find myself using it more and more to listen to audiobooks.

And best of all, I find that I am now much more capable to help patrons who want to download audiobooks to their smart phone. And, I have a point of reference when people are talking about their smart phones or iphones.

My personal experience with my smart phone helped me to have more empathy as well. I'm reminded of how frustrating technology can be for patrons at the first encounter. But, once mastered, how glorious!!!

Move out Power Point - Prezi and xtranormal - innovative ways to present

During my Emporia weekend class, only 3 (I was one of them) out of 11 students in the Ph.D. class were doing power point presentations. The rest were using innovative presentation formats like Prezi and xtranormal movies....
http://www.prezi.com/
http://www.xtranormal.com/

Neat article in the Denver Post today entitled The new way we read. I like the way it compares print books to digital books.


http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_17875752

Freegal

Freegal Rocks! Just downloaded my first three tunes from freegal. I'm so impressed with the broad selection. I even found German Rock!!! Love it!

Augmented Reality and Libraries (Plus QR codes & Foursquare)

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology concept that I personally find to be really cool, and full of potential for many aspects of life, including library work. Here is how Wikipedia explains AR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality . The most common example you might be familiar with is any of those applications for smart phones that allow you to interact with the real world via the camera and view screen. The phone's camera captures the images of your nearby surroundings, and compares this with the gps and directional data from your phone's sensors (so phone knows where you are, and what direction you're looking). Based on this data, compared with the data entered about nearby restaurants, virtual data is inserted on top of the image that your phone is capturing. So if you're looking for restaurants, and your phone's camera 'sees' a nearby Wendy's, there might be a virtual tag "Wendy's" on the image showing on your view screen. It will probably be a while before we get the sensitivity to tag individual ranges in a library, but imagine someday you walk into a library, search the online catalog to see if they have a particular item, and then using your phone, you see markings, or a line projected on the carpet leading you to that item. In the mean time, there are ways of at least getting libraries on the AR map. Here is a link to a blog by a librarian that I found interesting. It not only covers AR, but also QR codes and Geolocation. http://strangelibrarian.org/2010/01/geolocation-augmented-reality-qr-codes-libraries/ Obviously this posting is more than a year old, but I liked the ground it covered, as well as the ideas suggested for using this tech in libraries.

Windows News

Nokia to Adopt Windows Phone 7
Microsoft and Nokia have announced a partnership that will make Windows Phone 7 the "principal operating system" on future Nokia smartphones. The two companies plan to build a new mobile "ecosystem"
that they hope will rival that of Google's Android and Apple's iPhone. The alliance also likely marks the begginning of the end for Symbian, Nokia's current OS, through there's no indication of exactly when Nokia's first Windows Phone 7-based devices will hit the market.

Shelfari, LibraryThing, Goodreads...Did I miss any?

Well, I have had several encounters with patrons and them asking if we have a way to browse items that they have checked out before. Many of  the questions are related to books that they have read. I shared with them that if they open their accounts online, they can turn on their History and this will keep a record of all items that they have checked out. I do however, mention that their is a limit, so they should go in their History every once in a while and erase information that they don't want to keep, such as DVDs or music CDs. I have also shared with them that they can keep their titles in programs such as Shelfari, LibraryThing or Good reads (not sure if there are others).

Enjoy!

I just attended the Arts and Skills of Readers Advisory class this week led by three very special ladies. JoAnne, Susan and Cheryl not only shared some very valuable ideas and techniques but they do it with alot of humor and passion. One of the ideas that I think is very profound is READ, REMEMBER and PASSION shared by JoAnne. I have the READ and the PASSION part but need some work on the REMEMBER part. At my age can you believe this? Could it be the 1st signs of AD? :-) Never mind don't answer that :-) Anyway they all gave us some good advice, information and most of all encorugement to continue to be passionate about our reads and readers advisory. I would like to share with you all one of the best websites. www.whichbook.net This website is for those of us who remember everything about a book we have read except the title and author. Please check this website out it has tons of helpful information.

Makes You Think...

I came across little e-article in The Bulletin by Alandra Johnson called Parenting: 10 Years of Change. It comments on some of the ways parenting and childhood looks different today compared to a decade ago. The article was written in early 2010, and I was struck thinking about how much faster things have actually been changing this year alone! (The article didn't even mention increased use of lap tops, smart phones, new apps, ipads, e-readers, twitter, augmented reality...) Of course, technology trends have hugely impacted family life since the year 2000, and a few examples were given a nod in the article. Think about some of the impact on parenting... -the amount of quick access and exposure to information at home and at school that is now second nature to most parents and children. (In a word- GOOGLE!) Parents come into Pediatrician offices prepared with research from the internet. Kids are easily able to research and answer homework questions with a quick click. This was not the norm for elementary kids in 2000. -Baby Einstein went from boasting about increasing baby intellect to offering refunds to parents. - it's not unusual to see everyone in the family using a cell phone anytime and anywhere, which is awesome for more frequent family contact, but not so great for teen texting temptations at school and while driving...and there wasn't talk of cyberbullying or sexting a decade ago. -handheld devices are the norm, including video games, ipods, digital photo-sharing -cool things like wii fit and increased awareness of how to stay healthy -communication with blogs that are giving a voice to stay-at-home-moms and others; -Facebook for all ages... It seems to me that parents need to be on the ball like never before to help kids make healthy choices, but what an incredible time to be alive and learning/sharing along with everyone in your family!

Electronic Devices and Insomnia

I recently read a couple of interesting articles linking the use of iPads, e-readers, and other tech devices to insomnia - or the inability to fall asleep, especially if they are used during the hour before bedtime. Many of these devices have a back-lit display and in the case of the iPad being used as a reader- are held very close to the face. Also, the iPad's blue light in particular sparks alertness. Sleep researchers have proven that light inhibits the release of melatonin or can modify its cycle. This is the hormone that helps settle the body into the sleep mode toward evening. The National Sleep Foundation recently conducted a study called "Sleep and Communications Technology Use". This study found "pervasive use of communications technology in the hour before bed, and also that a significant number of Americans aren't getting the sleep they need and are trying to find ways to cope". This poll is also a "fascinating snapshot of our society's sleep habits" and fairly discouraging since we anticipate a huge transition from print to electronic reading media in the next decade.

Librarians Replaced

I was in a store last week and the clerk told me about a radio broadcast he had heard recently. He wondered if librarians would be replaced soon. I think this is was what he had heard. What's your opinion of this? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304354104575568592236241242.html

Summer Reading- Not Too Technical!

Summer Reading registration will be on-line this year. Of course, there will still be the paper form option available at the library, but we will be encouraging patrons to go to our website to register each of their children. We will also be telling and showing the kids when we visit at their schools in May to promote summer reading. We are using shareware, but it looks tailored for ALD and will give us an idea for what we might purchase in the future. Ask your Children's or Teen Summer Reading Committee Rep to show you how easy it is to register so YOU can be ready to show parents and kids at the end of May and all through June. The software should be ready for the public to use by May 31 and people can register for summer reading through July 23.

I would like to share my experience with Infobase eBooks and to post a question. I did what Nevet suggested doing before we have a class. I overviewed the tutorial to learn more about how to use the Infobase eBooks platform. Actually liked it very much - a great resourse for students and teachers! I picked up Women's studies and opened the book by Janet Hubbard-Brown " Eleanor Roosevelt". Got involved into reading, and while reading it I noticed that the book is available in 2 formats: HTML and PDF. I know that PDF is great in using and printing forms, forms that need to be filled up and submitted would print properly without missing elements. E-books that might be printed are usually sent via this format to make sure that the reader sees what the author wrote. I was not able to print from PDF (tried different ways), while from HTML I was able to print easily. So my question is (could sound stupid, but...): why do we have eBooks in both- PDF and HTML, and why wasn't I able to print from PDF format? Thank you in advance! Tatyana

Warning! Disasters May Start Smaller Than You Think!

I came across an article from InfoPro called “Disasters Come in All Sizes” and was intrigued by what the authors Stremple and Martone presented in their analysis of risk mitigation. “Usually disasters are thought of as large, newsworthy occurrences—earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, terrorist attacks. However, the most likely disaster for a company or organization is something small, such as computer software of hardware problems, telecommunications failure, or human error” (p. 29). On this particular day I read of another earthquake off the coast of Japan and threat of an additional tsunami. This article made me look at “tech disasters” in libraries on a microscopic and much smaller scale. This article is located on The Authority of Managing Records and Information website and focuses on everyday disruptions in service that directly impact the ability to effectively serve patrons. In particular, the following were highlighted: · Power outage- perhaps one of the most common means by which data might potentially be lost, libraries and other organizations must prepare laptops, servers and all software to adequately handle power loss. · Human error- While we might believe we are incapable of creating our own “disaster” in the workplace, organizations must provide the adequate training necessary for employees in regards to software manipulation and document versioning. · Network failure and Hardware problems- By backing up systems and servers regularly, the potential loss of information is minimized. In addition, hardware problems can be lessened when the manner in which the system is used (by employees) is more closely monitored and managed. This article also stressed the need for management or IT professionals within libraries to thoroughly test their plan of action when dealing with a technology disasters-- prior to actually needing it. By analyzing the prescribed course of action and setting up an appropriate time to thoroughly examine each of the steps within the exercises, the methodology can be tested and improvements made. It would be most unfortunate to determine those same results and objectives after the plan was truly needed! What most struck me about this article is that some of the smallest incidents can create the largest information disaster for libraries and other organizations. When the proper precautions are not taken, entire databases, catalogs and network systems can be wiped out due to viruses, power failures and other malfunctions. By implementing a plan, training employees on said plan and thoroughly testing the plan, these disasters can potentially be averted. Reference: http://www.arma.org/pdf/articles/DisasterAllSizes.pdf

Twitter

Erin, I liked that I following ALD I could easily link to Freegal. I have 3 free songs and waiting for next week.

New to Twitter and I don't get it

OK folks, I took the plunge and signed up for my Twitter account. Honestly, I have read up on it, heard discussions about it, etc., and I still cannot figure out why anyone would want to be on there. Just being honest. Maybe you all have some fabulous thing you use twitter for and could share it with me. Maybe I am missing something. I am @reallytallgirl if you want to follow my tweets, which at this point there is not much!

Using the remote printing websites for print jobs from MAC computer at the library

Hello everyone, Eloise May library has the MAC computer that runs on Apple software and we use that for patrons who would like to sign up to use the computer for one hour(gives them time to fill out online job applications etc.) So far, the limitation with the MAC computer was that it did not have printing capabilities as it is not hooked on to the PC reservation system. Today, I asked a patron to use the remote website that was provided to us by DS staff for patrons who want to print from their own computers. That remote website worked and so the patron was able to print from the MAC computer. Here's the remote website URL provided to us by DS that patrons can use with their own computers as well as the MAC computer with the Apple software -http://192.168.0.251:30044/clientlauncher. If this website does not work with some patrons' computers, it may be because of the firewall in their computers that must be preventing the downloads too.

Creative idea from NYPL

Check out this great idea happening in New York. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/04/new-york-public-library-game.html

Google Alternative

Thanks to Twitter, I was reminded of a website this weekend that I never should have forgotten! It's Finding Dulcinea, and it's a web guide curated completely by human beings.

FindingDulcinea presents only credible, high-quality and trustworthy Web sites, saving time for the novice and the experienced user alike.

Each piece, whether a Web Guide, a Beyond the Headlines story or a Netcetera article, receives the same meticulous research. The Web sites included in each piece are connected through original narrative, providing users with information on each site before they even click on it.

It came up in my Twitter because someone linked to today's blog post, "Time to Stop Teaching that .Govs Can Be Trusted," which is itself a great read, reminding us that assessing quality and credibility of a website is not, and should not, be a one-step process.

Another alternative to Google that I like is the old Librarian's Index to the Internet, which is now part of the ipl2, the new Internet Public Library. Several forces have joined to create ipl2, which is another human-curated topical guide to the web.

When you are helping a student with a homework question, or looking for a reliable source for a reference question, sometimes these sites can take you farther than Google or Wikipedia.

Google Reader

Have you considered using Google Reader? You can subscribe to all blogs you are interested in, and new posts will be sent to your Google Reader account. The posts will be organized by blog; the contents will be stored for months if you need them. It is a convenient "one-stop" place to keep current with your favorite blogs.

Is Giant Bomb the future of the internet?

Hey everyone, I just wanted to relay this post from the distant shores of Smoky Hill!

When we talk about the future of the internet we often focus on social networks, and how entities like Facebook generate content simply by allowing user interactivity. As many victims of the web 2.0 explosion have learned, however, simply creating the opportunity for user participation very rarely actually leads to user participation.

This struck me a few weeks ago after some of the library’s teens recommended that I sign up for a website known as http://giantbomb.com. On the surface Giant Bomb is a fairly straightforward video game website, an outlet for news and reviews that’s been hybridized with a wiki structure. As with any wiki, most of the pages are available for users to contribute to and edit, and each page links to relevant discussion boards.

In other words, the site does a commendable job of allowing for user participation. But so does every other website. What sets Giant Bomb apart is its system for encouraging users to participate.

When you first create an account you are told that you are “level 1,” like a brand-new character in a role-playing video game. You are then given a slate of “Quests,” each of which is a different way of participating in the website. One quest asks you to link your Giant Bomb account to your Facebook page, another asks you to make a post on their forum.

Each time you complete a quest, you are given experience points, and your “character” comes a step closer to leveling up. There are hundreds of Quests available, and by the time you’ve completed even a small fraction of them and leveled your character up a bit, you have become (whether intentionally or not) an active participant in the website’s social structure.

For a bit of clarification, here’s the profile page of one of the site’s most active members: http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/starfoxa/quests/. (You can see the "quests" listed here, although their descriptions might not work with the antiquated web browsers we use on our staff computers).

What’s particularly brilliant about this system is that it’s strictly Pavlovian. There are no actual rewards given to users, but every user feels rewarded for participating. It is a formula that game designers have used for years, and it’s very interesting to see it applied outside of games.

So what could we do with something like this? Well, it’s a bold and distant ambition, but I could see something like this being the structure of a Summer Reading Program. Or we could use such a system to encourage patrons to contribute reviews to the ALD website (“You reviewed three books! You’re a level 4 Library Patron!”). What are your thoughts?

The Future Of Libraries in the E-book Age

I caught the tail end of this story on the radio yesterday and figured it was worth a blog link: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135117829/the-future-of-libraries-in-the-e-book-age

Project Gutenberg versus Google Books

I have only recently realized that when a person downloads an ebook from Amazon, for example, they do not own that electronic copy. They have a license to use it. So I was interested in an interview I read with Michael Hart who invented the e-book and founded Project Gutenberg, one of the world's largest online collections of free e-books. Hart discusses the difference between Project Gutenberg's approach - anyone who downloads one of their ebooks actually owns the copy and can manipulate it - versus downloading a Google e-book, which is only an electronic copy, does not then belong to you, and cannot be modified in any way. Gutenberg books are those whose copyrights have expired or whose authors have given permission to Gutenberg to make available. Still, this issue about whether one actually owns the electronic copy or not is getting a lot of attention lately as libraries are being forced to purchase only a license to distribute ebooks and not the actual right to the ebook itself. This directly impacts a library's ability to meet patron demands for free access to information.

Yahoo just announced a cool new wifi device, called the SanDisc Sansa Connect, that comes ready to listen to Yahoo Music and also syncs up with your Flickr account. This gives them something to promote as Apple spreads its iPod empire and Microsoft markets its Zune music (and soon, phone) device. The Sansa Connect is $250 and comes with 4 GB of memory and a (small) 2.2 inch scree. If you are a subscription music fan and willing to pay $15 or so per month indefinitely for access to a large library of songs, this may be a device you'll want to have. Certainly having access to Yahoo's entire music collection of 1 million + songs on a portable device is going to be attractive.

Questions about LinkedIn

Over the past several months I have been invited to "friend" people at this site. It is always someone I know and I have explored the site to see who else is on it. I have come across many ALD staff and other people that I know. For months I have had on hold the book LinkedIn for Dummies, which I just got, so I am planning to learn more about it. I realize it is a professional networking site so I would be curious to know how others have used it and why this site is or is not more valuable than others.

March Techie of the Month

Hello NL team! Thanks for getting our Tech Talk discussion board off to a great start. Our page had over 1000 page views since we started. So many hits; so few staff: you may be going in to look but maybe not comfortable posting yet. Jump in! If your invitation expired, let Jenny P know and she’ll issue you another one. Our Techie of the Month contest is focused completely on posts to our Tech Talk discussion blog. What we are looking for each month may change, so keep posting and commenting. You never know when what you say will spark others to comment and learn too. So our Techie of the Month for March is Mark Mullis! We will consider Mark an honorary member of NL’s through this month. Mark will win a $10 gift card to Amazon and be celebrated on our NL staffnet page and all across the NL landscape. Here’s why we chose Mark: Mark’s comment about Twitter showed he was willing to learn something more about something he knew a bit about already. He spent time exploring and then shared what he learned on the board. From the discussion that follwed, we could tell others learned from his post as well. So congratulations, Mark! Let’s see who sparks our learning in April. Donna Walker

Mobile Wallets

The Denver Post reports today: "Instead of swiping a plastic card at the checkout counter, consumers would merely wave their phones....while technology already is being installed in millions of phones -- and is used overseas-- wide adoption of so-called mobile wallets is being slowed by a major behind-the-scenes battle among corporage giants.... the stakes are enormous because small, hidden fees that are generated every time consumers swipe their cards add up to tens of billions of dollars annually in the United States.... a joint venture by Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Discover to create their own mobile wallet...known as Isis, is expected to introduce its system next year.... Barclaycard, already a major player in Britain, will be the first issuer of the group's in-phone credit card and see it as an opportunity to expand in the U.S. " Consumer groups are also concerned about the ease of payment use and a high rise in debt for consumers.

Exploring Apps

I have had a great time exploring a new i phone app this weekend. The "Camera+" application is a 99 cent deal that can't be beat. (Thanks to Melissa's husband for the recommendation!) I already thought the camera took pretty good pictures, but now every picture can be pretty well perfected right on the phone, within the app. I learned to zoom, lighten, brighten, add effects, change the scene and add a border all before emailing the photo on the spot. Amazing.