Espresso Book Machines
For many budding writers, the ability to print bound copies of their own books is a dream. Well, that dream has become a reality for anyone who has access to the new Espresso Book Machines. These incredible machines give people the ability to produce paperback copies of books on the spot in a matter of minutes.
Check out this video:
Currently, very few libraries offer this service. Darien Library in Connecticut just started this service recently and the University of Michigan Library has one available for students and faculty. The FAQ from University of Michigan has some great information if you’re curious and want to learn more.
Can you see one of these machines at Oakton?
All about Apps
For anyone who’s interested in learning more about some of the more popular and intriguing mobile apps out there, I’ll be giving a brief demo on Thursday, November 17 from 12:30-1:30pm Thursday, December 1 from 11:00am-12:00pm in the library’s computer lab.You don’t need to own a smartphone or tablet to come, but if you do have one, bring it to show others!
If you want a sneak preview of some of the apps I’ll be talking about, check out this list of 48 iPad Apps that College Students Love.
Conference Recaps
This past week has been all about conferences for many library folks. If you’re curious about the results of the ILA Video Shootout, you can check out the videos on our YouTube page.
In addition to the local Illinois Library Association Conference, the Internet Librarian Conference was happening out in Monterey, CA. If you’re curious what people were talking about at the Internet Librarian Conference, here are a few places to read up on some interesting sessions.
The Spinstah blogger has 18 separate entries covering sessions at Internet Librarian 2011. Amazing!
David Lee King and the Librarian in Black, both well-known library leaders, have quite a bit of coverage as well on their respective sites.
And don’t forget about the Internet Librarian Conference site, which has links to most of the presentations given at the conference!
Want to be a filmmaker?
ILA’s Annual Conference starts tomorrow and I wanted to take a second plugging a program/project that I’m helping out with called ILA Video Shootout. The idea is to teach participants the basics of making a quick video and then helping them create a video during the conference. It starts on Tuesday, when we’ll have an afternoon program to introduce people to the process of making a video and issue a challenge to create their own in the next few days. Then, during the conference, several of us involved with the program will be on-hand in a lab near the exhibits to assist people with editing their footage and uploading to YouTube. If you’re interested in learning more, check out the ILA Video Shootout Facebook page and email ilavideo11@gmail.com to express your interest. You can also just stop by the program on Tuesday to learn more.
Even if you can’t make it, you should know that it’s easier than ever to create simple videos and share them online. Here are some simple steps to help you get started:
- Come up with an idea. Do you want to feature a library service, provide a visual tour, interview a staff member, interview users’ testimonies, or capture a special program? What are you proud of and what do you think people should know about the library?
- Think about what you want the video to look like. Try to visualize where you want to film, what you want to film, and how you want to film.
- Find a recording device. This should be easy because most of us have access to at least a digital camera with movie function. If you have a camcorder, even better. Even if you don’t have a camcorder or a digital camera, your mobile phone should be able to capture video. In fact, the newer smart phones really do a great job capturing high-def video.
- Start recording and don’t worry about getting it right on the first take. When you start editing, you can cut out the stuff you don’t want.
- Upload the footage to a computer with some video editing software like iMovie (on Macs) or Windows Movie Maker (free for Windows users). YouTube even has some very simple editing options. Some mobile devices like the iPad have apps that allow you to edit videos right on the device.
- Upload to YouTube. Easy-to-understand instructions are available on YouTube and elsewhere. If you don’t like YouTube, Vimeo.com is another nice option.
iPhone4s vs the Rest
Last Tuesday, Apple unveiled its new iPhone4s, which is really the iPhone4 shell with some significant enhancements on the inside. With a new dual core A5 chip, the new iPhone is faster than its predecessor and comes equipped with a better camera and new voice-activated “intelligent assistant” called Siri. The new phone will also see improvements from the upcoming iOS5 (Apple’s mobile operating system) update and iCloud system, which will allow users to store their music, photos, and documents “in the cloud.” Despite being seen as a disappointment to many who expected an entirely new iPhone5, initial pre-order sales of the iPhone4s have been strong.
What’s also interesting is that Apple has dropped the price of the iPhone4 to $99 (w/ a 2-year contract) and the price of the iPhone3Gs to $0 (w/ a 2-year contract). These lower prices, in addition to the many other smart phones available from other manufacturers, will likely mean even more people will make the jump to a smart phone sometime in the near future.
Other serious competitors to the iPhone4s include Samsung’s recent Galaxy SII (Epic Touch 4G on Sprint), Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Nexus, and Motorola’s Droid Bionic. You can read more about these phones and others in CNET’s fall tech preview.
With more of our students and faculty members using smart phones, what services and products should we be offering to take advantage of this new mobile technology? How will users’ research and study habits change with their new mobile devices (including new tablets like the iPad and Kindle Fire)?
What do you think of the iPhone4S? Are you thinking of buying one or another smart phone for the first time? If so, what types of features and apps are you looking forward to using the most?
Amazon Ups the Ante
Sliding in a week before Apple’s iPhone event (tomorrow), Amazon announced their revamped Kindle lineup, which includes the new Kindle Fire. This 7″ multi-touch tablet goes well beyond the current Kindles since they include the ability to browse websites, watch movies, download apps, and, of course, read ebooks. Customers with an Amazon Prime membership will have access to thousands of movies and TV shows from the Kindle Fire. Furthermore, the relatively low price at $199 will offer consumers a much cheaper option than Apple’s iPad, which starts at $499. I recommend reading more about Amazon’s press conference and the other Kindles announced at ALA TechSource, but here’s quick video demonstrating the device.
So, how does this impact the library and the college? It’s not difficult to imagine a wider adoption of tablet devices, e-readers, and e-books among students and faculty. What types of new services can the library offer and what steps do you think we should take to be ready?
Remembering Everything with Evernote
Photo by Steve Bailey http://bit.ly/oE1nZ0
The photo to the left is something we’ve all experienced. You’re standing in front of an airline’s arrival and departure board and trying to make sense of just way too much information. If you know what you’re looking for, it’s pretty easy to find the right information but at first glance it can appear to be a daunting task.
Of course, information overload doesn’t just happen at the airport. Information overload is a fact of life for most people these days, but it’s especially a problem for anyone who spends most of their day browsing the web at work and at home. I’m sure you’ve all experienced reading a single news story or blog post online and losing track of time as you get lost in one interesting link after another. That snowball effect can often lead to some great discoveries, but it can also leave you with a sense that there’s just too much to remember and process.
Evernote is one tool among many that offers people a way to remember what they come across online. Here’s a list of the types of things you can do using Evernote:
- Save entire webpages or just the portions (text, images, links) you need for later
- Write yourself a short note about what you’re reading online
- Share links and notes with colleagues (think students and faculty) to collaborate on a project
- Take photos on your phone and save it to your Evernote account
- Keep everything in sync on whatever computers and devices you use
- Search your saved content by keyword
So, beyond just personal use, how can tools like Evernote make an impact in the lives of the students and faculty at Oakton? How can tools like Evernote aid research efforts?
Here’s a brief explanation (created by Evernote) of how one school gave premium subscriptions to each of their students and faculty to facilitate online collaboration and project work. Here’s a blog post (also on Evernote’s website) showcasing one college student’s use of Evernote for a specific project and another one with 10 tips for for using Evernote in college.
Thoughts? Does anyone use Evernote or something similar? What do you like or dislike about it?
Googling and the Myth of the Digital Native
Last week, Jane shared an interesting USA Today article about a new study that shed additional light on something most of us are probably not surprised to hear, that college students often do not know how to search for information efficiently and effectively online, despite many of them falling into the so-called “digital native” category.
The most alarming finding in the ERIAL studies was perhaps the most predictable: when it comes to finding and evaluating sources in the Internet age, students are downright lousy….
Throughout the interviews, students mentioned Google 115 times — more than twice as many times as any other database. The prevalence of Google in student research is well-documented, but the Illinois researchers found something they did not expect: students were not very good at using Google. They were basically clueless about the logic underlying how the search engine organizes and displays its results. Consequently, the students did not know how to build a search that would return good sources. (For instance, limiting a search to news articles, or querying specific databases such as Google Book Search or Google Scholar.)
So, what’s the best way for librarians to respond?
- Are there lessons we can fold into our existing “Got Research?” workshops? Would a “Using Google Like a Librarian” class for faculty and students make a difference at Oakton, like it did at Grand Valley State University?
- If you could share just one tip about searching online (Google, library databases, or anything else), what would it be ?
If you want to learn more about the ERIAL project, check out this presentation by Lynda Duke (Illinois Wesleyan) given at ACRL 2011 or visit the official ERIAL website.
Library 2.Oakton 