Librarian Substitutes 2.0 wiki launched

I've spent the whole afternoon working on the "Librarian Substitutes 2.0" wiki. It's fun, it's easy, and it's time consuming, especially on my (slow) home computer.

Go take a look. You will see that it is quite raw and new, with just a few ideas sketched out, but that was an afternoon's work, and I've got to go do whatever it was I was supposed to do with the rest of my day!

Everything I put into the wiki so far is available elsewhere, but the point is to gather it into a quick reference guide with the substitute librarian in mind. We are generalists, and when we want to make sure our skills are current, this will be a first place to look. We can also note specifics about libraries, including the all important where-to-go-for-lunch-or-coffee question!

I picked Wet Paint as the wiki site in part because it was recommended in Terry Burrows' Blogs, wikis, MySpace, and more; everything you want to know about using web 2.0 but are afraid to ask. However, I'm already heartily sick of the advertisements, so I'm open to a move to another wiki host at some point.

Patron or Customer?

Here's an article from Library Journal that I bookmarked some time ago but is perennially relevant: what do we call our guests/clients/patrons/customers?

BackTalk: Patron or Customer (and Why)? By Brent Wagner -- Library Journal, 7/15/2007

I'm always on the lookout for articles that support my belief that the business model is not the best model for non-profits. James Collins, author of Good To Great; why some companies make the leap and some don't, wrote a (great) follow-up which addresses this:

Good to great and the social sectors : why business thinking is not the answer : a monograph to accompany Good to great : why some companies make the leap--and others don't / Jim Collins.

Stumble Upon

Stumble!

StumbleUpon is a social and communication add-on for Firefox. It allows you to select a range of topics of interest, then finds web sites based on what you like. You rate each site with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, and StumbleUpon learns your preferences. This is an example of "recommendation" software described by Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWriteWeb in the article I posted on April 6.

You can share newly discovered sites with others, post them to your Stumble blog, or add them to del.icio.us or other sharing sites.

Most of all, it's really fun!

Here's a link to the StumbleUpon home. My Stumble user-name is MinnLib -- add me as your friend!

What's Next on the Web?

Here's a fantastically interesting article written by Marshall Kirkpatrick for ReadWriteWeb: "What's Next on the Web: a ReadWriteWeb Toolkit for 2008"

Kirkpatrick describes five big trends that he's excited about for the web in 2008:

1. Open Data
2. Recommendations
3. The Semantic Web
4. Mobile
5. Visualization

He provides feeds and resources for each trend.

Don't know what some of those words or phrases mean? All the more reason to at least scan the article. If librarians are people who like to know a little bit about a lot of things, here's your golden opportunity to learn a little bit about these trends.

Read this for a peek into a future that's already begun!

Intermittent Dispatch #1

Have you been looking for a way to connect with other library subs?

Do you want to strut (or build) your Library 2.0 skills?

Are you looking for a way to showcase your particular skills and knowledge for others?

Do you want to collaborate with others to tackle library projects you might not do on your own?

Me too.

I've been looking for ways to get together with other library subs and share ideas about our place in the library world and how to advance our careers, to build community, share ideas, and just have fun.

Yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks that the creation of a library wiki would be a fantastic opportunity to do all these things: develop and display our 2.0 skills, collaborate on projects, and connect with each other.

My first step is to set up this blog and e-mail the address to all the subs I know. Part-time workers might also be interested.

Next, I'd like to set up a wiki to share and develop our knowledge. The beauty of a wiki is that it is peer edited. We can avoid perfectionism and jump right in. Unlike a web site, which has a central control, everyone can contribute to a wiki.

For instance, I recently ran across a list of a dozen sites similar to del.icio.us and digg, but only knew three or four of them. It's tough to keep up! We can collaborate on this!

Please add your comments and ideas below, or e-mail me at a_pearson@visi.com.

I'll post again when I've set up the wiki -- or when I need help setting up the wiki! Please post or contact me if you have experience doing this! Thanks!