Readings and Thoughts
Where did this week go? Really? Wasn’t I just watching the Super Bowl? It has been a busy week so I really didn’t get to read as much as I usually do.
The big story on the personal front is the purchase of a new TV and the ordeal that became. It may become a post here…maybe. I’m not sure I really want to rehash all the details of that experience. Let’s just say we’ve purchased (and returned) a few TV’s this week.
I’ve been thinking a lot about library savings calculators at work this week. I really wanted to be able to write a blog post about how much money we save our community but was unable to. I’ve got something written up and just need to hit publish but I don’t like it. So, I’ll have to revise it a bit. What is the best way to tell people that we helped them save over $3.8 MILLION in one month with out coming across as preachy or needy? I also would like to have an actual calculator to give them that uses the numbers we used for the calculations. Unfortunately, I don’t have the technical chops for such an endeavor. I hope I can grab our web developer and get his help with that.
The big topic in my mind this week has been the (surprise) invitation to participate in the LITA (Library & Information Technology Association) National Forum 2012 Committee. This is a really good opportunity to learn a lot, meet some new people and get involved in ALA. It would also mean attending more conferences which isn’t a bad thing but the county doesn’t have the money to pay for it and I don’t have it either. There is also the question of time. I don’t want to commit to something that will take me away from my family or distract me at work unnecessarily. I also wouldn’t want to be ‘that guy’ who volunteered to help then did nothing. I’ve been asking around for some advice and will hopefully make up my mind early next week. THEN I have to get approval from my boss… We will see.
The reading list this week is quite short with only four posts. Some technology related and some Library related. These stuck with me this week so I’m sharing them. They are available for download for different mobile devices here.
- The possibility of incorporating Near Field Communications into library use really intrigues me. This post at Ars Technica explains the technology very well. It’s a bit dense on technical terms but I feel that I understand it more than I did before I read this.
- John C. Dvorak (who is always great on TWIT) discusses a current proposal to develop an “Internet Kill Switch”. It’s a bad idea.
- Libraries in the UK are facing similar, if not worse, problems than we are. The BBC wrote this piece about libraries last week. There is a good video about two people who used the library to start a business and improve a skill.
- Aaron Schmidt provides some advice on library signs. I’m not too sure about the sign matrix he mentions but I do like the design tips.
