Reading leve level of this blog

Ok, what kind of algorithm are they using. This blog rates high school, while my vacation blog is Post Grad level.

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Businesses on Facebook

I heard on the radio on the way into work this morning that Facebook will allow businesses to have profiles and allow them access to advertising to members.

In the past they have deleted library accounts, but if this news is true, then Libraries should be allowed to have profiles now.

Anyone know any more?

My local public library - Oakville Public Library

Here is what my local library is doing. They don't get near enough credit.

Grand Opening: New Clearview Neighbourhood Branch!

Please join us!

Saturday, November 10, 2007
11:00am to 1:00pm
1148 Winston Churchill Blvd., Unit E, Oakville (entrance off Sheridan Garden Drive)

Free refreshments and prize draws. Please RSVP by November 5, 2007 to 905-815-2042 ext. 5024. The branch will be open from 1:00 - 5:00pm after the grand opening.

WATT NOT, WASTE NOT: Residents Encouraged to Conserve Energy

A new program launched by the Town of Oakville and Oakville Public Library allows residents to borrow energy meters to test their home appliances for energy usage. Residents can borrow a meter from any of the Town's five libraries and return the meter to any branch free of charge. Meters can be picked up at any Oakville Public Library Branch. Click here to read the full press release.

Adult Book Club Blogs

Want to know what the Oakville Public Library's Book Clubs are reading? Want to keep updated on their discussions? Check out the library's two new Book Club blogs: the Central Branch blog and the White Oaks branch blog. Only subscribers to the blogs will be able to post messages. Click here to visit the Book Club page.

Download Free Audio Books!

Libraries on the Go is a web site brought to you by your library that lets you download free audio books to your computer, PDA and many MP3 players! To learn more and start downloading, visit http://librariesonthego.library.on.ca/

Let's Get Every Child Ready To Read in Oakville!

Learning starts at birth! Research shows that children learn the skills they need to read years before they start school. To ensure every child in Oakville is given the best possible chance to succeed, the Oakville Public Library has adopted the Every Child Ready To Read program developed by the Public Library Association. For more information click here.

Join the Teen Advisory Group!

Are you a secondary school student who needs to fulfill community service hours for high school credit? The Oakville Public Library is looking for several students interested in serving on its Teen Advisory Group (TAG) for the 2007-2008 school year. We meet once monthly at the Central Branch. Help develop the library's teen web site, teen programs and services, and build your resume at the same time!

Interested? Contact Shauna Clinning at sclinning@oakville.ca for de

IL2007 - Session B205 — Developing a Taxonomy

Session B205 — Developing a Taxonomy
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Kathryn Breininger & Mary Whittaker, Librarians, The Boeing Company

I'll start of with – this session just blew my mind. All the Work. All the effort. All the people involved. All the cost. All the buy in from all levels. All the time.

There must have been an incredible problem for them to have invested so so very much.

Setting the stage – from Outsell survey – 13 hr / week searching and analyzing information; 2 hr more than 2 years ago

Information overload

People don't know what words to search for

No two people organize the same way

Taxonomy – controlled vocabulary – hierarchical – broader and narrower terms – equivalent terms as well

Word list – synonym ring – taxonomy – thesaurus – ontology

Z39.9 standard for controlled vocabulary

Considerations

- Avoid reinvention an existing taxonomy

- Construction methods

- Dimensions

- Size of taxonomy

- Facets

- Intended use

Process

- Determine requirements

- Identify concepts

- Develop draft taxonomy

- Review with users and audience

- Refine taxonomy

- Apply to content

- Manage and maintain taxonomy

Manual tagging of existing content

- Time and effort – is it worth it

- Time for maintenance

- Version control

Constant analysis of results and search errors

Terms used excessively or rarely need to be examined

When testing – do you get good results – does it match user expectations – user evaluation – expert evaluation – various methods of testing – qualitative testing – measurable or subjective

Engaging People

- strong sponsor

- obtain user buy in

- IT handles software

- subject experts, librarians, owners handle taxonomy

- keep team smallish, manageable

Process for term suggestions

Process for handling comments

Process for communication

Process for appeals

Release schedules

Team charters available at IL2007 site later

Taxonomy implementation drivers

- Search inefficiencies

- Bottom line impacted by inabiligy to find info

- IT pressured to find solution

- Content management systems

- Knowledge management initiatives

Tag content at creation

- Integrate all taxonomies into one

- Owned by those who classify

- Incorporate with search functions

Productivity benefits

- More time for analysis since search was faster

- Less duplication of effort

- Fewer poor decisions due to lack of information

- More focus on info as strategic asset

- More internal knowledge sharing

- Better understanding of terminology

- Structure brings context to terms

- Facilitates browsing

- Standardized access

- Brings fragmented content together

- Reflects scope of business

- Assists in learning the domain

- Supports business goals

Considerations

- It is a cost

- Tagged content must be used

- Technology cost

- Time cost

- Integrate for maximum ROI

- Phased rollout

- Need strong political buy in

- Subject matter experts are important

- Automated tools can get it wrong – human review

Avoid

- Corporate lingo

- Department names

- Undefined acronyms

- Over thinking

- Over engineering

- Unneeded sections

- Proprietary system for taxonomy management

IL2007

IL2007 - Session C106 — Web Design on a Dime: Quick Web Tips for Small Libraries

Session C106 — Web Design on a Dime: Quick Web Tips for Small Libraries
4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sarah Houghton-Jan, Web Services Manager, San Mateo County Library

Tell management what users want

Ask users what they want

Want services same online and onsite

E-branch – most public face; open 24/7; cheaper services; many free add-ons

Treat an e-branch as a branch

1. Talk with users – IM – Meebo

Put meebo in catalogue – sidebar navigation

Text to email to text

2. Provide classes and events

ODIOGO – text to audio files

Database and catalogue search tutorials

AVIDAMUX – video software

3. Dynamic lists (recommendations)

book recommendations

movie recommendations

allow comments

4. offer tools and mashups

libraryelf

library lookup

libx toolbar

5. pretty up your catalogue

6. increase database visibility

focus on what

separate periodicals from others

links on homepage

do not use the word dataset

free free free

subject guides, path finders

outreach visits

market market market

7. increase book visibility

downloadable is wanted

get everything into your catalogue

free ebook collections

market to specific audiences

8. exploit the blog as a format

don’t call it a blog

allow comments

9. Make RSS your friend

new books

news

McMaster RSS praised

RSS calendar

feed submitter

10. try a wiki

11. flickr – give a face to your library

moo

photoshow

Qoop

Zazzle

12. Use project management tools

gliffy draws good flowcharts

13. firefox addons

link checker

linkif

widefox

14. don’t pay for images

15. pay attention to accessibility
"terms that users understand"

16. Use design tools to save time

copy design

free layouts

css templates

inknoise

17. User other tools

web monkey

survey monkey

18. hosting – stats

19. image generators

20. keep everything current

IL2007

IL2007 - Session C105 — Cool Tools for Library Webmasters

Session C105 — Cool Tools for Library Webmasters
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Darlene Fichter, University of Saskatchewan Library
Frank Cervone, Assistant University Librarian for Information Technology, Northwestern University

Mostly a list – I did not write down all the features J

• Sketchcast
• Jing Project
• Picnik – IE and firefox plugin; has capture full page
• Kerpoff – for fun
• Thumbalizer
• Visual page rank
• IBM unstructured information modeler – reference logs – comments – data mining tool
• DiffDaff – compare two directories; compare laptop and network
• Logview – www.tucows.com/preview/504173
• SDAP Sonar – www.crosschecknet.com
• Evolved – www.home.no/evolved; text editor for programming; colours based on language you are coding
• Perl express – Perl editor; good features; www.perl-express.com; server commands; database commands; OS

Fun with images

• Photoslideshow – flash.dvd-photo-slideshow.com; creates flash slideshow
• Flash gallery generator – www.flashgallerygenerator.com/main.aspx

Search Index

• Sitemap – www.sitemapbuilder.net; for google indexing
• Opensource federated searching – 3 open source
• IBM Omnifind Yahoo Ediiton – easy to install; installer to search in minutes: download so will work behind firewall
• Google CoopCSE (customized search engine)
• Open URl Referrer Toolbar – openly.oclc.org/openurlref ; if you have a resolver it will try to resolve other info; links to your own referrer
• Flogblog – apps.facebook.com/flogblog ; integrate blog content in to Facebook page

Freedom

• Portable firefox
• Asterisk logger – reveal passwords
• Undelete
• Unstoppable copier
• Simple file shredder
• KeePass – all passwords saved with master key

IL2007

IL2007 - Session - session C104 — Inspiration for Your Library Redesign

Session C104 — Inspiration for Your Library Redesign
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Bennett Ponsford, Digital Services Librarian, & Christina Hoffman Gola, Undergraduate Specialist Librarian, Texas A&M University LibrariesErica Reynolds, Web Content Manager, Johnson County Library

They asked their users:

• What are you searching for
• What they last looked for
• How do they discover new resources
• Use for subject guides
• What 2.0 features do they want
• Survey, forum, discussion groups, focus groups, interviews

What they found:

• Very limited interest in tagging
• Limited interest in user generated content
• Traditional preferences for communication: email and in person
• Limited interst in IM
• What do you start with when starting a new project?
  Google for undergrads
  Google scholar for facultywant all systems integrated
• single onetime login
• subject guides hav interdisciplinary issues
• personalization of their site
• photos of librarians – Facebook like
• Facebook, blog, forums not really used

IL2007