Open Source software and Libraries

Open source software is software whose source code is published and made available to the public allowing anyone to copy, modify and resistribute without paying anything - yes it is free!!

This software evolves through the community cooperation of individuals and large companies.
We aleady have OpenOffice available for use by patrons in our library and this is probably just the beginning.

Mozilla Firefox ( web browser) and Blender (3D graphics editor) are examples of Open source application software.
Moodle , the course management system we use, and MediaWiki, the software that runs Wikipedia are examples of Open source server software.

There are of  course advantages and disadvantages of Open source software.  Businesses do achieve greater penetration of the market with a very much reduced cost of marketing, however it is very difficult to design a commercially sound business model around the idea of Open source software.  The technical requirements may be satisfied but not the requirements of the market!

The cooperation of individuals and large companies does produce reliable, high quality software quickly and inexpensively.

Open source software is being taken up by libraries as a way of reducing costs and being able to have input into the design of the application. Evergreen is used by nearly 1000 libraries (mainly US and Canada, but also Tasmania) to provide their public catalogue, circulation and acquisition software.

I wonder how much the Corangamite Regional Library Corporation spends on software applications?

Useful Web 2.0 applications and Libraries

Web 2.0 is the term used to cover web applications that involve information sharing and collaboration on the world wide web. It is all about new and improved online connections.

We are using Web 2.0 applications every day now whether for social networking, web services, or software services.

Patrons walk into our library everyday to use social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter.  They can create and edit Wiki's.  They can post on their blog and comment on others.  They can spend hours on video hosting and sharing sites such as YouTube, Myspace and Flickr.  Every teenager seems to have a mobile phone and video can now be taken at any moment!

Other patrons come to the library to pay bills.  They are paying a company (or Ebay seller) using Paypal which is a Web 2.0 service, that shares information with the company. Many websites combine data and maps from different sources (a mash-up) which are also provided to us through Web 2.0 technology.

Finally Web 2.0 allows us to access software such as Zoho, Google docs and project management software.

These are all amazing applications that keep us connected, save us time and allow us to share and work with others, however there are still many disadvantages.

Security and privacy are major concerns especially when banking or credit card details are given out.  Social networking sites are dealing with the potential for misuse (fake Facebook pages), online bullying, risks to child safety by sexual predators, psychological effects, and trolling (eg. the defacing of tribute pages).  Data mining is also an issue where companies use information to increase sales.

Could we live without Web 2.0 applications now???

Cloud Computing & Libraries

Cloud computing is the next stage in the evolution of the internet, however the definitions given on the internet can be absolutely bamboozling!
The cloud server provides the means through which everything from the computing power, infrastructure, applications, business processes to personal collaborations can be delivered to you wherever and whenever you need.


Organizations or businesses remotely access a cloud server. They can instantly get more computing power or release it when not required!
There are many benefits such as:

• availability
• portability
• reliability
• performance
• security
• cost
• collaboration opportunities

and it's GREEN!

Libraries are already providing services on their public internet terminals, such as Hotmail, Gmail, Flickr and Facebook that utilise cloud computing. Libraries are also using LibraryThing, Google Apps, Biblio, twitter, and even catalogue and database applications such as Jstor and WorldCat.

I can share my photos of Vietnam with you on Flickr, Picasa or Snapfish, and I can access them all in my library.

The DC Public Library and the British Library are using cloud computing servers now, so it is appears more and more libraries are heading for the clouds!


Of course there are also a few drawbacks and issues that concern many users: privacy, security, reliability, data ownership, control, will it become obsolete, and being locked-in to a particular cloud server.

It's A Book - By Lane Smith

Podcasts, Video & Downloadable audio?

You can spend a lot of time watching videos and go off on a tangent.
We have all heard about You Tube and MySpace but there are a lot of other sites out there with some average videos available for upload and sharing.

Watched some great videos on You Tube and in this information literacy subject I thought I had better give you a link to this one. Its a Book is fantastic and will give us all something to ponder as we learn about all the electronic resources available to us now. How stupid why am I giving you a link when I should be sharing it with you!!!! Will add at the end.


Podcasts are perfect for trains, planes & automobiles as well as lazing on the beach.
It is a fantastic option to be able to automatically download the next episode (audio or video) , store locally for offline use on your PC or for transferring to your MP3 player .

If I had to spend hours commuting I would prefer to be listening to what I want to rather than flicking radio stations. iTunes has their own database of podcasts or you can try Podscape or the podcast network. Had a look at ABC Services and the podcasts available - The Science Show, Country Hour - could be great for a farmer on the the tractor with no radio or to listen to at a later time.

So many audiobooks available and multiple ways to download them that suit every situation!

RSS Feeds - Really interesting...

RSS or really simple syndication, a method of delivering regularly updated information over the web.
I didn't even know what RSS stood for when I started investigating and I have discovered there are some great newsfeeds out there.

The important part of subscribing to RSS feeds is choosing the ones that are the most beneficial for you or your organization as like anything it is finding the time to read them!
The first thing you have to do is set yourself up with a feed reader. This feed reader allows you to read all your favourite content in one place rather than moving around between lots of different websites. The feed reader I used was Bloglines but you could use Google Reader.

I subscribed to feeds like: ABC News, ABC Books New Release, iTunes Top 25 songs, The Age news headlines and National Geographic News: Animals & Nature.

Today's Sunday Life magazine with The Age has an article on the feast of ways for food lovers to indulge their passion online, so I though I had better add a recommended blog with a feed. I am going to follow Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate and Zucchini.

I think some RSS feeds could be great on the public internet computers at the library as a quick way for people to check news, weather, this weeks best sellers, AFL information etc. without having to find each individual website.

Best sellers, new releases could also be great on the circulation pc's for those questions you are always being asked?

The library could use an RSS feed to send out regular information about changes to storytime/bookclub sessions/opening & closing times/internet pc's being unavailable. They could also use it as a quick way to let people know about activities at short notice or just advertise something new happening..

I think there is many ways RSS feeds can be used positively in a library setting.

Fun with Flickr

Had fun playing around with flickr.
Was fairly easy to use once I knew where to find everything on the site.
Did have to go to Frequently Asked Questions a few times!
The first photo I wrote a description thinking it would come up as title but then realized on second I needed to change image number to get a title under photo.
The kids looked great for Book Week & Hazel's visit was a lot of fun for the new library.

Hazel Edwards and her hippo at the Colac Library

Hazel Edwards and her hippo at the Colac Library,
originally uploaded by davida.mcdonald.

The Colac Community Library & Learning was very priviledged to have Hazel visit on the 27th October . She read and talked to 170 Prep & Year 1 pupils from Colac schools. They all had a tour of our new library and then made sparkly hippos and hippo finger puppets.
It was our first big crowd in the auditorium.
We won Hazel's visit in a state wide competition for the 30th birthday of There's a Hippotamus on our Roof eating Cake.

2010 Book Week Parade

IMG_0029,
originally uploaded by davida.mcdonald.

Batman, Harry Potter & the BFG ready and very excited about the Book Week Parade 2010.
What are we going to dress up as next year?

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Back to blogging!!

How has this year gone so fast?
How many obstacles did I have this year to completing my 3 things?
I know work, children, husbands (just one!), too many subjects and a busy life.

Anyway I am back to it - nothing like a deadline.
After some very busy weeks our library is now open - wow!!!
Yes there are a few hiccups to overcome but generally the public are thrilled, amazed and in awe of the size.
We really do have a 21st century library with self check out, WiFi, activity rooms, meeting rooms, a toy library and plenty of space.

I will put some photos up for you all to see.

Our library has a name!

After much debate and voting our new Colac joint use library has a name.
It is the:
Colac Community Library and Learning Centre

That must be a CCLALC (clalc)

Probably better than a CCACLL (cackle) or a CLLACC (clack)!!

Where has June gone?

The challenge has evaded me!
I could not get the 30 posts in 30 days.
How can a month go so fast?
I am far more impressed by all the new Web 2.0 tools that are being used on the blogs...
I must knuckle down and work through the obstacles.

So much exciting information in the reference section!

We all marched across to the SMB library on the weekend and found ourselves immersed in dictionaries, thesauruses & encyclopedias on all manner of interesting topics.
It was really difficult to get the class to leave!
You really need to know what is in your library......

I realized I had not had a good look at the Reference section in my library.
I did find The SBS World Guide but it was 6 years old so really needs updating.
There were many other great reference books that I will remember to use now!
You could get lost in the Veterinary Dictionary and dictionaries of surnames, first names and any other name.

Remember to post or the challenge will evade me!

Sailing solo around the world!

I know we were obligated to rescue the girl.
She was in danger in Australian waters, but should we (Australians) have to pay for the charter of a Qantas airbus and the many other bills associated with this rescue?

I know there are kids out there who want to be adventurers & test their limits whether it be climbing mountains, sailing through 10m swells, fighting bulls or treking through jungles.

But should we have to bear the cost every time something unfortunate happens?
If they fund their own personal expedition should they also be able to fund their rescue if required?

They choose to set off on these adventures often with a long list of sponsors.
Perhaps the sponsors should also contribute to a rescue?

A great comment article in todays Age called 'Kids not only ones going to extremes'.
"Kids can't generally get into these situations without help, so perhaps we are dealing with extreme parents"!

I think I am a tired busy mum who feels she is constantly fundraising for schools & kinders, and would just like to see a bit more funding come our way.
Instead I see $$$ spent on ........
Shouldn't there be enough funds to buy tape to repair books in the school library, and to keep a kinder going without pumping out another slice, chocolate, SPC, lipstick, pie drive????

Off on a treasure hunt

It was a great weekend for adventures!

We spent Sunday chasing treasure on the modern day treasure hunt of geocaching??
It's a fun way to get the whole family fossicking around by the beach, in national parks and just about anywhere a treasure can be hidden.
We explored a wetland, a koala sanctuary, a reservoir, the beach, and a cliff top walk on the Mornington Peninsula.

Off course we also enjoyed pizza, ice-cream and other sweet treats!
Now I must get back to reality & start thinking information literacy......

Ten wildly happy minutes reading aloud

Have been digging further into the great books I borrowed from the display at the SMB library.

I have been totally immersed in a fantastic book:
Delivering the best start: a guide to early years libraries by Carolynn Rankin & Avril Brock.

Information literacy has to start at the beginning with literacy and communication skills.
Children absorb like a sponge from experiencing stories, pictures & rhymes.
Rankin & Brock (2009) want librarians to reach the family audience so as to encourage literacy skills and help build sustainable communities.

In a major study of reading it concluded that reading for pleasure is more important to a child's educational achievement than its family's wealth or social class (Kirsch,2002)

I love taking storytime sessions and am inspired to start up a rhyme time and try some new ideas out on the pre-schoolers!

I feel enthused everytime I read Mem Fox's Ten Commandments for reading aloud techniques.
Here are just a few:

• Spend at least ten wildly happy minutes every single day reading aloud
• Read at least 3 stories every day
• Read aloud with animation - Hang loose and be loud, have fun and laugh a lot

So I read Mog and the Baby, our next book in the Premiers Reading Challenge on the couch tonight to the boys with great animation, laughter and enthusiasm!

They were all very happy boys.

Kirsch, I. (2002) Reading for Change: performance and engagement across countries. Results from PISA 2000 (Programmes for International Student Assessment - how well young adults are doing at end of compulsory schooling), OECD

Rankin, C. & Brock, A. (2009) Delivering the best start: a guide to early years libraries. London: Facet

Information Literacy Blogs - 4 480 000 results in Google

Last week I had looked at one blog from the beautiful Moonflowerdragon, and managed to head off on an adventure through the blogs she follows. You can end up on a very long adventure.....

The information passed on, and time that Moonflowerdragon and others must spend on their posts just amazes me.

So thinking about Information Literacy I typed into Google - "Information Literacy Blogs".
Wow, just exactly how do you deal with 4 480 00 results?

One of my sons has been studying ancient egypt so I thought I would do exactly what most of his class would do and type "egypt" into Google - 137 000 000 results. I was able to narrow it down to 6 100 000 by typing "ancient egypt" into my search!

How does an 8 year old deal with this and who is there to guide them and filter out the fact from fiction?

I found a fantastic quote on the Central Highlands Regional Library blog Explore, Discover, Connect.

Google can bring you back 100,000 answers,
a librarian can bring you back the right one.
Neil Gaimon

This brings about my first quandry in how do I reference this - a quote within a post on a blog of Central Highlands Regional Library Corporation?

Is the author of the post the library, or the author of the post who works in the library- clplates?
clplates??? (2010, May 27). The fact that we exist [Web log post]. Explore, Discover, Connect. Retrieved June 9 from http://chrlibrary.blogspot.com/2010/05/fact-that-we-exist.html

Back to my 4 480 000 results. Let's check out the first results, they must be accurate - isn't that what most students out there would do?

InfoLiteracy Network Blog was set up in late 2007 before a conference. West (2007) a librarian introduces herself in the December post and is looking forward to presenting at an upcoming conference on the information literacy issues she faces in rural Vermont. There are no further posts on the blog however there are 2063 comments which cover everything from porn, viagra and Paris Hilton, to cheap airfares. No one contributed to this blog again.

Information literacy meets Library 2.0 is a great blog and I have found lots of valuable information here. Godwin (2010) has posed the question - Is the internet making us dumber? If we are using Web 2.0 tools are we adding to this reliance of the internet? I must investigate further the Google Wonder wheel, using keywords to define what is being researched (Godwin, 2010).

The first two blogs on the first page of a search result, and very mixed results.
I think this is where it is important to define what information literacy really is.

The ability to recognize when information is needed
and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively
the needed information (AMA, 1989)

We are surrounded by information as demonstrated by a simple Google search, however we must become more equipped to think about where our information originates.
Libraries provide a significant public access point to this information, so we play a key role in preparing people for the demands of this information society we live in.

American Library Association. (1989). Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report. Retrieved June 9, 2010 from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential.cfm

Godwin, P. (2010, June 7). Is the internet making us dumber? [Web log post]. Retrieved June 9, 2010 from http://infolitlib20.blogspot.com/2010/06/is-internet-making-us-dumber.html

Godwin, P. (2010, May 26). Tools for helping your students choose their topics [Web log post]. Retrieved June 9, 2010 from http://infolitlib20.blogspot.com/2010/05/tools-for-helping-your-students-choose.html

West, J. (2007, December 1). Hello from Vermont, USA [Web log post]. Retrieved June 9, 2010 from http://www.informationliteracynetwork.net/blog/2007/12/01/hello-from-vermont/

Porridge - too hot, too cold, just right!

I enjoy a bowl of porridge on a winters morning and was surprised when I read in yesterdays Epicure that porridge is now a fashionable staple at cafes everywhere (Costigan, 2010)!!
It appears that it is very black and white with porridge - you love it or hate it?

It was a great article and shows us just how porridge has evolved from a simple mix of oats,water and salt to a gastronomic delight made with full-cream milk, honey, treacle or brown sugar, and topped with fruits, fresh banana and dusted with cinnamon.

I like my porridge with brown sugar and banana - How do you like yours served?

My little fact I learnt from the day came from the article.
I have a very old, worn smooth stirring stick that came from my grandma.
Apparently it is called a "spurtle" and is used for making porridge.
We must be a family of porridge lovers!

Costigan, J. (2010, June 8). Like it or lump it. The Age Epicure, p.17.

Happy Borrowers

I spent 4 hours on the circulation desk today.
Reservations, shelving, computer problems, returning, issuing....
There is nothing quite like the satisfaction you feel, and the joy of the borrower when you are able to lay your hands on that "brand new" copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" they had to have for an assignment this weekend.

I have been reading the next book I borrowed from the SMB library :
The Customer-Focused Library : Re-inventing the Public Library from the Outside-In
It is a great read and I really took note today of what our customers/borrowers/readers/clients/members/guests were using & doing in our library.
What do we all call the people who enter our library?
I really enjoyed the chapter on merchandising - how we display and also make our services more appealing to a broader segment of the community.

Just started on the info tech chapter and the library web site.
Made me really think when I read this little quote:
"The Internet is the ultimate customer-empowering experience - one click and you are out of there! One click!"

I'm off to the movies to support the kinder - those materialistic girls from New York!