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by Ellyssa Kroski Info Today’s informative Computers in Libraries conference just wrapped up yesterday in Washington, DC. If you didn’t get a chance to attend you may want to check out these terrific presentations by talented info pros!
Innovation in Libraries 2012 was a free post-conference event after LITA Forum, sponsored by OCLC. Held at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Innovation in Libraries 2012 featured 16 sessions and lightning talk presenters--all sharing how their library or organization has done innovative things and found success.
Founded in 1955, the IATUL (International Association of Scientific and Technological University Libraries) is an international forum for the exchange of ideas on library matters related to technological universities around the ... [...] With an aim to develop new strategies and services to engage users more effectively in a multifaceted and rapidly changing information environment, the conference focused on the following three major areas: Technology and innovations in libraries and their impact on learning, research and users. Changes in learning, research and information needs and behaviour of users. Trends, possibilities and scenarios for user-centred libraries. One of the main themes of the conference this year was the application of social media in learning, teaching and research environment for new generation users. In addition to a number of presentations on social networking applications, an interactive social media forum was held to share views from librarians, faculty members, students and social media professionals. The 34th IATUL Conference will be held from April 14-18, 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa. Conference website: http://active.cput.ac.za/iatul2013/public/index.asp?pageid=640
Entrepreneurs are always learning. Whether it’s through reading or watching a mentor work, learning how to do business better is a fundamental part of running a company. "So it’s little wonder many courses in the latest trend of free education are aimed squarely at entrepreneurs. While some may still view free, online courses with a sense of derision, the truth is these resources are quality sources of knowledge." >> Valuable resource for librarians as well!
Via Dennis T OConnor
A new book by Charles Leadbeater, 'We Think' explores the potential of the latest developments of the internet... > The Internet as enabler of mass innovation! "We Think explores how the web is changing our world, creating a culture in which more people than ever can participate, share and collaborate, ideas and information. Ideas take life when they are shared. That is why the web is such a potent platform for creativity and innovation. It's also at the heart of why the web should be good for : democracy, by giving more people a voice and the ability to organise themselves; freedom, by giving more people the opportunity to be creative and equality, by allowing knowledge to be set free. But sharing also brings with it dilemmas. It leaves us more open to abuse and invasions of privacy. Participation is not always a good thing: it can just create a cacophony. Collaboration is sustained and reliable only under conditions which allow for self organisation. Everywhere we turn there will be struggles between people who want to freely share - music, films, ideas, information - and those who want to control this activity, either corporations who want to make money or governments who fear debate and democracy. This conflict between the rising surge of mass collaboration and attempts to retain top down control will be one of the defining battles of our time, from Communist China, to Microsoft's battle with open source and the music industry's desperate rearguard action against the web." First 3 chapters here (for free): http://www.wethinkthebook.net/home.aspx
Via Ana Cristina Pratas
Great source for Information Professionals about curation as a key information skill for 2012: This great piece was written by Tim Kastelle - it is one of the best articles on curation, the observations and insights take this to a whole new level. So much to digest, lots to ponder about the possibilities that await us in 2012 and beyond. Here are some of the highlights: **"We create economic value out of information when we figure out an effective strategy that includes aggregating, filtering and connecting." **"Filtering is what helps us deal with the vast amount of information available to us." "...the real question is, how do we design filters that let us find our way through this particular abundance of information? ****And, you know, my answer to that question has been: the only group that can catalog everything is everybody." (Clay Shirky) **We try to filter information so that we end up with something that is relevant to us – it helps us learn something, it helps us solve a problem, it helps us develop a new hypothesis about the world around us. **These are all connections – and this is what really drives value creation. **However, we can’t connect without some filtering going on. So filtering is important, and it’s a term that includes several different sub-types. I can think of at least five forms of filtering. ...we can use these ideas about filtering to help with business model innovation by changing where it takes place in the value network. **One of Shirky’s points is that since Gutenberg, the economic logic of publishing required publishers (of books, music, movies) to act as filters in order to maximise their investment. **As publishing and filtering has shifted out to human networks, publishers no longer need to fill this role. **Someone (or some network) needs to, and since that creates value, it’s something that can perhaps be monetised. This piece was curated by Robin Good brief commentary by Jan Gordon
Check this video: http://vimeo.com/8748509 Read the full article by Tim Kastelle: http://timkastelle.org/blog/2010/04/five-forms-of-filtering
Via Robin Good, janlgordon
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Put to a vote among unconference participants, “Creative Spaces” won out as the topic of choice (beating by a wide margin digital relevancy, advocacy, and budgeting). Attendees shared ideas, with an emphasis on low-cost, practical ways to implement “Maker” activities in the library. Much of the conversation urged partnering with other organizations, including: Reddit subcommunities. Local groups have formed around social news site Reddit. Consider hosting an event at your library. Or how about Ikea Hackers? Your local college or university. Don’t have native expertise among your library staff? Consider reaching out to a technical college or student organization to help lead programming.Area crafters. The Greenpoint branch of the Brooklyn Public Library enlisted the local Etsy community to help launch projects, from making zines to bicycle tire art.Hacker spaces. From robotics and electronics to wood and metal working, these groups are springing up worldwide.
Today, three ring binders and file cabinets still clutter the offices of marketers and market researchers at Fortune 500 companies that are considered leaders in innovation. Most of these companies probably have sophisticated enterprise information systems that contain sales information, financials, product data records, inventory and even employee time‐tracking.
The answer lies with improved information retention, data accuracy and knowledge capture. This requires a three‐part change in most organizations. Part 1: Process ChangePart 2: Supporting Technology ChangePart 3: Culture Change In a world where information changes every second and flows freely from source to source, innovation data tracking is more necessary than ever. The insights and knowledge gained through this practice are priceless and will become the foundation of innovation success for years to come.
Phil Simon is a speaker and the author of four management books, including The Age of the Platform: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have Redefined Bus...
Via Miguel Mimoso Correia
"[...]there are more than a few ways to kill a library. For example: √ Stop believing in the libraries mission. Do we really believe in the freedom to read, learn and discover? √ Spend less time with the board. The ideal public library board would meet 4 times per year and agrees with everything the CEO recommended. √ Stop talking to your customers. What do they know any way? And on the same topic, stop consulting staff. It is a huge time waster. √ Don’t worry about the future and how you will get there. Sustainability is not an issue with which libraries need to be concerned. After all, we’ve have survived for hundreds of years. √ Stop telling the library story. Everyone has heard our story. √ Accept that the library building is old and you don’t need to keep renovating, painting, and updating it. It is what it is. √ Accept that just like instant coffee killed the coffee bean, the e-book will kill the printed book. √ Stop promoting the product; everyone knows about literacy and lifelong learning. √ Stop empowering staff, and stop training them. They should come to us fully trained. √ Stop all this talk about innovation. It just makes for more work. √ And, for heaven’s sake, stop changing the rules and our traditions. It’s annoying!"
The Southern African Online Information Meeting with the theme: "Innovation in an Age of Limits" By Phillipa Mitchell "The SAOIM conference 2012 was a wonderful place for someone on the other end of the book spectrum – that of bookselling as opposed to being a librarian – to immerse themselves." More chronicles here: http://saoug.org.za/category/saoim2012/
"Let’s explore what could be ahead for public libraries and how we could collectively transform them into “factories” — not factories that make things, but factories that help make people who want to learn and make things. Will libraries go away? Will they become hackerspaces, TechShops, tool-lending libraries, and Fab Labs, or have these new, almost-public spaces displaced a new role for libraries? For many of us, books themselves are tools. In the sense that books are tools of knowledge, the library is a repository for tools, so will we add “real tools” for the 21st century? Before we dive into the future, let’s take a look at the current public library scene now. Feel free to skip this part. I think it’s pretty interesting though." [...] "But why does it matter? Some of you will likely say that hackerspaces and TechShops are filling the void where a public library could have evolved to — that’s probably true. I think public libraries are one of those “use it or lose” it things we have in a society. Given the current state of budgets all over the USA, I think unless they’re seen as the future, we might just lose them. How can we encourage American innovation?How can we get kids access to laser cutters, CAD, 3D printers, and tools to design and build?How can we train each other for the jobs and skills needed in the 21st century?How can we spark the creativity and imagination of kids?How can America be a world leader in design and engineering?"
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