South Dakota State Library: Library Development e-Newsletter

Trends and More

TechSoup for Libraries ladles up technology information

Feel tripped up by technology? Wondering what the next technology step is for your library? Can’t afford full price for software? TechSoup for Libraries is one place to get answers, whether you are a technology beginner or expert.

Take a sip of TechSoup for Libraries’ free services:

• Downloadable Cookbooks, technology “recipes” submitted by librarians across the country. Titles include Planning for Success and Small and Rural Libraries.
• A link, TechSoup Stock, to reduced-rate, brand name, new software and connections to programs for donated or donating computers. (Note that eligibility requirements apply, as specified on the web site.)
• Webinars about technology issues in libraries.
• Articles, podcasts and videos about technology in libraries.
• A newsletter and blog to stay current.
• Library Spotlight featuring one library’s story about technology

Topics are generated by librarians across the country who share their experiences, successes and failures. Ladle your bowl full with information about

• Laptop checkout procedures
• What to consider when going wireless
• Computer maintenance
• Technology planning
• Buying and installing technology and more.

TechSoup even provides real soup recipes submitted by librarians!

 

What is streaming media all about?

Remember trying to find a particular song on a cassette, or even worse, on a record? When was the last time you actually missed a television show? Was there ever a time that you had to wait more than twenty minutes for a file to download? Do you know who put the bop in the bop shoo bop shoo bop?

The face of media has changed in the digital age and libraries are changing with it. While we are still getting much of the same content our methods of delivery have changed.

Streaming media has been around for a long time; all you need is someone to create the content and access to a player. In the past, those players have included television sets and radios. You turned the set on and accessed the media stream. With those live streams your content was dependent on what was on at the time - you didn’t have a choice as to which episode you watched or which band was playing.

Now, with the advent of broadband connections, portable communication devices, and Web 2.0; streaming media is available whenever and wherever the user needs it. Some streams are available at no cost and others are subscription services. Some streams are live, like the television programs and radio stations we are used to. An example of a live media stream can be found here: The White House - Streaming Video. If you are at the White House site during the scheduled press briefing you will be able to see it live. An example of on demand programming can be found here: The White House -- Your Weekly Address. On demand programming allows the user to choose the content to be viewed and the time and location they choose to view it in.

The content itself is sent in a compressed form over the Internet and displayed by a viewer; Real Player and Windows Media Player are both examples of a viewer. A viewer can be embedded in the browser or it can be a program you download yourself. The player, or viewer, decompresses the data and allows it to be seen or heard without having to wait for the file to download completely. Once the user hits play, the program starts.

The advent of Web 2.0 has brought with it user created content. Instead of waiting for the professionals, we are able to write, cast, produce and distribute programming; we are free to create our own. Library programming does not need to be contained in the library and restricted to operating hours.

Streaming media has been used to engage younger members with the creation of podcasts and vodcasts. Libraries have used videos to advertise summer reading and other library services, as well as record speakers, storytellers and other community events.

The following are examples of streaming media in libraries:

• Library Services: YouTube: Tour the Library, Harper College Library
• Book Reviews: The One Minute Critic!
• Library Programming - Videos: Worthington Libraries' YouTube Channel
• Library Programming - Podcasts: Kankakee Public Library: Podcasts & Vodcast
• Member Created: Cheshire Public Library Podcast, a teen-driven cultural magazine featuring teen writers, musicians, reviewers and commentators.

 

What if everyone in South Dakota read the same book?

The One Book South Dakota program is a statewide initiative sponsored by the SD Humanities Council to get as many people as possible to read and discuss the same title in a six-month period. The selection for 2009 is Dan O’Brien’s 2001 memoir Buffalo for the Broken Heart, a tale about restoring native prairie life to a Black Hills ranch.

Dan O'Brien, a writer and buffalo rancher, is the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction about the West. He has worked as an endangered-species biologist and an English teacher. He lives in Whitewood, South Dakota.

For more information about One Book South Dakota go to www.sdhumanities.org

 

More resources in the news

AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching & Learning: Aligned with AASL's Standards for the 21st Century Learner

100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future

Chiles, a site dedicated to providing resources, ideas and support to non-Spanish-speaking children’s librarians who serve Spanish-speaking children.

A blog that librarians might find useful is Libraries, Spanish and Kids. The blog is by and for children’s librarians who serve Spanish-speaking children.

GovFresh: a live feed of official U.S. Government information posted via YouTube, Twitter, RSS, Facebook and Flickr. The feed combines data from the House & Senate, the military, Supreme Court, White House, Democratic & Republication National Committees, various departments and agencies, and so on.

Computer Hardware in Plain English: We love Common Craft videos. They cover software, Web 2.0, and more, including how basic computer hardware works. Take a look — this might be the next tool you use in your basic computer classes.

From the Publisher’s Office, an online destination where librarians, teachers, and fans can see author interviews, book trailers, supplemental educational content and listen to read-alouds. Check out Penguin Storytime and YA Central.

 

books, technology, web 2.0, websites

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