Colleges have a rather “captive audience”–even in this tech age. Our students use the library extensively to study because we do not have dorms or a good student center. However, they do access a lot of our resources electronically, and faculty and researchers use the library almost exclusively electronically.

We do put a lot of emphasis on “library as place” in face of the remote access usage. We sponsor speakers, co-sponsor a student writing contest, host art exhibits. They have been well-received. We have used school-wide e-mail to announce many of these, but we have to be cautious to not over-burden students and staff with e-mail. As I noted above, we have just recently begun to announce these via twitter.
Web 2.0 tools certainly offer many opportunities that we should consider.

Thanks again!

Barb

Our library recently added tools to its staff intranet: wiki, blog, forum, photo collection.  I am still getting the hang of them, and this week’s lessons were very informative.

We are training staff to train others. Right now, it seems that Circ and Ref staff will be using the wiki and blog alot on a daily basis. Cataloging documentation has already been added. I am going to add the staff handbook, disaster plan, and promotion plan.

Yes, this is what my college library looked like in the 1970′s.  But, libraries I’ve worked in have looked like this–until recently.

We closed the card catalog maybe 15 years ago–and then eventually we all felt comfortable with seeing it “disappear.”

But we kept the shelf list–for security and safety. What if the online system went down? Or lost info? How would we get along? If we saved the shelf list, at least we would have something to “fall back on.”  (Catalogers would save the day; they knew the call letter area for various subjects!)

But eventually, the shelf list went away too.  Actually, we were renovating the library and needed that spot for something else. 

That seems like “light years” ago, but it isn’t so long in “calendar years.” But in “technology years,” it’s forever.

We’re on our 3rd or 4th ILS, and as we move to WorldCat Local, our OPAC may be hidden from the public–vut we’ll still have the ILS “behind the scenes.”

Maybe times haven’t changed all that much….

I am always pleased to have the opportunity to participate in classes about web tools; I always learn something new and useful.

There are so many wonderful resources on the Internet; I have been able to find all sorts of helpful info. When you own a house, you need all the help you can get to avoid big service bills!

In December, I thought I was accessing an up-to-date anti-virus tool. Instead I caught a virus which cost several hundred dollars to clean up.

So I have had great times and not-so-great times with the Internet. But I couldn’t get along without it!