Twitter … #changeofopinion

Never thought I would be saying this…I am enjoying Twitter!  It took some perseverance to figure out enough to get rolling, but I have gotten far enough to say I am hooked.

The article from the Library of Congress was interesting.  Initially, I could not comprehend why the LoC would acquire the Twitter archives and felt that this was a waste of time and money.  Who in the future would possibly review all of these tweets, and isn’t this a total invasion of privacy??  However, after making my way through the virtual brainstorming and reading the 93 comments posted, I can see the value.  “Bryan C’s” post about the inability to retrieve data from prior to 1996 and “berikson’s” post about wishing that he “could hear my ancestor’s talk” really hit home for me.

The “Twitter for Librarians: The Ultimate Guide” provided a lot of useful information about how and why incorporating Twitter into library services could be beneficial. I had tweeted earlier this week that I needed a “Twitter for Dummies” book and then read this article - great list of resources!  

Love this

The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker

The Gospel According to Shug

HELPED are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be constant.
HELPED are those who love the entire cosmos rather than their own tiny country, city, or farm, for to them will be shown the unbroken web of life and the meaning of infinity.
HELPED are those who live in quietness, knowing neither brand name nor fad; they shall live every day as if in eternity, and each moment shall be as full as it is long.
HELPED are those who love others unsplit off from their faults; to them will be given clarity of vision.
HELPED are those who create anything at all, for they shall relive the thrill of their own conception, and realize an partnership in the creation of the Universe that keeps them responsible and cheerful.
HELPED are those who love the Earth, their mother, and who willingly suffer that she may not die; in their grief over her pain they will weep rivers of blood, and in their joy in her lively response to love, they will converse with the trees.
HELPED are those whose ever act is a prayer for harmony in the Universe, for they are the restorers of balance to our planet. To them will be given the insight that every good act done anywhere in the cosmos welcomes the life of an animal or a child.
HELPED are those who risk themselves for others’ sakes; to them will be given increasing opportunities for ever greater risks. Theirs will be a vision of the word in which no one’s gift is despised or lost.
HELPED are those who strive to give up their anger; their reward will be that in any confrontation their first thoughts will never be of violence or of war.
HELPED are those whose every act is a prayer for peace; on them depends the future of the world.
HELPED are those who forgive; their reward shall be forgiveness of every evil done to them. It will be in their power, therefore, to envision the new Earth.
HELPED are those who are shown the existence of the Creator’s magic in the Universe; they shall experience delight and astonishment without ceasing.
HELPED are those who laugh with a pure heart; theirs will be the company of the jolly righteous.
HELPED are those who love all the colors of all the human beings, as they love all the colors of the animals and plants; none of their children, nor any of their ancestors, nor any parts of themselves, shall be hidden from them.
HELPED are those who love the lesbian, the gay, and the straight, as they love the sun, the moon, and the stars. None of their children, nor any of their ancestors, nor any parts of themselves, shall be hidden from them.
HELPED are those who love the broken and the whole; none of their children, nor any of their ancestors, nor any parts of themselves, shall be hidden from them.
HELPED are those who do not join mobs; theirs shall be the understanding that to attack in anger is to murder in confusion.
HELPED are those who find the courage to do at least one small thing each day to help the existence of another–plant, animal, river, or human being. They shall be joined by a multitude of the timid.
HELPED are those who lose their fear of death; theirs is the power to envision the future in a blade of grass.
HELPED are those who love and actively support the diversity of life; they shall be secure in their differences.
HELPED are those who KNOW.

Retrieved March 3, 2012 from http://outofprintclothing.com/blog/

Following on Twitter

In addition to my fellow classmates, I have started to follow a few people and organizations on Twitter:
@berkmancenter
@edgarschein
@Lifeisgood
@Worcester_PL
@BarackObama
@Ctr4SocialMedia
@LibraryJournal

As I searched for Twitter accounts, it was interesting to see who is already on Twitter and who isn't. Our public library (Worcester, MA) has a Twitter account. This is kind of exciting now that I sort of know what Twitter is. The town library that I do some volunteer work with on thier Facebook page, does not have a Twitter page. I have heard that it is important for businesses to participate in Twitter. If you feel that this is important, I would love to hear why.

Virtual Choir 2.0

Just saw this on the news - It amazes me what can be accomplished virtually!

http://vimeo.com/22960177

For all you singers out there - Eric Whitacre is now recruiting for his 3rd production :)

Always On (the) Mobile Web

This week we read “Always on: Libraries in a world of permanent connectivity” by Lorcan Demsey and “Library/Mobile: Tips on Designing and Developing Mobile Web Sites” by Kim Griggs, Laurie M. Bridges and Hannah Gascho Rempel.  I found the “Tips” article to be a bit technical, but some points were definitely of interest.  In addition to the information and statistics from the Pew Project, Horrigan’s comment that “for many Americans, always-on, always-available access is a part of their basic lifestyles” really summarizes the importance of libraries figuring all this out.  Statistics from the article indicate that in 2009, “32% of all Americans have gotten online with a mobile device and 25% of mobile users who are 18-29 years old are accessing the internet on a typical day.” It is a given that these percentages are significantly higher in 2012. As libraries strive to prove their relevance, it will be important for them to incorporate mobile access into their online venues. The staging method of incorporating mobile access as described by the OSU Libraries seems to be the smart way to rollout this type of program.

Both of these articles stress the importance of structuring online programs to meets the needs of the organization’s current and potential users. I found the “Always on” article to be very informative. The comments about “continued connectedness” and “the blurring of our social, business, learning and educational lives” were particularly interesting to me.  Dempsey makes some very pertinent points concerning the future of libraries.  He quotes William Mitchell from a 2008 article in the Economist – “there is a huge drop in demand for traditional, private, enclosed spaces…and a huge rise in demand for semi-public spaces that can be informally appropriated to ad hoc workspaces”.  The discussion about the future of collections was particularly interesting, and Dempsey made several interesting points in the conclusion of the article, stressing that “the library has a visibility and brand challenge…the continued competition for resources means that the library needs to be as visible as possible. This…calls for heightened marketing engagement and local political skills.” My sense is that these are relatively new skills for libraries and librarians.

Overload! Peta - Exa - Zetabytes...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psvYYCxMIuE&feature=player_embedded

"The summer 2010 class of interns at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society took on a huge assignment: pick a chapter from Urs Gasser and John Palfrey's book, Born Digital, and make a short video inspired by that chapter.

This video, inspired by the "Overload" chapter, was created by Gregory Asmolov and Eliane Bucher, with production assistance from the Berkman Center for Internet & Society/Youth and Media project. It is released under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Non-Commercial license."

retrieved from @Berkmancenter 02/24/12

From Twitter - Presentation on Using Blogs and Twitter to "Jump Start Your Library"

So, at Colleen's suggestion, I opened a Twitter account and "followed" a few people and other entities. Think I  followed too many, because I was inundated and now have to figure out what to do with all these "tweets"!

Did find this very informative piece of information - "Library 2.0 - Jump Start Your Library with Blogging and Twitter" and actually re-tweeted a few of the posts.

http://www.slideshare.net/nathantwright/library-20-jump-start-your-library-with-blogging-and-twitter?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Feel like I am making some progress, but honestly it is taking hours!!

P.S. There are several other very informative slide shows on the topic of Library 2.0 at the end of this presentation