Virtual Dave…Real Blog

I’m a huge fans of tag clouds (ironically, not such a big fan of tags). I just found a great tool that allows you make very cool word clouds from blocks of texts, blogs and web pages:

http://www.wordle.net/

From my Blog:

Here is a screencast on how I do “talking head” screencasts on my Mac. I am just amazed how increasingly easy it is for a person and a computer to make pretty polished productions these days.

by the way,someone asked me if I came up with the term (hence my comment in the opening of the presentation), and the answer is definitely no. See Wikipedia.

A great video on how undergraduates seek information in doing their work. It is from a study out of the iSchool at the University of Washington with Allison Head, Mike Eisenberg and David Nasatir (http://projectinfolit.org/). Pay particular attention to the role of Wikipedia, the notion of pre-search, and the comment about “I’ll go to some person for an answer … that is if they closer than my computer is”.

Here is a screencast of the Reference Extract from ALA. It was part of a panel that included Paul Ulrich of the Berlin Central and Regional Library. You can see a screencast of the entire panel here: http://blip.tv/file/1701683.

“Obligations and Opportunities” ALA Annual Conference, Denver, CO

Abstract: A discussion of the “what” of Reference Extract and the “why.”
Slides: http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/Presentations/2009/RefEx-ALA.pdf
Audio: http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/pod/2009/RefEx-ALA.mp3

Screencast:

“Panel: Participatory Librarianship” ALISE Conference, Denver, CO.

Abstract: Presentations on the theory and reality of participatory concepts.

Todd Marshall(Syracuse) on the Theoretical underpinnings of participatory networks
Slides: http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/Presentations/2009/Marshall.pdf

David Pimentel(Syracuse) and his examination of organizing principles in participatory environments
http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/Presentations/2009/Pim.pdf

R. David Lankes(Syracuse) on the implications for MLS education and the Reference Extract project
Slides: http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/Presentations/2009/RefEx-ALISE.pdf

“Useless” Denver, CO.

Slides: http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/Presentations/2008/Useless.pdf

Under the rubric “there is nothing new under the sun,” see the excellent article on Participatory Digital Libraries from 1999 by Diane H. Sonnenwald, Gary Marchionini, Barbara M. Wildemuth, Bert J. Dempsey, Charles L. Viles, Helen R. Tibbo, and John B. Smith of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

http://sils.unc.edu/research/publications/reports/TR-2001-03.pdf

OK, a change of pace from the verbose rhetoric. Some of you may know I teach digital libraries at Syracuse. I put this together to explain the link between participatory librarianship and digital libraries. A lot of this is discussed in greater depth in an upcoming digital reference monograph from Morgan-Claypool.

Saw this on Gerry McKiernan’s post and thoguht I’d share too:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-librarian.htm

U.S. News & World Report says that librarianship is one of the best careers for 2009. I like the write up too:

“That effort to land a job will be well worth it if you’re well suited to the profession: love the idea of helping people dig up information, are committed to being objective—helping people gain multiple perspectives on issues—and will remain inspired by the awareness that librarians are among our society’s most empowering people.”