Media and Technology Section
Updated: June 28, 2005
Winter 2004 Newsletter
In this edition of our newsletter, we wanted to take some time to share information from the programs MATS sponsored at WLA... enjoy!
- Using Blogs in the Library World
- Capture This! Session @ WLA Captures Our Attention
- Wireless Internet Access in Libraries
- MATS Business Meeting
- Other Programs
- Where would you reather be than right here, right now?
Using Blogs in the Library World
(summary by Beth Carpenter)
Anna Lewis, Access Services Librarian for the Center for Instructional
Materials & Computing at UW-Madison, and Tasha Saecker, director
of the Caestecker Public Library in Green Lake, provided a solid overview
of blogging and RSS feeds. Both presenters enthusiastically promoted
blogging as a way to be heard in the library world. It's easy, it's fun,
and it's a good way to share what you know.
Possibilities were presented for having your blog hosted off-site at free sites
like Blogger or for hosting your blogs on your own server with software like
MoveableType. They even demonstrated setting up a new blog on Blogger to show
how easy it really is.
They also shared information about using RSS feeds and setting up a feed reader
or aggregator to keep on top of all of your blog reading. An aggregator collects
new posts from blogs you tell it to watch and gathers the posts in one location
for you to read. This can save a lot of time, especially if you read as many
blogs as Tasha!
A list of recommended library blogs from the presenters can be found at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2004/postconf/blogs.pdf and
information about RSS feeds is available at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2004/postconf/rssFeeds.pdf.
Even though the room was packed and the temperature was too hot, it was a good
program that got people thinking about possibilities and provided some tools
to get started.
Capture This! Session @ WLA Captures Our Attention
(summary by Marlys Brunsting)
In case you missed it, Capture This! was a fast-paced and lively session about creating, modifying and using digital images. Anna Lewis, Access Services Librarian at the Center for Instructional Materials & Computing on the UW-Madison Campus, presented. One of the highlights of this session was the time spent hands-on with digital cameras and laptops. Participants took photos, uploaded them to laptops and manipulated them using Adobe PhotoShop. The time flew by as Anna discussed compression versus image quality, resolution versus file size, and figuring out the features of the camera. She also showed us the basics and the cool tools in PhotoShop: magnifying, cropping, adding filters and text, resizing and adding layers. In one short hour Anna showed participants what would have taken hours or days to figure out on their own.
Anna Lewis manages a large equipment collection that the CIMC circulates to patrons, including over 7 types of digital cameras. She has been working with digital images for over 10 years. To obtain a copy of her handout, e-mail her at alewis@education.wisc.edu.
Wireless Internet Access in Libraries
(summary by Stef Morrill)
Bruce Gay (Milwaukee Public Library), Barbara Roark (Franklin Public Library) James Lowrey ( Marquette University) and Matthew Brzeski ( Carthage College) shared their experiences with providing wireless Internet access to their users.
The four libraries all had different experiences with wireless:
- They have been offering the service for different lengths of time, from less than a year to five years.
- Their wireless networks were implemented in different ways --some had their own technical people set up the network, others hired vendors to do the whole thing.
- Security was an issue for all of the libraries,but the openness of access varied. The academic libraries limited access to only registered wireless cards, while the public libraries allowed more open access.
- The amount of support provided to users varied – some libraries helped people get connected, others offered the service without support…but all agreed that the amount of support that users needed was less than they expected!
All of the panelists agreed that having wireless was a valuable service to their users, and provided great publicity for the library.
Copies of the panelist's presentations (which include more specifics about costs and implementation) are available from the WLA post-conference site at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2004/postconf/index.htm.
MATS Business Meeting
Minutes from the MATS Business meeting are available at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/mats/minutes/11-04.pdf.
Highlights include:
--Approval of new bylaws.
--Announcement of the 2005 Board:
Chair: Beth Carpenter
Vice-Chair/Chair-elect: Terrie Howe
Directors at Large: Marlys Brunsting and Bob Bocher
Secretary: Paula Ganyard
--Revision of the section's goals and objectives.
--Discussion of program
ideas for WAPL and WLA.
Other Programs
MATS also co-sponsored a number of other programs, including an excellent program by Paula Ganyard on Web Standards and a program on RedLightGreen. Resources from these and other programs can be found at the Post Conference Resources page at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2004/postconf/index.htm.
Where would you rather be than right here, right now? (My last words as MATS chair)
by Stef Morrill
Before every game he ever coached, football legend Marv Levy inspired his players by asking them this question: "Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?"
I ask myself this question quite a bit, when thinking about library technology. Sometimes the answer is "ANYWHERE BUT HERE!" but mostly, I think that working in the field we do, at this point in time, is a pretty good place to be.
It seems like every day, there are new developments that hold great promise for getting information to people more efficiently – new formats for delivering content (audiobooks in WMA and MP3 formats), new developments in integrating all of our disparate resources (metasearching, openURL), new content in electronic format (statewide digitization projects, vendor databases) , new methods for connecting with users to answer their questions (virtual reference, VoIP)….the list could go on and on.
I know it's not a perfect world. Yes, we need more money. Yes, there's a lot to learn and keep up on. Yes, more technology means helping patrons with more things.
But there is so much POSSIBILITY.....we can't ignore that. We can overcome the problems. Organizations like WLA and MATS can help by providing educational opportunities, the chance to share your experiences and to learn from the experiences of others, and more.
And you can help by becoming involved – suggest a program idea, offer to write up a little article about your experiences with a new AV format or a technology project that worked (or didn't!), share a cool site you've found….share anything that's inspired you.
If I've learned anything in the last 2 years, it's that when a few people believe in something and work together, they can accomplish a lot. That inspires me, and helps me say, more often than not, that there is no place I'd rather be than right here, right now.
