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I finally broke down and ordered some moo cards. 100 different designs- a mix of photos, sketches drawings and paintings. If you want one, leave a note on flickr and claim it.
The process of making moo cards was quite fun - going through old pictures and figuring out which will look good in moo’s odd format.
I included my Sharpie marker sketches from Friday night. Sharpies are fun!
karin :: Jul.29.2007 :: Sites and Stories :: 1 Comment »
A while ago, the Institute for the Future of the Book told readers of their blog that they would be working on a theme for WordPress that will allow comments on individual paragraphs. Well, it’s out, and it looks amazing! I can’t wait to play with it. - CommentPress
karin :: Jul.25.2007 :: Asides :: 1 Comment »
In the “Do Libraries Innovate” debate at ALA, one of the points that Stephen Abram brought up (about 11 minutes in, if you want to listen to the podcast) is that libraries are terrible at relaying our successes. We have individual innovators, but the ideas don’t diffuse. I’m not sure where the problem is - are there too few channels of communication? Too many?
I thought of this recently, when I saw the newly redesigned Lincoln City Library Website for the first time.
[disclaimer] I feel that I should insert a few caveats here. I’ll be very up front and say I wouldn’t mind working for Lincoln City Libraries after I graduate. I don’t mean to finger point, I’m just trying to use an example to illustrate a point- I fully realize that I know little about what went on in the redesign, I don’t even know how long it has been in the works. I don’t know how the vendor was chosen, or if the libraries even had a choice. I also am fully aware that many of the bugs I mention will be fixed soon - this is, after all, a short time after launch. If I’m way out of line, PLEASE let me know by commenting or emailing me (karin@nirak.net).[/disclaimer] Thanks very much to an anonymous contributer for their help!
These are all little things, in of themselves, but they add up to a disorienting experience for the user. Today’s Internet users have little patience for such frustrations, and will go somewhere else rather than put up with them.
The company hired to do the web development - Quick Connect Web Services in Lincoln, says they developed a CMS [Content Management System] for Lincoln City Libraries. “The content management system we developed for LCL allows them to update their site when they need to, in an easy and straight forward manner. There’s no waiting for the “web guy” to do it.” I sincerely hope they did not build a CMS from the ground up when there are many options already out there, many which are free and open source. If they did develop from the ground up, that’s an incredible waste of resources and money. There’s a good chance that they just altered a CMS system that already existed, and if they did, I hope they used a free and open source system like Joomla or Drupal. This way the library will have much more flexibility if they ever need alterations made, updates to the CMS will be free, and the software will be community supported.
It’s no secret that I am a big open source geek, but in this case, it really makes financial and business sense- start with open source, and if something goes wrong, you’re not locked into one company for improvements and fixed. Libraries should demand this at the outset of any new project.
Quick Connect Web Services has an impressive list of new features to the new Lincoln City Library website:
It’s a very nice list, but I hardly see any of this. I can’t find an RSS feed or a blog. I have seen a few email forms, but nowhere can I leave a comment. I’m not sure if the tagging of content refers to the front end (users) or back end- it sounds like a great concept, though.
In the end, this site looks exactly like what it is- the same old site, shoved into a new design. Very little thought has been paid to the content, navigation, usability, or what the user will actually use the site for. There’s no integration with the ILS (which I realize is a whole other beast and outside the aims of the project, but there’s not even the illusion of integration- you’re taken to a completely new site).
I’m sure everyone is sick of being compared to Ann Arbor District Library - Sorry, but if you’re releasing a website nowadays, it’s gonna happen. However they did so much right in comparison, even leaving out their amazing integration with their ILS. The design is subtle and sophisticated. Their blog (actually, an aggregate of several blogs) is the first thing you see, and comments are enabled. Staff in the library respond to comments and interact with community members. There is high quality photography and *gasp* nary a clip art in sight. The navigation is clean and consistent.
Ann Arbor isn’t the only example- The Library Success Best Practices Wiki lists other examples of good library website design. Looking through the list, though, I see a lot of the same mistakes. Lincoln City Libraries certainly aren’t alone.
Why should I care if the Lincoln City Library has rolled out a nice, generic website? Because I see the potential for much more. Much of the potential is not lost- with some tweaks, the current website design can work. Here are my suggestions for an improved user experience.
Navigation should not contain every page on your website. This leads to too many options- the point of navigation is to narrow the options.
The problem is, designing the navigation is hard. Possibly the hardest thing you’ll do in the entire process. It’s not just picking a few topics and filling in pages- it’s about thinking conceptually about what you want your site to accomplish.
The current navigation contains duplicate items and is generally confusing- and to top it off, many of the links take you out of the navigation completely, which is disorienting. Links that are part of the main navigation of the site should never take you out of the template.
Think carefully about how you use the promo area on the right side bar, and whether you need that area at all. Three columns can be confusing.
The under construction graphic, the question marks, and other images make the site seem thrown together. There’s no need for an under construction graphic, just say the site is new, and direct users to the comment page if there are errors.
Instead of clip art, try doing a search on creative commons pictures on Flickr, or use a free stock photo site. Make photos as big as you can while not distracting from the overall look.
Lincoln City Libraries have many wonderful, photogenic features: show them off!
So you can add blogs now? Do it! Give your home page an RSS feed so I can see when there’s new content. Give me options as to what new content I want to subscribe to - Book talks? New books? Kid’s activities? Round up a few employees interested in writing for the web and let them work on a blog.
According to the homepage, they’re working on “Some new features are in the works that we hope you will enjoy.” - I hope this is it!
I know you’re going for bright and fun, but the website is BRIGHT. I recommend changing the bright blue background color to a more subdued color- this will be easier on the eyes, and will bring the main content into focus.
Text Colors: The text on the home page does not need to be red. The link colors could use some thought, and should be consistent.
Make sure there are no dead links. Here are some that are likely to have been bookmarked and are now dead:
I don’t know how much you can change, if it’s template based or what. Perhaps this may mean using dreaded frames, just to maintain some consistent navigation. (any other ideas? Their ILS appears to be Horizon Information Portal 3.08_RC1_57.01.)
There are rotating pictures of librarians in the “Ask a librarian” box on the main page- that’s nice, but I can’t find anywhere else where I can get pics or bios of the staff. Let the public get to know you!
To start, put your library promo spot on YouTube and embed it somewhere. Perhaps you could have a multimedia page somewhere- it’s an easy way to add a little something extra to the site.
Here’s an idea of what an alternative website might look like - slightly subdued colors, more photos, picture of the library across the top. This is just an idea of an alternative, it is by no means what I think the site should look like. (Also, I didn’t spend too long on this, just tried to flesh out some ideas)
Image credits:
karin :: Jul.24.2007 :: Library :: 5 Comments »
Ok, here’s my very first screencast. It only took about 2000 takes - I sure hope it gets easier.
Links from the webcast:
Please tell me what you think!
karin :: Jul.19.2007 :: Library, Tutorial :: 1 Comment »
In my collaborative learning class, the current assignment takes place in a 3D world. Cool, huh? Except the world is buggy, slow moving, and did I mention buggy? We’re supposed to post stories, and then work in groups to evaluate stories. For some reason unknown to me, we had to post our stories in word form instead of text, which slows down the environment even more, and also make this happen:
So, for now at least, I can’t do anything. I’m lucky, though- some people can’t even get the software to run. The students are getting restless.
I think that, while this is a nice idea, it’s fatally flawed. The software is buggy. Plus, it’s a text based assignment, something that would be handled better by the wiki software built into Sakai. I think it would have been better to introduce us to the 3D environment and let us play there, but not require us to do a text based assignment in it.
karin :: Jul.19.2007 :: School Stuff :: 1 Comment »
I’m happy to send out a big congratulations to Heather on her new job. It sounds super drool-worthy, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous.
I have been thinking and rethinking my contrary post from the other day, wondering if what I said was too harsh, if there’s more of a problem than I think, if I should, in fact, be worried about my job prospects. I was mulling this over in my head when I listened to the podcast from “The Ultimate Debate” (watch out for microphone squeals- there’s three of them) in which Joseph Janes and others talked about the kind of people that apply to library school, and whether that stifles our innovation. Janes said that he has seen a change in the people applying to library school - away from the “I like books” crowd to the “I’m an information person” crowd. (I’m happy to say I was one of the “troublemakers” he referred to, though I’m not quite sure where that came from.) I wonder, sometimes, if the people having trouble finding a job are part of the “I like books” crowd. That’s just one theory.
I am still optimistic for myself. I’ve had several (if three counts as several) people contact me and ask me to apply when I graduate, all due, surprisingly enough, to various online social networking efforts. I’m keeping a close eye on really cool jobs posted and I’m adjusting my classes and outside learning so that I meet the qualifications listed. I hope to do a really cool practicum, and have several ideas in mind.
I had this project triangle type idea about jobs- the job triangle:
So you can have a job that, say, pays decent and is satisfying, but is in completely the wrong place. Or, you can have a job that pays well and everything is perfect- hours, location, office temperature, but the job itself is somewhat boring and doesn’t stretch you. Or, you can have the PERFECT job in every way, but it pays next to nothing. I fully realize that many people (people that are very near and dear to me, even) can’t even say they have one of these dimensions. (please note that “pays well” for me is in the $35,000 range, at least for this area- your mileage may vary)
Anyway, I always figured I’d make a trade off somewhere, and I still kind of do. I don’t know where the trade off will be. Maybe I won’t have to make a trade off, though. Wouldn’t that be grand?
karin :: Jul.19.2007 :: Library, School Stuff :: 1 Comment »
It’s been really interesting reading everyone’s reactions to the summertime grad student blues. Mark’s reply to my post made a lot of sense- “I wonder how much being a student accounts for some of this trend to overextend ourselves?” … “I have the feeling that you and I are just the kind that want to taste so much in life that we end up overextending ourselves. But perhaps the added “permission†we give ourselves as students contributes to this problem?”
I think I’ve talked before on this blog (though I am too lazy to look it up right now) about the fact that I feel like I found my career a little later in live than I would have liked. As a response, I’ve thrown myself head on into the profession. Being a student is certainly helpful- I get opportunities to meet people, I get to learn about new concepts and then take action on them (hopefully), and, perhaps most importantly, being a student means constantly being bombarded with the best, most hopeful view of the profession. My fellow students are, for the most part, excited about librarianship. This isn’t just a career for them, it’s a calling. My teachers are the same way. It’s hard not to be wrapped up int he excitement.
Kirsten posted about Sustaining Academic Momentum over on her blog, and linked to a list of Essentials for Tapping One’s Full Potential as a Masters and/or Doctoral Student on her college’s web site. I found this list interesting, and surprisingly good. Kristin is right that there’s only so much you can realize before you have started school- you have to get in it to really understand what they mean by “Don’t isolate yourself” and “Seek advice, listen and learn from others.” (I found “Understand and follow the rules and regulations” to be funny, in a rolling my eyes kind of way.) Kristin ends her post with “Maybe, by the end of summer, I can re-convince myself that this is fun.”
I’m actually really enjoying my class right now. I think I’ll enjoy the majority of my fall classes too. I’ve been incredibly lucky so far- my stress levels have not come from doing stupid, inane, or boring work (usually) but simply from the fact that I usually have too little time in the day. Couple that with my bad time management skills, and you have a recipe for disaster. There’s always a nagging thought in the back of my hear that if I could just concentrate more, if I could just focus, if I could just manage my time better, it wouldn’t be stressful. I think, if I did everything right, I could get everything done with lots of time to spare. I could improve my time management skills (losing a couple of hours in the evening to aimless web surfing is common), but it’s not going to fix all of my stress.
The truth is, I don’t think I could function without some level of stress. I need it to motivate me. I have found that, for myself, structured procrastination* works best - if I have 1 thing to do, I’ll just put of doing that one thing. If I have 30 things to do, I’ll put off one thing by doing another.
What I need more than a reduction in stress is the ability to give myself some down time- time when I don’t have a list of all the things I have to do ticking away like a bomb in the back of my mind. It’s that brief stress free me time that I desperately need to cultivate- because if I don’t learn how to do that, no vacation will ever really be a vacation. In the end, all my talk of being stressed comes down to one very simple fact: I don’t know how to relax.
*A little story: I read the “Structured Procrastination” page before but couldn’t remember what it was called (other than something procrastination, not a useful Google term). I looked in my delicious links, no luck. I searched the websites I though I was most likely to have seen it, no luck. Where’d I find it? I went to the Wikipedia article on procrastination and there it was. PS - I find it funny that one of the most popular tags in delicious for the structured procrastination page is “toread.” PPS - If you go to the Structured Procrastination page, be sure to read the note way down at the bottom, under the copyright notice.
karin :: Jul.17.2007 :: Library, School Stuff :: 6 Comments »
Heather has a nice post congratulating me over at her blog. I said in the comments that my deep dark secret is- I’m exhausted.
Considering the burnout I’m feeling right now from just one class (albeit a fairly intensive class) and full time work, I’m starting to get worried about my plan to take three classes in the fall and spring next year.
So I’m thinking some things will have to change, if I don’t change my school goal (which is entirely possible, but I really, really want to graduate by 2009.)
I have been having a blast participating as much as I could this year, both online and off. I presented, went to my first ALA conference, made a whole lot of contacts, and learned a lot about what it means to be a librarian on the profession side (I still have a lot to learn about the actual JOB of being a librarian.) Next year, I’m going to try not to over commit myself, which means, probably, not seeking anything else out. I’m already running for two positions in the NLA next year, and I’ve volunteered to help with booth design for the Nebraska Library Association New Members Round Table.
Other things that need to change lie in my personal life: I need to get more choosy about personal engagements, and not feel guilty for taking a day for myself. I need to structure my own time more carefully, and not lose as much in the time sink that is the internet.
Mark Linder had a nice post recently about his need to find balance - “I truly need to discover what balance is for me in my life. Then I need to pursue it.” he adds later that “I could be wrong, but the last real vacation I remember having was in 1984 or 1985.” Now, that’s just wrong. Of course, that’s par for the course for Americans - a recent Lifehacker post asked about reader’s vacation habits, and a week of vacation is about all most people get and/or take. (Compared to European posters, who get 5-8 weeks. erg.) (I had a lot more here, but it was ranty and doesn’t necessarily belong here. I’ll just say that lots of people I know don’t get near enough vacation/sick time.)
I have been scheming to take a vacation - a real vacation - after I graduate. If the past is any indication, though, I will dive right into another full time job, or I’ll be moving. sigh. It’s not work - I only get 12 days right now, but I’m fairly sure that if I needed it I could get unpaid time off. I just have a hard time taking time for myself.
Part of my problem is that my husband has been supporting me lo these many years I’ve been in school - not completely, but he pays the majority of the bills, without ever complaining or giving me a hard time. After graduation, it’s his turn. I want to get a job where I make enough that he can explore any dreams/careers he wants. (If, that is, he ever decides what it is he wants.)
At the very least, after graduation, I’ll be down to “just” a full time job. Which, right now, seems like vacation enough to me.
karin :: Jul.13.2007 :: Library, School Stuff :: 3 Comments »
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I don’t post a lot in the next 4 weeks. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if I post a lot either.
 My Computer Supported Collaborative Learning class is off to a running start - in 4 days, there have been a total of 219 posts in the forums. It took me forever to read the first two articles (I’m a slow reader anyway, and one of these articles in particular was somewhat dense) and I’ve got 5 more for the next few days. All have been in PDF format (boo) but I have been able to finagle the ones that have text into HTML so I can use Zotero to highlight and annotate, which is by far my favorite way to make notes. (even if Zotero is having issues un-highlighting.)
This class is bringing up some nice questions, like “how important is collaboration, anyway?” “Does computer supported collaborative learning represent a whole new era in teaching, or is it simply another tool in the bag, so to speak?” and, the all important “what do you do about the luddites?”
Seriously, I’m having a great time, and I really wish this course could have been an 8 week course as intended. My fellow students are interesting and come from a variety of majors, which is refreshing. My only problem is the time issue, which is making me seriously question my intent to take three classes each semester next year. But that’s another post entirely…
karin :: Jul.12.2007 :: School Stuff :: 1 Comment »
My article, The satellites in the farmland: a visit to SCOLA has been published in the Nebraska Library Association Quarterly. I’m working on a few other articles, so I hope to have more news like this soon. 
karin :: Jul.10.2007 :: Asides, Library :: 2 Comments »