by Cecily on June 27, 2008
Meet MARV.
MARV - short for Mobile Assault Reading Vehicle - is our library’s latest attempt to bring new kinds of content to the library’s website. MARV is made up of a first generation Flip Video camera, a Gorillapod tripod, two bike lights (one at the front, and one at the rear) a book, some rubber bands, inspiration, and a whole lot of mischief.
Kay, the Virtual Services librarian, had the bright idea that it would be great if we could film the inner workings of Translogic, the library’s conveyor system that transports books and other materials between departments. I’m known as somewhat of a gadget geek in the department, so when Kay told me about the project, I of course volunteered my camera and the tripod. Together with a couple of colleagues, we came up with MARV’s initial design, and set about trying to film what happens when a book is dropped in the internal and external book drops.
Sadly, there were some problems with the prototype; MARV tipped over when we put him down the internal bookdrop, and was too tall to fit in the external slot. We re-engineered the design and made a second attempt at the outside slot, only to find that we hadn’t secured the camera properly, and the force of the impact caused MARV’s camera to flip forward onto the book cover, resulting in about 2+ minutes of dark footage.
Yet worry not: MARV will rise again.
by Cecily on May 20, 2008
Ever since I left UX behind, I’ve been wondering how I could take my UX knowledge, pair it with my love for/experience with Web 2.0 concepts and technologies, and create a position that doesn’t yet exist within many library organizations. There are librarians who have made this leap already, and it seems that the profession is becoming conscious of of the advantages to having a dedicated, experienced UX person on staff, so there is precedent for this kind of position. My challenge is to sell my skills, to campaign for this position so that library hiring committees will wonder how they ever did without someone like me in their organization.
The job responsibilities/description(s) might look like the following:
User Experience Librarian:
- Charged with creating positive user experiences across the library’s virtual and physical properties and services;
- Take leadership for understanding library users, their tasks, and their information needs;
- Conduct remote and contextual observations of library customers as a foundation for enhancing/improving existing library services;
- Work with library management to develop library policies that adhere to customer-centered philosophy and practices;
- Experienced at gaining customer insights and translating them into recommendations;
Community Librarian/Community Manager
- Chief evangelist for the library in online social networks;
- Engage library patrons by responding to requests through blogging, instant messaging, social networking/social media, and mobile technologies;
- Promote library events and services through non-traditional media channels;
- Monitors community input for future ideas for library services;
- Trains librarians and library staff on integrating Web 2.0 and social media technologies across the library’s diverse properties
It is clear to me that these positions are ancillary; rather than converging, they seem to complement each other and may best be served by two (or more) people working together in a virtual services department, or as a division of a library’s marketing and communications department.
by Cecily on February 14, 2008
Oh, the perils of technology. Vancouver Public Library rolled out their new website earlier this month, and it seems there are still a few kinks to work out. I was on the site doing some research about open source software in libraries when I got this message after clicking on a link:
