Climate Change

Have I mentioned it was cold in Houston? Colder than here in Amarillo? Yes, indeedy, it was unseasonably cold in the city that is, according to residents, a natural sauna. I have been to Houston 3 times and every time it has been unseasonably cold. I suspect a conspiracy here. Policy regarding air conditioning is apparently to turn it to 50 in February and never adjust it, never mind what the outside temperature may be that day.

I am done talking about the cold in Houston.

Paula Poundstone was funny—but I was so glad to be out of her range. It was pretty brutal. Afterwards I went to a program about balancing Web 2.0 for libraries and museums. There are great web-based tools out there, but which ones do we choose? Are they sustainable? Will people (staff and patrons) be interested for the long haul? Much to ponder as we move forward.

Ellie Collier writes the blog ellieheartslibraries and is a reference librarian at Austin Community College, where Julie Todaro (who presented the Small Library Management series for us) is Dean of Library Services. Ellie gave a great program at Net Fair I on social bookmarking—del.icio.us is probably the best known at this time, but there are more like digg--that allow users to have a web-based favorites. How many times have you seen something great on the web but forgotten where exactly? Happens to all of us, but you can add it to your delicious and access those sources from any internet connection! Another site you may already be using, but not quite as a bookmarking site is flickr. One library has used flickr as a community building exercise. The possiblities for reference and other library uses are endless. Have some great ideas? Let’s talk!

I then wandered the exhibits—visiting with vendors we work with, looking at others I had heard or read about. You could see the effects of the economic downturn, as there were fewer freebies and a less exuberant atmosphere overall. Since I flew, I didn’t have much room to get extra stuff anyway, so my time with the vendors was short.

Next was Michael Stephens! Yes, the famous Michael Stephens! The knower of all things library! I was stoked! His program was “The Hyperlinked Library” and he had lots to talk about. Here are a few random thoughts: continuous computing, web as platform, finding your tribe, social catalogs, opting in, encouraging heart, portable reference, and transparency. He only had an hour and fifty minutes.

Up next, Be a Leader, No Matter What Your Job Title. Very quick presentation with some great points. And guess who was sitting next to me and was my partner for the exercises? Ellie Collier from the Net Fair! We bonded. Totally.

Cheers,
Melody