Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Random ALA




The Prague Three Husketeers reunited at ALA! Somehow we managed to not get a picture all together, but we did happily find one of our favorite face-picture things. Here is Sarah.



And me.




And Jamie.



Just like old times - my colleague from the good ole days at Gale, Jason, and I pose for a photo.



In the spirit of the funny signage from Prague, I offer this gem from our nation's capital: run! You are being chased by fire!



I could not make this stuff up. The E Content taxi at ALA.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Top Technology Trends




The LITA Top Technology Trends panel discussed current, imminent, and long-range developments, products, user expectations, and implications of technology as it relates to libraries.

The full video of the panel discussion is available at http://litablog.org/category/top-technology-trends/ and the Twitter feed is at #ttt10. (It was really fun sitting in the room watching the panel and following the tweets in real time.) Some highlights:

** the iPad was a popular topic. Its touch screen means using it is a tactile experience - which is similar to reading a print book. The panelist mentioned the "collaborativeness of the surface" and that kids are coming to expect touch technology everywhere (TVs, car dashboards).

** library designers need to think about lighting: touch devices are held perpendicular to the ceiling and overhead lighting reflects and makes viewing difficult. As more and more patrons are bringing their own devices into the library, this could become a real issue.

** "stop being the grocery store and become the kitchen"

** "the line is blurring between information about a thing and the thing [itself]" -- Joan Frye Williams

** Jason Griffey: a year from now e-readers will cost less than $50. What will this mean for how people access and use information? There is technology out there now that allows "riffing" of books - just fan the pages of a book in front of your mobile device, and the entire content is captured, OCRed, and digitized. Google Translate makes it available in any language you want. A student could come in and "rif" the Encyclopedia Britannica. This will be reality in 3-5 years; we cannot avoid it. How will we handle it?

** Monique Sendze: users are willingly giving up personal data to sites like Facebook because they feel it enhances their experience. Libraries are so used to maintaining strict privacy standards; we purge data constantly and keep the bare minimum on file. But we could start mining and using our data in new ways. "What will patrons give up in regards to privacy to get a better library experience?"

** Joan Frye Williams: we are on the verge of an "information spill" - and it could be as damaging as the bp oil spill.






IRRT President's Program




Last year's IRRT emerging leaders are demonstrating their Free Links service. Free online professional development for international librarians. Available at www.ala.org -> Round Tables -> International Relations Round Table -> Free Links.

Coming soon

Yesterday was a fantastic day at ALA. I attended Ebsco's lunch for public librarians and learned about some of their new products and features. The LITA top technology trends panel was quite thought-provoking, and the Gale/Library Journal reception for Library of the Year was a great time to catch up with some old Gale friends, and the winner - Columbus Public Library (Ohio) - was very inspiring.

I'll be posting details of these events as soon as I can - there is so much to do that I never sit down long enough to write out a post!



Librarians love the World Cup!




A crowd gathered around a TV in the convention center for the US game Saturday. This was shortly after the tying goal - the whole place erupted in cheers! I wasn't there for the sad ending.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

We drove all night...




...And saw this beautiful sunrise in the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia). A couple hours later we pulled into our hotel, changed out of our traveling clothes, and walked to the conference center.



Walking through the exhibits hall was so much fun, and I saw a lot of old friends from my vendor days. I have some great information to bring back to LPL - I visited a lot of our database vendors and learned about some great updates to our products and cool new technology tools.



Circe met author Brian Selznick.


Deborah and I got our picture taken with the prez!



And then I rescued her from the clutches of evil.



By about 4 o'clock, I had run out of energy. I didn't make it to any programs today, and I have some lunches and events scheduled the next two days; if only I had a clone so that could do everything I want to here!

(note: there is no wifi in the hotel room, so writing time doesn't necessarily equal posting time. I wrote this post last night. Headed to Ebsco lunch now.)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

ALA Bound!

After hours of combing through the program listings and exhibitors directory, meticulously creating my schedule in the online planner (even though I know everything will change once I get there), and coordinating driving and hotels and lunches, I am finally one day away from leaving for D.C. for ALA Annual!

I'm thrilled to be able to attend this year (I consider it an investment in my future, which is how I am rationalizing going on my own dime), but I know it's not an option for many people. There are many virtual alternatives for those who can't attend but want to keep abreast of the happenings:

The #ala10 twitter feed (you don't have to have a twitter account to follow the feed! ALA attendees are posting their tweets here.)

The @alaannual twitter page (again, you do not have to have an account -- this page has lots of great links and program info being added regularly.)

The ALA Annual Facebook page

The ALA Annual flickr page, with pictures and video

And of course, this blog!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Looking back, looking ahead

A week ago I returned from Prague, from what really was the trip of a lifetime. During my two weeks in the Czech Republic I met a lot of fantastic people, learned a great deal more than you would think possible in a two-week period, and fell in love with a city that hadn't even really been on my radar before.

I have been pleasantly surprised by all the support and vast readership of this blog. A couple times during the course, my classmates turned to me to take the official picture; I was touched to be the group's entrusted documenter. I took pages of notes at each library, lecture, and tour, and enjoyed going through them each evening and filtering them down to blog-length articles. The pictures I posted here are just a fraction of those I took; you can see the full albums on my Facebook page (you don't have to be on Facebook to see these; though if you are on Facebook, please send me a friend request!):

Prague pictures part 1
Prague pictures part 2
Prague pictures part 3

Back here in the real world, I'm taking a summer course (Library Management) and continuing to work part-time at the Lexington Public Library. In two weeks, I'll be car-pooling to D.C. for ALA Annual, where I look forward to catching up with some librarian and vendor friends. I'm pretty excited about attending as a librarian, rather than a vendor -- I'll be able to wear comfortable shoes and actually leave the exhibit hall to go to the programs and presentations!

Of course, the iPad and camera will be coming with me, and I plan to blog from the conference. I'm particularly looking forward to the International Relations Round Table reception. I am the assistant editor of International Leads, the IRRT newsletter . . . check out our current issue, which showcases a collection of articles written and compiled by one of my favorite librarians, New Trier High School's Deborah Lazar.

Watch this space for continued updates from the "Librarian in Action," and don't be surprised to find me back in Prague eventually!

Na zdraví!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

A last look at Czech signs


Watch out for skin-eating liquids.


Robocop says do not enter!


I'm pretty sure this sign says "Jen is super cool."


Only synthetic fabrics allowed.

Do not throw your drink out here.

Graduation - Academy of Sciences Library


On Friday afternoon we had our "graduation" at the Academy of Sciences Library.


We each received a really nice book about Prague.


And Barbara presented thank you gifts to Richard . . .

. . . and Stan . . .

. . . and Petra . . .

. . . and she received flowers from us.


Each of us contributed a book to a "library" for our Czech friends, who along with Barbara put in a lot of hard work and time coordinating and executing our program - they really did a fantastic job which is very appreciated.

Jamie, Sarah, Meg, Adam, and Deirdre enjoying celebratory champagne.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Kroměříž winery


Before we left Kroměříž, we visited the wine cellars, which were built in the 13th century by the Olomouc bishop Bruno of Schaumburg. The vineyards themselves are about 50 km away, and the winery here receives the grape juice and puts it in the barrels for fermentation.


I have learned during my time here that white wines are much more common than reds, because the weather is optimal for growing the white grapes. (Our Czech hosts have been very gracious in helping us with our "research" into local beer and wine!) Two very good types of Czech wines are Tramín and Veltliner.


We had a tasting of three white wines and one red.

Kroměříž Palace


After our time in the library, we toured the palace. One of the treasures of the palace is a painting by Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), The Flaying of Marsyas, which is one of the most valuable paintings in the world (we were not allowed to take pictures).


Our group gathered for a picture in this beautiful ballroom.



Chateau Library of Kroměříž Palace


In the afternoon we visited the palace library, which is one of the largest historical libraries in the Czech Republic and contains the second largest historical coin collection in the world.


The library was formed in 1694 for bishops and noblemen, and it was open to the public. The majority of the collection is theological; it contains about 90,000 items, of which 435 are manuscripts and 172 are incunables (books printed before the 1500s, so before the printing press).


There are four globes which were part of the original collection: the two large globes are from 1688 and come from Italy and the small globes were made by a cartographer from the Netherlands around the same time.





An original Czech bible, from 1488. The cover is carved wood.



A Luther bible.

This book has had some repairs; here we see a page from the 20th century on the left and on the right, a page from the 15th century.



Kroměříž Public Library, part two: bomb shelter


Underneath the library (which was previously a cinema hall) is a bomb shelter built during the Cold War. The shelter was intended for high-ranking government officials only and the general public was not aware of its existence.



Though very stark, the shelter is self-sufficient, with air and water systems. Most documentation of the structure is gone, so not much is actually known about its creation. It is known that it was never used (the need never arose, obviously).