Infoblog

In this edition of Thinking Out Loud, George and Joan share their thoughts about some of the discussions they participated in during ALA Midwinter in Boston. One of the big topics of conversation: alternative revenue streams for libraries. Some of the ideas discussed: ways you can generate income from your excess space, change out how you do book sales, participating in local green initiatives, alternative ways to pay fines, mobile giving (also known as mobile donating), and off-hours parking. Lots of food for thought, so give it a listen!

In this podcast, Infopeople’s book guy Michael Cart offers a light-hearted salute to the American short story in his latest podcast – at least, he says, that’s his story and he’s stickin’ to it! The book he mentions that he recently had published is How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity. Check it out!

Here is a list of cites mentioned in this podcast.

Happy Friday! If you missed the live event yesterday, be sure to take some time and listen to the archive of Genesis Hansen’s webinar on TEDx for Libraries: Dynamic programming for FREE!. It was full of great information (Genesis actually put together a TEDx event). As Genesis says:

TEDx events give libraries a great way to provide top-notch programming to their communities, for free! Using free content from A-list TED conference speakers and a proven program model, you can tailor an event to your community’s needs, whether you’re planning for 15 or 100 people.

If you’ve never had a chance to listen to a TED talk, check out their website!

The archive of Mary Minow’s New Copyright Tools and Best Practices: Copyright Law Update 2010 webinar is now available. We have also compiled a handout of all the links she mentioned in her presentation. She shared lots of great info, so be sure to listen if you missed the live event!

In his first podcast of the new year, Infoeople’s resident book reviewer, Michael Cart, muses on the recent death of the venerable review journal “Kirkus Reviews” and worries a bit about the continuing migration of print to digital forms. Happy New Year, indeed!

Cites from this podcast are here (in PDF format).

Side note: since Michael recorded this podcast, there are indications that Kirkus Reviews may yet survive. Stay tuned!

I know, I’m usually plugging an Infopeople podcast, but today I’m plugging this great interview on T Is for Training with our own (well, she’s her own person, but we love her) Sarah Houghton-Jan aka the Librarian in Black. Sarah has a new book coming out, and is also going to be teaching a new online course for Infopeople (check out the description and sign up here). Sarah has lots of hopeful words for libraries and good advice for keeping up with new stuff – oh, and figuring out how to find a balance between work life and home life.

If you ever need to show a patron or coworker (or family member or friend) how to use Facebook or Twitter, be sure to have these Mashable guidebooks handy! Each guidebook goes into nice detail (in a nice, accessible FAQ style) on a variety of topics from the basic (setting up an account) to more advanced features (sharing music or video, hiding Facebook notifications). Why reinvent the wheel with great tools like these around? Oh, and while you’re at it, subscribe to Mashable’s RSS feed – you’ll find tons of great info to be discovered.

Thanks to Stephen’s Lighthouse for the lead.

In this year’s end (or year’s beginning) podcast, George and Joan contemplate how the top ten New Year’s resolutions can be applied to libraries. Among their ideas: spend more time this coming year being more customer-focused or try something new (a new service, a new technology). Do you have other ideas for resolutions? Let’s hear them!

Happy New Year!

In a rare holiday humor Infopeople’s book guy Michael Cart wallows in sentimentality in this podcast, singing the praises of Dickens’ immortal A CHRISTMAS CAROL and the enduring delights of reading aloud. Can you guess how many copies he has? 17!

Cites from this podcast are here (in PDF format).

In this special edition of Thinking Out Loud, George and Joan offer up “A Visit to the Library,” with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore.

On behalf of George and Joan, and all the folks at Infopeople we wish you and yours a safe, healthy and happy holiday season!