23 Mobile Things - Join other Australians and New Zealanders in doing the 'things'!

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Have you heard of the 23 things?  How about the 23 Mobile things?  This updated course is a great way of learning new skills, and new things about old skills. 

So what is the NZ/Australian Cohort for 23 Mobile Things all about?  Read on.

What are the 23 Mobile Things?

1. Twitter
2. Taking a photo with a mobile device:  Instagram / Flickr app / Snapchat
3. eMail on the move
4. Maps and checking in: Foursquare
5. Photos + Maps + Apps: Historypin / What was there / Sepia Town
6. Video: YouTube and screencasts
7. Communicate: Skype / Google Hangout
8. Calendar
9. QR codes
10. Social reading: RSS / Flipboard / Feedly / Goodreads / Pocket
11. Augmented reality: Layar
12. Games: Angry Birds / Wordfeud
13. Online identity: FaceBook and LinkedIn
14. Curating: Pinterest / Scoop.it / Tumblr
15. Adobe ID
16. eBooks and eBook apps: Project Gutenberg / Kindle / Overdrive / Bluefire / Kobo, etc.
17. Evernote and Zotero
18. Productivity tools: Doodle / Remember the Milk / Hackpad / any.do /  30/30
19. File sharing: Dropbox
20. Music: last.fm / Spotify
21. Voice interaction and recording
22. eResources vendor apps
23. Digital storytelling

You can view the 23 Mobile Things on the official blog here - http://23mobilethings.net/wpress/the-things/

What is this NZ/Australian cohort all about?

Simple; it is just establishing a group of librarians in NZ and Australia who are keen to do the 23 Mobile Things at the same time. This cohort will give us mutual support and contact with each other so that we can learn together and keep each other motivated. Hopefully it will help you grow your own personal learning network (PLN) and have fun and great collaborations throughout the course!

Who can take part?

Anyone! This is not limited to New Professionals, but is open to anyone who would like to take part - whether newer or older to the profession. I have just put the contact form on the New Professionals blog as that is a place where I know many people will find it. We are creating another blog specifically for this NZ/Australian cohort that will be the hub of our conversations and connections. So please sign up and let's all learn from one another and have fun playing with mobile technologies! Over 60 people have signed up already; this is going to be such a fantastic group to be a part of :D  (It's mainly NZ'ers at the moment so come on Australians- sign up!)

What do I need to take part?

• Access to a mobile device (e.g. iPad, tablet, smart-phone, etc...) - if you don't have one yourself, you could borrow one or use the PC applications to understand the general principles.
• Time to dedicate to investigating the 23 things - it seems most people are keen to do 1 Thing a week so you can dedicate as much or as little time as you need to exploring that thing and engaging in chatting and collaborating with others on the course.
• Willingness to collaborate, experiment, and support each other - it's going to be fun!

How do I sign up?

So you're keen? Great! Here's what you have to do to get involved:

•  fill in the contact form on the blog
• vote in the poll for best time-frame for the course
• share the news with friends/colleagues

I'll be in touch as we create a blog as a hub for the group, a Facebook group (if you are keen) and organize some online real-time events such as Twitter chats and Google+ hangouts so that we can chat and collaborate. It will also give us an opportunity to put into practice what we have been learning!

We are hoping to start with Thing 1 the first week of May. If the course runs for six months (approximately 1 Thing a week), it will finish at the end of November. 

So what are you waiting for? Sign up today and we will be in touch again a bit closer to the date.

If you want more information please don't hesitate to email me (Kate) at mailto:skeetakate@gmail.com.nospam (take off the no spam) or on twitter at @katejf.

Abigail Willemse (NZ) and Kate Freedman (NGAC) and Hiba Kanji (NGG)(AUS)

Connecting More with Less Resources

Is your library cutting hours, staff, and resources?  In the US this is a big trend among many large and small libraries alike.  In recent years the Long Beach Public Library has been shaving hours and services at a rapid rate since 2008.  More than ever libraries need to stay relevant and continue to be the central hub of your community’s information consumption.

As far as we can predict the economy is not going to be bouncing back for at least 2 more years and even when it does cities, counties, and institutions are not going back to restore our pre-recession budgets or going back to business as usual.  Transformation is crucial!

We have 3 initiatives we feel have made a huge difference when the idea of  the typical brick and mortar library is not likely to be open 9 to 9, Monday through Sunday anymore.  However our eBranch is open 24/7 anywhere in the world.

Set up Librarian Chat/IM: Meebo Messenger up to recently* was a totally free service allowing libraries to sign up free.  Chat with the librarian is a very effective way to maximize your connections with the public using staff at their workrooms and enticing the nextgen of MLS.  Librarians who enjoy working behind the scenes flourish in these environments, especially when telephone reference might be going away. Since Meebo was purchased by Google recently we also suggest Mosio as a good alternative.

Create a Mobile App: Mobile apps are hot there is no way around it.  This year for the first time our mobile app hits have surpassed all other databases combined.  In addition, we have included our Summer Reading Program where patrons can register, review a book and post it on Facebook.  Boopsie is our current vendor and has worked with many libraries public and academic.  If your staff are techie enough you can have them develop one in-house; but if there is something I would recommend for your library’s next year’s plan is having an app!

Cloud Based e-Books: My last recommendation is adding a basic cloud based e-books service.  Not having to download large files (in particular audiobooks) is a blessing for mobile users on limited data plans.  Your patrons will notice right away!  We have several different vendors that have been very successful and well received by savvy patrons.  One particular popular platform is Tumblebooks and Books24x7.

Unfortunately many librarians continue to be skeptical about ebooks and remote services but at this juncture where we are expected to serve at the same level as pre-recession times we have an opportunity to shine and get elected officials to notice the great work of the 21^st century library.  For further information join the Facebook ALA Think Tank and start innovating!

Francisco Vargas is the Youth Services Officer at the Long Beach Public Library; you can contact him @barriolib

*Meebo was recently bought by Google and will be shutting down July 11.

Siriously Siri!

Poll for people with Siri:

Last year when I got my new iPhone 4S I was so excited to try Siri. The slick promo video (above) created by Apple promised so much and I had visions of Siri being my new personal assistant who would schedule meetings, write messages and emails on the go and generally make me a more awesome version of me! Let’s just say I was a little disappointed. Siri just doesn’t understand me. I have tried speaking clearly, slowly and American. Nothing seems to work. She doesn’t do what I ask and she gets it wrong when she tries. Frustrating. A big problem she has is names. I ask her to message Ceci and she thinks I want to message Lissy. I  just end up using my fingers. I know I’m not the only one outside the USA and UK  (where it apparently works best) who is troubled by Siri (just look at how many people have sued Apple over it). Another irritation is the lack of location services for Aussie Siri. I don’t want to harp on about that ad again but it did make it seem like I could be jogging my way to fitness and between breaths ask Siri where I can buy a decaf skim mochachino or whatever else I feel like.

Dear Siri, I keep trying and you keep failing me. I hope one day we see eye to eye. Until then, I guess I’ll just keep trying...

 

Here are some interesting Siri resources if you want to find out more: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/tags/siri/

And because everyone loves an Infographic: http://mashable.com/2012/05/21/siri-infographic/ Although this information is based on American users so we can only really view this and think about how good it will be one day...

~ Sophie for ALIA Sydney

Discovering libraries through geocaching

Geo-what? I'm guessing that's the first thing that popped into your head when you read the name of this post. Don't worry, it's an activity that most people don't know about.

According to the main geocaching website, www.geocaching.com, geocaching is:

a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

It's a great way to discover new places, and one of the main reasons that geocachers say they enjoy the hobby is that it's taken them to places that they otherwise wouldn't have visited (even within their own city). Currently there are approximately 1.8 million geocaches hidden around the world, and 5 million geocachers.

The main reason for me to write this post was to spread the word about geocaching and how it can be used by libraries as an outreach and promotion activity. As an example, one of my colleagues (who is also geocacher) and I recently placed a geocache in Macquarie University Library. With the opening of the new library, we wanted to encourage people to come and discover it. We thought that a cache would help with this, and be something a bit different. There are several other caches in Australian libraries, or ones nearby which require a bit of research in the library in order to find them e.g. there’s one near the National Library in Canberra.

There are several projects and ideas that I've come across that combine libraries and geocaching:

●     The University of Notre Dame in Indiana came up with "Caching in at the Library" for their orientation programme for first year students.

●     A librarian at Shoshone Public Library in Idaho has hidden a cache in the library as part of their summer reading programme.

●     As part of their activities to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, the State Library of Victoria has got into geocaching. A series of caches was placed along the route that the expedition took, as well as at other sites associated with the explorers.

There are also caches which have been placed in a library by regular geocachers with the permission of the library. Some of these include:

●     A cache with a Dr Who theme in the Manly Public Library

●     A cache within the British Library

●     A cache within the Kolding Library in Denmark

Most of the caches within libraries require cachers to note down information that can be found in the building e.g. the year the library opened, or the number of words on a plaque or sign. This makes them a useful way of showcasing a particular collection or feature of the library.

Geocaching is a way to allow people to discover your library who may otherwise not visit. With the explosion in the use of smartphones, many more people have the technology to allow them to take part in geocaching. It represents an opportunity for libraries to market and promote themselves in a fun and educational way. Why not give it a go?

Andrew Spencer is a Liaison Librarian at the Macquarie University Library.