At long last, here is Jane’s presentation to the Spring 2008 conference Ontario Library Service-North held for its incredible public library clients. We so enjoy working with the public libraries in northern Ontario; in this discussion Jane talked with them about “applying and learning web 2.0 tools in 15 minutes/day”, originated by Helene Blowers at Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

Learningtalk Jane For Olsn Spring 2008

View SlideShare presentation

At CIL on April 8/08 Bonnie Peirce from Dover Town Library, one of Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers and known to many for Library Goddesses blog gave a fantastic session on open knowledge networks as a service model for youth services. Bonnie has initiated the B3OK pilot exploring the possibility of any physical or virtual object/location/space. Check it out. They’ve given kids a physical object they would be interested in - in this case a fossil - with a QRCode, and then let the kids explore all the various connections to pursue their interest in the fossil. This has led to kids talking with other kids locally and all over the world, forming new connections. Bonnie also posed 6 questions that she is posing as they look at the service model for engaging youth in the library —– but, really, these are questions librarians need to be asking about all service models:

1. how can we enable people’s participation with objects, topics, places, etc….?
2. how can we increase community knowledge, and trigger communication among people?
3. how can we enable their participation in their own communities?
4. will I lose my job today?
5. can I keep the platform open?
6. what stories or knowledge are hidden here that could be shared?

We particularly need to ask that 4th question: will I lose my job today? Am I pushing the boundaries to the edge to question the traditions and norms of what we do and how we do it — cuz the norm of yesterday isn’t necessarily the norm of today….but it’s kinda scary to ask that….and the creativity and innovation and exploration elements so essential for libraries rely on questions and courage.

My other ah ha! was from Dan Sich from University of Western Ontario who introduced us to hab.la — a chat application that allows us to keep the chat/IM window with people open on the screen while moving around to various websites. YES!