Cover It Live !

Both the recent VALA conference and NSW Public Library Futures Forum made great use of Cover It Live to capture the array of tweets from these two events.

Cover It Live features are built around engagement. "We supply the software. You engage your readers". The tools they supply enable you to build and launch a live event and then easily embed it into a web page. You can instantly publish live commentary and multimedia (great for catching the twitter stream), and build strength and readership through the capacity to actively involve your readers. Cover It Live is a fully scalable and seamless platform for real-time reporting and social engagement. It also has mobile apps for iPhone  Android.

It is well worth considering Cover It Live for your next library event, workshop, seminar, or conference as a way of not only engaging with your readers but developing the story of your library.

Trove

I know you all know about Trove, but what hints and tips do you have about it?

Can you help other people be more effective in their searching?  Or is there an amazing resource or story about Trove which you want to share?  Just add them as a comment to this post.

are you ready to Slam the Boards?

On the same day each month Librarians around the globe stretch their reference skills by going online and searching out questions to answer from the various answer boards which are out there - they Slam the Boards.

Not only do they display amazing research skills but they continually point the people asking the question back to their local library and the array of resources they will find there - for free.

The next slam will be held February 10th.

Go ahead, challenge yourself and Slam the Boards!
(and don't forget to comment below with how you went)

Scottsdale Library, Arizona

Have a look at the services Scottsdale Library is offering to its community.  Are there ideas you could use for your library (particularly in the reference and information services?)

cutting-edge technologies in library services

To quote from the original post

The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and the Library Information Technology Association (LITA) have selected programs at Contra Costa County Library in Pleasant Hill, Calif., New Canaan High School Library in New Canaan, Conn., New York Public Library in New York, and Scottsdale Public Library in Scottsdale, Ariz., as the winners of the association’s third annual contest to honor cutting-edge technologies in library services.

Have a look at these impressive services...

Future proof

Future proof is a blog from NSW State Records.   It explores ideas of data access and preservation, which is of interest to libraries as well as archives.  You can subscribe to rss feed updates from the blog.

Check out this recent post from there called Tinker, tailor, soldier, metadata (it will make you smile).

Dangerous ideas for 2012

What are the dangerous ideas for reference and information services? Please add comments about the ideas you think may be dangerous for this area of services and collection?

Is the idea dangerous because it is un/likely and depressing? Is the idea dangerous because it may be really challenging to do?

Please share your dangerous ideas, and discuss other people's dangerous ideas.