BCU Library

For the fifth time since the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed in 1998, the Library of Congress is preparing to grant limited rights to crack DRM locks on digital content. Not that it matters much; despite an increased willingness at the Library to grant such permission, the actual tools most people need to bypass DRM remain forbidden.

Some things to think about as the library redesigns its website.

Some surprises for me:  39% of students wish instructors would use email more?? I've often heard the same from instructors, so... ? 31% of students wish their instructors used e-books 88% of students reported using the institution's library website wait a minute... 48% want to learn programming languages? Who are these people?  73% still think printers are important for academic success ::sigh:: 

Not exactly relevant, but an interesting read.

Here's a nice summery of an internet librarian session.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Texas Wesleyan University undertook a project to find out what a classroom would look like if it were designed by faculty and students-and then to build that classroom. The goal was to promote innovation in learning space design and to advance instructors' understanding of how classroom design impacts teaching and learning. Classroom.NEXT initiated a campus-wide dialogue on the design of informal and formal learning spaces, and faculty, students, and administrators identified flexibility and interactivity as key attributes to be promoted in all Texas Wesleyan learning spaces. Collaboration, particularly student-faculty collaboration, was a central component of the success of Classroom.NEXT. Faculty participants commented that they learned as much from their students about learning space design and technology as they did from the research.

Free online book (HTML / browser-based) about learning research.  See in particular Chapter 6: The Design of Learning Environments.

Possible collection-development tool

I especially liked this quote: I'll call attention once again to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's House Party as an example of an excellent new year kick-off event. There's no bait-and-switch, but they have built-in incentives to keep students coming back to use the library for its intended purpose. For example, the winner of the Texas Hold'Em tournie wins their own study table in the library for the year, complete with a nice sign designating it their table. The first interaction most new students have with a librarian is having their palm read or playing ninja tag with them, not finding out about resources which they don't yet need. We do much the same with our button-making booth and CARNinfoVAL. It's a strong, unexpected first impression.

Map resource

Descriptions of different kinds of card sorting, using blank page templates as part of the card sorting process, finding people, and other good tips.

includes a 20-minute video of a demo user test - has just about the perfect script for any user test.

Pretty please watch the video before our next web meeting! It's really good, but requires listening so get comfy in a quiet place. :-)

"Most people think that the opposite of play is work (especially in the corporate world) but the opposite is boredom or even depression."

Now here's a new take on the "digital native" debate. I once bought into that whole concept, but find myself rethinking it. Perhaps the landscape has just changed so much that I'm on the path of deportation? I love this quote: Digital native is a fantasy invented by the fans of silicon valley to pigeonhole a generation for the sake of selling technology, but the truth is far less convenient. Not only the digital natives, but many people take on a feral state in their interactions with the internet, as it constantly shifts its boundaries, its cities and deserts. Likewise, the library is a place where we ought to allow for the feral. The ACRL information literacy standards are only useful to the domesticated to promote their efficient and purposeful use of the library.

Here's an interesting one. I wonder where most of our users would fit in...

I'm pretty sure they would mostly fall under "Answer Me" ... our challenge is to open them up to the "Educate Me" and "Inspire Me" possibilities as well.

"Providing nearly 700,000 species, 35 million pages of scanned literature and over 600,000 photos of living creatures, the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) has recently launched a new version of its free online system in response to requests from the general public, citizen scientists, educators and professional biologists around the world for a site that was more engaging, accessible and personal."

May be a great resource for general biological information on species.

Contains link to presentation at RLG by David Lewis outlining a strategy for academic libraries with the following points: "Complete the migration from print to electronic collections Retire legacy print collections Redevelop library space Reposition library and information tools, resources, and expertise Migrate the focus of collections from purchasing materials to curating content"

Recommended by a librarian / programmer friend as a good project management and site redesign handbook.