Aaron’s Top Ten
Aaron Schmidt’s Top Ten Things to stay Tech Current is a list for all librarians, especially tech librarians & administrators. Want to make your patrons happy? Read this list, and see how many of these tech-hip library ideas you can implement lickety split. I guarantee it’s more than you think.
My library is already doing #s 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, & 10…and we’re working on 6 & 7. As for #3 (allowing CD-burning in the library), alas…I fear that security, cost, & copyright concerns will prevent that. What we do (sort of "instead") is to provide USB extension cables for patrons’ flash drives (of which there are plenty). Many of the files we ourselves work on are too big for floppies, and as a result installed USB extension cables for patrons’ use. I recommend the extension cable if you don’t want patrons crawling around on the floor and monkeying with the backs of your PCs (which I’m guessing most of us don’t). But I do realize the potential in allowing patrons to burn their own data, music, or photo CDs. If only we could do it all…
November 29th, 2004 at 1:50 am
Hey! I have all except no. 2 (we are installing MetaLib next week so then we are OK), and no. 7 (nobody uses IM in Europe like they use it in the US), but we are installing SMS systems instead for communicating with users. Blog and RSS all in place. It’s good to do good, but what new challenges will he come up with next? I think Wikis, serverbased bibliographic software for academic libraries, better interfaces all around would be three on top of my list.