Tech Set

Greg Notess was inspired to write Screencasting for Libraries after presenting workshops on the topic. Workshops get people started, he says, but a book allows more in- depth treatment and is available for reference when it's time to review. The book features 12 implementation projects, which are linked to Greg's companion web page. At a basic level, you will learn how to use free software to make a quick step-by-step as you show a student how to use a database interface. More advanced projects get into Using commercial software like Camtasia to edit video, create call-outs or use other functions for a more polished tutorial.

Listen to the full interview on SoundCloud.
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Jason Clark refers to his book Building Mobile Library Applications as “recipe-driven” with a goal of “empowering readers to build stuff .” Implementation is Jason’s focus. He writes our Code Words column, which debuted in May with Using Google Spreadsheets Data API to build a Recommended Reading List.

In the this interview, Jason describes two specific projects.

2:47. A working version of jQuery Mobile, the generic template, suitable for public or academic libraries, is a framework for optimizing your library website for mobile.

3:49. Mobilizing your library catalog using OCLC web services, you will develop an app that will run a search against WorldCat to receive local items, either in your library or nearby. Read More »

Aaron Schmidt and Amanda Etches, authors of User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries speak frequently on UX design. If you've heard them, you know they are passionate and emphatic about putting the user first. In the interview, they each describe their favorite project from the book.

For Amanda, it's developing personas. "Peronas are one of those things where people have a vague sense of what they are and why they matter, but they don't really know how they can use them or how they can go about developing them for the library," she says. Personas are useful not only in the web development process, but also for other library service planning. In detailed, step-by-step fashion, the book explains how to develop personas, what to include, how to format your documents, what you can use them for, and, most importantly, how to know if they're working for you. Read More »

Joe Murphy author of Location-Aware Services and QR Codes for Libraries is passionate in his conviction that location awareness is a gateway to future innovation. "The ability to associate activities, whether social or institutional, with a layer of location has really proved to be a foundation for all the major mobile and social technology initiatives of the past year," he says.

Library spaces will continue to be important, Murphy says. The technologies covered in the book will help libraries make their physical spaces relevant and meet the expectations of patrons with smartphones.

Joe had fun jumping into this topic early and looking at the practical applications for libraries. He describes specifics for a few of the book's projects, using: Read More »

In light of OCLC's two huge linked data announcements, I thought that on this Thursday TECH SET podcast, we'd feature Ellyssa Kroski's interview with Robin Fay and Michael Sauers, co-authors of Semantic Web Technologies and Social Searching for Librarians. Below the SoundCloud embed are highlights from the interview. Read More »

Series Editor Ellyssa Kroski interviewed Marshall Breeding, author of Cloud Computing for Libraries (11) and noted speaker, writer, and consultant on library technology and the library automation industry.

Note that since the recording of this interview, Marshall resigned his position at Vanderbilt University in order to free up time for what he calls "outside activities" in the interview.

Below the SoundCloud embed are a few highlights from the interview.

2:15 Marshall believes cloud computing is a major transition with "massive implications for libraries." Read More »

Amanda Bielskas and Kathleen Dreyer are reference librarians at Columbia University and authors of IM and SMS Reference Services for Libraries, #19 in The TECH SET. They believe that reference through IM and text messaging is not only a service librarians can offer, it's a necessary one. In this brief interview with Ellyssa Kroski, they discuss their inspiration for the book and a few how-to projects covered in the implementation chapter.

Yesterday, one of the participants in Sean Fitzpatrick's Drupal Basics workshop asked if we could suggest a concise guide on using Drupal to develop a library website. Yes we can!

Among the 10 new titles to The TECH SET series is Drupal in Libraries (14) , by Kenneth J. Varnum. Series Editor Ellyssa Kroski spoke to Ken about the book. Below the SoundCloud embed are a few notes from the interview. Read More »

The TECH SET is here, on my messy desk, as well as in our warehouse and ready to ship.

Congratulations to Series Editor Ellyssa Kroski and authors Amanda Beilskas, Marshall Breeding, Jason Clark, Kathleen Dreyer, Amanda Etches, Robin Fay, Michael Lascarides, Joe Murphy, Greg R. Notess, Michael P. Sauers, Aaron Schmidt, Sarah K. Steiner, and Kenneth J. Varnum on publication of their TECH SET books. Read More »

If you’ve been watching M&A activity in the library-literature space, you know that Neal-Schuman joined ALA Publishing back in December. Among the plums are the 10 new titles for THE TECH SET. The authors of books 1-10, Series Editor Ellyssa Kroski, and the Neal-Schuman staff were honored with the ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Books in Library Literature. Following this success comes the next set, ready for the printer, with June pub dates. Here’s what Ellyssa and her team of authors have worked up for you. Read More »