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Title:

Can I Reserve This Book With My iPhone?

Your vote:
Yes No
Organizer:
Cecily Walker, cecily.info
Description:
Librarians are the original nerds: just look at the Dewey Decimal System. In this panel, librarians will discuss building or using web services to solve library problems, advancing library relevance in the age of new media, as well as why techies might find a home in libraries.
Questions
Answered:
  1. How did you come to choose librarianship as a career?
  2. What are some of the challenges libraies face with respect to web development?
  3. Patron privacy is a cornerstone issue in our field. How does your library balance the need for privacy with the enhanced user experience provided by many Web 2.0 services?
  4. Is the MLIS degree still relevant? Is it possible to work for a library without an MLIS degree?
  5. Not everything is enhanced by web services, how do we keep ourselves in check and avoid moving to the web for things that don't need it?
  6. Why are libraries even relevant when everything is available "free" on the internet?
  7. The digital divide in libraries is very real. Can you suggest some "small tech" that might help small libraries?
  8. How can libraries use tech to reach out to new communities/populations?
  9. What social spaces should libraries inhabit?
  10. How does a librarian become a techie? What are some resources for those who want to make the leap? Similarly, how does a tech person become a librarian?
Level:
Beginner
Category:
Career / Work Concerns, Design Thinking, Front-End Programming, New Technology / Next Generation, User Experience
Type:
Panel
Event:
Interactive 2010
Connie Crosby
on 17/8/09
We need to get librarians involved in the discussions at SXSW! I would love to see this panel.
J. Smith
on 17/8/09
Voting for this panel based on the topic, clever title & organizer Cecily Walker who did a great job moderating 'That's Not My Name: Beating Down Online Misogyny' @ SXSW09.
Jason Toney
on 17/8/09
Librarians ARE the original nerds. And SXSW is nerd heaven.
Cheryl Coward
on 18/8/09
This is a great topic. Public libraries are an essential part of society, providing access to technology for free. I really hope this panel makes the cut.
Erica Mauter
on 18/8/09
I think this panel is a great reminder of how much more our libraries can do for us beyond housing books, how important they are to society, and how they're also a viable career option for folks with techie backgrounds and/or inclinations.
Cecily Walker
on 18/8/09
Panelists include Cecily Walker, Web Services Librarian with the Vancouver Public Library, Amy Buckland, Liaison Librarian, Howard Ross Library of Management at McGill University (Montreal, QC), and John Fink, Electronic Information Systems Librarian, King Library at Miami University.
Cecily Walker
on 18/8/09
Libraries have been and will continue to be on the forefront of such important issues as digital rights management and licensing digital content. Because of budgetary constraints, librarians frequently have to come up with creative (read: cheap) ways to deliver the cutting-edge services that tech-savvy customers demand from us. But libraries can't do it alone - we need developers, programmers, and other creative web professionals to work with us to deliver satisfactory user experiences to library patrons from all backgrounds and all experience levels.
Derrick Jefferson
on 19/8/09
Would be interesting in seeing this panel, for sure.
Melissa Acedera
on 20/8/09
I'm interested to hear how libraries will change / continue to change the way we do research whilst using technologies available and complimentary to that environment. Questions # 3, 5, and 8 are of great interest to me. Growing up we didn't own a computer until my high school years so the library became my only resource for study aids. Having spent a great deal of my time growing up in libraries - I think it will be beneficial for the younger generations to acknowledge our public libraries as a great source for their work... along with everything else accessible to them through their iPhone.
Graeme Williams
on 21/8/09
This feels like two separate panels, one on careers (points 1, 4 and 10) and one on libraries on the web (the remainder).
Cecily Walker
on 21/8/09
Thanks for the feedback, Graeme. You're right - we're talking about two closely related ideas in this panel. We want to make non-librarians aware of the ways that libraries use emerging technologies in day-to-day service delivery roles, as well as provide some information about the profession as a whole (including how to become a librarian if that's what you want to do.).

Point 4 is especially relevant because more libraries are starting to hire non-professionals (meaning those without the MLIS degree) to fill positions that were previously held by librarians. As this practise gains more ground, I believe we'll start to see more people from outside the traditional MLIS background working in libraries, especially in the fields of web development and user experience.
Maurice Cherry
on 24/8/09
This looks like a great topic, particularly the question about techies finding homes in libraries. In many rural communities, a library might be the closest thing you have to an Internet connection (I know it was for me). These days, a good bit of libraries in big cities offer free WiFi too. What techie wouldn't love a quiet nook and a fast wireless connection?
Online Games
on 24/10/09
This is a great topic. Public libraries are an essential part of society, providing access to technology for free. I really hope this panel makes the cut.
blu ray ripper
on 13/11/09
. Hope this one gets through.
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Developed for SXSW by Lindsey Simon