Archive for September 2011

It’s a tough market for library and information professionals looking for work. However there are new job openings being posted daily. Here are some great job boards to track and some tips that will hopefully help you with your job search.

Library Job Boards:

1. ALA JobLIST
2. LIS Jobs
3. Chronicle of Higher Education’s Job Listings
4. Library Journal’s Job Zone
5. LibInfoSciJobs on Twitter
6. Libgig_jobs on Twitter
7. GetArchivisJobs on Twitter
8. LITA Jobs
9. SLA Jobs

Tips for Library Job Seekers:

10. Look for local library consortium and local association chapters as they may have job boards such as:
    METRO’s Job Bank and ACRLNY, (New York area).

 

11. Make sure you’re on LinkedIn and have filled out your profile/resume completely. Start seeking recommendations!

 

12. Create a Start Page with quick links to libraries, universities, and organizations you’d like to work for, as well as feeds from job boards, like this one created with Protopage:
    

 

13. Create a full CV of all your work experience and accomplishments and make it readily available by sharing it on Slideshare, like this:
    Ellyssa Kroski Resume

    View more documents from Ellyssa Kroski

Good luck with your job hunt!!!

Alan Henry at Lifehacker posits that Facebook Is Tracking Your Every Move on the Web; Here’s How to Stop It. This helpful article discusses what to do to ensure that your privacy is protected.

“For quite some time now, Facebook’s user tracking hasn’t been limited to your time on the site: any third-party web site or service that’s connected to Facebook or that uses a Like button is sending over your information, without your explicit permission. However, Winer noticed something mostly overlooked in last week’s Facebook changes: Facebook’s new Open Graph-enabled social web apps all send information to Facebook and can post to your profile or share with your friends whether you want them to or not. Essentially, by using these apps, just reading an article, listening to a song, or watching a video, you’re sending information to Facebook which can then be automatically shared with your friends or added to your profile, and Facebook doesn’t ask for your permission to do it.”

Gary D. Price at INFOdocket writes about eBooks, Privacy, and the Library. This thought-provoking article discusses the fact that while most libraries are using third-party services such as OverDrive to provide access to e-books and other resources, there are many concerns about patron privacy which need to be addressed.

“My point is not whether this particular service is good or bad, but rather that we need to be providing clear and accessible disclosure and transparency with users for the service (and all other services) where an individual’s data leaves the library’s control. I think we’ve all seen what happens when a privacy issue suddenly comes to light, generating all manner of negative publicity. We share books, serials, audio, video, and other information. And we must be sharing as clearly as possible what happens to a user’s data — and let our users know when any service may compromise the level of privacy they’ve come to expect and appreciate from their library.”

Facebook recently unveiled its new Timeline user profiles which will be rolled out over the next few weeks. Mashable provides in-depth coverage of the announcement.

Andrea Vahl at the Social Media Examiner discusses Five Facebook Changes and What You Need to Know. This detailed post takes a look at what Facebook’s new additions and enhancements mean for marketers. Each of the following changes is discussed in-depth:

1. News Ticker
2. Smart Lists
3. News Feed
4. Subscribe feature
5. Timeline

Infographics and data visualizations have become incredibly popular ways to impart information while keeping your audience engaged. As a result, a slew of user-friendly, free online applications have been created which enable users to create their own information graphics. Here are five such tools that I think are particularly valuable:

Wordle - Create beautiful and fully customizable word clouds with this free tool. Simply paste in your text and click “Go”, or specify your own color scheme, layout, and fonts.

Instantly create a word cloud for your blog or website by entering the RSS feed! Here’s a Wordle for iLibrarian:

Visual.ly is a brand new online application which allows you to create detailed data visualizations and infographics such as the one below. They are still in private beta-testing, however you can sign up for an invite now. And in the meantime, you can browse the Showcase of over 3,500 of the best infographics on the Web.

Twitter Visualizer – This fun tool quickly creates a personalized infographic of your Twitter persona based on what you tweet. You can create a solo infographic such as the one created for me below, or compare yourself to tweeting celebrities.

Creately let’s you build organized concept maps, flowcharts, and diagrams for free. Although they do have subscription packages, users can create 5 public diagrams with the free account. They offer an easy-to-use interface with drag and drop shapes that will have you mind mapping in seconds.

Tagxedo - Create a beautifully shaped word cloud from your blog, tweets, delicious tags, news topic, or any RSS feed. Tagxedo lets you customize words into stunning images.

Visualize.me syncs with your LinkedIn account to create a stunning infographic of your experience, education, and skills. You can customize how much or how little is displayed within the easy editing interface. Fonts, colors, and backgrounds are all editable as well. Each position and educational entry can be moused-over to view the full job/school description that is found on LinkedIn.

David Strom at ReadWriteWeb provides tips on 7 Ways to Get Started With Cloud Computing. This helpful post discusses a variety of ways to dabble in the cloud domain for those of you who are still unfamiliar with these services. Here are the seven ways covered in the article:

1. Set up a Google Docs account
2. Do the same thing for Box.net
3. Use one of the cloud-based spreadsheet programs
4. Use the Salesforce for Intuit QuickBooks
5. Windows Live Mesh
6. Set up a server on Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)
7. Setup two Windows machines on Cloudshare.com

Corina Mackay at the Social Media Examiner writes about Augmented Reality: 5 Ways it Can Change Your World. Augmented Reality, the technology that enables the placement of layers of information over real-world locations and environments is becoming steadily more mainstream. Check out these 5 ways it will change things in the near future.

• #1: Games
• #2: Safety
• #3: Politics
• #4: Art
• #5: Sales

There have been many new library technology articles over the past couple of weeks. Here are 13 of them that you won’t want to miss. Please list any others you’ve noticed in the comments!!

E-Books

1. Secrets of Ebook Success Library Journal
2. Amazon Kindle Ebooks Now Available in 11,000 Libraries Mashable
3. Lending Books, Amazon Style Agnostic, Maybe

Mobile

4. QR Code Scanning for Parents The Daring Librarian
5. 12 Mobile Check-in Applications iLibrarian
6. 16 Awesome Instagram Apps & Services Part I iLibrarian
7. 16 Awesome Instagram Apps & Services Part II iLibrarian

Social Media

8. Why libraries should proactively scan Twitter & the web for feedback Aaron Tay
9. Which social network should I use as a librarian? Phil Bradley
10. 15 Tips for Social Media Security in Libraries LIS News
11. 5 Ways to Set Up A Free Personal Landing Page in 5 Minutes iLibrarian

Cloud Computing

12. A Cloudy Forecast for Libraries Marshall Breeding, Computers in Libraries
13. Netflix and Libraries: You Are What “Your Users” Think You Are, Not What You Think You Are LibraryHat

Todd Wasserman at Mashable reports that Amazon Kindle Ebooks Are Now Available in 11,000 Libraries. Be sure and check out this exciting news!

“The wait is over for readers eager to download Kindle books from their local library. Some 11,000 libraries are now offering books for Amazon‘s ebook platform. Amazon on Wednesday announced that the books are available, fulfilling a promise the company made in April. If your library is among those offering Kindle books, you can now visit the library’s website to have them delivered to your Kindle device or app. The length of the loan period is determined by your local library. Three days before the period is up, Amazon will send a reminder email. “

Rick Chin, Director of Product Innovation at SolidWorks, writes for Mashable about 8 Current Technologies That Will Shape Our Future. This thought-provoking article discusses the author’s vision of how these technologies will continue to evolve and integrate with one another over the coming years.

1. Smartphones
2. 3G and 4G Wireless Broadband
3. Cloud Computing
4. Eye-Tracking / Voice Commands
5. Augmented Reality
6. Social Networking
7. CAD, 3D Printing & Custom Products
8. Autonomous Cars

Cindy King at the Social Media Examiner gathers up 34 Google+ Resources for Your Business. If you’re wondering how you can leverage this new popular social network for your organization, you’ll want to check out this post. The resources are organized into the following sections:

• What’s Google+?
• How to Get Started on Google+
• What Businesses Need to Know About Google+
• What’s Different in Google+
• How to Find Friends
• How to Get the Most Out of Google+
• Google+ Tips
• Connect Google+ With Other Social Platforms
• Google+ Resources

Each of these free services allows you to create beautiful, yet simple personal websites which aggregate all your social media profiles, biographical info, photos, and more in one place in a matter of minutes. No tech skills required!! If you’d like to have your own personal landing page where you can send potential employers, clients, or even friends, check out these five websites:

Flavors.me

Create a quick and attractive personal landing page with the free Flavors.me service. Choose from 4 different layout styles, upload a background image, and integrate your social media feeds such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Flickr, right into your page. The only thing the free version of this tool is missing is the Contact form.

About.me

This personal splash page is very similar to Flavors.me with a few key differences. About.me creates social media buttons for each social media profile you integrate, however it does not output the feed or any other information from the services as Flavors does. However, the prominent “Email Me” button on this landing page is much appreciated, as are the easy to view visitor statistics.

Carbonmade

Carbonmade is a free portfolio which is geared toward artists, graphic designers, and illustrators. It is a slick and glossy online portfolio where you can highlight your work through beautiful slideshow galleries. Each website is made up of two sections, one for the visual display of your projects and work, and an About section.

Magnt

Magnt is a straightforward personal landing page, almost exactly like Flavors.me and About.me. In the same way, social media accounts can be added, fonts and colors customized, and there are even a few background themes to choose from.

Visualize.me

Create your own infographic!!! Visualize.me syncs with your LinkedIn account to create a stunning infographic of your experience, education, and skills. You can customize how much or how little is displayed within the easy editing interface. Fonts, colors, and backgrounds are all editable as well. Each position and educational entry can be moused-over to view the full job/school description that is found on LinkedIn.

Jennifer Howard reports for Wired Campus that JSTOR Opens Up U.S. Journal Content From Before 1923. This open access is great news for researchers and scholars who don’t have access to these journals.

“Users anywhere now have free access to JSTOR’s Early Journal Content, a corpus of scholarly articles published in the United States before 1923 and elsewhere before 1870. That’s about 500,000 articles from 200 journals, according to JSTOR’s announcement.”

Jacob Gube at Mashable offers 7 Best Practices for Improving Your Website’s Usability. This in-depth guide to making your web presence more usable includes a detailed discussion of each topic as well as illustrative screenshots.

• 1. Keep Content as Concise as Possible
• 2. Use Headings to Break Up Long Articles
• 3. Help Readers Scan Your Webpages Quickly
• 4. Use Bulleted Lists and Text Formatting
• 5. Give Text Blocks Sufficient Spacing
• 6. Make Hyperlinked Text User-Friendly
• 7. Use Visuals Strategically