NSLS Blogs

 Home » Blogs » Annotations

Annotations

« January 2006 | Main | March 2006 »

February 27, 2006

Any spot can be a hot spot

The New York Times ran a very interesting article that you can read below. It starts with these statements;

"YOU know what would be so cool? A portable Wi-Fi hot spot. Whenever you wanted Internet access, you wouldn't have to hunt for a wireless coffee shop or pay $24 a night to your hotel.

Instead, you'd travel with a little box. Plug it into a power outlet — or even your car's cigarette lighter — and boom, you and everyone within 200 feet could get onto the Internet at high speed, without wires."

I think this sounds really great but, I wonder what does it mean to libraries? Does it mean that when I am working at the reference desk I will have fewer people asking why they can't connect to the library's Wi-Fi? Well maybe, but will those people even come to the library? Library staff knows that people like coming to the library to use our computers. My question is if people can go anywhere and have internet access how do we "Keep them down on the farm, after they've seen Paris?" What additional value can libraries provide to keep them coming to us?

February 23, 2006
David Pogue

YOU know what would be so cool? A portable Wi-Fi hot spot. Whenever you wanted Internet access, you wouldn't have to hunt for a wireless coffee shop or pay $24 a night to your hotel.

Instead, you'd travel with a little box. Plug it into a power outlet — or even your car's cigarette lighter — and boom, you and everyone within 200 feet could get onto the Internet at high speed, without wires.

Actually, such boxes exist. They come from companies like Kyocera, Junxion and Top Global, and they're every bit as awesome as they sound. (Unfortunately, the category is so new that it has no agreed-upon name. "Portable hot spot"
is descriptive but unwieldy. "Cellular gateway" is a bit cryptic. Kyocera's term, "mobile router," may be as good as any.) Before you start thinking that you've died and gone to Internet heaven, however, you should know that these boxes don't work alone. Each requires the insertion of a PC laptop card provided by a cellular carrier like Verizon, Sprint or Cingular. The card provides the Internet connection, courtesy of those companies' 3G ("third generation") high-speed cellular data networks. The box just rebroadcasts that connection as a Wi-Fi signal so that all nearby computers — not just one privileged laptop — can go online.

With those PC cards, you can go online anywhere there's a cellular signal:
in a taxi, on a bus, in a waiting room or wherever. In major cities, the speed is delightful, like a D.S.L. or slowish cable modem (400 to 700 kilobits a second). In other areas, you can still go online, but only slightly faster than with a dial-up modem. (Also note that uploading is far slower than
downloading.)

All right, go ahead, ask it: If you can already outfit your laptop with one of these miraculous cards, why do you need a mobile router that translates the cellular connection into a Wi-Fi one?
First, not all computers have the necessary card slot. ( Apple's iBooks and new MacBook Pro laptops come to mind.) Second, a mobile router can accommodate machines with no wireless features at all — like desktop computers — thanks to standard Ethernet network jacks on the back. (The Kyocera has four, the Junxion two and the Top Global one.) Above all, Wi-Fi lets lots of computers share the same Internet signal.
Cellular PC-card service is very expensive: $60 a month for unlimited use ($80 if you don't also have a voice plan). That's a lot to pay for a single computer to go online. A mobile router opens up that signal to any computer within about 200 feet; $60 a month is a lot more palatable when 10 or 20 of you are sharing it.
MOBILE routers have become essential equipment for traveling groups. Bus and train companies are experimenting with these boxes to see if having high-speed Wi-Fi on board appeals to passengers. These boxes are also becoming standard amenities for the casts of TV shows and movies and for rock bands, so that they can check e-mail or surf the Web between takes or whenever they're on location or on the tour bus.

But a mobile router might make sense even in stationary environments. Small businesses can use one as a backup connection when the power goes out. (A mobile router can draw its power from a car or battery pack.)

Other people are canceling their home D.S.L. or cable modem service altogether. Instead of paying twice for Internet access — for a cable modem and a cellular laptop plan — they use the cellular card at home and on the road and save a lot of money.

To use a mobile router, you insert your cellular laptop card (which must first be activated in a Windows laptop). Then you connect the router to your computer using an Ethernet cable (included). You type the box's numeric address into your Web browser, and presto: you're viewing its configuration page. Here's where you indicate which brand of PC card you have (Novatel, Sierra Wireless or whatever), turn on password protection, and fiddle with pages and pages of network and security settings, if you're into that sort of thing.
The Junxion box is a biggish slab of folded sheet metal, unimpressive except for its bright green paint job, measuring 6.3 by 10.3 by 1.1 inches and costing $600. As you can tell from the price, Junxion seeks corporate buyers, not individuals. Yet only a few of its features cry out "corporate." (One of them lets a network geek configure a fleet of Junxion boxes by remote control, from the comfort of company headquarters.)

For $600, you might expect more than two measly status lights, and geeks might expect the wireless signal to be 802.11g instead of the older "b" variant.
On the other hand, the Junxion has some neat features, including the ability to greet colleagues with a splash screen. ("Welcome to Dave's free Wi-Fi highway! Click Connect to continue, and don't forget to thank Dave by dropping off cash or baked goods at his cubicle.")

The new Kyocera KR1, developed jointly with D-Link, is more attractive for a couple of important reasons. First, it costs only a third as much ($200 after rebate). It's also much smaller and better-looking (8.5 by 5.3 by 1.3 inches) and feels more like a finished commercial product.
Note, however, that the KR1 works only with Verizon and Sprint cards — or as the techies might say, it works only on EV-DO networks. Its rivals, by contrast, can accommodate almost any card from any service, including the new BroadbandConnect service from Cingular (so far available in 16 cities).
On the other hand, only the KR1 can draw its Internet connection from certain EV-DO cellphones instead of a PC card. That is, you can connect the Samsung A890 or Audiovox 8940, for example, with a U.S.B. cable. The phone becomes a sort of Internet antenna for the router.
If the Junxion box represents the complete absence of industrial design, then Top Global's 3G Phoebus represents the height of it. This mobile router is a white, gray or black plastic pyramid (7 by 7 by 5.5 inches) that makes no attempt to look like a piece of networking equipment. You either love that approach or you don't.
Design aside, the Phoebus has a lot to recommend it. It's the only model with an on-off switch — a clicky chrome marble on the front. It's also the only model that when used with Sprint or Verizon cards, automatically configures itself; you can skip the setup steps involving the Ethernet cable and Web browser. You literally plug the thing in, insert the card, and start surfing. That feature, and its super-clear browser-based Web setup page, makes the Phoebus the simplicity champion.
The only causes for pauses are the single Ethernet jack in the back, the price ($400) and the difficulty of finding a place to buy the thing.
(Homemade-looking Web sites like americanevdo.net carry it.) There's no overstating the joy of carrying around your own Wi-Fi hot spot, ready for your whole gang to enjoy wherever you can find a power outlet or even a car's cigarette-lighter socket.
Not everyone is happy about this product category, however. Verizon, in particular, strongly objects.
"Broadband access is designed for individual customers," said Brenda Raney, a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman. "When customers use unauthorized devices to share the service, they are in violation of their service agreements."
Yet this objection should sound distinctly familiar to anyone who remembers the dawn of the cable modem era. The cable companies originally hoped to charge $40 a month for each computer in your home, and did everything in their power to dissuade people from hooking up network routers that could share the signal. In the end, of course, common sense won, the cable companies lost, and now just about every home D.S.L. or cable modem signal is shared among two or more computers.
If you like the idea of a mobile router, any of these hot-spots-in-a-box will do the trick. But considering its polish and low price, the Kyocera KR1 has the edge (provided you're a Sprint or Verizon customer). Until the United Nations finally gets around to blanketing the earth with an uninterrupted cloud of Wi-Fi coverage, these gadgets are the next best thing to finding a wireless connection everywhere you go.
E-mail: Pogue@nytimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/23/technology/circuits/23pogue.html?_r=1&
oref=login&pagewanted=print

Posted by anna at 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

February 21, 2006

What do libraries mean to your life?

Are you familiar with those ads they run on TV about "if you can read, thank a teacher?" They actually have many themes but all the stories bring a tear to your eye (well at least mine, I am a giant marshmallow quivering with emotion.) Woman's Day magazine is providing a chance for people to tell these same kind of stories about libraries.

Over the course of a librarian's career, he or she probably helps several people in several different ways. Now is a great time to capture some of those stories and help raise the mage of our profession. This program also comes with its own promotional material. It seems like a good start at telling the library story and the importance of the work we do.

Read on for more details......

From: Mark Gould [mailto:mgould@ala.org]
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 7:47 AM
To: ayackle@nsls.info.
Subject: How Library Has Changed Lives Contest

New Womans Day initiative asks readers to share stories on how the library has changed their life

Womans Day magazine wants to learn how the library has changed lives.

The magazine announced the editorial initiative in its March 7 issue, which reached subscribers last week. In the issue, the magazine declares that libraries are magical places and asks readers to submit their stories in 700 words or less. Stories can be sent to womansday@ala.org from now until May 10, 2006, when the promotion closes.Four of the submissions will be featured in an upcoming issue of Womans Day.

Librarians can promote the initiative in their library by downloading free promotional tools from the ALA @ your library® Web site, http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/campaign/sponsorship/wdchangelives.htm Tools include a sample press release, downloadable logos, sample newsletter copy and flyer.

In the same issue, Womans Day highlights the two winners from last years editorial initiative, which asked people why they would want to research their family trees at the library. The four-page article features librarians Howard Grueneberg from the Urbana (Ill.) Free Library and Shellie Cocking from the San Francisco Public Library guiding the winners through library resources to help them discover new parts of their family history. It also includes a sidebar with tips on plotting family history from ALA member Stephen C. Young of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Young is chair of the genealogy committee for the Reference and User Services Associations (RUSA) history section.

The ALA partnership with Womans Day began in 2002 with a series of workshops for aspiring writers led by writers from the magazine. It has developed into a multi-program partnership that has resulted in approximately $4 million in library-related editorial coverage in five issues of the magazine, donated ad space and an online book club featuring ALA members.

The writing workshops will kick off again this year during National Library Week at 10 community college and public libraries throughout the country. Currently, the Womans Day online book club features YALSA members book recommendations for young adults, and beginning this summer, the book club will highlight RUSA members. The book club is available by visiting www.womansday.com/community .

Womans Day is a Founding Partner of The Campaign for Americas Libraries, the ALAs multi-year public awareness and advocacy campaign to promote the value of libraries and librarians in the 21st century.

New Womans Day initiative asks readers to share stories on how the library has changed their life

Womans Day magazine wants to learn how the library has changed lives.

The magazine announced the editorial initiative in its March 7 issue, which reached subscribers last week. In the issue, the magazine declares that libraries are magical places and asks readers to submit their stories in 700 words or less. Stories can be sent to womansday@ala.org from now until May 10, 2006, when the promotion closes.Four of the submissions will be featured in an upcoming issue of Womans Day.

Librarians can promote the initiative in their library by downloading free promotional tools from the ALA @ your library® Web site, http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/campaign/sponsorship/wdchangelives.htm Tools include a sample press release, downloadable logos, sample newsletter copy and flyer.

In the same issue, Womans Day highlights the two winners from last years editorial initiative, which asked people why they would want to research their family trees at the library. The four-page article features librarians Howard Grueneberg from the Urbana (Ill.) Free Library and Shellie Cocking from the San Francisco Public Library guiding the winners through library resources to help them discover new parts of their family history. It also includes a sidebar with tips on plotting family history from ALA member Stephen C. Young of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Young is chair of the genealogy committee for the Reference and User Services Associations (RUSA) history section.

The ALA partnership with Womans Day began in 2002 with a series of workshops for aspiring writers led by writers from the magazine. It has developed into a multi-program partnership that has resulted in approximately $4 million in library-related editorial coverage in five issues of the magazine, donated ad space and an online book club featuring ALA members.

The writing workshops will kick off again this year during National Library Week at 10 community college and public libraries throughout the country. Currently, the Womans Day online book club features YALSA members book recommendations for young adults, and beginning this summer, the book club will highlight RUSA members. The book club is available by visiting www.womansday.com/community .

Womans Day is a Founding Partner of The Campaign for Americas Libraries, the ALAs multi-year public awareness and advocacy campaign to promote the value of libraries and librarians in the 21st century.

Mark Gould
Director
Public Information Office @ your library

Posted by anna at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2006

The Datary? Hooking up at the Library: Getting a Date and Data

In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to share this article from the New York Times about how Belgium Libraries are helping people make "love connections" and find their Valentine. These matchmaking librarians are embracing this new role for libraries. ''Libraries are turning into cultural hubs. They have a social role and are the only meeting place in some communities.''

I also heard on NPR this morning that many colleges are doing a similar event for their alumni and have found that it greatly increases monetary donations and a sense of connection with their institution. Why not mix data and dating? Is this really any different than some of the other programs public libraries offer? I know my cousin met his wife at a book discussion group at the Evanston Public Library. They have been married for 15 years now.

Take a look at the story and tell me what you think?
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Belgium-Library-Dating.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Belgian Librarians Use Love to Get Readers

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 13, 2006
Filed at 4:19 a.m. ET

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) -- It could be a Valentine's setting at any restaurant or bar: Young couples drink red wine and chat eagerly at intimate tables aglow in candlelight and adorned with flowers.

But this romantic venue also features books. Hundreds of them.

Singles who like to read are descending upon libraries across Belgium as part of an experiment in what two librarians have dubbed ''lib-dating.''

By designing a new place for singles to find love, creators Eric Van der Straeten and Danny Theuwis are hoping to draw more people to books by appealing to their hearts, as well as blow the dust off stereotypes of libraries as stuffy and solitary places.

''Basically it's speed-dating, but in a new setting -- with books,'' Van der Straeten said, referring to the popular dating method where singles are paired for a few minutes of chat before switching partners.

Theuwis experimented with the dating idea three years ago, combining 14 single bookworms -- most between 18 and 35 years old -- with novels.

''I got some flowers for the tables, got some candles and gave those who came a glass of red wine,'' Theuwis said.

The informal setting and two people huddling to discuss their favorite books was all that was needed to break the ice and let relationships blossom, he said.

He said many of the participants wrote him afterward saying it was a pity the get-together was a one time thing.

He and Van der Straeten have since held sessions at Antwerp's Permeke library to train librarians from more than 300 libraries across the country on hosting lib-dating sessions. Van der Straeten said he hopes many of the libraries will set up their own dating groups in the next few months.

Participants are given 10 minutes to introduce themselves to others in the group, which Van der Straeten said should not exceed 20 people to ensure intimacy.

Upon arriving, participants pick a small piece of paper from a glass with a question on it, such as: What was your favorite book as a child and why? They are instructed to go around the room with the question and mingle.

For the second round, readers take the three favorite books or passages they were asked to bring, and share their thoughts one-on-one with others for a few minutes before switching to a new partner and new books.

At the end of the session, participants are instructed to put their books down and write a note to placed in the book of the person they would like to meet again.

''The ultimate is to plan another lib-date, or to meet elsewhere in the library ... by the letter 'L' for love maybe,'' Van der Straeten said.

Frederika Van Wing, manager of the Flanders public library network's campaign to boost visits, hopes the idea catches on, and draws more readers to the library.

She said only 35 percent of those living in the northern Flemish region of Belgium belong to a public library, though a recent survey conducted by the network found that libraries are the No. 3 spot for recreational activity, after the cinema and sporting venues, in Flanders, including Brussels.

''Libraries are turning into cultural hubs. They have a social role and are the only meeting place in some communities,'' she said.

Librarians seemed hesitant to embrace the idea at first but said they are warming up to it.

''Maybe we should start this; there is a market for this,'' said Monica Jacobs, a librarian from the town of Deurne. ''After all, the image most have of us is of some sort of a reading club of old English aunties.''

Posted by anna at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)

February 9, 2006

Trustee Training

When I was on the Local School Council at my daughter's school in Chicago, we had to file form, run for election, and go to six, 8 hour Saturday training sessions. It was tough giving up that many Saturdays but, the training was well worth it. I was really surprised when I found out library trustees didn't really have similar structured training.
This lack of training puts public library trustees at a disadvantage. Trustees face major legal and financial responsibilities and many are not sure what there duties are.

NSLS is working with the Trustee Training Task Force to create a curriculum of classes and training opportunities. We are exploring many different delivery formats. The task force has already created a brochure and helped design a Web page. Take a look and let us know what you think. If you have any ideas or suggestions please share them with a task force member.

The wonderful members of the task force are:

Directors : Dan Armstrong, Palatine Public Library District, Carole Medal, Gail Borden Public Library District, and Lynn Stainbrook, Arlingotn Heights Memorial Library

Trustees: Kathy Caudill, Ela Area Public Library District, Kim Isaacson, Fox Lake Public Library District, and Estelle Cooperman, Morton Grove Public LIbrary District.

NSLS Staff: Sarah Long, Director, Anna Yackle, Public Library Liaison

Posted by anna at 8:48 PM | Comments (0)

The new face of virtual reference in Illinois: MyWebLibrarian and Ask?Away

In January, 2006, the Illinois State Library did a soft launch of a dynamic new service called Ask?Away. This is one of the first multi-state virtual reference services in the country. They are inviting libraries of all types to join in this groundbreaking project.

For NSLS libraries, this probably all seems very confusing. First we had Answers Unlimited and then we had MyWebLibrarian and now libraries are being asked to join yet a third incarnation of virtual reference service. Don't give up! This project is well worth exploring.

You probably have many questions about this service such as what will happen to MyWebLibrarian, and how can it benefit your library.  Bill Pardue, Chair of the MyWebLibrarian Governing Committee and I have created an FAQ.

Remember, the true expert and actual coordinator of this project is Debra Aggertt, at the state library. If after reading this, you have further questions, she is a good person to contact. You may also contact Bill Pardue , Bruce Brigell, or Pam Leffler.

Ask? Away: The New Virtual Reference Service
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), February, 2006

The Illinois State Library is building on the success of virtual reference projects like Answers Unlimited, Ask Us!, and MyWebLibrarian (MWL) to create a new and dynamic 24/7, multi-state, affordable virtual reference service called Ask?Away. The Illinois State Library has hired Debra Aggertt as full-time project coordinator to implement this service.

Who are the partners?
You can be a partner with the Illinois State Library (ISL), Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS), and libraries of all types across the states of Illinois and Wisconsin. As a partner, your library’s patrons will have access to the back-up services provided by OCLC’s Question Point 24/7 (QP24/7.) This means that there will always (24/7) be someone to answer questions and queries requiring more in-depth research can be referred on to an appropriate library.

Who will be answering my library patron’s questions?
The thing to remember is that your patron’s questions will be answered by trained staff 24/7. When it is your library’s turn to staff the service, questions may be answered by your own employees. If your institution feels they should be the primary provider of this service, the purchase of a queue of your own maybe arranged. Questions that come in during regular library hours but, when your staff is not covering the virtual desk will be answered by other Illinois librarians. After normal library hours or during especially busy times, QuestionPoint 24/7’s staff of degreed librarians will meet your patron’s needs.

How can other librarians know about my library and its resources?
First, questions from your library users will go into a queue or “doorway” for similar type libraries. To make sure the librarian answering the question will have a basic understanding of the work you do, libraries are currently divided into either academic or general queues. Second, all member libraries will be filling out a detailed QuestionPoint profile which will be available to the librarian answering taking the question no matter where they are located geographically. Questions from your patrons that require local attention will be forwarded to you via email.

What about MyWebLibrarian?
Many of the libraries currently participating in MWL will be joining the Ask?Away project. That means that these seasoned veterans will be bringing their knowledge and expertise in providing virtual reference services to this new project. The ISL sought the input of these librarians, particularly, Bill Pardue and Bruce Brigell, in creating the framework of this project. Ask?Away is viewed as the next evolution in virtual reference service in Illinois. On June 30, 2006, the MWL libraries will be providing their services under the Ask?Away “banner.”

What should my library be doing if we currently belong to an existing service?
Your library staff should contact the coordinator of your current service. Each group will probably have a different plan and timetable. Libraries participating in MWL should follow announcements made to the Clickaway electronic mailing list. The governing board is developing a transition plan and will keep participants informed.

What about Night Owl?
Night Owl has been an important partner in MWL. They have provided training, administrative oversight of daily functions and finances for the service, as well as providing after hours coverage. The partnership will end on June 30, 2006 as MWL merges with Ask?Away. For more information or questions about Night Owl and its other services, please contact a Night Owl Board representative.

How is Ask?Away being funded?
The Illinois State Library is providing 3 years of grant funding for this project. During this time, the focus will be on increasing the number of participants in the service. Each year the grant funding will decrease. However, increased membership should help keep costs low. Sustainability is an important part of the service. Once the service has been operating for awhile (at about a year and a half into the project), the Ask?Away Advisory Committee will focus their efforts on the matter of sustainability.

What are the benefits of membership?
You can be a pioneer and break new ground in the formation of one of the first multi-state virtual reference services. Your library’s users will reap the real benefits of the service. They will be able to easily locate the service from the link on your library’s home page. Their questions will be answered on a 24/7 basis. Because you will create a detailed library profile, the degreed librarians providing back-up support can customize their answers for your patrons.

What does my library have to do to participate?
Your first step is to contact Debra Aggertt at (217) 558-1945 or daggert@ilsos.net., at the Illinois State Library. She will be able to walk you through the required steps, explain what is expected of participants, and outline the fee structure.

How much money and staff time will it cost to join?
Pricing and staff hours required are based on your library’s size and type. A small public library can join for as little as $25 and 1 hour per week of required staff time. Staff time contributions need not be filled by actually staffing the service. Participation in promotional, administrative or quality control functions will count towards a library’s staff time commitment. School libraries can join for between $25 and $100, with staffing optional. For more details, Debra Aggertt at the ISL has developed a pricing model that you will find attached.

What if I still have questions?
Go to the expert:
Debra Aggertt
Illinois State Library
Illinois Virtual Reference Coordinator
300 South Second Street
Springfield, Illinois 62701
Phone 217-558-1945
Fax 217-557-2619
Office of Jesse White, Secretary of State and State Librarian

Posted by anna at 8:27 PM | Comments (0)