OPALescence 2009: An Online Library Conference for Everyone - Recently Updated Pages

Erin Downey Howerton

erindowney — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:45:37 CST

Erin Downey Howerton, School Liaison, Johnson County Library

Erin Downey Howerton, M.A., M.L.I.S. is the School Liaison for the Johnson County Library (KS). She is active in the Young Adult Library Services Association and edits the association newsletter, YAttitudes! She has presented nationally on various topics concerning teen and youth services in libraries and has published several articles for Voice of Youth Advocates and Young Adult Library Services. She served on the 2008 Margaret A. Edwards Award committee, and currently chairs the 2011 Michael L. Printz Award committee.

slides: http://www.slideshare.net/erindowney/best-practices-for-web-tools-in-schools
Network with me: @erindowney on Twitter, my blog, my wiki, email me at erindowney [at] gmail [dot] com

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So at the end of the session Tom asked me to be BOLD and PREDICTIVE about the future of technology in education. I said that of course I am convinced that we will not have LESS technology, but only MORE... and here are my other predictions:

-- Schools will marvel at the amount of money that can be saved by using free and online resources/texts... and will provide students with cheap, hardy netbooks for true 1:1 access. (And they shall give the saved funds to their MLS-degreed school library media specialists to buy plentiful paperback copies of all sorts of awesome leisure reading, databases, and more!)

-- Teachers will be able to tap into a huge world-wide network of mentor master teachers and be given ample time to devote to building their own personal learning community, which will be counted as informal continuing education!

-- School-type buildings will always exist but as learners age they will have more options to be self-directed and take the initiative to plan their own learning, much of which will take place outside the classroom and in their communities. Online courses now supplement what physical schools cannot offer but they will eventually be the norm - every student will be taking at least one course online each term with the potential to work with classmates from all over the world.

-- School will be year-round. (Trust me.)

-- Because of the flexibility of self-directed online learning, students will have a lot of free time on their hands. Arts will make a huge comeback as schools will be able to offer intensive training in subjects like music, sculpting, painting, photography, architecture, and more.

-- Educators will dedicate themselves to finding and developing each student's passion... and we will see an end of elaborate graduation rituals as students more seamlessly glide from formal schooling to apprenticeships and working in the field. We will find another way to celebrate these youths' authentic accomplishments as a community and recognize their "coming of age."

Want to hear the session? Find archived links here:
http://www.opal-online.org/archiveOPALescence.htm

OPALescence 2009 Schedule

EricaReynolds — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:40:34 CDT

All presentations and unconference sessions will be held in OPAL www.opal-online.org. See specific locations below.

Upon entering a "room" in OPAL:

Enter any username you wish.
Please leave the password field blank.
You'll need to download a small applet to enter the room. If you don't have admin rights on the machine you're using, you'll need to have your IT folks install it. Check out the Tech Requirements.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Noon Eastern Time, 11 a.m. Central, 10 Mountain, 9 Pacific, and 4 p.m. GMT:

Opening Keynote: The Future of User Experience in Libraries
Speaker: Nate Bolt
The User Experience (UX) primarily involves the experience of the library user, drawing from the successes and failures of human-to-technology interface design. Usability, aesthetics, community, collections and customer service are the key tenants of this user-centric service initiative. But you don’t have to have a huge staff or big tech budget. UX Expert, Nate Bolt shares ideas for free and easy Library UX improvements.
Location: Rialto

1 p.m. Eastern Time, noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 Pacific, and 5 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Librarians in Virtual Environments: From Classrooms to Communities
Speaker: Alison Miller
Libraries and librarians have made great progress in engaging in virtual environments. We are often the first to try new things: technology, social media/networks, enhanced services, etc. Alison will share ideas and examples of successful engagement along with areas identified as needing improvement.
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Joshua Neff
Location: Strand

2 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 Central, noon Mountain, 11 a.m. Pacific and 6 p.m. GMT: One-Hour Break Time!

3 p.m. Eastern Time, 2 Central, 1 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 7 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Collaboration 2.0
Speaker: Robin Hastings
Join Robin in a discussion of the use of cloud computing tools (Google's Apps, Blogs, Wikis & other social networking sites) as they are being used in libraries. Learn real-world uses of these tools and discover other ways that libraries could make use of free, easy-to-use cloud computing resources.
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Building a Learning Culture
Discussion Facilitators: Cindi Hickey, Brenda Hough, Stephanie Gerding, Betha Gutsche, Kim Priest
Location: Strand

4 p.m. Eastern Time, 3 Central, 2 Mountain, 1 Pacific, and 8 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Best Practices for Web Tools in Schools
Speaker: Erin Downey Howerton
Find out what Web 2.0 tools are being used by teachers around the world to pump up their lesson plans, and what learning institutions can do to help them succeed.
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Kaijsa Calkins
Location: Strand

Friday, August 14, 2009

Noon Eastern Time, 11 a.m. Central, 10 Mountain, 9 Pacific, and 4 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Listening to the Future of Reading: Readers' Advisory and Audio Books
Speaker: Kaite Stover
Audiobooks have been steadily increasing in circulation for many libraries in the past five years. Patrons are beginning to demand certain titles in audio and library staff need to know how to suggest titles to avid listeners. Learn how to employ standard readers' advisory training to promote titles to library patrons, including "how to listen to a book in fifteen minutes."
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Joe Kraus
Location: Strand

1 p.m. Eastern Time, noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 Pacific, and 5 p.m. GMT:

Topic: How American Libraries Are Using Web 2.0 Tools for Marketing
Speaker: Curtis Rogers
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Kendra Levine
Location: Strand

2 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 Central, noon Mountain, 11 a.m. Pacific, and 6 p.m. GMT: One-Hour Break Time!

3 p.m. Eastern Time, 2 Central, 1 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 7 p.m. GMT:

Topic: Beyond the Basics: Training for Technological Fluency
Speaker: Brenda Hough
Are you offering technology training for staff and patrons? Join this discussion to share ideas and interactive techniques to address varying skill levels, adapt to multiple learning styles, and deliver technology with greater impact. Provide opportunities for learners to develop skills that will help them adapt and succeed tomorrow as well as meet their needs today.
Location: Rialto

Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Michelle Boule
Location: Strand

4 p.m. Eastern Time, 3 Central, 2 Mountain, 1 Pacific, and 8 p.m. GMT:

Closing Keynote: Networking Library Services: A Glimpse at the Future--Moving Library Management Services to Web-Scale
Speaker: Andrew Pace
In April, OCLC announced a strategy to create the first Web-scale, cooperative library management service, extending WorldCat Local to include delivery and circulation, print and electronic acquisitions, and license management. This highly scalable service will allow libraries to preserve the core functionality they require to manage their collections while also creating a platform on which they can better manage and evolve library workflows. Moreover, the service-oriented architecture will allow libraries to interoperate more easily with other local business process systems. Andrew Pace will give a summary of the effort, highlighting key milestones for the project and the opportunities for positive change in libraries.
Location: Rialto

OPALescence 2009: An Online Library Conference for Everyone Home

AmandaPape — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:31:17 CDT

Thursday, August 13 & Friday, August 14, 2009

Welcome to OPALescence 2009! Hashtag: #OPAL

Schedule & Speakers
Archive of Recordings and Slides (under construction)
Conference Feedback Form
Tech Requirements
Sign up & Join the Wiki!

How do you log into a room?

Click on the link for the room location (in the Schedule)
You'll need to download a small applet. If you don't have admin righs on the machine you'll be using, you'll need to ask your IT folks to install it for you. Here's a link to the quick install for IT folks: http://test.tcconference.com/tcsilent.exe
To enter the room, enter any username you wish. Do not enter a password.
It's that easy!

We recommend logging in early in case you need to trouble-shoot. Need help? Conference organizers will be available 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (CST) on Thursday, Aug 13 and Friday, Aug. 14 before the conference sessions to help. Can't log in? E-mail/tweet Erica Reynolds at: reynoldse AT jocolibrary.org or @queequegs.

Registration is free, easy, and online: tinyurl.com/N4JMV7

Has your travel budget dried up? Still want that conference experience of fresh ideas, lively conversations, and networking with colleagues? Participate in OPALescence, a free online conference for everyone. We're planning a series of interesting and informative presentations and discussions spread over two days.

OPALesence 2009 is two online conferences in one:

A "traditional" conference with scheduled speakers.
An unconference with facilitators where you can discuss whatever topic interests you.

OPALescence will be held in OPAL: Online Programs for All: www.opal-online.org. The hashtag will be #opal.

Host: TAP Information Services

Kaite Stover

EricaReynolds — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:13:29 CDT

Kaite Mediatore Stover, Head of Readers' Services, The Kansas City Public Library
Kaite Mediatore Stover is the Head of Readers' Services for The Kansas City (MO) Public Library. She is one half of the Booklist duo, "He Reads, She Reads" and is a regular contribute to NoveList. Kaite appears on KCUR's Walt Bodine Show monthly as one of the "Book Doctors" and was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2003. She reads slower than you think and that's why she likes audio books, "I can read faster with my ears than my eyes." Find her on Twitter and Daily Mugshot as MarianLiberryan.

Listening to the Future of Reading
Listen to a Book in 15 Minutes
The precursor to the following guidelines, “How to Read a Book in Five Minutes,” has many mothers. The late Jane Hirsch of Montgomery County (MD) Department of Public Libraries developed these guidelines which were expanded by Lisa Sampley, Springfield-Greene County Library, and published in the Fall 1998 Missouri Library World. Further modifications have been made by Mary K. Chelton and Joyce Saricks. These guidelines are suitable for books on cassettes, compact discs and Playaways.

Audio Cover—It’s hard to look at the “cover” of a downloadable audio book, but is possible to view the record. For cassettes, CDs and Playaway judge if the cover is attractive. Does it give the viewer a suggestion as to the contents? Is it the same as the print version of the book? Is the narrator’s name prominently displayed? Does the case/website clearly state if the audio book is abridged or unabridged?

Jacket blurb—Unlike a print book, there is only one place for an audio book blurb, the back of the case. This isn’t very much room and the blurb may be short. If the print version of the book is available, have that to peruse the flyleaf. Look for a description of the book and a profile of the reader. Are any “extras” listed as well (i.e. author interviews, music, sound effects)? Does the reader get a sense of the story? Are key elements of the plot revealed? Can a fiction type be assigned based on the blurb?

Length--Consider the length of the recorded book. How many tapes or CDs are included? Approximately how many hours of listening time will be required? Are the tapes/CDs clearly marked on at least one side? Does the amount of listening time correspond to the abridged or unabridged formats?

Listen to side one of tape/CD one or the first few tracks of a Playaway/downloadable. Does the narrator immediately start reading the story or is there promotional, copyright or informative material to listen to first? Does the narrator hook the listener immediately or does the listener need time to get into the story? How quickly does the narrator read? Is the pace too slow or too fast for the type of story? Is the reader doing more narration or performance? How well does the reader distinguish between characters? Skip to another tape/CD/track in the audio book and listen for any irregularities in the story. Listen to portions of the last tape/CD/track. Is the reader’s voice still recognizable and full of energy? Is it easy to follow character changes? Does the story still flow? Does it appear to mesh with the book description on the back of the case?

Extras--Are there any music or sound effects? How is the end of a tape/CD or chapter signaled to the listen--with music or a straightforward announcement? Are there any recommendations made at the end of the audio book? Are there samples provided?

Evaluate appeal and audibility--Is the book a good listen or a better read? If the book was abridged did it feel as if something was missing? Think about how this audio book could be promoted or suggested to a potential listener or used in a display.

Selected Web Sites for Audio Books Readers’ Advisory

Audible, Inc. http://www.audible.com

AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/

Audio Publishers Association http://www.audiopub.org/ Electronic Mailing List AUDIOBOOKS@HSLC.ORG

Send standard subscription notice to LISTSERV@SHRSYS.HSLC.ORG

Additional Resources for Audio Books Readers’ Advisory

AudioFile Magazine. ISSN: 1063-0244. $60/year. Whitten, Robin F.

AudioBooks on the Go. Castine, ME: Country Roads Press, 1995. Out-of-print, but still valuable.

Books Out Loud: Bowker’s Guide to Audio Books. R.R. Bowker, 2008. $345.

Links tested: 4/12/09 Compiled by Kaite Mediatore Stover, Head of Readers’ Services at the Kansas City Public Library. kaitestover@yahoo.com

Building a Learning Culture

EricaReynolds — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:44:56 CDT

We'll share some ideas with you to get us started. We want to discuss and brainstorm concepts and strategies that will help us build learning cultures in our organizations. Here is the lineup for our short presentations:

Brenda Hough - introduction
Betha Gutsche - embedded social learning
Stephanie Gerding - personal/professional development plans for staff
Kim Priest - providing opportunies and incentives for staff learning
Cindi Hickey - reasons to learn (adapted from Kathryn Greenhill's article)

Please join us and bring your ideas and questions to share!

Slides: www.opal-online.org/opalescenceslideshickey.htm

Cindi Hickey

chickey60 — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:52:59 CDT

Cindi Hickey is the WebJunction Coordinator for the State Library of Kansas. Continuing education and learning are her professional passions. A former Gopher addict, Cindi has explored the use of Internet technologies in the delivery of learning and educational experiences since the '90's when she acquired her first laptop computer with 3 MB RAM. Now Cindi works with WebJunction Kansas and Kansas librarians to discover the online environments that work best for librarian continuing education. Kansas librarians have been using OPAL as a means to meet and learn for several years.

Joshua Neff

EricaReynolds — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:08:32 CDT

Check out Josh's profile page: http://opalescence.wetpaint.com/account/joshuamneff

Friday Noon session with Joe Kraus

jokrausdu — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:52:18 CDT

Hi Everyone,

Unconferences are gatherings of people united by a passion, where the content and structure of the day (or an hour in this case) is driven by the participants. An unconference is often facilitated using the Open Space Technology model. This uses the four flow principles:

• Whoever comes are the right people
• Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
• Whenever it starts is the right time
• When it's over, it's over*

For the first 10 minutes or so, I would like us to put in some topics for possible discussion in the chat box (left side). Once we have five good topics, then I will put them into a poll so we all can vote on what we want to talk about for the rest of the hour. Please use the poll below to vote for the items (one or more) you would like to discuss.

http://www.nuthingbut.net/2009/08/poll-for-friday-noon-opal-unconference.html

(Please right click and open in a new tab or window. Wetpaint didn't allow me to put this widget into this page, so I put it onto my blog. Please wait to vote until the poll is ready. Thanks for voting on the topics.)

* Greenhill, Kathryn and Constance Wiebrands. 2008. The unconference: a new model for better professional communication. http://www.lianza.org.nz/library/files/store_021/GreenhillandWiebrands_Unconference.pdf

Kendra Levine

EricaReynolds — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:41:23 CDT

Check out Kendra's profile page...

Michelle Boule

mboule — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 11:04:38 CDT

Michelle Boule is a Geek Librarian living in Houston, TX. Michelle went to Texas A&M University and received her MLS from Texas Woman's University. Michelle was recently a Social Sciences Librarian at the University of Houston. She is a 2008 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, was a coordinator for the Five Weeks to a Social Library project, is active in ALA, recently organized the first ALA Unconference, writes and speaks about technology and education, believes Joss Whedon is a genius, and is a geek for life. Michelle can be found online at A Wandering Eyre, http://wanderingeyre.com.

Kaijsa Calkins

kaijsa — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:26:04 CDT

Kaijsa Calkins is the English Reference and Instruction Librarian at the University of Wyoming. She has presented on embedded librarianship, cross-departmental academic services collaborations, and her research project on first-year college students' reading habits. She earned her MILIS from the Information School at the University of Washington in 2004; before coming to Wyoming, she worked at community colleges and an interdisciplinary university campus in Washington state.

Kaijsa's interest in technology centers around its potential to faciliate teaching, learning, and professional collaboration across great distances. She is a member of the newly formed University of Wyoming E-Learning group, made up of faculty and technical staff from a variety of campus units (Outreach Credit Programs, College of Education, Teaching and Learning Center, Agricultural Extension, and University Libraries) who serve as technology trainers for other faculty and graduate students on campus. You can find Kaijsa on Twitter, Facebook, LibraryThing, Delicious, and Last.fm.

Tech Requirements

EricaReynolds — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:25:20 CDT

OPAL uses Talking Communities software which is PC compatiable (not available for Macs). To fully participate, we recommend having a microphone connected to your computer so you can use the voice-over IP--but you can always just use the text-chat.

How do you log into a room?

Click on the link for the room location (in the Schedule)
You'll need to download a small applet. If you don't have admin righs on the machine you'll be using, you'll need to ask your IT folks to install it for you. Here's a link to the quick install for IT folks: http://test.tcconference.com/tcsilent.exe
To enter the room, enter any username you wish. Do not enter a password.
It's that easy!

We recommend logging in early in case you need to trouble-shoot. Need help? Conference organizers will be available 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (CST) on Thursday, Aug 13 and Friday, Aug. 14 before the conference sessions to help. If you can't log in, e-mail/tweet Erica Reynolds at: reynoldse AT jocolibrary.org or @queequegs.

Tips for First Time Users

Software and Hardware Requirements

Joe Kraus

jokrausdu — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:09:41 CDT

Joe has been a science and engineering librarian for 14 years, and he is currently the Science and Engineering Librarian at the University of Denver. He has been active in the Special Libraries Association (SLA) over the last 14 years. He volunteered for numerous committee and chair positions in the Sci-Tech and the Physics-Astronomy Mathematics (PAM) Divisions. He was very happy to chair the PAM Division when the SLA Conference was in Denver in 2007. Over the last couple of years, he has gotten more involved with Web2.0 resources and organizations (the Library Society of the World for example) that promote the freer exchange of knowledge. He is interested in learning about and using Library2.0 tools to increase library engagement with patrons, and learning how software can be used to enhance interaction between librarians. He is particularly interested in unconferences, Twitter, Friendfeed, video and image sharing sites, blogs, open access journals and other emerging forms of information dissemination.

Unconference Sessions

EricaReynolds — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:02:07 CDT

Need a Wiki page to discuss or note ideas you develop as part of your unconference? Add one here! (Links to the pages are over on the left menu bar.)

Andrew Pace

EricaReynolds — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:20:20 CDT

Andrew Pace, Executive Director of Networked Library Services, OCLC
Andrew Pace is the Executive Director of Networked Library Services at OCLC and president of LITA. He previously served as head of information technology for North Carolina State University Libraries in Raleigh, and wrote the monthly "Technically Speaking" column for American Libraries magazine from April 2004 until February 2008.

Robin Hastings

EricaReynolds — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:32:48 CDT

Robin Hastings, Information Technology Manager Missouri River Regional Library
As the Information Technology Manager for the Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City, Missouri, Robin manages the library's network, websites and training classes, as well as a four person staff who keep the library's computers running while she's off presenting at conferences. In 2008, Robin has been to England, Jamaica, California, Chicago (twice), St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri, giving presentations on Web 2.0, Learning 2.0, Library Mashups, RSS, OpenID and Web 3.0. Her ALA Library Technology Report, "Collaboration 2.0." was just published in June and she can be found occasionally blogging at: http://www.rhastings.net/

Brenda Hough

EricaReynolds — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:03:41 CDT

Brenda Hough, Technology and Continuing Education Consultant
Brenda Hough is a librarian, trainer, Ph.D. candidate, and writer. Through the wonders of technology and her time as a travelling trainer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Brenda has shared her expertise with librarians nationwide.

Curtis Rogers

EricaReynolds — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:12 CDT

Curtis Rogers, Communications Director, South Carolina State Library
Curtis holds a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and an MLIS both from University of South Carolina. In addition with his work with the State Library of South Carolina, he regularly presents and writes about libraries, library 2.0, the future of libraries, and new and interesting things about what makes libraries great. He blogs at: http://curtisrogers.blogspot.com/

Nate Bolt

EricaReynolds — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:57:45 CDT

Nate Bolt, El Presidente Bolt|Peters
Nate is fascinated by the personal, social, and cultural role of technology, and how research and design can transform those roles. After pioneering and directing the User Experience department at Clear Ink in 1999, which included the construction of Natural Environment and Remote Observation laboratories, Nate co-founded Bolt | Peters. He now serves as el presidente, where he has overseen hundreds of user research studies for Sony, Oracle, HP, Greenpeace, Electronic Arts, and others. Beginning in 2003, he led the creation of the first moderated remote user research software, Ethnio, which is being used around the world to recruit hundreds of thousands of live participants for research.

Nate regularly gives presentations on native environment research methods in both commercial and academic settings, and is currently co-authoring Remote Research, a book on remote testing. Working with faculty at the University of California, San Diego, he created a degree titled "Digital Technology and Society," which focused on the social impact of technology. He also completed a year of communications studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he was jailed briefly for playing drums in public without a license.

Want to Host an Unconference session?

EricaReynolds — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:38:19 CDT

Do you thrive in uncertainty, love collaboration, and enjoy making it up as you go along? We are currently recruiting hosts for the unconference sessions. Want to participate? Send Erica Reynolds your name, a photo, a short bio and which date/time slot you'd like to serve as the host.