March 12, 2008

Have you all seen this new(?) website Hulu.com?  From it's info page it claims " it's mission is to help you find and enjoy the world's premium content when, where and how you want it. We hope to provide you with the web's most comprehensive selection from more than 50 content providers including FOX, NBC, MGM, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and more to deliver premium programming across all genres and formats, television shows, feature films, and clips. Watch full-length episodes of current primetime TV shows such as The Simpsons and The Office the morning after they air, classics like Miami Vice and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and clips from Saturday Night Live, Nip/Tuck, and others. Hulu also offers full-length feature films like The Usual Suspects, Ice Age, Three Amigos!, and The Big Lebowski as well as clips from films such as Napoleon Dynamite, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Devil Wears Prada and many more. Hulu is free and ad-supported — available anytime in the U.S.

This site will be another competitor to OCLS MyLibraryDVD.

Lelia Higgins

March 10, 2008  London hotel offers reader- in- residence

Next month during the World-famous London Book Fair,  guests will be able to partake of the services of the hotel first-ever "Readers-in-residence," who will be able to read aloud to them in their rooms.

http://www.springwise.com/tourism_travel/hotel_offers_readerinresidence/

Marilyn

February 6, 2008

The most interesting part about the article Kelly posted IMHO is something we discuss a lot as far as what is a trend versus something that is just a fad.  Were Laser Discs a fad, but VHS a trend?  Or were they both merely examples of one successful and one not so successful example of the same larger trend?  Or....in the larger picture, was going out to the movie theater such a big thing to do in the past because it meant getting out of the home, enjoying some entertainment, spending money for popcorn and Goobers, but then with the invention of the Beta/VHS, it was a way to get back to the home, watch it at our leisure, and save a buck or two on food we have at home.  I'm sure this occurred before the 80s when I was growing up, but there was a similar push for environmental/green/conservation that took place for four or five years and then it seemed to disapper completely until the last year or two again.  I'm not sure exactly what this means for the library, but it will be interesting to see what balance we play between having the latest technology and being connected virtually and wanting people to attend programs and events and connect face to face.

Edward

Janurary 17, 2008 

Toys! at the library? http://closedstacks.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/19/

Marilyn

January 10, 2008

"Books in bite-sized portions", check out this article

http://www.springwise.com/media_publishing/books_in_bitesized_portions/

Tatyana

January 9, 2008

Handheld projector.  No need to lug all that equipment with you for a presentation, or have ceiling mounted unit.  Here is a brief synopsis of a projector that is the size of an Ipod, that projects a 100 inch image.

http://gizmodo.com/339612/microvision-handheld-pico-projector-can-drive-a-100+inch-image

Leila

January 8, 2008

Here is an interesting article on technology trends and libraries

http://litablog.org/2008/01/07/top-technology-trends-ala-mid-winter-2008/

Leila

January 3, 2008

Program Idea!

Sweet Move: Stinky Cheese Man to Promote Children's Books

 

Children's book author Jon Scieszka will become the country's first national ambassador for young people's literature and will "travel and speak to groups of children, parents and teachers 'to evangelize the need for reading,'" according to today's New York Times. He will also speak at Children's Book Week and the National Book Festival. The appointment is for two years and includes an annual $25,000 stipend.

Scieszka told the Times, "There's a huge population of kids who would be or can be readers but just choose not to. Kids see it just as a school activity or something that just can't compete with a Nintendo Wii or just hanging out and text messaging your friends. Parents and booksellers and teachers are dying for some help."

Robin Adelson, executive director of the Children's Book Council, which was involved with the Library of Congress's Center for the Book in creating and filling the position, told the Times that the group wanted "someone with charisma, who is comfortable traveling and speaking and who could reach children, parents, educators and speak to a roomful of librarians and then go one-on-one with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show."

Jewell Stoddard, head of the children's department of Politics and Prose, Washington, D.C., and a member of the committee that selected Scieszka, told the Washington Post that Scieszka, who runs a program aimed at boys called Guys Read, already is "on a mission to promote reading among young boys. . . . Girls love his books, too, and I'm sure he'll speak for everybody."  Thanks much!  Milinda  :~)

January 3, 2008

I am not sure if some of you have already seen website www.springwise.com. It features a lot of great business ideas. Right now on the fron page is Top 10 ideas of 2007 in different industries.

Tatyana

January 2, 2008

Happy New Year! I came across the blog that has some pictures of a couple of different libraries! Check it out! 

http://deputy-dog.com/2007/11/30/can-you-spot-the-library/

Tatyana

December 7, 2007

Keeping pace with the Eco-Sphere and Eco-Iconic trends that are really hot right now ~~~ what if we charged for our "rainy day" plastic bags?  If they were priced at say 25 cents each, the price would make the orange bags even more attractive at $1.50.  Or we could only hand out "rainy day" bags on rainy days!  Ikea charges for their plastic bags and San Francisco has passed legislation banning plastic bags at major grocery, department and drug stores.  We could be the first in the library community!  Thanks!  Milinda  :~)

December 4, 2007

Travelling to Japan?  You no longer need to lug that phrase book.  Just use your cell phone.  Here is a brief article that talks about Japanese to English translation software with 50,000 Japanese words that can be translated in seconds.  I'm sure this is a trend that will move to other languages soon.

http://www.richardbanks.com/trends/?p=7757

Leila

November 30,2007

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-txtmsgmath2407nov24,0,6314755.story

You might have heard about it on local news but I wanted to share an article.

Tatyana

Here is an interesting article in the most recent Library Hi Tech journal entitled “A tale of binary bricks and mortar:  building a virtual library”.  This article was about an interactive on-line floor plan created for a law library in Belgium.  It was created to assist patrons in finding materials and services (restroom, photocopier etc.) in a library with 10 large reading rooms on four floors with three wings. There is a directory in alphabetical order of the different subjects contained in the library. You can take a look at this interactive floor plan by copying and pasting the following URL to search online:  http://tinyurl.com/2hyb9w .  This will bring you to the list of subject headings and from there you can click on the call number to show you the floor plan and what floor, wing, and section where the materials would be.  You can also click on “titles in this section” and it will bring you to the library catalog listing the books with that subject heading. Patrons are now able to search the catalog and link to the floor plan.To develop a virtual floor plan an outside company created a 3D floor plan and in 2003 the library used different programs to create this virtual floor plan for on-line use: PHP – mySQL, Adobe’s scalable vector graphics, server-side- generated images and the final version was created in Flash.  Take a look its pretty cool. 

Leila.  November 14, 2007

November 8, 2007

 http://www.mobile-mentor.com/services/

Here is a company that teaches people to use all all those features on their cell phones.  Possible class idea for us at OCLS.

Leila

October 24, 2007

http://connectinglibrarian.blogspot.com/2007/04/cil-2007-trends-in-mobile-tools.html Take a look, Marilyn

October 23, 2007

I posted this on the log, but the NYT had an interesting article http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/technology/22library.html?em&ex=1193198400&en=aa6ef9cdba872c42&ei=5087%0A about libraries agreeing or not participating with Google/MSN/search engines to digitalize their collections.  It's all very interesting....

October 9, 2007

Just saw an interesting article from St. Joseph County Public Library in Indiana where they are lending out Ipod Nanos.  You can check out a book for 3 weeks on this device. Neat idea.   Loan period, replacement fees etc. are listed.

http://libraryforlife.org/aboutsjcpl/departments/sightssounds/sightssounds.html

Leila

October 3, 2007

Following up on last week's meeting...here is the link to the book Microtrends in the catalog:  http://iii.ocls.info/record=b1653538.  The author was the one that a number of years ago coined the phrase "soccer moms".

October 2, 2007

Hey everyone.  I saw this link regarding the Wii and rehabilitation.  This comes on the heel of a conversation I had with Katherine Cooper who had played the Wii over the weekend and enjoyed it!  http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=952695&cl=4320210&src=news .

Edward

September 28, 2007

Very relevant idea for classes ~ possibly camp savvy ~ http://www.springwise.com/weekly/2007-08-22.htm#kaching 

MN  :~)

September 28, 2007.  http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/ Orlando Sentinel recently had an article on the Human Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland.  The goal of the lab is to "research and develop 'new interface technologies that are universally usable, useful, efficient and appealing to a broad cross-section of people.'"  Sounds like a good trendwatcher resource.  Here's the link to the article:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-horowitz2207sep22,0,6399592.column Gregg

September 28, 2007.  http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com/2007/08/digitizing-allen-county-library-family.html  More book collections are becoming accessible online, free; this one is major for Genealogy & referring customers to online collections like this should be a part of our daily service to anyone asking Genealogy reference questions: "The Allen County Public Library (ACPL), co-sponsor of this year's FGS conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana this week, announced an agreement with FamilySearch and the Family History Library (FHL) to allow digitization of books from its local and family history collection for publication on the web. The books will be published as part of the (FHA) collection on the website of Brigham Young University's (BYU) Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL)."  Gregg

September 28, 2007. Libraries that Matter. http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/april2007/libraries_that_matter Marilyn

September 27, 2007.  Could this be an option to consider for earning revenue? http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6479276.html#talkBack Marilyn

August 22, 2007.  As a library we definitely need to be aware of this trend:  What Books Did You Read Last Year?  None, says 1 in 4 Adults. 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/wednesday/orl-a2book2207aug22,0,7448290.story  Gregg

August 8, 2007

This was a pretty spicy article about Facebook vs. MySpace.  Just thought I'd pass it along.  I don't know what our future holds with Facebook, but it is currently the 6th most visited website on the Internet right now.  Social Networking and Class Warfare

July 30, 2007

Have you ever had dreams of writing the "Great American novel?"  Haven't had the time?  Here's one way to get it done - via cell phone. 

Italian Pens Novel Using Mobile Phone http://www.betanews.com/article/Italian_Pens_Novel_Using_Mobile_Phone/1185560525

When you have that long flight across country you can seize the opportunity to keep on writing.

Leila

July 30, 2007

World Series of Video Games ~ How Fascinating!  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/28/arts/television/28vide.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&8ur=&oref=slogin&emc=ur&adxnnlx=1185823789-A6Jv3mWstBiiutB37YcUog

Thanks, Milinda

July 25, 2007

I have no idea what to do with this, but it sounds funky cool!  Moo, a business card maker, is launching a service that creates stickers from Flickr photos.  That is so wild!  Does it have a place at OCLS?  I don't know, but check it out!  -Kelly

July 24, 2007

http://www.trendcentral.com/trends/trendarticle.asp?tcArticleId=1880  What do you think? Marilyn

July 17, 2007

Time has released their Top 50 Best Websites for 2007 ~ take a look!  http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1633488_1639316,00.html .  They've also released their Top 5 Worst Websites for 2007.  It's interesting how EHarmony, Evite, Meez, MySpace and SecondLife have fallen out of their favor ~ could the rest of the virtual world be as fickle too?  Thanks!  Milinda

July 17, 2007

In an article shared by Lynette Schimpf from CNN, is retro in?  A trend or fad?  Or just life?  Check out "Retro tech channels old-school cool."  What do you think?  -Kelly

July 13, 2007

Here's an interesting article about gaming http://www.orlandosentinel.com/technology/orl-e31307jul13,0,1923410.story?coll=orl_mezz ~ Nintendo will be adding a balance board to their accessory repertoire AND it will track your BMI!  Thanks, Milinda

July 10, 2007

The iphone has been on the market for a week and already it has been customized for mobile reference.  Look at this article on mobile reference from Unbound Medicine; even sonograms are available.  http://www.unboundmedicine.com/iphone.htm Think of the possibilities for our reference resources.

Leila

July 3, 2007

Touching on the idea from our last meeting about Patron Accounts and Avatars, what if patrons had the ability to create a virtual alias or personna.  When my wife and I first started getting into the web and having our first child, one of the neatest sites was http://www.babynames.com/.  Here you could ask for feedback about names, access statistics about names, get the history of names etecetra.  Now with Second Life or the Wii where you can give names to your virtual characters, it seems like that is a big thing.  This caught my attention recently where in the news one family was not getting to name their kid 4Real and another British family gave their newborn 25 or 26 names after boxers that they admired.  What's in a name?  A rose by any other name....

Edward

June 26, 2007

Just gotta love this furniture / shelving concept!  Wish I could have one at home!  :@)

Image of the Day: The Cave Bookshelf

The Business section in yesterday's New York Times featured the most unusual bookcase. Called the Cave, it was designed by Sakura Adachi, a furniture designer in Milan, and includes a form-fitting seat. The idea "was to make a piece of furniture that replicated the experience of dining al fresco on a busy sidewalk--a pastime, Ms. Adachi said, that makes someone feel simultaneously sheltered and engaged." An English furniture manufacturer is working with the Japanese-born designer. The Caves are made to order out of maple and upholstery and include a reading light. She has sold three so far for a little more than $7,000 each; a children's version would be about $4,830. Delivery takes 8-12 weeks. Cozy up at Sakurah.net/shop.htm. 

June 15, 2007

All I can say is Wow!  That video was Wow!  Wow wow wow!  Can I say that enough?  Not the most professional analysis...but that video was mindblowing!  Thanks for sharing, Kelly and Kathryn on Orange Slices.....  Edward

June 3, 2007

So, did anyone read the recent posting on Orange Slices about super surfaces? Check out the article Microsoft Surface: Behind-the-Scenes First Look. What do you think? Post a comment with your ideas about the potential for libraries and this technology. Kelly

May 23, 2007

http://www.worldchanging.com/ Here's a cool site for a "bright green future." worldchanging was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving Gregg

May 23, 2007

Here's a website and event to keep an eye on. http://www.history.com/invent/

This could be used to track current and future trends based on what is being invented and which ones get the top awards. Also could be used to plan events and programs, as we traditionally have always had a good number of questions about inventions and inventors. This could be an interactive way for customers to participate in this subject matter. Perhaps a partnership with the science museum would be possible, too. There's also a recent article in the Orlando Sentinel about this, too. One of these inventors may be the next Edison; They want to make our lives better -- and make some money, too.; FINAL Edition

Kevin Spear, Sentinel Staff Writer. Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Fla.: Apr 25, 2007. pg. B.1

Gregg

May 16, 2007

Here a way to let out the inner cataloger in us all ~ not to mention it's a social networking site as well. Very cool ~ Like Shelfari.

http://www.librarything.com/

Thanks much! Milinda

May 16,2007

Thanks, Milinda, for sharing the link of those marketing/can't live without items. Although, wow! talk about a lot of choices. I added to the Trends of Interest something I'll share here as well. I received an "incoming call" which was actually a recorded message from a company I recently used, but I was not able to return the call. So it really was a static message giving me valuable (relatively speaking) information. My thought to Eric was how can we use that to promote events/services/notify patrons about items or if that is even viable. Edward

May 16, 2007

Check out what the Cleveland Public Library ~ and others ~ are doing to address youth fitness/obesity. I think we could do this as well, especially since locally we have the Orlando Magic, Whole Foods, Florida Hospital, YMCA, Track Shack, radio stations, etc... with whom we could partner. We could have our very own Fitness Summit!

http://www.lff.org/ffl/

Just wanted to share a Cool Idea! Thanks, Milinda :>)

May 16, 2007

We could use this idea to create homegrown readers’ advisory video clips and post to our website and YouTube! "If you like Stephen King, try Dean Koontz..." and then give a brief synopsis of their similarities, differences, etc… this could be done for the most common genres ~ mystery, horror, science fiction, historical fiction...

Notes: S&S to Launch Video 'Channel'

Simon & Schuster is fast forwarding its author video program by creating an Internet book channel called Bookvideos.tv that will be hosted on YouTube.com and other video-sharing sites and will be available for booksellers and others to use on their sites or to link to, today's Wall Street Journal reported.

The videos will be about two minutes long and focus on new titles by the authors; the first 40 feature Mary Higgins Clark, Zane and Sandra Brown, among others.

S&S, which has made some author videos already, made the move to help consumers find content they like. Sue Fleming, v-p, online and consumer marketing, said, "The idea here is to create a bigger sliver where they can find many authors in one place." S&S may eventually add other publishers' videos to the stable.

If some staff were shy about being filmed, some could create the scripts and others could be in front of the camera. I think the ROI would be great as it would just involve staff time to create and publish the video clips. Thanks much! Milinda

May 16, 2007

I think this would be a great program for our area Book Clubs and Bibliophiles and something that would be do-able for us.

Book Clubs Mix and Mingle in South Florida

Last Saturday, at the first book club mixer held by Books & Books in Coral Gables, Fla., nearly 200 attendees mingled and discussed books, and some like-minded bibliophiles even created reading groups on the spot. "At least six book clubs were formed that day," said Debra Linn, who works in Books & Books’s Bal Harbour location and helped coordinate the event.

Programming had a travel theme: each attendee received a passport with an itinerary outlining the afternoon's roster of activities. It also included various sections such as "wish you were here" with space for jotting down e-mail addresses of potential book club buddies; a "packing list" for recording interesting titles; and "excursions," which promoted upcoming Book & Books author appearances.

To break the ice and inspire conversation among attendees, some of whom came to the event solo, passports contained a "boarding pass" with an author name and title on it. When attendees located four others with the same information, the group was rewarded with a prize.

Books & Books staff members recommended titles ranging from Nicole Krauss's novel The History of Love to Ben Fountain's story collection Brief Encounters with Che Guevara.

Guest speakers included Diana Abu-Jaber, who lives in Miami and is the author of the memoir The Language of Baklava and the forthcoming novel Origins, and Lisa Rosen, a book club facilitator, who offered ground rules that make for a successful club. Also in the line-up were Marty Conroy from Hachette Book Group, Caitlin Rolfes of HarperCollins and Carol Fitzgerald, co-founder and president of the Book Report Network. "An event like this is an innovative way to hand sell titles to avid readers," said Fitzgerald, whose website ReadingGroupGuides.com features resources for book clubs. "It was extremely well organized and engaging for participants."

The mixer was free, and along with wine, beer and refreshments each person received a complimentary copy of White Ghost Girls by Alice Greenway. In addition, the store offered a 20% discount on all paperbacks purchased that day between 4-6 p.m.

The mixer was inspired in part by the success of the retailer's South Florida Book Club Registry, which has lured more than 75 book clubs and 400 individuals to sign up. "The number one question we're asked is, 'How do I find a book club?' " noted Linn. Along with pairing interested readers with groups in their area, the registry allows the store to communicate directly with book club members eager for information. Launched last year, it received a boost in January when it was touted in the Miami edition of DailyCandy.com, a popular e-mail newsletter targeted toward women in their 20s and 30s.

Originally Books & Books staffers envisioned an annual book club mixer, but because of the enthusiastic response, they're considering hosting the event more frequently. "It was like a party," said Linn. "On a sunny Saturday afternoon, almost 200 people were in our courtyard talking about books. It was bookstore heaven."--Shannon McKenna

Sorry this was so long, but thought it was interesting and something we could do.

Thanks! Milinda :@)

May 16, 2007

Related to the last meeting ~ this was the promo item I mentioned that I thought would be one of those can't live without things.

http://www.leaderpromos.com/ssi/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=4082

Thanks so much! Milinda

May 8, 2007

Hey, everyone! I just listened to the OPAL session of the meeting I missed and wow! it was a doozy. I loved the idea of a cool, "hip" Squirt that Kelly was talking about for some sort of online presence of going where people are. And...along with the M @ Ms, the bookstore where I used to work has these pens that they give away, which at first glance don't seem like anything special, but I tell you, the customers they had rave about them, get upset if they don't include them in their bags, and even request to send them when they ship packages. Those pens have been found all over the world. If I can find a pic of them, I'll post it, but they never glop, they write smooth, they are easy on the grip. But like you say, you want something that everyone just CANNOT live without.

April 24, 2007

I spend time with my nephews and see how fascinated they are with intricate gaming systems. What if we could create a cool adventure game for the Virtual Gallery for teens (although anyone could use it) that teaches them about getting library cards, using the library, highlights cool resources, etc. The idea is that they would play the game and the points they earn, the "easter eggs" that pop up, the locations they visit, other characters they interact with teaches them about us. In other words, use game design software as the environment for publishing library information? (This is along the lines of Edward's info on using Manga style drawing to reach out to people.) -Renae

April 24,2007

This is something I came across which was just a little bit different than something we already use with the librarian chat. When I clicked on "get a new account" on the Bank of America website, a chat box popped up basically asking if I would like to chat with an online representative. Since I had several questions, it was extremely convenient. Then, it had a survey asking how helpful the chat had been. I'm not sure of the numbers of patrons that use the chat or are aware of it, but that additional prompting might prompt the patron to utilitze it (also, if I had chosen not to, I could just x it off). There was a noticeable difference in my attitude with that popup which I found helpful versus others that I don't.

April 19, 2007

Here is an idea for using a widget for marketing purposes. OCLS create a widget - advertising services, new book arrival,special events, an avatar or even squirt that patrons can drag onto their desktop.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/08/AR2007040800750.html?referrer=email

Lelia

April 11, 2007

I received this in one of my trendwatchers' emails. The concept was talking about how in Japan, rather than have a news blast, they were converting stories into Manga to draw readers in (pun totally intended). This comes just days after my wife found a Bible http://www.amazon.com/Manga-Bible-Story-japanese-Comic-Style/dp/426401798X in Japanese, but all in Manga due to it being even more widespread in Japan. There seems like a possibility either on our website or in the newsletter to have less words and more visual stimulation that gets the same message across.

Edward Booker

March 23, 2007

Here is an advertising concept. We could publish a mini newsletter similar to "Books and Beyond" advertising our services; and in conjunction with a distributor for a product like water could promote ourselves.

http://www.onproductpublishing.com.au/html/s01_home/home.asp?dsb=124

Lelia Higgins

March 16, 2007

Here is an article discussing sign language for cellphones. This is currently available in the United Kingdom but I am sure will soon filter to the US. This could ultimately help some of our Talking Books patrons, and may even affect Questline.

http://www.primidi.com/2007/03/15.html#a1778

Lelia Higgins

February 28, 2007

I know we are aware of the growing popularity and vitality of cell phones, but check out The Youngest, Least Understood, Most Dangerous New Media. Lists some reasons why mobiles are so viable and some predictions.

Kelly

February 26, 2007

This is one innovation I look forward to; hopefully other vendors will get on the bandwagon soon

Voicemail-To-Text Now Available For Skype Users

Skype users can have their voicemail messages delivered to their e-mail and SMS addresses starting Monday through a voicemail-to-text service offered by SimulScribe.

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197008706&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

February 20, 2007

Here is an idea for a dedicated trendwatcher staff member - "companies hire professional Web surfers to scour the Internet for any mention of their brands. Over the past few years, the "online analysts" have helped the companies track their reputations, found ways to get their products noticed and joined online conversations to help steer them the way clients want them to go". The full article can be viewed at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/28/AR2007012801032.html

This is another way to promote OCLS online.

Lelia Higgins

February 17, 2007

Craig Wilkins shared this article about combining education and exercise. He came across it after I shared Milinda's Liverpool Public Library exercise article. It's pretty cool. Check out Connect 18.

-Kelly

February 15, 2007

It seems everywhere I look & read these days, everyone is talking about sleep ~ sleep and weight loss, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, effects of lack of sleep, etc...

Sleep is being re-marketed and we can join in on the fun! How about classes/programs on sleep apnea, relaxation techniques, do it yourself spa treatments, massage, nutrition and exercise. We could invite sleep specialists such as from Florida Hospital’s Sleep Disorder Center, nutritionists, partner with Publix, area spas, and massage therapy students such as from High-Tech Institute. And of course we can promote the plethora of related materials the library offers ~ books, relaxing music cd’s, yoga dvd’s and possibly create a virtual gallery to encapsulate everything.

Well, just an idea!

http://publix.com/wellness/greenwise/feature/Article.do?id=1711&childId=1902

http://www.floridahospital.com/services/sleepdisorders/index.htm

http://www.hightechinstitute.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/fashion/01skin.html?ex=1171688400&en=2e90fffe41aaf5a4&ei=5070

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/health/orl-a2story1307feb13,0,7313737.story?coll=orl-health-headlines

Thanks, Milinda

February 14, 2007

If we ever got back into the bookmobile business, we could create a hip and eco-green technomobile, and really make it noticeable out on the road. We could use broadband mobile and offer online services such as registration, reserves, database searches, internet access, etc… and participate in high traffic, large crowd events i.e. CF Fair, school events, and events at Loch Haven Park to name a few. We could also hold a contest for the best designed technomobile similar to the “Pimp My Bookcart” contest sponsored by “Unshelved” at ALA Midwinter. http://www.thecoolhunter.net/lifestyle/SCOOP---REINVENTING-THE-ICE-CREAM-TRUCK/

Just some ideas!

Thanks much! Milinda

February 14, 2007

Shared by Debbie Moss, have a look at Social networking goes mobile. Read about how Spain is predicting that social networking will go mobile in 2007 and its challenges.

-Kelly

Wednesday, Feb 14, 2007

Check out this cool program idea, MP3 Experiment, http://www.improveverywhere.com/missions.php (shared with Danielle and Jackie as possible teen program). Basic idea is that an MP3 audio file is created and then offered for download to anyone wanting to participate in the event. The participant downloads the file to their MP3 player or a CD and agrees not to listen to the content before the event. They then show up to the event, start the file on their media player when signaled, and follow whatever directions are given to them. Anyone observing will not hear a thing. Think silent dance or silent follow the leader. Watch this video to a get a better idea of the possibilities. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ICPIwsnXpY

- Jo Ann

Sunday, Feb 11, 2007

In the future as the technology gets cheaper, this could possibly be combined with RFID. Then our customers would not have to pay for any lost items.

http://www2.csoonline.com/blog_view.html?CID=28701

Lelia Higgins

Wed, February 7, 2007

How cool would it be if we could offer the following technology:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/technology/07video.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin and a website like this for kids: http://www.nick.com/nicktropolis/game/index.jhtml?_requestid=2715262

Thanks much! Milinda :)

Monday, Jan 29, 2007

I thought this site is a nice tool for monitoring our website in terms of usage from our Library customers. URL Trends (www.urltrends.com) actually tracks over 2 million urls all over the internet.You are able to see a trend report of any url listed on the world wide web. I typed in our webiste (www.ocls.info) and found some interesting results. Its Google Page Rank is 6 out of a scale of 10!BTW that's a comparision to Yahoo's site which holds a ranking of 9/10. See the link below for more info.

http://www.urltrends.com/viewtrend.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ocls.info

Aidybert Silva-Ortiz

1/19/07

The Trend - Greenwash Me.

It’s all about the "green" or lack of it. This time I think it’s going to last. Consumers are being bombarded with messages about the environment. We all are media creatures and the media loves anything "green." You may not be aware that consumers are on their third wave of environmental awareness. The last two influences died out once the reality set in that it cost the consumer more to be "green." But retail drivers such as Wal-Mart and Tesco are holding fast to their line in the sand. The standards they established and are trying to implement will drive "green" initiatives down through the entire retail chain. Whether it’s a true mandate or a political ploy, consumers are awash in a sea of "green" information. Additionally, the packaging of products with environmentally friendly materials is being scrutinized.

What To Look For And Do:

Explore ways to "green" up your product packaging. Whether its eco-friendly, bio resins, bio plastics, recyclable, post consumer waste or whatever works for your business, explore these options in your product packaging. Be wary of trotting out a so-called environmentally friendly package just to capture a trend. Consumers will see through this ruse.

http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/default.cfm?Action=ReleaseDetail&ID=15193

The rainy day bags used in CIRC or the Bookstore could be an example.

Leila Higgins

January 19, 2007 ~ from Milinda

Some previoulsy sent WAY COOL technologies to consider:

1. Sound Resistent Cell Phone Booths; the Cell Zone! I especially like the advertising space available for ROI! ~ http://www.salemiindustries.com/

2. Gaming the Way to Literacy http://www.webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=13796

3. BlogTalkRadio http://news.com.com/2061-12572_3-6103551.html?part=rss&tag=6103551&subj=news

4. Working Out Your Brain AND Your Body @ the Library http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17510843%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26page=1%26headline=get%2da%2dhealthy%2dbody%2dand%2da%2dhealthy%2dmind-name_page.html

5. Digital Information Fueling Station ~ Fuel for Travel lets consumers download travel guides, music, audio books, tv shows and movies to their MP3 players and other digital devices.

Located in Schiphol's Departure Lounges 1 and 2, the Fuel for Travel features listening and viewing stations for travellers to browse digital content. Once they've found what they want, they can dock their device, pay by credit or debit card, and download the material. Pricing is similar to that of online music and video downloads.

A wide range of devices is supported, including MP3 and MP4 players, phones, and PDAs. Unfortunately, iPod owners are out of luck: due to Apple's DRM protection, video content can't be downloaded to the ubiquitous players.

Fuel for Travel is a partnership between Talpa (a Dutch multimedia content provider), Samsung Electronics, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Samsung provided technological know-how, and also sells players and phones at the Fuel for Travel shop. Content providers include Red Bull, MTV/Nickelodeon, Radio 538, Audiocitytours, and Commodore. According to an airport spokesperson, members of test groups were especially interested in destination travel guides. Schiphol, which is managing the project, hopes that offering digital content will add to a more enjoyable travel experience for passengers.

Letting customers create their own in-flight entertainment package makes perfect sense for travel hubs. One to partner with and set up at an airport or train station near you? Just try and get Apple on board ;-)

Website: http://www.fuelfortravel.com

Contact: development@fuelfortravel.com

Enjoy! Milinda :@)

January 9. 2006

There was a brief article in BusinessWeek (April 24, 2006) about the use of iPod video players to train new employees. (I passed this along to Sally Fry, Carla Fountain and Debbie Moss at the time.)Video clips are used to show new employees how to do their jobs. On cnn.com today is an announcement re: "Apple: Hello, iPhone

Jobs unveils device that plays iTunes, searches Web and makes calls; company also announces video download player, will offer Paramount films on iTunes" at

http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/09/technology/apple_jobs/index.htm?cnn=yes

Seems like the "i" trend is alive, well and strong. What uses can we make of iPods, iPhones, iWhatevers?!

-Renae Bennett

Jan 3 2007

Here is a site that can be used by people afraid of SMS; instead of texting on your cell phone use Zlango an icon based product. Here is a quote from the web site "Zlango is a revolutionary, simple and practical language. It’s made up of over 200 icons divided into intuitive and memorable categories. Words, concepts or feelings can be expressed by the different icons". http://www.zlango.com/content.aspx?page=profile

- Lelia

I thought this a trend of interest. The Orange County government has created the OC Club card for public school students some time ago. This year they have added an electronic strip that allows the students to swipe it as a bus pass. What if the Library created electronic strips on Library cards that would allow for patrons to swipe their card for different Library services. One swipe through a device and their account can pull up automatically from Millenium in order to check out materials. Another swipe to access the account and add funds for the purposes of printing out pages from the public computers. A last swipe could be used to automatically open up their "MY OCLS" page in the Library's online catalog. There would need to be a card-swipe device next to the public computers used to access the Library Catalog for that last feature.This quick access method could help merge some of the Library's software already in use.

- Aidybert Silva-Ortiz (12.20.2006)

Check out the 10 Hottest Tendencies and Trends , according to the Innovation Lab in Denmark. One that caught my attention is #3 Thing Connection. It mentions RFID tags for grocery items communicating with your refrigerator to inform you when you need more. What if the RFID tags we currently use were able to send out date due reminders to the person who had the item checked out? And wouldn't it be great if we could add a locator (homing beacon) function to the tag for those frazzled parents trying to gather all the children's books and dvds they have checked out?

- Jo Ann (12/18/06)

December 2006

A book that all of you may find thought provoking is by John Naisbitt (best known for the blockbuster, Megatrends) called Mind Set! Reset Your Thinking and See the Future. I'm going to use some of the ideas from it in my search for trendwatchers.

Edward

Here is the link to the article that was mentioned at our last meeting regarding some young people getting burned out on myspace.com and other online sharing sites.

Online sharing burnout

Sandy

This is not a trend of interest, rather an interesting question that Jo Ann put out there when we began planning our breakout session for Staff Day. I came across it in my notes and thought it was great. "If you no longer worked at the Library, would you still come here? What for? What else would you like to see?" Let's talk about it! Thanks, Jo Ann! -Kelly

Creative Man Article

I have some notes and information to share for our "Chickasaw" Branch Porject. I think this article is interesting and illustrates and explains a major trend--which I feel relates directly to the library. Check it out, if you have time...Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow. --Rashal

Library 2.0 September 1, 2006

I just finished reading this article in ALA Online. The heart of Library 2.0 is user-centered change. I know we discussed this trend at previous meetings (I seem to recall Nils talking about this). I have to admit I've been a bit laxed on keeping updated on the Library 2.0. I found this article very informative and much to ponder.

Since our last meeting, I have encountered more information about "Second Life" and how some educational institutions are using it. One of my professors and FSU made a passing comment during our last class that he wished FSU admin would purchase a "campus" at which distance learners could gather. My point is I have a better understanding how this virtual game may be used. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend our next meeting which is all about Second Life. So be sure to fill me in on what is discussed. Thanks.

-Sandy

Walking Billboard ~ Monday, 28 August 2006

Courtesy of Eric Atkinson: an intersting article about wearable light displays.

Philips has created "Lumalive" fabrics that feature LEDs integrated into the fabric. They show a jacket in the article but it can be used on fabrics like drapes, cushions or sofa coverings, as well as clothing. It can display color patterns, logos, short text messages, or even full color animations.

- Jo Ann

Has everyone read this article? It has some valid ideas possibly worth visiting.-Rashal

http://www.davinciinstitute.com/page.php?ID=120

Nonprofits find friends on MySpace August 24, 2006

I found this article in the recent Sunday issue of the Orlando Sentinel. The Hope and Help Center of Central Florida which helps people with HIV/AIDS created a page on MySpace. Sounds like it has been a good move for them. -Sandy

The Vision Library ~ Thursday, 20 July 2006

Wouldn’t this be a Cool Future Service! ~ How about the Vision Library ~ Point, Click, Send & OCLS will provide you the info that you seek based on the photo you’ve taken! Use your camera-phone to ... ...

Take a picture of a building & ask the questions you want answered:

History of a building? Who owns this business/building, what’s it worth, what are the annual taxes for it & is it on the market for purchase? Is this business publicly traded, what are the current stock ratings for it?

Take a picture of Johnny Depp on the cover of People while you're shopping at Target:

When is Pirates of the Caribbean 15 available for download? Please sign me up for the Library’s ADL (automatic download) when it’s released; my card number is P111111111 and my computer/download info is on file.

Pause live TV with your DVR and take a picture of Nelson Mandela during his interview on the Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn and ask:

What was the title of his first book? When is he speaking at the Library? How can I purchase tickets to the event?

Ah, the (new) age old question ~ how to get ahead of Google? Thanks! Milinda

GOOGLE VISION - POINT AND AIM

Milinda

Interactive Adventure Program - June 20, 2006

Reality programming involving puzzle solving is very popular. Has anyone seen "Treasure Hunters"? I came across this trend awhile ago in the form of Urban Amusement Park. TOMB, in Boston, is a high-tech interactive walk-thru adventure game. Groups of 2-15 people accompany a guide through a realistic experience of an archaelogical dig and try to find the pharoah's burial chamber. The path and story are not fixed and losers are faced with a faux death. Wouldn't it be fun to have an interactive program here? Obviously not to the same scale. Maybe get the Science Center or History Center involved?

- Jo Ann

Netflix article submitted by Milinda

Netflix mulling options for downloading

What books did you read last year? None, says 1 in 4 adults

Thanks!  Milinda