ONLINE MAGAZINE FOR JULY/AUGUST 2007

The latest issue of Online magazine is a good one. There’s a nice article on “teachable moments”—those occasional opportunities to teach clients—at the point of need and when they are most approachable—techniques for better searching (and the value of the librarian at the same time. The author, William Badke [Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia, Canada]. writes of these, “when it works well, a light comes on. We can only hope it will stay shining through the next search and the one after that. Making at least some attempt to raise skill levels is the way to help our patrons out of mediocrity.” Online 31(4):43-45

There’s an interesting story on libraries in SecondLife (Who’s on Third in Second Life? From Library 2.0 to Library 3-D, by Lori Bell and Kitty Pope [Alliance Library System, East Peoria, Illinois, USA], Tom Peters [TAP Information Services, Blue Springs, Missouri, USA], and Barbara Galik [Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, USA].

I really liked the article by Mary Ellen Bates (editor of Online) on Blog Searching with Technorati on page 56. I can’t wait to try it myself. Her editorial, Silos, Us, Them, and User-Generated Content (p. 5) is wonderful as well. She asks, “Is there a[n information] silo for information professionals and a different one for library users?” “Despite our best efforts [and those of Library 2.0], information silos are likely to continue, and users, whether they generate content of not, will need our help to find what they need in whatever silo it’s stored.”

Check the Online website to see which of the articles from this issue are available free (July/August) wasn't up when I posted this.

URL: http://www.infotoday.com/online/