Podcasts and Downloadable Media

I can't say podcasts are my favorit way to get information, but they may grow on me. I subscribed to the Sirsi Dynix because their online content is always interesting and well done. As the presidential campaigns heats up I may subscribe to some political podcasts.

I have often downloaded books and videos from Overdrive. I have listened to books on my MP3 player and I have watched videos on my computer at home. The only issue that I have is that it takes a very long time to download to my computer so you have to plan ahead if you want to watch or hear something. All in all, it s a good service and our customers certainly like it.

card catalog quilt

card catalog quilt
Originally uploaded by txlibrarian

I came across this "card catalog" quilt in the Feed Dog blog and remembered how difficult it was to keep the catalog up to date. The online catalog solved this problem(ok, there were more than a few bugs in the beginning) with the added benefit of increasing access to the entire HCPL collection.

As this first part of iHCPL winds down I still marvel at all we can do with the new technology and look forward to what comes next. iHCPL has been a learning experience that has inspired, frustrated and encouraged me at different points along the way.

A visual metaphor for Houston

The implosion of the Crowne Plaza Holiday Inn this past weekend that will make way for a new building in the Texas Medical Center struck me as a perfect way to describe Houston- always changing and making way for something newer. Sometimes, as in the case when a piece of the River Oaks Shopping Center was torn down, I am disturbed by it. In this case it seems like a good thing.

Say yes to Zoho!

 

 

I really like Zoho. This is a much better way to have access to files. There is no need to have a flash drive to access files from another computer. All you need is access to the Web. I will be learning more about Zoho.

Technorati Tags     ZOHO

Untitled

 

Last Saturday the Friends of the Atascocita Branch honored Odell Dreyer,  a great friend of the library, at a Gala called Dreams to Reality. Odell was a major force in moving the Atacocita branch from a dream to a branch of HCPL.  The Friends raised close to 18,000.00 that will be used to purchase computers.

 

 

Library 2.0

I have been reading about Library 2.0 for quite a while. The more that I read about Library 2.0, the more I think it has to do with being open to whatever the "next thing" will be . Advances in technology and changes in society have forever changed how we do things and how people want to get information. Customer service will continue to driven by these technological and lifestyle changes. This is a great opportunity for libraries as long as we are willing to try what may have been unthinkable to us in the recent past. The acceptance of so many of the changes we have instituted, such as selfcheck and holds available for customer pickup , show that we are on the right track.

The great Horizon meltdown last week demonstrated how much we rely on technology, and how much the quality of our service now depends on reliable technology. This was a good reminder of hw technology has improved our service to our users.

The Texas Library Association and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission are spearheading a task force that will discuss transforming Texas libraries to meet the needs of the people of Texas. The task force will meet and begin to discuss issues dealing with how to keep libraries of all types viable and dynamic in the time of ever increasing change. This discussion will be a work in progress. If you are interested in giving your ideas and opinions please go to www.txla.org and click on Transforming Texas Libraries.We have been processing a great deal of change at HCPL and the staff has much to contribute to this statewide process.