Idaho Commission for Libraries

If you sign up for Google Voice you can get an invitation to join - which means a bunch of cool beta features. You get a phone number, which you can use to see voice mail messages all nice and typed out for you. You get to text to individuals for free. You also get discounts on international calls.

Dylan Baker at Ada Community Library shared this in our last SPLAT meeting, and I loved Wolfram Alpha as soon as I started playing with it. I loved these results. This is like the genius-educational version of a search engine.

I was impressed to say the least.

I stopped by Nampa Public Library on Saturday, and I heard all about how many visitors they've been getting, how many more than usual (last week they had two days with over 1,800 people!) and saw this amazing zine! The zine is a little comic strip about the library and is interspersed with facts about things. I love it! It's awesome!

Curious how to keep learning on the web? Wondering the right ways to act/react to others around you on the web?

This year as part of the evaluation for the Southwest regional conference, we're trying to see how many conversations and resource sharing erupt on the web.

Bloggers and twitterers can add their information, and presenters can create links to their presentations on SlideShare or Scribd: http://swila2009bloggers.pbwiki.com/

Does your library have a zine collection or host workshops on zines? Zine is short for magazines and the name's brevity also implies some content. Zines are shorter than magazines, and more personal.

State Librarian Ann Joslin presented to the Senate Affairs Committee and was picked up by the Associated Press as breaking news! Stacks is breaking news! So cool... http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9867713&nav=menu554_1_1

We're collecting state documents, though, and not public records!

Can you say, "Stacks Stats" ten times fast?

Stacks is the new name for the Idaho Digital Repository! Think of the stacks and stacks of information, all easily findable with a quick search. We harvest the digital content on all of the state's web sites and make them findable, too.

From the ALA Code of Ethics: We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.