SPLAT, the Special Projects Library Action Team, acts in the “crow’s nest” capacity--searching for innovation, proposing and leading experiments and pilot projects, and discovering new opportunities. Some of the things going on with SPLAT recently include:

SPLAT Unconference Report: Top Ten Library Trends

SPLAT members published an article about library trends in Vol 60, No 2 (2010) of  The Idaho Librarian: A Publication of the Idaho Library Association. Read more about trends, tools, and technologies that were discussed at the SPLAT Unconference in October 2010 or at recent SPLAT meetings, including:

• Boise Public Library “Gadget Garage”
• Machinima
• Mobile Everything For Libraries
• QR codes
• Unconferences

Conference presentations

SPLAT members Amy Vecchione and Memo Cordova presented at two national conferences in 2010, presenting “Collaborate to Succeed: Implementing New Reference Services with SPLAT” at Reference Renaissance 2010 and “SPLAT: Spreading Innovation & Ideas” at Internet Librarian 2010. 

Getting out there

• The SPLAT blog has been mentioned in Techbits: Bits of Technology for Your Library as a “Library Tech Blog I love,” for discussing technology in a library context (or libraries in a technology context)  and posting topics that interest the blogger (trends, mobile devices, interesting projects being done by libraries, tips & tricks, software).  
• And, most recently, Barbara & Chris of the CoolTeacher Podcasts gave a Shout-Out to SPLAT (and Idaho Librarians) at the end of their podcast at CPT #69: Read Barbara’s Lips.

SPLAT survey

SPLAT members are conducting a study to learn of your experiences with SPLAT, and to determine if SPLAT is on track to fulfilling its mission. Please complete this survey if you have had any experience with SPLAT. The entire procedure will take about five minutes, and can be completed anywhere there is Internet access.    

Thanks to all the SPLAT members--Amy Vecchione, Gena Marker, Heather Redding, Jezmynne Dene, Kate Baker, Memo Cordova, Nick Madsen, Ruth Funabiki, and Shirley Biladeau--for keeping us on top of trends and technology.