Recently in web stuff Category
Drop by drop, or Drupal by Drupal, we are making progress with new OWLS web sites. On February 8th New London went live with their new site and just before Christmas, Seymour launched their new web site. If you have not visited them yet, take a look! OWLS is also hosting the new Fox Cities Book Festival site. This is a Drupal site designed by Beth Carpenter using the software program Artisteer http://www.artisteer.com. I have a copy of Artisteer at OWLS that I have been playing around with, so if you would like to learn more about the program let me know. Last year we also had five other libraries move over to Drupal. The five libraries are:I will be working my way through my list of libraries this spring and summer. I've given up try to predict how long each site will take, but we are making progress and will get to the end of the list eventually!
While not influenced by OWLS moving to Drupal (as far as I know) I saw that the New York Public Library also launched a new Drupal based web site in December. This short YoubTube video introduces their site. As a large, multi-branched library, their needs (and resources) may be different than a smaller library, but I thought the video raised some issues appropriate to any size library. One point was that they did interviews to determine what information users were looking for when they visited their web site. How to use the library was one of the top responses and thus the top link on their site under Home. This seems like something libraries often don't promote prominently on their web sites. I also think it is interesting how little actual information is on the home page and how much space is dedicated to generally promoting the library and it's mission -- Discover, Get Inspired, Meet the Challenge, Inspiring lifelong learning, Strengthening our communities etc... I'm actually not sure yet what I think of the design, but I find it helpful to look at different sites like this and try to figure out how effective or not they are.
That's enough for now -- I have to get back to working on more Drupal sites. Libraries still waiting, thank you for your patience! Please contact me any time for Drupal questions or updates.
The summer library program blogs are up and ready to go! Visit Be Creative @ Your Library and Express Yourself @ Your Library to see how they turned out. Daily book review posts are already appearing on the Be Creative blog, and posts will start on the Express Yourself blog by the end of this week. Posts, including new podcasts and vodcasts, will be added through August this summer.Please feel free to add a link to the blogs from your library's web site! If you'd like to post a graphic and link, you can go to the SLP Badges & Code page on OWLSweb to copy and paste some code into your web page or blog. You can also add an RSS feed of recent posts from the blogs to your site. If you need any help with this, please give Evan a call.
Links to the blogs will also be added to InfoSoup later this week. Please take a look at them and let me know what you think!
> contributed by Beth
We are making slow but steady progress with new websites for OWLS member libraries in Drupal. Last week Marion went live with a new site at http://www.marionpubliclibrary.info/. Already live are Iola and Scandinavia. Going live this week will be Hortonville with Manawa to follow in the coming weeks. Take a look! I hope to get a lot more sites going this summer and everyone up and running on a new site by the end of the year.
> contributed by Evan
> contributed by Evan
National Library Week and summer library programs offer great opportunities for using the 'casting equipment available at OWLS! Create a booktalk video feature for your website to highlight great books during National Library Week. Here's one great example from the Chappaqua Library, called Approved by Experts. Or how about setting up a video camera and asking people to share why they love their library. The South Carolina State Library did just that! Take a look at the result:
Check out loads of other exciting examples from libraries across the country in the CastingKit @ Delicious links, then request the equipment you'd like to borrow from OWLS for your project. Need a little help? Never fear - I'm happy to lend a hand!
> contributed by Beth
Check out loads of other exciting examples from libraries across the country in the CastingKit @ Delicious links, then request the equipment you'd like to borrow from OWLS for your project. Need a little help? Never fear - I'm happy to lend a hand!
> contributed by Beth
Top 10 lists abound on the web for a wide variety of topics on everything from keyboard shortcuts to baby names to vacation destinations. The New Year adds Top 100 lists to the mix, as people reflect on the year gone by and predict the future of the year to come. Check out a couple of my favorite lists in the ReadWriteWeb's Top 100 Products of 2008 and The Guardian's 100 Top Sites for the Year Ahead. Some great tools are included, broken down into easily scan-able categories. YMMV!
> contributed by Beth
> contributed by Beth
We have an end of year offer to add TumbleReadable and TumbleTalkingBooks to our regular TumbleBooks collection. Since the talking books cannot be downloaded, I'm not sure how much they would be used. The TumbleReadables, however, seem like a natural fit. Here is the description of TumbleReadables:
One thing to note is that not all the titles have audio. The collection includes Read-Alongs and what they call Large Print Online Books. When you see a title, only the ones with (Read-Along) after the title have audio. Many of the text only books will eventually be converted to read-alongs. Take a look and let me know what you think. The login information for each collection is posted on our database trails page.
> contributed by Evan
www.TumbleReadables.com is an online collection of read-along titles for elementary, middle school, and high school students which features adjustable online text and complete audio narration. Sentences are highlighted as they are being read and the pages turn automatically. The collection features chapter books, early readers, YA/Teen Novels, high interest/low level books for both middle school and high school students, plus classics of American and English literature.
Read-Alongs are great for emergent, struggling, and reluctant readers, as well as being an excellent tool for ESL. They are also well received by strong and accomplished readers who are excited to follow along to the narration of their favorite books.
One thing to note is that not all the titles have audio. The collection includes Read-Alongs and what they call Large Print Online Books. When you see a title, only the ones with (Read-Along) after the title have audio. Many of the text only books will eventually be converted to read-alongs. Take a look and let me know what you think. The login information for each collection is posted on our database trails page.
> contributed by Evan
Aaron Schmidt and Sarah Houghton-Jan have written an article for Marketing Library Services that will help you learn how to drive more traffic to your web site. Here's the blurb:
Read the full article and see what you think. They have some good, practical tips that anyone can use right away. Others will take more planning.
> contributed by Beth
The vast expanse of the web has no limits. There are a seemingly infinite number of places where people can spend time learning, shopping, socializing, and playing. Face the facts: Your library website is just one among millions. How will web users ever find it in the endless online world?
Does this discourage you? Are you ready to abandon your web promotion efforts because your website doesn’t get much traffic? Don’t. This article will give you options, some quick and some more involved, to make your site findable, to drive traffic to it, and to let more people know about your library. You’re most likely not going to take over the web, but you can make your pages easier to find, and free links are the key.
Read the full article and see what you think. They have some good, practical tips that anyone can use right away. Others will take more planning.
> contributed by Beth
We have a current trial to Mango Languages. To paraphrase the "I'm not a doctor" routine, please note that I am not a language instructor, nor do I play one on T.V., so please take my review with a grano de sal.
Mango languages is geared more to the traveler or perhaps the curious learning, rather than one looking for a compressive language course. If anyone has ever listened to the Pimsleur language program you will hear a distinct similarity. Mango, of course offers a compelling visual accompaniment to the purely aural Pimsleur programs. Or as one blog post put it Mango Languages, like Pimsleur but better.
Trial information is available at our online trials page. The link will give you access from anywhere, so you can try it from home. Please feel free to share the trial with any language instructors in your community. While you are at it, you can also give a plug to TELL ME MORE.
So, what's good about Mango? It has more languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Greek, & Russian (with additional languages to be added soon). The interface is simple, clean, and well thought out. It is browser independent and works on Windows or Mac. If you have the latest edition of flash installed (Adobe's flash player version 9) you do not need to do anything to begin using the program. If you don't have version 9, you will be prompted to download the latest version. This process is usually quick and painless.
Earlier this year a group of California libraries participated in product review of Mango Languages. Their results and comments are here. While generally impressed, reviewers do offer some caveats:
Comparing Mango with Tell Me More (TMM) raises some interesting questions. As they are very different products, in an ideal world we would just offer both. Since that is not too likely, how do we compare apples to oranges (or in this case mangos). Who are we trying to reach with an online language program? I suspect that Mango, because of the additional languages and its simpler interface might attract more users, particularly the traveler who wants to learn to say I would like some milk in my coffee, please or the the independent learner that wants to spend an afternoon learning to say Hello in Mandarin Chinese. A more dedicated student is likely to find TMM the better option. I also agree with the California librarian (I hope that doesn't make me a west coast elite) that TMM provides a more robust and complete ELL experience. On the other hand, we are not really reaching that many ELL students with TMM. In some ways the comparison reminds me of how we debate getting patrons to use subscription databases rather than "the google." At what point does simplicity and ease of use trump depth or quality of content?
A few last things about Mango. They do offer some lessons for free (simple registration required). Just go to http://www.mangolanguages.com/. My impression, however, is that as time goes by they have less and less free content. An individual premium subscription also comes with the option of downloading the audio component to MP3 files. I don't believe the download is part of the library subscription, but I have asked our rep for clarification about this.
I hope you have a chance to give Mango a try. As always, please let me know what you think.
> contributed by Evan
Mango languages is geared more to the traveler or perhaps the curious learning, rather than one looking for a compressive language course. If anyone has ever listened to the Pimsleur language program you will hear a distinct similarity. Mango, of course offers a compelling visual accompaniment to the purely aural Pimsleur programs. Or as one blog post put it Mango Languages, like Pimsleur but better.
Trial information is available at our online trials page. The link will give you access from anywhere, so you can try it from home. Please feel free to share the trial with any language instructors in your community. While you are at it, you can also give a plug to TELL ME MORE.
So, what's good about Mango? It has more languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Greek, & Russian (with additional languages to be added soon). The interface is simple, clean, and well thought out. It is browser independent and works on Windows or Mac. If you have the latest edition of flash installed (Adobe's flash player version 9) you do not need to do anything to begin using the program. If you don't have version 9, you will be prompted to download the latest version. This process is usually quick and painless.
Earlier this year a group of California libraries participated in product review of Mango Languages. Their results and comments are here. While generally impressed, reviewers do offer some caveats:
"My library population would use ESL Spanish so that is what I tested. For this function, compared to other products out there (Tell me More, Rosetta Stone, Side by Side) it is not geared to ESL learning. I think ESL needs a visual component—pictures, for example, that Mango doesn’t have."
Comparing Mango with Tell Me More (TMM) raises some interesting questions. As they are very different products, in an ideal world we would just offer both. Since that is not too likely, how do we compare apples to oranges (or in this case mangos). Who are we trying to reach with an online language program? I suspect that Mango, because of the additional languages and its simpler interface might attract more users, particularly the traveler who wants to learn to say I would like some milk in my coffee, please or the the independent learner that wants to spend an afternoon learning to say Hello in Mandarin Chinese. A more dedicated student is likely to find TMM the better option. I also agree with the California librarian (I hope that doesn't make me a west coast elite) that TMM provides a more robust and complete ELL experience. On the other hand, we are not really reaching that many ELL students with TMM. In some ways the comparison reminds me of how we debate getting patrons to use subscription databases rather than "the google." At what point does simplicity and ease of use trump depth or quality of content?
A few last things about Mango. They do offer some lessons for free (simple registration required). Just go to http://www.mangolanguages.com/. My impression, however, is that as time goes by they have less and less free content. An individual premium subscription also comes with the option of downloading the audio component to MP3 files. I don't believe the download is part of the library subscription, but I have asked our rep for clarification about this.
I hope you have a chance to give Mango a try. As always, please let me know what you think.
> contributed by Evan
Having trouble finding what you need on OWLSweb or OWLSnet? Remember to use the search box available at the top of any page!
Enter a single keyword or join several keywords with the Boolean operator "and" (without the quotes). You'll get a list of results that include your search term(s). For example: need to see the delivery schedule to see when the Waltco van is coming? Try searching for the keyword delivery, and the first link in the list will get you to what you need.
If you have suggestions for how to improve the OWLS web sites, please add your thoughts in the comments. Thanks!
> contributed by Beth
Enter a single keyword or join several keywords with the Boolean operator "and" (without the quotes). You'll get a list of results that include your search term(s). For example: need to see the delivery schedule to see when the Waltco van is coming? Try searching for the keyword delivery, and the first link in the list will get you to what you need.If you have suggestions for how to improve the OWLS web sites, please add your thoughts in the comments. Thanks!
> contributed by Beth
The OWLS online calendars have moved from WebEvent to Google as of today. This includes the OWLS Meetings & Workshops Calendar and System Scene. If you like checking System Scene to see where the OWLS staff members are at any given time, you will need to login to Google calendars with a new username and password. Here's how:
If you have any questions or any problems accessing the new calendars, please contact me.
> contributed by Beth
- Go to the Calendars page on OWLSweb (http://www.owlsweb.info/cals/).
- Click on the lock icon next to the "Login to Google calendars" link and login with your InfoSoup library card info. This will provide you the username and password you will need to access System Scene.
- Click on the "Login to Google calendars" link and login with the username and password.
If you have any questions or any problems accessing the new calendars, please contact me.
> contributed by Beth
