In the course of compiling this information I was struck, once again, by how far we have come. Currently the Internet Librarian and Computers in Libraries conference programs are published using XML and XLST so if we make a change to a session title or description or a speaker’s bio, its pushed out in the XML file and instantly the site s up to date everywhere that information is used. Going back in time for this information was like an archeological dig through the the history of web development all the way back to the days before CSS and to when ITI hand coded the entire program in plain HTML.

When it comes to working with data on the web, there were no “good old days” to look back on with fondness in my opinion.

As requested, here are the source files I used – minus the year seedings: ILWordleSourcefiles.zip

For a full size animation of the sort below, visit Internet Librarian Through the Years.

Year by Year

Internet Librarian 2010 Sessions Wordle (Click for full size)

]]> http://www.libconf.com/2010/08/30/internet-librarian-2010-sessions-wordle/feed/ 0 IL-Sessions-Wordle http://www.libconf.com/2010/08/30/why-i-must-go-to-monterey/ http://www.libconf.com/2010/08/30/why-i-must-go-to-monterey/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:09:25 +0000 LibConf.com http://www.libconf.com/?p=5989 Need help justifying your trip to Internet Librarian 2010?

Sometimes all it takes to get permission is using the right words.  Tell your boss why you MUST come to Monterey.  Here's a draft memo to get your started ...

Download Draft Memo (MS Word format)

Roommates Wanted

Internet Librarian on Facebook | Roommates Wanted

She had 91 kids sign up up for the program and together they read a combined total of 2,139 hours this summer. That is an average of 23.5 hours per participant.

The voting went on for a couple weeks with victory eventually coming to the kids who wanted to see Christen with silver hair.

About 20 of her patrons showed up at the hair salon to see her hair coloring. The final result is shown below.

Christen's Silver Hair

There is no word yet on next year’s plans, but this year will be hard to beat.

Christen

JD Thomas:: How many kids are participating in the summer reading program?
Christen Orbanus:As of right now, I have 84 teens between 6th-12th grade signed up.

JT: How does that compare to last year?
CO: We had around 70 teens signed up last year. I think we did a better job of promoting the program this year… plus everyone wants to see my hair a different color!

JT: Are the kids involved primarily reading traditional bound books?
CO: I would say yes. Most of the teens are reading books, manga, or magazines. I had one boy come in though to show me the ereader app he downloaded to his ipod Touch.

JT: Have you observed any movement towards eBooks among the younger patrons that you serve?
CO: Other than the one boy with his Touch eReader app, most of the kids are still going with good ol’ books.

JT: How will your actual new color be decided among the participants?
CO: I created a survey with Survey Monkey. Once the teens hit 1500 hours, I’ll e-mail out a link to the survey to each teen who participated. They will be required to enter their e-mail address and pick one color from the list (Blue, Purple, Green, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Black, Silver). The most votes wins! The Rizzieri Aveda School across the street from us, is sending over two student volunteers to do the hair dying here in our Teen Space.

JT: Has any particular book, series, or author been more popular than others this summer?
CO: We have a few books/series we can’t keep on the shelves! The Pretty Little Liars series is super popular right now (maybe because it’s now a tv show?). The girls love it! Also, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and Catching Fire have been flying off the shelves here The girls…. And the boys LOVE these books. There’s currently a waiting list for all of these books.

When this is all over I will be sure to post a photo of Christen’s new hair.

She has pledged that if her summer group racks up 1500 hours of reading, collectively, they can pick a color for her to dye her hair.

With fourteen days remaining and less than four hundred hours to go it looks like Christen is well on her way to sporting a new hair color come August 21st.

Christen is going to dye!

This talk was given by Wayne Disher, director of Hemut Public Library in Hemet, Calif. For years, he said, he’d been studying, observing, and photographing libraries and signs and people. And from all those experiences, he pointed out a number of ways in which libraries and librarians send mixed messages. Think about these examples and honestly assess whether any of this is happening where you work.

Disher pointed out four main ways that libraries send mixed messages:

1. Attitude
2. Facilities
3. Policies
4. Signage

Read on at The ‘M’ Word – Marketing Libraries: How Libraries Send Mixed Messages.

#CIL11 Call for Speakers!

Whether we are planning or designing services for our library community, or delivering services of value to them, we have to align our community’s needs, cultures, and opportunities. Learn about the latest trends affecting your community and your clients at Computers in Libraries 2011. The conference program is filled with ideas, innovative practices, tips and techniques for identifying community needs and opportunities as well as designing and delivering strategic and creative services that are of primary importance to our communities. The emphasis is on creating strategic value for our user communities and using new web tools to build innovative and priority services.

Information Today Inc., a key provider of technology conferences for more than twenty-five years with Internet Librarian and KMWorld, is pleased to announce the 26th annual Computers in Libraries – the most comprehensive North American conference and exhibition concentrating all aspects of library technology. Our theme, Strategic Focus & Value for Library Communities, encompasses all the challenges, solutions, technologies and practices that those working with computers in libraries or libraries in computers are dealing with today. The conference offers a multifaceted program designed to meet the needs of librarians, information managers, systems professionals, webmasters and web managers, content evaluators, intranet strategists, portal creators, and information specialists. The focus of the conference is on leading edge technology that allows us to bring strategic value to our user communities. It provides the latest information and practices for you to make informed choices for your community — whether it is an academic, corporate, non-profit, public, or school library community.

Computers in Libraries caters to all interests and all levels of knowledge, offering four simultaneous tracks plus many workshops, networking opportunities, and an extensive exhibit hall. This year’s tracks and themes encompass: Community Building; Partnerships & Collaboration; Aligning for Maximum Value; People (skills, organizations, roles); Social Media, Learning & Literacy; Places (virtual & physical); Digital/Virtual Library Services; Research & Innovation; Integrating Systems & Strategies; Information Discovery & Search; Technology Planning; Managing Content & eResrouces; Web Tools & Leading Edge Technology; Intranets & Portals; Search Engines; Case Studies of Internet & Intranet Librarians as well as Digital Library Managers; Library Automation, Architecture & Infrastructure; Managing Information and Knowledge Assets, eLearning & Training, Web Design & Development, Streaming Multimedia, and more. Speakers are knowledgeable, authoritative and focus on practical applications, “how to” solutions, and case studies as well as technical and managerial issues. Please consider sharing your knowledge and ideas; send us a proposal to speak. Below are some of the topics we hope to cover, but don’t let this list limit your imagination! We look forward to hearing from you.

TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

These are suggestions only, use your imagination! The more creative the topic, the better!

• Acquiring & Managing Content
• Aligning with Strategic Priorities
• Beyond 2.0 for Libraries
• Blogs, Wikis & RSS: What’s New?
• Building Community Partnerships
• Building Strong Communities
• Building Technology Alliances
• Building & Using Taxonomies
• Collaboration Software
• Connecting People & Technology
• Content Management Tools
• Cool Web Tools
• Co-ordinating Web Teams
• Creating Strategic Value
• Creating Tomorrow’s Learning Environments
• Creative Management Practices
• Digital Archiving
• Digital Rights Management
• Digitizing Collections
• Distance learning technologies
• eBooks & eJournals: Acquiring & Managing
• eLearning Strategies & Cases
• Evaluating web resources: Tools
• Experimenting & Learning
• Facebook, MySpace & LibrarySpace
• Finding Partners in Tough Times
• Folksonomies & Metatagging
• Funding Technology
• Future Net/Web strategies
• Gaming & Learning
• Gauging Customer Needs
• Information Architecture
• Information Discovery & Visualization
• Innovation, Change & Libraries
• Innovative Ways to Connect with Clients
• Intranets & Portals in Action
• Leading Edge Technologies
• Lessons learned from Techies
• Library Performance Improvement
• Making Interfaces Usable
• Making Tough Choices
• Managing Desktop Access
• Managing Digitally
• Managing Electronic Resources
• Maximizing User Experience
• Mobile Computing
• New Technologies & Libraries of the Future
• Next Gen OPACs
• People Capabilities & Libraries
• Personalization & Customization
• Search Engine Tips & Tools
• Second Life & Libraries
• Social Listening
• Social Media & Libraries
• Special & Virtual Libraries: Cases
• Strategic Library Competencies
• Streaming Content to Mobile Devices
• Streamlining Systems & Workflow
• Teaching Tips for all ages
• Technology Planning
• Tools for Spreading Information & Ideas
• Top Tips for Teaching Adults
• Understanding Community Needs & Opportunities
• Usability Testing for Web Sites
• User Generated Content
• Virtual Library Services
• Web Design & Usability
• Web Development Tips & Tools
• Web Policies & strategies
• Streaming Multimedia
• Wireless strategies & the Library
• Writing & Publishing for the Web

Submit a proposal at  Computers in Libraries 2011: Call For Speakers.