How to make stuff

Wikiman's blog has an interest post entitled Just Do It (yourself)… free tools to empower. So for those who want to know how to make a poster, podcast or video, check it.

Guardian Podcast

The Guardian has a one off podcast dealing with libraries.Looks at how Public Lending Right – how authors are paid for library loans.

Mash up Podcast for librarians

(Found via here). Nicole Engard who released the Book Library Mashups: Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data has a podcast out with Sarah Long of Longshots on how libraries can utilise mashups (podcast here).

Library 2.0 Gang guests Meredith Farkas

Talis December Podcast of the Library 2.0 Gang entitled Social Software in Libraries. Along with the usual suspects of Nicole Engard, John Blyberg and Marshall Breeding are joined by Meredith Farkas. Well worth a listen, in that it discusses the users needs rather than technology for technologies sake. The Mp3 is here.

Panlibus talks to Hazell Hall, Strategic Leader at LIS Research Coalition

Panlibus had an interesting podcast with Hazel Hall, Strategic Leader at LIS Research Coalition. In the interview she discuss what the coalition will be doing, her role and the future of the group. Certainly this is of interest to any academic librarians out there in the UK. Check the media coverage page for a more in depth look.

Ebooks, reviewed and abused......

It the ubiquity of the ipod touch and iphone. Along with the news of the new Kindle 2, and release of the Sony eReader at Waterstones, there has been some debate about ebooks. Two interseting reviews have been described in some detail by library bloggers. Joeyanne in her review talks about one of applications she has used on apple's products, being Stanza. There is also Classics that has been released free as well. There is also a new one called beam it down. This new one has a few free books as well as some to download you pay for.
These reviews could be added to an interesting podcast I heard on Guardian Technology, which discussed the ereaders and ebooks would take off, in it author and games writer Naomi Alderman discusses her hopes and fears for ebooks as Amazon launch their new gadget - the Kindle 2. There's some interest outlook on the financial repercussion and who would the market be.
Thankfully, there is some criticism about ereaders to.

Paul Miller Podcasts on the Big Switch author

Paul Miller was talking to Nicholas Carr on his podcast. Carr was the author of Big Switch. If your interested in cloud computing, Carr's book or IT history. Well worth a listen.

Unquiet History podcast

Librarian.net introduced me to an interesting podcast [whoops error, digital recording], entitled Unquiet History, which follows on from Matthew Battles book of the same name. When I finally get my ipod touch might even get to listen to it.

Richard Wallis talking with JISC/SCONUL

Richard Wallis from Talis was talking on a recent podcast with Rachel Bruce of JISC and Anne Bell of SCONUL discuss the recently published JISC & SCONUL Library Management Systems Study - An Evaluation and horizon scan of the current library management systems and related systems landscape for UK higher education.
The point I found interesting was when Wallis discussed user generated content being used by Academic libraries in the UK. Wallis pointed out a similar point that Karen Schneider discussed last week, that you need a large quantity people of users/taggers to make the system efficient. Both Anne and Rachel felt that this should be used on a world wide basis. This would be an interesting idea, and they pointed out the Flickr Commons, in which :-

Back in June of 2007, we began our first collaboration with a civic institution to facilitate giving people a voice in describing the content of a publicly-held photography collection, The Library of Congress. The pilot project we created together launched on January 16, 2008.

This sounds an interesting idea for putting forward for the meeting on friday.