conferences

May issue of MmIT journal now available

Issue 38, no 2 of the MMIT journal is now available. MmIT group members can access the journal via the CILIP website.

Have you had a look at the journal yet? Log in with your usual Cilip website user name and password at www.cilip.org.uk/mmit or email catherine.dhanjal@theansweruk.com if you need a reminder.

Our May issue includes features on:

• MMIT National Conference
• Marshall Breeding: the future of library IT
• Use of YouTube in further education
• Integrating LMS and elearning in schools
• A wake up call required to stimulate publishing and learning
• History of the MmIT journal: the first ten years
• The changing role of library assistants
• A glimpse into technology for library users in a New York public library
• Archiving videogames
• Reports from Consortia Conference and EDGE conference

Plus our usual book and product reviews, news, and tech round-up.

#MMIT2012 presentation – A Free Web Toolkit for the Modern Library

Andy Tattersall  and Claire Beecroft’s MMIT 2012 conference presentation, A Free Web Toolkit for the Modern Library,  is now available.

Abstract:

A Free Web Toolkit for the Modern Library
There are legions of free Web based tools that can help you promote and organise your library and information service. You may have heard of many of them, but how do you choose from a bewildering number of tools? Which will survive in the long term? Which ones offer true value? And which will have true impact? In this session, delegates will be introduced to a variety of tried and tested web 2.0 tools which we believe offer something of real value to LIS professionals. We will debate their pros and cons before demonstrating some inspiring ways in which they’ve been put to use, drawing on examples from public, business and academic libraries. The workshop will show delegates how to make the tools work best for you with minimal effort and how to make them join up to make a cohesive tool kit for any modern LIS. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering ‘Where do I begin with web 2.0?’, the answer is ‘Here!’

#MMIT2012 presentation – Paradigm shift: A slate of new automation platforms address current and future library realities

The slides from Marshall Breeding’s MMIT 2012 conference presentation, Paradigm Shift: A Slate of New Automation Platforms address Current and Future Library Realities (ppt),  are now available.

Marshall Breeding is the Director for Innovative Technology and Research @ Vanderbilt University and Editor of Library Technology Guides.

Abstract:
The operations of libraries focus on ever increasing proportions of electronic and digital content relative to print materials.  The structure of the legacy library management systems that dominated the last three or more decades of library automation was rooted in print, though some products have evolved better than others to accommodate modern content formats. The established worldview that libraries can rely on one set of automation tools for print and another set for managing digital collections and electronic subscriptions is in danger of collapse in favour of library services platforms that aim toward a more unified approach to resource management.  The economic realities that libraries face today demand that they operate in the most efficient ways possible, with workflows that accommodate current needs and not built around assumptions of a past print-centric age.  Breeding will provide an overview of the new library automation products now emerging and how they differ amongst themselves and from traditional library management systems.   He will also provide information on the development progress of each of these new products and trends relative to their adoption in libraries and forecast their longer term impact on the library automation industry.

#MMIT2012 presentation – Using blogs, twitter & wikis to deliver e-learning

Using blogs, twitter & wikis to deliver e-learning by Anthea Sutton, Anna Cantrell, Pippa Evans – a presentation from the MMIT national conference – is available on Prezi.

#MMIT2012 presentation – (Redesigning) QR Codes

The slides for John Bottomley’s presentation, (redesigning) QR codes, from the MMIT national conference are now available for download.

#MMIT2012 presentation – In the Palm of your Hand: the Future for the Hand-Held Librarian

The slides from Jon Fletcher’s MMIT national conference presentation, In the Palm of your Hand: the Future for the Hand-Held Librarian (.ppt), are now available.

Reduced budgets? Increased impact! MmIT 2012 Conference Round-Up

A big thank-you to everyone who was involved in the MmIT conference at the University of Sheffield on the 17th of April 2012, both to those who attended and those who helped & presented. There has been some excellent coverage of the event, with a fine summary written by Olivia Greenstreet in Information Today Europe. Notable blog entries may also be found at student volunteer’s Lady Pen’s Treasure Trove, first-time conference attendee Sensible Shoes and (another) student volunteer’s Michelle’s Library Stuff. For those with a view to reading the Twitter activity associated with the conference, the Information Resources Group at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) at the University of Sheffield provide an excellent set of links on their ScHARR entry.

Photographs taken by Sarah Cole Photography may be found on Flickr. A full overview of the day’s sessions can be found on the MmIT website; some slides are already collected for viewing elsewhere in this blog, and more details about others which will be accessible shall be available shortly.

Watch this blog for information about the MmIT 2013 conference, which the group are sure will be even more of a success than this year!

In the Palm of your Hand: the Future for the Hand-Held Librarian

The slides and notes for this presentation – due to be given at the Reduced Budgets? Increased Impact! Increasing LIS Impact with New Technologies conference at the University of Sheffield today – are available here:

Hand-Held Librarian #mmit2012

NB: this is the version presented on the day of the conference, which was amended slightly from earlier versions due to an error spotted in the original version. Please feel free to access this new version.

MmIT National Conference 2012 – find out more about the plenary and workshop sessions

TheMmIT National Conference was held in Sheffield on the 17th April.

Conference plenary and workshop abstracts

Marshall Breeding – Director for Innovative Technology and Research @ Vanderbilt University; Editor of Library Technology Guides
Paradigm Shift: A Slate of New Automation Platforms address Current and Future Library Realities
The operations of libraries focus on ever increasing proportions of electronic and digital content relative to print materials.  The structure of the legacy library management systems that dominated the last three or more decades of library automation was rooted in print, though some products have evolved better than others to accommodate modern content formats. The established worldview that libraries can rely on one set of automation tools for print and another set for managing digital collections and electronic subscriptions is in danger of collapse in favour of library services platforms that aim toward a more unified approach to resource management.  The economic realities that libraries face today demand that they operate in the most efficient ways possible, with workflows that accommodate current needs and not built around assumptions of a past print-centric age.  Breeding will provide an overview of the new library automation products now emerging and how they differ amongst themselves and from traditional library management systems.   He will also provide information on the development progress of each of these new products and trends relative to their adoption in libraries and forecast their longer term impact on the library automation industry.

Ross Mahon – Google Apps Edu Evangelist @ Google
Cloud Computing and the Digital Natives
The next generation of students bring to University a different set of expectations. These “digital natives” have grown up in a world where consumer technology has evolved at a rapid pace and this has changed the way in which they communicate and share information. Of course, there are many differences within the group and in some respects the problem lies as much in their over-confidence as their comfort with technologies. Meeting the needs of these students and providing the tools to enable the next generation of teaching and learning provides difficult challenges for universities today. Ross Mahon from Google will explore these trends impacting the Education sector and the challenges universities face today addressing them. He will also look at how tools like Google Apps for Education can help universities leverage powerful consumer cloud based technologies to engage students and foster creativity in the use of technology for teaching and learning.

Andy Tattersall – Information Specialist and Claire Beecroft – University Teacher @ University of Sheffield
A Free Web Toolkit for the Modern Library
There are legions of free Web based tools that can help you promote and organise your library and information service. You may have heard of many of them, but how do you choose from a bewildering number of tools? Which will survive in the long term? Which ones offer true value? And which will have true impact? In this session, delegates will be introduced to a variety of tried and tested web 2.0 tools which we believe offer something of real value to LIS professionals. We will debate their pros and cons before demonstrating some inspiring ways in which they’ve been put to use, drawing on examples from public, business and academic libraries. The workshop will show delegates how to make the tools work best for you with minimal effort and how to make them join up to make a cohesive tool kit for any modern LIS. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering ‘Where do I begin with web 2.0?’, the answer is ‘Here!’

René Meijer – Information Commons Manager @ University of Sheffield
Designing Space and Services to Support Digital Literacies
Appraising and creating digital information can be challenging to support, in particular when this information is not in a textual format. Working with media requires different equipment, different spaces and different skills in supporting staff then working with textual and more traditional resources. This interactive workshop will give an overview of how digital and media literacy is supported in the spaces, technology and services available in the Information Commons, and how lessons learned are currently being applied to the design of new spaces and services in the University of Sheffield.

Dave Pattern – Library Systems Manager @ University of Huddersfield
Discovering Discovery: Experiences of Implementing Summon at Huddersfield
This session will cover Huddersfield’s experiences of being the first commercial implementation of Summon in the UK, including details of the implementation, marketing and rollout, and the impact on both information literacy training and on journal usage. The workshop will be an opportunity also to discuss experiences at other institutions and learn from each other.

Jon Fletcher – Faculty Liaison Librarian @ Nottingham Trent University
In the Palm of their Hand: The Next Step for the Handheld Librarian
Ever imagined QR Code library inductions where you collect coins and unlock extra in-game characters by learning about library services? How about Augmented Reality quests where you explore the physical library space whilst hunting mysterious objects and virtual 3D maps? Or have you considered the future of enquiry systems in the mobile age? Many of our users now carry mobile devices which offer previously unparalleled opportunities for interaction, yet many libraries have yet to explore these opportunities. This interactive session will discuss the latest developments in handheld technologies and look at developments in the library world and beyond for examples of good practice and case studies. Participants will be invited to  discuss whether libraries can turn the ‘wow’ factor into the ‘now’ factor in order to offer exciting (and necessary) new services to users.

Last chance to win a free place to the EDGE 2012 conference, Edinburgh, 1-2nd March ‘Pushing the boundaries of public service delivery’

Just email MmIT journal editor catherine.dhanjal@theansweruk.com by Friday 10th February for your chance to win a free place.

There’s also a special discount: quote TA2012ED to receive the full conference at £365pp and you can also do buy two get one half price at this special price. Normal cost £375 early bird, £395 after that. http://edgeconference.co.uk