Shannon Okey points to the redesign of the Cleveland Public Library website and discusses the beauty of the library itself.
Category: libraries
pimp my library
Do you ever watch that weird TV show Pimp My Ride where people bring in their lame old cars and get them tricked out in these crazy unbelievable ways? I read this article by Stephen Manes about the glories of libraries; he concludes by saying
My biggest complaint is that some libraries’ Web sites don’t detail the amazing range of services they offer online until you cough up a card number. Memo to those insular institutions: Put the info in the shop windows out front and I bet you’ll see a lot more card-carrying customers walking through the electronic doors.
I’ve got an idea….
Pimp My Library would take some ratty old library with an outdated web site, half-busted computers, no good YA room and terrible signage and trick it out to a level suitable for a modern-day information crossroads. Librarians and other staff would be forced to take the day off under the guide of professional development and would be returned to a sparkling new ergonomic and fashionable workplace with accessible standards-compliant web site. We’d still call the library. It can be done. Maybe we’d need to call the show something else though. Side note: Manes mentions an error in Wikipedia’s personal computer entry. Someone with a sense of humor has since fixed the error, all in the last three days. [thanks mark, rick]
fall in love with classification all over again
while we’re on the subject of success
I’ve been enjoying watching the Library Success wiki grow. Now IFLA has a database of library success stories available to the public. It’s still getting started and some of the documents don’t seem to be quite web-ready [i.e. links aren’t hyperlinked, lists aren’t in list format] but it’s great to see people focussing on our successes instead of just our fears and our weaknesses. [thanks eoin]
British Medical Association library also affected in London blast
The British Medical Association and their library have some information on their web site about how their operations have been affected by the bombing of last week. Here is a first person account of someone who was in the British Library after they had secured the building. The library had wifil, so he was able to alert family and friends that he was okay.