Ref Tech Rob

The holidays have somewhat interrupted my weekly tool overview, so I've decided to focus this week on a tool I was hoping  to get over the holidays, plus one I have been promoting to my wife as she looks to replace her laptop soon. The irony is that both tools are unavailable, and have been for some time. I'm speaking of Google's Samsung Chromebook, and the Nexus 10. My wife uses her laptop mainly for internet searching and word processing, and she's looking for a way to automatically back up everything she writes, so she can access it from multiple locations. She uses many Google products, so there's no desire to move to Apple's eco-system. The Chromebook would be perfect for her, but the Samsung model got better reviews than the cheaper Acer model. It has been sold out for a while, though, with no indication that it will be available soon. It can't really be "For Everyone" if it's not available, right? She is still thinking about her ...

In today's New York Times article, "I.B.M. Has Tech Answer for Woes of Economy," I.B.M.'s CEO calls for technological investment in overhauling the country's infrastructure. Samuel Palmisano calls for public and private investment in addressing problems with traffic, energy grid efficiency, food distribution and a host of other challenges faced by society today. I agree with this approach and I think that libraries have a part to play in this, as well. Technology is a powerful tool for problem solving, but not as powerful as technology partnered with efficient information sources--like libraries. This dovetails rather well with what I was trying to say last year about libraries as information producers . We have the information, we just need to do a better job of pushing it. Libraries are strategically positioned throughout the country to serve as information hubs for large scale information intensive projects. Some may argue that the Internet as it stands righ...

I ran across an article this morning on Google's Android project. Android is Google's attempt to create an open source operating system for mobile phone technology. The idea is that Android would serve as an open source operating system and companies would develop hardware around it. Recently, T-Mobile announced that they would be releasing the G1--the first handset designed to operate with Android. In his article, Chris O'Brien points to a number of Google's recent projects, including OpenSocial , which is designed to create an open API standard for social networking sites. O'Brien points to a lack of promotion and development for past initiatives and emphasizes their failure to gain significant market share. If you are just evaluating these initiatives on their individual merit, O'Brien has a point. I'm not certain that I would buy shares in T-Mobile based on the G1, and I wouldn't purchase one of the phones at the moment, either. I think, however,...

I came across letter to the editor in the Cincinnati Enquirer ( The Enquirer - With so much info on phone, why huge library? ) a little over a week ago, and I felt I needed to comment on it, but not without thinking about it a bit more. At first, I was a bit miffed at Aaron Gillum. I thought, "Hey, you have no idea what you're talking about. Data isn't the beginning and the end of information. There's also interpretation, and people want money for that. Who's going to provide that for the people who have no internet skills or access? You? 'Hey, everyone who can't afford a Blackberry with a data service plan go see Aaron--he'll let you use his!'" But then I looked a bit more closely at his argument, and at the library in question, and I did begin to wonder, "Do libraries have an edifice complex?" Now, before you judge me, I do believe that Mr. Gillum is missing part of the point--unless you are ready to digest all of the data required ...

I have been thinking about the use that many libraries are making of new technologies with some degree of envy. Libraries are taking advantage of Web 2.0 technology, adding MySpace pages, publishing podcasts, creating RSS feeds and library blogs. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have even instituted a Technology Scholars Program to allow staff to pursue technology projects to advance library goals and interests (thanks to Sarah Houghton-Jan, LibrarianInBlack, for the heads-up on this news)--a program I am extremely jealous of. With the exception of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County's vast array of tech projects, it seems that many libraries put their technology emphasis on catalog updates and web pages which are visible to the public, but neglect to make changes which might increase staff productivity. This is especially important for larger, urban library systems, in my opinion, because there is a danger of bureaucratic deadness and inertia for these institutions. When staff membe...