Sadly, it look like we will still be waiting for color.

It is catchy. (Does that make me a nerd?)

If you talk to anyone associated with one of my activities, I focus the discussions on people rather than the tools. I show the tools and the students play, but we also come back around to the user of the tool on the other end of the 'net. The tools come and go with no rhyme or reason, but the pull of people is driven by specific needs and desires! I feel for librarians and information professionals to be equal partners in the new web phenomena, we must understand the human drive or addiction to the social web.

I have seen the first talk/presentation/movie that really highlights the points I try to make. I am sure this video collaboration led my Dr. Michael Wesch does it much more eloquently than my attempts.

Anyone that wants to understand the viral nature of the web must watch this presentation. It is almost an hour but it beats any prime-time reality TV show I have seen recently.

By the way...
He talks about "gaming the system" where the middle frame of your video becomes the thumbnail that everyone sees. After watching this movie, you have to ask yourself did he purposely use the kids to drive traffic? Hmmm?

I thank Bill Claspy my colleague in the Kelvin Smith Library for making sure on added this to my consumption of everything web 2.0.

On May 8, 2008, I was invited to deliver the Plenary session for the Society of Ohio Archivists at their Spring Program. I was asked to bring my knowledge of web 2.0 to a group that sees the possible advantages but often is very early in implementation. It is exciting to speak at a meeting that I would not normally attend. Even though I was asked to share and set the tone for the meeting in terms of what web 2.0 offers for libraries, archives, historians, etc., I found I left the meeting with a list of sites and tools to explore myself.

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It also created a video on YouTube to promote it.

A New Jersey Library Starts Lending Kindles from Library Journal (12/13/2007)
The Sparta Public Library, NJ bought two $399 Kindles and loans them to patrons.

Kindling? Amazon's eBook Reader, Kindle, Is Latest Device To Fire Up the Market from Library Journal Academic Newswire (11/20/2007)
Includes some quotes from a discussion on the Web4Lib Electronic Discussion list.

Textbooks
I get students all the time that want the opportunity to download electronic versions of their textbooks to their laptop or other device. The size and sometimes the number of textbooks in a given semester makes them practical in a dorm room, but not in the classroom. Students often already carry laptops or other materials and
do not want to lug books as well. If they could include all their text books on a Kindle for in the classroom usage or studying when away from their dorms, it can be a great market to pursue.

Textbooks in the Library
Many libraries do not buy textbooks for their collections. There is an expectation that students purchase their needed books. Textbooks become dated too quick and would gather dust on library shelves that could be used for other materials. To be fair a library would be forced to keep textbooks on reserve so they are always available for usage. Keeping hundreds of textbooks on reserve causes many space concerns. What if libraries had a few Kindles available that contain the current e-versions of the school's textbooks?

Best Sellers, Leisure Books, or Other Rarely Used Materials
Many academic libraries provided limited access to best sellers or other leisure reading materials. Students are often forced to locate the local public library or purchase online from companies like Amazon. What if libraries had Kindles available and the library staff purchased patron-requested items? Many libraries already spend money on interlibrary loan, so would this be any different?

Departmental Training Tool
Many departments circulate books or journals for their staff to read as a professional development or awareness tool. Could a Kindle serve a similar role?

Laboratory or Clinical Usage
Would researchers use a Kindle with all their reference manuals, books, and data loaded on it?

Roving Reference
We have seen many libraries that now offer "roving reference" where the librarians come to the user rather than sitting behind a desk. Would a Kindle with the standard reference books be used to support this type of service?

I was very impressed with the overall usability. The text reads just like traditional print text. It has none of the glare or backlighting of other electronic devices. The size is that of an average book, and the weight is only slightly more.

Positives:

• Readability - Reads likes traditional printed media.
  
• Portability - Has built-in memory, plus can uses SD memory cards.
  
• Extras: Plays MP3s from built-in speaker or headphone jack.
  
• Does not require wifi access points as it uses Sprint's network at no additional cost to the user.
  
• Includes QWERTY keyboard that can be used for searching within text, annotations, and other uses.
  
• Adjustable text size should be a strong selling point for those with eye problems that may have trouble getting access to other print materials.
  
• Purchase books, magazines, and newspapers.

Negatives:

• Price: $400 - Do I need to say more?
  
• Carrying case - Designed to imitate a book cover, but I do not think it will last long. It does press on the keys and I think over time the Kindle will start to slide out.
  
• Only back and white text, no color.
  
• Scroll wheel and the menu system assumes everyone is familiar with an iPod-like system. I showed it to a small group of people in a meeting and only 2 of the 6 instinctively understood how to use it.
  
• Requires two hands to hold, unless you have fairly large hands.
  
• Only uses a single cellular network for online access - Sprint. How good is Sprint's coverage in all areas? I do not know personally.
  
• Limited to Amazon's selections for purchases with rights restrictions in place.
  
• Charged to read blogs and there are only specific ones available.
  
• 10 cents to send files to your Kindle and I have heard that not all file formats cooperate.

Unknowns:

• Construction - Will it hold up over long-term use?
  
• Availability - Amazon constantly lists it as sold out.

I do think it has a future. As the prices falls over time, it will gain popularity. I think it can be a strong sell in certain user markets, such as travelers, people that do not purchase books for their own collection, and techies. At $400, I will not be buying one anytime soon.

See the full photo set from my Flickr account. Or visit the Cleveland Public Library in SL.

Cleveland Public Library, of Cleveland, Ohio, is opening a new sim on Friday, November 16th. Cleveland Public Library is the third largest public research library in the United States, and also is the largest repository of chess-related items in the world. The island includes playable, life-size chess sets, and the Main Library building currently features an exhibit of historical chess sets owned by the library in real life. Also be sure to check out the Photo Gallery (believe us, you'll know it when you see it!), where we have an exhibit of sheet music related to Cleveland and Ohio.

The sim will open to the public at 7pm EST with tours as time and guides allow. Grand opening activities will include two live music performances: Picker Apogee at 8pm and Nad Gough at 10pm. A costume contest for the best chess-related costume will take place at 9pm, with a $1000 Linden dollars grand prize to the winner. The life-size chess sets will also be available for casual or competitive play. Please IM Lebachai Vesta with any questions. Please join us to celebrate this major opening in Second Life!

More information was shared at PLSL 2.0 - Public Libraries in Second Life blog in a recent post.

I challenge people to create things in SL that we do not or cannot do in real life. At that point, it becomes valuable.

SL is great for 3-D modeling, recreation of historical events, or other themed environments. These types of educational activities would be very expensive to recreate on a life-size scale and to bring together all the experts needed.

Here is a nice example of a unique activity that can be accomplished in virtual environments, not just SL. Have you ever imagined walking through the environment created in artworks, movie, or TV?

If you want to see how this would made, visit the blog entry describing Robbie Dingo's SL machinima.

One finding he had was how important SL was to those with disabilities. Maybe this is the niche libraries should focus on as a priority in SL rather than trying to recreate traditional library programming and resources.