Category Archives: Web&Tech

July 28, 2010, 12:01 pm

More Thoughts On Mobile Presence: some ideas for libraries

In recent months I’ve
noticed numerous people finding my blog by searching for things like “library
iphone app.” They are finding my post: iPhone
Apps and the Library (if you can’t build one, join one) What I found admirable about that
project was that it was student driven. The students, rather than the campus,
saw a need and filled it.

Here at
UCSB we don’t have that option. Our library mobile presence has been on the
backburner for a while, but let me share our story so far—

Through a chance
conversation I heard a rumor that someone was exploring a campus-wide iPhone
app. I asked around and got a lot of “no idea what you’re talking about” but finally
pinned it down to a programmer in Student Affairs who was working on a
prototype.

I met with him in April and we
had a very inspiring talk. He shared that 30% of the web traffic they get to
the course registration …

May 19, 2010, 12:39 pm

Redesigning your website? Why not use LibGuides as your Content Management System?

By Brian Mathews

Lately… I’ve been thinking about Steven Bell’s piece
regarding the demise of the academic library website… or rather, its evolution. I
can’t prove it, but I’m pretty certain he told me once that he envisioned
library websites becoming “just libguides.”

At first I was dismissive. I imagined a homepage with a long
list of subjects or courses that would filter the user into the appropriate guide.
But now I’m thinking maybe this is the right path for us to take. My staff (and probably yours
too) spends an enormous amount of time and energy working
on our web presence. But what if we chucked it all and just used LibGuides?

0% chance of that actually happening and I’m not entirely serious
about it just yet. But ask me in two years and my perspective could be
different.

What’s interesting is the
artistry of our websites. While we all pretty much offer the same…

April 28, 2010, 1:32 pm

Introducing the post-library commons world: wild speculation on the future of computing and what it means for the learning environment

By Brian Mathews

I’ve been thinking a lot about computers in libraries
lately. I’m talking about
hardware, not web 2,0 stuff. I’m really hopeful that my library is able to
upgrade its public computers and move to thin clients this summer,
but enough systems talk.

The topic of computer access comes up regularly in my Next Steps
interviews. Directors in all types of libraries seem to be pondering the same
thing: reducing the number of desktops and move to something else. Interest in
mobile devices continues to rise and it is very possible that we’ll move to
purely wireless machines such as laptops and iPads. Studies
show that people don’t typically carry their laptops around with them, so
it seems logical that libraries will need to beef up the lending of these devices. This appears to be the natural progression ahead of us. It also allows
patrons more flexibility in terms of where they can work…

April 8, 2010, 12:02 pm

Think Like The Beatles: tapping into the expressive nature of web redesigns

By Brian Mathews

One of the projects I’m working on right now is a web redesign. Actually I’m calling it a renovation because we’ve pretty much demolished everything and are rebuilding from scratch. This has been a very long process but I think I can see some light around the bend. Pushing for an August launch.

We’re moving into Drupal. This will give us a new look—a more modular flavor. It will change the workflow of managing our site and content, hopefully for the better. But regardless of the site’s architecture we’ve had some good conversations about what a library website should be. The trend (which I’m guilty of myself) has been to talk about features, rather than functions. We’re trying to make our site extremely useable, not in the sense of ease-of-use (although I hope for that too!) but rather as a core utility in the learning experience. There are some 2.0 elements, but…