M-LIBRARIES

I have been back for around 48 hours now. Still jet lagged a bit but also still thinking about the conference. If I had to name the key things I learned it would the fascination with QR codes , the HUGE role mobile phones are playing in the thrid world, and the growing attempts to present library based apps for the iphone.

In terms of my owm paper it went well, and both Vicki Owen and I got some nice feedback. I also manged to deliver a paper for some colleagues from Limerick University who couldn't make it to the event.

In terms of reporting on the huge range of speakers I can only recommend Vicki's excellent blog She really did an excellent job.

New Newcastle...!

Anna and I visited the new £42m Newcastle Central Library last week. We had been to a wedding on the saturday near Ponteland and I couldn't resist a visit to where it all began for me as a librarian 22 years ago. However, given the after effetcs of the wedding it was touch and go whether I would get there!

I was very impressed to say the least -bright, open forward looking, but recognising the core values. The local studies and family history area is very well laid out and supported. There was also the unique idea of 24 hour a hole-in-the-wall library!

There is currently a bit of fuss over their flexible approach to letting users register, but is this perhaps a way to go in times of falling numbers?

MMit Part Two

The event went very well, although one of the speakers had to pull out at the last minute. I must admit though to a certain degree of web 2.0 ennui. It is difficut to establish how to pitch presentations, getting the balance between what knowledge you imagine your audience has, and what to repeat. Certainly thinking about our presentation for m-libraries I am very conscious
that we might be saying something that others speakers at the event have already covered!

One interesting output among many is I am now into Tweetdeck-looks fun and useful. Excellent way to observe tweets in a conference along with adjacent applications.

Speaking of new apps I am also getting into http://www.wallwisher.com/ .This is a great google supported idea. A mix between a postit wall and a wiki




Tomorrow I am representing our service managemnt team at an all day event on "Managing others through change" a bespoke programme to help our staff adjust to new structure

Mmit...Web 2.0-where will it end?

Currently at this event in LJMU facilitated by Leo Appleton and Anthony Beal. In keeping with previous MMit events it a very full timetable, fortunately assisted by lashings of caffeine at 9.30.

The morning's presentations were very varied from Russel Prue , the ICT evangelist with a whirling array of apps and hardware, through a thoughtful look at the philosophy behind successful learning spaces from Les Watson, to the judicous overview of libraries and Facebook from Jane Secker - see Jane's excellent bookmarks at http://delicious.com/lse_lassie .

Follow the event twitter feed here.

Watching the very entertaining Russell Prue with the reality behind shift happens.

Countdown to Vancouver

Five days to go until we set off for M-libraries. Vicki Owen and I will be presenting a paper on the Mobile Technologies project. I hope to keep everyone up to date with what is happening. In the meantime check out Vick's blog at http://vickiowensm-learningblog.blogspot.com/.



I am attending the MMit event tomorrow, musing over where will web 2.0 end (at web 3.o???). Jane Secker , an old friend form LILAC is speaking -see her blog posting at http://elearning.lse.ac.uk/blogs/socialsoftware/



Other than that I am caught up at work in a welter of training schemes, pinboards, budgets and
job applications. In the meantime as a memory of summers past a photo of some mates of mine from a wonderful holiday in Nice a couple of years ago...