Tech Tools for Reference A Public and Academic Library Perspective

Story Line Online Children’s books read by professional actors/famous people Video Free alternative to Tumblebooks Choose your internet connection speed Includes activity guides

Children’s books read by professional actors/famous people

Video

Free alternative to Tumblebooks

Choose your internet connection speed

Includes activity guides

Create story books with provided artwork The artwork acts as story starter/brain storming technique for the story line Two people do a round-robin: one person adds words/pictures, then the other person, etc. Read books created by others Comment on books created by others Share your books with others Children’s program Coming soon: print the final product Story Bird

Create story books with provided artwork

The artwork acts as story starter/brain storming technique for the story line

Two people do a round-robin: one person adds words/pictures, then the other person, etc.

Read books created by others

Comment on books created by others

Share your books with others

Children’s program

Coming soon: print the final product

GotFreeFax.com Fax from your computer for free. Libraries w/o public fax service can suggest to patrons No registration required No software required Supposedly does not result in lots of ads to fax machine 3 pages per fax maximum for free 2 free faxes per day Fax 10 pages for 98 cents 20 pages $1.98 Can buy 100 page credit for $9.95 Incoming/receiving faxes: try faxage.com (not free, but cheap)

Fax from your computer for free.

Libraries w/o public fax service can suggest to patrons

No registration required

No software required

Supposedly does not result in lots of ads to fax machine

3 pages per fax maximum for free

2 free faxes per day

Fax 10 pages for 98 cents

20 pages $1.98

Can buy 100 page credit for $9.95

Incoming/receiving faxes: try faxage.com (not free, but cheap)

Wink Create tutorials for patron instruction With or without audio overlay Open source software

Create tutorials for patron instruction

With or without audio overlay

Open source software

Awesome Highlighter Highlight text on a web page Share the link to the highlighted page Reference via email: highlight answer in article and email the highlighted article No registration No downloads or installations No cost

Highlight text on a web page

Share the link to the highlighted page

Reference via email: highlight answer in article and email the highlighted article

No registration

No downloads or installations

No cost

Picnik Easy online photo editing tool Crop, fix brightness, add effects Allow patrons to edit photos without supporting software Very, very easy: no instruction required Free No downloads or installations

Easy online photo editing tool

Crop, fix brightness, add effects

Allow patrons to edit photos without supporting software

Very, very easy: no instruction required

Free

No downloads or installations

Change Images Easy online photo editing tool Crop, fix brightness, add effects Allow patrons to edit photos without supporting software Very, very easy: no instruction required Free No downloads or installations

Easy online photo editing tool

Crop, fix brightness, add effects

Allow patrons to edit photos without supporting software

Very, very easy: no instruction required

Free

No downloads or installations

Pandora Internet radio Allow patrons to listen to music at computer terminals without accessing CD collection CDs in locking cases? Create a free account No downloads or installations New Video series Videos about music, how its made, where to hear it Share radio stations you create with others Via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube

Internet radio

Allow patrons to listen to music at computer terminals without accessing CD collection

CDs in locking cases?

Create a free account

No downloads or installations

New Video series

Videos about music, how its made, where to hear it

Share radio stations you create with others

Via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube

Zoho Suite of tools Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, e-mail, wikis, invoices, reports, etc. Alternative to pricey software licenses Sign in with Yahoo or Google account Documents are saved in your Zoho account, not on your computer: Save hard drive space Your files are only available with an internet connection

Suite of tools

Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, e-mail, wikis, invoices, reports, etc.

Alternative to pricey software licenses

Sign in with Yahoo or Google account

Documents are saved in your Zoho account, not on your computer:

Save hard drive space

Your files are only available with an internet connection

Password Meter Test the strength of your password Include as part of beginner email or computer security classes No registration or account No download or installation Web site does not save your password Uses encryption

Test the strength of your password

Include as part of beginner email or computer security classes

No registration or account

No download or installation

Web site does not save your password

Uses encryption

Book Seer Tell the Book Seer what you just read and he will recommend more books to you Reader’s advisory tool Free Very easy, simple interface No downloads or installation No account needed Does not link to your library’s catalog

Tell the Book Seer what you just read and he will recommend more books to you

Reader’s advisory tool

Free

Very easy, simple interface

No downloads or installation

No account needed

Does not link to your library’s catalog

Copy Paste Character Copy and paste popular characters like arrows, copyright, musical notations, etc. Tech support Email Web design Word processing Making posters, flyers, brochures Facebook, MySpace, etc. No registration No cost No downloads or installs

Copy and paste popular characters like arrows, copyright, musical notations, etc.

Tech support

Email

Web design

Word processing

Making posters, flyers, brochures

Facebook, MySpace, etc.

No registration

No cost

No downloads or installs

Meeting Ticker How much are those meetings costing? Enter hourly rates of those attending meeting Start the ticker Make meetings more efficient Show patrons the value of a program No registration No cost No downloads or installations Mozilla Firefox only?

How much are those meetings costing?

Enter hourly rates of those attending meeting

Start the ticker

Make meetings more efficient

Show patrons the value of a program

No registration

No cost

No downloads or installations

Mozilla Firefox only?

MagMyPic.com Upload picture Choose magazine cover Resize picture to best fit Save cover Copy/past code online

Upload picture

Choose magazine cover

Resize picture to best fit

Save cover

Copy/past code online

Staff Buy-In Training: One-on-one training Integrate departments for shared training Contribution: Ideas/projects beyond fixing and troubleshooting Contributing to the library’s mission is everyone’s job Create a culture of technology Make technology unavoidable, but relevant Define tech competency for each position Web Junction: Competency Index for the Library Field webjunction.org /competencies Make tutorials or podcasts - Wink, Cam Studio, ReadtheWords.com Tech Soup “Cookbooks” http:// www.maintainitproject.org Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - http:// www.libsuccess.org

Training:

One-on-one training

Integrate departments for shared training

Contribution:

Ideas/projects beyond fixing and troubleshooting

Contributing to the library’s mission is everyone’s job

Create a culture of technology

Make technology unavoidable, but relevant

Define tech competency for each position

Web Junction: Competency Index for the Library Field

webjunction.org /competencies

Make tutorials or podcasts - Wink, Cam Studio, ReadtheWords.com

Tech Soup “Cookbooks” http:// www.maintainitproject.org

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki - http:// www.libsuccess.org