Overdrive and MP3s: Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Yoy and double yoy! My major Midwest library got the word today: iTunes and Overdrive just don't play nicely together. iTune's auto synch function must be disabled to successfully download MP3s onto an iPod.

Now I face a stark decision: do I manually synch my iPod from this day forward, or do I give up on my library's creamy MP3 goodness? It's the most important decision in my lifetime... with the possible exception of Obama v. McCain. OK, maybe not that important. But I gotta play around with it for a while so I can explain it clearly to customers.

Thing #23: Closing Arguments

Learn & Play has been quite a ride!

• It was fun. Thing #5 Flickr was the #1 cool Thing, followed by Thing #10, online image generators (I can see myself playing around with those a lot .
• It was educational. I've gained a new appreciation for the depth and variety of Web 2.0 technologies.
• It changed me. As I watched the election analysis on CNN this week, much was made of Obama's brilliant strategy to involve young voters via the social Web. Obama's Web site was more than a place to share his values and raise money - it opened opportunities for supporters to meet and get involved. Visitors organized their own meetings and events online. It struck me that's exactly what Web 2.0 is all about: empowering people to communicate and connect. I'm rethinking all the Things I thought I'd never use. Maybe I absolutely have to use them.

Learn & Play was well conceived and executed IMHO, although the idea that we could do it all in 20 minutes a week was off by wide margin. Not to worry, we all took as much time as necessary.

Thanks to Digital Services, Organization Development, and everyone everywhere (as Vocera says) who made this possible or participated. It was great! When does the next discovery exercise begin?

Public Libraries: Bargain Beacons of Democracy

How much would you pay for all human knowledge? But wait - don't answer yet!

I ran across this wonderful blog post by Tom Barlow at WalletPop about the value of public libraries and the awesome educational/entertainment bang we get for our buck. For $31 a year, the price of dinner and a movie - or a movie, anyway - every American has unlimited access to the universe of ideas. It's the democratic ideal made real.

To quote novelist E.L. Doctorow:

The three most important documents a free society gives are a birth certificate, a passport, and a library card.

Damn straight.

Overdrive MP3s Arrive

On Monday 11/10/2008 moldi.org, the Overdrive Web site for a consortium of libraries in central Ohio, will add 177 audiobooks in the DRM-free MP3 format. At last! iPod compatible audio!

I'll be at Main Library's Overdrive download station bright and early to load up my trusty 5th gen 80GB iPod. Many of the initial MP3s we purchased are classics (read: public domain) of literature. I plan to download Das Kapital in honor of the commie socialist Barak Obama's decisive victory over the mud-slinging mavericks.

I haven't dipped into Marx since my college days. When I crank up the Sennheisers, comrades, I'll either wax nostalgic or drop off to sleep. Or both.

Thing #22: MOLDI

So, is MOLDI the worst acronym in the history of the universe or what!? I cringe every time I say to a customer, "let's visit the MOLDI Web site..."

Whew! I feel so much better now.

There are some problems with MOLDI. It's not the content - we have lots of content, although many publishers have exclusive deals with competing services and we'll never see their material.

Mainly, the problem is that the site is sooo Windows - it takes 10 screens to get to the download now button. The help pages are even more difficult; don't believe me? I dare you to read the entire Help - Troubleshooting - Adobe PDF eBooks page without flinching.

What I believe our customers want is a Geico experience: so easy even a caveman can do it. I understand OverDrive is working to improve the user experience. Good for them!

Of course those MP3 audiobook files are coming soon and, coupled with the promised Media Console for the Mac, many more customers will have access to our eServices. If we communicate the news appropriately, our digital checkouts could rise pretty dramatically. It's all about having the right tools and the right technology!

I gaze skyward and yearn for that glorious day when all files are DRM-free and play on all devices. And yes, I am familiar with the phrase "when hell freezes over".

Thing #21: Podcasts

I've been a subscriber to podcasts for years. Using the indespensible iTunes (a free download here for Mac and PC) at home, podcasts are downloaded and waiting for me to listen to. When I take my morning constitutional (that's a walk for you whippersnappers) I plug into my iPod and catch up with news from NPR and my favorite organizations - almost every large group has a podcast, it seems.

I used Podcast Alley to find a couple of podcasts to add to my Bloglines account. It's a fine service but it makes you work way harder than iTunes does; the Apple product doesn't require navigation through a Web site with glitzy graphics and eye candy, just a directory.

I noticed many of the 5 Featured and 5 Newest podcasts from Podcast Alley are naughty by nature. I guess some podcasters will do anything to build an audience.

Librarians Of The World Unite! We Have Nothing To Lose But Our Snags!

Comrades, the capitalist pigdog Stephen Colbert featured the following video on his counter-revolutionary opiate for the masses known as "The Colbert Report":



And don't forget, Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia!

Thing #20: YouTube

I've been a YouTube addict for years now. There's no better place to find all the political stuff I love, the Daily Show and Colbert Report segments, and weekly "New Rules" from Bill Maher.

Oh, and library stuff too, sure. Speaking of which, here's a cute homage to South Park promoting National Library Card Week:



I think YouTube can be a fantastic communication tool for libraries. CML has a lot of visibility on YouTube IMHO. Once a video is created it can be presented so many ways: YouTube, podcast, television broadcasting, Wed site, public meetings, staff meetings, etc.

Someday CML customers may make their own videos about their library and put them one the CML Web site. Won't THAT be cool?

Thing #19: CML Tool Box

How much is Google paying us to promote Gmail?

Just kidding, of course. As a gateway to Google's myriad free online services, Gmail blows all the other free email services out of the water. Many of the other tools look oh-so-familiar now that I've done 19 Things. I'm a bit surprised that Flickr or Photobucket aren't on the Tools list.

Note: time to update the page to reflect delicious' new name (sans periods).

Thing #18: Exploring Web 2.0

I was scanning the seomoz.org award winners list and stumbled upon ColorBlender. Back in the day, before I was a student and I had spare time (sigh), I was a volunteer Webmaster and built sites from scratch. I know, what a quaint notion! Anyway, picking complimentary colors is not my strong suit so I relied on a color wheel and my own flawed color sense to create the palette for each site. Why didn't I know about ColorBlender then?

There are several cool tools on the site but my favorite lets you adjust RBG scales to create a color you like, then provides complementary colors including their hex code numbers for XHTML color control. By moving the RGB slides all the colors change at once.

It's almost too easy! Maybe I should have used this site when my wife and I were picking a color scheme for the first floor of our house!