PL 49/08: Putting statistics to work 2

In library statistics, our most urgent task is to shift our statistical systems from a paper-based - or industrial - model to a knowledge-based, digital model.

Snake-haired Medusa (right) was killed by Perseus.

This is a major undertaking, which may take a generation or more to be completed. Like all big development efforts, it will involve a combination of systems, skills and organizational development. Technology should not be a big issue, however. The tools we need to produce and study library statistics are coming fast. Cheap digital devices, both portable and stationary, are spreading rapidly in most countries of the world.

PL 48/08: Putting statistics to work 1

Next year IFLA will meet in in the marvellous city of Milan.

Some people stay forever in Milan …

I have not visited Milan itself for forty years. But I had the good fortune to go to Florence (twice - to study Italian) and Bologna only a few years ago. It will be great to come back to Italy.

With a bit of statistics, of course.

PL 47/08: Early birds at IFLA 2009

News from the IFLA web site:

Snapshot from Milan - by confusedvision.

November 10, 2008

The IFLA Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section and the New Professionals Discussion Group is organising a satellite conference in Bologna, on August 18-20. and invites proposals for presentations - key note/plenary presentations, research reports, smaller scale interactive round-table discussions, workshops, and poster sessions. First time presenters and new professionals are encouraged to apply.

PL 36/08: Two ways of being together

It is wonderful to meet librarians from all over the world. It is also quite expensive.

But our new social technologies change the economy of meetings. We can open up our physical meetings to virtual participants - and we can continue our conversations through the web - after the bodies return home.

Therefore I was happy to stumble across a blog post by my good colleague Niels Damgaard (picture) in the IFLA SL Newsletter.

PL 34/08: IFLA visual 2008

People have landed - and sorted through their pictures from Quebec.

Liana Quider, Frode Bakken and Sami Batrawi

Below I list ten photographers who created photo sets on flickr from IFLA 2008. There are surely more sets out there - but I only had half an hour to spend browsing through flickr.

PL 33/08: Presentations and conversations

Big conferences feel like mass media. The centre speaks and the masses listen.

Participants at poster session.

The staple  menu at IFLA consists of spectacular openings, a few plenary lectures. long series of presentations, occasional panels, a few questions from the audience - time allowing, and a rousing grand finale.

PL 29/08: More blogging from Quebec

Last Saturday I tried to find bloggers who were present at - and writing about - IFLA 2008 in Quebec (picture).

At that time I registered fourteen blogs in English, two in Spanish, two in German and one each in Rumanian, Flemish (Dutch) and Norwegian.

Now I have done a second round of hunting and gathering - and included more institutional blogs. I got a new catch of nineteen eighteen.

PL 28/08: Global library statistics

The big jamboreee is over.

Soap bubbles in Veracruz.

On August 18 and 19 I went to Montreal for a satellite conference on global library statistics. It was - as usual - very good to meet colleagues in a more specialized setting.

PL 27/08: Pictures from IFLA 2008

Social computing is addictive.

I  note that Librarienne has posted lots of pictures from the IFLA conference in Quebec on Flickr. In addi(c)tion to her epist blogging.

Picture: Norwegians at work.

PL 26/08: IFLA from below

Organizations are just as pretentious as people.

They like to present their best face - all cream and strawberries - to the public. As if every week consisted of seven Sundays.

Nobody is really fooled. All experienced librarians know the difference between rhetoric and reality, frontstage and backstage, dining room and kitchen.