Thanks to the all the terrific folks who participated in the pre-conference workshop on presentation and data visualization at the NYLA Annual Conference in Saratoga Springs NY. Here are the slides I promised to posts. I’ll also post a list of resources that we discussed on my Courses & Resources pages. (more…)
Workshops
Beyond PowerPoint – NYLA Preconference
Using WordPress to Build Library Websites – ALA eCourse
It’s been such a busy couple of weeks that I didn’t have time to post about the WordPress ecourse that Amanda Goodman and I will be offering through ALA. It starts in Jan 16, 2012 and runs for 6 weeks. Amanda and I met face-to-face for the first time at the Internet Librarian conference in October. In addition to enjoying some great food and wine, we did do a good bit of work on the course! The course will get you up-to-speed with WordPress and all the features that can help you build a dynamic and engaging web site for your library.
Note that there’s an early bird discount if you register by December 1.
I think everyone knows that I love working with WordPress and have been teaching WordPress classes for since 2006. Kyle Jones and I wrote an ALA Library Technology Report on WordPress that was published in April 2011. An expanded & updated version of that will be published by ALA Editions in early 2012.
I’m really looking forward to working with Amanda on this project. And looking forward to helping you decide if WordPress is the right tool for your library, school or personal web site. See you online in January!
Google Search & Google Tools Update
Thanks to the great library folks at Capital Region BOCES for a fun day of learning and sharing. Fun to be in a room full of librarians when an earthquake strikes. Everyone instantly started researching and connecting with friends to find out what happened.
As promised, the slides from today. If anything is missing or a URL doesn’t work, do let me know!
Google Update
View more presentations from Polly Farrington
Thank you Rockland BOCES SLS
Thank you to the great folks at the Rockland BOCES SLS – particularly Anthony Hosmer, who asked me to take part in their workshop day earlier this week. I had a lovely time with all of you and heard lots of great ideas. And besides that, I learned a few tips for cupcake decorating thanks to Hello Cupcake folks! And we all know how much I love cupcakes. 
Resources from my workshops are on my class website. I look forward to hearing what new projects you’re working on!
WordPress for Libraries Workshop
Thanks to all the great folks who attended the WordPress for Libraries workshop at Internet Librarian & Internet @ Schools West this past weekend. The slides from the workshop are below and are also posted on the workshop resource page:
WordPress for Libraries PreConference Workshop
View more presentations from pollyalida.
Gardens, Restaurants, IL2010 & QR codes
I’m looking forward to the Internet Librarian & Internet@Schools West Conferences starting this weekend. I’ll be teaching a Saturday pre-conference workshop on WordPress and doing another WordPress session with Buffy Hamilton on Monday.
But before I get to Monterey, I hope to get to Filoli Gardens in Woodside, CA – sort of on the way from SFO. I visited this gorgeous garden & estate in the February and basked my snow weary soul in the gorgeous daffodils. They close next week, so last chance this year.
And on the trip down to Monterey, I hope to have time to for lunch at Palapas Cantina, a great Mexican restaurant with a gorgeous water view in Aptos. My good friend Steve Watkins introduced me to their tasty food.
So what about the QR Codes? Well here they are:
These will take you to the locations in your smartphone’s map app. But what I’d really like to do, is find a way to put a whole bunch of locations into one QR code. I know I can create a custom map in Google Maps and create a QR code for that map. But that opens in your browser. And yes, you could save that map and it will sync with your phone. But it would be faster if it just opened in a map with all the locations.
I’ve done a bit of digging around, but it there doesn’t seem to be a standard for this sort of code – yet. Several years ago I worked on an “I Spy” projects with about 20 libraries. The kids created something of a photographic scavenger hunt of historic spots in their towns. It was great fun and I could see incorporating QR codes into that project if we were doing it today. But it would be terrific to be able to create one code with all the locations marked. If anyone knows of a way to do that, please share!
In the meantime, hope to see some of you in Monterery!
