Breakout 3

WHACKY IDEAS

notes from Laura Crossett

 

national library courier--instead of mailing stuff--big trucks with signs that say "your tax dollars at work"

 

why not tell FedEx and UPS they need to do stuff for us, since the Gates Foundation does

 

get 10% off your airline ticket if you carry 10 books

 

go to a place where a person of your choice would read a book of your choice to you

 

collaborative weeding--"last copy in Georgia policy"

 

circulate electronic format materials with the same degree of comprehensiveness that we do physical materials--free the stuff from the vendor!

 

library feed to your Kindle type

 

stop rolling over for vendors--"they should roll over for us!"

 

browseable stacks

 

get architechts who aren't designing book storage areas but browseable areas

 

cataloging system that reflects 21st century standards, not 18th century ones

"cookery--slow--electronic"

cataloging should be active, not reactive

overlay of tags from LT

 

academic and public librarians should swap jobs for a month

 

audio video device that'd use RFID and GPS to show you where the stuff is

"pick me, I'm Shakespeare!"

 

robot shelvers

 

holographic librarian

 

want all community members to have library cards, ala school libraries

want more school librarians to be cool

want more school/public libraries to bring the world into the school

 

check off box on your taxes to donate money to your library

 

lottery for the library

 

library ATM machine--put in your card, place a hold, pick up a hold

 

laundromats and massage therapists in the library--or, take your bookmobile to the laundromat

 

universal library card--statewide or nationwide

drivers license as library card--DMV in the library

 

librarians should make as much as bank presidents (or bank presidents 3 months ago)

 

Gates/Apple money to send out teams to help upgrade people's computers in their homes so they can use library resources

 

broadband nationwide

 

I want all indexing databases to work the same way.

I just don't want indexing databases anymore--I want the damn article!

 

I want teachers to understand that an article from a database is a legit source.

I want everyone to know they can edit Wikipedia

 

get IT people in, "so we're not outsourcing all our most interesting problems"

 

every librarian to wake up and

 

get our culture to value accurate information, FOIA

 

Google should recognize importance of libraries.

 

Development of software by libraries--works on stuff that already works, e.g. Omeka, Zotero

 

every school library should have an enthusiastic trained librarian

[This would be a great job title -- "The Washington Country Library system is looking for a new 'Enthusiastic Librarian' to be the lead project manager of blah, blah blah..."]

 

design a city where all the roads lead to the library in the center

 

worldwide library system that's universal

 

libraries should capitalize on recycling--libraries are green because we reuse and recycle

 

libraries should realize we have power if we join forces

 

libraries should know about social services available in their communities

someone should fund social workers, etc. to provide services in libraries

 

open access--academic libraries need to work with academics to create a new, workable publishing model that doesn't suck

 

bars in libraries (heck, they have them in the House of Commons)

 

all libraries should have gender-neutral restrooms

 

Jamie says we CAN do some of these things. Josh talked about making bar coasters to advertise The Big Read. Reach out to people making bar bets.