Wicked Cool

Is your cell phone a barcode scanner?

In the future it probably will be (if it isn't already). A new type of helper application (or "app") for the latest crop of cell phones (like the iPhone and the phones that use the Google Android platform) uses the phone's built-in camera to scan barcodes and then find better prices and product reviews.  The most popular so far is called ShopSavvy.  Here's a video of it in action:

A year ago, using cell phones as barcode scanners was on the horizon as something that might become commonplace (see NYT's "New Bar Codes Can Talk to Your Cellphone," 4/1/07).  And here it is, now being used for shopping and boarding passes and all kinds of things!

The most literal library-type application would be a program that can connect a scanned barcode on a cell phone with results from WorldCat and forms to request it from the nearest library.  Hopefully there are some library-loving app-developers reading this? 

Google's Barcode Scanner app is sort of a step in that direction, hooking barcode scans into Google Book Search.

And some librarians are thinking in more social-web-like directions, like putting barcodes on a MySpace page to distribute program information, using barcode stickers to get people to the library website, or linking book exhibits to websites with supplemental info. 

When every cell phone can scan barcodes, how will you use that capability in the library?

Is it OK to use program photos on the library's website?

Photos from your programs can bring lively human faces to your website, but the short answer to whether it is legal to use them is usually "It depends" or "Check with your library's attorney."  Get more familiar with some of the legal issues surrounding library program photos with Bryan Carson's article "Laws for Using Photos You Take at Your Library."  (Thanks to Barbara Huntington for the link!)

Other material from SCLS related to getting and using photos from your programs:

• Photographic Considerations When Planning Events (PDF)
• Taking Better Photographs (PDF)
• Photographic Permissions

Free Photo Editing Software + Portability = Wicked Cool

GIMP is an open-source program for photo retouching and image composition.  It has a funny name (it's an acronym for "GNU Image Manipulation Program"), but it can do many of the more sophisticated things that Photoshop is capable of, in addition to simpler tasks like cropping, resizing, and fixing red-eye in photos.  Like Photoshop, there is a bit of a learning curve, but the beauty of the Internet is that there are tutorials and documentation to learn from. 

GIMP has been around for a while, and it's pretty slick.  I've held off mentioning it here on Wicked Cool because you may not have administrative access to install programs on your computer and may be reluctant to ask someone to install something for you, just so you can try it out (am I the only one who feels like that?).  So why bring it up now?  The answer is Portable GIMP -- a version that you can install on a USB flash drive and use on any PC, whether you have admin rights or not.  If you're a curious type of person, and you have a USB drive, why not give it a shot?  (And if you're really, really curious, just look at all the different portable programs you can try this with...)

So now, knowing that you can do this, the next question is why you would want to (aside from the general Project Play philosophy: "Play more, learn more, fear less").  If you can already use Contribute or Dreamweaver to resize photos to display at the right size for your website, why use a separate program like GIMP? 

The practical value of resizing your photos before they're added to a webpage is usually a major reduction in the file size of the photos, which will help your pages load faster.  Resizing photos in a real photo editor can also mean smoother, less pixelated-looking images than you get by resizing in Contribute/Dreamweaver.  (See this side-by-side comparison of the two methods.)  If you're trying to use photos to make your website look more professional and inviting, Portable GIMP is one of the tools you might want in your toolbox!

A Screenshot is Worth a Thousand Words

Next time you need to remember how a window looked, take a screenshot.  This can be a big help when you want to keep a record of a confirmation message without wasting paper on a printout (such as after completing a registration or transaction) or when you encounter a mystifying error message that you want to look up later.  Here's how:

1. Make sure the window you want to capture is selected as the "top" one on your screen.
2. Hold down the Ctrl key and hit the Print Screen key at the same time.  (On most keyboards, Print Screen is located on the right side along the top row of keys, above the Insert key).  Ctrl + Print Screen will select and copy an image of the window.
3. Open MS Word or MS Paint (or your favorite image-editing software) and make sure there is a blank document open.  (Note:  Word will shrink the image to fit the standard letter-size page.)
4. Hit Edit > Paste (or right-click and select paste -- or use Ctrl + V) to paste the screenshot image into the blank document.
5. Save the document.

Added -- Hitting Print Screen all by itself captures everything that's visible onscreen at once, making it possible to get multiple windows at once (and any part of your desktop that is showing).  Ctrl + Print Screen only gets the topmost "active" window.  Thanks to Sarah Hartman for the extra tip!

YouTube named TIME's Best Invention 2006

YouTube, one of the greatest ways to waste time of 2006, has been named one of TIME magazine's Best Inventions, as well.

While it's true that most videos on YouTube have tiny audiences, and even tinier budgets and/or production values, that's the beauty of it (read the Long Tail for some ideas why).

Some libraries are making short videos, too. Especially neat are these book reviews and more from Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin, IL.  Search YouTube for "public library" and you'll find a lot - some goofy, some quite nice.

More Flickr goodness

Do you ever have to teach a class, do a presentation, or even make a flyer? And are you tired of clip art? Michael Sauers at TravelinLibrarian.info explains how to mine Flickr for your presentation and find images that you can legally use.

Michael also presented a talk called "Flickr + Libraries" at the Internet Librarian 2006 conference. Here's the powerpoint slide show and a few weblog posts about the talk.

Two inspiring ideas from that talk:

Westmont Public Library posts pictures of their new arrivals shelf. They link to their pictures from their home page, but they could also easily have the pictures appear right on their web site, if they wanted.

The National Library of Australia asked Australians to post pictures from their communities on Flickr, then featured those pictures in their PictureAustralia project. What a way to engage your patrons!

Speaking of engaging your patrons, some libraries are offering Flickr classes for the public which seem to be popular. Here are 10+3 more ways libraries can use Flickr, and some uses for the cheap, pretty business cards you can order with your Flickr photos on them.