Summary

Working through these exercises while also participating in the ILS demos and symposium has been very eye-opening for me. Our customers have higher expectations and more options than ever in accessing information. Incorporating the best of these resources with a new ILS will be a driving factor in meeting our customers rising expectations of what the Sno-Isle website/catalog should be.

Geomapping

This is really quite an amazing tool (Google Earth), though I did find it somewhat frustrating to use. Maybe it was just the speed of our network (or the limitations on my PC). Anyway it provides incredible access.

Gaming

It's been really interesting working in the library field for the last 20 years or so. Yeasr ago, I distinctly remember library admin people saying video gaming had no place in the library (similar I suppose to those who resisted video and music), and I still encounter this dismissive attitude from both librarians and customers alike (as in why are those kids using the computers to play games? - I thought libraries were for literature and "serious" work). Times and attitudes change, thank goodness. I see gaming as yet another way to engage people in their local library and demonstrate that we do have something of interest for all ages. The numbers we've seen for attendance at our gaming events have been impressive, and I undersand that some libraries are expanding the gaming events to seniors and cross-generational approaches. Can libraries adapt to new technologies and stay relevant in the 21st century? Yes Wii can!