[Web4lib] seeking examples of web-based voice or video calling (VoIP) services in libraries

[Tom Peters]

Hi, Char.

It's great to hear you'll be doing an LTR issue on this topic.

I'd be happy to speak with you sometime about your project, and I look forward to reading it when it is published.

For the past six years I've been the coordinator of OPAL (www.opal-online.org), a collaborative library program which uses webconferencing software for both professional and public events.  I agree with you that this group of VoIP/video tools is curiously "under-the-radar" and generally underutilized in librarianship.

Shameless plug:  A book I wrote about this topic was published about 6 weeks ago.  See below for the link.

Thanks!
 
 
Tom
 
Tom Peters, CEO 
TAP Information Services 
6106 South Stillhouse Road
Oak Grove  MO  64075
 
phone:     816.616.6746 
email:      tpeters at tapinformation.com 
web:        www.tapinformation.com
 
OPAL:            www.opal-online.org
Unabridged:  www.unabridged.info
Maxito Ricardo in Second Life

TAP Info helps organizations innovate.
 
Now reading: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig (1974), and A Death in the Family, by James Agee (1957).  
 
My new book, Library Programs Online, has been published by Libraries Unlimited.   
"The Future of Reading" is the cover story in the Nov. 1st issue of Library Journal.   




________________________________
From: Char Booth <cbooth at library.berkeley.edu>
To: ili-l at ala.org; web4lib at webjunction.org
Sent: Tue, December 15, 2009 12:26:02 PM
Subject: [Web4lib] seeking examples of web-based voice or video calling (VoIP) services in libraries

Greetings, and apologies for cross-posting. In the coming months I will be compiling a Library Technology Report
(http://www.alatechsource.org/ltr/index) that investigates one of the
more under-the-radar/utilitarian library technologies of recent years,
web-based voice and video calling and conferencing via platforms such as
Skype, GTalk, and DimDim. In this report I hope to tackle both the
benefits and drawbacks of VoIP as a public service, instruction,
collaboration, and communication medium, and as such am seeking
real-world library use cases, direct experiences, frustrations,
workarounds and success stories that illustrate practical challenges and
benefits of web voice and video to achieve various ends.

I hope to learn about/from individuals and libraries who use web video
and calling either to provide education or public services such as
distance instruction or video reference or as their main telephone
infrastructure, and for individuals  with virtual participation
experience at conferences and the like. This is meant to be a
troubleshooting guide as well as a technology primer, so *any*
experience using VoIP in library services (for better or worse,
technical or nontechnical) is sought. Anyone who has worked with this
technology and would like to offer an opinion or experience to be
profiled in the report (or not, if you prefer), your input is
invaluable. This would consist of answering a few quick questions via
phone or email, or simply pointing me to a URL, etc. Also, leads to
known VoIP-based library programs at other institutions are much
appreciated.

Please feel free to contact me on or off-list, and many thanks. I'll
provide a summary of pertinent responses if there is interest expressed.
FYI, I'm the E-Learning Librarian at UC Berkeley, and I blog at
www.infomational.com.

Best,

Char

--
Char Booth
E-Learning Librarian
UC Berkeley
302 Moffitt Library MC 6000
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Google Talk: charbooth | skype: charbooth
o 510.643.7486 | c 512.970.3573



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