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It’s not everyday I pick up work-related ideas from science fiction. But HCI in particular has received lots of inspiration over the years from the Star Trek series with concepts such as the “tri-quarter” the “holodeck” and the sleek navigation consoles on their bridge. …more…

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As an afterthought it seems to make sense to cross-post my entry on the DU SLA Student Chapter blog over to this one – just to keep everything in one place. I will preface my remarks by saying that while I’ve attended several SLA conferences as a day-tripper, this was the first time I stayed for the duration. The glamor of three days marching around the Baltimore Convention Center with so many other librarians, all wearing sensible shoes! ; ) Seriously – I enjoyed myself like a kid in a candy shop. And as always when coming back from a conference – it will be a challenge to apply what I picked up in a meaningful way. But as a first step, sharing it with others is always good.

So here’s the link to my comments written shortly after returning from Baltimore. Enjoy! – Tim

Okay – this may not seem fascinating at first blush, but when was the last time you picked up a specialized encyclopedia? These suckers are *deep*! Talk about providing some background! And pricey! You can google the publishers to see what kind bite they take out of my materials budget – but they’re *not cheap.* The prospect of compiling something equivalent on your own is enough to make the time-saving value of these reference works clear. Imagine compiling an overview of a highly specialized subject complete with definitions, a short history, key concepts and views from thought leaders on the topic, “see also” cross-references and a bibliography of the most important sources. On top of that is the commitment of these publishers toward being “encyclopedic” in their coverage – in other words if it’s not included – it can’t be that important (or so we’re led to believe.) Okay – enough refdesk ranting. Here’s my list of recent picks – they happen to be children’s literature focused. I’ll do a separate entry for the Techie ones.

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