Mashups : Way too much fun

I had a lots of fun playing with the toys on Big Huge Labs.

Here's a poster showing our children's librarians doing great work, and a 'mashup' mosaic using pictures from flickr (taken by a friend Neil Fifer).

Although I loved every minute spent making these images, the only immediate library use I thought of was for quick and easy inhouse graphic design. And even then, anything we publish must come from the Library Service or Council's marketing team in order to meet our corporate guidelines. Oh well, still it was fun. Since writing that, I have used BigHugeLabs after all. I needed to thank a library volunteer and made a great thank you poster in just a few minutes, using digital camera, mashup, copier-printer and laminator.

I can see the ease and accessibility of mashups and their potential - especially the fact that you don't need to be an IT professional to create web content or to compose a mashup. Google Maps' map-making tool enables libraries to develop and share mashups to promote their services by adding a map showing branch locations. Morraine Valley Community College Library uses a Google map mashup on their website for quick and easy referrals. The map gives directions to key locations that their information service was regularly asked for.

I can see that a good use for a map mashup in our library service would be to show the Local Studies photographs, descriptions and locations of heritage sites with links back to the Local Studies pages on the website. This has already been done by some libraries in the U.S. I'm sure our overworked Local Studies Librarians will be thrilled to hear this!