This week - mashups. I'd never heard of them before - but what amazing tools these provide! I used the 'motivator' tool from 'Big huge labs' to assemble a promotional library poster (see below).
The major applications of mashups I can see for libraries would mainly involve promotion and/or mapping. The options for quickly, easily, and cheaply producing professional-looking promotional material (leaflets, posters, bookmarks etc)are really mind-boggling. For example, I noticed 'Big huge labs' provides tools such as the 'Warholizer'- which turns digital photos into pop art images - and the 'Hockneyizer' - producing collages in the style of David Hockney - not to mention mosaic makers, jigsaw puzzle makers, and so on. All of these tools enable high-quality graphic effects for any promotional material the library might require.
I looked at the British Library's 'London: a life in google maps' (a virtual exhibition charting the city's history via maps and associated text), and also 'Voicethread' (which, as noted, might have local studies and /or virtual exhibition applications). I can see how these might have library applications (especially in an academic library context). And of course, all library systems could take advantage of a tool such as the 'public library finder', to ensure our customers can find us!
As a worker in a public library system, though, I have to say that it is the possibilities that mashups provide for promotional material that has really excited me.
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