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QR Codes might just be the way to help summer writers keep writing!

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Disney XD is premiering a new program about lab rats tonight… (well sort of! The show is about three super-human teens who grew up in a lab where they slept in vertical tubes and ate protein pellets until their “step-brother” discovers... Read the rest of this post

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Disney has debuted a new social media initiative called Disney Reads (spanning Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. We love that they’re posting sweepstakes, contests, quizzes, and other exclusive content, but we’re a little perplexed at... Read the rest of this post

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You've undoubtedly noticed these black-and-white boxes on products ranging from the weekly coupon insert in the Sunday newspaper to TV advertisements to the back of books.

What is it?

Say hello to the QR (quick response) code, a two-dimensional or matrix barcode. Each QR code is comprised of data - binary, alphanumeric or Kanji (Japanese writing systems) - that form the black pockets. The square code sits on a white background.

But what does this have to do with writing?

Consider the QR code another way to promote you and your product, whether it's a book or a link to an article or your own website.

A new study by Forrester Research shows that people are using the unique data code at a higher rate than a year ago. The study shows that five percent of adults use the codes to find additional information. That's a four percent increase from just one year ago.

Think about how many smartphone users exist in the world. Their rates of use have increased 15 percent, with Android phone owners using the codes most often. To access information, you simply scan the code with any camera smartphone and suddenly, you're experiencing printed material in a new way, whether through multimedia, text files, or websites.

Writers should be taking advantage of QR codes to land new readers. It's an easy self-promotion method.

How do you generate the codes? Free programs, like Kaywa, can help. And potential readers can find free applications for their smartphones. Kaywa also offers a free QR reader.

While the QR code may seem like the latest craze, in today's 3D and multimedia-based world, the QR code offers one more way to connect with an audience.

by LuAnn Schindler.  Read more of her work at her website.

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Last night, Google announced that its Music service (is out of beta and open to the world at large. So far, the Web has been unimpressed by the service, claiming it’s just a copy of iTunes with its exclusive tracks and free songs of the week.... Read the rest of this post

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Ypulse has been a little skeptical of QR codes since we discovered that the vast majority of students had no idea what they are. Moreover, of the few who know of them, fewer than half think they’re easy and useful. But Skanz just might change all... Read the rest of this post

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Ah, how I love spending a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon in suburban mecca: Best Buy. We went in for a digital camera, but stopped at every department, drooling over the latest gas ranges with dual ovens and french-door refrigerators (a thrill you’ll only understand once you’re married with kids).

We were also oogling over the QR codes.

What are QR codes? You’ve probably seen them—pixelated bar-code-like squares that link your smart phone or iWhatever to additional information about a product. Want to see a video of the range in action? Learn about the warranty? View an extended list of features? Call the manufacturer’s customer service? Just scan the QR code and it will lead you to a website, video or other crucial piece of marketing magic that doesn’t fit on the price tag.

So what does the QR code mean for authors?

Glad you asked. Author/illustrator Katie Davis recently explored the possibilities. Just click on the graphic below to read her post:

Wouldn’t it be great if publishers started putting them on book jackets? Link to the book trailer! The author’s own book club! Her Formspring fan page! (Gee, the customer could even call you at home. But I digress.) The QR code delivers more whiz-pow-bang to help sell the buyer on the book.

Are QR codes the next big thing? Maybe. They’ve been used in Japan for about 10 years now and I’ve personally seen them more and more over the past few months.

Read Katie’s post about how to generate your own QR code and start examining the possibilities!

Thanks to The Daring Librarian for the graphic.

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The Children’s Choice Book Awards (voting is open, with nominees from Suzanne Collins [Mockingjay] and Stephanie Meyer [The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner]. Elsewhere in YA news, Amanda Hocking, the self-publishing standout, lands a book... Read the rest of this post

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Over the past several weeks I’ve been teaching an online course for YALSA called Connect, Create, Collaborate. The focus of the course is on technology in teen services with a strong focus on how to integrate technology into traditional programs and services for teens – collection development, programming, outreach, readers’ advisory, and so on. Over the past five weeks students in the class have been creating lots of content in order to explore the possibilities.

Here’s a rundown on some of the topics covered in the course and what was discussed about and/or developed each week:

QR Codes

During the week that focused on how to create great teen services using tech, one of the topics discussed was QR codes. The QR code conversation brought out a lot of great ideas including ideas about adding codes to:

• a goldfish tank in the library that when scanned leads to web content about goldfish.
• posters in the teen area in order to find out more information about the person, event, etc. shown in the poster.
• plaques or art hanging in the library in order to connect teens and others to more information about the person or organization named in the plaque or who created the art.
• tshirts for the library staff, the shirts could have links to the library homepage, activities, a favorite book, a book trailer, etc. Teens could also make their own customized QR tshirts.

There was also the idea to have teens dress up as QR codes that will scan to characters in books. A “Who AM I?” program.

I think the QR code discussion took off in class because these codes are so easy to implement – free or low cost – and don’t take a lot of skill to create. If you are starting out with some new tech ideas for your library those two aspects of QR codes are probably important to keep in mind. I also think that QR codes took off in class because a multitude of library services can be integrated into use of the technology -readers’ advisory, collection development, outreach, programming, and so on. QR code initiatives can encompass many traditional areas of teen library service.

Google Maps

As a part of student investigations related to technology and collaboration, class members worked on a Google Map together. The map, shown below, visually highlights across North America what’s going on with teens and technology and libraries.

View Teens, Tech, & Libraries – Making the Connection in a larger map

During conversations about using Google Maps with teens, students came up with a host of good ideas including using maps in summer reading scavenger hunts, as a way for teens to map events in a favorite book, or to chart historic events of teen interest. We also covered some ideas related to how teens can collaborate on Google maps across the world – from library to library.

Xtranormal

During the week of class when the focus was on how technology supports text-based literacies, students explored the use of