Recommended links from Libraryland

While I was away from vacation, I found that there was a slew of interesting things from libraryland that I wanted to mention and pass on. Here are some of those things:

• Tame the Web demonstrates the power of 'Screencasting for one' at the reference desk
  
  I am really taken with this idea as I think we overestimate how much information a person is able to retain from demonstration. On a related note, The Distant Librarian found a very useful chart that details lots of the currently available screen capturing tools.
  
  
  
• Also from The Distant Librarian, I also learned of the Academic Database Assessment Tool from JISC. BTW CUFTS is a similar tool
  
  
  
• And all of a sudden, there are a half-dozen posts relating to Future Forecasting and libraries. Current Cites promotes an Educase article that surveys forecasting tools and Helen Blowers highlights work done by NowandNext that uses Scenario Planning to work through possible futures for the public library.
  
  What's particular timely of this all is that these articles have emerged at a time when in the most recent article of WIRED, there is a DIY introduction to Scenario Planning and this week Slate is also highlights scenario planning in its series dedicated to determining possible reasons for the the future demise of the United States.
  
  Has there been a shift in the zeitgeist or is someone just flogging a book? I guess the future will tell.