I recently attended the "Your Library, Your Community" conference at OCLC in Columbus. The Keynote Speaker, Elisabeth Doucett, gave a very interesting workshop on Trend Tracking: A Tool to Help Your Library Better Serve the Needs of Your Community. I am really fascinated with this concept of scanning your environment and pattern recognition. Once you identify the red flags indicating changes, you can figure out the implications for your library. The way to track trends is to
1. Stop, Look, Listen and try to see patterns; scan your environment continuously.
2. Follow trends in these sites: www.trendcentral.com; www.coolhunter.com; www.trendwatching.com; www.coolhunting.com; www.pewsocialtrends.org; http://www.traffikd.com.
3. Watch TV, which makes and reflects trends.
4. Read popular magazines; real local newspapers.
5. Watch teens.
6. Watch social network sites like, Word Press, Delicious, Technorati, bebo, www.ustream.tv
7. Look at search terms in Gogle Trends
8. Watch micro trends; some begin and end in your community
