Week 10: #23

Reflections on Library 2.0:

I really enjoyed working through these exercises. I learned a lot and especially enjoyed viewing YouTube. I will not be viewing it anymore, though, because I do not have a computer at home.

I was surprised at the number of young persons who are not familiar with a lot of the new technology we have learned. I feel newly "up to date" and I hope that we have similar learning opportunities in the future. Thanks to those who put this learning experience together for us.

Week 9: #22

Overdrive has a number of attractive features including a great user interface; easy ways to link to desired type of media; and a search window allowing familiar ways to search, i.e. author, title, etc. The selection of media was good and included titles in several genres for a variety of interests. The music selection is limited due to licensing limitations in that media. Overall, I found it an inviting site.

The free sites were not as visually attractive. The variety was limited and the selections in the e-book site were poor. The audiobook site provided more quality and variety, in my opinion, although volunteers record the books. I have not listened to any of their selections but my guess would be that professional readers would do a better job. I prefer the HCPL site to the free sites.

Week 9:#21

I found a podcast of librarians discussing current library news. I found it by typing in public library on PodcastAlley and then exploring some of the returns. The podcast is called Uncontrolled Vocabulary. I tried listening to it on my Bloglines account but it was taking too long to download or perhaps I wasn't doing something correctly. Here's the link:

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss38665.xml

Week 9: #20

This exercise was about discovering YouTube. It was quite an interesting and enjoyable exercise for me. I watched several videos about libraries and librarians and noted the common purpose of the profession continues even as technology changes.

I wanted to see if a video that I saw several years ago was viewable on YouTube. I found it by searching for the musical group's name in the search window. It is a British synthpop song and video about libraries. It is quite amusing. You can find it at

http://www.cheekybeef.co.uk/library.html

Week 8: #19

This exercise was the most personally helpful I have completed thus far. I really like the ability to do word processing in Zoho that can be accessed from any computer, just as I like having a yahoo email account that is not tied to any particular isp.

I tried out creating a simple document and was pleased to see that in a few minutes I had mastered the basics of using the application. Since the icons are based upon standards I had come to know in using Word, it was easy to see how to edit my document.

I will definitely use this application and perhaps teach it to customers who are frustrated by needing to carry around floppy disks, jump drives and the like. This will permit a lot of freedom and flexibility in creating and sharing documents. I really appreciate being able to learn this.

Week 8: #18

Social networking is interesting and time consuming. I looked at the various linked sites and enjoyed two: Ning and Rate My Space. I liked Ning because it organized the blogs into common interests and I liked Rate My Space for the same reason and because I like decorating.

I can see where occasional blogging could be helpful or entertaining. It would be good to use it in moderation.

Week 7: #17 About Technology

What do I think about technology? In the library, I regard it in a strictly utilitarian way; that is, what can it do to help me deliver the information the customer needs in a way that is meaningful to them? I do not hold the idea of technology sacred. It is only as useful as it is useful. I do not use technology for the sake of using technology. I liken it to driving: I like that the car gets me there but I am not a mechanic.

Although technology is wonderful and can be useful, we must remember we have customers who are unable to afford the devices that would allow them access to some of our services: home oomputers on which to avail themselves of services such as live reference; portable digital devices that would allow them to download music or books; cd players that would allow them to listen to audiobooks or music.

In the Deep Heart's Core said that the foundation of librarianship will remain --"the desire to connect the customer with the information requested in the best and most reliable fashion." Sometimes the best delivery is augmented by technology and sometimes it depends on lower tech solutions. In reaching to advance our profession, let's not leave out those who do not have access to technology's latest tools.

Week 7: #16

Regarding wikis, I liked Library Success and added it to my Delicious account. It had some helpful information. I would use wikis if I trusted the source or if I were looking more for editorial content rather than factual information. Having said that, I will admit I have used Wikipedia on occasion.

I think customers could use wikis here at the library to offer advice to each other about homework assignments or how to find particular information needed by specific community groups, such as the historical society or local genealogists.

Week 6: #15

What Library 2.0 is to me: I see libraries and librarians on a developmental continuum that has continued through the ages and will continue into the future. The Library 2.0 concept seems to be the current "it" idea.

I read and enjoyed many of the linked sites. My favorite was Dr. Wendy Schultz' vision of the library's growth into the future and, in this day of merchandizing everything, I liked her vision of the library of the future as "retreat from technohustle."

Week 6: #14

This exercise was done on Technorati. The first part was doing a search using the keywords "Learning 2.0." I noted that my favorite way to search was by using the Blog Directory. I think the user interface is much more attractive than the results of either the advanced search or the tags search. It was also fairly easy to pick out the interesting library-related blogs from the directory.

The second part, viewing the popular searches, was eye-opening. It is astounding to me what some people find interesting. The most curious popular item was "bikini." I had to find out why so many people were searching it. Even more interesting was looking at names of the related tags. This suggested a certain demographic of viewer.

Week 6: #13

Tagging on Delicious

Delicious is a handy tool for keeping up with interesting sites. I use it when I come across something interesting I want to revisit. I haven't explored the inbox feature yet. I will explore it more as I have available time.

Week 5: #12

I tried Library Elf and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it simple to set up, but I really like the way my due dates and holds are arranged; it is formatted in a similar fashion to the calendar I use regularly. It helps me better conceptualize what to return next and also what holds I have to look forward to first.

Great idea!

Week 5: #11

LibraryThing is interesting. It has many features I will enjoy exploring.

Week 5: #10

The image generator in Yahoo was sorta fun. It was interesting to try on an altar ego and see all the embellishments you can add. I'm not sure how or where my avatar appears in Yahoo, though.

Week 4: Post 9

This blog finding is addictive. I tried Syndic8; don't like it. Feedster -- not. Topix - not of interest. Technorati -- yes, this one is great. I used quotes around my search terms to get the best results. Then I tried a Google search using my search term plus the word "blogs." I got numerous returns. I'll try some of the other search engines later.

Week 4: Post 8

This exercise was an eye-opener for me. I enjoy using Bloglines more than Flickr; I much prefer reading to viewing photographs.

Too many feeds, too little time. What can a readaholic say?

Week3: Post 7

Here is my edited picture:

I used pixer's saturation feature to improve the tones in this picture.

Week 3: Post 6

I chose colorpicker to explore because I enjoy color. The most helpful use I found of this mashup was its links to sites such as Better Homes and Gardens.

Week 3: Post 5

book thirteen moons, originally uploaded by almck20.

Week #3, post #5

Here is a photo uploaded from Blogger.

I have been familiar with blogs for several years. I do not read them because I already have too many books and other sources of information I want to read. Blogging is not as interesting to me. I also prefer not to blog because I do not feel comfortable doing so. Perhaps I am a bit too private to want to share my thoughts with strangers.