Friday, July 27, 2007

Success!

Wow! I made it! I had my doubts that I could actually complete these 23 Things but I was motivated by the incentive of an MP3 player - and this is one of my PRS goals. I managed to accomplish every exercise on my own, with only one assist from Maurice in the beginning (thanks, Maurice!!).
Initially, working my way thru each thing was a time consuming chore that I did at home (it was definitely not possible to do the 23 Things at work - we've been slammed this summer in circulation!). Eventually, however, I came to look at each exercise as a challenge and I actually loved learning about what's out there. This experience has boosted my self confidence in approaching technology and computer based applications. Having the program self paced and as an independent learning experience worked for me.

Technology related blog posting

I had not realized the extent of technology advances that have become available. I am learning and appreciating the capabilities of technology and this is a rewarding experience.
I added a comment to a coworker's blog - that was easily done!

Audio Books - Project Gutenberg

I viewed the list of available titles and began reading A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes. Most of the titles were classics, with few, if any, newly published titles. This isn't a format that I'd enjoy but I realize that many of our patrons would relish this delivery method.

Podcast

Added The Library Channel podcast series to my Bloglines account. Also listened to a variety of podcasts on Yahoo - some of which are excellent quality and others are just scary! Podcasting is another method of audio communication altho some podcasts include a visual component as well.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

YouTube

I viewed several videos on Ratatouille, Pixar's latest movie. The videos detailed the technical aspects of creating the animation. These videos were high quality altho not all YouTube clips are as well produced. I was really pretty impressed with the clarity and sound of the Ratatouille clips.
Including a YouTube segment on our library website could increase program participation, particularly if the video were well done but brief & attention getting, as it would stimulate our patrons' interest in learning more about the speaker or topic of the presentation.

Etsy - Web 2.0 Award winner

Ok, so I gotta admit that this website has no connection to library applications but it is just fun! It was a winner in the retail category and it includes only handmade stuff for sale - most of which is well made, quality stuff. I actually had explored it earlier as it was a link on several blogs that I read. I registered as "serenitea" in case I ever want to purchase something. It's so easy to spend far more time than you intend as you check out Etsy's offerings.

Word Processing tool - ZoHo Writer

This is good - easy to use! I like that ZoHo Writer allows collaborative editing of a document (useful when my college student daughter asks me to proofread and/or edit a paper before she submits it) and it can be done without having MS office software loaded and it can be accessed anywhere!

Playing in the sand...

Easy to link my blog to MD Libraries Sandbox. I added some of my favorites to "these are a few of my favorite things" and "favorite foods." Good exercise in adding first entries to a wiki!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Wikis

The resources introducing wikis were helpful and easily understood. A wiki is an interesting concept in that it is collective knowledge that is dynamic and diverse but it is subjective and may be inaccurate. I can see why teachers do not generally allow students to cite wikis as an information site when researching a topic.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Thoughts on the future of libraries...

So, I've been moving thru each activity, often wondering what's the point of these exercises? It takes a lot of time to explore these sites and search engines and aren't many of them still locating the same info, after all is said and done? Reading these perspectives has been thought provoking and I can now appreciate the relevance of the 23 things.
Our culture is changing the way we communicate with one another. "Collective intelligence," "self-service," "remixed content," "interactivity," and "user participation" can all describe what many people seek and technology provides the means to deliver these concepts. Libraries will need to integrate our services into our customer's daily work, study and play. Technology allows our patrons to experience library resources in the manner they prefer - we are meeting patrons "in their space," not in the physical confines of a library.
I loved the progression described in the perspective "To a Temporary Place in Time." Maybe we'll someday move away from ultra technology to a library as a refuge from "technobustle!" All that said, I have to admit that I do love reading an actual book without having to view its content on a computer screen....

Technorati

Interesting search tool - top blogs and searches weren't of much interest to me but I did read some other postings that I enjoyed. I'm amazed that others want to share so many experiences and accomplishments for anyone to read. I've bookmarked a couple blogs that I'd like to follow. Technorati seems to be another good tool for librarians in their quest to locate info for patrons.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Week 6: Del.icio.us

The tutorial wasn't available when I tried to access it so I'll try again later. I did explore PLCMCL2 and I used the search field to research some quilting topics (found a website that I added to my Bloglines account for RSS feed). I checked bookmarks and tags - this could be useful for a librarian trying to assist a patron with a subject research.

Rollyo

I created a search roll but didn't find this site particularly helpful. I'd just as soon use google or one of the other search engines - sometimes google will bring up sites that are worth checking out that were previously unknown to you. My search roll - http://www.rollyo.com/search.html?q=baltimore+album+&sid=303505. I do have to admit that this search roll allows you to selectively choose exactly what interests you in the websites it searches, which quickly locates the info you need.

Library Thing

I liked this a lot - I recorded the titles of some books I enjoyed reading, on my library thing account. It was easy to do and I intend to suggest this website to patrons. At the circulation desk, we often have patrons ask if we can "print out" a record of all the books they've checked out in the past (including all the ones they've already returned). Since we can't provide this documentation, librarything.com is a good alternative to suggest - great idea!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

my meez image

image generator

Exploring MERLIN & other links

I visited MERLIN and checked out some of the links - lots of info there! I looked at some of the offerings at Feedster and Technorati and added a couple of sites to my Bloglines account. Using Technorati, I watched a YouTube clip on the making of the movie, Ratatouille - the delay in loading is annoying but the clip was fun!

7 1/2 Habits Tutorial

Habit 3 was most thought provoking for me - I'd like to consistently view problems as challenges and my goal would be to view every challenge as a learning opportunity but I have to admit - sometimes the quantity of "problems" is overwhelming. That's when I need to step back and prioritize. When work or home situations are stressful, it's sometimes difficult to "welcome" another problem as a challenge but the satisfaction in solving problems is the reward!
For me, the best way to learn is to teach someone else. I like the concept of "play" as a technique for learning - that definitely has merit!

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Week 4: rss/bloglines

It was easy to set up a Bloglines account and also easy to add some rss feeds. Many of the websites I regularly visit aren't set up with rss feed capability so that was kinda frustrating. For those sites, I'll just have to continue to receive their email newsletters. I like this technology, just wish it were more widely available.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Week 3: Flickr, mashups, etc....

This is a humbling experience - I have much to learn about new technologies but I'll keep on going...
I think I'll borrow my daughter's digital camera and spend more time with this. I'd love to share some photos with friends and family.