Useful Library related blogs

plablog.org
library2.0.alablog.org
webjunction.blogspot.com

Technorati

Technorati started out with a small number of blogs and now it tracks and indexes tens of thousands of blogs. It also updates every hour and actively monitors those blogs. I didn't sign up for an account. At this point, I don't feel the need.......maybe later.

23 Things summary

1. Zoho and del.icio.us were my favorite discoveries followed by Library Thing.
2. 23 Things allows us to learn vital new technologies in a friendly, non-threatening format.
3. I will take away del.icio.us. In fact, I use it now on my office computer. I may use it at home as well.
4. How could 23 Things be improved? Many of us are intimidated when asking for help. Maybe working in groups would help resolve this.......perhaps in a computer lab environment.
5. Would I chose to participate in another discovery program like this? I would like to, but time constraints are a very real issue. Remember, we have completed 23 Things within the framework of normal work weeks. Thankfully, those involved with scheduling have allowed us some time for the project. It might be a good idea to expand even further the completion times. There is not a minute to spare these days. Having said that, 23 Things is a well-conceived learning project which I would highly recommend to anyone working library public service.
6. How would I describe my learning experience in a few words?
Enlightening - Forward thinking - Essential

Podcasts

I searched the three listed podcast directories for something that interested me on a personal level, but didn't come up with much. There was one Scottish site which interviewed famous musicians that I did find entertaining. As far as library podcasts I found to be useful, LibVibe was interesting. Libvib offers library news, current events, facts, interviews, some humor and anecdotes pertaining to libraries. Generally they post a broadcast every few days and each is about eight minutes long. I may very well subscribe to this podcast. One fun fact I learned from LibVibe was that The Queens Public Library had the highest circulation in the U.S. for fiscal year 2006. Over 20 million items were borrowed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overdrive Audiobooks

Recently I opened an Overdrive Audio account from my home computer. Once I had downloaded the required software, I was up and running. My experience with downloading the software was a bit annoying as I think the directions could have been written in a more user-friendly fashion. That aside, I downloaded a title which was narrated by the author. I mostly enjoyed the book, but the author's delivery could have been more dynamic and/or engaging. Because I don't own an Ipod or Mp3 player, I listened on my computer's speakers. That was o.k., but the audible range was limited as you might expect. Now I understand why people have portable audio devices. I'm glad I now have access to this and I'll be listening to downloadable audio more now. In time, as the quantity of titles increases, their popularity will likely increase.

You Tube revisited

In an earlier post/assignment I mentioned You Tube as an technology which interests me (see June 28 “YouTube” post). Another You Tube feature I didn’t mention in that post is the ability to share the video with others.
I chose The Best of Mike Myers because 23 Things is supposed to be all about fun, and I find his humor fun (just to lighten things up some).
YouTube may be useful for certain library functions. Great care should be taken if we were to post a You Tube video to our webpage. It would need to look professionally produced which could be difficult or expensive. The subject matter would have to appeal to the public. A book discussion group meeting or a speaking engagement would likely not generate much interest. A dynamic children’s performer or musical performance might prove interesting, but again, the production quality has to be there.

Mike Myers for the fun of it

Zoho

I opened a Zoho account and created two documents which I saved and emailed to myself. The Zoho document page is familiar to Word users, albeit a little more attractive and user friendly. I like the flexibility of being able to save a Zoho document in HTML, DOC or PDF. I haven't yet experimented with the other format types offered. The ready-made templates look great and are easy to view. Even a standard payment receipt can be printed....LOL. Perhaps Zoho and Google Docs greatest attributes are that they are free. Upgrading word processing software is expensive and a hassle. If these two web based applications take off, buying certain expensive software may be a thing of the past.

Wikis

Library 2.0 in 15 Minutes a Day - easy to locate information with the table of contents........a smart and practical approach to teaching new technology.

SJCPL Subject Guides - I don't care for it. The links/subjects are too broad and the search feature wasn't helpful for me. Keyword search in iBistro beats this hands down.

Book Lovers Wiki - I enjoyed perusing this one. When opening a title's hypertext link, it takes you directly to the catalog record and lets you know the copy status.............very nice.

Library Success - A Best Practice Wiki - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz WebJunction will fine thank you

ALA 2006 Wiki - Again, WebJunction will do. Am I missing something here?

Bull Run Library Wiki - Unattractive page, but the Dewey Decimal chart and links to other Virginia libraries is a nice feature.

Academic Library Wiki Examples - The University of Connecticut link is dead

Merlin Wiki Learning Link - I've a feeling we had all better familiarize ourselves with this resource.

I found the Princeton Book Lovers Wiki the most interesting and I feel it would be a great way to promote new titles at CCPL..........possibly replacing the new books printout we generate each month. A customer/reader review wiki might be fun for our customers.

Web 2.0

Rick Anderson's article was interesting and I agree that much of our print reference resources need to go. I also agree with his "one button commands" idea for user-friendly service. He states that libraries neet to integrate their services into the daily patterns of work, study and play, but doesn't offer any suggestions.

Michael Stephen's article seemed vague to me. I understand, however, his need to not purchase technology just because it is new, and I like his rather democratic way of determining what technology to purchase.

Chip Nilges discusses WorldCat which should be of great interest to all of us. Once WorldCat gets rolling, Inter-Library loan will take on a whole new meaning.

John Riemer kinda lost me, but then again, my eye glaze over when cataloging is mentioned.

Wendy Schultz makes it clear that 2.0 will not be the end all be all of technology.

My conclusion after reading these articles in regards to rural areas is as follows:

None of this technology amounts to a hill of beans unless high speed is offered to rural areas. Once outside the towns in Caroline County (and even in some towns), citizens are stuck in the dark ages of dial-up. This effectively eliminates them from anything mentioned in the articles. It is a real problem that should be addressed by government and the internet service providers. A modern day version of the rural electrification project of the 40's and 50's should be offered by both to provide vital high speed access to all of this technology. Could this happen anytime soon? With the current administration in Washington, two words sum it up: fat chance

Del.icio.us

I just created a Del.icio.us account and though it is a simple one at this point, I like the tool.

• easy to set up an account
• easy to tag favorite websites/blogs
• easy to read format
• faster and quicker access than a traditional bookmark and the icon is easy to see on your toolbar.

To the technologically challenged, it is a new and easy way to bookmark. It has many more features than that however, and I'm just beginning to explore it.

YouTube

This post relates to technology that interests me.
Two words: You Tube

I'm addicted, I'm hooked, it prevents me from getting anything done at home.
I've seen everything from Jack Johnson's 1912 Heavyweight title bout to Janis Joplin singing "Raise Your Hand" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

To be free from Windows Media Player and RealPlayer is liberating. You search for the subject you're interested in and presto, there it is. At this point, the descriptions are not authoritative and the comments & responses don't interest me in the least. What a great technology YouTube really is. Is there a You Tube Annonymous?

Mappr and Flickr Color Pickr

Flickr could be a useful image host for me. Maybe I'm missing the point, but Mappr and Color Pickr have no purpose for me. Why would I want to post pictures of my cross-country trip on a map? I suppose if I were 12 this would be a fun project.

If I were trying to color coordinate drapes, Color Pickr would be useful, but I'm not into color coordinating drapes......................maybe I'm just boring :)

Flickr

I signed up for a flickr account which was very easy because I already have a yahoo email account. As an experiment, I put a tag on a photo of one of my cats.

7 1/2 Habits

Easiest: Begin with the end in mind
Hardest: View problems as challenges

First Post

This is the first post to my new blog. It would have happened earlier, but I was out all last week.

Nothing much to say here today, but will add to it later.