Note

Note: I was supposed to have finished this Challenge during the first week in October. However, I'll be on the other side of the country for my son's wedding at that time, so I had to finish this early.

Thing 19

It took me a while to figure out how to insert a google map into this blog. I thought I was following directions but didn't see a map on the blog, just a bunch of code. Now I realize that the map was, indeed, inserted. But when I tried to edit this post (to insert a picture) I couldn't do it. So I'm starting over--deleting the previous Thing 19 post and using this one instead. I hope it works!

Here are the map for my library and a picture of my library.


View Larger Map

Thing 23

I'm glad I participated in the "Web 2.0: A Hands-On Introduction for Library Staff" workshop and followed up with "Our 23 Web 2.0 Things Challenge." Our library system set up an email group so Challenge participants could share problems, solutions and successes.

It was interesting and challenging trying out all the Things. Some of them could be useful to me at work, some were fun, and some seemed simply frivolous. To become proficient at many of them would take much more time than I was able to spend. But even if I don't use all of the Things, at least I'll know what other people are talking about.

A few of my impressions:

• Setting up a blog was much easier than I thought it would be. I don't see myself spending a lot of time blogging, but I'm glad I learned some of what goes on behind the scenes.
• I've been using Flickr for quite some time when searching for pictures for library customers. Now I have a better understanding of how Flickr works.
• It was interesting to see what other libraries are doing with Web 2.0 and I can see uses for some of the things in my library, especially easy-to-read calendars of programs and events.
• I finally understand some of the mystery of RSS feeds.
• Online image generators really grabbed my attention. We often put up signage for temporary book displays, etc., and I think this tool will be useful. And it's so much fun!
• LibraryThing has already come in handy and I plan to use it often.
• Although many people use Wikipedia and trust what they find there, I'm still hesitant to think of wikis other than informal places for postings that aren't necessarily factual or reliable.

Infopeople is a wonderful resource and I've enjoyed and learned from each workshop I attended.

Thing 22

I taught my colleague how to use an image generator from http://generatorblog.blogspot.com

We had lots of laughs while generating a personalized video of Dylan. Here's the link to the image generator in case you want to try it for yourself. http://www.dylanmessaging.com/create .

Thing 21

At Yahoo! podcasts I clicked on "a podcast is . . ." and read "What is Podcasting?" to get an overall idea of podcasts and podcasting.

On the main page I found an amazing amount of possibilities, including:

• main categories
• popular tags
• new and noteworthy
• most popular
• highly rated

As with many other resources--including those in this challenge--it seems one could spend entire days looking for and listening to podcasts.

On occasion I've listened to work-related podcasts, but right now I don't seem to have time for trying any podcasting myself--maybe when I'm retired.

Thing 20

I explored YouTube. From time to time I receive an email with a link to an amusing video (is that what they're still called?) on YouTube. However, although I realize this is an extremely popular site, I don't see myself using it for my library work or in any other context.

Thing 18

I took a look at the site for our online productivity (word processing, spreadsheet) tools--Google Docs & Spreadsheets. I used "Help" to get an overview of what this is all about, and then scanned some of the "Top 5 Questions" and the "Getting Started" section.

Some advantages to using this resource are:

• Documents are online and can be shared and edited by others.
• Documents are saved off-site so they are not lost in case of a local hard drive crash.
• Documents can easily be accessed by users who frequently travel or are in the field and not at a stationary workplace.

Thing 17

I registered on Our 23 Web 2.0 Things wiki and added a post under Flickr. This was surprisingly easy to do. My file of cheat sheets for all the sites I've had to register for is getting very thick!

Thing 16

Libraries use wikis to provide services and get feedback from their customers. Some examples:

• Princeton Public Library's BookLovers Wiki was created for their adult summer reading program. Participants contributed reviews and other content to the wiki.
• Dover Public Library, NH has a We Remember Dover wiki for residents to create a record of Dover's history and character.
  
• The Internet Public Library's Teenspace has a Teen Poetry Wiki that features a poet of the week and also gives teens a place to post their own work.

Thing 15

To become more familiar with Web 2.0, I read about Web 2.0 in Wikipedia and then I read about Library 2.0 and the future of libraries.

Most of the Wikipedia article was too technical for me to understand. What I got is that Web 2.0 is open communication with decentralized authority and uses social networking tools.

Walt Crawford's Library 2.0 and "Library 2.0" was much easier for me to understand (and I read all 32 pages!) than the Wikipedia entry. Crawford includes posts from several sources and adds his comments. Some points, in no particular order:

• There is little agreement on what "Library 2.0" actually means. Some think it means whatever one wants it to mean.
• "Library 2.0" is just a meaningless buzz word or faddish catchphrase and librarians have been keeping up with changing resources for years.
• Libraries should be cognizant that there is a difference between business customers and library patrons. Traditional library goods and services don't need to be discontinued and be replaced by high-tech resources. Not everyone has high-speed Internet service.
• Librarians don't need to jump on the "Library 2.0" bandwagon and change library services just for the sake of change. Traditional library services and resources are still needed.
• Permitting library users to create content could cause potential intellectual property, libel, and veracity problems.
• Librarians need to maximize resources to fill needs of all library users and "avoid the wild pendulum swings of short-sighted boosterism for change and equally myopic phobia of such change" [Eli Edwards at Confessions of a mad librarian].
• All-technology-all-the-time is not necessarily good for every community. Some libraries don't even have a Web site, let alone an ILS. Some patrons don't have computers at home. Why should the "haves" get superior library service while the "have-nots" cannot make use of lots of new technology?
• Many or most libraries may not be ready for total "Library 2.0" and may be doing well to offer even one or two of the Things. Real-world issues such as reduced budgets and staffing shortages also come into play here.
• Crawford writes: "Focusing on what the users want is fine, as long as those wants make sense within a library context. I think it's reasonable to inquire as to whether every New Thing makes sense." I completely agree with him.
• More from Crawford: ". . .patrons will love some of the new services that come under the LIbrary 2.0 rubric, as long as they don't detract from the successful old services and collections. Some simply won't use them; that's OK, as long as the new services don't displace or weaken successful existing services." I completely agree with this statement also.

What I think:

• Change can be good, but not just for the sake of change.
• Technology is great but traditional library goods and services should not be abandoned.
• Librarians should take into consideration their users' needs and abilities. For example, a good portion of the customers at my library have difficulty finding fiction shelved alphabetically by author! So how can they be expected to adopt Web 2.0 or Library 2.0 tools?

Thing 14

Exploring Technorati to see how tags work with blog posts, I looked at the list of 100 top blogs. From this I selected the official google blog. Top tags were google, google maps, google earth, and google finance. Some of the posts used tags, some called them categories, and some called them labels.

The most useful things I discovered in Technorati were the FAQ, Discussions, and Site Guide tabs. Here I found great explanations of blogs, RSS, blogrolls, and more. I wish I had read this at the beginning of my 23 Web 2.0 Things Challenge.

Note: No, I did not work through the rest of the 23 Things on this date. I'm going to be out-of-town during the last week of this challenge, so I'm having to work ahead to get finished early. I just entered the rest of the Things as place markers to remind me of what I still have to accomplish.

Thing 13

I read the social bookmarking entry in wikipedia. Then I used the Del.icio.us account I created in our workshop.

I added 2 sites to my Del.icio.us account:

• make your own signs
• maps

About a year ago I explored using Del.icio.us for our 3 Reference Desk computers so that all 3 computers would have the same bookmarks. But it seemed too complicated for this purpose, especially if we had subs working on the desk.

A Del.icio.us account could be useful if a person wanted to have the same bookmarks available at home as at her workplace.

Thing 12

I read the "about" and "FAQ" sections of Rollyo to get an overview. Then I registered, created my own searchroll ("library books") and added some library catalogs.

I think this is going to be very useful for searching other possible sources when our library system does not have the specific books our customers need.