Jan's First Blog

Note

2007-09-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-07T15:59:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-07T15:58:00.002-07:00

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

2007-09-07T15:58:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-07T15:57:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-07T15:53:00.002-07:00

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

2007-09-07T15:53:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

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:

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

2007-09-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Thing 11

2007-08-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

LibraryThing is an interesting and potentially useful site. I used the "take the tour" link to learn about www.librarything.com and also used the "a very short introduction to LibraryThing" link.

Today one of our library customers requested a book about recipes from all the U.S. presidents. She thought it had the word "wives" in the title. I entered "presidents wives cooking" in LibraryThing's search box and the result was the exact book she was looking for.

Thing 10

2007-08-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

I listened to the online image generator podcast at http://plcmclearning.blogspot.com/2006/09/10-play-around-with-image-generators.html. Then, from the http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/ link, I chose to play with http://www.signgenerator.org/danger/signs.asp?page=1 and created this sign

I think this could be useful in making eye-grabbing signs to alert customers about special events or special displays in our library.

Thing 9

2007-08-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

I signed up for a Twitter account and entered my activities for a few days. Although I'm far from being a Twitter expert after such a short time, my impression is that this is not for me, and I can't think of any way this resource would be useful in my library.

Some of my observations:

The number of characters allowed in the entry box is quite limited.
This might be fun for kids or teenagers who need to be connected to all their friends 24/7.
I'd rather call or email people.

Thing 7 and Thing 8

2007-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

I read the description of RSS feeds and used the Bloglines newsreader account we set up in our workshop a few weeks ago.

In the workshop I subscribed to the following feeds:

LibWorm: Humor
SDCL Updates

Today I added these feeds:

news from nctimes.com
California State Library blog
Encinitas weather

Thing 6

2007-08-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

I looked at the site of PLCMC. Two of the features I think would be useful in my library are:

calendar of programs and events
RSS Feeds (and explanation)

by category
by location

I also looked at Ann Arbor District Library's site. I liked:

time stamps on entries
announcing new blogs for special interests (local history)
events

I did not like that I had to scroll horizontally to see AADL's whole page.

Thing 5.1

2007-08-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

I uploaded pictures to Flickr and it worked! (I made them private, though.)

Here is one of them.

Thing 5

2007-08-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

Although I've heard the term "mashups" I wasn't sure what it meant. But now that I've explored Flickr it makes more sense to me.

I especially enjoyed playing with the mashup "Spell with Flickr" http://metaatem.net/words/ to see words spelled out in pictures. I couldn't read most of the page, though, because the text is dark blue on a black background. Why do people do that?

Thing 4

2007-08-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

I visited Flickr, clicked on the "Take the Tour" tab to learn more about the site, then used the "Start the Magical Feature Tour" link to see some great things that can be produced using Flickr.

Then I joined a Flickr group but haven't contributed anything yet.

Thing 3

2007-08-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Today I registered my blog with Infopeople. I was happily surprised to see it worked and my blog is listed on their blogroll.

Thing 2

2007-08-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

I set up my blog and added my first post last week.

Other people are posting long narratives, but I'm still trying to figure out the mechanics of all this. So for now I'm just posting the basics of what I've done or tried to do.

Thing 1

2007-08-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hi, readers

This is my first post on my first blog. Watch this space for very exciting things to come.

See you next time.

Jan