Well, I never did this the official way (looking for library related items) - too many internet users here at the library. I will post about a couple of videos I've found in my explorations at home.
The first video is a hilarious Christmas song, to put everyone in the Holiday mood...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8
The second video is one my husband loves to mock. A friend told him about it. It takes all kinds of people to make a world...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSEaHyzbqTA
It would be fun if the library could implement their own youtube style postings, with videos from storytimes, events, booktalks, etc.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thing #23: The End?
My favorite exercises were ones that I will probably use in either my personal life or at work. This includes things like Rollyo, LibraryThing, and RSS feeds.
This program has affected my lifelong learning goals, because now I look at more things as opportunities for learning – when a customer asks about unfamiliar technology, I don’t get as flustered. I simply say, “I’m not sure, but I’ll take a look.”
I also see more of the benefits of some websites, like YouTube. They don’t exist just as a reason for people to waste time, but can also have valuable material on them. Granted, some people will never discover the value, but it is out there to be found.
It is a great concept. I hope to see a follow-up with other Web 2.0 sites, such as www.tadalist.com. I also would like to see some type of a program, like a technology petting zoo at each branch, featuring new (and not-so-new) electronics that people may come in asking about – like how to download things onto their mp3 player, or if they can connect to the wireless with their Nintendo DS, or how to scan a text document. That way we don’t have to look clueless, but can answer them confidently.
This program has affected my lifelong learning goals, because now I look at more things as opportunities for learning – when a customer asks about unfamiliar technology, I don’t get as flustered. I simply say, “I’m not sure, but I’ll take a look.”
I also see more of the benefits of some websites, like YouTube. They don’t exist just as a reason for people to waste time, but can also have valuable material on them. Granted, some people will never discover the value, but it is out there to be found.
It is a great concept. I hope to see a follow-up with other Web 2.0 sites, such as www.tadalist.com. I also would like to see some type of a program, like a technology petting zoo at each branch, featuring new (and not-so-new) electronics that people may come in asking about – like how to download things onto their mp3 player, or if they can connect to the wireless with their Nintendo DS, or how to scan a text document. That way we don’t have to look clueless, but can answer them confidently.
Thing #22: Media and Book Downloads
I chose the TumbleBooks, because I had never used it before. It was fairly easy to use, especially when I chose to view online. Then I didn’t need to try to download it or do anything to it. And once you selected the one you wanted, it just started playing. You don’t need to click to continue or anything. It makes it very easy, especially for busy parents, or to have available on a library computer for the kids. TumbleBooks is a nice thing to offer, and it works great. Granted, it would be best if the parent was reading to the child, but for those kids that want 20 books read to them, or have parents that aren’t home much, this is wonderful. You can also make a playlist for back-to-back reading. There are even learning activities available for some of the books. I feel comfortable using TumbleBooks, and could assist the customers with it.
Thing #21: Podcasts
Yes, I know, I realize I skipped another number. If only there weren't customers using up all of the internet bandwidth! I'll eventually come back to #20...
Anyway, I used Podcast Directory as my search tool. That one seemed more comprehensive, without you being required to download extra things. The Yahoo search assumed I was looking for MUSIC, not PODCASTS, and was giving me inaccurate results. Podcast Directory was very simple to use, and even grouped things together so you can browse for other related casts.
There are podcasts for almost any topic. Libraries can easily use podcasts to do book reviews/recommendations, promote events, or even to broadcast some events like Poetry Bash.
Anyway, I used Podcast Directory as my search tool. That one seemed more comprehensive, without you being required to download extra things. The Yahoo search assumed I was looking for MUSIC, not PODCASTS, and was giving me inaccurate results. Podcast Directory was very simple to use, and even grouped things together so you can browse for other related casts.
There are podcasts for almost any topic. Libraries can easily use podcasts to do book reviews/recommendations, promote events, or even to broadcast some events like Poetry Bash.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Thing #19: Discovering Web 2.0 Tools
Wow. I just tried http://forlater.net/ for a time-management helper. It (so far) seems to be great. I had it send me a reminder to do something, promptly forgot I was supposed to do something, and then it reminded me at the time I specified! Definitely a worthwhile tool. Hopefully it continues to work this well. All you do is specify your day, time, and then type in your reminder and email address. The only problem I can see is if your power or internet were down when you needed the reminder. But that doesn’t happen that frequently…
This would be great in the library setting in a number of ways. We could send out meeting-date reminders, project deadline reminders, program/event reminders, etc.
This would be great in the library setting in a number of ways. We could send out meeting-date reminders, project deadline reminders, program/event reminders, etc.
Thing #18: Web-based Apps
This is a test document for O What a Geek Thing #18.
Google Docs is a way for people to create and share documents without the need to email. No more worrying if you typed their email address correctly, if they have space in their inbox, or whatever. Google Docs offers a variety of different applications, similar to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, which will all work on whatever computer you are on. After playing around a little, it should be fairly easy for anyone remotely familiar with Microsoft products to be able to use this.
Again, this is similar to a wiki. Users can create documents that others can view or edit. But you can also restrict editing access to specified users. My previous employer did that. Everyone could view the schedules, but only supervisors had the authority granted to go in and edit them if there needed to be changes.
The only thing I worry about a little is: What if the site suddenly quits? Hopefully you backed up all your documents and aren't relying on their server or their staying in business...
I'm more-or-less sold on Google Docs. Now, it's just breaking the habit of going to Microsoft all the time...
Google Docs is a way for people to create and share documents without the need to email. No more worrying if you typed their email address correctly, if they have space in their inbox, or whatever. Google Docs offers a variety of different applications, similar to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, which will all work on whatever computer you are on. After playing around a little, it should be fairly easy for anyone remotely familiar with Microsoft products to be able to use this.
Again, this is similar to a wiki. Users can create documents that others can view or edit. But you can also restrict editing access to specified users. My previous employer did that. Everyone could view the schedules, but only supervisors had the authority granted to go in and edit them if there needed to be changes.
The only thing I worry about a little is: What if the site suddenly quits? Hopefully you backed up all your documents and aren't relying on their server or their staying in business...
I'm more-or-less sold on Google Docs. Now, it's just breaking the habit of going to Microsoft all the time...
Thing #16: What's in a Wiki?
One interesting thing I found is that very few libraries seem to allow the individual users to also participate in the wiki. Most were either by or for librarians and not the end user, and the user couldn’t edit or add to anything. I can see the point for both sides of this issue. If vandalism, misinformation, etc. occur on the site, chances are good that the librarians wouldn’t notice because most places don’t have enough staff to devote someone to just tracking the wiki. However, you would want to tap into the knowledge of your customers. You never know who is using the library and who may be able to expand on certain topics. Some libraries use wikis for staff only and not for public use at all – like schedules, website links for doing readers’ advisory, or staff information. All of the above are valid uses for wikis. It is another way that libraries are changing to fit the times.
Thing #15: Library 2.0
Library 2.0 is alive and well. It continually is growing and evolving to keep up with today’s societal needs. Library 2.0 is the new mindset that librarians need to incorporate. The newest librarians have probably grown up in the Web 2.0 world, so it is second nature to them. Library 2.0 is the provision of services based on the changing trends. For example, libraries responded to people being unable to visit during regular hours by providing e-books and downloadable audiobooks. Libraries also are trying virtual reference for people able to contact them via chat services or email. Often people can’t stop in or phone during open hours, so they can contact the library 24 hours a day in some areas. Library 2.0 is the willingness to incorporate new technologies into traditional services, like using ‘user ratings’ on the catalogs, or LibraryThing tagging/folksonomy for users to share what their keywords would be.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Thing #14: Technorati
Yes, I know, I went out of order. I panicked and did another easy one so I could feel like I got something accomplished...
But on to Technorati!
The search feature does give me different results in the different areas, I suppose because the search tool is designed to search specific areas of people’s blogs. I like this, because if I am specifically looking for a post about something, then I don’t end up with a bunch of videos, unless I click on the videos tab. It is nice that it – in a way – is filtering or categorizing the results for me, so I have less to wade through.
What I find interesting is the wide variety of topics. True, the number of topics are as different as the people that are writing blogs. I was a little surprised at some of their top 100 blogs. Some of the topics were absolutely uninteresting to me, yet they are among the most popular out there. Also, some of the tags that people were using were not what I would have used as a tag for that blog post or photo. But I also discovered that in the Delicious exercise. That is one thing that makes the internet both fascinating and intimidating.
Overall, I found Technorati to be interesting, and it is something I’ll share with my husband. (As if he needs something else to read on the internet!)
But on to Technorati!
The search feature does give me different results in the different areas, I suppose because the search tool is designed to search specific areas of people’s blogs. I like this, because if I am specifically looking for a post about something, then I don’t end up with a bunch of videos, unless I click on the videos tab. It is nice that it – in a way – is filtering or categorizing the results for me, so I have less to wade through.
What I find interesting is the wide variety of topics. True, the number of topics are as different as the people that are writing blogs. I was a little surprised at some of their top 100 blogs. Some of the topics were absolutely uninteresting to me, yet they are among the most popular out there. Also, some of the tags that people were using were not what I would have used as a tag for that blog post or photo. But I also discovered that in the Delicious exercise. That is one thing that makes the internet both fascinating and intimidating.
Overall, I found Technorati to be interesting, and it is something I’ll share with my husband. (As if he needs something else to read on the internet!)
Thing #17: PBWiki
This was another easy task! We used PBWiki at my former library to maintain the schedules for volunteer schedules and tasks. I was one of the coordinators, so I used it daily. For this exploration, I added posts to the Favorite Book and Favorite TV Shows lists, and the Favorite Blogs. I really enjoy PB Wiki, and found it to be very useful for what we needed it for. It can also be a great way for everyone to share resources/ideas as a 'think-tank' type of tool.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Thing #13: Delicious
I used the us.ef.ul resource for the discovery exercise on delicious. It was very helpful and explained a lot of things. It made it very user-friendly for everyone. I then went to delicious with the provided link and explored some of their bookmarks and tags. I also experimented and typed in some other searches to see sites and tags.
I’m not entirely sold on delicious. I guess I really don’t have a lot of sites bookmarked in general, except the ones I’ve already added to my RSS reader and my Rollyo roll. Perhaps someone that has a million different bookmarks might find it more helpful, but I won’t sign up for my own account. It would be useful for people with a million bookmarks, especially if they don’t always use the same computer. I maybe could see it for research assistance, like a bunch of bookmarks all on reader’s advisory tools or health websites or something; but not for my personal use.
I’m not entirely sold on delicious. I guess I really don’t have a lot of sites bookmarked in general, except the ones I’ve already added to my RSS reader and my Rollyo roll. Perhaps someone that has a million different bookmarks might find it more helpful, but I won’t sign up for my own account. It would be useful for people with a million bookmarks, especially if they don’t always use the same computer. I maybe could see it for research assistance, like a bunch of bookmarks all on reader’s advisory tools or health websites or something; but not for my personal use.
Thing #12: Rollyo
This was a fun activity. I have a couple of different sites that I find myself always trying to remember to go to and check on. I enjoy going to author signings/readings/ etc., and so I go to a variety of conventions. My search roll hits the major conventions so I can just pop in my search and see if there is anything new on those sites. Now I think I’ll be creating more rolls so I can explore some of the other topics that I always have to try to remember…
This is a great tool for people to use to track websites that don’t offer RSS. Just make a roll, then search your roll periodically for whatever you were interested in from those sites.
Check out my roll: http://rollyo.com/angel11398/sffantasy_cons/
This is a great tool for people to use to track websites that don’t offer RSS. Just make a roll, then search your roll periodically for whatever you were interested in from those sites.
Check out my roll: http://rollyo.com/angel11398/sffantasy_cons/
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thing #11: LibraryThing
Wow. This one was fantastically easy, since I’ve been a lifetime member of LibraryThing for awhile. I use LibraryThing to track all of the books that I read. (I have different cataloging software for the books I own.) Currently, everything in my LibraryThing account are books that I’ve read since January 2002. I’m about to start going back and adding books that I read before then, like the first parts of series, and books from my childhood. That might take awhile, especially since I can’t remember them all…
You can see my catalog at librarything.com, member name: angel11398
You can see my catalog at librarything.com, member name: angel11398
Thing #10
I love the funny name generators. I also enjoyed ‘death psychic’ and ‘cheese comparator’. I explored the following, putting in my name and my family’s names.
http://www.thedeathpsychic.com/prediction.asp?u28589
http://www.astradyne.co.uk/cheese/
http://theweekly.co.uk/4801/your_name_here/index.cgi
http://www.2on.com/en/
http://www.emmadavies.net/vampire/
The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity: Giselle Papillon
Known in some parts of the world as: Hero of The Steely Moon
The Great Archives Record: A child of the Moon Goddess - Cold, determined, but of the light in the night.
Just click on any of the links to go to the generator I played with!
My Kitten is Lucie LovesFishies.
Take The fluffy kitten name generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.
http://www.thedeathpsychic.com/prediction.asp?u28589
http://www.astradyne.co.uk/cheese/
http://theweekly.co.uk/4801/your_name_here/index.cgi
http://www.2on.com/en/
http://www.emmadavies.net/vampire/
The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity: Giselle Papillon
Known in some parts of the world as: Hero of The Steely Moon
The Great Archives Record: A child of the Moon Goddess - Cold, determined, but of the light in the night.
Just click on any of the links to go to the generator I played with!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Thing #9: Finding Feeds
-Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?
If I was interested in browsing, that would be the easiest way to find anything. The search tools were not as user-friendly as one would hope.
-Which Search tool was the easiest for you?
The Search tool that I liked best was the Bloglines search tool, followed by Technorati. I only partially liked topix, it is only useful if I just wanted news headlines, but I’ve already subscribed to the ones I’m interested in on my RSS reader. I also did not like Syndic8 – except for the tag cloud. There wasn’t really a way to search on there – mostly just browsing, which I don’t enjoy.
-Which was more confusing?
Definitely the Syndic8. It mostly seemed like it was reporting on WHAT people had done, without allowing someone to search for interesting things.-What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?
Another way I found newsfeeds was by going to various websites I was interested in and then looked for a way to add RSS feeds.
If I was interested in browsing, that would be the easiest way to find anything. The search tools were not as user-friendly as one would hope.
-Which Search tool was the easiest for you?
The Search tool that I liked best was the Bloglines search tool, followed by Technorati. I only partially liked topix, it is only useful if I just wanted news headlines, but I’ve already subscribed to the ones I’m interested in on my RSS reader. I also did not like Syndic8 – except for the tag cloud. There wasn’t really a way to search on there – mostly just browsing, which I don’t enjoy.
-Which was more confusing?
Definitely the Syndic8. It mostly seemed like it was reporting on WHAT people had done, without allowing someone to search for interesting things.-What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?
Another way I found newsfeeds was by going to various websites I was interested in and then looked for a way to add RSS feeds.
Thing #8: RSS
I did not create a Bloglines account. I set mine up through MyYahoo, since I use Yahoo email. MyYahoo will also show you if you have new mail messages on your welcome screen.
-What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
RSS is convenient because it combines information from a whole bunch of different sites into one spot so I don’t have to check each one every day to see if there is something new. Unfortunately, not every site has this feature available, or else the site doesn’t allow you to filter it further (like foxnews.com)
-How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?
Professionally, this would be a good tool to use to help track upcoming events in the area that may be important for us to attend or promote. Personally, it would be a timesaver so I don’t need to check each site individually.
-How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
Libraries can use RSS to advertise upcoming events, lists of books recently ordered, new fundraising opportunities, podcasts of booktalks, etc. I have seen several libraries that do use RSS to advertise in a different manner than traditional print or broadcast media.
You can only hope that more websites incorporate RSS into their format. It is convenient, and for most people, their time is very valuable. Anything they can do to save an extra step is ideal.
-What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?
RSS is convenient because it combines information from a whole bunch of different sites into one spot so I don’t have to check each one every day to see if there is something new. Unfortunately, not every site has this feature available, or else the site doesn’t allow you to filter it further (like foxnews.com)
-How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?
Professionally, this would be a good tool to use to help track upcoming events in the area that may be important for us to attend or promote. Personally, it would be a timesaver so I don’t need to check each site individually.
-How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?
Libraries can use RSS to advertise upcoming events, lists of books recently ordered, new fundraising opportunities, podcasts of booktalks, etc. I have seen several libraries that do use RSS to advertise in a different manner than traditional print or broadcast media.
You can only hope that more websites incorporate RSS into their format. It is convenient, and for most people, their time is very valuable. Anything they can do to save an extra step is ideal.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Thing #7: Technology
This is super easy, except for the fact that I can’t decide which technology is my current favorite. So, I guess you’ll get to hear about my top 3!
1. TiVo. My TiVo is awesome. It records shows for me that I’d completely forgotten about. I’m not home when most of my favorite shows are on. Thanks to TiVo, I also have not watched commercials in almost 3 years, unless they look interesting and I stop to watch them. I also love being able to pause and rewind shows, especially if the phone rings or the family starts talking just when they are revealing the murderer on CSI. Granted, TiVo is not a new technology, it just is better than a VCR or the DVR box from the cable company.
2. Facebook.com. Facebook is rather addictive. My friends and cousins are scattered all over America. Thanks to Facebook, I can stay in touch with all of them much easier than a phone call or an email. Facebook also has a ton of interactive things – SeaGarden, fluffbook, GreenPatch, Flair, WordTwist – that you can send to your friends, post on your profile, create and share, play with, and challenge others. There is something on Facebook for almost everyone. Some people use it to meet other people, others use it just to stay in touch.
3. Nintendo DS. My DS is fun. It is a small handheld video game console – its predecessor was the GameBoy and its current rival is the Sony PSP. The DS is a great entertainment tool, but can also be educational. I currently am altering between ‘fun’ games like Mario Kart, and games that challenge the mind like Brain Age. Even the ‘fun’ games are great for improving hand-eye coordination, reading, and socialization skills. That is one reason why libraries are incorporating gaming into their daily activities for teens. Games aren’t just for kids, either!
1. TiVo. My TiVo is awesome. It records shows for me that I’d completely forgotten about. I’m not home when most of my favorite shows are on. Thanks to TiVo, I also have not watched commercials in almost 3 years, unless they look interesting and I stop to watch them. I also love being able to pause and rewind shows, especially if the phone rings or the family starts talking just when they are revealing the murderer on CSI. Granted, TiVo is not a new technology, it just is better than a VCR or the DVR box from the cable company.
2. Facebook.com. Facebook is rather addictive. My friends and cousins are scattered all over America. Thanks to Facebook, I can stay in touch with all of them much easier than a phone call or an email. Facebook also has a ton of interactive things – SeaGarden, fluffbook, GreenPatch, Flair, WordTwist – that you can send to your friends, post on your profile, create and share, play with, and challenge others. There is something on Facebook for almost everyone. Some people use it to meet other people, others use it just to stay in touch.
3. Nintendo DS. My DS is fun. It is a small handheld video game console – its predecessor was the GameBoy and its current rival is the Sony PSP. The DS is a great entertainment tool, but can also be educational. I currently am altering between ‘fun’ games like Mario Kart, and games that challenge the mind like Brain Age. Even the ‘fun’ games are great for improving hand-eye coordination, reading, and socialization skills. That is one reason why libraries are incorporating gaming into their daily activities for teens. Games aren’t just for kids, either!
Thing #6: Flickr Mashups
I explored Flickr ColrPickr and CrimeReports (www.crimereports.com)
I really enjoyed CrimeReports because I am planning on moving to Omaha and can see local crime statistics combined with Google Maps. This will help me find a safe neighborhood to live in. You always hear about ‘another shooting’ or ‘armed robbery’ on the news. CrimeReports points out where each occurrence is and gives data about date, time, type of crime based on OPD’s police reports. Granted, it doesn’t show unreported crimes, but it still gives a good idea. At least, better than trying to sort through the data yourself and mark them on a map.
ColrPickr was also cool. It was fun to play with to see if any awesome photos popped up, or just the huge variety of the photos available. I showed it to one of my quilter friends and she wished she had something like that that would pop up fabric choices in various color schemes.
I really enjoyed CrimeReports because I am planning on moving to Omaha and can see local crime statistics combined with Google Maps. This will help me find a safe neighborhood to live in. You always hear about ‘another shooting’ or ‘armed robbery’ on the news. CrimeReports points out where each occurrence is and gives data about date, time, type of crime based on OPD’s police reports. Granted, it doesn’t show unreported crimes, but it still gives a good idea. At least, better than trying to sort through the data yourself and mark them on a map.
ColrPickr was also cool. It was fun to play with to see if any awesome photos popped up, or just the huge variety of the photos available. I showed it to one of my quilter friends and she wished she had something like that that would pop up fabric choices in various color schemes.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thing #2: Lifelong Learning
The hardest habit I have is: Viewing obstacles as challenges, not problems. I find myself frustrated if things don't go smoothly, and I also find myself ready to use any excuse for not accomplishing my goals.
The easiest habit I have is: Play! I enjoy reading, playing my flute, playing video and board games, exploring new places, and trying new things.
Overall, I feel that I have many of the habits of Lifelong Learners, but I do still need a little work...
The easiest habit I have is: Play! I enjoy reading, playing my flute, playing video and board games, exploring new places, and trying new things.
Overall, I feel that I have many of the habits of Lifelong Learners, but I do still need a little work...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Blog Post #2: Status Updates
Since I forgot to write this in my first post:
I would like to try to earn the iTunes prize.
I have also completed Thing #1, Thing #3, and Thing #4. I haven't done Thing #2 yet. I never seem to be by a computer with headphones here at the library. I'll have to try to do this one at home - maybe snipe the computer from my husband when he gets up to get a snack.... This could be fun! ;)
I would like to try to earn the iTunes prize.
I have also completed Thing #1, Thing #3, and Thing #4. I haven't done Thing #2 yet. I never seem to be by a computer with headphones here at the library. I'll have to try to do this one at home - maybe snipe the computer from my husband when he gets up to get a snack.... This could be fun! ;)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Getting Started
Good morning!
This is my very first blog post ever. I'm just getting started on the O! What a Geek program, so I'll have to try to work fast and catch up to everyone else.
It has been a big change to transition here from Lincoln, but I am glad to be here!
I hope to be able to add more posts soon...
This is my very first blog post ever. I'm just getting started on the O! What a Geek program, so I'll have to try to work fast and catch up to everyone else.
It has been a big change to transition here from Lincoln, but I am glad to be here!
I hope to be able to add more posts soon...
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