LibraryBlog-Slog

Thing 24 - Now what was this Library 2.0 thing again?

2009-02-18T14:23:00.004-06:00

So here I am trying this More Things on a Stick program. The first 23 Things were painful enough, but I'm convinced were useful, so I'm going in for another round. Nope, I haven't used my blog since I finished the first 23 Things, and I never have identified another blog that is useful enough for me to subscribe to and regularly read and spend my time on. But! - the amazing thing is that I know what a blog is, how to make one, how to subscribe to one and how to leave comments! This is a huge advancement for me!

I'm slow to adopt technological trends. I tend to carefully pick and choose what I will take part in. But I'm looking forward to what new things I might discover with the next set of Things!

Thing 23 - Out of the bog of the library routine!

2008-04-15T15:13:00.007-05:00

No more fear!

From 0 to 60mph in 23 steps!

It was painful learning and that was why I knew I had to finish it.

Yep, now I know I can do it. That's my biggest triumph. Having forced my way through, I proved to myself that I can learn this stuff, the tools do work and I've lost my fear. I will not shy away from trying out any 2.0 tools in my library. It actually took me much longer than a few minutes a day, and it was very painful learning all the way through. The more uncomfortable it was to learn about these tools, the more I knew I was on the right track. Good learning should be painful. And it is true, we can't get so bogged down in the drudgery of our daily work that we fail to keep our vision focused on the future. This kind of development is indeed something that requires an ongoing commitment.

I've already put LibraryThing to work for me. I use it to list and tag all my storytime books. I can keep track of my favorites, tag them how I like, access my list from any work site and share my list with any of my colleagues. I also loved del.icio.us, WebJunction and the online productivity tools. I've already incorporated these tools into my work routine.

Thing 22 - Blog Unfog or how to keep up

2008-04-15T14:11:00.004-05:00

Yep, you're right, there needs to be an ongoing commitment. I developed my skills so dramatically with this program, that I am strongly motivated to keep up. I went from knowing little and using very few tools to feeling reasonably informed in the 2.0 world. I had to make a very serious commitment to get these Things done. My library did not support the program, so I did it on my own time and under my own initiative. So I know I have what it takes to keep up the commitment. Just as I found it necessary to *force* myself to work on the steps, I will need to force myself to spend those 15 minutes a day to keep up. I already have plans to connect with others in my library as we put 2.0 ideas into action.

Perhaps more important in continuing, is that I have lost my fear! I now know enough to venture into this world even without guidance.

Thing 21 - And more social networking

2008-04-14T15:31:00.003-05:00

Although plenty of these networking sites seem much more useful than the basic networking-for-fun-MySpace kind, I'm still not inspired to join up at this time. But I'm glad to be aware of them, and if I come up with a reason in the future, perhaps a use in the library, I would not hesitate to join. I would definitely refer library patrons to these sites, if it seemed appropriate for their research topic. It was fascinating, for example, to see all the topical social networking sites listed in Wikipedia.

The article on WebJunction about social networking was great for imaging all the ways they could be used in the library. I was already a big user of WebJunction and use it all the time! It's such a great site for sharing anything from library policies to programming flyers, not to mention articles and discussions. If I am ever wondering, "How have other libraries done such-and-such?" I look it up on WebJunction and usually find something useful. I will probably do more idea browsing on WebJunction in the future.

I will consider joining Ning in the future, specifically to exchange with librarians in the 23 Thing on a Stick group. After I finish working through the program, I may be looking for additional ideas or feedback on putting some of the tools in action.

Thing 20 - Social Networks or saving face & saving space

2008-04-13T19:20:00.005-05:00

I'm not quite feeling up to creating an account on Facebook or MySpace without a project in mind right now. I read all the Thing 20 articles and looked at a lot of examples, at least on MySpace. I found two cautionary points most interesting: 1. The story about the beauty queen who got into trouble for photos she had posted on a social networking site. "These were meant to be private photos..." Are there really people out there who post "private" photos and don't realize they are publishing them for the world to see? A lot of these utilities make it so simple to post things, I'm not sure people take the time to think about the ramifications of what they choose to post. 2. The article that urged libraries who are going to venture into social networking sites to post useful content. Flashy trendy sites with nothing useful in content is not going to attract anyone.

I would consider working on a project to create pages for my library on a social networking site. But not just for the sake of doing it. I would want a clear idea beforehand of just what kind of utility it would serve and then worry about how fancy cool it looked. And I would be extremely cautious in the photos or information I loaded, with respect to the library and our patrons.

Thing 19 - Podcast enthusiast

2008-04-10T19:14:00.009-05:00

I subscribed to a couple podcasts through the RSS feeder on my Google Reader account, just to try it out and demonstrate to myself that I could do it. This is a feature I might actually use! I haven't discovered a blog yet that I can't live without and would conceivably want to subscribe to. But a podcast maybe. I feel much better equipped now to use my blog reader. And now I am much handier at recognizing those little RSS icons and other indicators of features - and I even know what the features are now and how to use them! Imagine that!

I listened to a few podcasts from MPR. MPR makes it pretty easy to find its podcasts and to use them. Here's a link for the "Midmorning" program interviewing librarian extraordinaire Nancy Pearl back in June of last year.

http://www.publicradio.org/tools/media/player/news/midmorning/2007/06/18_midmorn2

The real test was whether or not I could get a podcast on to my MP3 player, since I'd never taken the time before to try it. And I did it - I managed to download an MPR podcast and load it onto my MP3 player! Hurray for me! Also, my MP3 has recording capabilities. I could make an audio recording, upload it and make my own podcast. I'll have to think about how I could use this in the library. If I do come up with an idea, I would fearlessly try it!

Thing 18 - Using YouTube

2008-04-08T23:03:00.003-05:00

I use YouTube from time to time, mostly when I am searching for examples of various dance styles for my dance classes. It's great for the Salsa Rueda group that I belong to, because we can search for authentic samples of the dance, in this case, directly from Cuba! I've never failed in finding video samples for whatever dance style I'm searching - it's amazing the range of videos from all over the world. I've even searched for specific "pasos" or steps in Salsa Rueda (each one has a name) and I can always find a video example.

After embedding my video in my blog, I now know a little bit more about making better use of the video clips. I would love to make a video for my library and now would fearlessly load it onto YouTube or the library website or wherever! I loved all the library promotional videos. I would look for any opportunity to use online video clips to promote my library or our programs!

Example of Salsa Rueda dance

2008-04-08T22:57:00.002-05:00

Thing 17 - ELM productivity tools-new for me!

2008-04-08T21:53:00.003-05:00

I use ELM tools in reference work every day at work, but really had never taken the time to notice the various productivity tools associated with the databases! Helping patrons is always a rush to link up someone with the sources she needs and quickly move on to the next person waiting for help. I'm glad I took the time to explore some of the tools here. Also, after working my way through the Things, I'm better at recognizing the little icons and other clues of Web 2.0 features that ordinarily would have escaped my attention. Now I know what to watch for on any service, database or web page I visit!

Very interesting that one can set up RSS feeds from database search results. Also really cool that you can set up personal accounts in many databases, make folders and web pages for yourself in order to save various search results. All features I never took the time to notice in the heat of the rush at the reference desk. I also was impressed with the ability to mark text and add notes to ebook pages in Netlibrary. I already had an account with Netlibrary, but again, had never taken the time to explore the individual features of which I could take advantage.

Thing 16 - Student & project 2.0 tools

2008-04-07T22:49:00.005-05:00

Not tools I am ready to jump on, but I'm still very glad to know about them. I could possibly refer students to this kind of thing. I could possibly try it for a project that I'm working on that involved multiple steps and multiple deadlines. Other project team members could consult the assignment tool to keep up on progress and to coordinate tasks.

Thing 15 - Schplorging with MMORPGs

2008-04-07T22:39:00.003-05:00

I'm not really into online gaming, but if libraries can find a presence here, why not? The concept of offering reference and other library services in an alternative reality is interesting. If this is another way to reach users, I'm all for it.

Thing 14 - No more catalog backlog with LibraryThing!

2008-04-07T21:52:00.002-05:00

I was already somewhat familiar with LibraryThing, but after completing Thing 14, I am ready to use it con mucho gusto! It is the most fabulous of the Things that I have discovered! I am already formulating plans to use it to compile my list of storytime books. I started building a list. I added tags to describe my storytime books, for example, "easy narrative," "rhyming," "animals." What a great tool this will be to keep track of what I've used for storytime and planning for future storytimes. And of course, the list will be available to me wherever I have Internet access, at home or at any library branch.

Thing 13 - Still in the Slog or online tools that challenge productivity

2008-04-07T14:19:00.003-05:00

Maybe, maybe there are a few things useful here. A customized start page is definitely not for me. I don't like *any* Web clutter to distract me from a task, especially when I sit down to open a session on the Web. Not the headlines, not even the weather. For me, those are just invitations to distraction. I don't even want to see little icons that invite me away from the task at hand. I might possibly use an online calendar. But for the most part these functions are taken care of through the calendar in email programs, which for me are all Web-accessible. But I am glad to know about these services for anytime a person wants just a Web-based calendar. The advantages of being able to access the calendar from multiple locations, by multiple users are clear. The list making services could possibly be something I would use, again, if there is something I need to list and access from wherever.

Thing 12 - Back to the Slog or Digg gets buried

2008-04-07T13:10:00.005-05:00

Not a chance. I would not use these social media sites. They don't seem to offer anything more than net noise and unfiltered pollution coming in. I'm very discriminating about the news that I consume. I don't care what news stories are popular. I don't care what news stories are the top picks. And I don't care what the average user has to say about them. I looked at the suggested social media sites and any of the news stories I clicked on were nothing that enriched me or that I wanted to know.

I am glad to know about these services. It could possibly be something I could refer a library patron to. But for myself, they deliver nothing more than distraction. No thanks.

Thing 11 - Out of the Fog or social bookmarking

2008-04-06T19:45:00.004-05:00

I've discovering another tool that I love and I'm going to put into us immediately! No more fog of lists upon lists of bookmarks! What an incredible way to organize bookmarks and have them at your disposal wherever you find yourself. I wish I had known about this tool about six months ago when a virus infected my hard drive and wiped out, among other things, my master list of all my bookmarks!

I especially loved the San Mateo Public Library's del.icio.us account where they tagged their websites with Dewey decades. This is an ingenious way to get a handle on the chaos of endless bookmarks on the reference desk computer. Super inventive!

Thing 10 - Librarian Backlog or let's get with using wikis

2008-04-06T16:16:00.005-05:00

A great attribute of a wiki, in my mind, is that the responsibility for upkeep doesn't rely on one person or agency, who may fall behind with updating content, checking links, etc. With a whole community of users and editors, the work is constantly being updated, expanded, edited and unused or uninteresting portions fall away through disuse. So the source is kept alive and active through use and through a number of users.

I agree that we should definitely be looking at adding wiki functionality to our library catalogs. Of course, our patrons should be able to add content to catalog records. This would provide a forum for input as well as provide useful information from one library patron to another. I also love the idea of a community wiki hosted by the library. An entire community would be responsible for adding and editing content about the locale - who knows a community best but the people who live there? Another great idea is using a wiki within an organization as a collaborative tool for editing a work.

I looked at several wikis and spent most of my time on the Minnesota Historical Society's "MN 150" wiki. I read several entries, corrected one, and posted comments on some others.

Thing 9 - Blog Dialog or Online collaboration breakthrough!

2008-04-05T22:31:00.004-05:00

I was not aware of these online collaboration tools and I am thrilled to discover them! I can imagine how phenomenally easy it will be to share documents with colleagues for updating and editing. I easily loaded an OpenOffice document into Google Docs, fooled around with some edits, and then enabled some colleagues with editing abilities. Now, any of us can access the document and not have to worry about which shared drive it's stored on, which copy is the latest draft and other nonsense. The next time I am collaborating with other librarians off-site or out-of-state, I will use this tool to keep track of our shared work.

Super cool!

Thing 8 - Unclog the Blog or fancy multimedia tools

2008-04-05T21:14:00.005-05:00

Wow! - it took me awhile, but I actually got my little slideshow loaded on my blog. These multimedia tools are pretty great! They were basically easy to use. Now that I know my way around them a little bit, I would definitely put them to use both in the library and for fun at home. The next time I have some kind of presentation to make or group of photos of a library activity to show off, I will look at using one of these tools. And I am not so intimidated now - Yay!

I am intrigued with the eFolio Minnesota tool. I plan on exploring it in the future as a way to load my resume and keep track of my work accomplishments and professional activities.

Chico & Traviesa slideshow

2008-04-05T21:01:00.004-05:00

Thing 7 - Communication Clog or librarians get hip with communication tools

2008-04-05T19:12:00.003-05:00

I have seen a lot of these tools in action in libraries and just like any tools, I have seen some frivolous use as well as instances of the tools taking over and monopolizing our time. The trick is to stay on top of the tool and truly make it work for you as a productivity enhancer and not let it manipulate you and clog up your time. The two video examples of libraries using IM and text messaging are super cool and those librarians are obviously a hip bunch! I would be excited to try out either of these communication means in my library as reference tools, but frankly, don't see it happening anytime soon. One aspect of IM and text messaging that particularly fascinates me is the vocabulary that has emerged. I certainly don't understand all the lingo of texting, but it's really interesting to me that these tools have created their own language.

I have participated in many webconferences and webworkshops in the past few years and they have been great! They have allowed me to participate when ordinarily I wouldn't have been able to, if I had to travel to attend a session. I have had the opportunity to be a part of sessions with people all over the country, even though I never saw them face to face. Cool!

Thing 6 - Thumbs up on photosharing & editing

2008-04-04T11:36:00.006-05:00

These online image generators are amusing. I actually could envision using these to create some fun handouts and other tools for patron workshops, classes, etc. I'm getting a little more confident building these kinds of things. If I had not been exposed to them here, I would never have investigated them myself.

All in all, the photosharing and editing segment gets a "thumbs up!"

Thing 5 - I'm still liking flickr

2008-04-04T08:36:00.006-05:00

Photosharing is a pretty great concept. I think people have to be a little careful with the kind of use rights they can sign away without being really aware of how their photos can be captured and used. But I do think it's a great way to informally publish one's photos. I like the idea of being able to see photos of different places people have been. Flickr can actually be a good research tool in that way. I saw photos from all over the world. I also saw some cool art photos and collages and images of people's art projects. I would have never imagined browsing on flickr for art inspiration and project ideas.

Thing 4 - Flickr is kind of cool

2008-04-03T10:48:00.004-05:00

Ok, flickr is cool. It was fun to search stream-of-consciousnesses style to see who out there might have put up a related photo.

A very interesting aspect of flickr is that -shock!- people don't apply tags the way librarians would! When tags are freely applied with no controlled vocabulary the results are much more aimless and unpredictable, but also more fun. I searched by a genre heading "tintype" and subject matter "books" and found this image.

Here's the official URL:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/piedmont_fossil/2087998132/
2087998132_661ff183a8

Thing 3 - Blog Grog or Turn off the feeds!

2008-04-02T10:52:00.007-05:00

So I've been trying the RSS feeds and I can understand how they might be useful. That is, if I could discover some blogs that I'd really like to routinely follow, which I haven't. More than anything, I find I'm left groggy with too much useless information coming in. I need to learn how to be more discriminating. In the paper and voice world, I strictly limit input. I'm off all junk mail lists and am on all do-not-call lists. In the electronic world, I need to learn more about how to use the tools to my advantage and not be victimized by the inundation that can come in.

With that in mind, I can see how the RSS feeds can be good at choosing and limited the blog contact one has. Having tried it out and subscribed to several blogs, the best feature I've discoverd so far is how to turn off the feeds.

Thing 2 - Blog Fog or What the Heck is Library 2.0?

2008-02-21T14:54:00.003-06:00

The most fascinating potential of a library using Library 2.0 principles is that it will become *interactive* and *collaborative.* This actually sounds really cool to me! I do believe we librarians have held on to the idea way too long that we are the authorities and we have the control over the information resources, and further, that people must come to us and move through us and our tools to access information. We provide the catalog, we write the controlled language, we design the search strategies - and then we require users to navigate through all this to gain access to materials. I do agree that if we continue with this attitude we will be left behind. We can no longer be the gatekeepers, dictating how people access information. Users will simply move around us and beyond us and we will become irrelevant to their world.

I love the idea of Library 2.0 users adding value. Users can potentially add content to catalog records, for example, in the form of book reviews or tags. I can imagine that searchable tags supplied by users, and in their own language, could be more useful than LCSH in connecting other users to materials! But "Oh no!" we librarians say, "What about authority control?" "What about inflammatory or offensive comments in reviews?" Here's where another key idea from Library 2.0 proponents comes into play - trust. Being open to interaction and collaboration from our users is a demonstration of trust - are we really open to a true conversation and to criticism? Similarly, are we open to a relinquishing of power? Users do have something to contribute. They can add value and intelligence to search tools and even to informational content. But we will need to move from a role of authoritarian to moderator. We will also need to be alert to educating users on evaluating the authoritativeness of a resource. Here our role as librarians is still especially relevant. Users need to be taught how to evaluate a source or an authority to see if it matches their needs.

The question is are librarians up to the humbling experience of trusting our users in an open web environment and to giving up some of our control.

Thing 1 - Slogging Through Blogs or Blog Skeptic

2008-02-14T11:15:00.002-06:00

I must say from the start that I am skeptical of this whole blogging business. But I'm a bit suspicious of any thing declared to be the newest, snazziest, most fabulous development that is going to transform the library profession. Admitedly, when I went through library school, the only computers we had around were the machines we used to dial in to OCLC. I actually got through grad school using a typewriter! So I'm not of the generation that has been weaned on the Internet.

Slow to respond that I am, I have actually browsed through a few blogs out there. I've seen some of my favored commentators or editors declare in their printed forums, "Visit my blog at such and such cleverly-named address." And it just seems to be about the last thing I would want to do, to cosy up the computer and slog through endless blog postings and reader comments. I've stumbled on some other blog sites and my only reaction so far has been, "Who *is* this person, and how would I possibly find his or her blog ramblings relevant in my life?"

Oh well. We'll see how this program progresses and if I can be converted.