Wrap-up

Well, I finished all 29 exercises and will need to review some of the ones I really want to be able to use (like generating images). I look back on the exercises and can't remember exactly what I did during process. I thing that a couple of things that could be used to make service to patrons better are Library Thing, which would help us and them keep track of what they read and if they liked it. Another one is our blogs which we could do to keep the public right up to date with what's going on day to day. Some of the other I can see helping the staff do their jobs working better with patrons and other staff members. During some exercises I got myself lost, a little explanation and I will be able to proceed in using the ones that will help me. Having to do this really got me out of my comfort zone. I'm always afraid that I will do something that will wipe out everything. (This last weekend I was recharging my MP3 player and wiped out everything, all the music and the two books that I had been listening to. If I just knew what I did I wouldn't do it again.)
I now know what Myspace is like, even though I probably will never use it, but it nice to know what people are talking about and Youtube can be interesting. I'm not fond of the violent videos that some teen post, but there are some cute ones on it.
Flickr is neat, but you must have the right kind of camera. Tagging and technorati where things I'd never heard about, now at least I don't have to play stupid when others are talking about them. Rss feeds can come in handy if you don't have time to surf the whole internet to find out something - I did like the on-line production tools which would come in handy when I don't have word on my computer.
Even though I dreaded this whole exercise it turned out that it really was a lot of fun and a neat learning experience.

Google Docs

Well, I'm in Google Docs and posting this to my blog from there. I think it's really great that people don't have to have word on their computer to be able to write documents and such. It will be great to be able to help people on our computers write a letter or something else so they can do something other than e-mail. I have come back to a portion of Library 2.0 that I didn't take the time to work on something I wasn't sure of doing right.

Podcasts

Some I found very entertaining and some strange. I can see how the library could use them in one phase or another of getting information to the public. We might even use them to communicate between ourselves. I checked out some podcasts on books and libraries. There were some funny ones with Mr Bean and some serious ones. I saw some book reviews by teens and couldn't really understand what they were about. Most of these were on Youtube. There were some on dominoes that used books in a library and people on the street as dominoes. You could do a lot to get to the teens and other who are really computer savy through these different means. I don't know how may older library patrons might be reached by these methods, because like me they thing they are the realm of teens.

Net Library and Youtube

As you can see below I found a video clip on YouTube and posted it here. I have a password somewhere that is Catsglore, so I thought this one would be good. I also got by MP3 player and downloaded a book from Netlibrary. I still need to practice using the player so I know which button to push. I also set a radio station on the FM radio. I am beginning on podcasts now and with write about them next.

Tired kitten from YouTube

Web 2.0 awards

I have checked out Web 2.0 awards and winners. I found 3 site that I enjoyed more than others. I liked the "One Sentence" that told a story in on line and, "Pandora" which is a music site and "Etsy" which has art and jewelry which is quite lovely. I found it would take days if not weeks to explore all the sites to find others that are of interest. It was interesting to find that my favorite sites are also ones that have received a number of stars.

Google Labs

I went through these and I can see where some would be very useful and will probable make it to main Google site and other were specialized and might be used by a few. I like the Mars site, it was interesting. Some seem like an advanced or specialized search. I didn't have any problems using them, just trying to thing of something to search.

Google Docs

I have looked at Google Docs and now I'm ready to upload this to my blog. I also looked at all the other items under the headings. It seems like you could use this without having to subscribe to other services. I need to find out how to delete from my reader, I'm getting some things that don't interest me. But there are others that I don't have to search for them other ways.

Search Engines

These will let a person who doesn't have access to Word be able to create their own documents to do whatever. . . Some are better than other depending on what you want to accomplish. This way a person might not have to own or download Microsoft Word. For my heading I use Cooltext to generate it. Isn't this a cool way to make something different.

Library 2.0-4.0

I read all the articles posted and have mixed feelings about a complete "web world". I wouldn't like to curl up in bed with a computer I much prefer a good novel. I can see where putting reference materials on the web is good because things change so much and so fast. But, as we making some information inaccessable to some people who don't have a computer at home or don't have a home if it is not easily accessable in a library? Now they can come in a read the book to get there information. You can see that I have mixed feelings about all of this. I did like the article that said that Library 1.0-4.0 would all be incorporated into whatever we do.

mapping my travels

I did this mapping and found it really easy.


create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

These are the countries that I can remember visiting.




create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

Images

I went into the image generator and used the Generator Blog and did my name in Chinese. I couldn't figure out how to get it to my blog, so I tried another image that was there and did the cookie for my blog. I had to write done the steps so I can remember them. So here is my chocolate chip cookie.

Rss Feeds

I have read this section and set up my Google Reads account. It will look for news items and sports items that may interest me. I need to explore third party sites, but I have to go in and looked at third party blogs.

Flickr 2

Well, I found a picture on my documents page of Word and Karen showed me how to put in on Flickr. Now I'm waiting to become part of the SLCPL photos. I hope I can figure how to transfer photos from my new cell phone to my account. All this learning is making my head spin.

Flickr

I read all about Flickr, but I don't have a digital camera right now so I can't post any pictures. I do have a photo in my e-mail and I will get someone to show me how to post it on my account. I'm not sure how much I will use is, but you never know. Maybe the next time I need a new cell phone I will get a camera phone.

Technorati and LibraryThing

In going over Technorati, I couldn't relate it to anything that I could use.
I really liked LibraryThing and added my 5 titles to the list. I can see where this could even be more helpful that What Do I Read Next and some of the other sources on the web. I'm never sure of tags that are added, but they would give you a head start to finding like titles. I'm going to do a lot more exploring of this site and see how I can use it in Reader's Advisor.

Tagging

I can see where tagging could help us in the department when we need to search for the same things over and over again and not always being done by the same person. It could also help in some of the reader's advisor site that we use. I don't do enough of roaming around the internet myself to see where it would help me much. I am not a student or a compulsive internet user. But I did find it interesting for work purposes.

Myspace

Well, I went and started a myspace. No picture because I don't own a picture phone or a digital camera. I skipped that part. Sometimes I think I'm doing ok and others I am so confused. I left the myspace site and I'm not sure there was a way to log off or you just x'd out. I feel too old for this activity, there is not way I can compete with all these young people who have grown up with computers and take them as second nature. I just feel like I'm stumpling around in the computer and once I leave a site I don't know how to get back to it. I hope I'm not the only one who is feeling this way.

wikis

I guess wikis are a good thing. I like the ones on booklists and good reads. They would also be a good way to do pathfinders. A patron could start on or a staff member and other could add comments. They would be a good way for patrons or staff to pass on titles of books they enjoyed or create genre lists that we are always being asked for at the service desk. Then we could refer them to the wiki that might help them discover other reading. I hope I'm getting the right idea on these.

Rotating collections

I thought I would try a blog about rotating collections. These collections are sent out from Main. There are two collections -large print and books on tape. They rotate around the system every three months. There home agency is BL or AV depending on the collection. The rotating tapes are a collection that has been purchased for this purpose. The large print is chosen from the large print collection at main and rotates around the system, staying at each branch 3 months and then moves to the next branch. When it makes it way back to main it is reshelved in the Browsing Library and a new collection is chosen to rotate. I try not to rotate the same titles more than once and try to have the titles new ones. The tape collection has items added to it as the selector choses and stays in this collection until it is weeded or lost. I hope this information is of interest to those of you who work in branches. Lenore Lewis

This is really confusing. or is it just me. I did a g-mail and a blog and I have too many addresses and password. I can't remember them all.