#4 - The Thing I missed

I enjoyed exploring others blogs and making comments here and there. As far as the Top 10 library blogs go - none of them were especially appealing to me. The Annoyed Librarian is just too much to read regularly. I did get a chuckle out of Judge a Book by Its Cover.

Thing #23 - The End

I really enjoyed going through the 23 Things. Some of the things took a lot longer for me to complete than I initially thought they would. I am not much of a photo person, but I enjoyed learning about Flickr and the online photo editors available.

Reading the blogs of other staff members was also a lot of fun. It was entertaining to try and figure out who was who. Reading all of the different perspectives was helpful and beneficial to me.

If another program like this was offered in the future, I would definitely take advantage of it. Going through the program gave me the opportunity to try things that were new to me and to be reminded of websites and applications about which I had forgotten. There are always new applications out there, so I hope that this program will continue.

Thing #22 - Downloadable Media

For the purposes of this exercise, I explored Overdrive. I am a Mac user and own an iPod, so Overdrive is currently my better choice for downloadable audio books. I found the website easy to navigate. I had no trouble checking out and downloading a book at home. My main issue with Overdrive is that I was unable to figure out how to limit my search to titles available for the iPod. Instead, I would just have to browse through all the titles in a category, until I found one that would work with my player. Now that I have had a chance to test out the downloadable media that SAPL provides, I think I will really be encouraging our patrons to try it out.

Thing #10 - Online Image Generators

I skipped #10, but I finally completed it. I used the Captioner generator from Big Huge Labs. The hardest part was deciding what picture to use, using the program itself was very easy. I thought working with the online image generators was fun, but I am not sure how often I would use them in my regular work day. Possibly for promoting various programs?

Thing #21 - Podcasting

I have been enjoying podcasts for several years now. I regularly listen to several NPR podcasts (This American Life and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me are two of my favorites). I am used to searching iTunes for interesting podcasts and I found I did not like the search results I received when using Podcast Alley. So, I tried the NPR podcast search tool and added several interesting podcasts to my Google Reader account. I would probably not use Reader to listen to my podcasts, I prefer loading them onto my iPod and listening to them on my commute.

Thing #20 - YouTube

I found it fairly easy to embed my YouTube video. I chose Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas because it is one of my favorite holiday shows. I think libraries could utilize the technology by posting videos on their websites. Instructional videos, informational videos, promotional videos... Plus there are new, less expensive camcorders on the market that are ideal for posting videos to YouTube - the Flip Mino for example.

Thing #20 - Emmet Otter Video

Thing #19 - 2.0 Toolbox

I am choosing a web 2.0 award winning site that I already use - last.fm. Last.fm is a social networking type site, but for music lovers. It does require a plug in, but since I use it at home, I decided it would be okay to discuss it here.

What is last.fm? Here is the description from the Web 2.0 awards site:

Billing itself as the social music revolution, Last.fm lets you connect with
friends, discover music they like, discover music you'll probably like and keep
up with music events and news. Download tracks from Amazon or listen to free
online radio.

To use the site, you create an account, download the plug-in, and start listening to music. last.fm tracks all of the songs that you listen to - either on your computer, using their free online radio, or songs from your iPod or other player. As you build up your library of tracks, last.fm shows you neighbors with similar musical tastes. This allows you to explore other users profiles, and see their most listened to artists and hopefully discover new music that you might like.

As far as the library world goes, this probably has limited appeal, except as a way of recommending new music to patrons. But for music lovers, it is a really great site for discovering new music.

Thing #18 - Online Apps

I had never tried Google Docs before. I like that my documents would be accessible from any computer. At work, I might have something saved on the desktop of my office computer, so I am unable to access it from a Reference desk computer. (I should be saving onto my H drive, but sometimes I forget.) I can see the benefit of having all of my files available from any computer. It is also nice that you can upload documents created using Office. I attempted to publish a document in my previous post - the formatting changed when I posted it, probably something to do with Bloggers narrow columns.

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

 

I will now attempt to post this on my blog.

 

Thing #17 - Wiki Sandbox

Posting to the sand box was not too hard. Like Desk Duty, I had a bit of trouble with the scripts, but I was eventually able to post my link. I like the idea of a sand box, it lessens the pressure on first time Wiki users. You can test the waters without worrying about messing something up.

Thing #16 Wikis

I used to be kinda snobby about Wikipedia. I didn't see much use for it. But, I have recently been converted to its awesome power. Say that you need to know who won the second season of Dancing with the Stars, a quick search on Wikipedia and not only do you know who won, you can see who was voted off, week by week. This is valuable information.

I enjoyed looking through some of the more library oriented wikis. I liked the free resources provided by the Librarianchick's wiki. Branches could use wikis with their book groups - members could not only write reviews on the current book group selection, but they could also review other books they have read and make suggestions for upcoming discussions. A subject guide wiki could also prove useful to our patrons. Patrons with expertise in certain areas could contribute their knowledge to a subject wiki that would in turn benefit other users.

Thing #15 - Web/Library 2.0

I like that Library 2.0 is really focused on customer input into the services libraries provide. According to the wikipedia entry, "With Library 2.0, library services are frequently evaluated and updated to meet the changing needs of library users. Library 2.0 also calls for libraries to encourage user participation and feedback in the development and maintenance of library services. The active and empowered library user is a significant component of Library 2.0. With information and ideas flowing in both directions – from the library to the user and from the user to the library – library services have the ability to evolve and improve on a constant and rapid basis. The user is participant, co-creator, builder and consultant – whether the product is virtual or physical."

I think that libraries have always been focused on what customers want and need. We are in the business of providing the information that our customers are seeking. Taking advantage of the new technologies and social aspects of the web can provide new ways for us to get input from our patrons. This has the added benefit of allowing patrons to be personally invested in their local library - which could be an added benefit when budgets are allotted and library issues come up during elections.

Thing #14 - Technorati

I think I need more practice with Technorati. I don't seem to get good results whenever I try searching. I had better luck with the blog directory. I was able to see specific categories of blogs and check out ones that seemed interesting. I was surprised at the number of female celebrities that were in the top 10 searches. Who knew so many people were interested in Jennifer Garner? I think I would use Technorati to see what is currently being blogged about, but I will probably continue to use Google Reader to discover new blogs.

[SAPLL2]