23 - Summary

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey? I am totally in love with del.icio.us. I tell all I know about it. I use it every day at home and at work. It is so simple and so ingenious. I am also looking forward to getting a Wiki started for our library using PBWiki.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals? As a librarian I hope to always work hard to keep up with changing technologies and to be able to utilize those technologies that can make our jobs and our service to customers more effective. I appreciate being exposed to all of these technologies that are considered the "latest and greatest." The exposure alleviates fears of not being capable. The exposure makes one realize that these technologies are actually quite simple and may simply take some time to master.


Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I expected to finish by the deadline and did not. The program was more rigorous and time consuming than I anticipated. We covered many more technologies than I anticipated.


What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept? Make all communication through blogs only, not email. the emails are redundant and overwhelming. And the whole point is to use Web 2.0 technology. I feel I created a blog that no one ever looks at except me. This is also because of time limitations. I found that I had to complete about 95% of this stuff on my own time. There is not time at work to do it. If you do this again, please give people time outside of work to work on it. Maybe they could all go to the training room at HQ once a week?


If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate? I would not participate unless it was done differently. This required too much time on my own at home. I am thankful that I learned everything I learned and glad that I participated this time, but wish could have done it without added stress and spending time on my days off working on it.

# 22! NetLibrary

I do not have an MP3 player of any kind, but I did go to SDCL's catalog to search for a downloadable audiobook that I could download to potentially listen to on my computer. This required to set up a NewLibrary account. The books is still downloading. Phew, I think I'm done!!

Thing 21 - Podcasts

I am a Mac user so I have been using itunes for my podcasting needs. I subscribe through itunes to podcasts from SirsiDynix and Infopeople. Again, the main challenge is finding the time to listen to the many useful podcasts that they put out.

Reading Rainbow:

Here is my Library YouTube video of choice. It's pretty funny!

#20 YouTube

I did a lot of searching on YouTube for a really good library storytime video and did not find anything spectacular. That is inspiration to get my own storytimes recorded and maybe on YouTube. I was disappointed with the lack of videos on there. So instead of posting a real good library storytime I'm going to post a Reading Rainbow Library video that I found.

Adding a video to my blog was as easy as 1-2-3. I'm hoping that putting a video on YouTube will be just as easy. I have no way of testing that right now as I do not own or have access to a video recording device. YouTube is a lot of fun, but it is time consuming to sort through the garbage. Plus I noticed that a video is often times not what it appears. Many times you have no idea what you will be watching until you click on it and start watching. I could embedded YouTube videos being an excellent way to promote library programs on a library blog or wiki.

# 19 Sticking with the Z's - Zillow

I had heard about Zillow through my husband, but I had never really taken the time to explore it on my own. Wow - what a great site if you are at all interested in the real estate market. Can look up individual houses and get an aerial view, find out what the Zestimated worth is of the house, and what I really really like is that you can see in a nice little graph how much the house has sold for in the past, each time that it sold. You can also see what houses nearby are selling for. This is a awesome Web 2.0 tool!

Zoho spreadsheet

I love this!!

Zoho, oh so easy

Wow that was really easy. What a nice Web 2.0 tool. I will definitely keep this in mind in the future

Zoho Writer

Here is my test document. This looks and feels an awful lot like Microsoft Word. The idea of being able to collaborate and share documents online rather than in attachments is just so neat. I did not know that online programs like this existed. Well I know one thing, I don't trust the spellchecker. OK I think I'll try exporting this to my blog now...

PB Wiki

Just got done adding my blog and a blurb about my favorite movie to the plcmc "sandbox", http://plcmclearning.pbwiki.com/

Also took some time to learn about PB Wiki. I have decided that this is what I will use for our library. I learned that I can easily insert a calendar and photos to the Wiki. It seems very easy to use. I am excited to get started, but I must finish the Web 2.0 business first! I think this was #17. I'm well on my way. Can't stop now!

Week 7 Wikis

Well, I just finished learning about Wikis and viewing several different ways in which libraries are using Wikis. I saw them being used to create subject guides, lists of book reviews, to organize best practices tips for library professionals. One Wiki that I view the most often, since I am a youth services librarian, is YALSA's. I find it helpful for Teen Read Week and for good web site recommendations.

Many of the individual branch libraries of SDCL are creating blogs to promote library programs and events. I would like to create one for our library, but am not sure which is better, a blog or a wiki. I guess with either one library staff would have to monitor it for spam. I will have to play around with Wikis more before choosing one over the other. To me, neither format is as seamless as a well put together Web site. Our challenge is not having a server available at the branch level.

Week 6 final task - thoughts on Library 2.0

I just finished reading Away from the “icebergs” and Into a new world of librarianship. Both authors make good points about Web 2.0 technology and how librarians need to know how to use the tools that their patrons are using in order to continue serving them. I found a couple of points particularly true.

We CANNOT expect our customers to learn how to do things "our way." Library's no longer have a monopoly on information. We are competing for business, and if we make our products nearly impossible to find because of outdated catalogs, the users will go elsewhere. I feel improving library catalogs would be the single most effective thing we could do to stay in business.

Secondly, we should not adopt every new technology that comes along simply for the sake of "keeping up with technology." Each new Web 2.0 technology must be evaluated for each library and its users. All libraries are different and different technologies might be useful. We need to think about what our customers want and remember that they are just as bombarded by an overwhelming amount of choices as we are. We need to make our library and information about the library easy to find online. But we also need to pay attention to whether or not our customers are responding. Are they subscribing to our blogs? Asking questions on our Wikis? And, if not, what are we doing wrong that we can change? Or, maybe we just don't need to use certain Web 2.0 technologies that seem to be ignored by our customers.

I think that learning about all of the Web 2.0 possibilities is a good first step. Once we know what is available to us and our customers we are better prepared to choose the technologies that might actually help us reach our customers.

Technorati (Week 6 continued)

I was exposed to Technorati several months ago when Polly suggested that we search for our library's name to see what people might be blogging about us. Today I experimented with it a bit more, but I have no desire to claim my blog, or spend much time on the site searching for what others are saying.

I watched the tutorial, but I could not follow through with some of the instructions on the PLCMC blog. We are instructed to do the following: "Take a look at Technorati and try doing a keyword search for “Learning 2.0” in Blog posts, in tags and in the Blog Directory. Are the results different?" The tutorial showed this, but I am wondering if the site has been changed. I can't figure out how to search this way. If anyone can, please let me know.

Overall, I find the number of blogs out there daunting and really feel that searching them would be useless. I would rather keep up to date on blog favorites by using something like Bloglines.

Week 6 - Delicious

I opened a delicious account (http://del.icio.us/smbeliveau). So far I have only added 2 sites to my bookmarks, but I'm sure that I will continue to add more now that I've seen how easy it is.

Delicious might be especially useful in my library where we do not have a specified computer from which to do reference. Since I never know what computer I'll be on when helping someone, it will be nice to have access to all of my favorite sites from the Internet.

I have added Sandy's and Lisle's bookmarks to my network. I know that Sandy has many useful reference sites bookmarked and I love that I can access all of these so quickly! The way I happened upon Lisle's is kind of interesting. I added a bookmark to my page (checking work webmail) and then it told me that one other person had also bookmarked this site. It turned out to be Lisle, so I added her to my network.

This is such a great tool. I use Firefox at home and was able to download the buttons that allow me to tag sites and/or view my delicious bookmarks with one simple click. I love it!

Rollyo (more week 5)

I used Rollyo to create two new search engines. One I titled Kids Crafts and the other Kids Science. These are to help me come up with project ideas for the programs that I do at the library. Here is my attempt to link to my search rolls. I'm not sure if it will work or not http://www.rollyo.com/smbeliveau/

I can see many uses for Rollyo in the reference world. This Web 2.0 technology could really help librarians weed out undesirable search results by only selecting the reputable sources they like to rely on. I was a bit disappointed that there is not an advanced search feature. I also looked for search tips, like is truncation allowed? Should we use boolean search terms? I was unable to find this information on their site. Overall, though I had fun and I'll continue to edit my searchrolls until I'm consistently happy with the results.

LibraryThing (more Week 5)

The first thing that I noticed about LibraryThing is how easy it is to use. I will likely continue to use it to keep track of books that I've read. Love that you can rate and write reviews, see what others have rated, and get recommendations for future reading. I would definitely recommend this site to library customers who are avid readers and always looking for their next read. It is so easy. I also love that I can view (or sort) my catalog by author or date or rating. This certainly beats keeping an Excel spreadsheet of books read. The only downer is that a free account is only good for up to 200 books. Maybe by the time I get to 200 they will have increased the limit?! Here is the url to my catalog: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/smbeliveau

Practicing with image generators

This image was created using Framer on the following site: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/

I'm not a big fan of image generators, but I did play around with a couple of features on this site before settling on this picture to add to my blog. I found some of the other features difficult to use. I tried making a magazine cover, but the font was too large and the picture was too large and I could not figure out how to change the size. I tried to Warholize a couple of photos, but they did not come out good. You could not even tell what it was a picture of. I think I would rather just alter my photos in Photoshop, when necessary. If anyone has tips on where I might have gone wrong with the magazine feature please let me know. I would like to try that again.

Looking for library related feeds to subscribe to?

I could not pass up posting this. Here are the Top 25 Librarian Bloggers. Very cool!

Libraries using Flickr

Of the libraries I read about in the most recent issue of American Libraries (September 2007, p. 42) I was most impressed with The Clemens and Alcuin libraries. I love the "On This Day in American History" Theme, and the best part is that when you click on one of the books in one of their photos it links to the current availability of the book in the library catalog - the is a very cool, practical application. I also enjoyed looking at the Pierce County Library System, which posts one picture each day for the 365 days of the year. Again - I think this is a cool theme and I could see doing something like this in my library. What a great way to allow people to see what's going on in your library.

Week 4 - Bloglines

Week 4 is kind of a quicky for me because I already have a Bloglines account. I opened the account shortly after starting library school (about 3 years ago). I used to read my feeds daily, but I have to admit that I rarely go to my Bloglines account anymore. There is just so much to read and so little time!! One of my Web 2.0 goals should be getting back into the habit of reading these.

I currently subscribe to quite a few library related feeds including: The Shifted Librarian, YALSA, PLA Blog, Library Web Chic, and, yes - Bonita Library Teen Space. I really need to get back into reading these, but who has the time? I share Ramona's sentiments that it is just so overwhelming (especially for something with "simple" in the title) Simple, and yet so extensive. Plus, Ramona gave a few more feeds that sound interesting to me in her recent post. How does one keep up?

Although it is a bit overwhelming I am really impressed with the power of aggregators (sp?) like Bloglines. They do so much of the work for us, even though one can only read so fast! When I was reading my feeds regularly on Bloglines I found that it really helped me keep up with goings on in the library profession. It is a very useful tool.

Here's a question worth looking into. How many people subscribe to library blogs?

Open mouth insert foot

Well it looks as if many libraries are using Flickr. In the latest issue of American Libraries there is an article titled "Pixels Worth 1,000 Words" where the author presents many libraries that are using Flickr. I will explore some of these - more to come later.

Week 3 - O.K. I'm a bit behind...

Well, Here I am running behind on my Web 2.0 lessons. Last week I did go to Flickr and I took the Flickr Tour. I even took notes on how to upload, organize, and share photos on Flickr. I opened my very own Flickr account. You can view pictures from my recent vacation at http://www.flickr.com/photos/smbeliveau/! What a great way to share photos with friends and family. However, they would have to be friends and family who are also into Flickr and Web 2.0 technology - like my brother in law, for instance: http://www.flickr.com/photos/obkimmer. Kim is constantly uploading pictures to Flickr straight from his camera phone.

I can't help but have my doubts about how Flickr can be used to promote a library. Anybody know of a specific library that utilizes Flickr? I, personally, am not that into digital photography and I don't see myself spending a lot of time playing on Flickr. And once you have a Flickr account, how do you get people to look at it? Kim has had his account for a very long time, and I just now have taken an interest, mostly because of these Web 2.0 lessons.

Learning about this stuff is fun, but how much can it really apply in the library world? I know - now I'm really gonna get it. Well, at least I'll now if anyone is reading. That's another thing - I don't think I'm interesting enough to have a blog that people will actually WANT to read. I think few people really are. O.k., now on to RSS feeds...

I've been on bloglines for a few years now, but do not have much time to keep up on my feeds. More on that in the next post.

Misty Fjords National Monument, Alaska

P1010047_1
Originally uploaded by smbeliveau

Just sharing a bit of scenic serenity as I practice uploading a photo from Flickr directly into my blog. This technology is really amazing!

WooHoo

I figured out how to change the background. This is a great site that Laura recommended http://www.glitter-graphics.com/ I bet you're wishing I chose something different - not to worry, I will not be striped forever. Changing the background is fun, not sure if I want to venture to change anything else yet.

I tried to the Maximum to get into "School's Out Forever," but to no avail

8/18 - School's Out--Forever by James Patterson

I just took this book off of my reading list. I know how popular these books are, but I just could not get into it at all. Maybe because I was listening to it, and not reading it? I really do try to give "boy" books a chance, but this was just boring and had no character development. Maybe I should have started with the first in the series?

Practicing with images

This picture was taken in Vancouver Canada, where we embarked on a cruise of the inside passage of Alaska. What a great vacation!

My first post

Web 2.0 here I come!

So far so good.

Week 1:

I have yet to fill out my learning contract, but my goal will be to make a Wiki to promote library programs and events while becoming more familiar with and less intimidated by Web 2.0 technology.

I strive to be a life long learner as I think most librarians do. Some habits of life long learners come easier to me than others. I have every confidence that I can learn and apply knowledge in any area of my choosing and I accept responsibility for my own learning. However, I have a difficult time viewing challenges as obstacles and learning opportunites rather than as catastrophes! I also forget to play. These are things that I can work on...

Week 2:

I've set up my blog and here I am! Setting up the blog was extremely easy - if only the rest of the course could be the same! But, then challenges are what will create better opportunity for learning, right?!