P.S.

I found this while looking at the Learn & Play website and couldn't resist.

Laurin Arnold's Dewey Decimal Section:

813 American fiction in English

Laurin Arnold = 211894184524 = 211+894+184+524 = 1813


Class:
800 Literature


Contains:
Literature, criticism, analysis of classic writing and mythology.



What it says about you:
You're a global, worldly person who wants to make a big impact with your actions. You have a lot to tell people and you're good at making unique observations about everyday experiences. You can notice and remember details that other people think aren't important.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Wrapping up

I have to say that this has been a very interesting experience. Frustrating and annoying at times, but I definitely a learning experience.
I loved del.ici.ous and pbwiki and can really see them being using in the library setting. In fact, the folks here at Whetstone are already doing so!
But some I just don't see the point of period, much less for libraries. Like twitter. I mean, seriously. I don't want to know what anyone is doing every hour of the day, much less a librarian (and I want to be one!).
Overall though, I think the concepts behind Web 2.0 or Library 2.0 are things the library will now have to incorperate in their operations. Community involvement and customization are things expected by our customers now and if we want to stay relevant to them we need to live up to those expectations.
This has been a long and tiring journey, but I've definitely come out on the other end with a better appreciation for what's out there. I'm just sad that so many of my coworkers gave up before finishing b/ of a lack of time or computer skills. I can only hope that they will get future oportunities to work on these skills.
So with my final posting I guess there's just one more thing left to say:
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night.

MOLDI

I know they haven't posted this officially yet, but I just thought that I'd go ahead and talk about this since I have experience with it.
I have used MOLDI and the Ohio ebook Project through the State Library of Ohio (and which has a better selection... I'm just saying) many times. I have downloaded ebooks through them and overall had no issues. The only problem occurred when I downloaded a book but did not have my internet going when I actually opened the file later on. Apparently I didn't download the actual book, just a link, but I didn't know that and so messed up my chance for reading it at that time. Now I know though and won't do that again.
It was great b/ I could get access to books, specifically the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, when I would be put on a reserve list in the hundreds if I tried for a conventional book. It wasn't too difficult reading the books b/ I had a laptop and I could read them anywhere, but of you only have a desktop computer, it could get old, fast.
I have not tried to download audiobooks since I generally don't like them, but for someone who does this seems to be even better for them. If they are allowed to burn them to cd or actually put it on their mp3 player (most of the time not their iPod). If they can do these things then they don't even have to leave their house to get access to great items.
This being said, the selection of digital media, even at OeBP, is not that great. I really wanted a book that I would have to wait several weeks for at the library, but they didn't even have it on MOLDI and had only the audio version, abridged, on OeBP.
Strides do need to be made in selection and access, but this thing is here to stay and libraries should make a point of supporting this. It may not be the sole future of libraries, but it is part of the future and deserves support too.

Podcasts

OMG I loooove podcasts!
I've been using these ever since I got iTunes a few years ago and I can't live without them anymore. I get a bunch of NPR ones, a Firefly/Serenity fancast, and the Cook's Illustrated Video Podcast. I use iTunes b/ I listen to podcasts on my iPod, which only works with iTunes, and b/ it's so easy. Just browse the iTunes store and click on subscribe.
Podcasts would be great for storytimes, book discussions, etc. for those patrons who just can't make it to the library but don't want to miss out on what we have to offer. The library can also create podcasts about the latest books, book reviews, excerpts from books/cds, etc. Things to get people interested in what the library has.

Youtube

I've been using youtube for a while now in order to see tv shows I missed, cute things related to my interestes, etc.
There's a lot of crap, but some good stuff too, and I hope that companies, and, yes, libraries, use it more often to get their message across.
I watched this on the Colbert Report last week and thought that a friend of mine would like it, so I found this and sent it to her.

Ah, Colbert.
And it was really easy adding this to my blog. I just copied and pasted the "embed" link on the youtube page. Easy!

Another tool in my toolbelt

Well, I finally tried the CML Power Tools and I liked it. I was surprised by how little they've included in the tools, but I suppose you don't want to go crazy with links and overwhelm people.
I didn't download the toolbar, since I don't like the formatting it uses and I already have some of the things on my bookmarks toolbar, but I did get the library catalog search plug in and really like it. Now I don't have to open the catalog and then search for something. A small, yet very satisfying thing.
I decided to check out Book Burro and was definitely intrigued. To be honest, this isn't normally how I search for books, but I'm willing to give it a try, especially since it's a plug in for Firefox, which I already use. Since I have to restart Firefox to use it and I'm still slogging through Learn and Play, I'll have to try it later.

Boo! I scared you!

Boo is a great one-stop shop for casual travelers. Boo is a travel website aggregate, meaning that it searches travel websites for you for hotel rates, rental cars, restaurants, and sight seeing opportunities.
It uses Google maps to tie it all together and, for the Web 2.0 parts, allows people to join and leave reviews of places and trips. They can also upload pictures!
For the travel junkie, this is not the be all, end all, but its a great thing to add to their repertoire, and for the causal traveler who values ease and speed over getting the absolute best deal, this is perfect.

Google Docs

I have to say the online word processor is a great idea.
No more worrying about finishing your project before the library computer timer cuts out; just work on it online, save it before you're thrown off, and then access it later on a different session. You can also collaborate with coworkers/classmates/friends on projects without having to see each other.
All this being said, Google Docs is not a very good program. I've used it in two different classes, one to post assignments on and the other to collaborate with teammates on a presentation and I was not impressed. The powerpoint portion did not format correctly and there was no way to have it take up the entire screen like a file could. And the formatting was very basic in the word processing portion. If a patron did use this for working on a project, I would advise them to just type it up in Google Docs and cut and paste it into Word before printing.
Overall, the concept is great but Google Docs doesn't deliver. Zoho Writer is much better and my pick.

Wiki time

I have to say that I have had some experience using wikis (beyond wikipedia) before this exercise. One of my classes created a class wiki in which individual groups posted information on a subject that they would later present about.
Westerville public library has a wiki containing policy information, good resources, etc. in it.
I think this is a great use of a wiki. An easy to use way to get information on best practices, resources, and other things of use to the day-to-day work in the library.
That being said, it's only useful if people use it. People did not really do so at Westerville before, though that might have changed. If people become comfortable enough with the software to try it out, this is a great way of sharing information.

Library 2.0 thoughts

Just some responses to two of the Library 2.0 articles:
Away from the icebergs:
First of all, I agree in general with what he says in his "just in case" section. Patrons do want everything and we should provide as much of it as we can if we want to remain relevant to them. However, our situation is vastly different from his. Circulation is increasing here at CML, as are the general number of users. We can't simply get rid of our physical collection, and why should we? The inc. circ. number suggest that patrons do want it. Perhaps in a few more generations, long after I've gone to the library in the sky, people will prefer digital media, and that's fine. If that's what they want and what works best for the society, then so be it. But right now, this is not the case and so we shouldn't just throw the baby out with the bath water. Give it time.
I cannot disagree more with his "reliance on user education" section. This Learn and Play experience is a great example of how we are needed. So many of my coworkers have given up on this experience because it takes too long to learn about these programs. They are not as intuitive as he thinks, even for a Millenial like myself, much less for those older than me. There will always be a need to teach others, even people my age. We may have grown up with this, but we don't automatically understand everything, a fact which older people tend to forget. We need to be taught or at least have time to play around with things, too.
Finally, I agree totally with his "come to us" section. We really do need to reach out to customers if we want to get their attention. We aren't the only ones out there, even if we are the best. We just need to let them know it.

To better bibliographic services:
My focus was reference, not cataloging, but I have to say that I agree with what John Riemer is saying in this article. I love the idea of customers providing their own reviews of books that are viewable through the catalog. I personally look for reviews, both scholarly and not, of books I don't know about in order to help me choose whether or not to get it. I also like the idea of not just cataloging a place a book takes place in, but mapping it out and allowing customers to view it.
I don't know how much library administrators would like to do these things, but I'm all for them, both as a customer and a library employee.

Twittering my life away

This has got to be the least useful site of this entire experience.
Microblogging? What's the use of that in the library?
I'm sorry but I don't even see a use for it in my personal life.
Even so, here's my new twitter account. Yet another account to simply forget about as soon as this thing is over.

It's Del.icio.us!

I have to say that this is more like it! I can actually see a use for this program for libraries.
You can create a site for within the library to provide easy access to useful sites and a site for customers to provide easy access to pages on the library page as well as resources.
I love the Readers Advisory account!
Very cool.

RSS Feeds pt. 2

Well, I just tried Syndic8.com, an easy to use but ugly looking website. I managed to find a Firefly feed and added it to my Bloglines account successfully.
Overall, I found the experience to be just fine.
Truthfully, I still prefer to get RSS feeds through my email program, especially since it will make RSS feeds from bookmarks in Safari.
Thanks for extending the deadline. I and others who are even farther behind than I am thank you!

LibraryThing

I've actually used LibraryThing before this and have already cataloged some of the books I have read.
It's a useful site for personal use, but for professional use I think that Goodreads is actually better. You have unlimited cataloging space and the social networking aspect lets you find even more books on a topic that customers might like.
But LibraryThing is still nice, especially since it uses the Library of Congress catalog.
Here's my LibraryThing account.
There you go.
Can we get the deadline extended, please?

Image generator

Image generator, originally uploaded by librarybookz.

Well, here's my image generator image.
It was pretty easy to use, which was nice.
Yep.
That's it.
It's been hard to keep up, and now with the power out it'll be even longer before I get more posts on, but we'll see.
Maybe you guys can extend the deadline until Christmas?

RSS Feeds

I've been using RSS feeds for a long time now, though it was only recently that I realized I was doing so. I've been downloading podcasts for a few years now through iTunes.
Recently I started using my Mac's Mail program and it was with this that I really started using RSS feeds. It makes it so easy that all you have to do is add a url and you have a feed. You can also choose a bookmark directly from your browser's bookmark folder!
Bloglines is a little less convenient than this, since you have to go online and log in to use it, as opposed to having it built into my email program. But overall it is very easy.
The only problem: I don't want to subscribe to 10 feeds! I'm just not interested at the moment. I have used CMLs feeds and I love the feature. I've gotten in at the very top of lists, as well as found out about recent books for authors who don't publish very often.
So I like RSS feeds and the CML ones rock, but I think I'll stick with the few I have in Mail.

Knitting 2.0

So, we can talk about anything technology related?
I guess that I would have to talk about a social networking site that blows my mind. It's called Ravelry and it's a site for knitters (and crocheters).
However, that description does not do it justice. Ravelry uses all of the best of Web 2.0 technologies, the abilities to post pictures, catalog personal collections, discuss with fellow enthusiasts, to really help knitters in their craft.
On an individual level, a person can catalog their needles, yarn, and books, and put information on the pieces they have completed, are working on, and want to work on. On a group level, this information can be searched by others to facilitate the sharing of ideas, patterns, and equipment, and group discussions can be used to talk with friends and get advice on projects.
For knitters (and crocheters), this site is a dream come true. I encourage anyone who crafts to give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

On a roll

On to thing 6.
Well, to be honest I wasn't really impressed with any of the api's I found. I mean, I'm sure that some of them would be useful if I was a heavy user or did not like the downloader for Flickr, but otherwise, I would just as soon do without them.
I did find one that was a little bit interesting though, and that's Flickriver Badge Creator. It allows you to create the setup shown below, which is a random showing of thumbnails from a set I created, Lake Hope 08 in this instance. If someone was interested in seeing more pictures they could click on a thumbnail or the whole thing to view my whole set.
It's a nice little way to put pictures into a blog, post, or webpage.
Nothing too fancy or exciting, just another way to spread the love, so to speak.

My life flickring before my browser

Well, on to task 5.
I was rather impressed by Flickr, I have to say. It's fairly easy and intuitive to upload and categorize pictures. The headings in your page don't seem to fit however. Like "You" as a link. Why not just put "Your Pictures?"
But I absolutely love the Flickr uploading program you can download to your desktop. It makes adding photos easy and efficient, though the feature to create sets from the program didn't work. I ended up having to recreate the set online once they were uploaded. Other than that though, I thought it was great.
I added some pictures I took while camping down in Lake Hope State park a few weeks ago with a friend as well as my favorite library picture. I took it outside the branch I work at in the CML system, and I love the way the late afternoon sun makes the sign seem to glow from within
To wrap up my experience, I have to say that the convergence that occurred between Flickr and Blogger was awesome. I mean, going beyond the convenience of being able to use my existing Gmail and Yahoo Mail accounts for these programs, having them talk to one another so that I can use either one to post blogs is so nice. Yay for Web 2.0!

Lifelong Learning

Okay, so I'm a bit behind in the L&P, but at least I'm working on it, right?
We were given a link to a presentation onSeven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners and asked to talk about what habits are easy and hard for us. The program is a little hokey, but the habits make sense.
The most difficult habit for me would have to be having confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner. Even though I work hard and can be a very effective learner, I sometimes find myself doubting my ability to effectively learn a new skill or subject. It usually works out, but that does not keep me from being overwhelmed by the task of learning something new from time to time.
One habit that comes easy to me is mentoring/teaching others. Almost as much as I love learning new skills, I love teaching others how to do the same. It is immensely satisfying knowing that you have passed on information that will let someone do something they've never done before.
But in the end, my favorite habit is the last one, 7 1/2, which is to have fun! What's the point in learning if you can't have fun doing it? I am most definitely having fun with the L&P, which is amazing since I'm getting paid for it.
Here's for getting paid to have fun!

Correction

I feel like I should correct a statement from my earlier post.
I don't hate all blogs.
In fact, I actually read a couple. But these blogs are either created by friends and tell their day-to-day stories, or are well-crafted sources of information.
When blogs are used in the library setting they can be really useful, too. Worthington Libraries used a blog to keep its patrons updated on the building of their new library. I don't know how much the community used it, but it is a well done blog that was continualy updated.
One that I know was sucessful was the Director's Blog created by Don Barlow, the Director of the Westerville Public Library. When they had a levy on the ballot a few years ago, Barlow used the blog to interact directly with the public, promoting the library and answering questions the voters had about it. There were some great discussions on there and it seems to have had a positive impact. They did win their levy, afterall. Perhaps this is something we, i.e. Pat, should consider in 2010.
So libraries can use blogs to their advantage, and some people can too. Some can. It seems like everyone has a blog these days (and I was proud to say I didn't until a few weeks ago...) and feel the need to state their opinion. This is fine, so long as I don't have to read them!
So not all blogs are evil. Just most of them.

A Non-typical Experiment

Let me just be upfront about this: I hate blogs.
I have absolutely nothing to say and so why create one? Not that this has stopped millions of others, but still, I have some standards.
However, CML is doing something totally unexpected and which I want to participate in. The downside: I have to create and update a blog in order to do it.
What are they doing, you may ask? They are jumping on the Library 2.0 bandwagon in a way that no other library is doing, and that's by allowing all staff, not just information staff, paid time to play with all of those great tools out there. And not just throwing them to the wolves either, but providing some structured learning for them to work with.
So even though I have to create a blog, I say it's a necessary evil in order to get even more experience in a subject I feel quite strongly about.