Thursday, May 10, 2007

Summary of My Experiences with Learning 2.0



This was an incredibly exciting learning experience for me! Thank you to the Library 2.0 team, Laurel and David, for designing and facilitating the program and to KCLS for sponsoring and supporting this labor and time intensive program for staff development. It has been worthwhile several times over for me. It has fostered my lifelong learning goals as a librarian, in both my teen services and reference work, as a mom of a teenager and as a constructive and productive citizen of a constantly changing world in which technology is playing a larger and larger role.

All of the learning sessions were useful as they offered an overview of what is available in cyberspace. I knew very little starting out the program and, therefore, was often surprised by the variety and sophistication of tools available. I was also often surprised at the creativity of web-users and the willingness of people to design and participate in web-based experiences. It also continues to amaze me how much time people spend online and all the opportunuities that exist to live online--a good reason why libraries and librarians should be cyber-savvy!

My favorite experiences were *Creating a Blog, *Flickr, *RSS Feeds, *LibraryThing, *Mash-ups, *YouTube and *Podcasts. My most frustrating experiences were with MySpace and del.icio.us. I would haved liked a longer session on the KCLS ecollection (music/videos as well as books).

Learning 2.0 was well set up and clearly defined with an understandable format, flow and goals. It was easy to be successful. Also, having work time to go through the program was crucial; it fostered communication and sharing with the workplaces and cluster. staff helped each other out and learned together -- wonderful concept and result! I would love to see similar training opportunities as new library-relevant technologies appear -- YES!! I have discovered I really enjoy learning hands-on online.

Improvements: only minor ones needed. As others have pointed out, most of the sessions took longer than 20 minutes; I averaged 45-60 minutes per session. That was OK, but it would have helped to have a more realistic time estimate before starting each session. And perhaps only two sessions a week -- three sometimes felt overwhelming to those of us who wanted to "keep up".

Available Help: I found I could get help with all my questions so far within the branch/cluster and I have had other staff members ask me for guidance, too. Having Learning 2.0 Advocates in the community libraries is helpful and reassuring--a good idea.

If I had to do it over agin, I would definitely choose to participate in the program. I am very glad I did.

The L-Team

Monday, May 7, 2007

YouTube and Podcasts

YouTube is truly addicting...and really entertaining. Its all very grass-roots and low-tech and democratic. I looked at alot of library-related" videos, many of them were alot of fun but still got a message across, like "The L-Team" and "Ninja Librarian". I can see alot of potential for putting out all kinds of messages about KCLS and its programs and services to people through YouTube. I think the key, though, is to make the videos short and entertaining.



I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the podcast directories. On PODCASTS.NET, I found alot of library audios, many of which looked esoteric and/or boring, even to me -- a veteran librarian. Just because you can make a podcast doesn't mean you should! Maybe as podcasts become the norm, we will be more selective in what we choose to broadcast. I was thrilled, however, to find *Hennepin County Library TeenLinks Podcasts*, where teens review books and discuss the library programs they like and in which they are involved. I added an RSS feed to my Bloglines account from this site!

Monday, April 30, 2007

Wow...Web 2.0 Awards!

Nice to see that sites that I like and use, such as Technorati and Bloglines, have won awards. I like the way each category has a summary describing the category...very helpful when one has no initial idea of the purpose of the sites, like "Peer Production News", for instance.

I looked at the book-related sites, of course, and was especially taken by Lulu, www.lulu.com, a self-publishing site. Interesting to see what people are publishing, what the needs and interests are outside of the mainstream publishing industry choices.

I also was blown away by the winner of the "Mashups" category, Supreme Court Zeitgeist, www.judgejohnroberts.com. A site like this is a fabulous reference desk find!

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Google Labs

Amazing how many things there are to discover...way more than 27 I'd venture to guess! Anyway, Google Labs was one of them for me.

My favorite, in terms of potential usefulness to my library work, was Goggle Suggest. I like the way it came up with potential search terms as I typed more letters into my search...and I was surprised at the usefulness of some of the suggested terms. I can see using this Lab in my on-desk searching. Google Suggest was much better than Google Sets, which I think was kind of off-base and uninspired when it comes to linked areas/terms.

I also looked at Google Trends and Google Mars...fun but not really exciting or useful. And Google Transit, which I liked..glad to see Seattle was listed as an accessible city...would be great to have more cities added...a good traveling tool.

Sharing is good/No discs needed!

Enjoyed learning about Google Docs AND Zoho Writer. I actually liked the format, options and operation of Zoho Writer slightly better, but I am more likely to use Google since I am there so often!

I just love the capacity with both these programs to save, share and collaboratively edit documents...all without saving to a disc or drive or sending back and forth through e-mail. I can easily see KCLS applications, especially the capacity to share, access and edit documents effortlessly from any computer in a cluster.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Library 2.0 Debate


Wendy Schultz really hit a chord for me with her article, "To a temporary place in time..." For one, she places libraries in an evolving historical context, judging neither past, present or future, but accepting change and making sure that she is an agent of change by helping to guide it in the ways that she envisions:

"The ongoing Library 2.0 debate frames library renewal within the current trends transforming our information infra-structure. But those trends themselves will evolve, even mutate, under pressure from emerging change. A futures perspective asks us to reconnect this dialogue to the grand sweep of time from the treasured past to the adventure of the future—and to put people and meaning at the center of our concerns."

***PEOPLE AND MEANING*** Shultz values the past, imagines the future and sees the present as a continual transition...which is the way it has always been! I love her insight and humor...and her ability to dignify past, present and future at the same time. No haranging or criticizing, no placing technology in a superior position. Always keeping the good as libraries evolve, Schultz's Library 4.0 would include Library 1.0-3.0 rather than evolve beyond them...these ideas of library evolution are spherical, circular, fluid...not linear and rigid. And I love her final inclusion of the library piece that we will always need...the retreat, the WIFREE space, the sensual, the "relaxation spa"...part of, included in, not in opposition to, the multi-dimensional library that will live beyond our ability to experience it.

I read all the other articles, and could argue or agree intellectually with each of them, but none affected me like the Schultz article and made me feel glad to be a librarian and to see myself as part of an evolving cultural community.

Custom Search Engines

Missed the podcast this week --I realize I look forward to hearing how my library co-workers have found creative ways to apply new technologies to library uses.

Didn't see all that much difference between searching on Rollyo and Google except format and, as mentioned, the sponsored results on Rollyo but not on Google. I searched for "teen gaming" and "best books". I actually liked the screen "look" for Rollyo a little better, but I chose to create my custom search engine in Google because I am already signed up with Google, use Google regularly and thought it might be more useful in the long run.

I was going to do a library related search engine on "readers advisory" sites, but actually there seems to be little need for a custom search engine like that because it is a pretty straightforward search -- I get a whole list of good sites right away. Instead I created Bead Favorites Search Engine, where I can look for beading/jewelry/wire working supplies without looking through pages of sites I don't want. And, trying it out afterwards it turned out to be very useful...much more useful than just having my favorite sites in "Favorites" or on del.icio.us because I can search the contents of all the sites with one click.

I can see that the custom search engine feature can be useful for those of us with passions (loved the Wine Search engine!) and for those areas where it is difficult through a general search to pinpoint just the useful sites. Good, as usual, to learn about web features...it will allow me to be aware of possible future uses!

Friday, April 13, 2007

Playing Around!!


Well, I did have alot of fun playing around with the Generator Blog stuff...yes, one of my absolute favorites is the Nietzsche Family Circus Generator. I was going to upload a cartoon from that site, but I'm having trouble accessing it today, so I will visit and upload a random gem another day. I also created characters I liked from South Park and the Simpsons, but didn't want to go through the complexities of saving them. So...I made myself a cute dollar bill from the money generator site: http://en.festisite.com/tools/generators/money/

Monday, April 2, 2007

The Wonder of Wikis!

Well, exploring wikis was exceptionally fun.
As usual, I really enjoyed the podcast. Listening to Sarah talk so articulately about using a wiki at her library really helped me understand the benefit of wikis for communicating information that is needed quickly and that changes quickly.
Also, I really loved the St Joseph Subject Guides wikis. Very creative and entertaining with a local focus. Maybe KCLS could do something like this, with different regional connections.
I also really enjoyed looking at the Library Best Practices Wiki; it has the potential to be a really good resource if more librarians contribute ideas to it. I did find a really useful article there on weeding political biography.
I also thought the Book Lovers Wiki was a great idea for an adult summer reading program...and something we could adapt, possibly, for KCLS.
On a personal note, I also found two more book review sources to add as RSS feeds!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Del.icio.us and Technorati

It was interesting to explore del.icio.us and to read all the articles about its potential and possibilities. I can see that it would be helpful for someone doing extensive internet research or someone who has to move around to different computer terminals and wants to be able to save and access certain sites. In terms of library staff use, one possibility is making a "hard-to-find" answer file of internet sites that could be accessed on all the reference computers -- it would be much handier than the old card (and barely ever used now) card files.

I had alot of fun with Technorati! I can see I could waste many hours finding out what people have to say about all my favorite topics, although I didn't see too many immediate library applications. One feature I appreciate, which adds some means of narrowing and evaluating results, are the "authority" choices (any, some or alot). And, also, opening up one blog result, I got a warning that it might be a "phishing" site or a possible scam -- interesting feature.

(picture from typografica)

LibraryThing -- A Fun Discovery

For six years I have been keeping a notebook of all the books I read each month. I can see that now I could discontinue the notebook and just use LibraryThing. It is fun to see how many other people have read the books I have and what others think of them. And...not that I really need MORE book suggestions, but when I do, I can see that I will easily find them on LibraryThing!

My LibraryThing account is at:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=roguereader

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Postscript: RSS

I have really been enjoying the RSS feeds I chose, mostly library-related items, cartoons, book reviews, veggie recipes and health news, plus of course, KCLS 27things and my fellow KCLS bloggers. And I have been helping other staff members now identify RSS feeds on websites..definitely feel like I've learned something!

MySpace Explorations


OK, I successfully created a MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/roguereader) although I am not really interested in having one. I am glad to see some of how MySpace worked and was glad to be able to have privacy options. I hate the advertising and I can't really see using the page, but never say never, I guess. As much as it seems I use computers, I still am not of the generation that link "computers" and "community". I think "Second Life", on the other hand, is a totally intriguing concept...the true merger of computer game and community interaction.
Thank you so much, Learning 2.0 crew, for referencing the readings from Libraryman, David Lee King, Stephen Abram and Librarian in Black. It was fascinating to read the variety of opinions about libraries' place/visibility on MySpace. I am being won over to the idea of library teen pages on MySpace...they are safe sites, with good stimulating connections for kids...and kids have the choice of connecting or ignoring library pages. And it does allow libraries to go where the kids are. I do wish MySpace would allow non-profit organizations to register as organizations, though, not as fictional individuals.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Feeding My Mind!


Wow! Learning about RSS feeds has been mind-expanding. It continues to amaze me how much information is available in the cyber-world. On the other hand, it is overwhelming how much information is available in the cyber-world. And the nagging thought, as I add feeds and explore everything I can tap into, is...how important is all of this information anyway? How much of it do we really take in and synthesize into knowledge or integrate into life wisdom?
Philosophy aside, it is good to know the meaning of "RSS" and "XML", it was fun to create a collection of feeds and it took alot more than 20 minutes to do either lessons #7 or #8. It will be interesting to see which RSS feeds continue to be useful and fun to keep up with and which I will eventually dump or replace.
I found it much easier to go to my favorite sites or to just do Google searches for interesting sites than to use the RSS search tools. I thought they all gave strange and unexpected results for my searches. And I did, finally, reach a saturation point in using the RSS search tools. I came to feel like there is alot of useless "information" out there and that there is a time for feeding my mind and a time for feeding my body and soul...so now it is time for some quiet music, playing with my kitty cat and clearing my mind so it doesn't get "overstuffed".

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Flickr Mashups -- Amazing!


I am amazed at the technological creativity of people with Flickr connections. I looked at several different mashups; some I couldn't get to work (like "Mappr") but I thought "Spell with Flickr" was really fun! Now I just have to figure out how to print my picture-words. The learning continues...

Monday, March 5, 2007

My Hometown Library --Northampton MA


I found this image on Flickr, posted by Flickr user pinksnapper , of the library I grew up using in my hometown of Northampton Massachusetts. It looks alot like it did when I was little, although there were no gateposts by the driveway then. The entrance to the "children's room" is on the right-hand side of the photo near the driveway...I remember winning a summer reading award contest there. It was a big deal when I was old enough to use the main library and go in the front entrance...and in high school, I had to have my parents' permission to take D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover out of "the cage", a locked part of the stacks. I wonder if "the cage" still exists?!
Flickr seems like a lot of fun to use. I'm not a photographer and don't really like taking pictures, but I like to look at other people's photos. And I like the multiple ways of tagging, or indexing, in Flickr; there is the potential here to get lost here floating from one set of photos into another. This session took me alot longer than 20 minutes to complete...I'm going on an hour here, with exploring Flickr, listening to the podcast with Pam, figuring out how to upload a photo and now blogging. I am, however, enjoying myself and will undoubtedly come back to Flickr again.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

"Podcasts" Article/Book Reference

Ths COSTCO magazine (March '07) features an article on the use of podcasts in marketing...interesting. And it references a book What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting: Real-Life Advice from 101 People Who Successfully Leverage the Power of the Blogosphere by Ted Demopoulos (Kaplan, 2006), which a quick look at the KCLS catalog reveals we do not own -- yet. This only caught my eye because I have started the 27Things! This is definitely launching me into new areas of learning.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

All New To Me!

OK...now I feel kind of underwater, what with permanent links and weekly blog postings...but now my blog is recorded and registered and visible. And I am ready to start recording my impressions and responses, even if they will be a little water-logged.

Monday, February 26, 2007

First Impressions

My blog...amazing! I am certainly enjoying this exploration of new techno-worlds. Though I feel a bit shaky on the whys and wherefores. The instructions for Learning 2.0 so far have certainly been clear...and I really enjoyed the podcast (also a new concept for me!) with David and Zina. I am looking forward to boosting my level of knowledge in many areas because almost all of the 27 things are either fuzzy...or brand-new...for me. A little intimidating, but...onward and outward into the cyber-universe. Thanks, Learning 2.0 team!