23 Things Summary

Keeping up with techonology is an important part of our job as librarians and this challenge provided a framework to learn about Web 2.0 in a fun, organized way. I now feel more familiar with some of the terminology and websites I hear discussed at meetings, but I am still unsure how Web 2.0 fits into my daily life as a librarian. I can answer questions about blogs and RSS feeds better, but how we can use this technology to improve our library's website or delivery of information is something I need to continue to explore.

La Habra Library

La Habra Library
Originally uploaded by librarypageturner

Library Picture

Library Map

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Podcasts

The Yahoo podcast directory says listening to a podcast is like listening to the radio, and I did find this to be true. If you find a topic you are interested in, then a podcast is a fun, easy way to keep up with information. I don't really envision myself searching for or listening to many podcasts, unless it is something educational for work. I have watched and listened to several webcasts, but of course, those included the visual element. For me the visual element makes a difference in my ability to focus on the topic, even though most to the time the presenters in a webcast are fairly stationary. Using the yahoo podcast directory I did find some interesting author interviews, and this might be a nice addition to a library website. A quick google search shows that other directories, including podcast.net, and itunes, also provide nice indexes for podcasts.

YouTube Part Two

I looked at YouTube earlier, but I took another look today at an amazing video about the web 2.0 phenomenom. I put a link to it on the blog.

Google Maps

I tried out Google maps but had a bit of difficulty. First, I assume the instructions mean to place a picuture of your library on the map, not actually make a map of our library. Placing a pointer and filling in the library's hours and website was easy. Adding the picture proved to be more problematic. I had to unblock the site, but the picture still shows up as a blank square. The actual picture does not show up even though I pasted the URL from Flickr. Does it have something to do with the fact I did not use Picassa? I will have to consult with someone else on the staff next week to see if I can make the picture appear.
On the Flickr website I was able to place one of my pictures on a map and this was quite easy to do.
Link to google map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=33.932334,-117.944477&spn=0.000857,0.001808&z=19&om=1

Online Productivity

I was aware that online word processing existed, but I have never tried the use any of the products. Now that we have a word processing program on all of our Internets it's not as critical, but this is certainly a nice option for students to use, especially if they don't own a flash drive. They could store their document online and then access it later on a different computer just by logging into their account. The online spreadsheet program was easy to use as well, almost easier than EXCEL!
I was able to save documents, easily email someone, and cc myself. I only signed up for an account on Google, but a quick look at wikipedia shows that other options are available:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_online_spreadsheets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_word_processors

Infopeople's Wiki

This is the entry I posted on Infopeople's 23 Things Wiki:

Flickr is useful in the library setting when you want to share pictures from an event, but do not want to worry about sending large graphic files to multiple emails. Instead you can share your Flickr information to distribute the pictures to many people.

Adding to the Wiki was so easy, I suppose one concern would be people adding erroneous information to your wiki. If someone becomes a problem, I do know you can block them from adding infomation in the future.

Wiki Sites

I looked at some of the following sites:

https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/

http://library.hud.ac.uk/wiki/Main_Page

http://library.hud.ac.uk/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/butler_wikiref/

Wikis

I tried siging up for a wiki on two different websites, pbwiki and wetpaint. Both were easy, but I like the templates on wetpaint.
The main advantage for a library to use a wiki for their website is that all employees can post to or modify the page. This means no submitting the information to the IT department and waiting for the information to be posted or worrying about miscommunication. Staff can post, update, or correct information immediately. Patrons can easily add comments or book reviews, also.
I know some libraries use wikis internally instead of an Intranet site. One library I am familiar with posts current facilities issues, meeting schedules, and other information for the staff on the wiki. This seems like a nice option for everyone to keep up with branch issues especially if there is more than one shift working at the branch.

Library 2.0

The more I read about library 2.0, the more I think it is just a way for us to reach out to new customers. More users are becoming technologically savvy, so we need to stay current to lure these users to the library. I think many librarians are motivated by the fear that libraries will become irrelevant in a time when people can use their cell phone to look up information or download e books at home. Personally, I don't think this is true. Of course I want to stay technologically up to date, but the truth is that most patrons are not technologically advanced. Everyday I help people who have trouble using the mouse or have trouble filling out a simple job application, and I am not just talking about the elderly, many 20-30-year-olds are not computer literate. Nonetheless, I do think we need to start using some of the new social software, but I don't think we need to get crazy about it and make our libraries or websites so advanced the typical user gets lost finding their information. Exactly what social software we need to incorporate is something I am still exploring. Some of the tools I have learned about thus far are fun for home, some have already been helpful in creating book displays, and what is still up for debate in my mind, is what tools would be helpful to incorporate on the library's website.

Technorati

I think what many of these web sites come down to is people trying to connect with other people who have similar interests. In our fast paced society where most people don't even know their neighbor, people are looking to connect with others. That is one reason MySpace is so popular, teens are making friends with other teens online.
The main reason I would use Technorati is to find people who are interested in similar pastimes so I can see what web sites, books, or stores they find useful and fun, since I may like them, as well. Technorati would be useful for finding out the "buzz" on current topics, too.
I keep thinking that someone needs to do a dissertation on the whole social web site phenomenon.

You Tube

I skipped ahead to You Tube because Technorati is just not fun! I am really not interested in other people's blogs, whether it belongs to a stranger or a friend, so right now I can't imagine a scenario in which I would search for a blog by subject. I'll go back to it again, though and give it another shot.
You Tube on the other hand, is more fun to use. I've been to the site before, usually as a link from a friend in an email. Most of the time it's been some funny personal video or commercial, but I have just discovered they have old cartoons on the site, and even clips from television shows. I just watched an old cartoon that I've been searching for. Once I missed an episode of dancing with the stars and the next day I was able to see some of the dances online. Someone must have taped the show and then loaded it one the site that same night. What I am wondering about is the copyright implications.
I haven't tried out any other video sites so I will have to search for those.

Del.icio.us

I see the point of delicious now, that you can access your favorite websites from any computer. It was easy to set up the account and the toolbar, but it seems like the link takes over your toolbar. Each time I log on I have to turn off the delicious toolbar so I can see my other links. Maybe I am just doing something wrong. Also, I share my work computer with someone else, so the link showed up on their toolbar as well. If I don't continue to use this site on a regular basis, I will just delete the link.
The social bookmarking aspect is an interesting concept. It's fun to see what other people saved as their favorites, since I may enjoy the same websites, too.

Rollyo

It was easy to register for and use Rollyo. I can definitely see myself using this site at home to search my favorite craft websites. When I told my friend about the site she thought it would be great to use when you are doing research to buy some new electronics. You could set up Rollyo to search key websites like Best Buy, Amazon, etc, all at once. This is a great find!

Library Thing

Library Thing was easy to use, but once again I need to read about how libraries are incorporating this into their website. It would be nice if patrons or staff at our branch libraries could add some descriptive tags, rather than just the LC subject headings.
For now, I just entered a few favorite titles to get the feel for the program. I liked being able to look at the covers of the books, rather than just a list of books. It seems like kids and teens would especially enjoy Library Thing to keep track of their books at home or just some books that they have read. I really don't see myself using this at home to catalog my own books, but I might use it to look for other books to read. In that respect Library Thing is like Novelist.
I can also see using Library Thing for collection development. For instance, I think our teen/adult fantasy paperback section needs improved. It looks like there is a FantasyFans Group that has a list of toughstone works and since I am not into this genre, this might be a good starting point. If people are passionate enough to write about these books, they must have some merit for other fantasy readers. Other groups on Library Thing , like the Knitters, have a list of the most commonly shared books. This is another example of how this site could be helpful in updating some subject areas.
Finally, it looks like this can just be another online social gathering place for people with similar interests. Librarians have a group and it looks like all sorts of issues are discussed, like problems with homeless people, not just book topics.

Teaching Others

Teaching others about some of the technologies I have been learning about is actually number 22 on the list, but I have been doing this each step of the way. It's exciting when you learn about a new website and personally I want to share the information right away. Our teen library assistant is already using one of the Flickr mashup sites and other FD Flickr Toys to create some fun displays and to help generate some images for an upcoming craft program, decoupaging cigar boxes. I have also been talking to one of our library student interns about some of the sites, although she has already been introduced to some of them throught her classes.

Online Image Generators

I could spend hours playing with the online generators! Some of them could be really helpful in generating posters for programs or book displays in the library. I am anxious to try some of them at home using my vacation photos. Some of the tools available help make pictures very professional and unique and some generators are just fun. I especially liked using the links on FD Flickr Toys http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/.

Twitter

I signed up for Twitter and posted 2 entries. I was also able to easily link my Twitter updates to my blog. Although teens might find Twitter a fun way to keep up on their friend's activities, I am guessing most of them would just use their phones to text message each other. I am not sure how we could effectively incorporate Twitter into our library web site. I will have to do some research and find some libraries that use the site.

RSS Feeds on Blogspot

Turns out adding an RSS feed to this blog is also fairly simple. I added a feed to CNN top stories to keep up with what is happening in the world.

Class and RSS Feeds

Well, my Infopeople class was cancelled because the venue could not get wifi access. I was looking forward to learning about Web 2.0 from an instructor and getting some hands on practice with new tools, but the class will be rescheduled for a later date at a new location.

Although I thought adding an RSS feed would be difficult, I gave a try and found out it was much easier than anticipated. I added a cooking blog for fun, 2 news blogs, and a book blog. I like the idea of being able to check one site and get the top news stories for the day.

At this point I only used Bloglines to set up the RSS feeds and not to blog, so I have no comparison there. My next question is how to add an RSS feed to this blog.

RSS Feeds and Bloglines

In preparation for a class on Monday, I already signed up for a Bloglines account which was easy to do. I have heard about RSS feeds before and I just finished reading a bit about them, but the real test will be to set one up when I tackle task #8 on the list.

Libraries Using Web 2.0 Effectively

The Charlotte & Mecklenbery County web site was amazing. I think our library system could also use RSS feeds to promote programs since we have one website for many different branch libraries. I know Second Life is something that is popular and even used by some University Libraries, but I really don't understand the appeal. Maybe our teen advisory board would be interested in exploring the site, however.

I think the advantage of using an entire site based on blogging software like the Ann Arbor Library, is that people at branch libraries can add their own information or modify existing posts. In our system the IT Team takes care of the web site so changes have to go throught them which takes some time.

I thought the Denver Public Library's site was great. I didn't think it was too hard to find the podcasts from the homepage, but then again I am a Librarian. I don't know if the general public would think to look under downloads. The podcasts were quite easy to use and although families could check out books on tape/CD at the library, it's nice that kids could access some online stories at home.
For adults it would be nice to have some author interviews or book discussions. In our library system we are planning a literary festival so it would be great to have podcasts of the speeches available afterwards. Some teaser interviews from the authors would also be good publicity.
It is interesting to see that many of the libraries are now offering e-movies. Our library currently offers e-audiobooks, but it looks like we may need to look into this new movie format. It would certainly free up some shelf space!

On the Seattle Public Library site I like the idea of patrons being able to subscribe to our upcoming program information. It's helpful that they can use RSS feeds or get emails. I would love it if we could get the program information to our regular patrons in this manner! On this web site I was impressed to see the information available in so many different languages.
It makes more sense to me to have a My Space Teen Page than something in Second Life. Just about every teen that uses the Internet at our library has a My Space page so it just seems easier and more practical.

On a different library's website they had an RSS feed from a news source like CNN as a side bar. Maybe something like that would encourage patrons to make our catalog their homepage.

Looks like our library web site is behind the times!!

Flickr Mashups

I am beginning to see the usefulness of Flickr in the library setting. When we have programs, especially for the teens, we could post the pictures on Flickr instead of printing out pictures or sending emails. Flickr gives us an easy way share library pictures with a large number of people. Perhaps it could help when writing grant proposals. We could access our historical pictures quickly and easily.

I enjoyed looking at the ten best Flickr Mashups. I especially liked Spell with Flickr, Tagnautica, and Colr Pickr.

Blogspot vs Bloglines

In July I will be taking another Infopeople course on Web 2.0 entitled "Web 2.0: Searching Innovations." In preparation for the class we had to register a blog account in Bloglines. I think this will offer a great opportunity to compare the two programs. So far I just registered for the blog, I haven't done any posting. After the class I will evaluate and see which is easier to use.

Flickr

I completed task #4, exploring Flickr. I uploaded some pictures from a recent vacation to France. It was quite easy to use, but I am unsure how I would actually use the site in the future. When I want to share picures with friends and family I usually just give them prints or send them an email. It's fun to look at what pictures other people are taking, however. I especially enjoyed the map feature because I can look at pictures from a particular place in the world.

Web 2.0

I watched the webcast, Web 2.0: What Library Managers Need to Know, and am ready to start the 23 Web 2.0 Things Challenge!