Here we are! I think this has been a great exercise - hopefully everyone has enjoyed it and has taken away something from it. It was indeed a challenge- some of the exercises didn't "go" as easily as expected. I love learning about technology- but I get just a frustrated as anyone else does when things don't work.
I think I learned the most when trying to help everyone else. Patience and a sense of adventure takes you a long way! I hope to use this as a springboard to teach a tech class to the pubic here soon.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Thing 22: eaudiobooks
Overdrive does not work with macs, "At this time, OverDrive digital audio books cannot be downloaded to Ipods or be used on Mac computers. " There are "hacks" one could do to get around the whole DMR... I'm not of course, advocating that in any way.
I downloaded The Historian for a recent car trip. It was great- and I didn't run into any problems (I borrowed my bf's pc). The problem was that since I didn't run into any problems- it can be an issue in helping people problem solve here at the library.
The most frustrating error I have seen has people update some software- but it neglects to say which version. As a user- you would assume you need the most recent- but no...sometimes you don't! The end result is going in circles and probably making a very frustrating situation for a patron. I wish I could replicate the exact problem she had, so that I could know what to do in the future.
Some things to note when helping people with Overdrive:
1. Note what OS they are using
2. Make sure they are using a pc, not a mac
3. Make sure they have downloaded the software BEFORE trying to get a title.
4. Make sure any updates have been installed.
eaudiobooks are very cool- I think they would get a lot more use if more people new about them. What would you rather listen to during your morning commute- Mark and Brian or a new audiobook?
I downloaded The Historian for a recent car trip. It was great- and I didn't run into any problems (I borrowed my bf's pc). The problem was that since I didn't run into any problems- it can be an issue in helping people problem solve here at the library.
The most frustrating error I have seen has people update some software- but it neglects to say which version. As a user- you would assume you need the most recent- but no...sometimes you don't! The end result is going in circles and probably making a very frustrating situation for a patron. I wish I could replicate the exact problem she had, so that I could know what to do in the future.
Some things to note when helping people with Overdrive:
1. Note what OS they are using
2. Make sure they are using a pc, not a mac
3. Make sure they have downloaded the software BEFORE trying to get a title.
4. Make sure any updates have been installed.
eaudiobooks are very cool- I think they would get a lot more use if more people new about them. What would you rather listen to during your morning commute- Mark and Brian or a new audiobook?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Thing 21: Podcasts, Schmodcasts
I'm a mac user- so I'm really more comfortable with the itunes search for podcasts. I subscribe to three podcasts through itunes: one for workout music (techno beats) and one for green living, and the other is from ABC's show Lost. The workout one gets played more in my car than at the gym. Sometimes I think I could get more done with a bit of techno going on in the background at work- but I think that would drive people nuts.
I searched podcast.net for some others. I browsed through some library, book, and audio book podcasts. I also found some cool crafter, cardio beats, and buget travel.
It goes to show- there is something for everyone out there.
I searched podcast.net for some others. I browsed through some library, book, and audio book podcasts. I also found some cool crafter, cardio beats, and buget travel.
It goes to show- there is something for everyone out there.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Thing 20: YouTube
Conan the Librarian! ( Now that's a great security system! )
YouTube is super fun, and useful. Aside from off the wall stuff like Mr. Conan the Librarian, you can share presentation, or use it find historical information to add to a presentation. YouTube is really neat because it is so user driven. People are uploading their own videos- at a really fast rate. There's a lot of network people unhappy with having their television shows, or parts of tv shows on it. Controversy aside, I think YouTube will be around for quite a while.
Thing 18: Web based applications
I opted out of the zoho option and chose to use the Google documents instead. I use gmail and have played with google documents a little bit before. If you have a gmail account, and open an attachment, you can choose to open it or save it to google documents. This is quite handy.
I have also coached patrons in establishing google accounts (note: this is not a gmail account). I have them create the accounts and save their documents to it when they do not have a disk to save their work on. Everyone has seemed very pleased with this, and they like the idea of being able to access their documents from anywhere they have an Internet connection.
Google documents is also quite handy in collaborate settings. Whether in school, or at work, there are times when several people are working on drafts of documents. The nice thing about google documents is that you can invite others to view, edit, change, or invite others to see the documents. You can see who changed what, and when. Looking at the history of a document is very similar to looking at the history of a wiki- you can select current and compare two versions.
I'm using google documents right now to collaborate on a letter for an upcoming oral history project. Hopefully the others like it as much as I do!
I have also coached patrons in establishing google accounts (note: this is not a gmail account). I have them create the accounts and save their documents to it when they do not have a disk to save their work on. Everyone has seemed very pleased with this, and they like the idea of being able to access their documents from anywhere they have an Internet connection.
Google documents is also quite handy in collaborate settings. Whether in school, or at work, there are times when several people are working on drafts of documents. The nice thing about google documents is that you can invite others to view, edit, change, or invite others to see the documents. You can see who changed what, and when. Looking at the history of a document is very similar to looking at the history of a wiki- you can select current and compare two versions.
I'm using google documents right now to collaborate on a letter for an upcoming oral history project. Hopefully the others like it as much as I do!
Thing 17: Wiki Sandbox
I hope the sandbox is a fun place for everyone to try things out without worry of getting it wrong. I think it shows that the wikis are pretty easy to use - you don't need to know a lot or really any html coding.
Again, I hope that we can call use wikis to collaborate on RA and other services at the library.
Again, I hope that we can call use wikis to collaborate on RA and other services at the library.
Thing 16: Wikis
For a while I have been trying to think how we can use technology- namely wikis- to make things run more easily and effectively. One way- I thought we use a wiki as our home page at the reference desk. We could have the ref desk schedule/calendar/and notices (ie window is broken, be on the lookout for x, police called on x date) on there. We could have links to our delicious account, and link out to another RA wiki.
As for the recommended wikis to review: I really liked the concept behind The Book Lovers Wiki, from Princeton Public Library. It looks like they had their public participate in reviewing books from the summer reading program. This is great for many reasons: SRP is a great way to introduce this concept- and it can be carried through the year- and it is a way of gathering some statistical data. Sure- circ stats are better- but here you get to read what your patrons think about the books. It looks like Princeton Public Library leans more towards nonfiction than fiction.
I have started a RA wiki for San Clemente. I hope that we can make it public, and maybe it will be become something like the Princeton Public Library's wiki.
As for the recommended wikis to review: I really liked the concept behind The Book Lovers Wiki, from Princeton Public Library. It looks like they had their public participate in reviewing books from the summer reading program. This is great for many reasons: SRP is a great way to introduce this concept- and it can be carried through the year- and it is a way of gathering some statistical data. Sure- circ stats are better- but here you get to read what your patrons think about the books. It looks like Princeton Public Library leans more towards nonfiction than fiction.
I have started a RA wiki for San Clemente. I hope that we can make it public, and maybe it will be become something like the Princeton Public Library's wiki.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Thing 15: Views on 2.0
I read Into a new world of librarianship and To a temporary place in time... both had really interesting things to say about the how web 2.0 affects library 2.0.
I think what it comes down to is that we are humans, in a world that requires service. If you cannot provide the service in a way that the public demands, they will go elsewhere. If you provide services that the public needs, but cannot connect with the public- what good are your services?
Although 2.0 is tech heavy- I think it really goes beyond technology and straight in customer service. If someone comes to the ref desk, and asks a basic tech question that cannot be answered, what is the likelihood that they will return?
2.0 ideology has an ingrained sense of being fluid, flexible, and aware.
I think what it comes down to is that we are humans, in a world that requires service. If you cannot provide the service in a way that the public demands, they will go elsewhere. If you provide services that the public needs, but cannot connect with the public- what good are your services?
Although 2.0 is tech heavy- I think it really goes beyond technology and straight in customer service. If someone comes to the ref desk, and asks a basic tech question that cannot be answered, what is the likelihood that they will return?
2.0 ideology has an ingrained sense of being fluid, flexible, and aware.
Thing 14: Technorati
I'm starting to feel like that skit from "In Living Color"- with my past hated it/loved it comments. But I again loved it! I think technorati is the love child of delicious. I had the same thrill of browsing, sorting, etc.
I tried searching crafting, librarians, and reader's advisory. You can choose from Quick View, Posts, Blogs, Videos, or Photos. I went straight to Blogs and had a great time with this. It was interesting to see how many "fans" some popular library bloggers - such as libraryman have - also interesting to see how they are ranked according to authority.
The only thing that bugged me was that the website itself kept having error messages. When I hit reload it worked fine.
I'm looking forward to playing with this some more!
I tried searching crafting, librarians, and reader's advisory. You can choose from Quick View, Posts, Blogs, Videos, or Photos. I went straight to Blogs and had a great time with this. It was interesting to see how many "fans" some popular library bloggers - such as libraryman have - also interesting to see how they are ranked according to authority.
The only thing that bugged me was that the website itself kept having error messages. When I hit reload it worked fine.
I'm looking forward to playing with this some more!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Thing 13: Delicious
Wow it has certainly been quite some time since I have posted.
I absolutely love del.icio.us. I had heard of it prior to 23 things, but I never really explored it. I love the idea of having your set of favorites being portable- sharable- etc. Also love the little tool you can download to make adding to your del.icio.us so much easier.
In creating the account for the San Clemente Library- I wanted to see what other libraries are doing with del.icio.us. I came across the San Mateo Library's account, and really liked how they use Dewey to organize everything. It makes browsing so much easier. They also had some great links that I used for our account too.
Also fun is to browse the del.icio.us pics on the homepage. You can come across some great websites you may not hear of otherwise. It's also neat to do some searches- such as "foreign languages" and see what comes up. I found some great links for free podcasts- even tried one in German.
Try it yourself and see what you come up with!
I absolutely love del.icio.us. I had heard of it prior to 23 things, but I never really explored it. I love the idea of having your set of favorites being portable- sharable- etc. Also love the little tool you can download to make adding to your del.icio.us so much easier.
In creating the account for the San Clemente Library- I wanted to see what other libraries are doing with del.icio.us. I came across the San Mateo Library's account, and really liked how they use Dewey to organize everything. It makes browsing so much easier. They also had some great links that I used for our account too.
Also fun is to browse the del.icio.us pics on the homepage. You can come across some great websites you may not hear of otherwise. It's also neat to do some searches- such as "foreign languages" and see what comes up. I found some great links for free podcasts- even tried one in German.
Try it yourself and see what you come up with!
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