#23 Is this really the end or just the beginning...

Having reached the end of this program it is now time to reflect on the journey. Some of my favourite discoveries have been RSS feeds, wiki's, podcasts and ebooks. I will definitely continue to use and develop some of the "things" I have signed up for over the past nine weeks.



My goal at the beginning of this program was to become more familiar with emerging technologies. I have definitely achieved this goal and have found that I am already using the knowledge I have gained.



This absolutely is the beginning, I believe my library service will adopt some of these technologies and integrate them into our services. I also believe that Web 2.0 will become Web 3.0 etc etc. There are exciting possibilities for this technology and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this program.

"If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything" Mark Twain.

#22 Audiobooks

There has been a growing demand for audio books since all members of the library have had access to them. I think our library will definitely have to look at eaudiobooks as an option for the future (yay no more damaged items!!)

I looked at world ebook fair and with some persistence was able to listen to "The little match girl" by Hans Christian Andersen. I found this site a little difficult to navigate unlike many of the others we have looked at. I was slightly confused about what file I needed to click on/download to be able to listen to the book. Once I had worked it out I did find it lots of fun to play around with.

We may need to persuade some of our older customers to give this technology a try but I hope they will be easily converted once they realize what is available.

#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

I spent some time looking at podcast.net and podcastalley.com. There are so many podcasts to choose from! I found the podcast directories very easy to use and have subscribed to a RSS feed which has a podcast focusing on youth literature. The only down side I have found is the time it takes to download the podcast in order to listen to it. I prefer sites that have the podcast already available and can be easily accessed with the click of a button.

There are numerous potential uses for podcasts here in the library. Something simple like a podcast about how to become a library member and what resources you can access as a library member. Promotion of events no longer need to be solely visual we could also podcast these. This could definitely be a very useful resource which is only limited by our imagination.

#20 Youtube

Well I have heard alot about youtube, it finds its way into the news on occasion and now I have experienced it for myself. It was fun and I guess people could loose hours playing around on this site. I found this video while browsing and thought it was really cute.

There is so much junk on this site but for pure entertainment value was worth trying to sort through some of it. The categories make it easier to look for videos that may be of interest. I liked the home page and the constantly changing "video's being viewed now". It showed some videos that I probably would not have stumbled across any other way.

I don't think it has much to offer our library website but maybe I am not looking at it from outside of the square!

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 tools

Well I will start by saying that I did not read the last part of the discovery exercise (specifically "Could you see any applications for its use in a library setting?"). I looked at Cocktail Builder This is a site that allows you to enter the contents of your liquor cabinet (if you have one) and it will list relevant cocktails that can be made up from these ingredients. Like I said at the beginning of this blog - I didn't read the whole sentence so I guess unless planning a staff function this would have limited usefulness in a library setting (although it may end up a memorable Christmas party??)

However I did enjoy having a play around on this site. It was very easy to use it also gives the user the option of adding their own cocktails to the extensive list already available. There is also a blog specifically for the site so you can talk with other cocktail enthusiasts.

#18 Web based apps.

#18 Web based apps:

This is fantastic, I knew it had to happen eventually (free online word processing etc.). We have been turning people away for years because we didn't have office programs available for our users. I finally have somewhere to direct our customers.

Creating an account is simple and fast but unfortunately it is another login and password you need to remember. The tool bar is easy to use and it has all of the features I have ever wanted out of my word processor. I can see this being a really useful tool.

I have had some problems posting this blog straight from zoho writer it seems to keep cutting off the end of my blog so I have given up trying to work out why it wont cooperate with me. I will attempt to post a picture from zoho to complete this discovery exercise.