#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.

#17 Play around with PBWiki

I have now successfully added my blog to the PB Sandbox Wiki. This was quite easy once I had the password to log in.

#16 Wiki's

I really like the idea of wiki's and can see lots of potential uses for them in our library. I think it is fantastic that anyone can add, edit or delete content without having to know html. I also like that there are tracking tools that allow users to keep up with any changes that have been made and that users have the option of going back to earlier versions if they choose.

While looking at the book lovers wiki I found that once I had accessed the 5 star review link it continually looped me back to this page and I found it hard to access any of the other links. I do like this concept and would love to see my library adopt a similar project.

I also spent some time on the St. Joseph County Public Library wiki. This site has some really great features. I really liked that patrons could subscribe to a reading history if they wanted and that reference questions could be asked and answered via live chat.

I do hold some reservations when wiki's like wikipedia are making information available to people that may be inaccurate, but I guess that we need to educate our users to look for authoritative resources when researching information.

#15 On Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Web 2.0 seems to be another step in the ever changing landscape of library land. Any industry that utilises technology will find that they will also evolve with the technology they use.

I believe my library is a little bit behind those described in the perspectives I read. Most of my customers sole purpose for visiting the library is to select a book (or twenty) to take home and read. Traditional users using the library for traditional purposes. They are still afraid of the computer catalogues we have let alone adventurous enough to be writing a blog. I look forward to the day that they come in and use our Internet computers to download the latest e-book by their favourite author.

While I can see the potential for many of the tools we have experimented with while learning Web 2.0 I have some concerns. The importance of using reliable sources when using the Internet as an information tool has always been recognised. I feel that this generation of Web 2.0 takes that reliability away - anyone can write a blog or add a tag. Are there any checks in place to make sure we are still providing our customers with accurate information. Are our customers going to take this type of information as gospel because they obtained it from the library.

Libraries do need to change to maintain our usefulness but there are huge obstacles in our path. Budget restrictions, staff time, staffing levels - just to name a few. I'm sure we will get there and can't wait to see what the next wave of Internet Web 3.0? will bring.

#14 Technorati

This is a site I will be visiting again. People will talk/blog about anything!

This is a really easy tool to use. I found that a lot of the same blogs came up when I searched specifically under "tags" and "blog directory" but using these search tools did narrow the general search from over seven thousand hits to just over seven hundred.

I don't really think that I have anything of any real value to add to the blogging world so I didn't claim my blog or tag my posts. I did however like "watchlist" and will spend some more time exploring this.

#13 del.icio.us

This is a really great tool for the dedicated web user. A great way to have immediate access to all or your favorite web sites from any internet enabled PC.

I really like that the tag cloud has identified the most popular tags by font size.

G. K. Chesterton
"A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author."

#12 Rollyo

I have created an account with Rollyo, it was easy to set up but I don't think I am using it to its full potential.

I created a searchroll about Childrens craft activities, here is the link - http://rollyo.com/search.html?q=childrens+craft&sid=320870

I feel like I missed the point of this one - I might need to spend some more time playing around!

#11 LibraryThing

This tool is really easy to sign up and use. My Catalogue can be found at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/GoMatildas, I added some of the books I have read recently to my catalogue.

#10 Image generators

This image was created using http://www.doppelme.com/create/index.asp You can create your whole character from scratch.

A good friend will bail you out of jail, a great friend will help you bury the body. :)

#9 Finding Feeds

I found http://www.feedster.com/ and http://www.technorati.com/ both easy to use. I spent the most time on technorati - I like the way you can view recent blogs, use the "popular" tab to see what is a hot topic at the moment or search by area of interest like - entertainment, politics, sport or technology etc.

I also found feeds to some of my favourite sites by locating the RSS button on the page.

#8 Create a blogline account

This is a really cool way of keeping up to date. There are so many news feed and blog's to choose from. I could really get carried away with this and end up spending my whole day reading blogs.... I like the way it is presented and it was really easy to sign up and use.

My blogline account can be found at - http://rpc.bloglines.com/blogroll?html=1&id=Karma04

I currently have 10 feeds I subscribe to.

#7 Technology

Where would we be without technology. I remember using my school library, everything was located using the card catalogue. It took up more space than a small vehicle but was easy to use and obviously very effective. Libraries have come such a long way since then. Our customers can now log onto the internet anywhere in the world and look to see what items the library holds. Not only that but they can request the item, see when it is due back and also see how many people are already in the queue waiting for that item. I can only imagine what the future will bring.

#6 Flickr mashups

The mashup that I found intriguing is called Virtual Video Map. It presents as a map of the world and wherever there is a link on the map you can click to that location and view videos from that area.

#5 Discovering Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miir/1448070156/

This is awesome!! what a great photo. Each time I look at it I see something different.

Flickr has some really cool features like "a year ago today" and "interestingness". I look forward to spending some more time wandering around this site.

#3 Creating a blog

I definately found the most dificult part of this excercise was coming up with a name and yet another password that I need to somehow remember along with all of the other codes and passwords that take up space in my brain!!! (lol)

karma [ krmə ] (plural karmas)
noun
Definition:

1. actions determining future state: in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, the quality of somebody's current and future lives as determined by that person's behaviour in this and in previous lives

2. atmosphere: the atmosphere radiated by a place, situation, person, or object ( informal )

3. destiny: destiny or fate