In 2002, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded OCLC Online Computer Library Center a three-year grant to build a portal for public libraries and other organizations that provide public access to information.
WebJunction is an amazing resource. Self described as an "online community for library staff", it has resources, training courses and a community of members that can interact in various ways, such as forums, discussion boards, wikis and blogs. WebJunction is a cooperative of library staff sharing and using online resources that enable us to identify and embrace appropriate technologies and apply them to our daily work.
20.4.09
#17 Podcasts
Looks like Yahoo will no longer have a Podcast search, so must move on to other specialized search engines. Looks like the Podcast directory is still up and running as well as of course the itunes store, where one can download free podcasts of NPR material- the key is to get each episode within the week after it's up on the site, after that it's .99/cast of This American Life and the like. Look on wikipedia under podcast and you get a listing of many podcast directories.I see that the ALA has a podcast of library news, and you can get an rss feed, when the new p-cast comes out. I don't see an easy way to download , but you could listen to it streaming directly from your computer.
#16 YouTube
Looked at youtube....again and some other video-sharing websites. For some reason, I just can't get that absorbed in it. Maybe because I don't do videos (nor do I take photos for the most part) myself. Although I watch tv and films, I just don't get that absorbed in television much of the time. I've used you tube for videos to add to presentations (just a clip of course), and can see the point of video and podcasting on a library's website, but don't exactly see where video-sharing would be used by public libraries. Putting a tour of the library on youtube, rather than the library's website, so that ....? I'm not sure. Maybe the question is, would patrons like to share their videos and add their user-generated content to the library's website? More questions then answers.
#15 Rollyo
Can't help but be amused by the name. but it's disappointing that the search is limited (without major tweaking I assume) to top level domains. This appears to preclude searching within a library's catalog or databases directly, only the homepage. It also precludes limiting searches to certain sections of newspapers (i.e. restaurant reviews). It may still useful for librarians to construct rollyos for YA and kids classes where the teacher wants their internet searching limited.
#14 On-Line Productivity
I use Google docs frequently. I have looked at Google's spreadsheet tool and I like the idea of different people going into a workbook, and adding data. Excel (as far as I can tell, I am far from expert) doesn't really allow for collaboration, just additions. Both of these tools are useful if you don't have or can't afford Microsoft and other expensive software, and it adds a collaborative function that is quite useful.
#13 Library Thing
LibraryThing is easy to use even for Web 2.0 novices and applicable to libraries. I've read where a school library has put their books into LibraryThing so users can more easily find them, tag them, share them. For a public library, it would require a paid acount (limited to 200 books free) and a possibly labor-intensive export process?
#12 Wikis
Wikis seem anywhere from very easy to mildly complicated to create and edit. and of course each one you have to look at the sometimes unspoken protocol, when you are going to edit. Are things in alphabetical order, do you delete and then post updated content, or do you post underneath or?In some ways wikis are/can be like the stenographer's book at the reference desk, where people use to write important things that they wanted all to see. Of course they can be much more, and some brave libraries probably allow their patrons/customers/clients/stakeholders to edit.
27.2.09
Thingz #10: del.icio.us
I have now tagged some library 2.0 websites. It was quite easy. What I found difficult was to tag other sites which do not have the del.icio.us icon on them. My understanding is that I would put it on the computer I'm using and then it would be easy. Since I'm sharing a computer, it seemed unfair to add something like that without permission. I can certainly see the value of del.icio.us. I like to being able to use all my bookmarks no matter what computer I'm using.
Thingz #9
I'm confused on this one. What exactly are we supposed to do? I just uploaded an animation from imagechef and posted it.
Thingz #8
I see Library 2.0 as the technology of Web 2.0 applied to the (public) library setting to continue to serve patrons in to the future. It includes patron-generated content (rating of materials, tagging, blogging or at least commenting on library blogs, wikis) interacting with patrons using newer technology applications (IM reference, del.icio.us tagging vs/ in addition to Internet links, text message alerts, RSS feeds of library and more content) information/education/enrichment delivery via nta- e-video, downloadable audiobooks, etc.
After viewing samples of how other libraries are employing Web 2.0 technologies, I realize that one can be quite creative in implementing these technological enhancements. Podcasts, for example, can be used as booktalks to market the library's collection. RSS feeds are especially useful for keeping patrons updated on workshops, programs, new additions to the collection, new databases, and so forth. Blogs can easily attract online communities and foster active discussions for a book club or even function as a virtual "suggestion box." I'm sure these technologies can also operate in conjunction with each other.
After viewing samples of how other libraries are employing Web 2.0 technologies, I realize that one can be quite creative in implementing these technological enhancements. Podcasts, for example, can be used as booktalks to market the library's collection. RSS feeds are especially useful for keeping patrons updated on workshops, programs, new additions to the collection, new databases, and so forth. Blogs can easily attract online communities and foster active discussions for a book club or even function as a virtual "suggestion box." I'm sure these technologies can also operate in conjunction with each other.
26.2.09
Thingz # 7: Online Image Generators
I tried to use a photo from Snapfish on Big Huge Labs.com to create a puzzle, but it did not come out very well. Then I tried to create a trading card and I got pretty much the same results. So I went to Image Chef and tried the "Surf's up" link that allows you to write your name or some other message in beach sand with ocean water flowing over top of it. It was very nice.
You can find more image generator tools on http://www.customsigngenerator.com/. This site is very user friendly and all the user has to do is pick a link that will reformat your photos or images in different styles. I liked the comic strip generator and the Dummiez book cover generator. I think some of the graphics you can do on these sites would look great on Library webpages or within Library blogs.
They could also be used if one were teaching a "Pimp my Myspace" type of class- HA!
You can find more image generator tools on http://www.customsigngenerator.com/. This site is very user friendly and all the user has to do is pick a link that will reformat your photos or images in different styles. I liked the comic strip generator and the Dummiez book cover generator. I think some of the graphics you can do on these sites would look great on Library webpages or within Library blogs.
They could also be used if one were teaching a "Pimp my Myspace" type of class- HA!
12.2.09
Thingz #6--FLICKr mashups
Well, I tried four Flickr mashups this week. It involved first finding out what a mashup is. In this case, what a mashup is is a program that takes Flickr and does something else with the pictures and tags. I look at it as like an overhead with a transparency on the bottom called Flickr and one lying over it which is the mashup. It creates something new.
1) Retrievr: What you do here is draw a picture (or supply the website with a picture, which I didn't do) and Retrievr tries to find pictures to match what you drew. I think this is more fun that useful. I got lots of pictures with the color scheme that I drew in. I got lots of pretty results. But I didn't get lots of pertinent results. You also can't draw fine lines which I think is a drawback.
2) Spell with Flickr: I didn't spend too much time with this one. You enter a word and the mashup takes each letter and inserts a picture of the letter from Flickr. Fun for kidnappers, I call it.
3) Tagnautica: You enter a word/tag, and the program creates a circle of tags and pictures related to your tag. So "Hello Kitty" resulted in related tags like pink and toy and a bunch more. It was mesmerizing. I had so much fun doing this until I found out you can't click on the resulting tags and find more pictures with that tag.
4) Captionr!: I thought this one would be so much fun and I was disappointed. The pictures I chose always got turned sideways on the screen even though they were right side up in Flickr. Then when I tried to put in the caption, I couldn't turn the bubble to orient the same way as the picture. I just couldn't figure it out, so I gave up.
1) Retrievr: What you do here is draw a picture (or supply the website with a picture, which I didn't do) and Retrievr tries to find pictures to match what you drew. I think this is more fun that useful. I got lots of pictures with the color scheme that I drew in. I got lots of pretty results. But I didn't get lots of pertinent results. You also can't draw fine lines which I think is a drawback.
2) Spell with Flickr: I didn't spend too much time with this one. You enter a word and the mashup takes each letter and inserts a picture of the letter from Flickr. Fun for kidnappers, I call it.
3) Tagnautica: You enter a word/tag, and the program creates a circle of tags and pictures related to your tag. So "Hello Kitty" resulted in related tags like pink and toy and a bunch more. It was mesmerizing. I had so much fun doing this until I found out you can't click on the resulting tags and find more pictures with that tag.
4) Captionr!: I thought this one would be so much fun and I was disappointed. The pictures I chose always got turned sideways on the screen even though they were right side up in Flickr. Then when I tried to put in the caption, I couldn't turn the bubble to orient the same way as the picture. I just couldn't figure it out, so I gave up.
Library Thingz #5--FLICKr
I signed up for a Flickr account today and joined some groups. Signing up was way easy. So was joining the groups. (They have groups for everything!) I think the purpose is so I can post to the discussions and so I can post pictures to the group.I think I will use my digital camera and take some pictures and upload them. Just to see what it's like.What I really enjoyed was looking at the tags and exploring pictures people took that way.
3.2.09
Thingz #4
I subscribe to a couple of the RSS feeds. It's the fastest way for me to keep up with whatever is new in the library world, and I fully read what I'm interested in, and scan the rest. Of course, sometimes someone will post something about a neat new toy and I'll doodle around with it for way too long.
29.1.09
Library Thingz #3
Technorati is pretty cool. I enjoyed looking in the subject specific headings. I searched "politics" and it retrieved several blog listings. I also tried Google blog and quite frankly I liked it better than Technorati because it had a user-friendly layout that included summarized portions of the blog text.
27.1.09
Thingz #1 & #2
Hi there, blogosphere! I've been reading blogs for a little while, and now I have my own. Over the next few months, I'll be discussing my experiences as I participate in NEFLIN's 23 things. Sounds like fun!
Let me introduce myself. I am a Reference Librarian at a Public Library and I enjoys some aspects of my job very much. Others-not so much. My professional interests include reference, instruction, and using current and emerging technologies to reach library users.
I'm really excited about the way people are using Web 2.0, so I'm looking forward to exploring these new technologies in a structured way through the NEFLIN's 23 Things
Let me introduce myself. I am a Reference Librarian at a Public Library and I enjoys some aspects of my job very much. Others-not so much. My professional interests include reference, instruction, and using current and emerging technologies to reach library users.
I'm really excited about the way people are using Web 2.0, so I'm looking forward to exploring these new technologies in a structured way through the NEFLIN's 23 Things
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