Running Library Guy

The Final Thing #23

2008-02-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

When reflecting up this entire exercise I realize that the "incentives" were truly my motivating factor in the beginning. Once I started to really get going though, there was incentive enough in discovering new "things". I have read some other comments that suggest that a lot of these exercises take a lot longer than the advertised 15 minutes a day. I argue that this is a good thing. If you only needed 15 minutes or an hour to explore something new then most likely it isn't worth trying out. Some of the most fun I had was following one link to the next and realizing that I forgot how I had found my way to the current site that I was looking at. If we don't really discover something, will we really remember it?

I think the most enjoyable part of the whole program was the fact that it was self guided and it encouraged me to have fun and EXPLORE. This is refreshing for me when I hear from friends about how their work place locks down so many sites; whereas, with this entire exercise we were asked to try these new technologies and to think honestly about their possible use within a library context. Granted I'm not sure of the relavence of every "thing" for the library, but the vast majority have legitimate applications if not for an academic, than for other libraries. If we are not willing to try these new technologies then how will we ever know what is worth our 15 minutes?

I had a great time with this project and would definitely take part in another program of a similar nature. I loved the fact that I could call up a colleague to ask if they had completed thing 16 and so on. I think it is funny that the vast majority of us reflect the student population whom we serve in that we waited until the pressure was on, the due date almost here, when we started to get really serious about finishing!

I had fun writing up my posts and I hoped YOU enjoyed at least some of my ramblings. I'm signing off for now. God's speed for those of you who have not yet finished and congrats and good luck to those who already have.

Peace,
D

Teach someone else how to use a Web 2.0 Technology

2008-02-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

As you may have read in some of the other blogs, Roxann, Sharon, Grace and I all took part in a BlogTalk Radio program before Christmas. It was quite the experience. roxann did all of the prep work researching FREE sites to use that were reputable and creating an account for us. When we searched there was only one other library show hosted on the site. The four of us met and produced our own loosely scripted show. The next morning was the actual show. We all dialed in to the show's unique number while Roxann did a fabulous job of controling the virtual call board. For our first time I think we did a tremendous job. If you have all of your show participants in the same area you might be better off creating a podcast, but the neat thing about blog talk radio is the fact that anyone can call in and be part of the process. I think the four of us all learned together how to tackle a new technology and possibly put it to use in a library setting. It was a lot of fun. Please feel free to listen to the show.

Podcasts #21

2008-02-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Podcasts are a lot of fun. I especially enjoy listening to my favorite sports announcers who basically just tape their shows and put them online (Mike and Mike are my personal favorites from ESPN Radio). I plan to listen to a lot more podcasts when I get my mp3 player for finishing my 23 things!! I used Podcastalley to find some other sports podcasts that I think I might enjoy. I was surprised once again at how easy it was to add the feed to my bloglines account and there it was. I think there is a lot of potential for library use, but I wonder if the time is right. There needs to be a compelling reason to listen to the podcast. I could see local libraries taping podcasts by authors who come in to talk about their new books, or I heard someone suggest that children's librarians tape themselves as they read their favorite books. I think that Podcasts in general are a ton of fun and definitely have niche' market appeal, we just need to find the right way to produce meaningful library podcasts.

YouTube #20

2008-02-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

I have used YouTube before, but I am still continually amazed at the power of this one site. There are numerous other video sharing sites, but YouTube by far has the monopoly on these other sites. What has impressed me lately about YouTube is the role that they have played in the CNN/YouTube debates where individuals submit question online for the presidential candidates to answer if there video is chosen. Along these same lines, I discovered the music video Yes We Can, which takes Senator Barak Obama's speech of the same name and puts it to music. It is one of the most inspirational pieces I have ever seen. This video, which has been posted by several different people, has been viewed over 4 million different times. This truly speaks to the power not only of this site, but of the internet in general. There certainly is a lot of junk on Youtube, but there are also very practical applications as well. I also like their new interface, which changed about a year ago I believe. I am such a sucker for new interfaces though! In general...you must familiarize yourself with youtube, if only so that you can stay with a conversation among your friends, coworkers, kids, etc.

Discovering Web 2.0 Technologies #19

2008-02-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

So, I have a new favorite website. It is called Pandora and it is a free music site that allows you to pick what type of music you like to listen. All you have to do is type in an artist or song that you like and "they" will find other songs and musicians that are similar. For a non music person like me this is fantastic. If you see me at the front desk with headphones plugged in I am listening to Pandora. I just had to sign up to keep listening, but it was easy to do and I liked their explanations for the information they required. They do offer a paid subscription that allows you to listen on your mobile phone or if you have specific players you can listen to Pandora in your house....I don't really get this last option because as long as you have your computer, why wouldn't you just play it off of your laptop. I shared this site with a few of my buddies who are not workers in the library and they had never heard of it. However, I don't know if they would use something like this because they already use their own music programs. We shall see.

Web-based apps #18

2008-02-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

I just played around with the google web based apps because I already have a google account. It was so easy to use. I actually published what I wrote to my blog. (look at the post right before this) Since google and blogger have a relationship together it was so easy to just publis right to my own blog. I could actually see just going through google and not even using blogger unless you wanted to make some aesthetic changes...and as you can see my blog is pretty drab....so....

Where was I? Oh yes the google docs are super easy to use. They have the same standard toolbar that office uses. I don't know if I would feel comfortable writing a whole paper on there if I was a student....but I could see if I didn't have office on my computer, but did have internet access typing it all in google and then transporting the document into a more "traditional" program. I see tremendous potential for those users who cannot afford the cost of a traditional software Office package.

Attempt at writing something using google docs

2008-02-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

I totally made a first version that was to see how this works....yeah went to preview....but then I closed it without sharing. Now my masterpiece is lost to cyberspace.

Two minutes later....

Turns out I didn't lose it... Somehow it save it for me (so cool)

PBWiki #17

2008-02-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

It was fun to actually add something to a Wiki. In one of the pieces that we were asked to read it stated that users often feel like they are doing something wrong when they edit a wiki....and it is funny because I did. It almost feels like spray painting on a public building....not that I have ever done that or anything....

Posting to my favorite movie and animal were easy to do. Less easy was when we were asked to add our blog to the list of others who have used this 23 things. Currently I have called in the professionals and hope to have my blog up there with everyone elses by tomorrow afternoon.

Exploring Wiki's #16

2008-02-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have been familiar with wikis for probably two or three years now because of Wikipedia. Exploring some of the suggested sites was interesting in that it gave me a broader example of all the different uses for which wikis are applicable. I thought the most interesting Wikis were the ones designed for the ALA conferences in which there are tips and advice for new ALA members for navigating the city and loads of other useful information. I am sure that the ALA has it's own web page that covers many of the topics that are discussed, but the wiki enables all users to comment and add their own insightful bits of wisdom.

I am looking forward to getting a wiki for circ to replace our notes binder. The wiki will make searching so much easier and I just learned that certain pages can be locked down so no edits can be made on them, which will make the managing of the wiki easier. It just seems like it is the next logical step that takes advantage of tried and tested technology that has been in use for over a decade.

Library 2.0 #15

2008-02-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

I don't see that there is much of a debate regarding Library 2.0. I see it more as an opportunity to begin to think about libraries in a new light, but I believe, as is noted in several of the pieces, that the core values of all libraries will remain the same. We now have an opportunity to rethink what we do everyday and how we do things. Some of the highlights that I enjoyed were:

Users shouldn't need to be taught how to use every application in the library. These applications need to be "user" friendly
We are currently involved in a "climate of collaboration"
We need to "reach out to the edges of the web and not just the center" (I really like this one because it advocates for the niche' market. In our own library we have extensive religion and nursing collections -- what are we doing with these collections to really take advantage of their worth?)
Tagging and reviewing are not going away. I know that libraries are borrowing a lot of ideas from the likes of book stores a lot these days, but I think it makes sense to really take advantage of what works. What if we had a function in our database that was similar to Barnes and Nobles "customers who purchased this whatever, also enjoyed this". I could see this being very helpful in terms of student research.

My big concern with all of these new services and technologies is the individual' right to privacy. It seems like we are on the edge of a slippery slope at times and I wonder if there is anyway to prevent our descent?!?!?!

Technorati #14

2008-02-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

The more that I read the more I wonder if everyone has a blog. A lot of the blogs that I checked out through Technorati seemed to be topic driven (entertainment, sports, politics, etc.), but my guess is that the VAST majority of bloggers out there use blogs almost as a diary to the world. I had a friend who used livejournal about 10 years ago and I thought it was crazy because everyone could see her thoughts and feelings. Now I feel like she was WAY ahead of the curve on all of this. (By the way: she also liked Norah Jones months before she started becoming popular and winning grammys!) Technorati is interesting in tat it can connect their users to the casual bloggers (more journal writing and what not) AND the super intense bloggers who make their living writing about whatever they write about. I just find myself thinking when do people have time to constantly be updating and checking their own blogs and everyone elses? It is a lot of work, but I guess using a program like technorati or even just an RSS reader drastically reduces all the searching

Del.ico.us #13

2008-02-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

I like the idea of tagging websites because when you are searching you no longer have to rely on the complex algorithms that search engines use to determine the relavency of the search order. Del.ico.us is great in that each user becomes, as was mentioned in the introductory video, a filter or middle man for all of the other users in the virtual community. It is truly a cooperative way of gathering and deceminating resources. I did some fun searches for books and was surprised at my findings. The most popular shared site was actually Librarything, which I thought was exciting because it shows that the tools and programs that we are learning are not these obscure programs. I was also surprised to find a lot of sites that were good for finding recomendations for your next book to read, I could have used those sites a few months ago!! The search also found a lot of sites that have free books to be looked at online. I see this as promising for schools that might not have the resources to purchase these books for all of their students, but given good enough internet access, could have these titles available for their students. Out of print books are suddenly available too.

This is a really cool tool that deserves more time to be explored (I feel like I am saying this about most of these "things")!

Rollyo #12

2008-02-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed playing around with Rollyo. The value of a program like Rollyo is apparent to anyone who uses a general search engine and is just overwhelmed with the amount of hits that their search calls up. There have been several studies that show that very few individuals actually go beyond the actual first page of a search. With Rollyo, however, you are able to narrow your search to just te sites that you want to search. I created a Rollyo that searches for baseball news of note, with an emphasis on the World Champion Boston Redsox. My Rollyo is named Bosox. For my blog, I also added the popular news search as well. It was very simple to add the element to the page because they give you all of the code and all you have to do is paste it into the appropriate space. I like how you can change the look of the Rollyo as well. I see tremendous use for libraries, especially academic institutions, in that librarians could create individual subject rollyos and attach them to popular databases for similar subjects. It is a neat way to refine the information that you want and at the same time know that it is trustworthy because of the limited sites that the information is being pulled from.

Library Thing #11

2008-02-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

I had a ton of fun playing around with Library Thing. I just spent about fifteen minuts or so looking for books and I could easily see myself spending all day on there. That seems like such a great place for more niche authors. I was psyched to see my brother's books came up Jonah and the Junkyard Sled by Sean Hagan. He only did a small print of his first book, but it was still in one of the search engines that Library Thing uses. I am looking forward to trying to see what othrs who have read the same books also recommend.

image generator #10

2008-02-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun with the image generator experiment. I played aroud a lot with the Generator Blog and used a site this site: http://www79.lunapic.com/editor/?action=photo-spread to create the affect on the blue angels picture that I have shown. I was amazed at the variety of different generators that are available out there and then all of the options available within each generator. I did try to create a count down generator to mark the start of opening day of baseball when my World Champion Boston Red Sox will take on the Oakland Athletics (April 1st if you are interested), but the timer wouldn't start. I had the generator and everything in the blog, but it just wouldn't count down. If I feel really adventurous I'll try to make it work!!

These sites reminded me a lot of the Flickr apps that we were playing around with recently.

Playing with feeds #9

2008-02-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Feedster would not open for me when I tried it today...I'll have to go back and give that one a try later. Of the other three that I tried I though Topix.net was the easiest to use. It has a great interface that is appealling to look at and easy to navigate. Syndic8.com seemed to want to make a statement that they are layed back and don't want to be flashy, which I think is refreshing. So many times the best looking websites are not nearly as helpful as the more straightforward sites. Technorati was interesting but it seemed like it was just another search engine. Obviously with more playing on all of these sites I would be able to give a much better review. Of the three that I could look at, I think I would yse Topix.net if I was looking for a newsfeed because of its ease of use. Synic8 is intriguing because of the ability to search podcasts.

No matter what all of these sites are just an example of free speech in motion, which I think is so cool. Connecting small and large groups of people from all over the world around similar issues is fascinating.

Blog lines #8

2008-02-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

On Thursday I had created a new gmail account with the help of Peter and I started using their reader. However I think I like the bloglines reader better...not sure why though. It makes so much sense to use a reader if you are constantly reading from the same sites every day. However, I feel that I go to a lot of popular sites that Bloglines or the Google reader just send you to anyways when you click on the article name. I am sure that there is a way to get all of the text into the Blogline reader without being transfered to the original site to read the article. I see this application being especially useful for those who are constantly reading blogs to keep up with when new posts are added. It is annoying going to your favorite site and seeing that nothing has been updated...you feel like you have just wasted your time (although really how much time did you waste!). I'm going to see which reader I like best over the next couple of weeks and then stick with one. I do need to find some good library blogs to read though.

I think it is interesting that the newest addition of Internet explorer has an rss function in the top left hand corner of the page. This just goes to show how popular this has become.

Technology related thing of interest #7

2008-02-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

I have been increasing interested in how we are using our phones these days. I can remember when Zach Morris on Save by the Bell would use his "cell" phone....the thing was enormous!! In hindsight it looks rediculous, but at the time I thought how cool it would be to use a phone that didn't have a cord. Now I don't even have a "home" phone number, I just use my cell phone as my primary means of communication. Whenever I sign that new agreement I am already thinking what will my next phone look like. What amazes me now is how phones have turned in to mini computers that are used to send text messages and picture messages more often than receive or send actual phone calls. I have been thinking about getting a smart phone that has internet and emailing capability. I just wonder if I really NEED them...read: no....if I have my own computer. I can picture them being extremely useful for those who are always on the go, but I'm not. As they become more affordable I feel more and more tempted. I am pretty good at not having to be the first to get something which is helpful I think, because by the time I actually get around to buying these new fangeled technologies the bugs have been worked out. Those iPhones sure do look like a lot of fun though......

Flickr apps #6

2008-02-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

I had heard people talking about API in regard to pages like Facebook and MySpace, but I think the Flickr apps are much cooler. I explored one called trip planner. It is a website hosted by yahoo that combines flickr photos. Trip Planner is described by the people at flickr as "a website that lets you build a travel itinerary with your hotel, nearby restaurants, attractions, maps, driving directions and more! When you return home, create a photo set of your trip on Flickr then show them off as part of your trip plan." I think this application is fantastically useful for individuals who are planning trips and want to get an idea of where they are really going. I did a simple search for Italy and was amazed at not only the beautiful pictures, but also the depth of the descriptions in the journal function of the trip. Just by reading a few of these entires you can really appreciate the plans that you should make and most importantly the clothes you need to pack!! The API really encourages the involvement of the entire user community to be creative and to create their own programs that might just be for fun, but can also be tremendous assests to the entire user group.

Flickr Fun #5

2008-02-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

I have played around with flickr befor, but it is interesting to think how flickr can be used in libraries. It is great to share pictures of events that have taken place in the library, but there seems to be so many more applications that we haven't thought of. Being the history nerd that I am I did a search for the Library of Congress and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the LOC has a Flickr account!! How cool is that!

To pick one picture would be far to difficult. I do suggest searching for places that you would like to travel to, as it is a neat way of "seeing" the world before you actually see the world.

I do have plans to buy a nice digital camera in the near future...maybe with that tax rebate that will be coming my way...Once I have a decent camera I plan to start my own Flickr account as it is an easy way to keep your photos organized and it is so easy to share those pictures with friends.

First post

2007-12-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

My first post ... wohooo!!

Let's see...in response to the question of which of the 7 1/2 habbits is easiest for me I would say that (4) having confidence in myself as a lifelong learner is the easiest of the group. Since I am not very far removed from the days of sitting in class and taking notes, I still find myself thinking about school and learning new things pretty regularly. The challenge with this habbit will be as I move further away from my own traditional school settings if I will be able to maintain that same confidence....I do also like (7) teaching/mentoring others because I have definitely had times when I didn't truly come to grips with a concept until I tried to explain it to someone else.

I would say the hardest of the habbits would be (3) viewing problems as challenges. I find myself thinking too much about the problems and not about the solution to said problems. For this entire program I am going to focus on solutions instead of getting bogged down with work and other obstacles.