Thing #24 - Learning 2.0 Thoughts

Wow! That was a lot to learn in what seems like a very short period of time. I get excited thinking about all the possibilities of using what I've gleaned from these exercises. I knew from the beginning that I would enjoy the discoveries but was a bit apprehensive about the public blog. Despite originally initiating this as an anonymous blog, most of you fellow LPLS bloggers have determined my identity and that's fine. It just seemed less intimidating to begin behind a mask. I have found that I like blogging. The other exercises that I like and know that I will continue to access are:

• Flickr mashups and 3rd party sites, especially FD Toys
• Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA) and the Nashville Public Library Digital Collection
• LibraryThing
• LPLS staff wiki
• Zoho Writer and Google Docs
• Facebook
• YouTube

Learning has always been something that I enjoy and these 24 Things have greatly accelerated my progress in becoming familiar with the tools available to us on the Internet. The greatest struggle throughout has been finding the time to explore everything and report my experience. That will be a continuing issue, but I am determined to pursue these Things further and incorporate their use into my routine.

Jerianne did a tremendous job in developing and administering this program. Thank you, Jerianne. I hope that we are able to do other similar ones in the future. If we do, I am all in.

Thing #23 - Podcasts

I checked out all of the podcast directories and they seemed fairly comparable. I can't get too excited about podcast- they just seem kind of boring to me. Like blogs, there are just so many out there that are amateurish and nonessential that it's difficult to find one that I think might be useful to me. I did add a movie review podcast to my Bloglines from NPR and I may actually listen to it occasionally. See the "Movie News" links on the right column Powered by Bloglines. There may be some value to podcast for library training or in providing patrons with needed information. I will have to reevaluate those aspects later.

Thing #22 - Audio & Video Downloads

I've always liked audiobooks but have not had any real oppotunity to listen to them for a couple of years now. When I traveled frequently for business, they were invaluable. I wish that I had been able to use something like R.E.A.D.S. (Regional eBook & Audiobook Download System) in preparing for those trips. I had an account with audible.com, which is a great service with thousands of books from which to choose. Their current platinum plan costs $22.95 per month for two audio downloads. I may have been more limited in my choices but I would have saved a bundle. I found a variety of boooks that I might be interested in downloading to my new MP3 player (assuming I finish in time to get one).

Here's my list of possibilities:

• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• The Sherlock Holmes Theatre by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• My Ántonia by Willa Cather
• Shiloh Shiloh Series, Book 1 by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Shiloh Season Shiloh Series, Book 2
• Saving Shiloh Shiloh Series, Book 3 by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

The first two classics were chosen because I've always meant to read them but have never made time - have you seen how long Moby Dick is? Sherlock Holmes has long been a favorite character of mine and the full cast narration of that recording sounds awesome- it won a 2006 Audie Award.

I'm interested in My Ántonia because nearly a dozen years ago, I picked the name Antonia for my chihuahua puppy when I saw an ad for the movie version of this book. I've always wondered what the story was about. For similar reasons the Shiloh series appeals to me- we have a mutt by the same name.

I'm glad that I have finally taken the time to look at the ebooks available through the R.E.A.D.S. site. There are a number of study guides that I will recommend to patrons when all of our print copies are checked out.

I explored MyLibraryDV around the time I applied to work at the library and enjoyed watching some of the Antiques Roadshow episodes. People interested in HGTV or TLC programming may find the Today' Homeowners and Simple Solutions videos very similar.

This was a fun exercise!

Thing #21 - YouTube

I love YouTube! There are thousands of unwatchable videos, but many more that are tremendously entertaining. There are talented amateur filmmakers all over the world.

I enjoyed perusing the blogs of other participants to see what variety of video interests there are in our group. Jerianne's pick was awesome. It appeals to my love of scary, old movies and the spoofs that came after- like Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Shaun of the Dead (2004). Rita's was great too for very different reasons. The video was nicely done with great audio and hundreds of remarkable images from the University of North Texas' Portal to Texas History Collection. I would also like to see the Linebaugh do something to make its old photos available to patrons on either the website or a wiki of some type.

I wanted to post something funny and I think this one from the library at Rutger's University is great. This is the first in a series of three on plagiarism.

Thing #20 - Web 2.0 Awards

Whew! There are so many to choose from and many very interesting sites.

I finally choose Netvibes. According to their About page:
Netvibes pioneered the personalized startpage, an alternative to traditional Web portals. Netvibes is about having web the way you want it. Exactly the way you want it.

Netvibes:
Helps you manage your digital life and share it with your friends
Brings all your favorite MySpace, Digg, YouTube, Gmail, Flickr, eBay, del.icio.us accounts – you name it (no, really, you can rename our entire site) – together on your own personal Netvibes page. 100% customizable – no ads, no logos, no corporate control.

It is everything that says and more. Most of us are accustomed to having Comcast, Yahoo, MSN, Google, or some other similar site as a home page. Each of them has some flexibility and customizable options, but this is different. It is completely adaptable to your preferences. I've just played with it for a short while, but I think I will use it as my regular home page. I can see my Facebook account, see blogs that I want to read, local weather, news tailored to my interests, and lots more.

Thing #19 - Social Networking

I've had a MySpace account for a while though there's been little time spent on it. There have been complaints about the lack of color (really nothing at all creative has been attempted). I don't really like MySpace. The format seems so chaotic which translates to annoying for me. I hate that the frequently busy background stays put while everything else scrolls over it. Facebook offers a format more conducive to my personality- neat and organized. I signed up for a Facebook account and have added several friends including David O'Flaherty. My nephew may have already considered me a cool (probably the wrong word) aunt, but I think telling him I had a Facebook account may have increased my coolness. He is one of my friends as well.

I thought the River Rouge Public Library did a great job with their MySpace account. I especially liked the music they choose- Librarian from the CD, Public Library by Jonathan Rundman. The Austin Public Library (Texas) had a fairly simple format which appeals to me, but the Birmingham Public Library used a busy brightly colored background. I didn't find that attractive, but then again they probably are not trying to interest a person in my age bracket.They each had useful tools on the site like: Ask a Librarian, search the catalog, and Search WorldCat . I'm sure that sites like these can be useful in making the library more appealing to teens and young adults. Attempting it would probably require having someone in one of those age categories managing it (or collaborating on it) in order to keep the look and content relevant to those age groups. It's easy to see how popular MySpace is just by walking past any group of internet users in the library. Sometimes that's the only site being browsed.

I looked at the site TeeBeeDee just because it is suppose to be for people my age, but I didn't find it all that appealing. Maybe another look when I have more time will change my mind.

Thing #18 - Web-based Applications

Here is yet another Internet tool that I'm wondering how I ever lived without. The number of times that I've created a document or spreadsheet at home (on one of my computers) or at work and needed it desperately on one of the other PCs is probably in the hundreds by now. I don't know how long Google Docs (or Zoho Writer, or Writeboard , or Backpack) has existed but I could kick myself for not finding one of these before now. I can imagine dozens of uses for myself and some for others. This seems like the obvious solution for so many patrons that come to the library to type their resume but don't think to bring anything to save it on. Oops! When they realize that they can't type a decent resume in an hour and need to finish it later, they panic. How can they save it? By using one of these great services, of course.

It took a few attempts, but I did finally get this to post from Google Docs. Awesome!

Thing #17 - LPLS Staff Wiki

I was really surprised that there were so many sections of the Circulation Manual still available to add since I feel so far behind most everyone else in these exercises. These are the articles that I added to the lpls.pbwiki.com.

Circulation Manual: Missing - Damaged - Lost

This section contains the following articles:
Assumed Lost
Assumed Lost - Billing
Claims Return
Damaged Items
Item Missing Parts
Billing Lost and Damaged Books
Missing Items

I think this wiki is great! I can't wait to see more added. The possibilities are nearly limitless. I see using a wiki for all types of training and for providing new information to staff members. The minutes for staff meetings, the LINK, schedules, calendars, special events- they can all be posted on a wiki for staff members to access from anywhere they happen to need or want the information.

Thing #16 - What's in a Wiki?

We've all heard of Wikipedia and it's questionable content. I like it for some general information but for obvious reasons suggest alternate sources for researchers. I liked the Wikipedia Exercise on the Library Instruction Wiki where the instructor creates what she calls a "mad lib" to show how easy it is for anyone to add spurious information to the site. Most everyone, especially Tennesseans, know about the Seigenthaler controversy showing the dangers inherent in a open publishing and editing environment.

Some of the very things that make wikis so great are the same things that detract from the idea of using them- anyone can add and make changes to them. A wiki might not be the answer for a control freak. Where the possibility for mischief exists, vandals will congregate. Despite my own tendency toward a need to control my environment; I think wikis are a valuable tool for disseminating and sharing information. I can see many uses for a wiki in genealogy research and local history collaboration. Libraries can use one to post how-to instructions, resource guides, genealogy forms, website links, and on and on. Libraries and individuals can use a wiki to coordinate projects of all kinds so that the information is accessible from anywhere an Internet connection is available by everyone involved. The possibilities are very exciting.

Thing #15 - Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

I started reading the articles suggested and just kept reading anything I could find on Library 2.0. That could be why it's taking me so long to complete this Thing. It can be somewhat overwhelming but exciting at the same time. When I think of all the possibilities that Library 2.0 offers, it makes my head spin.

In 11 Reasons Why Library 2.0 Exists and Matters, John Blyberg says that the definition of Library 2.0 coined by Sarah Houghton (The Librarian in Black) is: “Library 2.0 simply means making your library’s space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives…to make the library a destination and not an afterthought.”

When viewed simply from that perspective, it seems very attainable. Taking the first steps may be the most difficult for some, but we've done that. Moving deliberately forward with careful consideration of each stride, we can build upon these exercises to making our library relevant to much more of our community.

The most thrilling article by far was by Dr. Wendy Scutlz, To a temporary place in time. Her vision of the future with Library 4.0 is very Star Trekian in its holodeck-like prediction. Her library as a retreat sounds like my kind of place.

Thing #14 - Technorati

Technorati is a just bit overwhelming to me. It seems useful for finding blogs of interest, but that probably just scratches the surface of its worth. A search for Learning 2.0 found 17,489 results, 843 blogs, 20 videos, and hundreds of photos. I searched for LPLS and found only 17 posts with three blogs- one of those was in another language (Chinese maybe), one was the LPLS Learning 2.0 website blog, and the third was mine. I tag all of my blog entries with LPLS.
I checked out the most popular blog Boing Boing (a directory of wonderful things) with over 3000 people making it a favorite. Boing Boing is a weblog of cultural curiosities and interesting technologies. It's the most popular blog in the world, as ranked by Technorati.com. It had lots of interesting topics including several entries about Disney- one of my interests. I made it a favorite as well.

Thing #13 - de.licio.us

I've had my own personal del.icio.us account for quite a while now and can kick myself for not taking advantage of it all these months. It's great. I have numerous sites bookmarked on my laptop and desktop so it will take a while to set those all to del.icio.us, but it will be well worth the effort. Now, I have an account that I have associated with my blog: I am ForGreaterKnowledge on del.icio.us.


The benefits for librarians and researchers is clear. I can imagine using del.icio.us or something like it to bookmark and tag all the sites that are frequented to answer questions for patrons. Having access to them from any computer is a tremendous advantage and being able to share those sites with others creates even greater value.

Thing #12 - Rollyo

Rollyo is fascinating! I had no idea that it was possible to create a search engine from only the sites I trust and want to access. Isn't the Internet just amazing? I created a search engine that browses only Rutherford County, Tennessee related sites. I think it may need a bit of tweaking, but you can try it now by typing your search term into the Rollyo box in the left column and selecting Rutherford Co., TN from the drop down menu.

Thing #11 - Library Thing

I had seen LibraryThing before and was not really sure I would find it beneficial to me, but once I took the time to explore the site fully I could see the potential. I liked Andrea's (at Smyrna) idea about adding the books from her personal collection and tagging them with read or unread. That will simplify the decision making process for selecting my next book to read. I've just started adding my books, but a few can be seen on the right column of this page or you can go directly to my LibraryThing list at ForGreaterKnowledge.

Thing #10 - Online Image Generator

Back to the fun stuff! I really enjoyed playing with FD Toys during Thing #6 and was eager to try my hand at a few more of them. I love the Catalog Card Generator. I have what some might call a "strange fascination" with all types of old ephemera including postcards, photographs, baggage, & product labels, comic books, and most anything old. So, although I like (and would not want to give up) the ease of having the card catalog available on the computer, I do miss the days of searching the old card catalogs.


This looks like a great book!

Thing #9 - Finding Feeds

Initially when looking at Syndic8.com, I thought the site looked amateurish but the ease of use changed my mind. I found it user friendly and useful. Feedster is temporarily unavailable so I have not been able to evaluate it. Technorati is probably the most popular due to its more polished look and the neat scrolling blog updates. Overall, I think I like the layout and functionality of Topix.net a bit better than the others. Through all this searching, I have found several library & book news blogs that I added to my Bloglines account (as you can see in the column on the right). I could easily get carried away with adding feeds to my Bloglines. So far I have 31. That's a combination of library news, staff blogs, genealogy, general news, movie reviews, and local weather. Fortunately, the whole premise is to allow me to see a great deal of information in one convenient place. That's neat, I like it.

Thing #8 - RSS Feeds & Bloglines

Whew! I have finally been able to set aside time to set up my Bloglines account and get started with RSS feeds. Using an account like Bloglines (or Google Reader- which I already use) can really cut down on the amount of time spent catching up on all the blogs and news that I'm interested in reading. I have added some blogs by other library employees to the left of my blog entries using Bloglines (that's a overuse of the word blog if I ever heard one). That was really easy. With the ability to use folders for similar content on Bloglines, I can access only the subject I'm interested in catching up on at any given moment.

My public records can be found at http://www.bloglines.com/public/Anomalous.

Thing #7 - Digital Archives

I searched through the images at Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA) and the Nashville Public Library Digital Collection and could have gone on for hours. I love looking at historic photos in general and especially those of Rutherford County and Middle Tennessee. I'm a big fan of these Greetings from postcards.

Having previously spent time perusing the Library of Congress American Memory collection, I decided to showcase another of the WPA library posters from the 1930's and 40's. These posters, according to the Library of Congress site "were produced from 1936 to 1943 as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. Of the 2,000 WPA posters known to exist, the Library of Congress's collection of more than 900 is the largest. These striking silkscreen, lithograph, and woodcut posters were designed to publicize health and safety programs; cultural programs including art exhibitions, theatrical, and musical performances; travel and tourism; educational programs; and community activities in seventeen states and the District of Columbia. The posters were made possible by one of the first U.S. Government programs to support the arts and were added to the Library's holdings in the 1940s."

I think it would be great if the Linebaugh had its own digital collection of Rutherford County images available for the community.

Thing #6 - More Flickr Fun

Library Life magazine
Originally uploaded by Bizarro Ideas!

For this exercise I uploaded the photo of the statues outside the library from the ones made available "on the Everyone network drive, in Administration/23 Things Photos." While exploring Flickr I found fd's Flickr Toys and made the picture into a magazine cover featuring social networking- it seemed appropriate for the exercise. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

fd's Flickr Toys' have several other fun toys:

• Badge Maker
• Motivator
• Movie Poster
• Mosaic Maker
• Calendar
• Trading Card
• Framer
• Wallpaper
• Warholizer

And many, many more. They are so much fun, I know I'll be back playing with more toys soon.

Thing #5 - Flickr

Murfreesboro, TN Holden Hardware
Originally uploaded by army.arch

My search for all things Murfreesboro on Flickr lead me to this nice photo of our neighbors at Holden Hardware. The photographer had several others- focusing on old signage. I too am a sucker for art deco, neon, and other great old signs. Most have been replaced by less interesting fiberglass or plastic versions.