Week 9, #23 Summarize thoughts

I'm a member of the Virtual Services task team. It's been a treat to read everyone's blog and to read about their progress and other comments. The participants have already made us aware of some of things we did right and some of the things we could improve upon. I look forward to reading the last post of those who complete this program. I want to create a survey in SurveyMonkey to additional analysis.

Week 9, #22 eBooks

1. Okay people, I'm sending an email to our ebooks team asking them to write some descriptive content for the various electronic collections we have. I have no idea what the differences are between Safari, eBooks, etc and between the two libraries. Uh, does Overdrive sound like downloadable CD music to you? I'm not a big fan of eBooks, at least not yet. I still prefer the print in my hands. Yet, I don't like using my Printer unless I must. Kinda like people who like ketchup but not tomatoes. Still, I'm pleased that we have this resource available; it would be nice to see statistics to know if our public finds it invaluable.

2. World eBook Fair. cool. I don't like the home page. Too busy. Don't know what to focus on and how to get started. So I popped over to Gutenberg. I remember when this was all text (about 15 years ago?) but still a revolution practically! Anyway, 20,000 free books in the online catalog. I really wish Gutenberg would blow the Google Book thing out of the water.... I liked reading about real life examples of what people did with ebooks.

Week 9, #21 Podcast directory

I checked out PodcastAlley.com I have iTunes but never thought about other tools being available to find podcasts. I searched on "Library" and was excited to see so many library podcasts available. I clicked on the one for Sunnyvale Public Library. They have recordings for "Sunnyvale Voices" that capture residents's stories; somewhat like oral histories. I also know that SJSU through its CFD (Center for Faculty Development) is big on emerging technologies such as podcasts for classroom learning. Our library might consider video podcasts to have a history of our wonderful library events. Oh, I've been in a podcast for Steve Sloan who works in the IT Dept at SJSU and who also is a bike enthusiast like me. He covered the ACTC Tierra Bella bike tour last year and interviewed me.

Week 9, #20 Discover YouTube

I love YouTube. It's a great stress break besides being educational and informative. Who needs those silly reality TV shows or home video shows when you have YouTube! I love watching pet videos especially of cats. I guess my favorite video related to work is the Conan the Librarian clip.




Using a digital camera's video feature is very easy. I'd love to see our library utilize video to showcase the library, its employees and its users. The site has categories already in use by libraries such as MY ACCOUNT, COMMUNITIES, etc.

Week 8, #19 Library Thing

First I took the tour to become familiar with LibraryThing.

"LibraryThing gets all the right data from Amazon.com and over 75 libraries around the world, including the Library of Congress." Cooool.

I added books of authors close to me. Only 4 members had the physics book in their library; but, I expected that.

Here is the link to my library.

LibraryThing is a nice service to offer for individuals and small libraries. It's very simple to use as well. The recommendations feature is pretty neato. The tags feature is a nice resource. I own very few books and have no interest in using LibraryThing. I'm glad to have this resource available should I need it.

Week 8, #18 Online Apps

I have been experimenting with Google Docs and Spreadsheets for the last several months. It's great when you have several people collaborating on something -- easy web access from anywhere over using a networked drive or email is far superior.

So, the Virtual Services team has an account with Google specifically set up for this program. In addition, i have an account with my supervisor so that we can share Excel spreadsheets. It is really handy. I also like that you can export your documents to your hard drive.

What I have found though is that Google docs and spreadsheets like Blogger sometimes goes buggy on me. Also, certain features that one expects from Msft. Office are not available in the Google versions.

I think I shall see if Zoho Writer is any better.

Week 7, #17 PB Wiki

I added my blog to our PBWiki.

I added Dr. Seuss under the Favorite books section.

I added a favorite to the wiki section - Library Success

Week 7, #16 Wiki Wiki Wiki

I'm a member of CARL N IT and write its blog. Last year (August 2006), we hosted a workshop on RSS, podcasts, IM and wikis. Learning about wikis was fabulous.

I love the Library Success wiki. We are considering its uses for our library. I think relying on a wiki for documentation is a super idea. I also see it as a wonderful tool to use especially because of the content editing abilities and some restricted access (administrator rights). Having an Intranet was a good idea and it has its place for certain types of storage or other functions. The advantage of blogs and wikis is user access - no waiting on one's IT or web team to post something or respond to a web edit request. That's no slight on them. I'm talking about work flow process. It frees up your web team to work on other critical matters and allows you to do things timely as well as to feel that you have more stake or ownership or say in library related stuff.

Week 6, #15 Perspectives

What does Library 2.0 mean to me?

Oooh, I get to be philosophical. Ooooh. I see it to mean emerging tools and concepts applicable to the delivery of library services or for the library environment. These tools and ideas may or may not come from elsewhere, and they may or may not be technologoical in nature. The real significance lies in any organization realizing that things are changing or things need to change and to face such changes. You don't always have to embrace or adopt or adapt to change but you do need to recognize it and deal with it in one way or another. I think Library 2.0 is also about exploration and opening one's mind -- sure that can be said of many other things - I think though this is fundamental to this concept.

I wonder if we will get away from 1.0, 2.0 or First, Second and Third Generation. I do not want to be 60 and we're now talking about Library 5.0. or Star Trek, the next next generation. I want it to be so ingrained in our social fabric that we do away with nth generations etc.

I appreciate what was stated in the Wiki page about Library 2.0 I'd like to see more content added to it, though. I also love the idea of wikis though recent debate suggests that content is not always accurate and too many students rely on this tool as a tool for research.

Week 6, #14 Technorati

Learning 2.0 search in Blog Posts results:

1. In quotes, fared a bit better than without
2. Technorati sees the term as both a phrase search and as keyword; thus picking up irrelevant hits such as just the number 2.

Learning 2.0 search in Tags results:

1. Relevancy seems good with or without quotes. Not sure if people are tagging enough to make this type of search useful.

Learning 2.0 search in Blog Directory results:

1. Again, a directed and smaller number of hits as one would expect.


I think my observations are applicable to other searches done in Technorati. Tagging is a great idea and I like the informal term "tagging" over such library geek terms such as, "subject headings" or "controlled vocabulary" or "taxonomy" or "keyword" etc. Tagging is everyday usage by anyone and more likely to be a good description. However, there is no control and that's when we run into problems, n'est-ce pas. I think these various descriptors should be used together or as we learn in libraryland, the idea of multiple access points -- there's more than one way to learn, to find, to search, etc. I still cringe when I think of LC using "cookery" Oh pleeeeaase.

Lastly, I registered my personal blog on Technorati. I wasn't sure if I wanted to add a search feature and other options.

Week 6, #13, Tagging Time

I watched the podcast tutorial. Really good.

Next I went to our del. account and browsed. I also added its feed to my Bloglines. I saw a DFaires listed as a link to our account with her own set of stuff. I'm pretty sure she's a professor at the SJSU SLIS.

I clicked on the C's of our Sea Change, the Helene Blowers Computers in Libraries article noted on our account and then saw that it had been saved by 30 other people and all the tags references. I mentioned in my earlier posts that I get overwhelmed by these kinds of sites. It's a lot to take in. Hey, I get overwhelmed at malls. Reading the comments was helpful and interesting. Yes, I see the potential for this tool as research assistance.

I read Crowe's Nest, being curious as to her take on the exercises for Week5 and 6. I encourage you to read hers.

Week 5, #12 Rollyo

I hadn't heard of this tool until I went through the exercise. I think it's a good idea in general to be able to customize your search tool; however, it sort of contradicts what we're taught in library school - to start out broad for initial search and then narrow the focus. One needs to remember that one is using a subset, albeit probably an excellent one, rather than a larger inclusive set. For those of us who are able to evaluate a website and determine whether its data is good, then, we certainly can recommend appropriate sites. I'd hate to see someone select sites whose data is invalid, inaccurate, etc. That's my take on this exercise. Oh, I thought I created a rolly thing about psoriasis but apparently I didn't so I will need to return to this site and try again.

Week 5, #11, Web 2.0 awards list

Okay, so, it's a hot item in the news right now, but I love YouTube. It's yet another example of a tool available to the masses as a creative outlet to express themselves in a relatively inexpensive way. I watched a clip of an actor in a movie and realized I hadn't seen the film, so, I ordered it from my Netflix account. I love watching homemade movies of people's pets especially when I'm down. Cracks me up. Easy to use search box. Like Netflix, there's a star ratings next to each clip plus the length of the clip. Appreciate these and other features.

As for libraries, we've already seen a number of libraries use YouTube to market or advertise themselves etc. Great idea! I have made short movies using my boyfriend's digital camera. So, what are we waiting for at our library?

Week 5, #10 Image generators

I love image generators and the opportunity to manipulate photos without any graphics illustrator background. I used the calendar application as if you couldn't guess.

Week 4, #9

I've had a Bloglines account for over a year and subscribe to a number of librarian feeds; for example, Librarian in Black.

I haven't used a search tool to find feeds. I learn about feeds from other people's blogs or I'll discover that a website has a feed, such as The New York Times newspaper, SJSU, and Stanford University.

I'm aware of Feedster, Topix and Technorati; I think I avoid them for the same reason I avoid eBay. Huge and overwhelming. Does that make sense? I am going to take the Technorati tutorial today and hopefully will feel more comfortable with the site.

Week 4, #8 RSS and Bloglines

I created a bloglines account about a year ago. I appreciate RSS feeds much as when we used Push Technology in the past or relied on email alerts about new content. I've unsubscribed to some feeds because I became overwhelmed. Currently I have 99 feeds including a few from the SJ Merc (Action Line and Restaurant reviews).

I like that SJSU, Stanford and The Spartan Daily have feeds. The Stanford feeds alert me to lectures, concerts, and theatre events. Interested, then, go to its website to subscribe.

Oh, I did make my bloglines public and then reverted back to private blogroll. I went through the exercise because a participant was having difficulty with the optional exercise. The SHARE tab is in a different place now.

I am keen on getting libraries to use RSS and blogs to market new materials and events. Having that information on a website or in a calendar helps but I think we should explore other avenues and open up channels to get the word out using mutiple communication tools.

I guess I should also explore Google Reader to see whether it is better.

Week 3, #7 Technologies

Last year I learned about Skype which allows me to call my boyfriend through our computers and talk to one another for free no matter where he is in the world. Also, he sometimes calls me through his computer while I use the telephone. The phone charges are reduced this way. Skype is also used at several universities.

I think though the microwave and vacuum cleaner are still up there in my top 5 all time favorite technologies. And now, I'm very happy to have an iPod Nano as well. Much lighter for exercise purposes than my walkman or when I travel on an airplane.

Week 3, #6 Librarian Trading Card

So much fun!

I like the app that allows you to make fake magazine covers and the one that creates movie posters. I like what Mana did in creating a mosaic of library images from the Almaden Branch. The mappr site with a map of the US and photos posted to it is really pretty in my opinion. I chose to make a librarian trading card. Is it okay that I'm in my bike suit and not my librarian clothes? :)

Week 3, #5 Flickr

I love Flickr. Along with Smugmug. I love being a lurking browser or whatever you want to call me -- I love looking at people's fabulous travel photos. Access to images and to travel type blogs is super. I'm also shocked sometimes that people post what I would consider private moments and not for the viewing public - I'm not talking about dirty photos, I simply mean photos I would personally not share with others. I also appreciated the 3rd party apps. that allow me to be creative and to design posters among other things. This is a hoot.

Anyway, I thought I'd try KingLibrary as a tag and sure enough, various Flickr sets were retrieved along with a few false hits (not the King Library of SJ). I like this person's set of SJSU campus and the King Library photo.

Week 2, #4 - Registering and commenting on learning

I registered my blog.

Easiest habit: Accept responsibility for your own learning. I love learning and learning something new every single day.

Hardest habit: Actualizing goals.

First Week

First week. I listened to the podcast. I liked that there was text to follow on the side as well.