The end?

Reflecting on the 23 things, I can see a lot of uses for many of the neat tools we've been playing with. I do struggle with the balance of adding some communication tools, providing one more thing for staff to need to check...and am proceding with caution in light of our workforce planning taskforce's discovery of just how much time we spend each day in electronic communication.

That said, there are tools that do build efficiencies in here...and particularly for work groups who aren't working close together on a daily basis (particularly homework help center coordinators).

I do think that the 23 things has helped all of us learn better how to share the uses of Web 2.0 tools with our customers, who very much want to learn how to use them. In this respect, this has been an invaluable experience for all of us...and it certainly was fun!

I know I will keep up with twitter and facebook on my own...and librarything has been a very useful professional tool. I have appreciated the opportunity to learn & play!

MOLDI by any other name...

I admit I've not been using MOLDI in spite of my addiction to audio books. This is largely because I'm an IPOD user...I am very happy that this is no longer going to be an impediment soon!

While I am excited for the opportunity to become a MOLDI user, I have to say...while I can find what I want on MOLDI, I typically know what I'm looking for. MOLDI is not a very browsable site. In particular, whoever is deciding what is "children's" and what is "teen" may be throwing darts at a wall. Teen is a useless section to browse, with only 22 titles...and with Breaking Dawn in children's. Either put them together or separate them properly, I say!

Could the good folks at aqua browser do something with the MOLDI interface, I wonder?

podcasts...meh

I get it...I just lack patience for looking for the right ones and I lack the time to keep up with them once I find them.

One key takeaway from searching podcast directories is this: DO NOT start one if you don't want to keep doing it. It looks really bad to have a "weekly" podcast that hasn't had a new episode since July. It's a commitment to set up...but I saw a library that had adult/youth/teen podcasts...they just didn't look current. It'd be a cool thing to do if they could be kept up to date!

YouTube and guilty pleasures

I haven't spent much time with youtube...and had some difficulty figuring out how to search effectively for the good stuff. My sad, secret (now not-so) shame is that I enjoyANTM...and since we've lost the CW network on Time Warner I have been unable to get my fix. On Sunday I spent a couple of hours getting caught up. Hey every once in a while I need a break from being all intellectual and stuff!

Here's what I watched, so that I can test posting the embed code into my blog.



I think the really nice piece for libraries is that it makes it easy to share videos on more easily navigable websites (hopefully, any library webpage will fall into this category). As ever one of the things libraries are good at is getting people to the best information for them in this overwhelming morass of inormation that is out there. Same goes for youtube...we librarians need to play to our strengths!

Power Tools Page & Stumbleupon

Well, looking at the Power Tools Page from the CML website, it seems to me that there should be more stuff there and/or we should just send folks to The Web 2.0 Award site. It's a lot to keep current on...and maybe the awards site will be more current and more complete. Our power tools page reads more like a list of random things that our librarians have stumbled upon. That said, the stumbleupon concept is quite nice...and I did take the opportunity to look around a bit using it. A good place to go if one actually NEEDS more web sites to visit regularly!!!

face book: almost more addictive than twitter!

Perhaps the reason I've gotten so, erm, behind on L&P things is thing 18! I've found Facebook...and it's something I've spent minimal time on at work, and exorbitant amounts of time on at home! In a fit of utter madness, I created a facebook profile for my dog. If you don't believe me, click here! I've added a widget to my blog that links to my facebook profile or click here, friend me if you want. I've even set it up so that my tweets go straight to my facebook status. That said, there are people on facebook, my husband amongst them, who think my status updates come to frequently when doing it that way. Tough, I say, because otherwise my facebook status wouldn't get updated 'cause I USE TWITTER! So there.

google docs

My previous post was posted directly to the blog from google docs. A small group of 4 co-wrote the document using google docs back in August. Thought I'd see what posting it to my blog would look like. Please not that the text of this post is identical to that of my very first blog post...which shows how much I've learned about using Web 2.0 tools to make things easier for myself! While I'm not uber impressed with how the formatting came through, it's fairly handy to be able to post straight to a blog. More importantly, though, is how fabulous an experience it was co-authoring a document using google docs. While there were times when several people were logged in and editing at once that were frustrating...generally speaking, it is a very slick thing made even better by the fact that it is free!

The Future

Library Leadership 2008 Vision Statement

 

 

We are your library, open to all. 

 

We defend your right to read, hear, and see what you choose. We are guardians of the right to privacy and to access information freely. 

We are the destination of choice for those who wish to transform their lives through learning. We inspire our users to be thoughtful and productive citizens, whatever their age or background.

We provide welcoming, environmentally sustainable facilities where our customers can pursue their interests in safety and comfort. Our locations serve as a “Third Place:” a central community gathering place and a hub of civic involvement.

 

We provide exceptional customer service in response to the unique needs of our community. We deftly respond to those changing needs by actively engaging in our mission to promote literacy, technology, and lifelong learning, both in our buildings and beyond our walls. 

 

We are responsible stewards of public funds.  We continuously evaluate and adapt our services and programs to ensure their most meaningful and effective use.

We are diverse and reflect the communities that we serve. We challenge staff to grow professionally and as individuals.

We are a dynamic, vibrant institution committed to a culture of innovation. We provide the tools our users need to challenge worldviews, expand minds, and break down barriers, so that they can position themselves for success in the global marketplace.

As library leaders of the future, we offer this vision to our stakeholders.

They place their trust in us, and we are honored.  We promise to advocate for them, our libraries and communities.

We pledge to do great things.

 

 

 

 

Playing with Wikis

It took me a while to figure out what I was doing...but once I got the permissions I needed, I jumped right in and and edited the CML Learn&Play Wiki.

There are definitely applications here for hhc purposes...we could keep lists of local free tutor services updated, ESOL resources, etc. Of course, the verdict is still out, someone pointed out that something as simple as google docs might work just as well!

Cluetrain Manifesto, Web 2.0, and Library 2.0

Within the past couple of months, The Cluetrain Manifesto has been recommended to me twice. It's important to note that this book was published in 2000...and the Manifesto itself made news in 1999. It floored me that a book about the Internet written this long ago would still be relevant...but it SO is. Whether the authors were eerily prescient or just had so much insight into the technology that they knew, or could guess with a reasonable amount of accuracy, where things were heading makes no difference.

To me, the Manifesto hits on key elements of what both Web and Library 2.0 are...the other articles almost feel like a regurgitation of the same stuff. Really, the key point is that the types of conversations and communication that the Internet facilitates are/have changed the world. Library 2.0 is simply the need for libraries to join the conversation...we know we've got stuff to add to the discussion!

The Cluetrain Manifesto, it its original 1999 form can be found here.

Wikis and Libraries

This is the week I've been waiting for! The difference between wikis and blogs is something I've been struggling with. In my role as project lead on homework help centers, I've been struggling with finding a good form of communication that aleviates the inneficiencies of email. I know that it's either going to be a blog or a wiki...or both! Thanks to a tweet typeAlibrarian I think I need a wiki for more organized information sharing, what to do when, etc. and a blog for less formal communication between HHCCs.

I'm still struggling with this and would appreiciate feedback from anyone with more experience than me in this!

mmmm...del.icio.us

I still haven't found anything to top last week. Twitter and Librarything are both tools I have a near-addictive relationship with...but del.icio.us is pretty cool too. You can see my account here or check out the badge I made in the right hand column of this blog.

I've been keeping my favorite sites in my head for so long, it's hard for me to shift to thinking about keeping track of them formally...it almost seems like an extra step. However, as I get used to the idea of having them all stored in this neat place where I can get ideas for sites I might like based on other people's bookmarks, I think I might be able to get used to this!

Twitter...oh the possiblities

Twitter seems to be a pretty cool tool. I've set up my account and have roamed around a bit. I'm pleased to be both a follower AND followed by a couple of people. I think this is an interesting way to stay connected...and it looks like some organizations are using microblog updates to point people back to their blogs. The sense I get is that this is a very cool thing that folks are still figuring out how to use. The etiquette is a bit unclear, but that will likely change with time.

It is quite easy to set twitter up to send updates straight to a cellphone...though I haven't used that feature yet. Once I get Eric to create an account, that will change!!!

My username is LibraryKristin. You can visit me here.

Mash Up v. Image Generators

My creation
Originally uploaded by librariankristin

This kind of feels like what we did for mashups...still is kind of fun. I am now, officially, sick of this picture of myself.

Oh, and if you would like to "Warholize" a photo of your own, click here.

Discovering my inner luddite

OK, I totally get the RSS thing. Bloglines is fabulous and its application makes perfect sense. But sites that you can search for other blogs, etc. I find confusing and overwhelming. I also think the librarian in me wants authoritative sources...so I'm much more comfortable deciding I'd like a Publisher's Weekly RSS feed...and then going to Publisher's Weekly and signing up. I know that I miss some interesting stuff by doing it this way...and maybe I'll become more comfortable with these search sites over time.

Bloglines is pretty cool!

So, this week I've built an account on Bloglines. You can visit my blogroll here.

While I was somewhat skeptical of my interest in RSS...I am now a convert. As soon as I figured out I could get all kinds of feeds from LibraryThing I was sold!

Meet the family: Zooey by name, Zooey by nature

Zooey
Originally uploaded by librariankristin

Looks can be decieving! Zooey, a Vizsla, is the spaziest dog ever, it's just impossible to catch this on camera because the minute he sees one he strikes a pose. Porter doesn't know quite what to do with Zooey's energy level.

Meet the family: Porter Got Skunked...Again

Porter
Originally uploaded by librariankristin

Our sweet but dopey mutt Porter did not learn the first time a skunk sprayed him in the face. When he encountered a skunk again, he decided it would be a good idea to grab it in his mouth and shake it around. The smell got shook around a bit too...and we're still trying to get the skunk smell off of Porter and out of our house.

NOTE: This is an experiment in emailing photos from my cell phone directly to my flickr account. It works like a charm!

...from the Portugese

How do I love thee, LibraryThing...

I know we're going to do LibraryThing later...but as I finish up compiling a booktalk list of best Middle School Books of 2008, I feel the need to express just how awesome this tool is. I've compiled the entire list using LibraryThing, including annotations, and will just export the whole thing into the proper format when I've got it all finished.

NF will be a bit dicey since I'll need to sort by call number and include the call number, but the rest of the process is so easy compared to the way I did it last year that it's saved me oodles of time.

My favorite new technology tool by far!!!

There's a link on the left hand side of my blog that will take you straight to my library, or you can just click here!

Librarian Trading Card

Librarian Trading Card
Originally uploaded by librariankristin

So this is my experiment with mashups. While I can see how these can be fun, and I'm pleased to no longer be intimidated by using this sort of tool, it's the first thing I've done as a part of Learn & Play that I'm genuinely not excited about. I'm glad to know what they are and how to use them though!!!

Is it an office or is it a closet?...Wait it's both!

Is it an office or is it a closet?...Wait it's both!
Originally uploaded by librariankristin

In order to try out flickr's blogging function, I took a quick photo of my office. It was very easy to post it to flickr...and if what I'm doing right now works, subsequently adding it to my blog is a breeze too! Let's see if it works...

Back at Blogger in edit mode...Holy cow, why was I intimidated by this again?

7 1/2 Habits of Highly Effective Lifelong Learners

This post references the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Effective Lifelong Learners and is an exercise that completes things 2 and 3 of the 23 Things.

In thinking about my habits as a learner, I realize that one of the habits I struggle with most is the 4th habit, "having confidence in yourself." I worry that missteps, particularly in a public forum like this, will make me look like an idiot. So, I am hereby giving myself permission to look like an idiot...and expect that those who already know me and are aware that I'm not one (an idiot, that is) will be wise enough to not let the odd blunder as I experiment here change their opinion of me. Those of you who don't know me I can't do much about, so I hereby acknowledge that you may, indeed, think I'm an idiot and may continue to do so until such time as I am able to convince you otherwise...and I'm OK with that (really, mostly...well sort of)! NOTE: This paragraph is being used in lieu of the significant therapy bills that would otherwise be required for me to be comfortable posting my more rambling thoughts on line. Yes, I recognize that I could have done this all anonymously, but that would have bypassed a huge opportunity for me to get over this already. I also acknowledge that my hypothetical potential readership, ie, everyone online, is unlikely to be rivited by all this...and would like to take this opportunity to say "hello" and "yr" to my one likely reader, Eric. Since he's the only one reading, there should be no need to point out that he is my husband. :)

Outside of public forums, I don't tend to have a hard time with that final half a learning habit: PLAY. Therefore, I'm going to probably be a bit more goofy in my blog than I am at work (at least now that I've resolved my public-idiocy issues (see above)).

Library Vision

It seems appropriate to begin this blog with this vision statement, created by the Library Leadership Ohio class of 2008, of which I am an alumna. Hopefully this will set the tone for what is to follow...

Public Library Vision Statement

We are your library, open to all.

• We defend your right to read, hear, and see what you choose. We are guardians of the right to privacy and to access information freely.
• We are the destination of choice for those who wish to transform their lives through learning. We inspire our users to be thoughtful and productive citizens, whatever their age or background.
• We provide welcoming, environmentally sustainable facilities where our customers can pursue their interests in safety and comfort. Our locations serve as a “Third Place:” a central community gathering place and a hub of civic involvement.
• We provide exceptional customer service in response to the unique needs of our community. We deftly respond to those changing needs by actively engaging in our mission to promote literacy, technology, and lifelong learning, both in our buildings and beyond our walls.
• We are responsible stewards of public funds. We continuously evaluate and adapt our services and programs to ensure their most meaningful and effective use.
• We are diverse and reflect the communities that we serve. We challenge staff to grow professionally and as individuals.
• We are a dynamic, vibrant institution committed to a culture of innovation. We provide the tools our users need to challenge worldviews, expand minds, and break down barriers, so that they can position themselves for success in the global marketplace.

As library leaders of the future, we offer this vision to our stakeholders. They place their trust in us, and we are honored. We promise to advocate for them, our libraries and communities.

We pledge to do great things.

--composed by the Library Leadership Ohio Class of 2008 on August 1, 2008