OK - This is thing "7" (or 6, if you don't count Facebook...) I created a Rollyo account, and created an "Online Shopaholic" search engine. Check out the link - to the left...
This could be hugely useful at a library - In fact, for one of my current LIS classes, I think I might Rollyo several of the "approved" free or open-web sites we can use in our research. I can see libraries doing the same, and even breaking them down by category (such as, Fine Arts; Popular Authors (home pages, which often contain information about upcoming releases and also series orders); medicine; law (free legal websites - including, I believe, Google (or is it Yahoo) which now offers actual case search capability...)... Government websites (IRS, unemployment etc.). Uses could be endless. Good stuff!
Friday, July 02, 2010
Thing Six: I Wikied
OK - so NOW I get Wikipedia. Always sort of loved it as a place to start when I'm trying to answer a reference question, but I can see how the John Stewart "Wikiality" happens. In about 5-10 minutes (including subscription time) I went to PBWorks and set up a 'practice' Wiki. It's just a note and a picture, and it happened to only be about my cousin's wedding a couple of years ago, but it could have been anything. I'm a self-proclaimed expert on Tudor (and specifically, Elizabethan) England. I could have Wikied (sp?) about that, and put it out there for anyone and everyone. Hmmm... OK, Cheryl, focus.
If I've got you curious, check out my Wiki. The link is to the left.
I can certainly see not only how this can be addictive on a personal level :>) but how it could be very useful in a library setting. Librarians can Wiki about - well - just about anything. It is a great way for them to share and to present information - Similar in that respect to a blog (difference being that I get more of a sense of permanence about a Wiki). They could, for example, put together a Wiki on - I don't know - APA 6th, or MLA citation style rules for patrons to access. I know in my library we get school children who are all doing the same class/ school projects each year. We could Wiki Pathfinders for some of the more commonly selected topics. Come to that, each of the librarians could Wiki a pathfinder for whatever their personal topics of interest may be, including information about their own personal favorite authors. I can just see loads of ways this could be used within a library context.
If I've got you curious, check out my Wiki. The link is to the left.
I can certainly see not only how this can be addictive on a personal level :>) but how it could be very useful in a library setting. Librarians can Wiki about - well - just about anything. It is a great way for them to share and to present information - Similar in that respect to a blog (difference being that I get more of a sense of permanence about a Wiki). They could, for example, put together a Wiki on - I don't know - APA 6th, or MLA citation style rules for patrons to access. I know in my library we get school children who are all doing the same class/ school projects each year. We could Wiki Pathfinders for some of the more commonly selected topics. Come to that, each of the librarians could Wiki a pathfinder for whatever their personal topics of interest may be, including information about their own personal favorite authors. I can just see loads of ways this could be used within a library context.
Thing Five - Part Two (I forgot the library part)
OK - so in my enthusiasm as to how I could PERSONALLY use Library Thing - I didn't really share any thoughts on how it could be used from a library perspective. So, here's my thoughts:
1. Since you can search by title, and can directly search the Library of Congress, it is a great tool for someone at the reference desk who is asked to find all the books with that particular title and then work with their patron to figure out "which one" is theirs... Til now, I've been using Amazon myself (and, of course, one of the 'catalogs' this searches is Amazon) - but it also has LOC and some other book sites that you can search in, all in one site.
2. Search by Author - same thing. I also think it would help with questions such as "which book came next" in a particular series.
3. Common theme here - I love telling people about cool stuff, so I can definitely see sharing this with my patrons for their own use. I would imagine from there, since you can share your virtual library, it would be a very simple thing for a patron to note the name of a book on the site, then share their "library" with a librarian (for example, a book list for summer reading, or the like) to get exactly the books they are looking for (or arrange for it to be ILL).
Effectively, what I'm getting from this is that one of its functions is as a sort of multi-functional/ multi-dimensional and multi-fasceted Reader's Advisory site.
Again I say - very cool!!
1. Since you can search by title, and can directly search the Library of Congress, it is a great tool for someone at the reference desk who is asked to find all the books with that particular title and then work with their patron to figure out "which one" is theirs... Til now, I've been using Amazon myself (and, of course, one of the 'catalogs' this searches is Amazon) - but it also has LOC and some other book sites that you can search in, all in one site.
2. Search by Author - same thing. I also think it would help with questions such as "which book came next" in a particular series.
3. Common theme here - I love telling people about cool stuff, so I can definitely see sharing this with my patrons for their own use. I would imagine from there, since you can share your virtual library, it would be a very simple thing for a patron to note the name of a book on the site, then share their "library" with a librarian (for example, a book list for summer reading, or the like) to get exactly the books they are looking for (or arrange for it to be ILL).
Effectively, what I'm getting from this is that one of its functions is as a sort of multi-functional/ multi-dimensional and multi-fasceted Reader's Advisory site.
Again I say - very cool!!
Thing Number Five: Library Thing. I think I love you!
OK - so I'm in book collector's heaven!!! I tried "Librarything.com". FABULOUS. It lets you search for books both from bookstore sites (amazon.com :>)) and even the LOC. What I like about it is that I always seem to forget the titles of books I have or want to get, so when I get to the bookstore, I always get stuck! With sites like Librarything, you can actually save books over into a "library" of your own, and even group them by categories such as "read but not owned" or " currently reading" and "wishlist". So from now on all I have to do if there is a book I don't want to forget to look for (either in my library, or in a book store) all I need to do is to pull it over into my "virtual" library, and I can retrieve the title as needed! Very cool!
Also, there are also numerous forums - including librarian forums - to share your thoughts about different books, and (much like Amazon) the site will generate recommendations for you based on what's in your library.
I think I'm in book collector's heaven!!!
If you want to check out some of my faves, I did start pulling a few titles into my library. The link is over in the toolbar to the left.
cheers
Cheryl the Book collector :>)
Also, there are also numerous forums - including librarian forums - to share your thoughts about different books, and (much like Amazon) the site will generate recommendations for you based on what's in your library.
I think I'm in book collector's heaven!!!
If you want to check out some of my faves, I did start pulling a few titles into my library. The link is over in the toolbar to the left.
cheers
Cheryl the Book collector :>)
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Thing 4: Online Applications and Tools
OK - making progress.
A little less fun than playing with pictures, but certainly useful! I set up accounts on both Google Docs and Zoho Writer, and did practice documents and spreadsheets on both. As a very experienced Microsoft Word and Excel user, I have to say they both seem to have a very similar, and comfortable, look and feel - Possibly even a bit simpler (not so many bells and whistles to worry about)- to the Microsoft products. Although I've shared documents in one way or other for collaboration most of my professional career, I'd never actually used a document sharing site and collaboration site like these (or, honestly, been aware that free web-based ones existed). All in all, I guess I'm not really convinced these are that much better than just e-mailing documents back and forth - except that you, as the owner, do seem to have better document/ version control than in Word/ Excel (You have to play with some settings in Word to protect a document).
As to how these could be used in a library- The first thing that comes to mind is that they are a free way for librarians - perhaps from different branches of a city's public library - to collaborate on a project. Although, again, I come back to "how exactly are these different from just exchanging by e-mail". I guess I'm not really sure. Then again, they are perfectly adequate substitutes for Word and Excel and Powerpoint, for example, for libraries to provide on their public-access computers - which would also permit these patrons to document-share at the same time. So there is value in that, too (both literally, and figuratively). Also, I think these types of resources are just good to know about as "being out there", so that you can educate your patrons about them should the need arise.
A little less fun than playing with pictures, but certainly useful! I set up accounts on both Google Docs and Zoho Writer, and did practice documents and spreadsheets on both. As a very experienced Microsoft Word and Excel user, I have to say they both seem to have a very similar, and comfortable, look and feel - Possibly even a bit simpler (not so many bells and whistles to worry about)- to the Microsoft products. Although I've shared documents in one way or other for collaboration most of my professional career, I'd never actually used a document sharing site and collaboration site like these (or, honestly, been aware that free web-based ones existed). All in all, I guess I'm not really convinced these are that much better than just e-mailing documents back and forth - except that you, as the owner, do seem to have better document/ version control than in Word/ Excel (You have to play with some settings in Word to protect a document).
As to how these could be used in a library- The first thing that comes to mind is that they are a free way for librarians - perhaps from different branches of a city's public library - to collaborate on a project. Although, again, I come back to "how exactly are these different from just exchanging by e-mail". I guess I'm not really sure. Then again, they are perfectly adequate substitutes for Word and Excel and Powerpoint, for example, for libraries to provide on their public-access computers - which would also permit these patrons to document-share at the same time. So there is value in that, too (both literally, and figuratively). Also, I think these types of resources are just good to know about as "being out there", so that you can educate your patrons about them should the need arise.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thing 3 - RSS Feeds and Bloglines!
I tried setting up a few RSS feeds - including two for the Librarian Blogs I am following (copy this blog and In the Library With the Lead Pipe), and CNN which I always followed online. I'm still trying to get used to how the information comes in (I'd always gone the "old fashioned" route of simply going to the website periodically) - But so far, I like it.
Since I am following the Charlotte Mecklenberg 'program, I noticed one of their "tasks" was to check out Bloglines - so I did, and also set up a Bloglines account - Went a bit nuts, since I couldn't decide which feeds to subscribe to so I subscribed to entire categories. OH well. I guess as I go further along, I can decide which ones are "keepers" and weed the rest. Meanwhile, I'm adding the link to my blog toolbar.
I can certainly see where these types of tools could be useful in a library setting - on several fronts: 1) I think librarians should keep informed on current events in a variety of areas, including news, books, movies, sports and the like and this is a very convenient way to quickly keep abreast of the "latest" news in any given area; 2) It is something that could be set up on the library's public computers for use by its patrons for the same purpose; 3) It could be a nice resource to tell patrons about, for their own use.
Since I am following the Charlotte Mecklenberg 'program, I noticed one of their "tasks" was to check out Bloglines - so I did, and also set up a Bloglines account - Went a bit nuts, since I couldn't decide which feeds to subscribe to so I subscribed to entire categories. OH well. I guess as I go further along, I can decide which ones are "keepers" and weed the rest. Meanwhile, I'm adding the link to my blog toolbar.
I can certainly see where these types of tools could be useful in a library setting - on several fronts: 1) I think librarians should keep informed on current events in a variety of areas, including news, books, movies, sports and the like and this is a very convenient way to quickly keep abreast of the "latest" news in any given area; 2) It is something that could be set up on the library's public computers for use by its patrons for the same purpose; 3) It could be a nice resource to tell patrons about, for their own use.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
This time I tried an Image Editor or: Thing 2, Part 2
Here are some more pics I played with using an image editor this time... online-image-editor.com.
Couldn't get the animation to work on my saved pix, but that's OK. Same comments as before - Not sure I can see any application in a library setting save for letting patrons know that these types of sites are available.
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