YouTube

YouTube is a site I particularly like for a variety of reasons. It has lots of library related videos on it, many of which are particularly interesting and/or useful. There is also lots of fun stuff to look at! YouTube allows tagging so searches can then be done on existing tags, it also allows viewer comments and ratings which can be very helpful. Another feature of YouTube is that it provides links to other videos from the author(?) of the video, as well as topic related video links. One video which I have seen and particularly like was Building Academic Library 2.0 by Meredith Farkas, the Distance Learning Librarian at Norwich University. This video is of a keynote address she gave at the Academic Library 2.0 conference in November 2007. Meredith is an engaging speaking and whilst this video is a bit long at approx 70 minutes, it is well worth the time. Vidoes have application for libraries as a training and information tool. Training tutorials can be created and posted to the library's webpage for users to look at. This means users in do not need to be available when the library wants to present training but can view the video when and where they want. Videos can also be used as a way of promoting the library, it's staff and services.

Library 2.0: it's many things to many people. What does it mean to me?

Taks 11 - Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries Library 2.0 is a concept. It means libraries embracing user collaboration by providing ways for users users to participate in library services. This participation can include feedback/suggestions about existing services or the creating or new services. It can also mean allowing users to actually be part of a service ie tagging of catalogue records, contributing to library blogs or wikis. By becoming Library 2.0, libraries aim to not only keep existing users but to entice new users into the library whether it be physically or virtually. Library 2.0 should not be confused with Web 2.0. Web 2.0 generally refers to web tools which involve user collaboration. Libraries who wish to be considered 2.0 will most likely utilise some of the many Web 2.0 tools available, however being Library 2.0 isn't just about using Web 2.0. Its about doing what we have always done but in a better, more user friendly way. It's about taking the library to users instead of expecting the users to come to us.

Technorati

Technorati is a search tool for blogs. A search for the term "library 2.0" done today returned the following results: Blogs tagged as - 186 posts Blogs about - 487 All blogs - 487 Technorati has updated it's website since 23 Things was originally created (in fact the site has been changed since the start of the week as it had a tab titled 'popular' which isn't there today). When I looked at the popular blogs/posts tab a few days ago it contained, unsurprisingly, in the top 10 blogs: various celebrities, the environment and current news stories. You could also access the Top 100 blogs as voted by fans and what the top searches in the last 48 hours were for news, the internet movie database (Amazon), music, Youtube videos, DVDs (Amazon), and books (Amazon). Now that the popular tab is no longer available there is instead tabs titled: business, entertainment, lifestyle, politics, sports and technology. These tabs then contain sub categories, such as under entertainment,: celebrity, film, gaming, indie film, music and tv. Each subject tab then has 2 viewing options of either headlines, or rising posts/stories. Rising posts and stories show the blog posts and mainstream media stories getting the greatest attention from other bloggers in a topical area at that time. There is an option on this tab to view blogs and news together to to separate them out. You can also opt to view them as ordered by freshness or attention (this is calculated as a weighted rank based on time, number of links, rate of new links, Technorati Authority, and the Technorati Authority of linking blogs. It can change over time). Headlines are also given an authority rating. Authority refers to the number of blogs linking to a website in the last six months. The higher the number, the more Technorati Authority the blog has. I signed up to Technorati and this blog has now been claimed so that Technorati will definitely spider it. I didn't attempt to insert the html code necessary for tagging as when I tried to insert coding to add a technorati widget to this blog's sidebar it wouldn't work so I didn't want to go thru that fuss again. Technorati is certainly a tool worthwhile using for anyone interested in finding blogs or posts on topics of interest to themselves.

Delicious

Again I was late jumping on this bandwagon but now that I have I think it's the best thing since sliced bread. I actually started my Delicious account prior to getting to this task in 23 Things so that made life easier. The hardest part about Delicious is remembering to click the Delicious tag button instead of bookmarking in the browser! I am currently in the process of making sure my bookmarks from home and at work find their way into Delicious. Delicious is a tool which I think has great potentials for libraries and is fabulous for individuals. Who wouldn't like the freedom it provides with your bookmarks. No longer is it necessary to email or remember a URL for bookmarking from 1 PC to the next. It also allows someone to share their favourites with their friends or the world at large but also allows a user to keep private a favourite it might be best no one knows about. How good is that! Library wise it's an opportunity to allow users to participate in the provision of resources that are made available to them. We can't possibily know all the good URLs related to a particular subject but our users may be experts in certain areas and this allows them to share their 'favourites' with everyone. One thing though, and it's an issue for a lot of the web 2.0 tools, what happens if Delicious 'disappears' - everyone with Delicious accounts then loose their tags and chaos ensues or tag rage becomes a common phenomenon? Or an I just being pessimistic airing that thought?

RSS feed

That was easy seeing as I have been using a RSS feed reader for yonks! See the link on the right to my Bloglines feeds.

Wikis

Well I just accomplished putting some links on my work wiki which certainly wasn't hard at all. The hardest part was deciding what my fav blog was to create a link too. So now it's on to the next task...

Libraries and censorship

Just read the most amazing blog post which is a response to a request to ban a children's book in a US public library and thought I have to share it. http://jaslarue.blogspot.com/2008/07/uncle-bobbys-wedding.html I only hope I can be so eloquent if ever faced with a similar situation...or maybe that should read I only hope I can be so eloquent!

I passed!

Got my results a few weeks ago and I passed both subjects - WOOHOO! I'm now well and truly into this semester's work and trying to make sure I start my first assignment before it gets any closer to its due date. Both subjects are really interesting. I'm learning all about metadata and Web 2.0 which is great and ties in nicely with the 23 Things program I'm doing for work. Now all I need to do is actually finish 23 Things...

I'm back...

Been slack and not posted for a while due to personal circumstances but I'm all good to go again. I really must now finish my 23 Things... However I have finished my first semester of uni and have another week to go until I get my final results. I'm also good to go to start next semester's work and hope to get some done in the final 2 weeks of the hols so that I have a bit of a head start for when semester officially starts (which coincidentially is in 2 weeks time lol). Anyway as they say no rest for the wicked...

Learning and me

If someone had said to me 2 weeks ago that I would be blogging and contributing to wikis I would have laughed at them. If they had suggested that I would be doing it and enjoying it no less then I'd probably be rolling around on the ground unable to breath because I was laughing so hard. But here I am now working on 4th post no less for my blog and I'm excited about wikis. I'd also heard all about Facebook, BeBo, YouTube etc etc but I wasn't interested. Then a friend said have a look at my Facebook page and see the photos of my little girl. Well it was inevitable then that I would end up with a Facebook page of my own where I have added applications, posts, video and family photos. I have also posted to friends pages. So just another example of my developing relationship with 2.0 technologies. I am a library technician of quite a few years experience. I am also just about to commence a degree via distance education (DE) in librarianship. I tried DE many years ago and all the info was mailed to me. This time however it is very different with most things being online. In my mailings I received recently, for this semester's 2 subjects, I got a subject outline, study guide and book of readings for 1 subject but the other subject only had a subject online. All resources for this subject are online in a specially created area where we can submit assignments, contact our teacher via forum posts, talk to my fellow students via posts and view the actual subject content. I have thus far access the first 2 modules for 1 subject, replied to several posts from fellow students and posted a question for my lecturer. So yet another example of technology I've had to get my head around (quickly) but still I'm excited to be doing it all. So the saying old dogs can't learn new tricks definitely isn't true in this case. I'm not saying I'm going to be a wizz at this and maybe some of the things I learn about won't end up being used by me at work but at least I will know about them and understand how they may be used and that's the important thing isn't it. I don't want to stagnate, I want to keep learning things. I may need a little (or big) push sometimes but that's fine too. What I learn today helps me to help you tomorrow.

Wikis

Wiki's - wow. I knew basically what they were but didn't see their value to a library... I knew wikipedia and thought, how can this be good? How can you trust the information it has if anyone can edit it, and if you can't trust it what use is it? However as part of this learning experience I have looked at several wikis - some library based, some not - and found that the purpose of these wikis is quite exciting. One wiki was a library subject guide which users can add to and there was a wiki devoted to worldwide law, just to mention 2. Having tried to create a subject guide previously and worried whether the sources I put in it are the best for the subject it now seems, after thinking about wikis, that it makes sense to let the people who are meant to use the subject guide to actually have imput into it in a more hands on way. Naysayers could bellow but a user can always make a suggestion but how often do we find ourselves thinking 'gee that would be a good idea' but then we can't be bothered to go to the effort of letting someone know or we can't find someone to let know. With a wiki, if a person has a contribution, all they need to do is to click edit and add then add their 2 cents worth. In terms of my library, having wiki functionality on my library catalogue would be great. Instead of users asking me what is the best book regarding this subject, and me not being sure because I haven't read it or I don't understand the technicial information contained in it, they could look at what previous readers have thought of the book. And what about the backend of library processes... How many times has someone been away and no one else has known the answer to a problem/question which has come up? We all carry a lot of information in our heads specific to our job and whilst we can sit down and create a manual of our 'jobs' but these sorts of things tend to only be updated rarely. Hence it's a big job and it's easy to forget to add some information. If our manuals were in wiki form they would be easier to update, all in 1 place and any library staff member can update or annotate someone elses manual where necessary or appropriate. Of course this is just a couple ideas and I'm sure there are many more out there waiting for me to discover them.

7 1/2 habits of highly successful lifelong learners

I've just l listened to a podcast which details the 7 1/2 habits of highly successful lifelong learners which was quite interesting and sounds really simple in theory. Of course now comes the tough part, putting what I've learnt into action... Of all the habits, the hardest for me will be Habit 7 - teach/mentor others. I'm get so nervous when trying to show people things that I'm sure I end up just confusing them and/or missing vital information. Groups are the worst, I can't get my act together at all if I'm faced with teaching a group something. If it's just 1 or 2 people then I get by but I'm sure I could do it a lot better. People who I have trained/mentor have told me I do it just fine but I usually think they're just being 'nice'. As for the easiest habit I think that would have to be Habit 1 - begin with the end in mind. I usually know where I want to end up when I start a task of any sort - sometimes the process to get there may be a bit fuzzy but the end goal is usually pretty clear. So I'm now looked at the habits of successful lifelong learning and I've created my own blog so I guess I've definitely started my quest to know a bit more about Web 2.0. Next task for me is delve into the wonders of wikis, so wish me luck for the next stage...

Ok here we go...

Hi, This is my brand spanking new blog. In this blog I'll be chatting about the learning process I'm going thru regarding all the cool Web 2.0 technology out there is cyberspace. Please feel free to add any thoughts or to give me pointers about anything I write, and if you know of some cool technology don't hesitate to share it with me. All I ask of you is to please be kind and remember I'm still wearing my L plates!