Thing 23_And She Was Not Really Done...

As I mentioned in my prior post, this is not at all the end of my technology journey. I chose to partake in this particular exercise as a way to explore and document my knowledge about web 2.0 and technology. I'm glad that I did it, despite the pressure of time that has been an element throughout.

The fall semester at St. Kate begins September 3rd and I will be taking 2 courses: Library & Information Center Mgmt and Knowledge Management, while continue to work full time. I'm excited because I expect both of these courses to be informative and have some opportunities to explore new technology.

Overall, I believe this program is a wonderful opportunity both for students and current practioners. I do believe that libraries can find great possibilities within technology but only if it is applied thoughtfully by people with a sense of the options, flaws and possibilities. And so librarians have a great opportunity to serve as guides in this new realm. To carry forward the light for all who have not yet taken a swim in web 2.0....

Let's dive in and learn even more!

Thing 22_What Did I Learn Today?

As a future systems/tech librarian, I had already committed to self-study in the technology field. My initial goals included:

• Maintaining my Google Reader with a plethora of technology and library related feeds, which I read at least twice a week. This is a goal that I find very easy to maintain but the next step is definitely to do additional study and research in the areas that interest me and possibly blog about it.
• To expand just a little, my favorite feeds include: Lifehacker, The Shifted Librarian, Librarian in Black, iLibrarian, Matt's Cuppa and many more. If you'd like more information or the URLs, please comment.
• Reading Library Hi Tech Journal at least 4 times a year.... this is an area where I've slacked. I need to commit to a Saturday in the library at least once a month to clear through these hefty journals.
• Attending at least one library/information related conference each year which includes a segment on technology

As to all of the neat tools I tried here, a majority of them are already part of my daily life and those that were new, while cool and fun - most of them are time draws that I don't have time for while also in school.

Thing 21_Beyond MySpace, Other Social Networks

I got excited about this particular thing and dashed to 43 things, which I immediately joined, created 12 things to complete, cheered a fellow librarian, made a comment on her goal to become a librarian and today, I received cheers back from her. The 43 Things social network was such an amazing opportunity for me, because I am reconsidering the priorities of my life. This site inspired me to start thinking about this vast goal and break into individual points of light.

With all of this enthusiasm within me, I start thinking about how great it would be for librarians to use sites like 43 Things and the 23 Things Ning to get inspired and also to create portals that will connect library patrons to these opportunities. Web 2.0 gives librarians a whole new realm of information for which they can provide guidance and just like the right book, the right site may be life changing.

Of course, another great aspect to site like these is helping connect people with similar goals or ideas. While browsing the 23 Things Nings, I saw many posts asking for guidance on which Things might be applicable in their particular type of institution.

I've seen this happen within my job too. One of the web applications that I oversee for my company had a networking conference and there was a great demand for this amazing group of people to be able to connect all year round, so I suggested creating a Ning and even offered to get it started. The web app took my suggestion seriously and created a beautiful, extremely useful Ning within a month of the conference.

Similarily, I'm leading knowledge management efforts at my company and have helped create several sites on Sharepoint, which are providing a similar way of connection for projects that are managed by diverse members of our company (who are spread out nationally). Connecting is just so amazing! I just see so many possibilities in this area, going far beyond Facebook or MySpace.

Thing 20_Libraries & Social Networks

Despite being a member of Gen X, I avoided the major social networking sites until I was directly asked to join by two close friends who chose to use it their primary vehicle for communicating/keeping up to date when they (a couple) moved abroad long-term. MySpace worked amazingly well for this purpose, my friends blogged, posted pictures, posted comments and maintained a connection with all of their friends throughout the world. And in the past, they were not always so quick to reply to e-mail but the community in MySpace and the many other draws - quizzes, games, etc. helped make it attractive.

Eventually, the draw wore off as I dealt with spam e-mails and friend requests. Only recently, I created a Facebook account too. The couple mentioned above also navigated to Facebook, so that worked out well too and three years later, with them now in a new location abroad, I continue to feel connected to them thanks to their active presence on the site.

In considering these tools for libraries, I think it's important that libraries maintain a presence on these sites because for many Gen Y'ers Facebook and Myspace encompass much of the known universe and libraries create legitimacy by being hip to it. In checking out the Denver and Hennepin Library sites, I was amused by the Hennepin County widget that displayed an upcoming event, but I noted that no one had ever commented on the post... or the post after it. Are people looking but not talking? Or does the site have minimal traffic? I also wonder who at the library deals with the spam e-mails, random friend requests and other mundane issues that happen.

Honestly, I prefer Facebook and think it'd be a better place for libraries. Thus far, I've found there's less spam and annoyances on Facebook and it also allows for nuanced privacy settings and a plethora of neat gadgets. For example, this post will feed right into my Facebook profile as a note this evening... pretty cool trick.

Thing 19_Podcasts

As a dedicated follower of This American Life (TAL), my devotion begins each week with listening to the podcasts. I also regularily listen to podcasts throughout my work day. My favorites include TAL, Speaking of Faith, The Splendid Table, The Sunday Puzzle and Radio Lab. However, in beginning my exploration of the world of podcasts I realized that all of my favorites have some common features - paid expert staff, radio equipment and very carefully developed scripts or pieces.

And so as I started poking through podcast.com and podcast.net, I felt as though I was poking around YouTube again, trying to find a few gems amongst the mounds of information. I finally watched 2 episodes of a video podcast called Zen for Life. Immediately, a friend watching with me pointed out several issues with their explanation of Buddhism and some of the basic assumptions being made. The video was really quite decent quality and I appreciated what they were trying to convey.

Next, I decided to head to iTunes U in search of some better scripted substance. I'd previously listened to a philosophy course from Stanford so this was not a new concept to me, but I hadn't poked around the site in over a year so I was excited to see how many new options were available.

Continuing on the Buddhist theme, I watched a video Podcast from an Intro to Religion course at Open University about Becoming a Buddhist Monk in Sri Lanka. Again, surprisingly good video quality and this was a very interesting and brief video.

Overall, I prefer the professional and education podcasts for the quality of the production. Though I definitely support semi-professional podcasters - I have a few acquaintances who produce regular podcasts and provide quaility material on topics of special interest. Based on my leaning, my preferred directories would be iTunes, American Public Media and other sites that list only professional podcasts.

I might consider putting together a podcast, especially for a special project but overall, I'm not inspired to get my voice out there unless it's well produced and edited. However, with that said - I think there's a plethora of opportunities for using podcasts in libraries, for tours, basic guides, providing instruction, etc.

Thing 18_YouTube & Other Video Sites

The upside and the downside of YouTube and other video sites are the plethora of videos available, which can be educational or mind-numbing, interesting or annoying and entertaining or worthless. And so, yes - I searched YouTube briefly and found a neat library video from the St. Joseph Public Library... as they explain it:

This video was created for library staff in service day at the St. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend, Indiana by Dale kerkman, Bob lewandowski, Michael Stephens and Adam Tarwacki. Set to Madonna's "Ray of Light," and inspired by the video of the song, this video details a day in the life of a thriving public library system, highlighting the faces and places that make the library the library.



I chose this video because it provided a new glimpse at a day in the life of a library and since I don't currently work at a library, it gave me an interesting sense of what occurs at a public library. Of course, I also appreciated the music. Music is such a key element... I could see libraries using YouTube to provide tours of resources, tours of the library adn even short instruction videos.

Thing 17_ELM Productivity Tools

I'm in between classes and projects at this moment and so I had some difficulty finding worthwhiled searches... which are a key element to making use of this amazing resource. I already shared the site address with a college grad who is searching for some good databases to do personal research.

Recently, I actually created an instruction plan for using RSS Feeds and creating feeds from Ebsco database searches. I chose that area because I see that being useful to a huge cross section of the population - students, faculty, and every day people who want to perform regular database searches.

As a student, I see these resources as Ebsco providing a way for librarians to create annotated searches and search lists, for students and their peers. For schools that provide research assistance, this would be a quick and easy way for librarians to give access to the recommended results in a database search.

However, with all of that excitement - I had technical issues with several of the features. Proquest gave back an error when trying to send the message and Ebsco repeatedly requested that I change a setting in IE, but never worked even after the change was made. It could be my computer... but I'm always concerned about features that are still buggy.

Thing 16_Student 2.0 Tools

While reviewing these tools, my first thought was very self-involved. "Wow, I wish that I'd had or known about these tools during my undergraduate studies." Now, to the why - I love the step based layout and the timeline approach (and yes I realize that many a last minute procastinating student would laugh at me), but this is a fantastic way to remind students that it might be better to start a little sooner AND give them an idea of what they might be able to do if they start the project a few days ahead.

So... outside my self-involved rant - I see a lot of possibilities with this tool. It provides a number of dimensions - there's the tool as a whole, all of the individual worksheets and the steps. Each of these could be used individually for a student who is stuck on a particular area or for a student looking for a way to begin, the entire package may be presented.

In looking at the Teacher's Guide, I thought the worksheets about creating projects that reduce the probability for plagarism was a refreshingly different idea. I love bringing in personalization and creativity for student projects.

A few notes, I had random trouble with some of the links and couldn't find any of the customization, at least in my subject areas... which may just not get as much attention, as some of the other major areas.

A very cool opportunity - I'm going to be pointing this out to people and students who I meet.

Thing 15_Online Games & Libraries

This is not an area where I have much interaction but when I heard about Puzzle Pirates from another 23 Thing adventurer, I had to try it and take a break from my class (side note - I just completed an intensive summer grad school course on Reference & Online Services, which is why I took a hiatus from this project/blog).

Puzzle Pirates is a time-wasting bonanza - yes it's fun, yes there's opportunities for social interaction, but at this point in my life, I prefer to meet friends in real-life and I didn't see much opportunity for creating those sort of relationships. I'm a prefectionist so I was immediately drawn into succeeding on the games, which meant that I managed to waste 2-3 hours working on it. I'm not someone who plays computer/online/tv games in general, so I don't expect that I'll try it again.

Second Life... I've heard so much about it, but I'm not ready to take the plunge. I'm curious but at this point in my life, I don't have the time necessary to create an avatar/profile and explore as much as I imagine would be necessary. I knew a friend who used it as a way to create objects for his architecture profile, which I'd love to see for myself.

I see a place for gaming in libraries, especially in creating positive opportunities for game-lovers to interact with the library and to create fun learning for all. It's not an area that I'm devoting much thought to personally, because as I mentioned, I'm not attracted to that area.

Thing 14_Library Thing & Goodreads

Once again, this is an opportunity for me to state that I am a tech-leaning geek. I'd previously tried out Library Thing and at this point in my life, don't feel the draw to attempt and catalog my books or the books I've read there.

I will confess, Library Thing is nifty and it's a great tool for readers, libraries and book groups. First off, it provides another tool to provide information about books, including readers advisory related data. The site is slick, moves quickly and is easy to navigate. I met a librarian at a city library that used it and they were quite delighted with the results. When I started adding books though, I found that most of my favorites hadn't been in many discussions and the reviews were often shallower than I hoped... I'm sure I didn't dig as deeply as I could have.

And now to Goodreads, where it just so happens that I have the status of "librarian." In my spare time or as I come across them, I fix and combine book entries to remove duplicate and update incorrect data. I also have a few friends on the site, so it's a community opportunity that I first discovered via Facebook. I liked Goodreads when I first tried it, but I haven't devoted much time to it. Today in my brief overview, I found the discussions far more interesting and I had great fun seeing what my friends have read.

Finally, I noticed one signficant difference - Goodreads does not offer tagging so for those who love to search and use multiple tags, Library Thing is definitely the winner. As far as library community use, tagging is a definite need to have feature, because it gives a very simple, easy search option.

Both of these sites are well worth a look... and even if someone doesn't join, there's always good fun to be had in learning about books that may be a good read.

Thing 13_Online Productivity Tools

For several periods during 2008, my prior laptop lived at Best Buys service center where people looked at it with pity... while it waited for yet another new part. Why the sob story? Because it meant I was without the bedrock of my life - Outlook's calendar and tasks. Thus began the search for web applications to help keep my life in order.

First, I tried out Google Calendar, which worked fantastically. I upgraded to the beta version of Google Talk which provides pop-up reminders on whatever computer you've downloaded it to. It also allows you to click and instantly pull up the calendar. Other amazing features: getting directions, sharing the calendar or selective appointments and setting reoccuring appointments. The daily option for e-mail reminders or cell phone text messages is cool too. This is a good application and I can see libraries that want to get away from the Microsoft Suite model using this.

Next, I tried Remember the Milk because I wanted a more developed task/project management web app. It may have been my patience for those few days or just a fluke, but I found it too complicated and not very rewarding for the work. It never integrated into my life.

Now that I have a new laptop, I've also tried Rainlendar which is a lovely, minimal calendar & to-do list gadget that stays on the desktop. It's been a bit buggy but I really love having it right on my desktop. I found this one through LifeHacker, by the way. This is not something I can picture a library using especially because it doesn't network or share, but it's a great personal tool and would be nice on a multi-use desk computer, if it included people's shifts. It can be set to make a soft chiming sound or simple a desktop pop-up reminder. There's even a snooze button!

And finally, I am also using Fruitful Time Task Manager (the free version). So far, I've used this program to plan and execute moving to a new apartment and fundraising and traing for a bike tour. I should really spring for the paid version but I'm goin to keep hunting for a really intuitive, free project mgmt application or web-app. For a library that needs project mgmt. software, this may be a good invesment. As someone who hates Micrsoft's Project Mgmt software... I would say, spend less money and use something more intuitive like Fruitful.

So Lifehacker... aka the blog that has far too many posts each day. This is definitely an RSS Feed worthy blog. I quickly scan through the posts, stopping only at the ones that picque my interest based on the relevant program (iPhone... meh). I'd suggest having one or two people in a library browse these posts, rather than having everyone get bogged down reading about iPhones and Firefox extensions.

In conclusion, I already use and have tried quite a few of these programs, sites and applications. I think that their usability within a library setting will definitely depend on the type of library, their audience and their needs.

Thing 12_Do You Digg

Why yes, yes I do digg, as of today. This was yet another area of web 2.0 that was within my awareness, on the horizon within my vision but that I'd not bothered to tinker with it. I have an account on Digg. Honestly, "digging" news is not something that really excites me and when I started sifting through what other people had dugg within the news, I was rather saddened by all the hard, sad news stories. And thus, I have chosen to digg one of my new favorite blogs - Zen Habits. This particular piece provides a detailed look at how to re-evaluate ones use of time so that it can be re-focused on goals of meaning or simply relax more!

I can definitely see libraries introducing their patrons to this... possibly having a Digg account where the librarians and staff would spend time digging library related stories and other news of interest. If they had a blog as well, they could use it to blog these items... which is time savings and a fun way to shake up the usual blog post. For colleges, I could see subject specialist librarians and staff using this as a way to point students toward current news stories of interest.

My favorite site for new related posting continues to be Plastic.com however I don't spend much time there and can't say its current situation. It's definitely not as flexible as digg, mixx, etc. However, Plastic provides more of a sense of community within the site and it's primary focus is having members of the community create write-ups that are a summation of the news stories available on a topic, with hyperlinks to their sources. Then members of the community who have risen to the rank of moderators vote on whether those stories will be posted to the front pages. Comments are also ranked for purposes of moderation.

Finally another site that is one my mind is Babbledog, which is also more single community intense. Overall - there is a fascinating world that is culling through the online news.

read more | digg story

Music Ref Services Preview

Things 11_Tagging, Del.icio.us & Furl

Just recently, when I was sorting a number of websites trying to find the ones that matched my current information need I thought to myself "Gee, I really need to start tagging sites." With having recently picked up an RSS Feeder addiction, I've been developing my love of tagging good posts with my feeds but that's so limited!

I absolutely see this as a tool for research, particularly for Web 2.0 and tech topics that are fluttering about on the blogosphere and other sites. And these are also great resources to share with other people (and techie librarians)!

However, at the same time there are draw backs. I'm still figuring out how to create memorable yet unique tags that will allow me to point others toward them and share what I'm finding interesting.

Of course, I also wish that these programs allowed for more interaction. My temporary solution is to have a wiki where people can interact with me about items I've tagged... but I just noticed that Furl does allow for comments, so that's a step in the right direction. This is definitely an area, where I'm going to continue to tinker because I see a lot of promise.

Thing_10 Wikis!

This particular thing couldn't have come at a better time in my personal life. My boyfriend and I are apartment hunting together, and I created a PB Wiki for us to coordinate our list of prospective apartments, which we both add to and access at times. We have a set list of information that we list about each location, including a link to the orignal online ad, if available, and then, we also list all of our follow-up by location. This allows us both to be calling and following up with landlords/apartment managers and maintain our common knolwedge. To complete the story, we are also using a shared Google Calendar with maps to the apartments embedded as links so that we can access and print from anywhere.

On to a library perspective toward Wikis - I see this as a fantastic place for librarians and staff to collaborate in an easy to use space. I love that St. Joseph has created a simple guide to their library and commonly searched topics; this is a fantastic example of using new technology to allow increased flexibility without requiring HTML or other web programming.

I'm definitely going to continue exploring the Wiki concept. I have plans to use them in other areas of my personal life for coordination (because I love organizing).

Thing_9

Requested permission to edit both the Google & Zoho documents but haven't received a response yet. I'm going to skip on to the next item for now.

Thing 8_Share Your Creation 2

On to Vuvox! I am really enamored with this site and the possibilities it offers. I was first exposed to it during a presentation by the New Media Consortium on the 2008 Horizon Report. They used the Vuvox collage to create their mixed-media presentation, which caused me to have two immediate reactions. I did not like it for a traditional presentations, having the edges visible as is somewhat inevitable, seemed distracting. BUT at the same time, I saw amazing artistic opportunities. I first tried the publically available settings which were cool but disappointing in their cookie-cutter nature, but I applied to try out Collage, which is currently in private beta testing.

Below is my first attempt with Collage, which has all of the customizations that I'd hoped for:

Thing 8_Share Your Creation

With a deep sigh, I must admit to being somewhat addicted to the slide-designing capabilities found in MS PowerPoint. Faced with the opportunity to try a variety of programs, I chose the one with the greatest features - Zoho. I can absolutely see a library using this, especially if they (or their audience) did not have access to PowerPoint. The features were pretty decent, with a good layout and relatively MS-like options. Additionally, the Zoho folks are working toward adding cool features like slide transitions and more clip art.

Below is my satirical play on a presentation. I've made some references to aboriginal people and in particular the Sami, which I studied during my ungrad college education. All joking aside, I have a deep respect for these cultures, their oral traditions and their rights both internationally and within their home countries.



Edit: After initially posting my presentation, I decided to add a few slides and yes, it automatically updated in my blog too. This could be very, very handy for presentations that are dynamic with technology. It's also possible to share the presentation with others for collaboration - another cool feature.

Thinkering Space...

The Shifted Librarian posted on the Thinkering Space an amazing library & technology mashup conceived of by Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design and funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

When I see visions of the future like this one that have reached the protype stage, I become very excited for libraries and their opportunity to share this sort of technology with communities.

Not a Thing... But Web 2.0 Still

All right, thanks to Jon Zetah 23 Things Blog, I've been introduced to Voki, a quirky but cool avatar building wizard. Here's my final product:


Get a Voki now!

Thing 7_Web 2.0 Communication Tools

These are my forms of communication. My friends and even my boyfriend's parents use e-mail as their primary form of communcation. My parents make an occasional appearance on e-mail and they always reply when I send them e-mails.

Of course, my office uses e-mail and I have worked to make myself more productive. I maintain a zero inbox strategy! When I see people who don't or have given up on it, I wonder how they deal with the chaos in there. I also have turned off my notification flag for e-mail and have just reconfigured my send receive setting to every 10 minutes (instead of instantaneously).

My friends circle uses IM throughout their day. Most of us have our personal computers configured to open up our preferred chat device on start-up. I generally use Trillian, which is a chat client that allows for integration of MSN, AOL, Yahoo, ICQ & IRC. The paid version also includes Google Talk. I have been using Trillian for about 8 years.

SMS or cell phone texting is definitely not my favorite thing, but I do send and receive message. My most regular messages come from DJ friends who send out invitations to their shows on that forum, and even allow for us to respond if we'd like to be added to a guest list.

And, as a remote member of my department, I provide most of my training via WebEx, which is our company's chosen web conferencing software. I also train other members of my department on using WebEx... which I am realizing is a little ironic at this very moment.

So after some personal tech reverly - on to the important topic. How do I see this fitting into libraries? I am all for e-mail and chat reference services. I see those as ways that I would be far more likely to ask a reference question. Especially as a student who lives off campus, I do not tend to reside in the library and so when I have a question, it is usually when I am in my apartment.

I also believe that offering web conference training is a fantastic idea for all sorts of folks. As a college student, I would have appreciated being able to sign up for demos on using the latest database tools, special resources and topics. Recently, there was a post on iLibrarian titled 6 Free Web Conferencing Tools Librarians Will Love.

So overall, I would say that I am definitely a Web 2.0 communication advocate. However, Twitter is not my style. I find that most of the information my friends are generating there is cute and funny but not something I would want to have streaming into my life real-time.

Thing 6_Online Image Generators

Okay... the trading card feature on Big Huge Labs is lame, and I'm not just saying that to sound like a super-cool 14 year old. Here's why: lacks customization, lacks automatic cropping of text spaces, bad font (with no options) and cheesy layout.



I know one of the Carlton librarians and she raved about her trading card. I loved their trading cards and I can absolutely see how this would be a great technique for introducing librarians, their skills, specialties and contact information. I will be exploring the other image generators and experimenting with my own software and applications to create a slick trading card.

As you may have noticed, in my trading card I am standing beside a banner that proclaims "Justice League" with a smiling super hero. I work for a very whimiscal company, where departments choose "internal names" that are fun and inspiring and so the Legal Department is known as the Justice League! I suspect my VP would love to have a super hero trading card.

Thing 5_More Fun with Flickr!

Oh the delight of techie time wasters! Sites like Spell with Flickr are delightful time waters but do they have any other purpose? I believe that small apps & mash-ups allow for people to dip their toe into the water of creativity with technology, and by exposing people to these mini-applications, libraries help inspire new bloggers, computer programmers and web designers. They also create the amazing cross flow between technology and other disciplines.

Quirky, ala Spell with Flickr:



I putzed around with Big Huge Labs application, as well, but chose not to create yet another account. It was cute and fun, but not all that exciting to me. I'm sure children would enjoy sharing their photos as puzzles and benefit from the spatial skills required to assemble them.

As to sharing my Flickr account, thus far I've only chosen to mark a few images as public, mostly those which are part of my craft projects and landscape images. All of the other images are labeled friends and family only. I have concerns regarding anonimity and personal space on the web.

Thing 4_Flickr

Alas, my personal laptop is taking a spa vacation at the Best Buy service center, and I had a few crazy weeks between work and personal vacations, but I've returned and am excited to chatter about Flickr.

When I initially began exploring Flickr, Muriel (my laptop) was still here in Minneapolis, so I found and installed the bulk upload tool. Immediately, I upload my limit of 100mb photos for the month within 12 hours.

First, I love bulk upload tools - they allow for people to use the web as a convienent secondary storage device. If you're stuck uploading anything one item at a time, it's unlikely to be a time saver. I could see this being especially important for instutions that are looking to make a collection available to the public.

Next, the tags in Flickr are truly genius. After a few brief tag searches, I found this beautiful picture of the Como Botanical Garden:



The photographer Zak Metz, has a number of amazing images on his Flickr profile and thanks to a creative commons, I can share this image for the education purpose.

Also, I began tagging my own photos, which is really quite exciting for being able to personally share images with friends and family. Libraries could also make sure of this site for sharing visual collections, hosting photos for their website, posting photos and images regarding events.

I've also used Photobucket and tried out Picasa. My experience with Picasa was rather disconcerting. I downloaded the application to take advantage of the photo editing features and suddenly, the app was attempting to find and categorize every application on my work laptop. Unfortunately, I had thousands of images of physician credentialing documents and I could not find a way to STOP it, so I closed the program and uninstalled it immediately. So... I'm a little concerned about Picasa's overzealous nature, but I have several friends, including two semi-professional photographers, who use Google's program.

Thing 3 - Splitting out the Quartz (RSS Feeds)

Part of my initial reaction when I started using Google Reader about a month ago, was why in the world didn’t I bother to configure this sooner? I’d already been using another site to read my friend’s journals, as well as other sites that offered compatible syndication for two years, but my excuse for not setting up a feed reader was that I didn’t follow any other blogs or feeds dedicatedly. Well – that was the past. Some of my favorites now include:

Library Related
iLibrarian
The Shifted Librarian
Librarian in Black

Cooking Related
French Laundry at Home
101 Cookbooks

General Tech
43 Folders
Cool Tools
The How-to Geek

Just for Fun
XKCD
A Softer World

The primary motivator behind my taking the plunge into the delight of daily readings was to keep tabs on technology trends within the library world – a place from which I feel somewhat isolated. Yet when I read these blogs or Library Hi Tech, I see so many opportunities to apply tidbits and new applications within my current work and also to tag them for future use.

Thing 2 - This I Believe about Transforming Libraries

Recently in class, the video below was presented to a classroom filled with future of MLIS graduates, of varying age groups, skill levels and backgrounds. Surprisingly, the initial response from numerous class members was neutral to extremely negative. The range of concerns were many... the books disappearing, the cost, the overlap with existing structures such as museums and science centers. The positives were almost cast aside in hesitance to consider a different way.

I reacted with a great deal of positive experience - excited for opportunties to collaborate with the community, nuture creativity, allow exposure to new concepts and simply bring knowledge out into the world.

I feel quite similarily about Library 2.0 - I see all these potential positive benefits and cannot understand some of the deep seated reluctance. On the other hand, I am aware of good reason for caution, especially with features that must be purchased. And yet, why not explore, browse, consider and begin to invent! After watching Stephen Abram's video, I immediately began exploring the new applications and websites, making notes of what might be useful and I also found myself sharing tidbits with friends and co-workers.

I realize that my intutition to play with technology and start applying it to my daily life is an outcome from having grown up during a time of technological innovation. As Sarah Perez explains in her article "Why Gen Y is Going to Change the Web," Gen Y is adept with technology and expects to apply to their worklife, because it is productive and fun.

When I look at a library, filled to its doors with knowledge contained within a variety of mediums - I believe technology will offer ways to extract, share and enhance the role of this institution.

Library 2.0 in Action

One amazing example of testing out Library 2.0 and other interactive experiences and presentations...

TAL! (not a thing)

In a salute to This American Life (TAL), I've added their Widget to the bottom of my blog. I have been watching their newest season on Showtime and am an extremely dedicated listener to the podcast. Over the last 3 years, I've listened to the ten years of weekly radio shows, mostly as background while I work but also during long drives or while cooking meals.

If you have not experienced the refreshing goodness of TAL, please take a moment to bask in the glow of smart storytelling about this diverse country and its people.

Here's a link to their favorite programs.

Later, I'll also post links to a few of my favourites.

Thing 1 - Obsessing Over Details

For a little background, I am a self-proclaimed techy geek, who is particiating in this intiative to document and quanitfy my abilities with web tools.

Having previously created and customized journals, I quickly delved into the features and was immediately impressed by the simplicity of customizing the blog's features, format and add-ons. I modified my header image using GIMP the GNU Image Manipulation Program.

First off, GIMP rocks! Having used Adobe Photoshop in college, I was accustom to a very user friendly, straightforward set of tools. GIMP's tools gave me some trouble, but after a few attempts with various images, I've accomplished what I needed and learned how to complete the most common requirements - cropping, filling colors & touching up random blips.

Then, I ventured over to the Yahoo Avatar and was less than impressed with some areas of selection but I ended up with a cute approximation of myself. Due to my concerns regarding privacy and safety on the web, I appreciate the availability of tools like this one. The export tool was simple, as expected.

Finally, I modified the width of the posting space within the layout HTML tool. HTML and web programming languges are two areas where I definitely need to improve my skills. I can basically find my way through code and modify it on a trial and error basis, which is exactly how I managed to make today's changes.

I'm excited to be particpating in 23 Things on a Stick... let the tech and quirkiness to be further cultivated and if anyone in the program happens upon this and wants to share tips & tricks - I'll be happy to help.

PS - Last night, I checked out a few highly customized templates being offered for download on other websites, and I was not saavy enough to remove outside links from the header so I ditched those. Luckily, I'd backed up my template (another nice feature) and was able to reinstate it with a few clicks.