Method 10

What did you find interesting? What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?

I like that it is so easy to add things to the wiki, but at the same time that is a draw back. Anyone can type whatever they want into the wiki, and you have to keep an eye on it to make sure that it is something that is okay to be on the website (no curse words or anything else inappropriate). One application that would be great using a wiki in the library is readers advisory. Patrons can share their thoughts and opinions on books, movies, CDs, or any other items they check out from the library. Librarians can also keep an eye out for suggestions to add to the collection based on how many patrons are reading a certain series or author. A wiki can also be a good way to find out how patrons felt about certain programs and any ideas they may have for future programs. It is a great way of getting patron feedback without conducting a survey.

Method 9

In your “Method 9″ blog post, tell us about your chat experience. How did it go? Did you find it easy or difficult? Also, what do you think about chat/IM and libraries? Is your library currently offering chat/IM and if not, do you think it might in the future?

I have chatted before with a couple of my friends using Facebook, and I used to chat with people all the time using the IM on AOL. I find it really easy to IM with other people. The only issue is the ability for people to take tone into account when you type instead of speaking something. So you have to watch and make sure nothing you type might offend others. I think IMs would be great for some libraries. I know there are times when people have to get frustrated when they are trying to find something, and they may have the title of the item a little confused. It would be great to have a little IM box pop up on the screen ready to help save the patron from frustration. Our library does not offer IM right now, but it might be something to test out and see if the patrons would give it a try.

Method 8

Consider some of these questions as you reflect on this two-stepping method: How do you feel about social networking sites in general? Do you have privacy concerns and/or concerns about keeping your personal life separate from your professional life in the online environment? Is your library already using some of these social networking tools and if not, do you see potential uses for any of these tools in your library?

I like the idea of social networking sites. It gives everyone the ability to see how people they have not seen for years are doing, and it also gives them the ability to reconnect with those individuals. I also think that networking sites are great for the library, because it can show patrons not just what is going on at the library, but they can also see pictures, videos, or comments made by others on how the programs went. We have a Facebook page for our library, and the patrons enjoy looking at the pictures of what is going on and the cool things that their children are doing during the summer. I do see a need for keeping a professional and personal account seperate when it comes to networking sites. I have a Facebook page, and I only allow my friends to see anything other than the basic information that goes to my page when searching it. I am not doing this, because I feel the need to hide anything, but I don't wish for just anyone to have that information so easily. Our library's Facebook page, on the other hand, is public, and everyone can see what's going on at the library. I also don't want to worry about friending or not friending a patron of the library. To me, it seems easier just to have two accounts and not have to worry about these things.

Method 7

 Can you see the potential of this tool for use by libraries/librarians? Or do you think it is just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?

I do think that delicious has merit as a tool for libraries. A library can have bookmarks for websites on finding jobs or creating or updating a resume. Librarians can also make bookmarks for parents on websites that have educational games or websites that can help their children with projects or homework. There can also be bookmarks to places like goodreads or librarything where patrons can see what other patrons are saying about books.

I also enjoyed learning about delicious during this method. I found some great blogs about storytimes that I am definitely going to check out. My favorties are also getting numerous, so delicious is going to be a great help with keeping up with the things I use for my programs and bibliographies. This also help me personally, because IE 9 does not let you have the links at the top of the page, and on my personal computer, I rely heavily on those links. Delicious is going to save me some frustration. It will also be great that I can access those links from other computers, too!

Method 6

What did you like or dislike about the site and why did you choose the video that you did? Can you see any features or components of the site that might be interesting if they were applied to library websites?



I really enjoyed YouTube. It is easy to use, and there are some cool videos of librarians doing silly things to make their libraries memorable. (I loved Round Rock's song). The video that I chose was "Librarians Do Gaga." I have enjoyed this video since it was emailed to me on a link. It is a catchy song..."You can use my catalog...," and so the video, and the ideas within in it, stay with you. I love the idea of introducing the library and librarians through a YouTube video. There could also be videos made of important information, such as how to get a library card or how to get to the library, that someone could use before they even enter our doors. YouTube videos would also be a great way to gain interest in new programs or items that the library has to offer.

Flickr vs Picasa

One thing that quickly came to my attention about Picasa was when it asked me for my name. I understand the intention, but I like that Flickr lets you stick with your Yahoo account signin. It also seems to me that Flickr is much faster when it comes to uploading the photographs, and Flickr is easier to use when it comes to tagging, descriptions, and choosing how you want your phtograph to be protected. One thing that I liked about Picasa, though, was the slideshow ability. I prefer the use of Flickr, though, and I cannot wait to go looking through all of those treasures from the museums in The Commons. I also want to explore the world through photographs on the World Map.

Method 5

On a personal level – is it something you plan to do or perhaps something you are already doing? And on a professional level — do you see some potential uses of online photo sharing sites for libraries?

On a personal level, I usually do not upload my photographs to sites like Flickr. It makes me uncomfortable to have others have easy access to some of the photographs I have taken, and when it comes to other people in my photographs, I don't want to put up photographs of them without their permission (especially of their children). Now that I have uploaded a couple of photographs to Flickr, though, I see how easy it is to limit the access and copying ability of my photographs, and I may use this tool in the future. As I stated in my earlier post, Flickr would save me from having to bring out my laptop every time that I want to show my photographs to my friends, family, or the members of my photography group.

On a professonal level, I don't see the librarians at our library posting the photographs from our programs on Flickr, because we are already using Facebook to display the photographs and videos of our various programs. With other libraries that do not feel comfortable or be unable to set up Facebook pages, Flickr could be an excellent tool. The only issue I see with it, is that more of the patrons may use Facebook than Flickr. It is up to the individual library to decide which method would work best for their patrons, so they can have access to the photographs.

Photo Uploaded to Flickr

DSCN9136, a photo by immortal_one30002003 on Flickr.

I decided to add this photograph, because I used it for the Bluebonnet Awards bibliography, and I took the photograph, so I knew I had the rights to the photograph. It was surprisingly easy to upload the photograph, set the sharing for it, and upload it into Blogger. Photography is one of my hobbies, and I think that Flickr is a great way of sharing my photographs with my friends and family. I also don't have to pull out my laptop to show all of my photographs!

Method 4

On your blog, add links to your 3 feeds and post to your blog about this exercise. (Please include “Method 4″ in the title of your blog post.) What appealed to you about these feeds? Do you see yourself using Google Reader or some other RSS Reader to keep up with certain sites now?

Cute Overload:
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fcuteoverload.com%2Ffeed%2F

The Kitchn
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2Fapartmenttherapy%2Fthekitchn

The Big Picture
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fbigpicture%2Findex.xml

I really enjoyed the Cute Overload feed, because who could not love pictures of cute little animals. I also enjoy new and interesting recipes, so The Kitchn was another great feed. Photography is another hobby of mine, so the big picture was very interesting.

I could see myself using RSS feeds, because they are a very convient way of keeping up with things without having to worry about looking all over the internet for websites pertaining to that subject. This was a very interesting thing to learn about.

Method 3

Share your impressions and thoughts regarding online productivity tools and cloud computing by posting to your blog. Some jumping off points for your blog post might be: How do you feel about these tools and concepts? Do you see great benefits for use in libraries? Overall, would you say that you are more excited or more cautious/skeptical about cloud computing?

I like the idea of being able to always have access to your music, pictures, documents, and other creations at any time or any computer. The ease of access is amazing. You no longer have to be stuck to one computer to access any of your work or music you like. For libraries, cloud computing could be useful. Patrons can have access to their music without having to carry CDs with them, and patrons can also save their work online at Googledocs, instead of having to worry about having something like a flash drive or CD to save them on. I do not, however, like the idea that a company, such as Google, could be keeping such a close eye on the type of music you like, the kind of work you are doing, or what sort of things you are doing while online. I am not a big fan of someone offering a tool for free that makes its money by selling ad space or a user's private information. I agree that a lot of people may not be sure that companies are keeping tabs on the things we are doing while online. I know that people do not like the idea that they can be tracked with the GPS in their phones. How happy would they be to know how much Google learns about them from what they choose to do online? I think I am really on the fence about this idea.

Responses to Method 1 Questions

What are your thoughts regarding Web 2.0 and Library 2.0? What do the terms mean to you? To your library? Or libraries in general?

Web 2.0 tools do connect people a lot more quickly than we have ever been connected before, as letters could take days to reach an individual. Emails were a quicker way, but people seem more taken with Twitter, blogs, and text messages to connect with others. Unfortunately, it seems to me, though, that the more connected we become with technology, the more isolated we make ourselves. People text instead of talk, and some people would say things on a blog, that they would never say to someone they were talking to in person. The anonymity of the computer may give someone the feeling that it is okay to say whatever they want, even if it is not appropriate.

These tools can be great for the library, because librarians can connect to those individuals who may be too busy to stop by the library or may not wish to say their information needs out loud where someone else may hear. Librarians can answer patrons’ questions, deal with their concerns, and connect them to their information needs, without even having to meet face-to-face. It allows librarians to help even more patrons than they normally would.

Test Post

Here is a test post!!!