(Thing #23) Grand Finale

I made it! It took a bit of extra time and work, but I'm glad I participated, regardless of the prize. I learned a lot; I became familiar with several programs I'd heard about but hadn't delved into 'til this project. So, even though I won't necessarily continue to use all the programs myself, I'm glad I had a chance to familiarize myself with what's out there.



One thing I realize, after looking back through my life-long learning goals from the first couple of blogs is that I'm better at jumping in and trying something new. I think, over time, I've gotten more comfortable about using my 'tool box' consisting of friends, co-workers, reading the directions, etc. When I know that what I need to learn will help me to be more helpful to other people, it motivates me to dig in and figure it out. I've noticed this when using NCLive- I really want people to use it, which makes me want to know how to explain it better.

I think Goodreads has made a fun, helpful connection between a number of us- it's turned into a good way to keep in touch with staff from the other libraries. On that subject, I still think some sort of inter-library communication devise- wiki or otherwise- would be very beneficial.

To answer the last question, yes, I'd do this again! There's always more to learn, and more to teach.

(Thing #22) NetLibrary

It took me a minute to find where I could browse our collection of eAudiobooks- which is embarassing because you'd think I would have looked into this a little more closely already.


I liked being able to hear a sample of the story, especially since some books don't have descriptions included in their Details section.


I think it will be good if we all take a closer look at how to download eAudiobooks so we're able to give patrons a little run-down on how it works- what devices it works with- renewal issues, etc. We have such a wealth of resources available that their, and our, tax dollars are helping pay for, so I really want to do a better job of letting everyone know what's here for their education and entertainment. One important question- will the MP3 players we requested be compatible with NetLibrary books? That would definitely be an incentive to do some detailed searching!

(I'm posting this ahead of Thing 21 since I'm still working on figuring out podcasts... BUT, I've figured out how to change the order of my posts in case I want to them to be in order later.)

(Thing #21) Pod People

I guess I'm not a pod person... not yet at least. All the download options intimidated me, and so I decided to wait and try it at home with a podcast from someone I know. I realize there's so much out there that I'd like to listen to... all the 'This American Life' episodes that I miss now that I work on Thursday nights.

I went back to Sarah's post and found links to some new podcast sites. I went to PodcastPickle and was a little overwhelmed by what I could find. It was easy to use, but I felt like I was randomly browsing for something that caught my attention. I looked at the Top 100 podcasts, and came across Grammar Girl's Quick & Dirty Tips to Better Writing. I learned that when writing something that's to be read aloud, you can use the 'k' sound in order to add more humor. Don't know why, but she talked about research using variations of a similar joke, where the variation with more 'k' sounds got the most laughs. Go figure. (Oh, and let me know if you want to hear the joke!)

Realizing how easy it is to listen to a podcast from the computer, I decided to check out This American Life. It was nice to look for something to listen to through a familiar space, rather than on a general podcast search site. I was able to listen to any episode for free, but if I'd wanted to download something from the archives- anything but the most recent show, it would cost ninety-five cents. Since I don't have an MP3 player yet I haven't tried downloading, but I can imagine using that later.

(Thing #20) You Can Learn Anything on YouTube

I signed in to YouTube through my gmail account and registered this blog- that made it easy to add a video to my site. In fact, it showed up as a blog post before I even had a chance to write about it! I decided to look for salsa dance instructions. There are dozens. I liked that I could narrow my options to 'couple' instructions. I watched parts of a few videos, and chose this one... The extra comments he's posted cracked me up before I even got to listen to explanations (yes I'm editing this from the reference desk) so I figured the real instruction would be good but humorous at the same time- the way a dance instructor should be, in my opinion!
I found it very easy to use YouTube. I've learned from experience (not having actual television) that it can be addicting since one video will lead you to dozens of related videos. The challenge is figuring out how to use it at the library. So many patrons already know about it, and I don't see any of our MCPL staff jumping into creating a video for the library, but maybe I'm wrong- it's an interesting idea!
I never was able to upload the video while working in Blogger; I went back to YouTube, where I'd registered my blog, and added it from there. So, there it is.

Sexy Salsa Dancing : Complex Salsa Dance Move

I'm thinking it might be easier to add from YouTube, rather than add it from BlogSpot...

Slight Delay...

Argh. I am having trouble getting the YouTube video I chose to show up on my blog. It's there; I edit text; it disappears... It seemed so simple at first!

I'll check with some of my resident experts when we're all here tomorrow.

(Thing #19) Web 2.0 Award Winners

I jumped into the 'Fun' sites, and discovered One Sentence. Submit a story in one concise sentence, and realize how much can be told in just a few words. It reminds me of Frank Warren's book 'Post Secret' and as I read through the One Sentence blog, I found out that they're in the process of publishing a book as well. I'll have to add it to the collection when it comes out.



I also checked out the Education sites, and I can't wait to try out SpanishPod, Mango, and LiveMocha for their language lessons. (I can't exactly do that at the reference desk!) I poked around in all of them though; I was excited to see that the first language on Mango is Brazilian Portuguese. I want to learn more of that. I'll definitely check that out, and hopefully I'll be able to recommend these sites as complements to our books and audios on language learning.

I'm wondering what the rest of you have to recommend as far as music sites. I've never used an MP3 player before, so I'm curious... let me know what you've used! Thanks!

(Thing #18) Google Docs

I definitely would have appreciated a program like this when I was at Southwestern and Western. I had a lot of group projects between my education and English classes, and it would have been handy, especially as a commuter from Franklin, to be able to do a little more of our work from separate locations. I remember more than one occasion when, in the middle of one class, I'd realize I'd left my disk with the next class' work in my computer at home and I'd have to debate whether to skip out of one class to drive home and get it, or turn my next class' work in a day late. Having my work on a central, web-accessible program could have saved hours of stress, driving, etc.

As for using applications like Google Documents in the library, I could create my PR messages about Thursdays at the Library and the movies from any workstation. I wouldn't be limited to editing only when I'm at my own desk on project time; I could work on them during down time in the lab or at the reference desk.

Patrons could be saved a lot of lost documents as well. I've seen so many patrons lose work because, for whatever reason, they logged out of their session, not realizing that their documents will not be there the next time they log in.

I like that the format is so familiar- similar to Word, Excel, and, though I'm not so familiar with Power Point, I think the Presentation application is fairly similar. I'd feel confident showing this to patrons, knowing they'll be comfortable with it.

(Thing #17) Wiki Part II

So now we know it's doable- I think we should put it to use for the Fontana Regional Library system! It seems to be easy to share and link other sites; I definitely found it easy to use.

It took me a few tries to add my blog as a link, but when I went back and read the directions about changing it from a Wiki to a URL, it worked perfectly!

FYI, I added the Rufus Morgan link to favourite hikes since I have a few good stories from that trail, and I added the Frog & Owl to the restaurants. They don't have a web site, but it's easy enough to find- it's one of only two good places to hang out on a weekend night in Franklin and the food is excellent, though I could be slightly biased since they've bought produce out of our garden!

(Thing #16) Wiki Part I

I don't know that this was the intention of the assignment, but I certainly found something I was looking for! I went to the Allegheny County Library Association wiki and checked out their Boys and Libraries page, found something that caught my eye, did a little research, and got on the phone to Suzanne at Books Unlimited and ordered it for my kid's upcoming 13th birthday! The book is 'Guys Write for Guys Read' by Jon Scieszka; it has snippets of writing by several young adult authors with information on how to find more of their writings. Maybe, just maybe, I've figured out a way to get James to do something here besides play Pirates and lounge around the circ desk.

I just keep going back to Allegheny's Young Adult wiki- it's great to see all the things they're doing with their teenagers, and the teenagers are part of the site- I read comments from them... maybe something like this is the way to get the young people in our library more involved with using the library as more than just a hang-out. Kids might be more responsive when they can sit at a computer and give their input- it might give them a chance to get comfortable with what's available to them, and make it easier for them to give their opinions. We've talked about how to get them interested and involved... maybe this is something we should think about doing.

(Thing #15) Library Two Point Oh... Kay, I Suppose

I found a great little photo essay about the changing image of libraries. I was intrigued by the industrial look of the new Seattle Public Library, pictured on the left.

I realize that the look of libraries isn't exactly what we're blogging about this week, but I got to thinking about how the image does correspond to the changes in services libraries are offering over the past few years. We're providing new and different services, and naturally that will change the look of the venue.

I spent some time reading up on Library 2.0. I guess it's kind of silly for us to be afraid of all the new resources once we realize our patrons are using them all the time- in fact, in many cases, we're using them ourselves, and that's how they get implemented into our services. That's not a new concept at all. We just have to remember that at one time the idea of letting people read and borrow books for free was pretty radical and intimidating.

I'm curious about how we'll continue to integrate what we're learning into our everyday reader's advisory and reference. Just yesterday a patron asked me if there's a way to suggest and request new materials through the library website- is this something we'll be adding to our services? And if so, who will be monitoring the requests? I'll bet there's a way we could streamline the process of going from patron requests to making orders- not sure myself what it would take, but I'm glad people are asking.

(Thing # 14) (Insert Cheesy Google Books Title Here)

Wow, Google Books is great! Not perfect, but definitely a good resource. I would be more likely to use it to look for older books and passages; but maybe that's just because I'm more familiar with Amazon's layout for when I'm doing new book orders.

I liked how, if I did a search for a phrase, I was directed right to the page where that phrase shows up. For example I searched the line in the William Carlos Williams poem, 'this is just to say, i ate the plums' and came up with several books- some with the poem, several with commentary on the poetry.

The 'Search for Libraries' tool is also a great resource that directs you to WorldCat; I was able to find that a number of the books I searched are over at Western's library.

I'm assuming that Google's partnership with libraries and universities assures that copyright laws are followed. I could turn this entry into a debate on the rights of authors, or I could talk about the environmental resources it takes to produce all of our books, OR the resources used to digitize and run those books through the internet... but I'd rather have that conversation face to face! I don't assume to have the answers; I just think we should be having the conversations.

Meez Must Be Thing #24

Making a Meez for our FRL blogs seems to have turned into one more Thing. So yes, I made one, went nuts adding accessories, and before I knew it I had a bill for over $20! I went back and used all the free stuff instead. Who on earth actually buys that stuff???

Anyways, check her out at the bottom of my page. Personally, I think I'm a better dancer, but at least she's got the decor going on!

(Thing #13) del.icio.us.and.tas.ty.

At first this looks like yet another link-gathering site, not so different from, say, Google Reader or Digg. Just pick the one you prefer, and stick with one. They're all so general and random, but you can narrow your searches down to anything. But then you realize you tend to be drawn into certain subjects in one, and completely other subjects in another site... you hear your friends talking about Digg, but others only use Del.icio.us and you've got to keep up with all of them. Not because you prefer one over the other, but because you've got different 'conversations' going on in different places. Kind of like having a MySpace and a Facebook profile- you don't necessarily prefer one over the other, you just have different friends, different artists, and different reasons for visiting both of them.

I did a search - Del.icio.us for Librarians and found dozens of good articles and blogs on how libraries, librarians, and library students are using the site. I have a much greater appreciation now! Do your own similar search, as the tags are always being updated and added to.

(Thing # 12) Anything

I don't have a television, but in my household of three people, we have managed to accumulate five computers. I really don't miss having tv in my house; I subscribe to Netflix and I have a library card, so I can choose what I watch. I did get a little jealous when it seemed like everyone I knew was talking about The Daily Show- it seemed that so many of our peers got the majority of their knowledge of current events from watching the show, rather than traditional news shows. Come to find out, you can go to the website and watch downloaded copies of the previous night's and earlier shows. Voila! Now Stacy and I can keep up with the news, including the latest author interviews, along with our peers.

For more detailed news from around the world about the Middle East- places we feel strong connections to- we usually spend a part of our Sunday morning watching Link TV Mosaic.

PS.
May I have an MP3 player? Thank you!

(Thing #11) Buried in Digg

I've been noticing the Digg icons since we started the 23 Things, and I've started clicking it on articles I thought were noteworthy, but never really followed through to see how far those articles made it in Digg. It's beginning to make more sense now. I like that, unlike Google Reader's format, you can read the article in it's own space and site.



I found an article about the cleanup of "ghost nets" around Ireland.



I still prefer to go directly to a news source, rather than have updates, and other peoples' suggestions chosen for me. I also prefer news gathering sources that are more specific, for example, for world and political news, I like to check out the Common Dreams site. Still, I see the value in a more generalized source like Digg.

(Thing # 10) Goodreads: Well Read and Naughty (sort of)

I had added Goodreads to my blog last month since other FRL folks were already in there and had started a group. I still haven't added a whole lot of books other than what I'm currently reading, but I'm in the process of going through my Friends shelves, and adding books of theirs that I've also read, or hope to read.

This is a great way to keep up with what I've read; I've noticed as I scroll through other peoples' books that I'm reminded of books I read years ago- I might never have thought of them otherwise, and this makes me want to go back and re-read some of those books!

One thing I don't like is that as I'm browsing other books, I can't tell right away if I've already added a book to my own shelf. Another thing I don't like is that when I hit the "add to shelves" button, the book doesn't necessarily get added- I realized this after clicking on dozens of books, thinking I was adding them!

In looking for a book I had never heard of yet, I happened across Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. In reading the reviews I realized it is also a movie, so I checked that out, and remembered seeing a trailer for the film. Anyways, I'd like to read AND watch the story.

(Thing #9) This Could Get Addictive...

... but I'll contain myself!

I went to the AlienNator... Stacy looks pretty good in blue, doesn't he? Although, biased as I may be, he looked pretty good before I alienated him, too!

I will have to remember to go back to Dumpr with all those pictures that we just don't look quite right in, but that I don't actually want to delete.

Below is a picture I took of a lovely surprise in my yard, some purple columbine. We'd transplanted one randomly placed cluster, and now it's multiplying. And in this case, turning into an Amazing Circle. I wouldn't recommend using a photograph of a person for this application!

I definitely want to play some more with image generators- I've got a great picture of three of us 'librarians' to put in a celebrity paparizzi shot when I have my co-workers' permission! But for now, I've spent more than enough time digging through my Myspace at work, looking for photos to manipulate.

(Thing #8) Mashups Are Not Car Wrecks

I checked out Examples from the Web Mashup directory, and decided to take the Science route. There was only one option, and it led me to this Rivers of the World site. Search by continent, country, region, and then by specific river. My brother, sister-in-law and niece are living in Germany, and they recently took my niece on her first cruise down the Rhine River.

I've included the link to the map and photos so you'll know what I did, but I posted my own picture of Summer with her mom, Amy, on their little trip last fall.

I also decided to search for the Little Tennessee River. At first I didn't see NC, so I looked in Georgia, and found it here. You'll notice it's mislabeled as the Little Sequatchie River, which happens to be in Tennesee, but the pictures and map are definitely of our lovely, local river.

This was fun!

(Thing #7) Flickr Fluttr

I used the Explore mode to find an interesting picture, and from there I chose to do a location search. At first I just typed 'Chicago' into the search bar, and was surprised to see that it offered me either Chicago, Illinois, or Chicago, Wisconsin. Never knew there was more than one! It brought up a map and thumbnails to about a gazillion (roughly) pictures, so I narrowed it to the Millenium Park, then to the Cloud Gate, and when I finally narrowed it down to 'at night' I was able to choose my favourite shot. I had seen the recently constructed park and gate (called 'the Bean' by Chicago locals) for the first time on a trip back to Chicago a few weeks ago, and that's how I decided to look for and share a picture of this fascinating piece of work. I made sure it was a public photo, and I'm giving credit to the photographer, Gary Becker.

I like that anyone can look at the photos on Flickr; I don't like that one has to have a specific e-mail account in order to sign in and have an account. (Or is there a way around that, that I haven't noticed?) I don't want to have to set up yet another account... isn't three- Hotmail, Gmail and Fontana- already more than enough?

Thursdays at the Library

I wish everyone in the world would come to these programs... I just haven't figured out how to reach everyone. Yet.

If you're still looking for something to do this Thursday evening, please come out to the Macon County library to hear our very own, my dear friend, Angela Faye Martin. She'll be playing her own songs, and telling some of the stories she's collected here in the Burningtown and Cowee communities of Franklin, and I promise you're in for a treat.

7:00pm Thursday. You won't regret it.

A Moment of Pride...

I had to share...

A vaguely familiar, older patron and I were returning our carts at Ingles at the same time this afternoon, and she piped up and said "I'm so glad you put your cart there, instead of leaving it catterwauled all over the place."

Just a reminder, the public might be allowed to behave anyway they like in the library, but we're all still reps of the library no matter where we go. So be careful with the catterwaulin' when you're out there.

(Thing 6) The Care and Feeding of a Librarian's Reading List

I still don't think I will use this much, but it's interesting looking through blogs I already visit and seeing the RSS options I'd never noticed before. I could have instant access to ANYthing from one place, but for my personal use, I don't use Google Reader that way. I'm interested to know how other library staff use it, but for myself, I prefer to get e-mail updates from my particular sites.

So here are a few favourite library sites.

My good friend Steev Baker is the librarian at the Kewaskum Public Library in Wisconsin where I think he almost single-handedly runs a 12,000 volume library, and I don't think he's even had time to finish his degree yet. Check out the site; he's someone you'll want to have a conversation with.

I had a difficult time finding anything of value doing a Technorati search for 'library, libraries, librarians' but I did happen across Literary Mama which is a site dedicated to balancing creativity with motherhood, so I'll be inclined to revisit this one.

Part of my job at the library is to add to our spanish collection, so I found the New York Public Library Novedades to be helpful in finding popular spanish titles.

I get it, but... (Thing #5)

I started my Google Reader and I have to agree with Abby's blog on the subject- I prefer to see the websites themselves. I've found it visually unstimulating, and that's part of the fun of reading online- all the artwork and backgrounds that enhance the reading experience. I have to admit, even as an adult, books with pictures get my attention first!

I can understand the convenience of a site like this, and I can see where it can come in handy for getting the most recent information, especially from various news sites. What I would like to do is find something on the order of the Times Bestsellers list for spanish books. I'd be interested in up to date information on popular titles that we should be adding to our collection.

I see that the Reader can be added to our blog... I need to take a minute to figure that out because it's probably fairly simple; I just haven't noticed the right buttons yet.

Take Notice; I've Been Reading

Just a mention- I've already added a link to my Goodreads page to my blog. I've only got a few books up there because that's what I'm currently reading- I have dozens of my previously read books already listed on Shelfari, so I haven't gone through and added them to Goodreads. Keeping it simple.
Happy reading!

Siete y Una Medias Hábitos...

We joked a little bit amongst ourselves about having to learn how to be lifelong learners- as library employees I would hope we all have a good grip on that concept. But, the truth is, it's wise to step back and think about the habits we've formed that can help us, or keep us, from completing our goals in life.

I'm still trying to figure out which habit I have the most trouble with. I have so many unfinished projects around the house; I'm not as fluent in spanish as I'd love to be; I'm not always the perfect girlfriend and step-mom; I've barely progressed beyond the G, C and D chords on my guitar... why is all this? I hope that going through the seven and a half things will help me narrow it down to something besides laziness and the ever-increasing pile of books on my coffee table.

I'm good at the first habit- imagining the result of my goal. That's usually what gets me started in the first place.

I think I'm good at accepting responsibility for my goals; I don't assume that anyone else can do what I want to get done.

Viewing problems as challenges might be one of my roadblocks. Problems look like, well, problems to me, and I'm working on changing my views on that. Maybe when problems arise, it's a good time to go back and imagine the end result of getting past it, and see it in a more positive light- something I can be proud of having worked through.

Confidence has always been a bit of an issue with me. I was fairly sheltered and shy as a kid, and I'm proud of myself when I look back and see how far I've come. Still, I tend to see other people who are more accomplished, more outgoing, and more confident than myself. Maybe I should refer to Habit 5, and look at those people as a part of my 'tool kit' who I can let motivate me, rather than discourage me. It's all in how I look at things, right?

So in reference to creating a tool box, maybe I need to put more thought into that- see who and what is around me that can help me.

I'm fairly comfortable using technology. There's always more to learn and use, which, of course, is why I'm participating in the 23 Things, and I'm looking forward to getting familiar with some new (to me) tools.

I love when I realize I have something to offer others from my own learning and experience, so I'll keep that in mind, and look for more opportunities to teach and mentor others, and reinforce my own learning.

I've already said that playing is a strong point of mine- I'm always looking for ways to make everyday tasks more fun and interesting!

Don't Get Me Started...

Seems like we're off to a good start with the FRL 23 Things project; it's been interesting looking in on everyone's comments and blogs, so I guess I'd better jump in here myself!

First off, I'd like to say that I really appreciated how our staff development day was set up- it was good to interact a little more with those of you from the other libraries! I keep saying that 'us newbies' at MCPL need to take a day-long field trip to get acquainted with all the other branches; I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never even been in the Nantahala or Cashiers buildings. I grew up using at least five different libraries fairly regularly, so you'd think I could get a visit or two in to all of my regional branches! One of these days, I promise, I'll venture out.

I'm looking forward to the rest of our tasks. I don't think I'll have a problem with Number 7 & 1/2 "Play!" More about the others in my next post.