(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.