Summarizing thoughts on MMSCL of 2.0 program

This turned out to be a great experience for me. I went into it kicking and screaming but willing to try to learn something from it all. And learn I did!

I'm proud of the fact that I completed the program and made every effort to do a good job on each exercise. I was unable to do most exercises at work because it was too busy to really focus on exercises, understand and/or learn from them. So I completed most exercises at home, which then allowed me all the time needed to be able to get the most out of the web 2.0 program.

I, the techno moron, have actually explained things like tweeting to tech savvy friends, and now know what blogging and wiki are all about. I'm happy to finally understand and know how to use Suffolk Wave so I can help patrons and others make good use of it.

I feel like doing the exercises most definitely opened a whole new world to me, and it's not as scary and difficult to grasp as I imagined it all would be. I also feel completing web 2.0 has enhanced my skills as a floor clerk. I now know more about our library's website, the different icons and information on it. As a result I have made greater use of it when helping patrons. Having an understanding of tag clouds etc., displayed in OPAC has also made me more effective and helpful to patrons.

All in all, I'm glad I didn't shy away from completing this program. My thanks to all of you who made this program happen and to those who had to read my often lengthy exercise blogs. Much appreciated.

What's a wiki?

I found the range of possibilities using wiki interesting. From secure/protected government sites affording patrons to safely apply for unemployment, to all elements of conducting a job search, getting hired, and relevant relocation information. The idea of using the richness of local history to create and spotlight a community wiki is interesting to me, not that I personally want to create one. I loved the idea Calgary had of creating a wiki simply as a teaching tool for students to afford them an opportunity to help create and build a wiki-community.

As for types of applications that could work well in libraries with wiki & how a wiki could help patrons & staff I think "courseware for teaching" would be good. With all the tutoring going on in our library I believe a "collective knowledge base for teachers" could be put to good use. I also think "all about digitalization" would be of interest and well received by many. "General library science knowledge base may be helpful for staff and patrons alike. "Subject guides" strike me as something patrons and staff could benefit from too.

Craigslist Exercise

I started by clicking on and reading the craigslist fact sheet and personal safety tips, then went on the actual site.

Once on the site I went over to the "us cities" menu and clicked on Seattle. Under "gig" I clicked on "writing." Just for fun I checked out a number of the different offers before finally settling on "writing contest,"(later when I went back in the entry had changed to "win a trip to Kauai/travel writing contest"). After clicking on that it took me to the 2009 Travel Writing Contest page. Along the left hand side of that page I noticed a listing of "most popular destinations."

I lived in Washington state for much of my life and spent a good deal of time playing in the Seattle area, and since Seattle was one of the cities listed I clicked on it. That landed me on a page with a colored picture of the Pioneer Square antiques mall. I scrolled down the page and under "more perfect days in Seattle," I clicked on the "Seattle's Pioneer Square" picture which took me to another picture of Pioneer Square as well as an article written by Marion L. Head.

It was a very nostalgic read for me. It stirred memories of the great times I had with friends, and taking the underground tour at night, shopping the antique mall stores, the great food in the area, the Starbucks grande double-shot iced mocha coffees, hanging out at the Elliot Bay Book Company, staying late into the night and early morning hours to drink, hangout with friends and enjoy live bands at Doc Maynards.

I also enjoyed 'relearning' a bit of Seattle's history and remembering all the fun times spent at the Seattle Center, Pikes market and the waterfront.

If you've ever had an interest in knowing what Seattle is like, this article is a good one to read.

GoogleDocs Exercise

That was the quickest and easiest exercise of the entire web 2.0 project.

I use Google Docs in the contract work I do out of my home office for another employer. In that situation I post info in spreadsheets that a fellow employee and I share/collaborate on.

Surfing SuffolkWave & Download exercise

Unfortunately I am unable to download eBooks, audiobooks, or music from Suffolk Wave. My eMac OS is a 10.3.9, and I need a 10.4.9 to be able download anything.

Despite that, I went through all the steps necessary to check out one audiobook and one eBook. I downloaded the necessary software that would then allow me to download each title. According to my computer the software download was successful. However when I attempted to retrieve the books I was unable to do so. In a final attempt to pull the downloads off I updated both iTunes and QuickTime Player, but it made no difference. A 10.3.9 just is not going to do the job.

Even though I'm unable to check out titles using Suffolk Wave (via my eMac), I'm glad I went through the steps as if I could. The process was simple and easy to accomplish from start to finish, mainly because the guided tour provided by Suffolk Wave is so well done. It covers everything you need to know, and does so in a very organized and concise manner. I really wish I could make use of this program. There are a lot of great titles available that I'd like to be able to access from home.

I hope I will be given credit for at least trying to complete this exercise. Believe me, if I could afford a newer eMac that would allow me to use Suffolk Wave from home I'd have one!

Finding New Feeds Exercise

I found the excess of information overwhelming. It seems endless.

Google Reader Help Page was in fact helpful to me as it explained that if I don't see the orange icon I should look for other links with terms like xml, atom, etc.

Syndic8 was easiest for me to use. I found Technorati totally confusing. Perhaps in part because I have no interest in blogs or blogging and had no idea what to even search for.

I wasn't looking for additional feeds because I feel like I have enough for the moment. However, if at some other time I want to add to my list at least I know how I can go about doing that.

Discovering Feeds exercise

I checked out our catalog and the feeds. As requested I browsed the website and found our feeds. Click on the box titled: What's New? and you'll find feeds for each department in the menu listing on the left hand side of the page. As a patron I love having the feeds available to me. It allows me daily access to new DVDs & books without having to call the library and ask or drive over and find out. It's all right there and I can check it daily same as I check email.

While fulfilling the "subscribe to a new feed," I went a little 'subscription crazy.' I added subscriptions to Snopes, Newsday, Gothamist, Seattlest, SFist, Chicagoist.

I enjoyed learning more about feeds and finding the feeds we offer the public via our website. I took a look at the adult feeds (because that's the dept I work in) and really liked what I read.

I believe patrons will really appreciate these new technologies, finding them very user friendly and helpful in answering their questions and/or curiosities regarding what's new, and what's available in the library at any given time. They can follow their search by simply popping in the title or author to then request whatever tickles their fancy. Zip zap, done, without ever leaving the comfort of your home! Good stuff, that.

In my opinion you have already figured out how to use the catalog and website RSS feeds to serve the public well. They can read daily local & world news, financial market info, book & movie reviews, etc. They can tap into library program information, new books, movies etc., and then request whatever their hearts desire. After looking at all of the different technologies thus far in the web 2.0 experience, my question is how long before libraries as such become obsolete? Everything will take place online. No need for real books, DVDs, games, programs and so on. Books, DVDs & games will be downloaded online, programs will be prerecorded or streamed and occur either as group conference classes, or one-on-one classes to be selected & paid for online on a 'per use' (basis by patrons.) Within the next 5 years I can see libraries becoming extinct. Technology will prevail, and from what I see on our website we are moving rapidly along on the path/wave of the future.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) exercise

I started by going in and looking around on mmscl/teens Google Reader. I read a few news articles, and checked the weather.

I went on to create my own account on 'Google Reader' using the same username I used for my blog: spiritfreeZ. I subscribed to 4 feeds for now. The BBC World News-Front Page Headlines, New York Times, Youtube weekly favorites and Youtube top rated videos.

Yesterday and today I read the BBC headlines, and today I watched a few Youtube videos. Most were not that great, however I found 2 I really enjoyed. The first was Brian & Katie's Evolution of wedding dancing. If you need a good laugh take a look at the video.

The second Youtube video I watched was more educational and worth your time too. You can check it out at Youtube. It's titled "Moon in Google Earth." What I learned from the video that I did not know is that because there is no atmosphere on the moon the sky is black rather than the blue we have on earth. I also learned when that when astronout Harrison (Jack) Schmitt landed on the moon in Apollo 17 in Dec of 1972, he landed in the valley of Tarswetle, which is deeper than that of the Grand Canyon, the mountains on both sides being 7,000 feet high. When he looked over the side of the valley he could see the planet earth hanging there against the black sky. I will be visiting the interactive website they suggested, "Moon in Google Earth.'

Flickr exercise

Interesting exercise and one I think will be of help to me in the future. I love the range of possibilities using Flickr. It will be fun to share this information with family and friends too. Maybe we can finally get a photo exchange going.

I went into "explore" and view a lot of really fine photos. My favorite was a collection of photos taken by Ricardo Riba titled: Ricardo Riba's Paris. He certainly makes the most of his travels. He not only beautifully showcased Paris, but Santa Catarina, Brazil & Germany. Looked to me like he had a blast where ever he went. He did some para-gliding, mountain climbing, scuba diving, sandboarding, and lots of other sightseeing.

I also looked at "Art," "Canada," "Flowers," and many of the other photo exploration opportunities on Flickr.

What can I say, another great site worth knowing about and using.

Find an interesting video on YouTube

This was fun. Wish I'd had more time to watch more videos. There's a lot of creative, funny 'stuff' on YouTube.

This is one of the rare resources I've made personal use of (at home). Whoever came up with the idea of YouTube was brilliant. It's clearly a very popular site, and for good reason. YouTube seems to have something for everyone, and if ever you are depressed, it's definitely the site to visit.

The times I've gone in to view videos I've always been happy with how easy it is to move about and find additional interesting videos.

It's really hard to pick just one video I liked. After changing my mind dozens of times I decided on the "angry librarian." Why? Because it cracked me up! It is so like this job and the conversations that seriously do occur in our very own library.

As to features or components of the site that may prove interesting if applied to our website. Select "how to" videos could be added to our website connecting books we have on the subject(s) that could be of further help to patrons wanting to learn a new skill, or begin a hobby like jewelry making, wine/beer making, creating a rain garden, etc.

Library Thing Activity

I read about, then toured Library Thing and created an account. I appreciated how easy it was to create an account and add books. I like their "no nonsense" approach.

Library Thing is an excellent tool and way of connecting and socializing with fellow readers.

I took a look at the cloud tag for Patterson's book 7th Heaven. I find the tags very helpful personally and when assisting patrons. I think it's a very useful approach, and am very glad it's available in our catalog.

delicious activity

Yes I was able to view tags used to catagorize different references.

I can definitely see the value of this tool for research assistance. I can also appreciate the value of it as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere on the planet. Pretty cool.

I love the tag cloud on our OPAC. I have found it useful when assisting patrons who are looking for like titles/genre.

I like delicious. I found a number of interesting subjects and spent quite awhile checking different sites out. There are a lot of things I wiould go back and visit repeatedly for new info.

facebook & myspace activities

Whew! There is a lot of information on both sites. T thought it would be a huge pain and a real boring task. Turns out I rather enjoyed it.

To answer your questions: there are currently 141 fans. Did not fan it because I do not have an account (and really do not want one).

I was unable to get the libraries box to work properly so cannot tell you the exact number of libraries with a presence on facebook. Near as I can tell, there are at least 14 different libraries on the site, and most likely way more. I found it interesting checking out the different library sites.

I was unable to view the "find out more" page for our digital library as every time I clicked on the link it sent me to "search for friends" page rather than the "find out more" page, which is what I really wanted to be connected to.

The LI/NY website link was not working either. Everytime I clicked on that link it gave me "page cannot be found."

I did not like myspace as much as facebook, although like facebook it has a lot of great information. I think facebook, myspace, and myspace teens is similar in that they are all trying to achieve the same goal of helping connect and keep people worldwide connected and informed on a wide range of subjects/interests.

I think the greatest difference is in format and some subject matter. I personally liked facebook better.

I think social networking appeals to so many because it makes it possible to locate and/orconnect with and share interests with people all over the world as well as staying in touch with family & friends. It's a great concept, especially in a society that is ever on the move, constantly growing, changing, expanding in so many ways.

I am unsure how we can tap into the potential of this technology. Maybe start a recipe exchange feature and/or listing/pitures of most current cookbooks available at our library. Maybe the same thing with carfts.

I took a look at our twitter and microblogging site. I think the idea of twittering is a clever idea by someone. It's brief, to the point, seems less a waste of time. Doubt I will ever use it but I think it's interesting.

Got my blog set up

Setting up a blog was really easy. I don't have the time at work to check it, but at least I get how you set one up and what you can do once you have one.

web 2.0 completions

I found step 2 very difficult and frustrating. For whatever reasons I could not get a gmail account. I finally got it accomplished with the help of Nicole T. So I now have a gmail account and have published a comment on the blog.

I've created a blog

Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be!