#12: Do You Digg?

I was a little disappointed with the articles that seemed to be most popular on these social media sites. I felt like I was reading tabloids or watching a reality TV show, neither of which I would choose to spend my time doing. I slogged through a lot of 'junk' before reading anything that might be considered valuable information. Maybe I'm just too easily distracted by the sensational (along with everyone else, it seems), but I can't imagine spending just a little time with this, and I don't really have a lot of extra time to spend with it at all....
Some reactions: Reddit appealed to me. (He's very cute). The source seemed more obvious to me, right from the headline page. That's important to me, in terms of the quality of information, and the possible bias built into the article. Digg was kind of overwhelming for me, visually. It took me a long time to even realize the source was noted on the main page there, too. Newsvine was very slow in loading and I didn't have a lot of patience for that. But it appeared it might have more informative articles. Mixx - at first glance I could find no sources listed on the main page. It seemed very tabloid-y to me. In looking at StumbleUpon, the thing that struck me most was that I could spend a lot of time there and maybe come across some cool stuff, but mostly I would just be looking around. It seemed kind of pointless to me, but maybe I just didn't spend enough time with it.

I felt like I just scratched the surface on social media sites, even after spending a lot of time on them. But I also wasn't really compelled to go much further either. My sense was that for me and in my work environment, it wouldn't be very productive. On my own time, it could be entertaining, but I'd probably choose to do something else. This is one Thing that probably won't get added to my toolbox.

#11: Tagging and Del.icio.us

I was able to add tags to my blog posts. That process was very intuitive, and I really liked the way blogspot remembered the tags I'd already used and gave me pop-up choices of those. Also, it was nice to see the tags on my dashboard list of postings - very helpful!

I created a deli.cio.us account, but was unablet to download their buttons to my browser. Our computers don't give us administrative access, so we can't add any software to them. I plan to try that on my laptop at home, though. Watching the 8 minute podcast tutorial was excruciating. I think our bandwidth just couldn't handle it because I got 20 second chunks of the podcast, separated by 30 seconds of waiting for the next chunk. It seems like so much of the 2.0 stuff (streaming audio and video) requires a lot of processing. I can see this being a problem, individually and as a whole (for all internet users). I know we see this slow-down every day in our library, when all the computers are in use.

I was able to add the deli.cio.us buttons on my laptop at home, and also imported all my home bookmarks, so now I can access them anywhere - very convenient for my upcoming vacation. I really liked the way deli.cio.us tagged my imported bookmarks for me, so I could use them right away. Pretty slick!

We already have shared bookmarks at work, so we can all access our bookmarks from any computer, but if we didn't, I can see where this would be a major advantage. I really liked being able to jump right to other people's tagged sites, too. It kind of felt like browsing the shelf at the library vs. searching in the catalog. I found things I wouldn't have thought of looking for.

#10: Wiki

OK, this one I'm familiar with! A couple of years ago, I was struggling with how we manage Reader's Advisory information. We have librarian-created reading lists available from our website and catalog - with general categories like 'Fiction Set in Minnesota', 'Legal Thrillers', 'Inspirational Fiction', and 'True Adventure Stories'. But we get more specific requests, too and when we get them often enough, we try to collect that information for future use. These are questions like: Can you help me find some classics for my high-schooler? I want to read other books like Janet Evanovich's. Which authors write Christian/inspirational fiction?

Those questions and others like them, had resulted in various lists, binders, folders, pamphlets, and slips of paper in our building. I also knew that other branches in our system collected the same kinds of information. Also, staff in various buildings had developed their own reading lists, in response to what their patrons were asking for.

Anyway, I thought a wiki might be a good way to organize this kind of information in one location. It would then be accessible to all the buildings, and everybody would be able to contribute to it. Plus, I thought it would be a good way to practice using wikis. I used PB Wiki to create our Reader's Advisory wiki: www.aclreaders.pbwiki.com

The sidebar is constant and provides documents we want to share across buildings - things like printable bookmarks for read-a-like lists, bookmarks of popular series in order, promotional kinds of signs, and links to RA articles. The main page links to various reading lists. (You used to have to know some html to use PBWiki, but now it's not much different from using Word, as far as editing goes).

Staff seem to appreciate the wiki and having easy access to lists when they need them. Several have contributed lists that everyone can benefit from. I think it's a great collaboration tool! I think especially in a library environment, where we're all professionals, the more we collaborate the better. We're a lot smarter and more efficient together than any one of us can be individually.

Wikipedia
After I attended the Michael Stephen's Library 2.0 Workshop in the Fall, I added our library system to Wikipedia. I have to say it was not a simple process, and my entry was reviewed and tagged immediately as needing a verifiable source. So I think the controls that have been added more recently to Wikipedia help to make it a more acceptable source. Their editors seem to be right on top of additions/changes, and require some source verification for the information subitted. But because each entry is created by a different person, each entry really needs to be evaluated on its own merits. Bottom line: check out the sources on every Wikipedia entry. Some are good, some maybe not so good.

But now, if you go to wikipedia and search for "Anoka County Library", you'll find an entry for our library system. The entry also links to our website, which may help us to meet people where they are. Statistics show that more people use Wikipedia for research, than use libraries, so why not place ourselves where people are, and (hopefully) redirect them back to us?

#9: Online Collaboration Tools

I like Google Docs better, because we're already using it at our library, so I'm more familiar with it. In our library, we provide Wordpad on every PC, but our public computers don't have Word on them. For people with resumes and other highly formatted documents, Wordpad just doesn't do the job. They have the ability to import a file from a flash drive, but Wordpad strips out all the formatting - also not meeting their needs.

So Google Docs is a good option for people who want access to Word quality word processing. But in a public library, when a patron just wants to print out an existing resume or create a quick document, most don't want to have to create a google account, just so they can use Google Docs. Creating an account seems to be a stumbling block for many. Plus, they know they may only get an hour on the computer if we're busy, and they don't want to 'waste' any of that time. So in order to make using it more convenient, we now have a building account. Staff can log a patron into Google Docs using our already-created account and the patron can be up and running in just a few minutes.

With all the OSS (Open Source Software) now available on the internet, it makes me wonder about the future of software companies. Will there come a time when all the applications we need will be available for free, using the internet?

And that raises other questions for me: Is the information I put on someone else's server secure? Is it really being kept private? Is it being backed-up? How long will it be available to me? And how can any site do that forever, for free - storage costs would eventually require some charge, wouldn't they?

Lots to think about....

#8: Share Your Photos

I used PictureTrail to create this picture cube - one of the easiest and fastest tools so far! Although I'm sure it helped that I already had the pictures taken and stored.

Here's a PictureTrail puzzle:

And a PictureTrail Carousel:

Once again, it's easy to get carried away, having fun with these tools. What great promotional tools for our website!

#7: Web 2.0 Communication Tools

Email productivity:
I'm guilty of checking my email often when I'm on the desk, since it's always available. Messages can stack up pretty quickly, so I don't really see the harm in checking in during a lull between patrons. When I'm working on a project, though, I can easily go an hour or more without feeling the pull of email. I agree wholeheartedly that a quick, brief response to email is the best way to manage the flow. It's also expected. There's nothing worse than a project being held up because somebody isn't taking the time to respond to a request.

I use email to manage my workflow. Anything I can deal with immediately, I do. The things that still need to be addressed, I keep in my inbox, so I'll be reminded to get to them. I also have lots of folders for the various things I work on, and keep quite a bit of information there. I end up referring to these often, so it's a handy place to keep stuff. Our system is set up well, in that email is kept for only 3 or 4 months. So the oldest messages 'fall off the end', just about the time I no longer need them. I do have paper copies of crucial emails, but those are rare.

Email vs. IM vs. Texting:
My own middle-class experience has been that kids in late-elementary school to middle-school LOVE to IM. Then when they become mobile and have cell phones (high school age), texting becomes the communication of choice. Myspace also seems to be popular, until the end of high school. It seems that when kids move on to college, Facebook becomes the computer communication platform, while texting still remains important. At least this has been true in my family and at the library where I work.

My kids can text at the speed of light, but for me, it really isn't convenient. The tiny keypad and tiny display just don't work well for me. When I need to text, I go into my email, type the message, and send it to the text account. I know that's kind of backwards, but it works for me.

If we ever got to the point of providing text reference, I imagine that's how we'd be responding, on our end. The user would be texting from a phone, but we'd be responding on-line, via email, to their text. In our library, there is usually a staff person dedicated to the phone room, who could also be monitoring IM reference and text reference. At least in theory, I think we could add more options (text & IM reference) without a lot of extra resources - in staff or equipment.

Web-Conferencing:
I've participated in webinars before, that were sponsored by database vendors and provided more advanced training for their products (i.e. Standard and Poors). They required pre-registration, computer access, a quiet environment, and phone access (to communicate during the training). The number of participants was also limited to a fairly low number. I took a look at the OPAL 'Tips for Conducting On-line Book Discussions'. And it looks like things have progressed a lot! The experience was very painless and seamless. There was no need to download any software, which is a major advantage in a public library. The sound quality was excellent and the power point slides were a nice addition for those of us who are visual learners.

#6: Online Image Generator

Here's my trading card, created at Big Huge Labs:



One thing I noticed in the last couple of tasks, was the variety of options for linking and inserting images into our blogs. We can link through flickr, by cutting and pasting a saved picture, by adding the html code for the image, etc. I think a lot of people are more familiar with some tools, than with others. So it's nice that there are so many different ways to do the same thing. Each person can use the option they're most comfortable with. The flip side of that, is it can be pretty confusing to have so many options, especially for beginners.

I have to say, Image Chef is the most addictive Thing I've run across so far. The possiblities are just endless....







Okay, somebody stop me!

#5: More Fun with Flickr

Spelling with Flickr: What can I say? Too much fun!





I decided to keep working with the Hot Reads theme, and chose to Warholize the picture of David Housewright we're using for publicity. Once again, I spent more time than I intended, playing with all the available options. I like the end result, though.
Next, I tried the mosaic function, from Huge Labs. I ended up creating another set of pictures on Flickr so I could pick and choose which to use in the mosaic. I'm looking forward to playing with some of the other Huge Labs features, as time permits.

#4: Explore Flickr

Hot Reads for Cold Nights
Originally uploaded by Book-Woman

Here's the first photo in my 'Hot Reads for Cold Nights' set (linked to the blog from Flickr).

Woo Hoo! I didn't have to create another account for Flickr, since we had already created a yahoo account for the avatar assignment. My compliments to whoever is setting up these assignments. It's really nice when things are streamlined like that for us. It's hard to find time in a busy day to play around with new Things, so I appreciated having that part done already.

I chose #2 - the fun option - taking some digital pictures in my library and uploading them to a flickr account. Since I'm 'in charge' of the 'Hot Reads for Cold Nights' program for our library system this year, I decided to take some pictures of the displays and publicity we're using to promote the program. Also, we have a local author, David Housewright, coming to our branch on February 23rd, so I thought that would be good to try to highlight.

I uploaded 20 pictures and created two sets. One set is all my Anoka County library pictures, and the other set is library pictures that are related to the Hot Reads program. The first set seems redundant at this point, since it's really all my pictures. But when I add more pictures in the future, I think it will make sense to have the library pictures as a distinct set. I think another advantage to putting photos in sets, is that you can control the order of your pictures. It seems to me that when you can choose the flow of your pictures, you can tell more of a story.

I was able to find the option to name my flickr web address and even got to use my blog name, which makes things a lot easier to keep track of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/book-woman/

I added detail to the Hot Reads set of pictures, in an effort to explain the program. But realistically, I think there are more straightforward and effective ways to publicize events. I can see using flickr to safely store photos and it seems ideal for sharing pictures. I really like being able to keep up with family and friends' vacation and baby pictures at my convenience. I'm not really sure how useful flickr would be in my daily work, but I do understand it a lot better now.

I searched the groups for Library and spent WAY too much time looking at pictures from these groups: Show us Your Library 2.0, Second Life Library, Library Artworks, Libraries and Librarians, Library....(the humorous side to library work). Whenever I go to a new city, I like to check out the local library, and this kind of felt like that, but without ever having to leave home.

#3: Keeping Up (RSS Feeds)

I agree with one of the comments about this being a time consuming task. But I can also see the advantage of having this as my start page and using it as a 'home base'.

I attended Michael Stephen's Library 2.0 Seminar in the fall, where he mentioned netvibes as a news aggergator to watch. I set up my own account then and played around with it a little. This assignment was a great reason to re-visit that and tweak it some more. I'm pretty happy with the results, but I can see that it's like bookmarks - I'll be adding more feeds as I come across things of interest.

For now, I have a GENERAL tab with weather, google search, the Unshelved comic, my own 23 Things blog, the Tame the Web blog, and the Shifted Librarian blog. I have a spot reserved for Flickr, because it looks like that's going to be the next assignment. I also have a NEWS tab, with feeds from the local paper, and the paper where most of my family lives. Netvibes allowed me to add a MEEBO tab and I went ahead and did that now, since I'm looking forward to IM'ing and learning more about that.

This is how my main netvibes screen looks. (I used a free program called screenhunter to capture and save part of the screen):

I'd really like to add my work and email acces to my GENERAL tab, and it seems like that should be possible, since they're both web-based. I'm going to keep working on that, and If I'm successful, I'd like to make this my internet start page. Then everything I load up in the morning and check so often during the day, would be at my fingertips.

At our libray (probably most public libraries), we rotate through various workstations during the day. What a timesaver - to be able to just login to my netvibes account and have access to all the sites I'd normally want up and running while I'm working. Gotta love convenience!

#2: What is Web 2.0 and Why Should I Care?

Why should I care about Web 2.0? I think part of my job is to stay current with library trends - not just the materials and electronic sources, but how they're being encountered, too. I guess the argument could be made that Library 2.0 is just a different kind of delivery system for information.

My sense is that Web/Library 2.0 is here to stay. It would be hard to even imagine a world without google or myspace or IM or blogs. I don't really see our culture 'rewinding' and getting rid of these tools. It's my job to understand them and be comfortable using them myself, so I can help our patrons. Besides, it's kind of fun to be a part of the evolution of library services.

On a more personal note, I love to try new things, face new challenges, and learn something new every day. To me, the kiss of death would be to come to work and do the same thing, day after day after day. That just sounds like a slow, painful, death of the spirit to me. '23 Things' looks like a great way to have some structure about learning these skills. But it's also nice to have the freedom to learn in my own time, in my own space, and at my own pace.

I've been 'stealing' time here and there to move through the Things. I expect that some days will allow more time than others. But when something's interesting, it's a lot easier to make the time to spend with it. This definitely has that kind of interest level for me.

I think one of the biggest challenges to 2.0 in the library world is giving up control. We're so used to being tied to authority in our catalogs, that it's hard to look outside that box. But I think the only way to stay current in an ever-changing environment, is to be more flexible and faster in making decisions. Otherwise, our service will always be lagging behind what our users really want. I think that requires giving up some control, as hard as that is.

One of the 'Things' I'm looking forward to, is Instant Messaging. It seems like a good tool, but I haven't been able to really try it because I don't know anybody who uses it a lot. (I know, that makes me sound like a loser, but I do have friends. Really.) Anyway, there are staff in other buildings in our library system, who are also working on 'The 23 Things', so I think I'll be able to IM with them.

And that's the real strength of Library 2.0. It's all about collaboration, whether it's between us and our patrons or among our colleagues. Librarians are already REALLY good at collaboration - whether it's sharing cataloging (WorldCat), materials (inter-library loans), or just helping out a colleague at the desk. That's pretty much our mindset - sharing information, equally, with everybody.

Web/Library 2.0 is right up our alley!

#1: Create a blog, add a posting and an avatar

Well, I think I experienced just a small fraction of the frustration our patrons face every day. In order to create my blog, I had to first create a google account. Then, in order to create my avatar, I had to create a yahoo account. I already have 2 email accounts and numerous other accounts (expedia, facebook, travelocity, retirement system, amazon, etc, etc.) and now I have 2 more to try to keep straight. I suspect by the end of the '23 Things' I will have several more. My aging brain remembers reading something about account management - I think it's time to look into that...

Anyway, I could really identify with the frustration some of our patrons feel when they come to use a computer at the library. It reminded me of the guy who came to the library to apply for a job at U-Haul. All he wanted to do was drive a truck. But first he had to get a library card. Then he had to get logged onto our computers. He didn't type, had never even touched a computer and probably never would, again. Yet he had to apply for a truck driving job on-line and of course, that also required an email address. For someone who'd never even used a mouse, those two tasks were almost unsurmountable.

And even more frustrated, are all the non-native speakers who have to navigate government websites to complete immigration forms, and the newly unemployed who now have to apply for unemployment on-line. Today, I felt just a small fraction of that pain. For me it was just an inconvenience, but it did help me to understand our patrons a little better.

The actual mechanics of the blog was surprising simliar to Word - very intuitive. And creating my avatar was very addicting. It was almost like playing Barbie dolls, except I didn't have to actually do any of the work. Too much fun!

I'm starting to understand how our patrons can spend HOURS on the internet doing what looks like the same thing, all day long. This stuff is addicting.

23 Things on a Stick

Gotta love it!

• Wiki on a stick


• Flickr on a stick


• Blog on a stick


• RSS on a stick
  

Can't help but wonder what these taste like....

Really, though, what do these do and how do they work? Most importantly, how will these sticks be useful at my library? Can't wait to find out!