Thursday, January 8, 2009

Happy New Year!

It took me this long to reset the password I forgot. But I finally did it and am blogging again. Not that people have been heating up the keyboards trying to read my blogs. But it's a good place to keep notes to myself if nothing else.

That's all for now--just wanted to get back up and running, in case.

Sunday March 30, 2008

It's fun to see who has finished the 23 Things project. Keep going everyone. I just re-did my Page Badge after seeing other finishers' blogs. I thought, "How did they get that picture on their badges?" So I went back to my page to see how to make the badge and made one with my picture on it. Once you've tried one of the 23 Things, it's a lot easier to try it again. And maybe you'll even do it correctly the second time!

The PLA convention was great btw. And because of the Twenty-three Things program, I wasn't reluctant about going to the Technozoo session. And I actually knew what the presenter was talking about most of the time!

Post 23 Things Blogging

Whoa! I haven't blogged for a while and 1. I forgot my sign-in name and password and
2. I had to think about how to start again (new post). So if any of you are still working on your "things", don't wait too long between postings or you may forget how. But maybe I'm the only one who has this kind of memory loss! I frequently try to teach patrons what their library pin number is in case they ever want to request their own books or use our Internet stations. I ask, "Do you know your pin?" Nope. So I tell them and give them a hint so they will remember next time (i.e. "the last 4numbers of your phone number.") The next time they come in I ask, "Do you know your pin?" Nope.

But I do understand how they feel. Too many things to remember, too many numbers, too many passwords, too many sign-ins, too many phone numbers.

Anyway...

I've been taking part in the discussions on my 23 Things web page. The discussion about "How do you find time to complete the 23 Things" is interesting. Some people do them at home, some at work. Some libraries feel that the 23 Thing project is important enough to allow their employees time to complete it on the job. Some libraries don't have the technology to allow them to complete it. Some participants don't have time at work. Some don't have time at home. But I think what is most interesting is that so many people are trying it from all over the state. I didn't expect that many would try it. So Yay! And Happy Easter!

Blog Etiquette

I just read something the other day about what makes a good blog, and blog etiquette, so I haven't been blogging.

For one thing, you're supposed to keep your blogs brief, which I haven't been doing, and even if I wasn't blogging for a project, I probably still wouldn't write brief blogs.

It seems to me that many people like to blog just to hear themselves talk, so to speak. I think that I could easily fall into that category once I got started. Bla bla bla---blog blog blog.

So I'll be back if I have any more library 2.0 stuff to talk about. And I'll try to be brief.

Thing #18, Youtube again

As you can see, I am still blogging as promised. It's funny to be writing all of this to maybe no one, and at the same time, maybe everyone. But's it's a nice way to keep a journal. Maybe someday I'll start another private blog just to journal about private stuff! Anyway...

Well I wasn't going to make my own movie or put it on Youtube, but then I remembered that several family members have so I thought I would add my "Mickey" movie just for fun and try to improve upon it someday, and I realized that I already have a Youtube account. So I was all ready with my movie and everything but the Youtube site isn't working. So I'll check later. I actually had been on my site earlier checking out my family's videos that I had forgotten about and that led me to check out how easy it is to upload videos. But I'm not going to make my "Mickey" clip public because it's not any good. (See below).

ELM Databases For All Minnesotans

Say, this is my first political blog.

I normally try to avoid library politics but I do want to add my support to a piece of legislation that would make taxpayer supported ELM Databases accessible to all Minnesotans, not just those whose libraries are members of a regional library system. My library is a member of a regional system so it already receives ELM Databases. But there are Minnesota taxpayers whose libraries don't receive ELM Databases as they should. (East Grand Forks, Taylor Falls, Crosby, Hendricks and Clarkfield.)

Please consider supporting this legislation (ELM Access Bill) so that no one is excluded from receiving access to these important taxpayer-funded databases.

Digital Day

Well, today I decided to goof around with "as many different things that I'm not good at" as I possibly could, with varying degrees of success.

I started out trying to download a video from my actor son in NY. He sent it to me via email last night. No success with it last night. Said I needed Quicktime. I had Quicktime. Some compressor thingey wasn't working. Emailed it to my other account and forwarded it back to my first account but on our desktop computer instead of laptop. Today I opened it after it told me that my Quicktime settings there were playing with some other applications and did I want them to do what I wanted them to do with my son's video clip.(Not in so many words but you get the idea.) I was finally able to see the clip which I am not allowed to show you because someone may steal their idea for a sitcom (delusions of grandeur?). Anyway, I opened, I saw, it was cool, and now I'm waiting for an 8MB one to open in my email.

So THEN I decided to put a counter on my blog--one for my bday and one for Christmas. They appeared on my blog page but didn't work, so I removed them. Will try that again someday. It's easier on Facebook, they just do those things for you.

Then I decided to try taking a short movie of my dog using my camera, which I've never done before--well once I did accidentally take a movie of my foot but I forgot how to do that. So of course my dog was not cooperative--he thought I should be taking a still shot so he stood still mostly. Then it took me some time to figure out how to replay it on my camera. Then I had to download (or upload) it into my computer which took awhile. Then I tried to upload it onto this blog page, which was my ultimate goal. Didn't work. My next trick was to upload it to my Ning 23 Things on a Stick web page, which worked. So I embeded it and transferred it to this blog--trying to do it a couple of different ways, and I finally was successful, more's the pity. Now two groups of viewers have to suffer through watching this poor little film.

Mickey Movie Take 2

Find more videos like this on 23 Things on a Stick

Countdown Clocks

Hmmmmm. Obviously the powers that be don't want anyone to know when my birthday or Christmas is. I've downloaded two countdown clocks and they are very red, but don't seem to be working. I will check back later to see if they have seen the error of their ways, but if not, it's into the bucket with them. I was going to make a countdown clock for the first warm day, but it's here! Yay!

Thing #23 One Last Thing

I've taken the survey. I'm still putzing around with this and that and checking to see if everything is complete or if I've missed anything. I've jumped around quite a bit. I'm still listening to the Opal lecture. It's almost done I think. They last about an hour.

I've been alternately pleased and frustrated with the 23 Things. But because of taking part in this program, I won't be nearly as nervous about trying new 2.0 stuff. It's funny because normally I enjoy getting and using new electronic gadgets--cell phones, mp3 players, electronic reading devices, laptops, webcams, palm pilots. But I use those items when I want to--they are not patron-driven or driven by when my boss wants me to use them. So there is a little more pressure to learn Library 2.0 stuff than there is to use my electronic gadgets.

That being said, it wasn't my boss who suggested signing up for 23 Things. This was strictly a voluntary project on my part. I think I first heard about it in an email. Then I put it aside because I thought it would take way too long to complete. I have done most of the Things while at home and not on the clock. I would never have time to complete them at work! It might have been neat to have our entire Information staff work on these "things" together but I think the program would have had to be presented in smaller chunks.

More later...

Thing #22 What Did I Learn Today?

Well, since I was always going to keep a written journal about my library experiences(but haven't), I guess I now have an electronic journal started where I can do the same thing--and I won't lose it--unless I forget my username and password (a real possibility). I can put every new thing that I learn into my blog. I don't really expect others to read it, but it will sure be helpful to me.

I've put LISNews and The Shifted Librarian on my aggregator and I've belonged to WebJunction since the last MLA convention, so I'm well on my way to staying up-to-date with all things Library 2.0.

Thing #21 Other Social Networks

Like Ning which I'm on already. That makes three that I belong too. I added the badge and left a comment and uploaded photos.

Thing #19 Podcasting

I'm listening to a Podcast on MPR called Grammar Grater about word meanings. Right now they're talking about the word "Caucus".

I'm also checking out the Minnesota Podcast Directory.

I also checked out podcast.com and looked up "book reviews" and listened to a Nancy Pearl book review.

I don't know if I'd ever want to do a podcast but I certainly like having access to them.

Dolphin YouTube Video

Thing #18 YouTube

I've seen lots of YouTube videos. My son belongs to an Improv Troup that puts their gigs on YouTube. If you search under "McColley" you will see all of the videos he's been in or has written since he started in 2005 or so. Also there is a cute video about otters and another about dolphins playing with bubbles and water rings under the water. Just search "dolphin bubble rings". I've also seen tv episodes on YouTube.

There is an old British tv show called "Bad Girls" and you can watch lots of the episodes or at least parts of them, but as you can imagine, if you put in the tag "Bad Girls" you can also come up with some naughty videos about "bad" girls as well. But I see there is a feature that will ask you to register if you want to look at those videos so that youngsters can't access them. (Sure).

Anyway, I would think that there should be lots of lawsuits going on because of these videos--copyright issues etc. But it seems like everything can go on YouTube. I'm not sure I feel comfortable copying a video into my blog but here goes nothing.

Thing #8 Share Your Creations

I went to Picture Trail to make a moving cube of my photos. It took me quite awhile to figure it out and involved thinking up a variation of one of my usernames. Lots of back and forth and browsing and choosing--all for a little movable cube with 5 pictures on it. And then the cube doesn't quite fit as I would like it to on my blog page--it is a little cut off even though I chose a "small" format. Perhaps if I chose a different blog template but at this point I don't feel like going through all that again. We all get the idea that these applications can add interest to a web site or blog page. My picture cube reminds me of that part in Superman where all of the bad guys get put in a cube and are sent out to space.

AFTER I signed up for Picture Trail, I looked at the other applications. I can see using the folio application someday personally in my career but also for looking for applicants for our current library. Kind of shows more of the personality of an applicant, compared to a regular resume. And it also shows that an applicant is comfortable with 2.0 tools.

The database application is interesting--I have to keep reminding myself that all of these 2.0 applications allow for sharing on the web--kind of mindboggling.

Thing #6 Image Generators

Oh, nuts. I was just goofing around with my Blog site and I somehow deleted the library license plate that I created way back when. I wanted to change the title to "Image Chef" instead of "The Thing" and it deleted the little image of a license plate. That should teach me not to go back and mess with objectives that I have originally completed successfully.

I'm not going to make another license plate because I've already made trading cards with that feature. But how annoying just the same.

P.S. Actually, the license plate image reappeared and then disappeared again. Library Gremlins.

Back to Thing #2 Library 2.0 comments

I recently read a Library Journal article about 2.0. It was written with a different perspective--that 2.o could actually be dumbing down our patrons. (I am ducking now from all the tomatoes and eggs you are throwing at me--but don't shoot the messenger).

I know how in another blog I mentioned that young people are forced to read and write because they are in social networks and are blogging etc. But sometimes the reverse is true as well--emails are full of little signs instead of words, shortened phrases, typos (cu, ttyl, ;o), etc.)--kind of a shorthand, and maybe it's making us all more lazy.

But that wasn't what the article was about--I digress.

Oops--have to go to work. bbs.

Ok I'm back. The article was in the December 15, 2007 Library Journal under Carol Tenopir's column. She was talking about Andrew Keen, " former Internet entrepreneur" and his book "The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture."

Although she doesn't agree with his entire premise, she does tell us that there are little kernels of truth in it--and some warnings. She notes that "special interest groups (hate groups, political action committees, etc.) can convey their message without revealing their true identity." She says that Mr. Keen warns that when advertising and public relations are disguised as news, the line beteen fact and fiction becomes blurred.

The gist of it is that in the past patrons had to try to distinguish between reliable, current and accurate sources and junk, and now they have an even harder time doing that. Many think that everything on the Internet and on Social Networking sites is true. Keen says that "instead of more community, knowledge, or culture, all that Web 2.0 really delivers is more dubious content from anonymous sources."

What this means to librarians of course is that we are needed even more to help patrons find the stuff they need and want. We can continue to teach them not to believe everything they read whether it is from print sources or online sources. Of course we can't really explain that to them when they are using their computers in their own homes, and it's hard for them to tell if they are getting information from experts in the field or just some smart aleck who likes to rant in a blog.

But we certainly can't help them if we don't keep up with 2.0 ourselves.

If you want to read the rest of the article, here is the link: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6510681.html

Thing #17 ELM Productivity Tools

Number 2 EBSCO--made the folder. Not sure what it's for yet, I suppose to keep track of research that I may be doing, but it involves yet another username and password. Added several elements to the web page and saved the page to my flash drive.

Number 1 InfoTrac--Am trying to create a Gale search alert but I can't get the short video via QuickTime to work to figure out how to do it. Can't get an RSS feed set up either. Funnily enough I accidently created a search alert while in the EBSCO folder instead of in InfoTrac.

Number 3 Proquest--Create a Web Page

Number 4 NetLibrary--I set up an account. It's my understanding that the audiobook program that Rochester PL has is easier to use. Has anyone tried it?

Thing #16 Student 2.0 Tools

I think the assignment calculator and the research project calculator are pretty useful--especially for college students. I think High School teachers usually have their own versions to give to their students because having a step-by-step plan is part of research paper instruction to get them ready for college. As far as assignments, teachers now usually have students track their assignments in some type of notebook that they are supposed to look at everyday, but I think for a longer term group project, the assignment calculator would be good for the group to use.

Both would be useful for the Public Library crowd of patrons--but usually high school AND college students (and often their parents) come in when it is far too late for planning. They need to figure out their project Friday and it's due on Monday.

I think the Assignment Calculator might be good for me to use when planning programs or projects. I like to check things off when I've completed them so that the whole project doesn't seem so overwhelming and I can see progress is being made. Two thumbs up for this 2.0 tool.