Almost There

Thing #23

2009-04-15T10:09:00.003-04:00

The 23 Things completion survey has been submitted and the end of my semester is near. How can it be?? In just a couple of short weeks I can officially call myself a Librarian. I am very proud of myself but more than that, I am proud of the profession. Through my internship, previous library work experience, and professional affiliations, I have witnessed the true devotion others have dedicated to the work they do in the name of librarianship. It is an honor to be in the profession and I look forward to contributing to the purpose and vision of libraries in the future.

Thing #22

2009-04-01T10:16:00.003-04:00

Since this blog wasn't my first and it was created for the purpose of 23 Things and my internship, I must say that it will quietly drift into the desolate blog graveyard. I won't continue to update it once my internship ends.

This blog was beneficial because it encouraged me to take a longer look at some of the tools available to libraries and use that as a focus point. It has been great reading the blogs of others because so many have shared realistic uses for the tools within their libraries! I think one great takeaway from this program is that it is worth trying to use these tools. Give the technologies an opportunity to connect with patrons. As with any type of programming, it may take a little while for new things to catch on, but with most of these tools, many of the patrons are already using them. Make the connection!

Thing #21

2009-04-01T09:48:00.002-04:00

Considering my very non-technical, non-foolproof method of time management, I really wish these tools would have been available to me in my earliest of student days. These Student 2.0 Tools are brilliant and are a great idea for libraries to promote in YA programming! I believe any guidance students can receive on keeping organized and managing time is worthwhile.

I tested the Assignment Calculator for a fake English & Literature assignment due April 15. It mapped out a 12-step process and included instruction on how to accomplish each step. In order to follow the process, I think a couple of extra steps should be included to cover the time needed to learn HOW to do some of the recommended steps. :) All in all, I do believe these are useful and practical tools for students.

23 Take Away 20

2009-03-25T10:08:00.001-04:00

There are only t-h-r-e-e things left to complete! Right On!!

Thing #20

2009-03-25T09:32:00.002-04:00

I've been a Bookcrosser since 2002. In fact, I established the Yahoo Group that meets monthly in Jacksonville. Since beginning, I have released 769 books into the wild, including three a couple days ago. I set those "free" at Panera and saw two people "find" the books while I was having lunch. I love finding out where my books have gone and appreciate the people who have taken the extra time to log their finds. Without them, there'd be no fun in it at all.

I think anything that encourages or enhances reading is a good thing. Even the Internet. Most of my reading these days is online. Due to my studies, I read a lot of articles and book materials in .pdf form. Additionally, I have text books and this semester, I'm reading a gazillion young adult books. I look forward to getting back to reading for pleasure and when I do, I intend to participate in some reading groups through Booksprouts. A friend, and librarian, recommended the site about a month ago and said she enjoyed sharing a book discussion through the site with a group of friends.

Thing #19

2009-03-24T12:03:00.002-04:00

Since getting my first computer in 1996, I've used it as a way to stay connected and socialize with friends near and far. This has also allowed me to make new friends through a variety of online social networks. I have friends in motorcycling forums and crafting friends who like to swap handmade goods. Now that I'm up to my eyeballs in the library world, I use social networking sites to talk shop with others in the profession.

Just a couple weeks ago I logged into a WebJunction webinar about 23 Things. More than 200 other library folk joined in to learn how to implement a 23 Things program and get ideas on how to promote the program's benefits to participants. The library community came together, online, to learn and share... to collaborate on a topic I find very beneficial to library staff.

I've recently joined Ning, but haven't really gotten involved. Several peers use Ning as a meeting place to share information, experiences, and ideas about library-related topic and recommend that I explore it further. I will when time allows.

National Library Workers Day

2009-03-24T11:58:00.002-04:00

Mark your calendars on Tuesday, April 14 for National Library Workers Day! I love their tag line: Libraries Work Because We Do!

Thing #18

2009-03-24T11:33:00.005-04:00

Barbara Walters doesn't understand why people want to be on "myface"...

My initial contact with Facebook was last semester thanks to my Virtual Reference Environments class. At the time, I had no interest in Facebook because I was like Barbara. I didn't understand why people wanted to share so much information or keep track of others who felt inclined to share so much information. It was really odd how I "friended" four people from my young adult days within the first 20 minutes of being on the site. It seemed TOO immediate and in my face, but it grew on me. I now keep my FB page open while I am at the computer, which due to my studies and personal interests, is most hours of the day.

I have a lot of fun with it while also sharing information that I believe is interesting and/or educational. My non-library friends have actually thanked me for the "professional" info I share about libraries, social networking, productivity, and information in general. I have friended "rockstars" in the field of information so I can remain in tune with the trends impacting libraries. I have also become a fan of more than 100 libraries. Keeping abreast of their events and updates is another way of staying on top of what is happening in libraries. It is a useful tool and one that I recommend for library professionals who want to stay informed of what is happening in the field.

MySpace, on the other hand, still holds no interest to me HOWEVER, I see its value in reaching a segment of the population that IS interested, i.e. teens. The first library I noticed using MySpace was JPL (Jacksonville Public Library) because I was an employee. I was thrilled to see them using this social networking tool and that the public was responding to the page. This type of interaction is important because it IS a connection.

Earth Hour - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

2009-03-23T16:15:00.004-04:00

I participated in this effort for more than an hour last year and plan to again this Saturday, March 28. I encourage everyone to take a power break for at least an hour. Light some candles, play cards or a board game, or just lay back at relax. Check out Earth Hour 60 for more information... and please pass this info along.

For Book Lovers

2009-03-20T14:53:00.003-04:00

This relates to the Library Thing thingy we covered a couple weeks ago. Thought it worthy of sharing.

10 Websites for Book Lovers

Thing #17

2009-03-20T12:02:00.006-04:00

Listening to podcasts while I do other things, like fold and put away laundry, is a very common practice. I subscribe to a number of podcasts through iTunes, such as:
This American Life (my FAVORITE!!)
Prairie Home Companion
NPR's All Songs Considered
The Moth Podcast

"Off the Beaten Path" is a podcast sample I created to learn the basics of audio mixing. It was a lot of fun! I liked searching for sound clips and music and playing around with the editing. It's time consuming, but I liked it.

I used Audacity to record the podcast. Sounds were from Freesound and music from ccMixter. Both offer Creative Commons licensed recordings, which are legal to reproduce.

Thing #16

2009-03-20T11:38:00.006-04:00

I probably check out at least one YouTube video every day. Some are for library purposes and some are merely for entertainment. Let me be totally forthright here -- MOST are for entertainment! :) Like this one for example:

I went to Vimeo and searched "public library." This was my first time visiting the site although I've seen vimeo vids embedded in a variety of websites. Here's a cool video promoting teen reading:

Metamorphosis @ the Library from GreeneLibrary.info on Vimeo.

While on Vimeo, I found a group: Video for Libraries!

I created a "video" for a class a couple semesters ago, it's called 1HappyGirl. All of the images used were mine. Music was found on Freesound.

Thing #15

2009-03-04T11:24:00.002-05:00

This is the first I've heard or seen Rollyo and at first glance, I'm not overly enthused. It is powered by Yahoo so you're basically just doing a dolled up search in that search engine. It is riddled with ads, which is always a big turn off for me. This isn't a site I'll be rollin' with, yo.

Thing #14

2009-03-04T10:30:00.003-05:00

I love utilizing tools that help streamline productivity! I've been an iGoogle user for a while and find it very helpful because I can get a lot of information at a glance. It's a great starting point for time spent on the web. This Thing reminds us of how many cool tools we have at our fingertips, tools that have practical uses. Collaboration on document creation and management could not be any easier than using Google Docs. I've witnessed this in my internship as staff members edit library system policies. Extremely useful and efficient.

Although I use the calendar on my Mac, I think open source, web-based calendars are a great idea for the workplace. For groups and organizations, this is a simple way to share calendars for planning purposes. For libraries, it's an easy way to organize meetings and programs. Briiliant!

My lists are kept in my mind and yes, that is a very faulty system! I've gotten away from efficient list-keeping. I'll add that to my list of Things To Do.

Backpack looks like a super handy tool and would work well for an individual or group. It reminds me a lot of what is available in the Microsoft Office Suite. If individuals use the tools that are available, it makes planning SO much easier for everyone involved. Using the web-based tools makes accessing planning information a snap.

I don't think it's really helping with my productivity -- but-- I DID add a countdown timer to my blog! I can't help but be excited about graduating. :)

From the Founder of Twitter

2009-03-02T18:43:00.000-05:00

23 Things Summit

2009-02-28T12:10:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday, March 3rd, you are invited to join WebJunction, MaintainIT and an impressive cadre of widely recognized and respected library professionals as we bring you a very special online event, our “23 Things Summit”.

This free, two hour, live online event will detail success stories, ideas and examples of how the innovative 23 Things Program has been used in libraries as a transformational training and continuing education tool. Join in, learn, share your stories and ask questions about this program and how you can use “23 Things” to help your library, your community and your career blossom.

Some of the special guests scheduled to appear include:

Brenda Hough, Bobbi Newman, Michael Sauers, David Lee King, Cindi Hickey, Helene Blowers, Ann Walker Smalley, Ruth Solie, Mala Muralidharan, Michael Porter and Shirley Biladeau. Please join us this coming Tuesday and add your name to this stellar line-up.

More 23 things info:

"23 Things" is a revolutionary staff development-learning concept centered on social collaboration tools. Helene Blowers successfully created the first program while at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

Thousands of libraries and library organizations of every size and type have adapted the idea for their staff. Hands-on, self-directed, and innovative, 23 Things style programs have introduced many, many library staff, volunteers, trustees, and others to 2.0 tools like blogs and wikis.

Times listed here are EST.

DATE: Tuesday, March 3, 2009

TIME: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

LOCATION: http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=1558

Thing #13

2009-02-27T09:52:00.004-05:00

I've known about LibraryThing for a while but felt like I was spreading myself too thin to manage another online collection. Also, I've been active with Bookcrossing.com for many years and am a proponent of setting my books free. It's all a part of a personal goal of living with less, i.e. less material goods, collections, and "stuff" that just takes up space. However, I am interested in cataloging the books I've read and am keeping in my small personal collection.

So, I DID join LT and spent a little time checking out the site. I read through some of the group discussions and immediately found a thread on people attending ACRL. Since I'll be attending, I wrote a quick reply and continued my tour. I like the site even though I'm not a big reader. I'll continue to add books to my collection, just because it'll be a great way to keep track of what I've read and get suggestions for future To Reads.

As far as libraries are concerned, I think sharing a Book Club's "library" would be useful to display books that have been read by the group. It would also serve as a social networking location for group members to share personal libraries, discuss books read, and make suggestions for future readings. The same could be done for story time readings and recommendations.

Thing #12

2009-02-25T22:59:00.001-05:00

"Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information." ---Michael Scott, "The Office"

This is a most practical exercise! It seems that so many folks are intimidated by wikis, thinking they have to be coders extraordinaire, but that's simply not the case. My experience with wikis has been through coursework. Here are two pages I've created/published:

Digital Storytelling in Public Libraries
Welcome to Connotea

I found SO many useful links from perusing the wikis listed on this Thing, most notably: Library Success. In the past, I've referred to the LISWiki. Check it out.

Thing #11

2009-02-25T12:38:00.002-05:00

Social media is a great concept. For people who like to discuss current events, these sites are a useful outlet for opinion sharing and general discourse. Personally, I have no particular interest in subscribing to these types of sites because I prefer reading news from RSS feeds from sources I've selected. I think I am influenced by my history in media studies and therefore prefer the news sources over public opinion. As far as libraries are concerned, these sites don't really offer any value to libraries unless they're curious about what the general public finds interesting in the news. It all has too much of an American Idol feel to it, which does not appeal me.

After a quick review of all the social media sites posted in Thing #11, I noticed only one site featured local news... Newsvine.

Here's a twist on news gathering... how about getting your news based on geographical interest? Check out TimeSpace from the Washington Post and the good folks at Google.

Thing #10

2009-02-18T09:43:00.006-05:00

First off, let me say that I am SO happy Delicious dropped all of its dots... I'd feel my blood pressure go up every time I read d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s..... silly, I know, but we all have our quirks!

With that said, I have not jumped onboard the tagging train, even though I find it quite useful. When I was first introduced to social bookmarking a year ago, and Delicious in particular, I discovered I was not very comfortable with it. Part of my unease was because the structure was so fluid. You say tomato, I say tomato. The use of folksonomies in tagging makes sense in the world of collaboration, but I had this undying resistance to using it. Now, a year later, I am still not using Delicious, even though I have an account and have explored the site. And as you can tell by my blog posts, I'm not one for adding tags, or labels as Blogger calls them. (I did make the effort, as an exception, for this post just to show that I'm willing to change.)

I DO believe it is a great tool though... especially for reference work. I don't think there is an easier way to share and use bookmarks than Delicious. What a great way to collect and manage bookmarks for a group of people to utilize in their information sharing efforts. Reviewing NEFLIN's Delicious account is all the more reason why reference departments should utilize this great resource.

An article published in the NYT suggests not blowing your nose while you have a cold. This caught my eye because I am currently battling a painful sinus infection. I used that particular article to compare Furl and Delicious and found them to be very similar. The only real difference I saw was the aesthetic layout of the sites. Both provided statistical information such as how many people had tagged a particular site/article. Furl provided links to other sites tagged by those who tagged the article I read. I did not see that function on Delicious, but I may have missed it while I was blowing my nose.

Thing #9

2009-02-04T15:46:00.006-05:00

Since I'll be creating tutorials for the SJCPLS website, learning about screencasting/slidesharing has been a focus of study. Slideshare.net looks very simple to use and would be a great way for any library to share information, either for staff or for the public. For my screencasting efforts, I'll be using Jing, which displays real time desktop action! Whoa... how cool! You can watch ME click my way through a website AND talk at the same time.

Yeah! My first mosaic. This one is a collection of rural life. I'm a wannabe farm girl and these are some of my favorite personal photos.

1. Which Came First?, 2. JJ, 3. Working, 4. Astro, 5. Barn, 6. Red, 7. A Visitor to the Garden, Photo #2, 8. TIMMAY!, 9. Salad

Thing #8

2009-02-04T12:55:00.003-05:00

I became an online communicator when I bought my first computer in 1996. My online life started with an ISP that no longer exists, it was called WOW! I was instantly sucked into the world of chatting via IM and loved it. I had a lot of fun online and began establishing relationships through the world of chat. In fact, I am still in touch with one of the friends I met online that first year. We have visited each others' homes and shared vacations and now we talk on the phone more than we visit online. So in retrospect, I have online communication technologies to thank for some valuable people in my life.

Currently, I have these types of technologies to thank for my ability to earn my MLIS as a distance student. :)

The use of chat programs in the workplace is brilliant, especially in libraries. The more I learn about practical uses of virtual communication services, such as Ask-A-Librarian, the more inspired I am to explore these technologies in more depth. It makes sense for libraries to incorporate a desktop reference service since so many customers are accustomed to this type of information seeking.

SMS, I don't quite get for library use.

Web Conferencing is extremely useful for library staff who have limitations on time and travel. These are great whether you view them live or recorded.

I have a Meebo account but have yet to use it. Some of my classmates have arranged meetings when working on group projects, which is helpful when team members are scattered geographically. Some library systems have branches separated by large distances, so this would be an alternative to driving to another location. It is also cheaper than long distance calling if that should ever be an issue.

Twitter can flitter away as far as I'm concerned. It serves very little purpose and infringes on productivity by what I can tell. Obviously, it has a huge fan base, but I don't think it offers much value to libraries. There are other ways to push information and promotion to patrons.

Thing #7

2009-01-30T10:22:00.003-05:00

Remember card catalogs? The ones with REAL cards made from paper? I had a love/hate relationship with them as a kid learning my way around a library. These days, it is more of a love lossed thing. :)

Want to learn more about card catalogs? Check these out:

Library History Buff
LISWiki
Penn History
University of Iowa Libraries cARTalog

Here's the site where I generated my card.

Thing #6

2009-01-30T09:29:00.008-05:00

I completely LOVE the Spell with Flickr program! It's just fun and a creative addition to blogs. I was curious to learn where, exactly, these letters come from. After reading a little bit on the Spell with Flickr page, I learned they are from the One Letter group on Flickr. I also learned that there is a numbers group called One Digit.

Thing #5

2009-01-29T11:02:00.006-05:00

I've been a Flickr user for many years. The site is easy to use and makes storing and sharing photos a breeze. I considered an upgraded membership for a while but decided that I don't need to share THAT many photos. Instead, I add and remove photos when the whim strikes me. However, for those who need an online storage site for photos they post on blogs and the like, it makes perfect sense. I'm just not that into it. I'm not looking for online posterity. :)

Joining a variety of groups encourages me to make use of the cameras I have. Here's a short list of some of the groups I belong to:

You can find ALL kinds of fun stuff on Flickr... have you seen this Library Word Find Puzzle?

Thing #4

2009-01-29T10:26:00.002-05:00

I'm a fan of RSS feeds, but I'm not very experienced in the feeds that most people use and write about. To stay current with the St. Johns County Public Library Bloggers, I have been using Bloglines. It does the job but it isn't what I use for my personal and professional feeds. For those I use Safari's built-in RSS reader which makes my life of online reading REALLY super simple! I love having all the feeds conveniently located and organized in a toolbar on my browser.

I use an iGoogle page as my homepage on my home machines and so I have RSS feeds deliver updates from a variety of news sources on it. Interested in comparing other RSS readers? Here's a few other choices:

Digital Experiences

2009-01-21T18:22:00.006-05:00

Ok, so yeah, I was a Facebooking geek yesterday. While I was watching the inauguration at work, I was transmitting my impressions to Facebook via mobile capabilities. (that is SO cool!) It was great to digitally crack jokes about Cheney looking like Dr. Strangelove and wonder if Aretha's big bowed hat would make it into the Smithsonian. It was a unique way to share the experience with others and it was a first for me. I know I wasn't alone and today I read this which confirms it. Her blog post poses interesting questions about the preservation of digital documentation, not that my comment about Bush Sr.'s hat making me question whether he'd become a Canadian is something we need to preserve, but maybe...

Internship Learning Objectives

2009-01-21T11:46:00.002-05:00

As part of my internship, I have to provide daily journal entries to my internship supervisor every few weeks. My entries are not to include lists of daily tasks, instead, they will be reflections that relate to the five learning objectives I created for my overall internship experience. Fortunately for me and due to the nature of the work performed in Technical Services, all of my objectives are interconnected.

When I created my learning objectives, I wanted one goal to be the production of a multimedia piece for the library system or as a stand alone project to share at the end of the semester. This worked well with the department's desire to include video tutorials on the library system's website. So when I walked in on day one, my primary project began. I will be creating screencast tutorials of how-to's on topics such as How Do I Renew My Items? My research on screencasting software began immediately because I've never created a screencast. Stay tuned!

Thing #3

2009-01-20T10:26:00.004-05:00

I love chickens. Because I love chickens, I used them as my search term on Technorati and BlogPulse. I was mildly surprised by the variance in results. Although the focus of this exercise is blogs, I did a generic search on Google out of curiosity. The two sites that focused on chickens in blogs offered differing results from one another. Results produced blogs by chicken owners, which would have been my subject of choice, as well as recipes for cooking chickens. HA! There were even Bible quotes. What a variety! I don't believe I've ever searched a blog search engine so that was interesting.

Although I never aspire to become a professional blogger, I can see how registering blogs on these sites would greatly benefit those who do. I think as an information provider, these search tools could be useful to provide guidance for info seekers needing to research blogs. Not all research is academic. Sometimes the information we need comes from laypeople. Such as those people who have first hand experience raising chickens in an urban setting, as an example.

Thing #2

2009-01-20T09:37:00.005-05:00

As someone who jumped into the library scene mostly through graduate study, I've been fully emersed in the world of Web 2.0. It is, afterall, the method by which I'm earning my degree. If it weren't for the wonders of the Web, my goal of earning a MLIS degree wouldn't come to fruition.

I think the change was needed, no matter what you call it. I also believe the majority of libraries who are convinced they've always been leaders in collaboration are mistaken. They are out of touch with how the general public perceives libraries and their staff. (Picture the scowl-faced, old school, stuffy librarian image here.) This is all a part of the change that is required for libraries to remain a vital part of the communities they serve.

Don't get me wrong, I love libraries! I am a life-long patron, promote the use of libraries, and respect those who've devoted their professional lives to the work of libraries. But we must remain current with information sharing. It goes way beyond the stack of newpapers that are shuffled through on a daily basis. The library user expects us to be knowledgeable so that places a heavy burden on the shoulders of those who work in the profession. We must not only promote life-long learning and literacy... we must set the example. If you're not willing to commit to that challenge, then perhaps life as a library staff member isn't the place for you.

So what the heck does this have to do with the topic of Thing #2? It has to do with acceptance of change. The technologies associated with Web 2.0/Library 2.0 invite us to collaborate and share information in a way that libraries have never seen! I'm excited by this change and am SO glad that I'm entering the field of librarianship now. I'd have never survived in the old school, stodgy, stuff shirt surroundings of libraries that existed when I first became a library user.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
- Charles Darwin

Destination: Chicago

2009-01-07T21:15:00.004-05:00

As part of my graduate study experience, I planned early on to join a few library-related associations. I had no idea there were SO many to choose from! Because I didn't have a specific focus of study, such as a media specialist, I chose general associations: ALA, FLA, and SLA. I also joined ASIS&T for good measure! Being a student includes the added benefit of a discounted membership rate. :)

A perk to membership is the opportunity to network by meeting other members at a variety of functions. I met fellow MLIS students and FLA members by volunteering at Library Days at the Legislature in 2008. This year will include attending an ALA event: ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Preparing for the 23Things Kickoff!

2009-01-06T14:48:00.001-05:00

As part of my internship with the St. Johns County Public Library System, I am participating in the 23 Things* program sponsored by NEFLIN. I am familiar with many of the Things, thanks to my Master's program at the Florida State University, but there are areas where I can expand my knowledge and put into practice Things I've learned.

In addition to building my Web 2.0 portfolio and honing my skills, I hope to assist others within the SJCPLS with guidance through this self-paced, self-discovery learning experience. It's going to be interesting to see how staff put these new tools, these Things, to use within libraries.

*The 23 Things @ NEFLIN Program is a modification of the Learning 2.0 Program designed by Helene Blowers, Technology Director, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County and replicated by more the 250 libraries worldwide.