The 23 things were a great introduction to some new technology available on the web. The things that we explored could all be integral parts of the library in the future. I think that fun training programs like this are exactly what we need in libraries in order to "keep up with the times". I think that the bigger the effort we make to incorporate these things into the library here at UCSC, will directly correlate to the amount of usage that we receive from our patrons.
Not only can we entice patrons to use the library by incorporating some of the 23 things, but we can also make students live easier by providing them with certain tools that allow them to take full advantage of what the library and the internet have to offer.
We can also make our work more effective by incorporating some of the 23 things that allow us to make little shortcuts to get our work done more efficiently.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
#22. Explore Web 2.0 Award winners (week 12)
I found a very cool website on the list of award winners. The website is called Lulu, and it's a self publishing website. You can write your own books, or whatever you want, and then make them available for people to purchase around the world. Leave it to the internet to make the world of book publishing available to every one. It is pretty amazing to think that I could write a book, post it online, and then sell it to people around the world.
This website could help us organize and house writing from professors on our campus. Maybe that's a stretch, but there has got to be a way to use a website like this to the campus' advantage in order to enhance our collection.
This website could help us organize and house writing from professors on our campus. Maybe that's a stretch, but there has got to be a way to use a website like this to the campus' advantage in order to enhance our collection.
#21. Audio eBooks (week 12)
I found it very frustrating that I could not use itunes with the site listed. I wish that there weren't all of these content battles. That being said, I like the idea of using audio ebooks. I have used audio ebooks before, more specifically I used a site called audible.com. I was assigned the book "The World is Flat" instead of buying the book, I opted to go the audio route. It was great, I downloaded the book, put it on itunes, and then put it on my ipod. I finished listening to the book in like two days, it was great. It allowed me to get some "reading" done on the bus, which was nice, because reading books in moving vehicles makes me nauseas.
I think that it would be amazing if the library started offering audio ebooks. Just think, you would never have the unfortunate experience of trying to check out a book, only to find that it's already checked out and won't be returned for 6 months. This wouldn't work so well with books that you need for research purposes, but would be excellent for pleasure reading books.
I think that it would be amazing if the library started offering audio ebooks. Just think, you would never have the unfortunate experience of trying to check out a book, only to find that it's already checked out and won't be returned for 6 months. This wouldn't work so well with books that you need for research purposes, but would be excellent for pleasure reading books.
#20. Podcasts (week 11)
I subscribed to a food podcast. It has recipes and general cooking tips. It's pretty interesting.
Podcasts are another good way to quickly get valuable information to wide audience. It is hard for me to commit to checking something like a podcast or a bloglines account regularly. I barely have time to check a couple of websites, when I group everything of interest together in one spot, it is great for organization purposes, but if i read it all I would never get any work done. Hence, my bloglines account is overflowing with interesting tidbits of news that I will probably never get to read. I have a feeling that the same thing will happen with my podcasts.
Podcasts are a great idea, but I think the only way that I could get into using them more is if I synced up the podcasts that I subscribe to with my ipod. That way I could listen to them on the go.
Podcasts are another good way to quickly get valuable information to wide audience. It is hard for me to commit to checking something like a podcast or a bloglines account regularly. I barely have time to check a couple of websites, when I group everything of interest together in one spot, it is great for organization purposes, but if i read it all I would never get any work done. Hence, my bloglines account is overflowing with interesting tidbits of news that I will probably never get to read. I have a feeling that the same thing will happen with my podcasts.
Podcasts are a great idea, but I think the only way that I could get into using them more is if I synced up the podcasts that I subscribe to with my ipod. That way I could listen to them on the go.
#19. YouTube (week 11)
I found that most of the interfaces for the video sites were pretty similar. Youtube is still my favorite, but that is mostly because I have used that one for the longest. One of my favorite things to use youtube for is music. Not only can you find original songs, but a lot of times there are instructional videos for learning to play songs too. I also looked up a few recipes.
Youtube could be used many different ways in the library. One of the articles I read for the 23 Things talked about librarians training the patron to use all of the services that the library offers in order to get the most out of their library experience. Well, we could make training videos and post them on youtube. This would allow patrons to train on their own time, and it would save the librarians loads of time, because they only have to do the training one time. I am mean we could even pair training videos with IMs so that if a patron has a question about the video it could be answered right away by a staff member.
Youtube could be used many different ways in the library. One of the articles I read for the 23 Things talked about librarians training the patron to use all of the services that the library offers in order to get the most out of their library experience. Well, we could make training videos and post them on youtube. This would allow patrons to train on their own time, and it would save the librarians loads of time, because they only have to do the training one time. I am mean we could even pair training videos with IMs so that if a patron has a question about the video it could be answered right away by a staff member.
#18. Firefox Add-ons and Extensions (week 10)
I had no problems adding the Cruzcat search to my tool bar. I was also pleased to see some of my favorite websites also had search bars, so I also added expedia, amazon, flickr, and imdb to my tool bar. I think that these little search bars make it very easy for the patron to quickly check to see if we have a book that they want to check out. This function makes it very easy for those outside of the library to check our holdings, again making the library more accessible. This is a great little add on, that I will likely use often. I have to do a lot of holdings checks and that search bar will make life a little easier.
#17. Online Applications & Tools (week 10)
Zoho writer was so easy to use. Everything was straight forward and everything worked the first time. I had absolutely no trouble uploading a large word document. I think that sometimes great technologies can be cheapened because they are difficult to use. This is not the case with Zoho. I wish that I had known about Zoho when I had classes that required peer reviewed papers, it would have made life so much easier.
#16. Library 2.0 (week 9)
Michael Stephens brings up a really interesting point that I completely agree with. He says that libraries/librarians need to make good, fast decisions, regarding technology. I think that speed is very important when dealing with technology. There are new niches create on the web every day, some of these could be extremely useful in the library environment. But if these new technologies are not incorporated into the library quickly and made available to patrons then we run the risk of missing out on the benefits that these new things could bring to the library user.
To me Library 2.0 is a way to make libraries a more relevant. Incorporating these new technologies makes the library more accessible, and will make the overall library experience more fulfilling for the patron, which is what libraries are all about, right? I think that the 23 things that we are doing right now is equally as important as the technology that we are learning about. Closing the gap in "tech" knowledge between the patron and the librarian is the only way to make the technology work for us. After all, if the librarians don't know about it, how can we incorporate it into the library?
To me Library 2.0 is a way to make libraries a more relevant. Incorporating these new technologies makes the library more accessible, and will make the overall library experience more fulfilling for the patron, which is what libraries are all about, right? I think that the 23 things that we are doing right now is equally as important as the technology that we are learning about. Closing the gap in "tech" knowledge between the patron and the librarian is the only way to make the technology work for us. After all, if the librarians don't know about it, how can we incorporate it into the library?
#15. Custom search engines (week 9): Rollyo and Google Custom Search
This was my first experience with custom search engines. I decided to make a search engine to help me follow my favorite sports team, The Ohio State Buckeyes. Since I live on the West Coast now I have trouble staying on top of the latest Buckeye football news. So I entered a few sites that I know have some good information, and I also expanded the search to include sites that I didn't list, the results were fantastic.
This is another piece of technology that makes student life much easier. The ability to filter internet search results that easily makes custom search engine very valuable to those doing research online. Had I know about these sites a couple of years ago, I would have had a much easier time researching paper topics.
This is another piece of technology that makes student life much easier. The ability to filter internet search results that easily makes custom search engine very valuable to those doing research online. Had I know about these sites a couple of years ago, I would have had a much easier time researching paper topics.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
#14. Instant Messaging and VoIP (week 8)
This was not my first time using IMs. I have been using them for many years, I have had an AOL IM account for awhile and use it pretty frequently.
IMing in the library could be very helpful. The one good use of it would be for staffers to communicate amongst each other. It's quick, it's easy, and it's informal. It's a great to ask a co-worker a quick question, and it's less intrusive than a phone call.
Another way to use IMing in the library is as a "virtual reference desk". All we need to do is have one person replying to questions that may come in from patrons. We have a wireless network, people bring their laptops to the library, so this would allow them to seek help from anywhere with out having to physically be at the reference desk.
IMing in the library could be very helpful. The one good use of it would be for staffers to communicate amongst each other. It's quick, it's easy, and it's informal. It's a great to ask a co-worker a quick question, and it's less intrusive than a phone call.
Another way to use IMing in the library is as a "virtual reference desk". All we need to do is have one person replying to questions that may come in from patrons. We have a wireless network, people bring their laptops to the library, so this would allow them to seek help from anywhere with out having to physically be at the reference desk.
#13. Wikis 2 (week 8)
So I am not sure if I did the exercise right, but I did add some content to the wiki. I wasn't sure what to add so I borrowed something from the collection planning website. That was my first attempt at adding content. Everything went smoothly, it was very easy to do.
I like the idea of using wikis to plan things with your friends. It seems like it would work well for a group of friends who are hard to coordinate with, or have geographical barriers that inhibit the panning process.
I like the idea of using wikis to plan things with your friends. It seems like it would work well for a group of friends who are hard to coordinate with, or have geographical barriers that inhibit the panning process.
#12. Wikis 1 (week 7)
This was my first introduction to what a wiki truly is. Prior to this lesson my only experience with wikis was the website wikipedia.org. I love wikipedia, several times a week a will read something, hear something on the radio, or see something on tv and I think, "Man, I wish I knew more about ________." Then I head to the nearest computer type in my search request, and, instant gratification. In five minutes or less I can become an expert on practically anything I want to know.
The only danger of relying on wikis or wikipedia for supplying my information is it can be updated by any one. This allows information on the web almost instantaneously, however, its not always the most accurate information. Other than that one caveat, wikis are a great way to get up to the minute information....as long as we know that the there is a slight chance that the information is completely fictional.
Using wikis in the Library would be a great way for us to gather information and ideas from people around the world. Two heads are better than one, right? Well, with wikis we have the potential to add a whole lot of heads.
The only danger of relying on wikis or wikipedia for supplying my information is it can be updated by any one. This allows information on the web almost instantaneously, however, its not always the most accurate information. Other than that one caveat, wikis are a great way to get up to the minute information....as long as we know that the there is a slight chance that the information is completely fictional.
Using wikis in the Library would be a great way for us to gather information and ideas from people around the world. Two heads are better than one, right? Well, with wikis we have the potential to add a whole lot of heads.
#11. Folksonomies (week 7): LibraryThing
I have had a LibraryThing account for a few months now. I love the website, I like the way it allows you to keep tabs on your own book collection, and the recommendations page is very thorough. LibraryThing gives you so many suggestions that you will most likely be able to select a quality book based on the choices that they provide. One of the greatest parts about the site is how easy it is to use.
My other favorite part of this learning experience was seeing the practical application of tagging on the Danbury Public Library website. I think that adding the tagging system into CruzCat would be a great idea. It has the potential to be extremely helpful to people who are doing research in the library; and seeing how much UCSC values undergraduate research, I think that we should push to add this to Cruzcat.
Oh, check out my fancy new widget courtesy of LibraryThing!
My other favorite part of this learning experience was seeing the practical application of tagging on the Danbury Public Library website. I think that adding the tagging system into CruzCat would be a great idea. It has the potential to be extremely helpful to people who are doing research in the library; and seeing how much UCSC values undergraduate research, I think that we should push to add this to Cruzcat.
Oh, check out my fancy new widget courtesy of LibraryThing!
#10. Tagging (week 6): Technorati
Success!!!! It took awhile for me to get the right combination of search words, but I was finally able to get Technorati to retrieve my blog. I have to admit, it was a little bit exciting to have a search engine pull up my blog.
I had minimal success with other search engines.
I had minimal success with other search engines.
#9. Social Bookmarking (week 6): Del.icio.us
Del.icio.us was pretty straight forward. It seems like a good way to organize bookmarks, and since its on the web, they can be accessed from anywhere, which is nice. Yahoo recently bought Del.icio.us which means that it will be around for awhile and isn't just a passing fad. This is also good.
My favorite part of Del.icio.us the the cloud view that organizes your tags. I am partial to this style of display, because it allows the user to quickly sort out the most popular/relevant tags.
Del.icio.us was a little difficult for me to get into because the layout of the site was not very appealing. It seems like there are so many web tools out there that people claim will save me so much time, organize my stuff for me, or make my life so much easier; but, if I used all of these sites I would never have time for anything else.
Organizing my book marks isn't that important to me, I think the that the real value of sites like Del.icio.us are when they can be applied to academics. This site could be very useful for allowing student to seek out the most recent and up to date information in their field of choice. Finding articles on the latest medical breakthroughs, conservation biology, etc. will be much easier and consequently faster with sites like this.
My favorite part of Del.icio.us the the cloud view that organizes your tags. I am partial to this style of display, because it allows the user to quickly sort out the most popular/relevant tags.
Del.icio.us was a little difficult for me to get into because the layout of the site was not very appealing. It seems like there are so many web tools out there that people claim will save me so much time, organize my stuff for me, or make my life so much easier; but, if I used all of these sites I would never have time for anything else.
Organizing my book marks isn't that important to me, I think the that the real value of sites like Del.icio.us are when they can be applied to academics. This site could be very useful for allowing student to seek out the most recent and up to date information in their field of choice. Finding articles on the latest medical breakthroughs, conservation biology, etc. will be much easier and consequently faster with sites like this.
#8. Second Life (week 5)
Second Life seems very interesting. The article that I read about it predicts that Second Life will not necessarily be revolutionary in regards to changing libraries and the way we use libraries, but rather it is a major step in the that direction. After exploring Second Life a little more, I would have to agree with that notion.
I watched the video from SJSU and was very impressed with how they intended to use second life. I think that using it to enhance the distance learning program is a wonderful use of technology. This has the potential to allow more people to seek higher education.
As far as using second life to enhance libraries, I believe there is promise there. Many of the services that the library offers could potentially be fulfilled in a well designed user friendly environment. However, as a student, there were times when I wanted to go to the library, and thumb through books, study in a quiet space, or get a break from using the computer. All of these activities cannot be done in the virtual world.
I am very interested to see the role that virtual reality programs like Second Life will play in future libraries.
I watched the video from SJSU and was very impressed with how they intended to use second life. I think that using it to enhance the distance learning program is a wonderful use of technology. This has the potential to allow more people to seek higher education.
As far as using second life to enhance libraries, I believe there is promise there. Many of the services that the library offers could potentially be fulfilled in a well designed user friendly environment. However, as a student, there were times when I wanted to go to the library, and thumb through books, study in a quiet space, or get a break from using the computer. All of these activities cannot be done in the virtual world.
I am very interested to see the role that virtual reality programs like Second Life will play in future libraries.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
#7. Social Networks 2 (week 5): Set up your MySpace page
So setting up my own own myspace account confirmed my suspicions that myspace sucks. Every single time that I tried to do something on that website I received an error message. I am too frustrated to try to work through it now so I will try again later. Hopefully next time I will have more success.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
#6. Social Networks 1 (week 4): Explore MySpace and other networks
I had no idea that there were so many different online social networks out there. The internet is amazing in that you can now find a group of people with almost any common interest on the web.
I am not the biggest fan of social networking. I was boycotting MySpace, but it looks as though the ban will be lifted because of the "23 things". The one thing that I am looking forward to about MySpace is exploring the music section.
I am not the biggest fan of social networking. I was boycotting MySpace, but it looks as though the ban will be lifted because of the "23 things". The one thing that I am looking forward to about MySpace is exploring the music section.
Friday, June 29, 2007
#5b. RSS & Newsreaders 2 (week 4): Find some feeds
So I used a couple of search engines to find more RSS feeds. I used feedster and technorati, and had limited success. Ultimately I ended up just using google to find more feeds that I was interested in. I selected four new feeds today; top Stories from cnn.com, movie reviews from rottentomatoes.com, and both college football and college basketball feeds from espn.com. I was able to find the links to the RSS feeds on these site with no trouble.
I think that I might add a couple of more feeds to my bloglines account, but i might have to remove some as well. I think that having all of my news delivered to one spot simplifies things, but now I have so much content to read everyday that it is becoming overwhelming. I need to weed out my list.
p.s. my favorite feed by far is the one that delivers clips of the Daily Show.
I think that I might add a couple of more feeds to my bloglines account, but i might have to remove some as well. I think that having all of my news delivered to one spot simplifies things, but now I have so much content to read everyday that it is becoming overwhelming. I need to weed out my list.
p.s. my favorite feed by far is the one that delivers clips of the Daily Show.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Thing #5 RSS & Newsreaders 1: Explore Bloglines
My Bloglines account is all set up! I have 18 feeds set up. I am excited at the prospect of having the news delivered to one website. It's like having a daily newspaper delivered that only has articles pertaining to my interests. RSS feeds are supposed to save us time, but I am beginning to get the feeling that with all of this exciting information being delivered right to me from a broader scope of sources than I generally consult, that I will be spending more time reading the news. By clicking a few links I have managed to create a healthy list of interesting topics that will only grow as my comfort level with RSS feeds grows.
I went from checking 3-5 websites on a regular basis to having 18 (a number that will surely grow) websites delivery new stories to me. Some of my favorites that I have found are: an RSS feed that has clips from the Daily Show, a feed to the Alternative Energy Blog, and a feed to the headlines from the Science section of the New York Times.
While all of these exercises have been interesting so far, sometimes I lose site of the practical application of these programs to the library. RSS feeds could be very useful for updating students, patrons, staff, and faculty about Library events. Whether it is a new exhibit, information on the addition, or information on classes offered at the library RSS feeds could efficiently get that message out to many people.
I went from checking 3-5 websites on a regular basis to having 18 (a number that will surely grow) websites delivery new stories to me. Some of my favorites that I have found are: an RSS feed that has clips from the Daily Show, a feed to the Alternative Energy Blog, and a feed to the headlines from the Science section of the New York Times.
While all of these exercises have been interesting so far, sometimes I lose site of the practical application of these programs to the library. RSS feeds could be very useful for updating students, patrons, staff, and faculty about Library events. Whether it is a new exhibit, information on the addition, or information on classes offered at the library RSS feeds could efficiently get that message out to many people.
Thing #4 Flickr
Here are the first three pictures that I have loaded onto Flickr. All three are from a recent trip to Lake Tahoe, they also happen to be the only photos of mine that I have access to from my work computer.
I found that signing up for a Flickr account, browsing Flickr, and uploading my picture was fairly easy. The uploading process was similar to any other photo site out there (snapfish, photobucket, etc.). I like the style of organization that this website uses with their tagging system. You could literally spend hours upon hours exploring other people's photos. There are some pretty fantastic amateur photographers on this website.
The other thing that I found fascinating about Flickr was the use of other programs, mashups and 3rd party programs, that allowed the user to do more with their photos. These mashups are really interesting because there are no limits to what kind of programs you can make to mesh with Flickr. Here are some links to my favorite mashups or 3rd party programs that I found and a quick description of what each one does.
retrievr - this is really fun program to use to kill some time and express your own creative side. This program has a little window where you can create a small piece of original artwork using an application similar to Microsoft paint. Then, it uses your creation to browse similar photos posted on Flickr.
Trip Planner - this program allows to you make a trip itinerary with restaurants, hotels, and attractions. Then when you return you can upload photos of the places that you visited and have an itinerary with photos of the locations to show your friends.
Mappr - allows you to map out photos with geographic tags.
Montager - creates mosaics out of other people photos found on Flickr
Spell - lets you type a word or words and then grabs images from Flickr that spell out the word you typed. Also, if you don't like the first photo that comes up, simply click on the image to change the photo until you find one that you like.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Thing #3 Blogging 2: Keeping track & more about blogging
I began to explore the various search engines presented in "Thing #3". I used the same two search queries, one with regards to academic library and one totally unrelated topic, so that I could easily compare the different search engines. Here is a brief rundown of my experiences.
Technorati - This being one of the larger search engines, I found that simply searching for key words was not sufficient. If you are searching for "academic libraries" or anything that is more than one word you are better off using the "exact phrase" search line. There are some pretty off topic blogs out there that may have the words "academic" and "library" some where in the body of the text.
Blogscope - This is search engine turned up more relevant searches than Technorati. Its interesting that when you search blogs for content relating to academic libraries, most of the results have to do with some sort of technology training similar to what we are doing with our "23 things". Blogscope turned up this interest power point presentation, http://elearnpracticeresearch.blogspot.com/2007/06/virtual-future-of-academic-libraries.html
Sphere - This one seemed to be a step below the search engines mentioned above. The results returned were not as relevant as as I had hoped.
Blog.ask.com - A good idea, I like the expansion of the original web searching tool ask.com to include an option for searching blogs.
I used to think that blogs were simply online journals. Some were entertaining to read, depending upon who authored them, but for the most part I thought that they borderline worthless. I mean really, who wants to read about the day to day life of your average web geek. However, my feelings toward blogs are rapidly changing for the better. I have recently started using blogs to help me troubleshoot various do it yourself projects around the house. I am in the middle of replacing the water pump on my boats engine, and I wasn't able to figure out how to disconnect the shift linkage in order to remove the lower unit. The repair manual for my engine didn't have proper instructions, but I was able to figure out how to do it by reading a blog written by some one who owns the same engine as me.
One of my other hobbies is cooking. I really enjoy experimenting with different types of food and recipes from around the world. I am always on the look-out for a new or exciting recipe. So I was very pleased to see the the Bloggies had a separate food category. So, to answer the question in the training, yes I will now be subscribing to two newly discovered blogs in hopes for inspiration in the kitchen. The two new blogs are Help! I Have a Fire In My Kitchen and 101 Cookbooks. Exploring Cookbooks, One Recipe at a Time.
Technorati - This being one of the larger search engines, I found that simply searching for key words was not sufficient. If you are searching for "academic libraries" or anything that is more than one word you are better off using the "exact phrase" search line. There are some pretty off topic blogs out there that may have the words "academic" and "library" some where in the body of the text.
Blogscope - This is search engine turned up more relevant searches than Technorati. Its interesting that when you search blogs for content relating to academic libraries, most of the results have to do with some sort of technology training similar to what we are doing with our "23 things". Blogscope turned up this interest power point presentation, http://elearnpracticeresearch.blogspot.com/2007/06/virtual-future-of-academic-libraries.html
Sphere - This one seemed to be a step below the search engines mentioned above. The results returned were not as relevant as as I had hoped.
Blog.ask.com - A good idea, I like the expansion of the original web searching tool ask.com to include an option for searching blogs.
I used to think that blogs were simply online journals. Some were entertaining to read, depending upon who authored them, but for the most part I thought that they borderline worthless. I mean really, who wants to read about the day to day life of your average web geek. However, my feelings toward blogs are rapidly changing for the better. I have recently started using blogs to help me troubleshoot various do it yourself projects around the house. I am in the middle of replacing the water pump on my boats engine, and I wasn't able to figure out how to disconnect the shift linkage in order to remove the lower unit. The repair manual for my engine didn't have proper instructions, but I was able to figure out how to do it by reading a blog written by some one who owns the same engine as me.
One of my other hobbies is cooking. I really enjoy experimenting with different types of food and recipes from around the world. I am always on the look-out for a new or exciting recipe. So I was very pleased to see the the Bloggies had a separate food category. So, to answer the question in the training, yes I will now be subscribing to two newly discovered blogs in hopes for inspiration in the kitchen. The two new blogs are Help! I Have a Fire In My Kitchen and 101 Cookbooks. Exploring Cookbooks, One Recipe at a Time.
Thing #2 Blogging
I am getting started with the I am just trying to figure out how to add pictures to my posts and profile.If it works, the picture to the left is me at Dog Beach on the westside. I have two German Shepherd mixes that love to play in the water, roll in the sand, and terrorize the occasional seagull.
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