Random Ramblings

Social Networking

Lisa — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:50:57 +0000

I joined Twitter and I already really enjoy it! It seems quite simple to use, and it’s quite fun to be able to follow celebrities and friends. I was able to read other people’s updates and to create my own post. I especially got into Ellen Degeneres’ posts. I can see this being very distracting, so I don’t see myself using it very much…at least not until the holidays. I can see this being extremely useful for libraries. It would be another way besides facebook to get in contact with patrons, or future patrons. Libraries could create contests that take place in the library, in order to get people to go there. Twitter is available for everyone, and is becoming more popular with everyone. It would be a great way to advertise libraries around the world and to promote reading, even.

Some pros are that it is not an expensive site to join. Even if Twitter ended up not being very helpful to one’s library; it would not have cost them anything to set it up. It would also be a good way to connect with readers, because to them Twitter is cool. However, the cons are that a teenager might not want to “follow” a library, and therefore would miss out on announcements.

I do think Twitter is a wonderful tool and I can see myself using this continuously now.

Social Bookmarking

Lisa — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:58:41 +0000

I signed up for del.icio.us and I really enjoyed it. I searched for my favourite books: Harry Potter. I found several differences between this site and Google. There were over 59,000 results, whereas Google had over 23 million results. There was definitely much more to sift through on Google, and therefore, it was not as helpful. I also found that the del.icio.us results were more fan -based sites. Google, however, was more geared towards money. They had sites for the movies coming up first. They did have a lot of identical sites although you had to search more than just the first page of results. I thought the tags were quite helpful. Most of them had “harry potter” and “books” as the tags, so they were general and easy to find.

I tagged a few sites that I found on Harry Potter, and I found it to be simple and quite straightforward. I used the RRC Library 2.0 tag so that all you other classmates can find me! I think social bookmarking would be very useful in libraries as no matter which computer someone is on, they can easily access their bookmarks. It would also be useful when one librarian finds a good site, they would be able to share it with others. It would be great for exchanging information.

Personally, I thought social bookmarking was quite easy, but I’m not sure that this is something I would use in my own life. I tend to just use one computer most of the time.

Shelfari

Lisa — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:31:23 +0000

This website is great! Once I signed up, it allowed me to start putting in books I’ve read right away. It had a beautiful layout, and I enjoyed that it displayed the books on an actual bookshelf. This has already proved a huge distraction for me but there are too many assignments at the moment to work on. I will explore it more when I have more time. I look forward to it!

This would be great in a library setting, both for employees and patrons. Employees could see what others are reading, and find out what books are popular at the moment. Therefore, they could be more helpful with patrons and get ideas for which books to buy. It would also be useful for patrons. The library could set Shelfari on their website, or promote it. They would be able to get ideas for which books to read, and what other patrons enjoyed.

Overall, it is a great site.

Google Docs

Lisa — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:44:41 +0000

Google Docs are great! They are extremely easy to use. They strike me as being similar to wikis. It is very easy to update, and different people can add to the same document. There is a definite advantage though: different people can update at the same time, and we can even chat with each other! I added to all three, and it was quite fun! I enjoyed the collaboration aspect as well. Everyone was being creative, and we were all able to feed off each other.

This would be great for group projects. Different people in different places will be able to simultaneously add content, and it would be faster than emailing the assignment back and forth. There wouldn’t be all the email clutter as well. It would be great for brainstorming and even simultaneously putting finishing touches on projects.

This could also work out in the business world. Libraries would also benefit from having these applications. They could work on planning projects and events, such as collaborating over an upcoming conference or open house. Patrons could get involved in it as well. There could be a section for their opinions, or a page where they could rate books, and chat with other readers.

Podcasts

Lisa — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:50:35 +0000

I love podcasts! I am completely addicted already. I found them very simple to use. I just went to iTunes and subscribed to a podcast. I couldn’t believe it was that easy! They are very useful and convenient, especially since I was able to download it straight to my iPod. The only problem now is that I watch videos rather than doing homework. It’s great at distracting me!

I think podcasts could be extremely useful in libraries. They could use them to do book reviews, announce upcoming events, and advertise the library itself. They would also be a great way to get different age groups into the librairies. The younger generation is definitely tech-savvy, and they might notice a video even though they don’t go to the library. It may interest them enough to get them to make the trip out.

I found this library video on Youtube. It’s a little on the long side, but I thought it was very cute and funny. The voice of the guy singing is actually quite soothing!

Lost Port Cord!

Lisa — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:59:11 +0000

Hi it’s Lisa. I’m pretty sure I left my port cord in the Model Library today. I was sitting at the table that has the printer on it. If anyone sees one there, do you think you could just set it aside for me? I will come and get it first thing in the morning tomorrow.

Thank you!

Wikis

Lisa — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:58:06 +0000

I was not completely sure what wikis were before I read “Wikis”, which was in the Teacher Librarian magazine. The article made them seem so simple, and they are!

Wikis can be used in a library setting as communication between employees. They can use them to plan events, to collaborate in group situations, which can sometimes work better than e-mail, and to collaborate with patrons. Patrons would be able to discuss things that they would like improved, and the employees would know what the patrons want, and could work hard to make productive changes. Wikis would also be very convenient in school situations. For group assignments, students can brainstorm for ideas easily, even when they are apart. They can even write parts of the assignment, and then others can add to it, or even edit it. It could save meetings between kids, and make projects more seamless.

I found that both blogs and wikis are about putting information out there, and getting feedback. The difference though is that blogs are written by only one person, and edited by only one person. Wikis, on the other hand, can be written by plenty, and also be edited by several.

When I went to edit the wiki myself ( I put April Raintree as my favourite books, and Red Top as my favourite restaurant) I found it really easy, and quite fun. I found it great to be able to share my opinion, and to hear others, all in good fun. I think it is a really great concept. On the other hand, I wasn’t pleased with the thought that someone could interrupt me when I was entering something (thankfully, nobody actually did). I also don’t like the fact that others can delete posts, because they happen to disagree with them, or whatever their reasons may be. It seems to me like a fight waiting to happen.

Since I have no experience with wikis at all, there wasn’t anything I was expecting to see, so everything was a bonus! I was really impressed, and in my opinion, it did not seem to lack any features.

Yay wikis!!

RSS Feeds

Lisa — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:07:59 +0000

This is the first time I have ever heard of, or used RSS feeds. I admit though, I’ve fallen in love with them! I found it really easy to set them up. It is also very convenient to not have to go around to every site I enjoy, just to see that there isn’t even anything new there. Everything now comes straight to me, and I get told when something new has been posted. It’s great!

RSS feeds would definitely be useful for employees in a library setting. It can be a precious time-saver, especially for those librarians who have numerous web sites that they must check daily. Steven Cohen, who wrote: “RSS for Non-Techie Librarians”, is a perfect example of this. He had 50 websites he would try to check daily, but on extremely busy days, he would read only one or two. Clearly, these feeds helped him significantly.

This is true for all library staff. They are expected to help patrons at the reference desk, on top of their other library duties. Additionally, they must stay current with technology and be aware of what is popular at the moment. The RSS feeds definitely help library staff stay up-to-date.

RSS feeds are very helpful for everyone, whether you are using them for personal use, or as part of your job.

First post!

Lisa — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:21:22 +0000

Hi everyone! This is my first blog post ever! I am very excited to get involved in the blogging world and see what all the hype is about. I’m also a little nervous about it, but it doesn’t seem too hard yet. That’s a good sign right? As for me, I’m a library technician student right now and have been out of school for a few years now, so I’m excited to be doing something with my life again. I’d love to hear from all of you, so comment a lot! Talk to you later.