Going Green @ Your Library
Interesting ideas and great links.
http://greeningyourlibrary.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Thing 22 - Staying Current
I have enjoyed working on the 23 Things over these past two months. I hereby resolve to maintain my blog and to wax eloquent about Library 2.0 and new tools in my future posts.
I have added the Librarian in Black and the LISNews to my blogroll and will try to keep up on Web 2.0 news through OPAL and NEFLIN.
I will also be looking at the Online College Blog to view more nifty things here at 100 powerful web tools to organize your thoughts and ideas.
I have added the Librarian in Black and the LISNews to my blogroll and will try to keep up on Web 2.0 news through OPAL and NEFLIN.
I will also be looking at the Online College Blog to view more nifty things here at 100 powerful web tools to organize your thoughts and ideas.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thing 21 - Student 2.0 Tools
The Assignment Calculator for college students was created by the University of Minnesota Libraries. This gives you a 12 step research timeline with recommended resources based on the subject selected. I entered a real project I am working on to see what would come up. The result looked like a very orderly and logical plan. Since I have already started this project, I am about on step 6 or 7.
The Research Project Calculator (RPC) consists of 5 steps and is a simplified version of the above, designed for high schoolers.
The Teacher guide to the RPC was full of handouts, some of which could be used in a library setting. For example, I thought that the one on What is Research and the ones on Plagiarism would be good for helping students in the library.
I think that teaching students how to get organized is very important, and the earlier they learn this, the better. I would encourage students to try these tools because if they stick to a timeline, then they will be in control and less stressed at the very last minute. It would increase the likelihood of turning in a superior paper.
The Research Project Calculator (RPC) consists of 5 steps and is a simplified version of the above, designed for high schoolers.
The Teacher guide to the RPC was full of handouts, some of which could be used in a library setting. For example, I thought that the one on What is Research and the ones on Plagiarism would be good for helping students in the library.
I think that teaching students how to get organized is very important, and the earlier they learn this, the better. I would encourage students to try these tools because if they stick to a timeline, then they will be in control and less stressed at the very last minute. It would increase the likelihood of turning in a superior paper.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thing 20 - Books 2.0
In the “Future of the Book” I was reminded why I have decided against running out and buying a Kindle (besides the high price). It's just very basic: “Here the paper affords a persistent performative space while the Kindle affords a momentary screen image.” [March 22, 2009]
I read “Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?” I think this is a silly debate. Of course it's reading. As for quality, the quality of online reading varies just as much as for print materials.
The NEA reports that “Fiction Reading Increases for Adults.” They have found “reassuring evidence that the dumbing down of our culture is not inevitable.” Well, that's a relief.
I looked at TwitterLit and found it amusing. I bookmarked the site on Delicious to go back to later, but I did not sign up for the emails. They have “1400 first lines posted and counting.”
I am familiar with the site “What Should I Read Next?” It gave me 10 suggestions when I typed in Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell along with links to Amazon.com. This is very easy Reader's Advisory that patrons could do for themselves if we tell them to try out this site.
Book Glutton and Read Unbound pulls people together in the act of reading. The site says,“Books are conversations. Why wait until you're finished to discuss a book? Chat chapter by chapter.”
Booksprouts is an online community for book clubs. It makes it easy to create a club or join a club.
At Librivox you can listen for free to audio books in the public domain. They invite people to volunteer to be readers.
One Minute Critic was only mildly interesting. I did not see any way to look up a particular review. They just seem to be categorized by which month the review is posted. This is not really useful.
At “Just One More Book” you can find podcasts for children's books.
There are many more sites that promote reading listed on our Thing 20 and I plan on exploring these further at a later time.
I read “Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?” I think this is a silly debate. Of course it's reading. As for quality, the quality of online reading varies just as much as for print materials.
The NEA reports that “Fiction Reading Increases for Adults.” They have found “reassuring evidence that the dumbing down of our culture is not inevitable.” Well, that's a relief.
I looked at TwitterLit and found it amusing. I bookmarked the site on Delicious to go back to later, but I did not sign up for the emails. They have “1400 first lines posted and counting.”
I am familiar with the site “What Should I Read Next?” It gave me 10 suggestions when I typed in Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell along with links to Amazon.com. This is very easy Reader's Advisory that patrons could do for themselves if we tell them to try out this site.
Book Glutton and Read Unbound pulls people together in the act of reading. The site says,“Books are conversations. Why wait until you're finished to discuss a book? Chat chapter by chapter.”
Booksprouts is an online community for book clubs. It makes it easy to create a club or join a club.
At Librivox you can listen for free to audio books in the public domain. They invite people to volunteer to be readers.
One Minute Critic was only mildly interesting. I did not see any way to look up a particular review. They just seem to be categorized by which month the review is posted. This is not really useful.
At “Just One More Book” you can find podcasts for children's books.
There are many more sites that promote reading listed on our Thing 20 and I plan on exploring these further at a later time.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thing 19 - Other Social Networks
The idea of specialized social networks interests me more than Facebook/MySpace because they seem like they would be more serious and more adult oriented.
Webjunction is a network for library staff, but it seemed kind of sterile to me. I looked around but did not get much out of it. It offers classes that you have to pay for. I looked at their Our Partners list and did not see Florida listed as one of their State Libraries partners.
Ning has a Library 2.0 list with 77 groups, such as Government Documents (44 members), Librarians in Turkey (13 members), Florida Public Librarians (24 members), and Medical Librarians (10 members).
I liked the opening page on Gather better than these other two because it gave reasons to join Gather that made sense. In About Gather it calls itself the premier social network for the over 30 crowd. There are thousands of Gather Groups for discussions of different interests. The Gather Books Essential claims 51,000 members and about 700 new posts in the past week. That seems a bit overwhelming to me. I could never keep up with all that.
The only network that I had any interest in was Goodreads which I had looked at a few weeks ago for my Adult Services class at USF (go Bulls!). I think I would like to use Goodreads for Reader's Advisory in the library.
Webjunction is a network for library staff, but it seemed kind of sterile to me. I looked around but did not get much out of it. It offers classes that you have to pay for. I looked at their Our Partners list and did not see Florida listed as one of their State Libraries partners.
Ning has a Library 2.0 list with 77 groups, such as Government Documents (44 members), Librarians in Turkey (13 members), Florida Public Librarians (24 members), and Medical Librarians (10 members).
I liked the opening page on Gather better than these other two because it gave reasons to join Gather that made sense. In About Gather it calls itself the premier social network for the over 30 crowd. There are thousands of Gather Groups for discussions of different interests. The Gather Books Essential claims 51,000 members and about 700 new posts in the past week. That seems a bit overwhelming to me. I could never keep up with all that.
The only network that I had any interest in was Goodreads which I had looked at a few weeks ago for my Adult Services class at USF (go Bulls!). I think I would like to use Goodreads for Reader's Advisory in the library.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thing 18 - Facebook and MySpace
The Common Craft Show (how could we do our 23 Things without Lee LeFever?) said that social networking sites makes connections between people visible.
I set up a Facebook account last year because my daughter and some of my co-workers were on it and I wanted to see what the big deal was. I have barely used it since. Maybe I am not sociable enough to get into it. Maybe I am just too busy with other things (like library school) to get into the fun parts of it. It does seem to be another huge time waster. Okay, now you see the curmudgeon in me.
I had not really thought about Facebook as a tool for professional networking until I saw the list of the Hottest Facebook Groups for Librarians. Now those could be fun and useful. I joined the group of Future Librarians and Those Who Love Them.
I set up a Facebook account last year because my daughter and some of my co-workers were on it and I wanted to see what the big deal was. I have barely used it since. Maybe I am not sociable enough to get into it. Maybe I am just too busy with other things (like library school) to get into the fun parts of it. It does seem to be another huge time waster. Okay, now you see the curmudgeon in me.
I had not really thought about Facebook as a tool for professional networking until I saw the list of the Hottest Facebook Groups for Librarians. Now those could be fun and useful. I joined the group of Future Librarians and Those Who Love Them.
Thing 17 - Podcasts
The Common Craft Show explains that with podcasts, showtimes don't matter. The podcast can be watched when you are ready to watch it. It is personal and on demand. You can subscribe to an RSS feed of the podcast programs.
I listed to an environmental podcast I found in the science section on podcast.com produced by the USGS on climate change.
Check out this episode I found @ Podcast.com, Slight Climate Changes May Trigger Abrupt Ecosystem Responses
You can play and download this episode at: http://podcast.com/episode/36263926/17258/?cp=1125
I subscribed to their USGS ComCast RSS feeder in my Google Reader.
I looked at Gcast. They say they make personal broadcasting simple. I did not make a podcast, but was glad to know about this tool for the future.
I listed to an environmental podcast I found in the science section on podcast.com produced by the USGS on climate change.
Check out this episode I found @ Podcast.com, Slight Climate Changes May Trigger Abrupt Ecosystem Responses
You can play and download this episode at: http://podcast.com/episode/36263926/17258/?cp=1125
I subscribed to their USGS ComCast RSS feeder in my Google Reader.
I looked at Gcast. They say they make personal broadcasting simple. I did not make a podcast, but was glad to know about this tool for the future.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Thing 16 - YouTube
Who doesn't love YouTube? Here are my favorite PSAs from the Wildlife Conservation Society regarding funding cuts at the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium.
Here is part 2. The porcupine goes job hunting.
Now for some great music. I loved this performance during the Inauguration.
I learned the importance of clicking on the tiny Customize button next to the embed code. Here is where you can select the size of the video box and pick a color border.
Libraries can use YouTube for all kinds of things, such as book trailers and staff training.
Here is part 2. The porcupine goes job hunting.
Now for some great music. I loved this performance during the Inauguration.
I learned the importance of clicking on the tiny Customize button next to the embed code. Here is where you can select the size of the video box and pick a color border.
Libraries can use YouTube for all kinds of things, such as book trailers and staff training.
Thing 15 - Rollyo
I created a Reference Search roll for this Thing. I like the idea that you are using just the websites that you select yourself. This could be a timesaver if you frequently search this same group of sites, so maybe the reference staff could get into making their favorite and trusted search rolls for the major categories of questions they get asked.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Thing 14 - Online Productivity Tools
I created homepages on iGoogle, PageFlakes and My Yahoo to compare all three. I liked the look of the iGoogle page much better than the other two. It was cleaner and had the date, time and weather right up front where I like to see it. I liked that the news was from CNN and the NY Times, which are my favorites. I thought the PageFlakes page looked too crowded and there was no time or calendar visible. On the My Yahoo page the weather bar was too big and did not have enough information. The local news was from Jacksonville, not Gainesville in spite of putting in my zip code. Also, the top news stories were so far down on the page that I had to scroll down to find them. So of the three, the iGoogle page gets my vote.
My preference for Google products seems to continue. I liked the Google Calendar and would use it at work, but probably not at home because I prefer to use the wall calendar there so my whole family can refer to it.
I looked at Ta da list and Remember the Milk. I was not impressed with Ta da. Remember the Milk has an app on iPhone which would be great if only I had an iPhone. Otherwise, I don't think I will be using these. I like paper copies of to do lists similar to my shopping lists.
Now, on to Backpack. Here is an online productivity tool that I think could be really useful to an organization. It has pages, a group calendar, multiple calendars, a newsroom, reminders pages and writeboards. A library group could get a whole lot of work done using this tool. I liked the look of it and the variety of tools in this all-in-one productivity center.
My preference for Google products seems to continue. I liked the Google Calendar and would use it at work, but probably not at home because I prefer to use the wall calendar there so my whole family can refer to it.
I looked at Ta da list and Remember the Milk. I was not impressed with Ta da. Remember the Milk has an app on iPhone which would be great if only I had an iPhone. Otherwise, I don't think I will be using these. I like paper copies of to do lists similar to my shopping lists.
Now, on to Backpack. Here is an online productivity tool that I think could be really useful to an organization. It has pages, a group calendar, multiple calendars, a newsroom, reminders pages and writeboards. A library group could get a whole lot of work done using this tool. I liked the look of it and the variety of tools in this all-in-one productivity center.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Thing 13 - LibraryThing
I love LibraryThing. I could really get carried away with it. I have been using it for 2 months and am getting more into its various features. I have found a bunch of great books by looking at other people's lists.
On the Local tab, I found the list of venues to be helpful with links to the local libraries and bookstores. Currently, there are no local events posted.
My books are here.
On the Local tab, I found the list of venues to be helpful with links to the local libraries and bookstores. Currently, there are no local events posted.
My books are here.
Thing 12 - Wikis
My family and I use Wikipedia a lot at home. It is a good place to start, but we are careful to check out more reputable links. I agree that teachers should not let their students cite it as an information source, but the students could use it to find better sources to quote.
My favorite library wiki is the LIS Wiki.
I added an entry in the NEFLIN 23 Things Wiki where I added a link to the LIS Wiki plus a link to my blog.
My favorite library wiki is the LIS Wiki.
I added an entry in the NEFLIN 23 Things Wiki where I added a link to the LIS Wiki plus a link to my blog.
Thing 11 - Social Media
The Common Craft Show explains social media as public places where people can share their information and then everyone can select what they like best. This way the information submitted can be shared, rated, and discussed, and the submitter gets feedback on what people liked or disliked about it.
I looked at Digg. Each news article submitted has a count of “diggs,” or positive votes. You have to join Digg in order to vote. You can customize your view. For example, you can opt out of categories you are not interested in, such as celebrity news. Then you can comment on the articles. You can follow the activity of your friends on Digg. You can put some information about yourself on your Digg profile and this can be controlled by adjusting your privacy settings.
I browsed this list of articles for a while and then realized that I was only interested in reading about 5 to 10 percent of the articles I saw listed. My sense is that this is a big time waster because the majority of the stories are trivial. I have to agree with the comments posted for this Thing by my co-worker, Hello World.
I looked at Digg. Each news article submitted has a count of “diggs,” or positive votes. You have to join Digg in order to vote. You can customize your view. For example, you can opt out of categories you are not interested in, such as celebrity news. Then you can comment on the articles. You can follow the activity of your friends on Digg. You can put some information about yourself on your Digg profile and this can be controlled by adjusting your privacy settings.
I browsed this list of articles for a while and then realized that I was only interested in reading about 5 to 10 percent of the articles I saw listed. My sense is that this is a big time waster because the majority of the stories are trivial. I have to agree with the comments posted for this Thing by my co-worker, Hello World.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Thing 10 - Tagging and Delicious
Collaborative tagging, or social indexing, is organic, evolving and user-created, unlike a controlled vocabulary.
I already had an old Delicious account, but I had never really used it. I added some of my favorite recent bookmarks to it and used more tags rather than fewer this time. I do need to go back and clean it up. I am one of those who has used both "library" and "libraries" as tags, and that is not a tidy way to do it. My account is at http://delicious.com/gcarr55858
I took a quick look at Furl. I liked the opening page, graphics and the introductory information there better than at Delicious. At Furl you can save a cached copy of your bookmarked sites in case some of the sites disappear in the future.
At Pagekeeper there is a user-friendly mini tutorial that introduces its features. I really liked the layout of their sample page. I think Pagekeeper could be adapted for use in libraries to construct informational pages for staff as well as for patrons.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thing 9 - Sharing slides, photos, databases
Still in a Valentine's mood, I went for some romantic poetry. This slideshow was very fast and easy to put together. It would be so much fun to make little book trailers for the library.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thing 8 - Communication Web 2.0 Style
Instant Messaging
I use AIM at home, but I don't really like it because I see it as an irritating interruption.
However, there is something in this category that I have used a lot and love. That is Skype. I used it a lot in 2007 when my husband spent most of that year traveling extensively overseas. Skype uses Voice over Internet Protocol. The calls are loud and clear and FREE between Skype users. I easily talked to my husband when I was in Gainesville and he was visiting a research station on a coral island 40 miles off the coast of Belize in Central America. The connection was great and the sound quality was perfect, so much better than most phone calls.
Text Messaging (Short Message Service)
I do not use this, but my daughter does. As a non-user, all I can say is that I like that it's silent. I do think it's cool that the Australians have started Reference by SMS.
Web Conferencing
I enjoy webinars and am excited about OPAL. From their Archives, I listened to a few minutes of Pat Wagner's "Communication Skills For Front Line Library Staff." Webinars are great teaching tools for library staff.
One of my library school classes at USF used Elluminate last year for some class meetings. I thought it worked very well and hope that more of the professors start using it.
I use AIM at home, but I don't really like it because I see it as an irritating interruption.
However, there is something in this category that I have used a lot and love. That is Skype. I used it a lot in 2007 when my husband spent most of that year traveling extensively overseas. Skype uses Voice over Internet Protocol. The calls are loud and clear and FREE between Skype users. I easily talked to my husband when I was in Gainesville and he was visiting a research station on a coral island 40 miles off the coast of Belize in Central America. The connection was great and the sound quality was perfect, so much better than most phone calls.
Text Messaging (Short Message Service)
I do not use this, but my daughter does. As a non-user, all I can say is that I like that it's silent. I do think it's cool that the Australians have started Reference by SMS.
Web Conferencing
I enjoy webinars and am excited about OPAL. From their Archives, I listened to a few minutes of Pat Wagner's "Communication Skills For Front Line Library Staff." Webinars are great teaching tools for library staff.
One of my library school classes at USF used Elluminate last year for some class meetings. I thought it worked very well and hope that more of the professors start using it.
Thing 7 - Online Image Generators
Happy Valentines's Day
candy hearts at Image Chef
Image Chef was very easy.
These online image generators are useful for adding some sparkle to library displays, flyers and programs.
candy hearts at Image Chef
Image Chef was very easy.
These online image generators are useful for adding some sparkle to library displays, flyers and programs.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thing 6 - Flickr Mashups
I played with several fun things at Big Huge Labs and successfully killed a lot of time. Some of these things could be used to spice up library presentations and programs.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thing 5 - Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmvnoos/2613855312/
Staying with my theme of chocolate truffles, I found this elegant bowl of truffles on Flickr. This photo was taken in Paris, which only adds to the allure, don't you think?
The folks at the Clemens and Alcuin libraries are so cool. The entries in their Edible Book Festival are really clever and imaginative. My favorites were The Grapes of Wrath and Gone With the Wind.
The Library of Congress photos are, of course, amazing. I spent a long time browsing there.
I also browsed through the Alachua County Library's Flickr photos.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Thing 4 - RSS and Newsreaders
Really Simple Syndication is a tool for subscribing to news and updates so I don't have to visit the sites and spend time looking for updates. With RSS, the updates come to me. I like the analogy that it is like a magazine rack in my house.
I watched the Common Craft Show on RSS in Plain English. To get an RSS feed there are two steps: sign up for a reader, then subscribe to my favorite news sites or blogs.
I picked Google Reader and it was all so easy and fast to get set up. I clicked their Browse for Stuff button and selected a bunch of their bundles: Environment, Science, News, Movies, Recipes and LOST. I also added the LIS News, Univ. of Florida News and Gainesville Residents News. I think the LIS News would be very handy to use at work.
Then I started reading and reading and reading. I can see this is going to require 23 out of 24 hours a day to keep up with it. Maybe I added too much....I am not sure I have the self control to deal with all this interesting stuff.
I watched the Common Craft Show on RSS in Plain English. To get an RSS feed there are two steps: sign up for a reader, then subscribe to my favorite news sites or blogs.
I picked Google Reader and it was all so easy and fast to get set up. I clicked their Browse for Stuff button and selected a bunch of their bundles: Environment, Science, News, Movies, Recipes and LOST. I also added the LIS News, Univ. of Florida News and Gainesville Residents News. I think the LIS News would be very handy to use at work.
Then I started reading and reading and reading. I can see this is going to require 23 out of 24 hours a day to keep up with it. Maybe I added too much....I am not sure I have the self control to deal with all this interesting stuff.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Thing 3 - Blog Search Tools
I found the link to Blog Search Engines: The Complete Overview in the Search Engine Journal to be very helpful. Seeing the features at a glance and reading the simple summaries got me off to a good start on this topic. It appears that Google Blog Search may be more to my liking than Technorati.
Now for my search - how about chocolate truffles recipes? mmm.... I conducted my searches using Technorati and Google Blog Search and was quite surprised by the difference in the results.
Technorati gave me 14 results that were largely irrelevant. Only 2 of the 14 had actual recipes for chocolate truffles in them. One of the recipes had obscure ingredients, but I hit the jackpot with a recipe from Design Sponge Online for Balsamic Chocolate Truffles (with a hint of cherry). I think this one is a keeper. Sorting of results can only be done by date.
Then I searched using Google Blog Search and got 69,157 results. The first ten results all had good recipes in them. The second ten looked very promising. I am up to my neck in chocolate truffles recipes. I could have sorted by relevance or date, but I did not bother.
So I am off to Publix to buy dark chocolate, cocoa powder, etc.
Now for my search - how about chocolate truffles recipes? mmm.... I conducted my searches using Technorati and Google Blog Search and was quite surprised by the difference in the results.
Technorati gave me 14 results that were largely irrelevant. Only 2 of the 14 had actual recipes for chocolate truffles in them. One of the recipes had obscure ingredients, but I hit the jackpot with a recipe from Design Sponge Online for Balsamic Chocolate Truffles (with a hint of cherry). I think this one is a keeper. Sorting of results can only be done by date.
Then I searched using Google Blog Search and got 69,157 results. The first ten results all had good recipes in them. The second ten looked very promising. I am up to my neck in chocolate truffles recipes. I could have sorted by relevance or date, but I did not bother.
So I am off to Publix to buy dark chocolate, cocoa powder, etc.
Thing 2 - What is Web 2.0?
Blogger John Blyberg describes L2 as a movement, an internal reorganization, a paradigm shift. It will require changes in the library's internal structure and mission. He says to "let go of bygone notions of what library is."
Rick Anderson talks of "user-centric service."
Stephen Abram says in his video that only by using the Web 2.0 tools will we be able to understand them. As for finding the time to learn all the 23 Things, Abram talks of being "addicted to the excitement of learning." I can easily find the time each week to work on a couple Things. I just need to cut down on playing solitaire on the computer every night and reduce my idle news browsing on cnn.com.
Dr. Wendy Schultz's descriptions of Library 3.0 and Library 4.0 (a knowledge spa?) blew my mind.
I have already used several of the 23 Things, but I look forward to learning about all of them and incorporating some more of them into my work and my personal life.
Rick Anderson talks of "user-centric service."
Stephen Abram says in his video that only by using the Web 2.0 tools will we be able to understand them. As for finding the time to learn all the 23 Things, Abram talks of being "addicted to the excitement of learning." I can easily find the time each week to work on a couple Things. I just need to cut down on playing solitaire on the computer every night and reduce my idle news browsing on cnn.com.
Dr. Wendy Schultz's descriptions of Library 3.0 and Library 4.0 (a knowledge spa?) blew my mind.
I have already used several of the 23 Things, but I look forward to learning about all of them and incorporating some more of them into my work and my personal life.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thing 1 - Start the blog
Getting started was fun and very easy. I have played around and spent about an hour on this which was much more time than I really needed. But I was playing and having fun, so that's okay. I expect to tweak my blog later with various enhancements.
I watched the commoncraft introduction and was surprised that there are 70 million blogs out there, more than I would have guessed.
I spent some time reading what my friends have posted and adding them to my blogroll. Now I have to figure out which blog names my other friends and co-workers are hiding behind. Eric, I am looking for yours!
I watched the commoncraft introduction and was surprised that there are 70 million blogs out there, more than I would have guessed.
I spent some time reading what my friends have posted and adding them to my blogroll. Now I have to figure out which blog names my other friends and co-workers are hiding behind. Eric, I am looking for yours!
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