folderol and geegaw

A new program: 23 Things for Professional Development

2011-06-21T22:49:00.003-05:00

A few years ago I took part in the 23 Things program that was offered to library staff in Minnesota. I thought it was a great program and I learned a lot of “things” that I have found valuable in my personal and professional life. I came across cpd23 by reading the Tame the Web post on the topic. After looking it over and seeing that it differed greatly from the first 23 Things program I took part in, I knew I wanted to participate. I’m sure a lot of the tools have been changed and updated so it will be fun to revisit those that I learned in my first program which I haven’t used in a long time. Another reason that I am looking forward to cpd23 is because I have not been keeping up with my blog, something that I want to change! I spent a lot of time creating my blog and I look forward to updating it. Ideally, I would like to update it periodically (at least once a month) and I would love to use it as a record of my experiences in getting my graduate degree (which I am almost a year into at this time).

Library School: The Beginning

2011-01-24T18:47:00.003-06:00

I'm in the middle of my first year of library school. Last semester was my first and I am glad to say all my reservations and nerves were not necessary, though natural. I'm enjoying my program. I'm glad that so far everyone has been very accessible and I haven't had any problems as far as the institution goes. The content has not been terribly difficult either. It's basically just time consuming to try to get through everything. I definitely didn't get through all the reading I was assigned but have heard that its almost impossible to ALWAYS read everything thats assigned in grad school, so that makes me feel better. Plus, I'm working full time while taking two classes. It can be exhausting.

I got good grades in my classes and feel like I learned some valuable information. The thing that makes me somewhat upset is that one of my professor's didn't give me more feedback on my research project. I spend SO many hours researching Google Books...so many hours...and all I got for feedback was "Solid work, Laurie." I'm not complaining because I got a good grade but I would have liked to have a little more constructive criticism to improve my research and writing skills. I hope this will come in the future.

This is my first week of my second semester and I'm giddy with anticipation. School is one of my favorite things in life. Learning is better than all else. I really feel like I am doing what I should be and I hope getting this degree will get me to where I want to be (though I still have to figure out where that is).

The Brand of Us

2010-08-25T16:42:00.005-05:00

One way to think of the Internet, is that it is a vast source of information. While this is true, it does not reflect the participatory nature that the Internet has taken on as of late. Working in a public library computer lab several hours each day, I see the resources which patrons access when using the computers. Often they use the various word processing programs we have but the majority of people spend their time on the Internet. While some of these patrons use the Internet to fill out forms or e-mail, the most common usage I see is that of social networking websites, particularly Facebook and Myspace. For many, the Internet is just another form of communication between family and friends and often times, the primary one. Since so many of us belong to social networking sites, it is important to be aware of the information about ourselves that we are putting out there and the online identity we are creating by doing so.

In his article, How to Promote the Brand of You, Paul Keegan (2010) brings up the idea of branding yourself in the online world. He gives tips for promoting yourself online to be more lucrative to possible employers and emphasizes that any online activity can shape the brand you create. Keegan suggests that to “figure out how you’re perceived” you should “Google your name” and see how you would be viewed by others who do so (p. 32). It is suggested in the article that any social networking profiles which show up in these results should “communicate your brand” or what you would like outsiders to see about you (p.32).

This got me to thinking about my own personal identity online. I decided to give this a try, so I googled my own name. The first thing that comes up is my LinkedIn profile which would be very appropriate for a future employer to find. If an employer were to google my name, I would be happy with the fact that they would see a representation of my work experience in front of them first off. After that, I mainly came up with references to my twitter account and various newspaper articles I have been in.

I’ve never consciously tried to create a specific persona through my online pursuits, but after reading this article, I can see why we should be conscious of the information we often so freely give out. We have the chance to shape how others view us on the Internet and can control the ways in which others can communicate with us. In the same vein, I also think it is important for a library to be conscious of the social networking venues they decide to take part in. A library that is conscious of their online branding can connect with a new (and often younger) audience just by taking part in some of the Web 2.0 technologies that are popular.

In The Ongoing Web Revolution, Stephens (2007) explains the importance of having a “transparent library” which uses Web 2.0 communication tools to connect librarians with the patrons of today (p.13) . He explores the idea that instead of having a library set apart in its own particular place, we should work to “make the library present in user spaces” (p. 13). I find this to be particularly true in a time when the preferred form of communication for many people takes place on the Internet, and particularly in online communities. All the more reason for a library to create an online brand which invites participation with those utilizing the same spaces.

At the library I work at, we are currently utilizing several web 2.0 tools to connect to users in these online areas. Our website has blogs which target teen readers and even one dedicated to the oh-so-popular manga. We have a page on Facebook, a presence on Wikipedia and a Flickr account to share photos of what’s going on. I even tried googling my library and noticed that our Wikipedia and Facebook pages came up near the top of the results. If the efforts of Library 2.0 are to bring libraries more interaction with patrons via tools they use, I think having interactive results listed on our google search results is a step in the right direction towards creating a lucrative online brand/persona.

References
Keegan, P. (2010, August). How to promote the brand of you. Money, 39(7), p.32.

Stephens, M. (2007). The ongoing web revolution. Library Technology Reports, 43(5), 10-14.

LIBR 203: Teamwork

2010-08-10T19:01:00.003-05:00

I am glad the assignment for this week was to learn about working in teams. This is something that I am worried about doing in an online format. Watching the presentations by Dr. Haycock and Enid Irwin helped put me at ease as they related how important teamwork is for our future careers in libraries.

I enjoyed Dr. Haycock's presentation “Working in Teams” and was able to take away a few different views of the teamwork I have done in the past. The idea of there being horizontal and vertical teams was something I had never labeled before, but that I experience often at the public library I work in. I notice horizontal teams of just librarians working together but I also know of vertical groups which can include the library director, librarians and technicians from all different departments that pool their collective knowledge and differing skills to improve library services.

Watching the presentations by Dr. Haycock and Enid Irwin made me think about the teams I have been a part of. I had one particularly wonderful team that I was in during my first year of AmeriCorps. Everyone in our AmeriCorps section was divided into groups of about 8 (called peer groups) and we were required to meet several times throughout our year of service. From the first day, I knew I had stumbled upon something great. Every person in our group had different personalities and interests but we were all there with positive attitudes and excitement about the year that would lie ahead of us. Our group leader (who was designated as she was a second year AmeriCorps member) could not have been more motivated or approachable. We did a team building exercise and, although we didn't win the competition, we all recognized how each one in the team contributed the unique skills they had to get us through to the end. Each one of us found the time in our busy schedules to show up to every outside meeting we had and were able to learn from one another by seeing things from the perspectives of each other. Being a part of this team gave me a positive attitude towards working with others and I would like to bring this attitude to the teamwork I do in the SLIS program.

Before this experience, I always dreaded getting into teams with people I didn't know. I've always been the shy kid who doesn't talk much so taking charge while in a group of people does not feel comfortable for me. I would just sit back and wait for someone else to speak up and take on the role of leader. The experiences I've had in the last few years have definitely turned me into more of a leader. Last year I organized and ran an after-school program for fifth graders at a local elementary school. I learned a lot about being the leader of a group and I have taken the skills I learned into my current position of library assistant as I teach computer classes to library staff and the public.

I loved what Enid Irwin had to say about library staff being mentors:

“The other thing is: everything -- just every thing that people do in libraries has to deal with mentoring and leadership. The reference librarian when they're helping a patron is mentoring somebody. When they're looking for new resources, developing collections, working on a budget: this is leadership.”

I see this happening everyday with the librarians I work with and I feel it myself as I help patrons with the issues they may have with our library computers. There are so many small instances where I show someone how to do a task or access a resource they are having trouble finding and I feel that it is a example of mentoring and leadership.

I am glad to have seen these presentation and will be sure to bring some of the tips to my group work in this program. Now that I feel more comfortable taking on a leadership role, I'll be more willing to speak up when my knowledge is applicable instead of waiting for someone else to. I especially like the idea of laying out the rules of the team at the beginning so we all have accountability to stick to what we decided we would do.

I think the best way to keep a positive attitude when going into group work in this online program is to remember that we all have common goals and we all want to succeed.

LIBR 203: Welcome to my blog!

2010-08-04T22:52:00.003-05:00

I created this blog for the 23 Things on a Stick program 2 years ago. This was a statewide (Minnesota) library learning 2.0 program. This program was created to assist library professionals in learning the resources available to them online and find what value they may have in their library (and libraries in general). I learned about so many great online productivity tools and was able to become very familiar with blogging. I haven't kept up with the blog as well as I would have liked but I want to use it to blog about the SLIS program while I am attending as well as my journey working in a library (which has been great so far).

Aside from completing the 23 Things program, I also walked away with the grand prize the first year it was done - a Flip videocamera! Its a fun little thing and I have yet to post any videos I have taken with it. I will have to do so soon. I took the camera with me to Europe and have videos taken in Munich and Rome.

I will be working on the More Things on a Stick (a continuation of 23 Things) program in the near future, so I will be blogging about more library 2.0 tools. I look forward to sharing what I learn!

Samuel Smiles

2010-08-02T20:01:00.001-05:00

An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality; our desires being often but precursors of the things which we are capable of performing.

Thing 31: Twitter - again!

2010-08-02T18:26:00.008-05:00

I don't use twitter nearly as much as I used to about a year ago and I think part of this is because I feel that Facebook has become so similar to Twitter. The main thing people take part in with Facebook is checking the news feed and commenting on other people statuses. Twitter is just like that news feed but with different, and less obvious, ways of interacting. I still really like twitter but I know so many more people who actually check Facebook that it makes the interaction on that website more interesting to me.

I really like using tools like twitter to keep up with things that are going on at the moment. For example, when my city was getting publicity for their efforts to win the google fiber optic network, I was following @googletwinports to see what was happening as it was constantly updated. It may be a long shot that they would actually choose this city, but its fun to be a part of it all nonetheless! And this weekend, 8 tall ships are entering our harbor and its a pretty big deal. In order to see what people are saying about it as the ships have been coming in, I searched for #tallships and there were a lot of people twittering about seening the ships. I love knowing what other people have to say about this awesome little place I call home.

One of the best things I have done with my twitter account lately is create lists. Lists are fantastic! You can group the people you follow into categories and specifically choose to only view those categories if you want to. I have a list for people who live in my hometown, a list for library-related tweeters, a list for music resources and a list solely for comedians. Comedians are pretty much my favorite thing about twitter. So many of the comedians I love tweet quite often (and interact with one another) so its nice to be able to turn to this list when I need a good laugh. I recommend @ScottAukerman from Comedy Death Ray Radio, my favorite radio program (which I listen to as a podcast every week).

Some fun things about Twitter:

Follow Friday - you simply list all the people that you recommend following and you do this on Fridays. Remember to add the hashtag #followfriday or #ff.

Music Monday - Monday is the day to tweet about music. You can link to a song you like or an article about an artist. Pretty much anything music related fits! Remember to add the hashtag #musicmonday or #mm.

Candy Club - If you like candy, follow @johnmoe. Read this for more info: Candy Club

Foursquare - this tracks you location and you can add a comment about the place you are at. I really want to be the mayor of.....something, anything really.

An Update

2010-07-27T15:25:00.002-05:00

It really has been a while since I blogged. Although I haven't been present on the blog, this blog has been present to me. I keep up to date with many of the "things" I've learned through this program. I feel like now is better than any time to get back into things.

A lot has happened for me in the past year. I spent 2009 working for AmeriCorps during the school year and relaxing while being unemployed during the summer. Early in 2010 I found out that the library I had worked for when I began this blog received a technology grant which would enable them to hire me back for 2 years. I was thrilled! Although my AmeriCorps experience was a great one, I've always felt that the library is where I should be.

My position is fun and interesting. I help create computer classes for patrons and teach them beginning-level courses. I also help out in the computer lab, providing assistance to the public. Another component of my new position is to provide technology assistance to the staff of the library. I've been teaching classes, doing demonstrations and soon I will be facilitating weekly sessions for staff to spend time working on the 23 Things on a Stick! I think its time to review everything I've learned and gain insight into the things I've yet to do.

Another big step I've taken is in pursuing my graduate degree. I will begin work on my MLIS next month through SJSU SLIS. I am more than excited, as I've been eager to begin library school since I got my undergraduate degree three years ago. I'm hoping to use this blog as a place to continue the things on a stick program and share my experience in library school as well. The next two years will be very busy but exciting and full of learning as well!

As one put it, "Truer words have not been said about libraries."

2010-07-16T22:19:00.001-05:00

Thing 37: Photo by Photo

2009-06-16T14:03:00.004-05:00

I created a slideshow that highlights some of my favorite things that happened in the last year. I don't take many pictures so I don't have a lot to put together in a slideshow or even on a website like flickr. In this slideshow, I included pictures from last year's Homegrown Music Festival, my trip to Europe, various holidays and pics of myself and my friends.

The slideshow creator was very easy to use and it quickly uploaded the photos I used directly from my facebook photos. I found that to be very convenient.

I have enjoyed looking at the blogs of others and seeing how slideshows can be used within the library environment. They are a good way to highlight programs that go on at the library and can be easily added to any library's website. I feel as though patrons would be very interested to look at them, as well.

Thing 36: So many ways to waste my time....

2009-06-10T17:38:00.008-05:00

I spent the last couple hours altering photos and doing silly generators. These are a few of the results that I enjoyed:

If I found Jeff Buckley on a pancake I would worship it!

Jonathan Safran Foer: a favorite author of mine.

Laurie Slattengren's Dewey Decimal Section:

703 Dictionaries of fine & decorative arts

Laurie Slattengren's birthday: 7/17/1986 = 717+1986 = 2703

Class:
700 Arts & Recreation

Contains:
Architecture, drawing, painting, music, sports.

What it says about you:
You're creative and fun, and you're good at motivating the people around you. You're attracted to things that are visually interesting. Other people might not always understand your taste or style, but it's yours.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Thing 35: Take a look, its in a book!

2009-06-10T00:45:00.007-05:00

I obviously have a vested interest in this topic since my life goal is to be a librarian, but sometimes I wonder where my love for reading, and books in general, came from. Maybe it was shows like Reading Rainbow that I watched when I was young. Side note: this show also instilled a lifetime love of Levar Burton in my life (who is a fellow twitterer @levarburton) as well as taught me what trompe l'oeil was. In reality, I know it all has to do with the fact that I've been a library patron since before I could read the words on a page and have never felt more comfortable than I do when I'm between the stacks. I read books, I love books and I own far too many of them. While I believe the technological advancements we have made are very important to keep up to date with, I will never get as much satisfaction from the word in any other source than I do when it is printed on the page of a book.

I joined Library Thing last year because of the original 23 Things and I try to keep up to date with it by adding the newest books I have read. I haven't gone so far as to catalog all the books I've read, or the ones I own because that would just take forever! I value the site for the book recommendations it gives me based on what I have cataloged. On Facebook I use the Living Social Visual Bookshelf app to show what I'm currently reading. The app is nice because it encourages users to write a review of a book once its read and it offers recommendations of other books one might like. I don't very much enjoy writing book reviews so any I do write are often very short. Honestly I don't use the app too much but I always like to encourage and publicize reading (what better hobby is there to have?) so keep it on my profile.

One thing I love most about libraries is the thought that a book I'm reading has been read (and enjoyed) by so many people and will continue to do so after me. It's a great sense of community. I think the bookcrossing website is capturing that same idea. Release a book out there anywhere with the registered info of it on the site listed inside and hopefully people will check in on it and continue the process. I'm absolutely going to do it but where is a good place to leave the books? I feel as though I just have too many options but I also have boxes of old books to get rid of filling my closet so it will be an interesting way to clean out.

The other day I turned on MPR and came across an interview about whether technologies, like kindle, were making the book obsolete. I thought, how fitting? I'm currently researching Books 2.0 for More Things - this is something I can mention. More generally, they discuss the digitalization of all forms of media (music, movies, television, books, newspapers, magazines) and what the future of these mediums will look like. It is very interesting and definitely worth a listen.

On the topic of kindle, I really don't know what I think of it. Although I occasionally read a book on my iphone (via the Stanza app), I really enjoy having a physical book in my hands to read. Kindle, and other gadgets like it, are not for me but as long as people are reading it is fine with me whatever format it happens to be in. I'm interested to hear about what they have to say about magazines. I read far too many magazines and although I hate having basically archives lining my living room, it saddens me to think of no longer having print issues around. Magazines are obviously a dying format, made evident to me by the fact that every time I have a new favorite they go under and I'm left wanting for more. It seems like most articles can simply be read online and I wouldn't be surprised if in the not so distant future, print magazines were simply a thing of the past.

I do think it would be nice to lessen my clutter through digitalization, but I love all the belongings I own. I have tons of books, lps, cds, dvds, videos, magazines, and newspapers all over the place and as far as I see it, they form my identity. I'm a possessionist (if there is sucha thing) and these things are like children to me. As a clever and cynical man once said, "It's not what you're like, it's what you like." Book 2.0 tools are fun and useful ways to catalog but, in my mind, could never replace a tangible object. Plus, if they did, I might be out of a job!

Thing 34: Save the Libraries!

2009-05-26T20:18:00.001-05:00

I recently heard news that my local public library may need to completely be shut down due to budget concerns / economic issues. I, and a few other staff members, were laid off last summer for the same reasoning so I can't say I am completely shocked by this news. I do have to say, however, that this is some of the most depressing (and anger inducing) news I have heard in a long time. I'm not just upset because this is the place where I was once employed but because I value what a library offers more than any other service in my community. I have first-hand experience seeing how important the library and its services are to so many people. Just thinking about living in a city without a public library astonishes me. Let's hope it doesn't come to this.

With this bleak news in mind, I am very interested in sharing why I think libraries, and their services, are so important. Online answer sites can never take the place of an actual reference librarian.

The resource I enjoyed reading most while doing this thing was the article Interviews of the Future Librarian. I may be biased because I would put myself into the category of future librarian, but there are some interesting things to learn from the librarians interviewed. I really enjoyed what Meredith Farkas had to say. First, on being an librarian in an academic setting:

"I really liked the fact that in libraries you can help somebody immediately, it’s instant gratification. For example, at Norwich we have about a hundred databases that students can use and usually they have absolutely no clue how to use them, or which ones are right for their paper – they’re just overwhelmed and they come to the desk saying, "OMG!, I need five criticisms on this book!" You know can help them find this and you can teach them how to do it themselves the next time; they’re really happy and relieved because they probably spent five hours before this doing something that for me would take 5 minutes. It’s so nice to be able to help in that way and save them time."

And also, on internet wikis:

"Well, you know, a wiki is great but you never know for sure that the information is accurate, it hasn’t always been vetted by experts, it doesn’t always have references for the facts that are given, and something like Wikipedia is only giving you a general overview of the topic it’s not giving you enough information to really have a nuanced and full view of the topic. When students are writing a paper they really need resources that go into more depth and you’re not going to find expert things like that just on the Web. You’ll find some, like the Brookings Institution or the Rand Corporation. But, there are still so many things that are only available through databases. [Internet Wikis] are still no substitute for the scholarly articles you can find there."

I find slam the boards to be an interesting way to get the word out to people that librarians are an extremely valuable resource. I was so interested to actually look at some of the exemplary answers in the slam the boards site and see how well researched the answers by librarian were and how eloquently they were stated. It also looks like people appreciate the answers librarians put out - it makes me happy inside to see them publicizing the value of the resources at a library. When compared with most answers that regular joes contribute to the sites, there is no contest. Librarians win hands down.

I occasionally use online answer sites for random questions I have that I want quick answers for. For example, I used the phrase "its not over till the fat lady sings" the other day and when I tried to explain the origins of it to my family, they didn't believe me. I decided to look it up, so I went my usual route. I always just type in the keywords to google and let them suggest the sites to answer the question. Often times this leads me to yahoo answers but usually I just click the Wikipedia link. I felt validated when it was in reference to a Wagner opera where a "fat" lady dressed as a Valkyrie sings at the end - that's what I had thought. When it comes to answer sites I am not too concerned about which I use because I don't ever look for in-depth research questions on my own. If I really need help researching something, I always go to a librarian but I think I am in the minority by doing so. I think one of the drawbacks with going to an online answer site for a specific question is that you may not be able to get a response immediately. Unless you can already find the question and answer listed, you will probably have to wait a couple days to get an answer. There are certain questions, however, that should not be directed towards librarians and for those, the internet is the best way to find them. Some examples may be personal / health-related questions or simple facts that do not need to be dug out of obscure resources.

I'm amazed at times to find out how little people know about their library and the resources available to them. One example that always sticks in my mind was when a classmate of mine had forgotten the novel we were reading in class and needed a copy before we started. I asked her if she had checked the school library to get a spare to bring with. She said she didn't know how. My mind was blown - how does a college student not know how to check to see if their library has a book!?! I took advantage of the situation, however, and logged into the web catalog and showed her how to look the book up. I then proceeded to tell her how to find the book, since I figured if she didn't know how to look for a book in the library, she might not understand the library of congress classification used to organize it. I think its very similar with online answer sites. So many people are just inclined to google an answer when often that may not be the best way to find what you really need. Hopefully groups like slam the boards will help to show just how important libraries are and how valuable librarians are for their research and resource capabilities.

Satisfied Mind

2009-05-12T20:34:00.002-05:00

I just came across this recording of Bon Iver doing a cover of 'A Satisfied Mind.' I've loved this song since hearing the version by Jeff Buckley and I couldn't think of anyone better than Mr. Vernon to capture the truth in the lyrics.

How many times have you heard someone say
"If I had his money, I could do things my way?"
Little they know that it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten with a satisfied mind.

Once I was winning in fortune and fame
Everything that I dreamed for to get a start in life's game
Suddenly it happened, I lost every dime
But I'm richer by far with a satisfied mind

Money can't buy back your youth when you're old
Or a friend when you're lonely, or a love that's grown cold
The wealthiest person is a pauper at times
Compared to the man with a satisfied mind

When my life is ended, my time has run out
My trials and my loved ones, I'll leave them no doubt
But one thing's for certain, when it comes my time
I'll leave this old world with a satisfied mind
I'll leave this old world with a satisfied mind

It's made even better by the fact that he performed it with the high school jazz ensemble he was once a part of. If only everyone had half the humility of this man.

Things 32 and 33 : Mapping and Travel 2.0

2009-05-11T23:04:00.014-05:00

"All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination."
Earl Nightingale

This summer I will be going to Missouri for a week to visit a prospective grad school and to attend a friend's wedding. I made a map which shows the school I will be visiting.

View CoMo in a larger map

I actually did not have the easiest time making this map. I can't figure out how to get the zoomed in version to show up in my blog post. If you zoom in a dozen times you can get close enough to see the building that I have marked. Mapping out where I am going is very important to me but I don't have much desire to save the maps I create in the google maps program. I do see how it can be interesting and more fun when videos, pictures and links are added to the listed points.

There was one map mashup that I was excited to come across - local music locator! How fun is that?

I enjoyed the virtual tourist website. I looked up Columbia, MO and there were many recommendations for interesting things to do in the town. This can be helpful in figuring out what to do when I go down there.

Last year I went on a tour of Europe through the travel company Contiki. Before I went, I scoured their website to find out as much as I could from what other travelers had to say. I read the discussion forums to figure out what to pack, interesting things to see, and just to get a basic idea of what the trip would be like. I found this a very helpful thing to do. In the same way, I think that visiting the different travel journal sites and travel blogs would be interesting to do if I were planning a trip but since I don't have any big travel plans in the near future, I'm not that interested in them.

I think I will revisit this topic in June, when I will be preparing for my summer getaways.

Thing 30: Revisiting RSS and Delicious

2009-05-06T18:08:00.003-05:00

To be honest, I haven't used either my google reader or delicious accounts since the first go round of 23 Things. Now that I've been researching them further, I remember why they were useful and I hope to keep up with them from time to time. I guess the thing I like the most about my reader is the way it feeds the posts of all the blogs I follow into one area and how easy it is to categorize them all. I enjoy being able to see the latest posts listed, especially of the 23 Things blogs I follow. This way I don't have to go into each blog one by one to see how they have been updated by other participants. Maybe I just haven't spent enough time with it but I haven't yet felt the full value of RSS feeds for myself, personally or professionally. In an effort to explore this thing further, I have subscribed to many more feeds and I have categorized all my feeds into seperate folders (blogs, music, film, 23 Things, library, news, etc). I plan on spending some time with my google reader and seeing if it is something I can get more value from on a daily basis.

One of the most interesting things I discovered while researching google reader was the usefulness and simplicity of its keyboard commands. To see the basics, while in google reader, just click shift + ?. This will bring up a menu overlay which shows all the basic commands that can be used on the keyboard to navigate through google reader without a mouse. I love this feature! I found out lots of great tips by reading an article from LifeHacker.

When thinking about how to get myself to utilize RSS more often I thought it would be nice if I had access to it on my iphone. There is no actual google reader app for iphone but it is really simple to add a bookmark to the safari browser which leads straight to google reader. I found the info I needed in this short article. I then added a shortcut to my iphone homescreen so with one click I can access my reader account at any time. It is so simple to use reader on my phone and will be another great resource to have on hand when I'm out and about and need to pass the time.

Although RSS can be fun, I'm more interested in what delicious has to offer. I come across so many great links while doing research for this blog and just by following awesome people through twitter, that it is nice to have a central place to bookmark all the great things I find. It is also nice to be able to access those bookmarks from anywhere. I added an extension to my firefox browser so that I can access delicious easily from anywhere that I am browsing. Hopefully this will keep me in the habit of bookmarking and tagging, as I would like to gather many of these. I also added a delicious linkroll to my sidebar which I think is a fun way to share the latest links that have been of interest to me.

The inbox feature of delicious is a good idea but it is not something I have found a lot of use for since I do not have people in my network yet that I can share links with. If I decide to continue using delicious regularly I will try to add people to my network but for now I'm enjoying it just for personal bookmarking.

Bookmark this on Delicious

Things 28 and 29: Google All Over - iGoogle homepage and Google tools

2009-05-04T23:12:00.004-05:00

I use google an awful lot. It is always my default search engine and I have used it as my homepage for years. During the last round of Things on a Stick, I started using an igoogle homepage but I jazzed it up a bit by adding some widgets. One is for horoscopes, which I like to check each day, and another is for free iTunes downloads. I do have to admit, however, that the widget I get the most use out of on my homepage is the ToDo List. It looks like a little yellow legal pad and I get so much use out of those in real life.

In the public library I worked at, we would have desktop icons of document pages filled with resources to use for a particular job (such as popular library desk). I think using a homepage, such as igoogle, could be a helpful alternative to having that seperate page apart from the browser you are already working in. I could see having a google homepage that contained widgets of some of the commonly used internet resources like wikipedia, All music, imdb and any other favorites. It would be nice if there were widgets for interlibrary loan resources as well, like Mnlink and Worldcat. I like that there are actually several homepages all in one by utilizing the left sidebar tabs. I went through each category (music, art, entertinment, home, film, humor) and got rid of most of the widgets they recommended, making way for all my personal widgets. I enjoy the New Yorker: Out Loud widget which sends out daily prompts of recent New Yorker magazine pieces. I also added a lot of widgets for magazines (Paste, Rolling Stone, Variety) and newspapers (NYT).

One thing that kind of bothered me about the igoogle page at first was the prescribed side tabs they give you. After reading Riding the Waves of Todays Online Web Tools I realized you could also personalize the tabs! I am so glad because I really have no need or desire for a humor tab in my life. I added a library tab and had google automatically give me widgets on the topic. I also found a worldcat widget to add and a few other reference ones which add well to the tab. This was all really easy to do, if you don't like a widget, just click delete and its gone. Although I did not create any personalized widgets, they were explained in the article I mentioned earlier and seemed pretty simple to create as well.

Google Tools

Google books, free viewings of full text of entire works, is an amazing resource. I have used it in school in place of buying or ordering books through a library.

I have also used Google Scholar when trying to find resources during research. While doing projects like 23 Things/More Things, I utilize Google Documents a whole lot. I find it easiest to update my rough blog drafts from my personal pc and my work computer using this program and then I copy the text into my blogger account when I am finished. I also think Google docs can be useful when using a computer which does not have a program like Microsoft Word on it. This was the case in the small branch library I worked in. Our computers were for internet only and often patrons would want to write and print out documents. We would just have to tell them to write in an email or go somewhere else to do their work. It's nice to see there is a service like Google docs where someone can write their document while in their internet browser, especially when that is the only service available to them.

I tried out Google Alerts and found it to be an interesting idea. Similar to the tutorial video, I decided to try out a comprehensive alert on my favorite author, Jonathan Safran Foer. I just got my first alert about the author and found the links to be very interesting so I could definitly see myself using it again personally. This could also be valuable in a library as it is a good way to stay up to date on any topic one could think of (like library 2.0 tools, blogs, books, authors, etc).

The email I use the most is my gmail account. I have found that I don't get much spam through it, but that may also be because I have used it for less than a year so my email address hasn't been spread all over the place yet. I don't see it as being a lot better than any other email resource but I like it mainly because I use so many google features that it is nice to have my email in the same place as my homepage, search engine, and google reader feeds.

Goog 411 is hilarious, I thought it was a total joke when I watched the video about it. It acually is a really useful service so I might have to try it out sometime.

I don't really care if Google is monopolizing online productivity tools, it makes my life easier and more interesting!

Thing 27: What is Twitter?

2009-04-17T23:05:00.011-05:00

"Twouble with Twitter" sous-titré
Uploaded by LePostfr

This video is one of my favorite things I have come across in researching this topic. At the beginning, upon being asked what Twitter is, the twitterer has a hard time describing exactly what it is. This is the very same problem I have encountered since using Twitter myself. I find the easiest way to explain it is as a constant flow of 'facebook-status' like updates. This usually suffices since most people I know are big facebook users. For me, twitter is much more appealing than facebook.

I'm sure one of the main reasons I use twitter so often is because of my iphone. Since I have an internet connection on my phone, it is easy to use the Twitterific application to constantly stay updated on the twitter feeds I follow as well as to post my own at any moment. I also use the Twitterfox browser application on my Firefox browser. Twitterfox has a really nice, sleek interface and you can set it for how often you want to be updated about new tweets. I set mine to every 15 minutes. Between the two, I rarely go more than an hour or so whitout checking Twitter.

One thing I have been really excited to learn about through doing this thing is hashtags (#). I had seen them a lot in the feeds I follow but was never sure what they meant. Now that I know they are a way to tag and follow tweets on a certain topic, I try to use them regularly. It's interesting to go to the hashtags site and see what is popular. When the series finale of Battlestar Galactica was airing, I went to the hashtags site because I knew there had to be a lot of tweeting going on about the show. I was correct - it was the most popular tag at the time and I enjoyed seeing what other viewers had to say about the ending of one of the greatest shows on television. In thinking about the uses of such a feature I was stilted. In what situation could this actually be helpful, instead of just…..well, interesting? I ran across this and thought that some of the ideas within were very valid and made hashtags really worth while (like tagging when tweeting from a conference). In fact, I have been following people who were tweeting from the SXSW (South by Southwest) Festival in Texas last month and realized that hashtags are the best way for me to see what everyone who tweets from festivals have to say (as long as they remember to tag the tweets). This is something I will definitely keep an eye on in the future.

It's been interesting to see how popular Twitter is becoming. I regularly hear it referred to on television and in newspapers. Although I'm not a huge fan of him, I've been following Jimmy Fallon's twitter feed (@jimmyfallon) and I love how he has integrated the technology into his new late night talk show. For example, one day he asked people to send in photographs of their interesting tattoos to him via twitter. Later, he had a tattoo artist as a guest on his show and he showed some of the best tattoos to her which he had received only hours earlier. I thought this was such a great way to get the audience involved in the show! It is also good for him to show he is a part of a younger generation and taking strides to do things in an innovative way to make his late night show his own, instead of just a copy of the others which have come before.

I think Twitter can be valuable professionally as well as personally. Besides the networking which can be done via Twitter, it is also a great way to keep ones finger on the pulse of what's going in the world. Especially in a library environment where one needs to constantly be up to date on the latest ways to access information, keeping up with Twitter can be an asset. By following tweets of other library professionals (and libraries themselves), one can find out what's going on at conferences, what web 2.0 programs others are using or simply what books/movies/music everyone is checking out.

I really could go on and on....Twitter is just so much fun! Here are some of the interesting articles/programs I stumbled across while researching this thing:

Fun things to do with twitter

Find twitter users in your area

Tweet Grid - real time updates by subject

Thing 26: Nings and Things

2009-03-10T12:51:00.001-05:00

Find more photos like this on 23 Things on a Stick

I joined the ning last year while participating in the first part of this program. I have to say I barely looked at it much when I joined and have not been back to it until doing this thing. I'm glad it was chosen to be one of the first things in this program because, after spending some time looking at it, I think it is a really great site.

The thing I like the most about the ning is how easy it is to use. The interface on the personal page is very straightforward and you can add and delete items from the page simply by clicking on the element. I decided to add a ning badge to the sidebar of my blog - simple cut and paste job - as well as a photo widget. I uploaded a few of my photos into the widget. Some photos are from my trip to Europe last summer and some are of local bands that I love to see. I also uploaded a song onto the music player within my ning page. I love that this is one of the basic features of the member pages and it was also really easy to use. I'm thinking of adding more music to the playlist and eventually adding the music player widget to my blog.

I commented on a video from one users page and I also replied to a forum post asking whether or not I have twitter. I noticed I have a new follower from that page as well so I'm glad I decided to add to that forum. I looked at the groups in the Ning but did not really feel as though I fit into any of them - perhaps I should create my own group in the future. Although I really enjoy the features of the ning I feel as though it is something I would not use very often. I also feel like the other members probably don't use it often either so there are gaps in content, only making it really worth checking once in a while.

As far as the use of the ning in a library, I am not sure if it has a lot of value. I think it could be interesting if a library created a ning environment (like the 23 Things on a Stick Ning) and workers (librarians, techs, etc) as well as users (patrons) could join and create profile pages. There could be a library card barcode number requirement to make sure the members of the Ning were only users of that particular library. That might be a good way for all members of a library community to get to know one another. There could be groups set up in the Ning for lovers of different genres of books which could include reviews as well as book group listings. I've recently been interested in graphic novels but I find it difficult to find others who share this interest. I would love to have a venue where I could meet other graphic novel lovers in my community and possibly create a book group on the topic - just an example. I really don't know if something like this would catch on but it would be an interesting experiment to try out.

Thing 25: New ways to blog.

2009-02-26T23:56:00.001-06:00

While reading through the bloggers toolkit I was intrigued by the part about alternate ways to blog(email, for example). I recently purchased an iPhone and was curious about whether I would be able to blog via my phone. Turns out I can because I am currently doing so. I love my iPhone because of the great applications I can add to it and I found one called 'Blogwriter Lite' so I installed it in my phone for free. I logged into my blogger account and it has a really easy to use interface so I started to blog immediately.

For this blog I see this as more of an experiment but I can see how having such convenient blog capabilities could be helpful in certain situations. One being if you were going to an event and wanted to blog straight from your phone while in the midst of the goings-on.

The drawback of this blogging application is that I can't add pictures with the free version so I apologize for the lack of visual stimulation.

Widgets

While I enjoy learning about all the different widgets available, I don't feel the need to add them to my blog. I believe the success of a blog really lies in the content of the posts and not how many doo-dads one can add to make it look interesting. Whenever I see a blog or site with a lot of widgets I just get distracted and I often think it detracts from the pleasure I get from the blog - both aesthetically and content-wise. I like to be picky when it comes to widgets so I only chose the ones that I think fit the purpose of my blog ( and a few that I personally enjoy and I feel reflect my interests).

I spent the most time for this thing inserting a label cloud into my sidebar. I had to carefully follow directions and meticulously alter code so I was really happy when I finished and had great results. Doing this, however, kept me from wanting to do much more with widgets. I probably spent a few hours (or so) on this thing.

Thing 24: (re)Entering the Blogosphere

2009-02-18T19:24:00.002-06:00

When I was in eighth grade I was required to take a computer typing class. I could never have imagined how much I would hate this class. I had always been an A student and could not help but be shaken by how difficult my keyboarding class was. I was the slowest typer with the least accuracy but I tried really hard, which the teacher could see, and I got a fine grade in the end. As much as I hated that class, I will always hold it to be one of the most valuable I have taken because of the typing skills I have which I realized years later were a direct result of the class. I view the skills I have acquired through the 23 Things on a Stick program in a very similar fashion. When I began 23 Things I felt as though I understood many of the featured tools and would be able to breeze through the program without gaining much that I didn’t already know. It turns out, I was wrong. It hasn’t been until recently (about a year since the original program) that I have realized the value I place on some of the 23 Things which I never utilized before last year. For example, I used twitter quite frequently and find it to be really fun! The first time I ran across it was while researching social networking sites for 23 Things and I thought nothing of it. Little did I know within a year I would be putting out regular tweets! The thing I am the most thankful of the program for, however, are podcasts. I listened to a few for Thing 19 but didn’t think I would ever listen to any on a regular basis. It wasn’t until late last year that I began getting really into MPR and all I wanted to do was listen to interesting and informative talk radio. I started looking around at podcasts and discovered some about film which I loved right away. I now have about ten different podcasts which I subscribe to and listen to new (and old) episodes of every week. They have actually become one of the greatest highlights in my life and I am glad to think that 23 Things planted the seed early on. I’m very much looking forward to working on more things!

Alright, on to Thing 24. I’ve spent the last couple of days working on the appearance of my blog. I found the templates from the third parties very aesthetically pleasing but I had trouble figuring out installation so I went with another Blogger template from the site. I enjoy the look of the one I chose because it is very simple and I can personalize it to make it my own. That is the way I like to do things anyway so I am very pleased with the product. I added a new widget for my Twitter feed which will show a new post each time I make a tweet. I also added a tag cloud which I love the look of and some more information about myself.

While looking at a recommended Slideshow about the different kinds of blogs (which I found very interesting and realized while reading that I have written at least 10 of them myself) I found this slideshow called 10 Ways to a Killer Blog and I loved what it had to say.

10 Ways to a Killer Blog

View more presentations from yizmo. (tags: rss microsoft)

I believe in blogging it is especially important to expose yourself, to write well and to look at other blogs. Since finishing 23 Things I have not done a lot of blogging on my own. I have added a few posts to my MySpace blog and to this one but nothing very substantial. I have however, spent a lot of time reading other blogs. I could especially tell that I had when I watched the slideshow on the basic forms of blogging and realized I could identify blogs I read myself that fit into almost every one of the categories listed. One of my favorite blogs is PerfectDuluthDay which I have a link to in my sidebar. I just registered with them so that I could comment but I haven’t done much of that. I rarely comment on peoples blogs but I think I need to change this. My goal for the More things program is to comment on at least one other persons blog every time I post one of my own entries.

Can't remember if I've seen this.....

2009-01-09T00:24:00.003-06:00

Sherman's March by Ross McElwee

I'm super excited to go to a screening of this film. I've wanted to see it since I was in documentary film class and we watched clips from it. Ross McElwee makes such beautiful, personal and entertaining documentaries. I've heard this is his best. I know it was on my netflix for a while but I can't remember if I actually ever saw it....hmmm. Oh well, it will be great anyway.

Transitions

2009-01-08T01:12:00.005-06:00

What began as a training experience for the job I used to have will now be used for my own entertainment. It's a good thing as I think the point of making this blog and learning all these "2.0 tools" was to keep learning more and continue on with the skills I originally acquired.

My Current Obsessions:

Seen Unseen Podcast
http://www.sceneunseenpodcast.com/

These guys are funny....I could listen to them for hours at a time (and have a lot recently). In addition to Filmspotting and SpoutBlog:Film Couch this is one of my favorite podcasts and a great one in which to hear about film.

Son Lux - At War with Walls and Mazes

I don't know exactly what you would categorize his music as but I would say it falls most heavily into electonica and alternative. I've been hitting repeat on "Raise" for like the past weeks straight. I dread the day that I've outplayed it...but look forward to the day when I have forgotten the track and once again discover it. This music hits me hard, its explosive yet subdued. I'm glad I've found it.

Rold Gold Pretzel Sticks

Yummy.

I'm still here...

2008-07-16T15:39:00.004-05:00

While I've been done with 23 Things for a while I recently had a few blogworthy experiences which are directly related to the program. I've noticed recently that I've been using and/or seeing things from this program used in the library I work in and others around the area. I just finished working on a document which I used google docs to work on. I found this to be such a useful program since I worked on this document on many different computers at work (many of which have different versions of Microsoft Word or Wordpad...making them difficult to sync) and on my laptop from home. I've become very aquainted with the program and I have nothing bad to say about it as of yet. I also thought that it would be useful for patrons at the branch library I work at to use since we do not have word processing programs available on our public computers. Of course then theres the issue of having to help the patrons with the program but I figure if they know how to use basic word processing (like Word) then it would be easy for them to catch on to the online versions.

Yet another encounter with these 23 things I had involves instant messaging. I recently logged onto the website of the local University library and was surprised, and pleased, to see a small window automatically pop up in the bottom right hand corner which prompted the user to "contact the librarian now." I thought this was such a great feature - so you could easily instant message the librarian and ask them a quick question. While I think this is a great service, it really seems to be the most fitting in the academic library setting where most users are at an age where instant messaging is extremely comfortable and easy to use. I just thought it was cool to see a library in my community actually using one of the 23 things to their advantage. I'd also be interested to know if they think it is a worthwhile service in their library.

Thing 23: The End

2008-04-15T10:46:00.006-05:00

Wow, I'm finally done. I feel as though I've accomplished something, having worked on these 23 things. My favorite discoveries from this program have been RSS feeds, which I check on a regular basis, and podcasts, which I tried for the first time a few days ago and look forward to keeping up with. I would have to say that my least favorite thing from this program was the online gaming thing, just because I am not very interested in the topic and the games featured did not grab my attention. I also am really glad that this program got me to actually work hard on keeping up with a blog. I've never used one so regularly but it really pays off to see how much I've accomplished over the past couple months.

I would definitely be a part of another 23 things on a stick program if it came about. I think there is so much out there to learn about that it would be a easy to make another run and the venue of blogs are such a convenient and perfect place to take part in a program like this.

Thing 22

2008-04-15T10:45:00.001-05:00

Looking back on my experience with 23 things, I think I got a lot out of it. One way I plan on keeping up with Library 2.0 is to go back through some of the things which I didn't get to spend as much time on as I would like to. I don't want to just forget everything I've learned so I will make sure to bookmark things I want to remember. I'm so glad to have learned about RSS Feeds and I think they will be a big help in keeping up with new tools. I will find some helpful sites and add them to my aggregator. Although I've already pretty much reached the my goal with this program, I intend to keep on learning as I know these types of "things" are always changing and I like being in the know.

Thing 21: Social Networking

2008-04-14T21:59:00.003-05:00

View my page on 23 Things on a Stick

I found it interesting to try out some social networking sites I was not familiar with. I really liked gather (especially the literary aspect of it) and I may want to join it in the future but i only joined the 23 things Ning for now. I like seeing all the participants on the Ning, its a nice venue to view the other participants without having to look at each blog seperately. I don't know if I will keep up with any of these sites in the future because I'm already a user of MySpace and Facebook and i don't really feel the need to join more communities.

Thing 20: Social Networking

2008-04-11T22:08:00.008-05:00

My online social networking journey started a couple years ago when I was a sophomore in college. Prior to this time I swore I would never join Myspace or Facebook - I would never become one of those people. One day I broke down after realizing how many people I knew that I didn't talk to regularly but who I could keep in touch with easily through MySpace. I was also drawn to MySpace because of the role it plays in helping out unsigned bands and artists. Almost anyone who makes music of any kind has a MySpace profile and it is really nice to be able to get ahold of artists/see the shows they play/listen to their music through a band's MySpace page. I really enjoyed MySpace (and still use it regularly) but I was hesitant for a long time to join Facebook.

For most modern day college students, Facebook is a way of life. It's checked regularly between classes (or during) and can be a helpful distraction while spending hours doing homework. I heard about it constantly when I was in school, there were even articles in my school's newspaper about the site regularly. I was proud of myself for not falling into the peer pressure of joining the site until the last semester I was in school. Now, I'm completely addicted to Facebook and kind of wish I would have joined sooner - I would have had better contact with my friends when we were all busy studying. I find Facebook to be great because of how many people I know who use it and becuase of all the applications available to you when you have an account. I'm glad its been opened up to anyone as well, because it used to be only available to college students/employees.

I added the little cartoon at top because it brings up an issue which has been of much concern in the last couple years. Many people put pictures on Facebook of standard collge life - which often includes parties and excessive drinking. While it can be fun to see images of friends making fools of themselves, it can also have a negative impact when employers see the profiles of prospective employees. Although this is a concern to some users, there are still those who put anything on their profile, not seeming to have a care in the world about who sees it.

I think libraries having profiles on social networking sites is a great idea. It can help users (especially younger ones) relate to their library, and see that they are accessible and can reach them in a venue they are used to connecting through. I think Facebook has an edge on MySpace because of the applications they have. I even found some library related applications when searching for this thing. I found a WorldCat application that lets a user enter in an item from a search box on their profile and it will search all libraries that carry that item. I love that the results are listed in order of which library is closest to where the searcher is located. I also found a few different groups related to libraries, librarians, and library 2.0. it was interesting to see other library-related users who also are a part of these groups.

I will continue to use Facebook and MySpace until the next big social networking site arises, or until I decide to take back control of my soul.

Thing 19: Podcasts

2008-04-11T19:14:00.005-05:00

One thing I've enjoyed throughout working with 23 Things on a Stick is trying out things I've heard of for so long but have never taken the time to experience for myself. I had never listened to a podcast before but I really enjoyed looking through the various ones available and hearing such a variety of information on different topics. I love talk radio and I feel like listening to podcasts is kind of like talk radio on demand, with whatever topics you really want to hear available to you at any time.

First I tried out the SCSU Memoirs Podcast and listened to some middle school librarians talk about books they recommend from the past year. It was nice to hear librarians getting together at a conference and putting their discussions online and I can see, through this podcast, how they can be valuable to librarians. Next, I decided to look around for podcasts that fit some of my other interests. I looked at the MPR podcast listing and listened to the Grammar Grater program. My geekiness takes ahold when it comes to learning about grammar so I was glad to be able to listen to the program at my will (as I only randomly catch it on the radio). I think the MPR podcast list was great, though as they have a good selection of programming to choose from and lots of episodes of programs available. Finally, I went to podcast.com and browsed the categories to figure out a different podcast to try out. I went to the spirituality section and listened to a channel called "Urban Dharma" under the Buddhism category. I've been studying Buddhism lately and thought it would be interesting to hear the what the host, an American monk, had to share. I really enjoyed the episode I listened to, which was about the man's experience finding Buddhism. I definitely plan on subscribing to his podcast because I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I look forward to checking out more podcast categories and hopefully finding more that I enjoy.

Thing 18: YouTube

2008-04-11T18:58:00.003-05:00

YouTube can be a really fun diversion. I haven't been spending much time on the site lately so today, doing this thing, I let myself get sucked in for a few hours. I watched just about every music video by one of my favorite bands (LOW) and I watched interviews with members of the band. Those were really enjoyable. I then started thinking about what I wanted to add to my blog and I decided a poem would be fitting. I'm a big fan of Charles Bukowski and I really enjoyed this clip of him reading "Bluebird" so I thought I would share it in my blog.

Last summer I had a really mindless data entry job and I would watch youtube videos while doing my work (to keep my mind occupied and stop myself from going nutty). I watched hours on the site everyday so I created an account and I liked the features you could utilize. I favorited all the videos I really liked and even commmented when I felt the need to do so. There were some "stations" or shows which I became really obsessed with. My favorite was "What the Buck?" Its this guy named Michael Buckley who does a daily gossip show in a mock-news style and he is really funny. I absolutely loved watching every new episode of his show and I even went through his archives to see everything he had done. When you really get into youTube it can be fun to get to know the users and become a part of the community. It can be more than just a good diversion....though thats what I like to use it for.

Thing 17: MN Library 2.0

2008-04-09T22:36:00.004-05:00

I became very familiar with ELM in college, as I would use databases to find articles that I needed for research. I mainly used EBSCO because it seemed to have the greatest selection of articles from adacemic sources (like journals).

I made an account with NetLibrary and did the task assigned for this thing. I've never used this resource before and I really like the ease of it. It was nice to be able to put notes on pages and I loved that you could search for terms within e-books and find all the pages containing those terms. This could be very helpful when doing research. I like the idea of having an electronic library as yet another source of information which we can attain for free (with a library card, that is). I will definitely use this source in the future.

I can also see how the features available on NetLibrary can help with collaborative efforts because you could create a joint account which all involved in the research could utilize and everyone could view each others notes on the pages. I think it would help highlight what is important instead of having each researcher read through everything to find the information needed.

These are also very valuable tools to patrons becuase it is something they can be shown and then use to research on thier own from home. Its nice to become more familiar with all the parts of ELM which are available.

Thing 16: MN Library 2.0

2008-04-08T16:07:00.006-05:00

The online calculators for research and assignments are a really good idea. I've always been a terrible procrastinator and as much as I try to create a schedule to follow when doing research, I always leave the bulk of it to the week before the assignment is due. I think I would have done better on some research projects if I had managed my time better - which is also helpful in attaining resources when you might have to interlibrary loan books to read and then actually read them - and these tools give a good timeline to do so. I also liked that they gave out tips for how to go about finding resources. I feel like so many people are clueless when it comes to finding the information they need because they never take the time to go to a library or just to ask for help.

I can see how these tools could be very useful in an academic library where a librarian could explain the service to a student. Professors could even require that students use the calculator when the assignment is handed out (just to see the timeline if they started on their assignment right away) but it would still be up to student whether they utilized it or not.

I also think this tool could be useful in a personal setting. I don't just have a history of procrastinating in my scholarly endeavors, I do it in many realms of my life. I'm preparing for a trip to Europe and I feel as though I have wasted so much prep time due to my procrastinating ways. Having a calculator/timeline like in this tool could have been helpful for me in getting everything done that I need to get done (yes, i know, its still not too late).

Thing 15: Online Gaming

2008-04-08T11:08:00.006-05:00

Trying out Puzzle Pirates was something different for me, as I don't really enjoy online gaming. The games I really enjoy are cards and trivia so its different to play a video game. I thought Puzzle Pirates was strange because I couldn't figure out if other people were playing with me or if they were just computer players who told me what to do. I was able to ask questions while playing but I didn't think I ever really got an answer that wasn't generic so I wasn't very satisfied with the game. I tried out bilging and I found it to be fun...a good way to waste time but I never did very well. I played at least four different times and every time I came out on the bottom.

I think the idea of interactive games over the internet where people from different places can play with each other is a really good one and I can see how it could be really fun. For me, however, gaming is not something I really enjoy and I don't think I will try Puzzle Pirates again.

Thing 14: LibraryThing

2008-04-06T22:09:00.003-05:00

I really enjoyed working with Librarything. Its a good way for people to share their personal libraries and meet others with similar reading tastes. I spent quite a bit of time putting together my library and setting up my widget, so this post will be kept brief.

I also think Librarything (and its widgets) can be valuable to any libraries website as a way to recommend books to readers, especially of a younger audience. The book covers create much more interest and simply seeing a list of titles.

Thing 13: Online Productivity Tools

2008-04-06T20:55:00.004-05:00

I've always used google as my homepage but I've never thought about personalizing it with igoogle. I decided to try it out and I love the page I created! I added lots of gadgets like my google reader rss feeds, daily quotes, dictionary word of the day and (my personal favorite) local movie listings! I love that I have all these gadgets available to me right when I open up my google homepage...its a nice little tool. I find this to be a great productivity enhancer as well because you can add the features which you would normally search out each time to be used and they will be at your fingertips without even thinking about it.

I did try out the 30boxes calendar and I found it to be a nice organizational tool but I don't think it is something I would keep up with. I much prefer to use a paper calendar so I find an online calendar to be unnecessary.

One tool I love is online sticky notes, since I use them so much in real life. I find mystickies to be a nice and helpful tool.

Thing 12: Social Media

2008-04-03T13:11:00.003-05:00

The social media news sites featured in this thing are not something I'm very familiar with. Reading news of any kind is not really a priority to me when online so I've never utilized these services. I did find an article, however, and added it to my del.icio.us account which I found very easy to do and I can see how tagging can be helpful in organizing information on sites like these.

While reading about these news sites, I realized the only news I really read online is in blogs like Perez Hilton, which are full of horrible celebrity gossip. Its like a guilty pleasure for me, but I think it fits in with this thing because there are links at the end of each story to "share" on a site like digg or del.icio.us. I never knew what the sharing implied but now I see that it sends the story to one of these featured sites.

As far as the use of these tools in a library, I think they could be helpful in a few different ways. Reference departments could use these sites and specifically choose what stories to "share" (the ones they think the patrons would be interested in) to cut down on having to pick through resources in other ways. When utilized in this way I think these resources would be a productivity enhancer for sure.

One site which was mentioned in this thing is Stumbleupon. I found Stumbleupon a few years ago and I love to use it when I'm bored and can't think of anything to do online. It recommends a wide array of websites to you based on what you like and then you give it a thumbs up or down and can tag and rate it however you want. I find it to be a fun diversion when one is needed!

Thing 11: Social Media

2008-04-03T11:08:00.003-05:00

This thing was not the most interesting to me. I am glad I learned what del.icio.us is because I have seen it before but was unsure of what it had been used for. Personally, though, I don't feel like I have much use for a social bookmarking site. I definitly think I could have benefitted from a site like this when I was in school, for research purposes. There are so many different places where you're lead to when doing research, especially online, that it would be really nice to store these places on a page where you know you can acess them at any time from any computer.

As far as the value of this tool in the library environment, I think it all goes back to research. Tags could be used to categorize credible internet sources (and age ranges for the sources) to advise patrons to go to when doing research. This might be particularly valuable in an academic setting, but I think it could be an asset to a public reference department as well.

Thing 10: Wikis

2008-04-01T15:53:00.003-05:00

As someone who uses Wikipedia on a regular basis, I was interested to learn about what wikis really are and see some ways they can be utilized in the library environment. As far as Wikipedia goes, I understand it is not a valid resource for the very reason that makes it a wiki, but I basically use it to easily retrieve pop culture references. I would never take the information given on the site (such as dates) before double checking it through an accredited source but I do think it has its merits in that it reflects those who edit it.
{I do agree that Wikipedia shouldn't be used as a resource for students but I think it could be a place for them to go to FIND resources, as often wiki pages have bibliographies at the end of them. This is the same standard a student should use when trying to use a website for research, as there must be citations somewhere on the page to validate the information received. }

I'm glad we were given the opportunity to edit the "23 Things on a Stick" Wiki because I've always felt intimidated to actually edit one before but I now realize how easy it is to do! I don't think its something I would search out to do during my spare time but if I were to see something incorrect or bothersome I won't be afraid to edit it myself in the future.

I really liked some of the wikis I viewed for this "thing" which gave book reviews and categorized reading topics. I think a peer-edited book/media wiki would be a great resource for a library to add to their website but it would have to catch on with patrons to really be successful. Thats one problem, wikis are most interesting when they are continually updated.

Thing 9: Collaboration Tools

2008-03-30T22:09:00.003-05:00

It took me a while to actually be able to edit the document in Google docs but I found it to be an interesting program. I liked reading what other bloggers added/edited on the document used in the example. I can see how Google docs, or other similar programs can be much more effecient than always having to send attachments when doing multiple drafts of a document. It might have been a valuable thing for me when I was writing papers in school but I don't think I would use it in my life now.

Thing 8: Slideshows

2008-03-30T13:55:00.003-05:00

I was very entertained while using Picturetrail. I created a slideshow with some photos I took at a show last week. I found the site extremely easy to navigate and was able to personalize my slideshow in many different ways. I can see how this feature would be valuable in a professional or scholarly atmosphere, as it could be a way to liven up presentations (such as power points).

Black-Eyed Snakes!

I also know this tool can be valuable in a library as we are currently utilizing it on our website, showing the progression of the remodeling going on through a slideshow on picturetrail. I think this is valuable because patrons who are unable to go into their library for a number of weeks are able to stay up to date with what is going on inside.

Thing 7: Web 2.0 Communication Tools

2008-03-25T14:24:00.007-05:00

Email is one commnunication tool which plays an important role in almost any workplace, including libraries. It just seems to be the most efficient way to send out a message, of little or much impotance, to any number of people. The efficiency, however, depends upon whether employees check their email often. I am in the habit of checking my three email accounts very regularly. The main reason for this is becuase of how vital it was to me as a student. If I forgot to check my email in the morning I might not know that a professor had cancelled class until I got there and saw a note on the door. It was also the way I contacted other classmates and sent assignments where they needed to go.

I do think the e-mail reference option is a good feature which our library facilitates. I have actually used it when doing research - by asking about finding articles on online databeases via e-mail to a reference librarian. I found it to be a nice option, especialy for those familiar and comfortable with email.

As far as the other web 2.0 tools go, I am familiar with instant messaging and text messaging. I haven't used instant messaging much since high school but I can see how it could be valuable in a library environment. I like the idea of being able to IM a librarian in real time but I can also see how it would be a problem in trying to set up when to have a librarian available on instant messaging. I think it might be overwhelming to have IM, phone and in person questioning aimed at a librarian at the same time but maybe there could be certain IM hours set up.

I am very familiar with text messaging and I really feel like it has taken the place of instant messaging online, at least in my life. I text message with my friends daily and value it more than making actual phone calls. I found it interesting to see that some libraries (especially academic) offered a text message a librarian feature. I know how popular texting is with people of my generation so I think it is a great way to get students to utilize their academic libraries.

Thing 6: Image Generators

2008-03-02T19:41:00.005-06:00

Image generators are yet another great way to waste time on the internet. I like the idea that trading cards could be made for kids to learn about historical figures or for other educational purposes. It was so easy to make the trading card and I think it would be something that would catch a child's attention. I also think the image generators could be really helpful in school presentations. There were many times when I tried to make power points more interesting to my audience and I think some of the generated images would have been helpful.

I found it interesting to see that on the front page of image chef there was an advertisement targeting users of facebook. I'm a religious user of facebook and there is an application on the site called "bumper sticker" which contains hundreds of images which you can add to your profile page or send to be posted on a friends profile page. It's an extremely popular application and I know you can add your own images to the application for public use. I've been wondering how people create some of the images and I was pleasantly surprised to see that one can create images for facebook from a website such as image chef. Kind of a random little divergence....but I'm glad to see that I'm learning things in the 23 things on a stick program which I can (and will) actually utilize in my everyday life.

Thing 5: More Flickr: Mashups

2008-03-02T18:49:00.006-06:00

So it feels like its been awhile but I finally got to posting about flickr mashups. I've actually spent a fair amount of time looking at some of the mashups out there and I find them to be a great way to waste time, and I'm sure they have some value as well!

I started to look for some mashups on my own to see what else was out there and I came across a website with hundreds available:http://www.programmableweb.com/api/flickr/mashups.

Some of these are really intreresting. I particularly like the programs on the site pimpampum.com. I used the bubblr program to add a caption to a flickr photo i liked. It can be used to create comic strips as well but I didn't go that far.

[Click on the picture to actually be able to see/read it]

I also liked the mashups which were games made from flickr photos. I played memory with photos containing whatever tag i chose, that was fun to do for a while - I've always liked playing memory.

I'm not sure of the value of these mash ups in the library environment. I think they can be used to make print ads more interesting and can gain attention of children/young adults in a library or on the libraries' website but beyond that I don't know of how much use they can be. I do think it is interesting, however, to see how much can be done with a photosharing site like flickr. Just the fact that
all these mashups exist, each of which contains any number of public photos from flickr, shows how far a photo can go and just how much creative sharing can really be done through a site like this.

Thing 4: Photosharing

2008-02-14T16:31:00.007-06:00

I was interested to learn more about flickr because I don't currently use any photosharing websites so I don't have much experience with them. I rarely take photos (something I need to change - I don't want to forget my youth!!) so I don't feel the need to make an account as of now but after watching the video on photosharing in plain english I see that it is valuable to back up your photos on a site like flickr.

I think the tags on the images are an interesting feature. I usually go to google image search to find picures but, because of tags, I see that a site like flickr can be another option when it comes to image searches. I like that the results of a search in flickr are people public photos so you see interesting and different images than on a regular google search. I typed in banana and got this gem:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/furryscalyman/532792143/

I also found a really great pic of my favorite artist, Jeff Buckley:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/legacyrecordings/801828583/

I had trouble trying to get one photo of my favorite local band on the blog so I'm not going to put any more effort into it but I was so excited to find it. I typed in "black-eyed snakes" and got a picture of the band from a show I attended - I couldn't believe it when I saw my friends face in the audience and realized my arm was also in the side of the photo. I'm so bummed it wouldn't upload correctly cause it would have been fun to post. Overall, my experience with flickr was positive and I would use it again as an image search.

Thing 3: RSS Feeds

2008-02-06T23:37:00.003-06:00

One word: wow! I can't believe I've never known about RSS Feeds before. I've seen the little orange symbol a millions times but I was not aware of what RSS was. Its such a simple concept but yet so ingenious. I've become a big fan and have found many feeds to add to my aggregator. I chose to use the google reader application becuase I'm a fan of google and I try to stick with webistes I'm used to so I don't end up having different accounts all over the place.

I found it really helpful that my internet explorer browser has a RSS Feed Finder built into it. I can just click on the tool in the browser and it checks for Feeds on whatever site I happen to be viewing. It makes an already simple application even simpler.

I think feeds can be beneficial in so many situations. One could use them simply for personal entertainment purposes to keep up with their interests or to stay updated on information for work or school. I think they can be an asset to library workers as well, especially in keeping up with the goals of library 2.0. In addition to feeds that apply to library news, they can also keep up to date on the latest technologies, such as the applications we're learning in 23 Things.

I'm finding myself checking my feeds often and I'm just kicking myself for not learning about them earlier!

Thing 2: Library 2.0

2008-02-05T23:40:00.003-06:00

It was interesting to learn more about library 2.0, a concept I’ve never really heard of before but which I have definitly experienced growing up. The integration of computers into education was really taking off when I was in grade school and I feel as though I have seen so many advances in the way technologies have evolved in the institutions I’ve attended since then. Looking back, I see how much things have changed in such a short amount of time. We went from playing Number Munchers on gigantic Apples in Kindergarten to carrying individual laptops to class (for note taking, of course….) and preparing power points for presentations in college.

Just as the schools I have attended have gone through major changes in the technologies used, so have the libraries I’ve known. I’m excited to learn more about the programs and concepts which make up library 2.0 through trying them out firsthand. I don’t think it will be difficult for me to incorporate 23 things into my life because I already spend a fair amount of time on my computer at home and I’m always looking to learn more about the applications I encounter everyday. I have basic knowledge on some of the components like social networking sites and instant messaging but I’m always open to learning more.

Thing 1: Getting started....

2008-01-29T23:15:00.002-06:00

Hello all.

Its my first posting for 23 Things on a Stick and my first time using blogger. I don't have a lot of experience with blogs so I'm excited to keep up with this one regularly. I have a blog as part of a social networking site I belong to but I have mainly used it to compile favorite poems and quotations from lit courses I have taken.

I'm looking forward to becoming more familiar with the programs and applications featured in this activity. Learning new advancements in technology is an asset to any library environment and it sounds like 23 Things... will be a great way for us to keep up with some of the latest trends.