Homecoming! I'm Out of Here Soon!

Just a note - my son returns to NC from Iraq tomorrow!!!!!! I am so happy! Will be taking some time off soon. Can't wait to see his face. See everyone at staff day.

Item #23 - Wrap Up!

I'm done! I actually got all the way through. This has been a good experience, and has taught me quite a lot. It has been so much information, that I am not quite sure I have absorbed it all at once. I will go back and look at everything again. For me, concepts are much easier the second time around. I am thankful that I recently took Web Publishing because knowing some html was a big help. Of all the exercises, I think I like the online word processing, etc. the best. YouTube is really fun to look at, and Flicker is also interesting. As for reading blogs, I'm not inclined to do so across the board. I have one I follow, but other than that, no. I am truly amazed that some have so much time to accomplish so much online. Where do they find the time? Technology is a given. It is here, and will continue to expand and zero in at the same time. I do think, though, as human beings that in person communication is the most important. I know someone whose "SecondLife" has led to the loss of their first and real life. Technology is a wonderful tool, and as long as we remember this, we're OK. A professor at Kent said in a lecture, that many highly qualified people graduate with an MLIS, but as an HR person, this prof said they would always hire the applicant with people/customer service skills in a heartbeat. Technology can always be taught. So, I guess that's what Library 2.0 is about. At my leisure I will look at the items after #23, but for now, THE END.

Item #22 - NetLibrary & Overdrive

I'm almost there! I have registered with NetLibrary. A co-worker advised me to do this at work as it does not work properly from home. Reading through other blogs, this seems to be the case, so did do this exercise at work. NetLibrary is literary, & not for popular fiction. It is a good source if a patron needs to read something for school, & there are no hard copies available. I would not want to read an e-book. I'm old school enough to want that paper copy in my hand. I worked at another library system in the past, & they tried providing e-book readers to be checked out. It was a total flop. Today, that may not be the case, but I'm not sure. I think when push comes to shove, most people would not want to stare at a computer, or device screen long enough to read a book. Audio, on the other hand, is a whole different matter. When I get the MP3 player, I will definitely attempt to download titles from Overdrive/YPL to listen to. My home computer still does not have highspeed, so that may be an issue. I will delve into the technical aspects then. I looked, & it seems that there are a number of titles that allow burning, but only during the check out period. So-o-o-o, you will then have a burned copy right? Does it miraculously self destruct when the book is due? Only kidding, I think. I still have a lot of questions about this item, but they will probably be answered with more thorough self experimentation. On to the wrap up!!! Yea!

Item #21 - Podcast

I have to say I had more luck finding podcasts using Google. Yahoo Podcast kept saying, "Sorry, we're shutting down the site on 10/31". Am I the only one who saw this? Maybe I was looking in the wrong area. I suppose this would be a really good tool, if you had the device necessary and the inclination. I see how it could be used to reach patrons also. At this point, I won't be pursuing podcasts, but that might change if I finish this exercise. I have posted a podcast from Simon & Schuster on my blog.

Item #20- YouTube Again!

OK, it must have been that the computers were too busy. Today I was able to post a video, and it plays. Neat! I will look more at YouTube in the future. It's a lot of fun, but I don't want to put post any videos of my own. It do think that this could be a way to grab the interest of the elusive teen patron. I think TeenXtreme is going to do a Myspace account. So-o-o maybe some amusing videos tagged with Youngstown, or whatever, might get the attention of some teens. Just rambling - - .
I'm done with #20 - only two more items to go! Yea!

diva practice

Maybe we need one of these drill teams here at YPL!!

Item #20 - YouTube

Well, I've joined YouTube, added my blog to my membership, & posted a video to my blog. All seemed to work pretty smoothly till I tried to open the video and I continually got "done but with errors". Hmmm??? It would not open, so I deleted it. Not sure what the problem is. I am also not able to open videos in YouTube because they say this computer needs to download a more up to date player. Well - could do it yesterday, so not sure what's up. Videos posted in other YPL blogs that I looked at on the same computer yesterday also will not open. I did see that there is a notation in 2.0, Item #20, that we should do this exercise at low computer time. That is not the case right now. Am also waiting for e-mail confirmation from YouTube, so maybe that has something to do with it too. Will try again tomorrow.

Item #19 - Web 2.0 Awards List

I looked at a few of these. The one that interested me most was Zillow, category Real Estate. Unfortunately you had to download an updated version of something, so since I was at work, that was a no go. The next site I looked at was Etsy under Retail. It was the #2 pick. Since the #1 pick had to do exclusively with t-shirts, I bypassed it. Etsy is a lot of fun, & I admit that I had been told about it before by a friend. I was pleased to see it on the awards list. It is a good place to find a one of a kind gift, and / or sell some of your own handmade treasures ???!!! That's all for today.

Item #18 - Online Productivity

Now I think this is a really great idea. I registered at Zoho Writer, did a really quick document, saved it as html, & exported it to my blog. How very cool. I do see how this concept will replace desktop software and rightly so. Of all the Library 2.0 topics, I think this is the most useful.

Items #16 & #17 - Wikis

Just some thoughts on the wiki section - I have been a part of a wiki before at Kent State. They are fun, & somewhat like a listserve in that you get e-mail notification of new postings. I checked out some of the library related ones. The subject heading wiki is pretty interesting, & I may return there to look deeper. As for our wiki, or rather the Library 2.0 wiki, I have registered, and made two entries. One entry in favorite web sites, and another for favorite books. I see the end in sight!!! I will tackle #18 soon.

Item #15 - Web 2.0, Library 2.0 & the Future

I read the discussion on the above. The "icebergs" were interesting. Things are changing rapidly, & this was a major topic in library school. How can libraries stay relevant? Do we keep print "just in case"? Are we ready for "user education"? And - "Coming to us" may be a thing of the past. Well - - - I am going to look at this from the public library viewpoint, & the viewpoint of a branch rather than the "Main" library. Large amounts of "just in case" print materials may be an area that could be decreased. Print reference material in a branch does not seem to be widely used. This might be an area to downsize as more and more reference databases come online. However, I have been scolded many times (in a friendly way - usually) that we do not have enough copies of certain novels (think little old ladies and bookclubs). I am of the mind that print fiction is not going away. The "Harry Potter" phenomena is a classic example of this - as is every new (& I use the word new lightly) novel by Danielle Steel. I am also of the opinion that the library should have classic literature as well. So, keep the fiction and browsable non-fiction in the branches, & the heavier reference material online & at the main branch. As for, "user education", we fall down here I think. This 2.0 exercise is good for us just for this reason. However, the "user education" I see needed most in our system is basic computer classes. The public continually requests such classes. Our area is an aging population. NE Ohio has lost a lot of the younger residents because of the area job market. As a community library, we should remember this and temper our "technolust". Access is another issue that I do believe we are dealing with. We have reached out to the community with our web page, SearchOh, 24/7, electronic books, wifi (I think it's working or will be soon), etc. A small thing that would meet our population's needs is to do away with the PIN. It is a barrier to the older patron, and thus to access. But, I am rambling - - - I think we need balance. The new technology is great, and a wonderful tool (but count me out of the "SecondLife" crowd - my 1st life is enough). As professionals we should know how to use it, and be willing to educate those that don't. It is our job. When you come right down to it - the main ingredient in our jobs is customer service - no matter the customer. Gee! I feel like I'm back in school. Enough, I have to move on to Item #16 - Thanks for listening.

Item #14 - Technorati & Tags

Again, it has been awhile! I just can't get a long period of time to knock this out. I thought a Fall color would be nice for the text. OK - so to Technorati. I looked it over for some time. I searched the posts, the tags, & the directory for "Learning 2.0". The different results (in quantity) were huge. As librarians, this is nothing we have not seen before in a different arena. Then I tried searching the keyword "Iraq". Ugh!!! There are some really nasty people out there. When you have someone in the military, opposition is one thing, ugliness is another. So I went smaller. I zeroed in on specific areas in Iraq, and then actually found some factual and enlightening blogs. Actual information is a good thing. Then, I tried my son's military title & actually found a blog post by an embedded reporter about him. It was heartening - no raving, no name-calling. As for claiming my own blog, I decided against it. I really don't think I have written anything the cyber world wants to read. I see how tags are added. You can add the html code through your own post, or do it through Technorati. I have to say, that this topic alone could be explored for a very long time. I may come back to this - maybe not. One puzzling thing, when I did a search for "PLYMC 2.0", some of our library postings were there, others not. None were really current that I could see. I'm not sure why these show - that would take more thought and exploration than I want to do right now. If anyone reads this & knows why, let me know! Thanks!