WHEW!!! I finally made it, but not without help from Kelley. She knows how much I appreciate all her help and support--she's the greatest. Our TCCL help staff are pretty terrific, too. Thanks to them for their help and support when I REALLY needed it.
These were all very unique 'things' and I enjoyed most of them. Some gave me headaches, and gave Kelley headaches trying to help me. Overall, I think it was a great learning experience.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
#22 Audiobooks
I was truly amazed at all the titles that the TCCL catalog has available to 'check out.' There are quite a few titles that I will download and listen to. There are a few authors I have never read that I think I might like to listen to. As busy as I am during the summer months with gardening and yard work in general, listening to books I don't have time to read makes all the sense in the world. Plus, it would definitely make the chores seem less like chores if you were all wrapped up in a murder mystery.
#21--Podcasts
Talk about Excedrin Headache #97---ARRGGHH!!!!! This was a real brain killer, but with Kelley's help again, I struggled through this. This is definitely one of the more frustrating 'things' we've done so far--at least for me.
After many trials and tribulations, I did finally find a number of podcasts that were of interest to me and would be useful to me and added the RSS feed for my podcast to my Bloglines account. How often I actually use this will be determined by a lot of factors (lack of time being the biggest factor, and the second is actually some type of device to listen to my podcast on other than my computer or laptop), but I do think I will use it again.
After many trials and tribulations, I did finally find a number of podcasts that were of interest to me and would be useful to me and added the RSS feed for my podcast to my Bloglines account. How often I actually use this will be determined by a lot of factors (lack of time being the biggest factor, and the second is actually some type of device to listen to my podcast on other than my computer or laptop), but I do think I will use it again.
Friday, March 20, 2009
#20 Online video
I LOVE YOU TUBE!!! I have had such fun searching different venues on You Tube. There is just no end to what you can search for there. Again, some were more in line with my tastes and some weren't but with all the videos there are everyone can find something they like. It is truly amazing. I could sit for hours watching a wide variety of videos online.
I chose the video I did because I AM NOT a dancer (my sister was and I always wanted to be) and I enjoy watching the different types of dances that are on these videos. The energy of the dancers, the music, the costumes, all of it, I love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFYGzhF6J8k
Teaching any subject by online video could really be helpful, not only to the student, but also the instructor. How much easier would it be for the student to make up missed classes using an online video created for a particular subject. How much easier would it be for the professor to instruct the student on where to find the tutorial online and be available for questions if the video wasn't clear enough. Educators at every level could use online videos to supplement their curriculum--much like we used to get to watch the 8mm films in history.
We had language labs in high school that definitely could have used an online video as a supplement. All of the students enrolled in that particular language went to the lab each week. We all wore headphones and all listened to the same audio tapes. No one progressed any faster than the slowest learner. Boring!!! An online video would have allowed the faster students to advance at their own rate without putting pressure on the slower learners.
I have found through doing the TCCL 23 Things that there is a lot of technology now that we all take for granted that would have made my life in school much easier. Wikis, blogging, online videos, Web 2.0 online, and more have made things much simpler now than they were in what is usually called 'the simpler times.'
I could see using an online video about Interlibrary Loan policies, procedures, etc. on the TCCL home page as being very beneficial. You could cover more in more detail and not be limited by the space allowed per page. A brief overview of what the Interlibrary Loan Office does, then a short tutorial on how to register and place requests, check the status of your requests, and how to make the changes to your ILL account that can be made by the customer or other staff could greatly reduce the frustration customer's and staff often feel when they are unable to access the customer's ILL account. Brief explanations concerning the Postage Recovery Fee, why some materials are obtained more quickly while others can take much longer (books as opposed to A/V or genealogy materials), policies regarding renewals or no renewals can answer questions ahead of time for both staff and customers. There is so much more information we could give customers and staff with an online video than we currently can with the home page. We are often asked why this or that policy isn't on our home page, and we tell the customer or staff there just isn't room to put all of our policies on the home page.
I chose the video I did because I AM NOT a dancer (my sister was and I always wanted to be) and I enjoy watching the different types of dances that are on these videos. The energy of the dancers, the music, the costumes, all of it, I love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFYGzhF6J8k
Teaching any subject by online video could really be helpful, not only to the student, but also the instructor. How much easier would it be for the student to make up missed classes using an online video created for a particular subject. How much easier would it be for the professor to instruct the student on where to find the tutorial online and be available for questions if the video wasn't clear enough. Educators at every level could use online videos to supplement their curriculum--much like we used to get to watch the 8mm films in history.
We had language labs in high school that definitely could have used an online video as a supplement. All of the students enrolled in that particular language went to the lab each week. We all wore headphones and all listened to the same audio tapes. No one progressed any faster than the slowest learner. Boring!!! An online video would have allowed the faster students to advance at their own rate without putting pressure on the slower learners.
I have found through doing the TCCL 23 Things that there is a lot of technology now that we all take for granted that would have made my life in school much easier. Wikis, blogging, online videos, Web 2.0 online, and more have made things much simpler now than they were in what is usually called 'the simpler times.'
I could see using an online video about Interlibrary Loan policies, procedures, etc. on the TCCL home page as being very beneficial. You could cover more in more detail and not be limited by the space allowed per page. A brief overview of what the Interlibrary Loan Office does, then a short tutorial on how to register and place requests, check the status of your requests, and how to make the changes to your ILL account that can be made by the customer or other staff could greatly reduce the frustration customer's and staff often feel when they are unable to access the customer's ILL account. Brief explanations concerning the Postage Recovery Fee, why some materials are obtained more quickly while others can take much longer (books as opposed to A/V or genealogy materials), policies regarding renewals or no renewals can answer questions ahead of time for both staff and customers. There is so much more information we could give customers and staff with an online video than we currently can with the home page. We are often asked why this or that policy isn't on our home page, and we tell the customer or staff there just isn't room to put all of our policies on the home page.
#19 Web 2.0 tools
This was a very interesting 'thing.' It was almost impossible to look at all the sites, but I found quite a few that interested me enough to check out. Some I found very amusing, lots that were very informative and others just not quite my taste.
Although I don't see any use for this type of application in my job I can see the uses of this type of site on a much larger scale in all types of business. With some of the interactive sites I checked out creativity by customers and staff could be endless and interesting. I think younger children woulld find some of these interactive sites entertaining and fun.
This 'thing' warrants further exploration, and I am looking forward to checking out more of the sites.
Although I don't see any use for this type of application in my job I can see the uses of this type of site on a much larger scale in all types of business. With some of the interactive sites I checked out creativity by customers and staff could be endless and interesting. I think younger children woulld find some of these interactive sites entertaining and fun.
This 'thing' warrants further exploration, and I am looking forward to checking out more of the sites.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
#18: Web-based apps
Golly, was this great fun. There are just too many uses for this 'thing' in anybody/everybody's everyday life to even begin to scratch the surface. Planning on any scale can be made much simpler with Google docs. I didn't know such a critter existed, but I'm very glad this was one part of our 23 Things because I can see this being used more by me than the others thus far.
This was a GREAT 'thing.'
This was a GREAT 'thing.'
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
#17 PBWiki
How awesome is this. I had a nudge from Kelley to get me started, but this was GREAT. It was fun to read the other entries from staff and also to create one of my own. It's a great way to learn more about your co-workers without asking a million questions (which may seem nosey to some).
Monday, March 16, 2009
#16 Wikis
Until recently I had never heard of Wikis, much less ever guess what they were. How much easier Wikis would have made group projects when I was in school. Trying to get everyone together at the same time to work on a project was nearly impossible. Wikis allow anyone/everyone the ability to take part in the creation and editing of the content on the wiki and reflects the imagination and creativity of everyone involved. What a delightfully wonderful idea.
Since some wikis are open to everyone and others are not, you must decide if you want your wiki open to editing by anyone or if you want more control over what is edited and by whom. An open community type wiki, similar to the old cork bulletin boards with business cards pinned to them, could beneficial in reaching a broader clientelle and should allow for open editing from the general public. Posting community events (free concerts, fund raisers, marathons, dog washes, car washes, etc.) on a wiki could not only save time and money, it could reach more of the community. As events expire the information can be cleared from the wiki, replaced by more current events, and kept current very easily. An open community wiki would definitely benefit from the insights and input of the community.
I find it extremely difficult to go to someone else's website and make changes, even when they are allowed. Using Ancestry.com to do my family history is as close to making this type of change as I have come across. I still find it hard submitting name corrections even though I know the correct spelling. They do allow for corrections to be submitted (not made directly), although the actual changes probably come from Ancestry after careful consideration. This website definitely functions better with tighter control over corrections.
A group project within the library could definitely utilize the wiki. Without printing each and every email from each and every project member it would be impossible to keep in touch with everyone and make the 'correct' corrections. Editing on the wiki would keep the group's efforts better organized while keeping track of everything that has been done or needs to be done. The larger the project the more important a wiki becomes. I don't see any immediate uses for a wiki in the Interlibrary Loan Office as we are a very small department (2 full-time and 1 part-time), but there may be a time when it could be beneficial.
Since some wikis are open to everyone and others are not, you must decide if you want your wiki open to editing by anyone or if you want more control over what is edited and by whom. An open community type wiki, similar to the old cork bulletin boards with business cards pinned to them, could beneficial in reaching a broader clientelle and should allow for open editing from the general public. Posting community events (free concerts, fund raisers, marathons, dog washes, car washes, etc.) on a wiki could not only save time and money, it could reach more of the community. As events expire the information can be cleared from the wiki, replaced by more current events, and kept current very easily. An open community wiki would definitely benefit from the insights and input of the community.
I find it extremely difficult to go to someone else's website and make changes, even when they are allowed. Using Ancestry.com to do my family history is as close to making this type of change as I have come across. I still find it hard submitting name corrections even though I know the correct spelling. They do allow for corrections to be submitted (not made directly), although the actual changes probably come from Ancestry after careful consideration. This website definitely functions better with tighter control over corrections.
A group project within the library could definitely utilize the wiki. Without printing each and every email from each and every project member it would be impossible to keep in touch with everyone and make the 'correct' corrections. Editing on the wiki would keep the group's efforts better organized while keeping track of everything that has been done or needs to be done. The larger the project the more important a wiki becomes. I don't see any immediate uses for a wiki in the Interlibrary Loan Office as we are a very small department (2 full-time and 1 part-time), but there may be a time when it could be beneficial.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Thing #15--Library 2.0/Web 2.0
Well, I lost my first blog (and it was a dandy), so I'm going to try to recreate it...probably with not much success.
WOW!!! I can remember when 'surfing the web' was THE thing to do. Amazing how in a few years things can change so fast that just 'surfing the web' is an almost extinct function for seekers of information. It is only useful/helpful in a limited way today.
I think there will probably be a need for printed library materials for the foreseeable future as there are still quite a few of us 'baby boomers' around that are not comfortable enough with the Internet to use it for all or most of our information fixes. The younger generations will continually challenge successive generations to meet their ever-growing demand for newer, better, faster information sources. Having been born, bred, and raised in this information era, the new-and-improved librarians of our future will definitely be up to this challenge.
As circulation numbers decrease for printed material, it only makes sense to begin decreasing the purchase of these types of information products and gear-up for the demands for information services online. Library budgets have the possibility of being used more efficiently in the future by utilizing fewer printed and more digitized formats...with little or no waste. These services need to be available for all customers with as few barriers to them as possible so their time is spent reading and learning, not struggling with antiquated search interfaces or having to go to the library to obtain information they require. Move on into the next century!
If I were a young library school graduate with my future ahead of me, I would probably find this new type of information highway the beginning of a wonderful adventure, something bigger and better than you ever imagined. I just can't grasp all the possibilities that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will have at their disposal in the coming years. It blows my mind totally! It is a very exciting time for anyone and everyone who seeks information, knowledge and education.
WOW!!! I can remember when 'surfing the web' was THE thing to do. Amazing how in a few years things can change so fast that just 'surfing the web' is an almost extinct function for seekers of information. It is only useful/helpful in a limited way today.
I think there will probably be a need for printed library materials for the foreseeable future as there are still quite a few of us 'baby boomers' around that are not comfortable enough with the Internet to use it for all or most of our information fixes. The younger generations will continually challenge successive generations to meet their ever-growing demand for newer, better, faster information sources. Having been born, bred, and raised in this information era, the new-and-improved librarians of our future will definitely be up to this challenge.
As circulation numbers decrease for printed material, it only makes sense to begin decreasing the purchase of these types of information products and gear-up for the demands for information services online. Library budgets have the possibility of being used more efficiently in the future by utilizing fewer printed and more digitized formats...with little or no waste. These services need to be available for all customers with as few barriers to them as possible so their time is spent reading and learning, not struggling with antiquated search interfaces or having to go to the library to obtain information they require. Move on into the next century!
If I were a young library school graduate with my future ahead of me, I would probably find this new type of information highway the beginning of a wonderful adventure, something bigger and better than you ever imagined. I just can't grasp all the possibilities that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will have at their disposal in the coming years. It blows my mind totally! It is a very exciting time for anyone and everyone who seeks information, knowledge and education.
Thing #14--Technorati
This website is AWESOME. I was a little surprised (and also not very surprised) at what could be found here. It was sort of looking at eBay because you could find almost anything there. The possibilities for uses of this website are endless. It was fun, exciting, and very entertaining checking out the videos and their news. This was one of the best yet.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Thing #13
Well, maybe 13 is my lucky number. I had no problems with this 'thing' and didn't bother Kelley with it at all. As of right now (5:38 p.m. CST) I am ahead of Kelley in our 'things' for the first and probably the last time.
This could be such a wonderful website for the ILL Office and each staff member personally. So much faster than scrolling up and down looking for your bookmarks--very messy. This will probably be in use on my work computer tomorrow.
This was fun and I am onward and upward with the next thing.
This could be such a wonderful website for the ILL Office and each staff member personally. So much faster than scrolling up and down looking for your bookmarks--very messy. This will probably be in use on my work computer tomorrow.
This was fun and I am onward and upward with the next thing.
Thing #12--Roll Your Own
Thanks, Kelley, for your continued support of your old mom. This wasn't as bad as I thought--just needed a kick in the rear to get my brain in gear. This could be useful in ILL if the parameters were set just right. I wouldn't want to do it, but it could be done by someone with a lot more time and patience.
http://www.rollyo.com/bunnylady/
http://www.rollyo.com/bunnylady/
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
#11--TheLibraryThing
Kelley said I would enjoy this 'thing' and I did. I had a great time looking around at the titles other have chosen and picking out a few of my favorite authors. This would be a great source for recommended readings from other members. Great 'thing.'
http://www.librarything.com/home/bunnylady
http://www.librarything.com/home/bunnylady
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
#10--Image generator
This was definitely different. I don't think I'll be using an image generator much in ILL, but I can see the endless possibilities for staff in public service or those who do any type of programming.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Finished Things #8 & #9 RSS & RSS feeds
For me, this was probably the less stressful thing I've done so far. I had fun getting started on Blogline and searching for the RSS feeds in my fields of interest. Those fields are a very mish-mash of interests and I wasn't sure if I would find any feeds that would cover what I was interested in. Boy was I surprised at the number of RSS feeds that are out there. They cover every topic you can think of--and then some.
I thought the low-tech video for this high-tech tool was a scream. It took me a while to actually catch enough of it to understand what was going on. I had to stop and start, stop and start quite a bit to hear enough of the instructions to understand what I was supposed to do. A better quality video would certainly be beneficial, but you take what you can get and run with it.
Thanks again to Kelley for her continued support and assistance. She is always there to prod me along in the right direction, without actually telling me what to do much of the time, hoping that somewhere, sometime this new technology stuff will sink in. She tells me that I'm 'new technology knowledge challenged.' I prefer: Ignorance is curable, stupidity isn't.
I thought the low-tech video for this high-tech tool was a scream. It took me a while to actually catch enough of it to understand what was going on. I had to stop and start, stop and start quite a bit to hear enough of the instructions to understand what I was supposed to do. A better quality video would certainly be beneficial, but you take what you can get and run with it.
Thanks again to Kelley for her continued support and assistance. She is always there to prod me along in the right direction, without actually telling me what to do much of the time, hoping that somewhere, sometime this new technology stuff will sink in. She tells me that I'm 'new technology knowledge challenged.' I prefer: Ignorance is curable, stupidity isn't.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
#7 Technology blog
As my daughter reminds me, I get very frustrated with some of the new technology. I remember when we got our first Atari and the kids were so 'proficient' with it when they were 3 & 8. Mom struggled along with the help of the 3-year old (very embarrassing) until I got familiar enough with it to manage to play a few games while the kids were at school. When we got our first computer the kids took to it like a duck to water. My son became quite the computer nerd (long before that term ever was used) and before we knew it he was doing things that my computer-programmer husband was doing. He picked things up so naturally and was NOT afraid to try things. That's where my biggest challenge is. I'm always afraid I'll 'mess something up' if I do something new. Kelley tries to reassure me that this new technology is 'easy' and fun, but I continue to be the pessimist and have the 'I'll have to wait until I try it' attitude. So far these 'things' we are doing online has been a little frustrating, but I'm managing. Kelley continues to be a source of inspiration and offers suggestions when I ask. I know technology is progressing quicker than ever before, it has made our lives much simpler, but it also presents us 'old dogs' new challenges. I've decided I'm one of the baby boomers that is 'technolgoy knowledge challenged.'
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Finished # 5- #6 Online photos & Picking Through Picasa
Whew!!! What a trip that was. Gearing up for the next things on the 23 Things list. Thanks for all the help, Kelley. Your Mom just needs a smack on the head once in a while before things settle in. Thanks for being there to offer assistance.
#6 Picking through Picasa
This is so cool!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkenNienke/Winterplaatjes?feat=featured#5296788441865244978
Such beauty. No words--just feelings!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/roberto.1949/AMIGOSDAFOTOGRAFLOR?feat=featured#5296510281958976578
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?feat=tags&psc=G&filter=1&tags=flowers#5248243331335216546
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkenNienke/Winterplaatjes?feat=featured#5296788441865244978
Such beauty. No words--just feelings!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/roberto.1949/AMIGOSDAFOTOGRAFLOR?feat=featured#5296510281958976578
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?feat=tags&psc=G&filter=1&tags=flowers#5248243331335216546
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Lifelong learning
The hardest part for me would be #3--view problems as challenges. I normally see problems as a crisis because I get frustrated very easily.
The easiest part for me would be #7 1/2--play. I like to relax, play and read.
The easiest part for me would be #7 1/2--play. I like to relax, play and read.
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