THING 13 - DOCUMENT SHARING

I really like the idea of using Dropbox--just imagine not having to keep up with my flash drive, not worrying about backing up my documents on my home computer, being able to access what I need from wherever I am at the time, etc., etc.!! I think Google.docs could be a big help in sharing information with fellow library staff as a substitute for emailing attachments which they then have to print out or save. The documents would always be readily available to whomever needs them from a shared site.

I am sharing one of my favorite poems by Edward Sill.

http://bit.ly/cYIdGy

WEEK 12 - CLOUD COMPUTING

I like the idea of being able to access what I need "on-demand," though I wonder about the costs involved. I think the ability to access docs from anywhere fits in with our on-the-go society. I enjoyed Mama Z's library instruction doc which she uses to instruct English classes on library policies, etc. It is always nice to see how other libraries handle certain situations.

WEEK 11 - SEARCHING TWITTER

Okay, I'm late with my postings; it's way past time to try to catch up! Admittedly I went into this topic thinking "I know what this is; I'm not really interested in another social network; I'll finish this in less than an hour." I viewed the YouTube "Twitter ruined my life" and found it not only hilarious but a justification of my opinion that twitter is frivolous and not really useful. It just "enables inane interaction" as one site noted. Then I read some comments about how it helped in research to instantly share information, and that some felt it was a way of learning to be brief with your thoughts (I could profit from that!). That the Library of Congress is archiving tweets is impressive since it will allow a searchable history of comments on events as they happen and can be used much like we now use old diaries and letters.

Since today is the big announcement day when LeBron James will let us know where he will play next year, I searched for tweets that gave opinions on his probable decision--not so important, all conjecture, but fun. I also searched Bozeman MT weather after I received a note from a friend there talking about a recent hail storm--in July for heaven's sake! I also looked at the VCCSlibraries site but couldn't bring myself to join still another network.


WEEK 11- URL SHORTENERS.
Amazing and useful. I used a library site http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=107&sid=ad961edc-b30c-4f86-ac96-2b8d994c607a%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=9611116444 and got http://bit.lylbnKr7P.

Week 8 - FLICKR

Though I got a bit lost at times when trying to upload a picture, I had a lot of fun playing around with Flickr. The library could use it to highlight a specific section such as our Lease Books and add a picture with brief information about the collection--mostly fiction, rotating, etc. I looked up Montana because I often visit there and think it has incredible scenery.

http://www.visitmt.com/

Our director showed me a really fun part of Flickr. Search Google for idee: Multicolor Search Lab, arrow down to the picture set and play with the colors--too cool!!

WEEK 7 - SHARING SLIDE PRESENTATIONS

I liked the information in Tara's SlideShare Class Project and thank her for sharing it since Overdrive is available to our students and patrons. I tried to access the audio portion which it indicated was available, but instead, got a message saying "Your SlideShare account not yet verified." I was a bit surprised since I set up the account yesterday. It gave me an instruction to resend my information saying the verification would be sent to my email, but so far, it has not appeared.

I tried to go into a cite called "Importance of generational awareness for libraries," and it took forever to load. Once the first slide appeared, my computer locked up with the hourglass working and working. Since I went completely out of the program and tried again with the same results, I'm assuming there is a glitch of some type! I'm going to wait until Monday to try again.

http://www.slideshare.net/pizidoro/beatiful-libraries-in-the-world I loved the pictures of how libraries used to be constructed with so much architectural beauty!

WEEK 6 - CHAT

OMG! IMHP ("in my humble opinion" for those like me who don't know the lingo) IM could be useful if as with LRC Live, there are specific times when you know those you want to "talk" with are online when you need them. I can see where it would be nice to have a chat room with other VCCS librarians whose duties correspond with mine so we could occasionally discuss how to handle new policies dealing with the specifics of our jobs. I do this with a counterpart at one of the community colleges, and it has been very helpful, but I use email and the telephone--the old fashioned way!!

Years ago when chat rooms were new, we put signs on our internet computers saying, "NO CHATTING" in order to keep them free for student research. A patron called me over to ask if it was okay for her to "talk quietly" to the person at the computer beside her. I can see why she was confused!

The "Web-Based Instant Messengers: A Mini-Guide" was really helpful in listing all the possible sites to use, and it's great that IMs now have cross-platform communication, but I will whine again that it is just soooo time consuming to have set myself up with still another social network.

WEEK 5: WIKIS

Friday, May 7, 2010

WEEK 5: WIKIS
Wikis bring a new dimension to information gathering and dissemination. The "Wikis in Plain English" video was really helpful in introducting the concept to me as I was not familiar with the term (except as in Wikipedia, of course). My first thought was that this is a great way to organize and communicate. My next feeling was that interesting though it may be to contribute to a wiki, is this just another website requiring time to monitor, and should each library/librarian/patron just decide on the best method to use and not go in too many directions. I was happy to see that some of the sites, while allowing lots of input, keep editing privleges to those responsible for the site.