#23 That About Sums it Up

This has been an interesting project. It is surprising how easy and fun it is to set up a blog and make it look half-way snazzy. Being an artistic sort, I especially enjoyed creating mash-ups, surfing endless image generator sites and finding widgets to include on my blog. Thank goodness for a fast Internet connection at home because I rarely had time to do any of the steps at the library. Occasional idle times at the reference desk might allow me to look at other staff blogs and it is amazing how unique each of our blogs are!

Completing this project has helped me realize that I can roll with new technologies, learn them,enjoy them, and perhaps even teach others. Blogs can get the information out to a large audience quickly or just keep it between friends and family.

This project is/was a large undertaking for each KDL employee. Not every employee is blessed with a computer and fast connection at home and completing the project at work can be a very hard task especially if you are very busy and have a lot of other tasks to finish.

I am always up to a challenge and would welcome another project such as KDL's 23 Things! Thanks for the opportunity to learn to blog!

#22 Podcasts

http://newantiqueblue.podshow.com/

Podcasts. What can I say? Too much information? A good way to transmit information? Yes and no. . .depending on who is creating the podcasts. Millions of podcasts out there I imagine. One could surf them forever. There are many folks out there who believe that they are interesting, but that is questionable :)

I chose to set up a podcast channel on podshow.com

I chose several podcasts literature/library related podcasts created by an organization and one personal podcast done by an individual to display.

I also found a PLA podcast site http://www.plablog.org/?cat=66&submit=Click+to+view
It is interesting to listen to the podcasts from library conferences, such as PLA and ALA.

#21 Online Video

I admit. I love youtube.com
I have an account and I have shared many videos of family using this site. This is what I use it for. I do not sit for hours surfing this site looking for videos. Occasionally I will look for a few cute animal videos, but that is about it.

Here is a video from me of my boy in the band:


He's the one playing the fancy trumpet part :)

#20 "The Machine is Using Us"

My initial reaction to this video was one of fear at how much information is out there on the Web on everything! I was around during the ascii text days of the Internet and the introduction of the GUI - World Wide Web. What a leap we have made over the past fourteen years or so. The "machine is using us!"

This video was geared towards a computer savvy audience. It is a snazzy little ditty about what Web 2.0 has to offer.

#19 Online Digital Music

WLAV
Listening to your favorite radio station online is easy . . . you just have to register and remember yet another username and password. Kind of neat accessing your fav local radio station anyplace you have web access. http://www.wlav.com

FILE SHARING
Well, I have to admit that back in the day I did access some hip tunes illegally. OK, it was before we all knew that it was illegal and one site in particular was allowing downloading of tons of music. This was probably five years ago. After the big copyright fiasco I never have downloaded another song online. I now just listen to the old bunch of songs over and over again. Songs like "Where the boys are" and "Tammy" are among my favorites. How terribly sad, quaint or weird is that??!!

I have never used http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/ipod_itunes/, but hope to if I get to #23 on this project!

#18 Social Networking - Please won't you be my Facebook friend?

Ok, I will admit to having a Facebook account. . .with only 3 friends! How terribly sad?! Maybe not! I joined mainly just to see what it is all about. Strike the previous sentence, insert this one: I joined in hopes of accessing my son's account. Mothers do like to know what their kids are doing at all times :)
I received a touching email from him about how he loved me but could not, would not "friend me" on Facebook. Oh, well. I reminded him that he needs to be careful about posting anything on his account.

Individuals who frequent social networking sites seem to be using them as basically glorified online public diaries/journals with pictures and videos. Kids (of all ages) seem almost addicted to these sites. Rather scary actually. Does not seem like quality exchange of information is happening on their sites. Others would beg to differ.

Corporations, libraries, artists, performers, et al use social networking sites for distribution of information about their businesses, programming, concerts, etc. This is a way to reach a wide range of customers.

#18 Social Networking

I have been lurking on several social networking sites for a few years because I love to snoop. I have my own Facebook account to stay in touch with a few old friends.

Young adult librarians could target their audience with a branch library account

#17 Wikis as teaching tools

I could have saved a ton of trees if wikis had been available to me all the years I was preparing subject pathfinders and printing hundreds and hundreds of handouts! Using wikis for pathfinders allows fantastic linking to related sites to further research. They can be constantly updated, changed and edited. Wikis are very interactive allowing users to add ideas, information and links of their own. It is very important that wikis have moderators responsible for maintenance of the site that constantly monitor entries for mistakes and tomfoolery. Here is a wiki that discusses why your next pathfinder should be a wiki http://informationfluency.wikispaces.com/Ten+reasons+why+your+next+pathfinder+should+be+a+wiki

wikiHow "is a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual." Fun stuff
http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page

#16 Technorati

I have a Technorati account and have released the spiders!!

4,005 blog posts about "learning 2.0"

308 blogs about "learning 2.0"

I performed an advanced search for tags for "learning 2.0" and results were fuzzy.

Again, too much info...you could spend your whole life searching peoples' blogs on countless topics or non-topics using Technorati. Info overload!


Technorati Profile

#15 Tagging

I can honestly say that I have bookmarked way too many sites over the years for one reason or another...I have 355 sites marked. . .YIKES! I did set up an account on Del.icio.us. I have decided to keep my site private, since, like many people, I have some things bookmarked that are just my business. Del.icio.us is handy because I am able to view a list of all my bookmarked sites from any computer that has web access. Not too crazy about the tag clouding...ok, you can just peek at a screen shot of mine:

#14 Best of Web 2.0

So many sites and too little time.
I loved www.yourminis.com
Widgets add a touch of fun to a blog. And of course, a blue clock is just what this blog needs!

#13 Zoho Writer - Web-based word processing

Zoho Writer is a good rip-off of both Apple and Microsoft word processing software.
Clever, in that it is web based, I still prefer to use Word and have my documents saved to my computer's hard drive and not a server somewhere out in cyberspace. This is especially true for valuable documents.
http://writer.zoho.com/index.do

I imagine that Microsoft is currently working on web based word processing and that we will still have traditional Word and web based in the future.

In a pinch, when not at my own computer I might use such web services. Zoho is simple and easy to use. It has a handy share document option that allows you to quickly email a document to a friend, etc.

Ok, it also PDFs (can you use that as a verb now?)...I am suddenly becoming more interested in Zoho's features!

#12 Rollyo

Creating my own little meta-search engine was an interesting activity. A nice way to make search-worthy sites available to others as well as myself!

http://rollyo.com/newantiqueblue/reference_search/

#11 Library Thing. . .It's a good thing!

What a fantastic, but time consuming undertaking. This is especially true when you focus on your collection of antique books that do not have their covers already online. Scanning and uploading takes time!
http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php
This is what it looks like so far...these are oldies, so if you click on a book cover you will not link to useful information on Amazon...it is just not there! It is only on my Library Thing site.

#10 Web 2.0 and Libraries

AN INTERESTING RIDE. . .
Librarians and library staff with years of library experience have been on an interesting ride over the past twenty years. In the early 1980s computer use in libraries began as a keen new way to locate books via the online catalog and later for researching and finding articles on CD ROM databases such as Proquest and Newsbank. Library patrons for the most part were leery of those electronic boxes, but slowly over the years warmed up to the idea of using computers and with each new generation, dependence on computer usage is becoming the norm.

The introduction of the Internet into libraries in approximately 1993-4 had a profound affect on the future of the library and the dissemination of information. Today's major dependence on computers revolves around access to the Internet. Today's library provides quick access to the online catalog, countless downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, hundreds of subject specific research databases and 24/7 access to many other library offerings on the library's website.

Online availability of books and periodicals have reduced the size of library print collections. This is especially true of reference collections. Why purchase expensive reference titles for all libraries within a library system, when a vendor provides it in an online format and all the libraries can share?

THE LIBRARY AS A COMPUTER LAB
...and the library does not have enough computers to fill this need.
With the introduction of online social networking sites such as Bebo, Facebook, Xanga, and Myspace, we have seen a new wave of Internet excitement or should I say frenzy in the library. The generation of teens and young adults (even some older patrons) sees the library simply as a computer lab where they can text, chat, email or post messages, pictures and videos to hundreds of their friends.

LIBRARIANS GO 2.0
Youth librarians are hopping on the bandwagon by joining these social networks and creating library sites for these young patrons to visit and learn about what the library has to offer them. Youth and adult services librarians are also creating wikis and blogs that will help involve the library in the library of these techno-savvy patrons.

DO YOU HAVE AN AVATAR?
In addition to social network sites, online computer games are very popular. Kids and adults use library computers to interact with an international array of real-time players. Second Life, a virtual reality world is fast becoming a means of communication. What seems like just another one of those online computer games actually has some credibility as a means of communication and education. A few colleges and universities have a presence in this virtual world. Some may view it as a future means of conducting online courses. Seems far fetched now, but don't count it out. Download Second Life and you can create an avatar - your own online alter ego. My husband says that most people are having a hard enough time figuring out their "First Life." I guess we will just have to see how things are in five years. Will Second Life sites be the norm?

LIBRARIANS SHOULD NOT BE CLOSED MINDED
Librarians need to become adept in being techno-savvy. We are teachers. We need to be able to help patrons set up email accounts, social networking accounts, create blogs, do photosharing, access and download ebooks to computers and mp3 players. Let's face it, the library is an ever changing info-animal and we need to know how to feed it and help it survive.

PATRONS SHOULD BE AWARE OF VALUABLE LIBRARY RESOURCES
Whenever possible, when you have an "educatable" moment with a patron, make them aware of all the fantastic online subscription databases that the library offers them. Public library patrons are for the most part, not aware of these valuable resources. Librarians too, tend to just automatically "Google" when a patron needs information and do not use these databases to their fullest extent.

#9 Library Blogs - Hodgepodge!

I must say that librarians spend an awful lot of time blogging. Blogs, blogs and more blogs! Some blogs seem useful, most seem useless, just personal rants about nothing in particular or perhaps something work related that may be of interest to other librarians or library staff.

http://strangelibrarian.org/blog/

Library blogs, created for a certain library or library system or library organization are to be taken a bit more seriously. They seem to be better organized with links to authoritative sites.


http://public.lisnews.org/



This is a great blog that is arranged by categories: http://www.lisnews.org/topics
Academic
Books
Book Club
Features
Geeks
Harry Potter
Interviews
Movies
SLMS
Politics
Public
TWiL
Wireless

LISNews.org

has links to many RSS feeds:

XML















The very simple keyword search "public library" brings hundreds of hits when searching on Blogger, Feedster, et al. All-in-all, I found searching any of the RSS sites to be frustrating. Information overload.

Not library related, but kinda fun. Ok, many of you have probably already come across this blog that lays claim to being the most popular one out there. Well, it is quite weird, I must say!

http://www.boingboing.net/

#8 RSS Feeds

Nosey? Click on this!
http://www.bloglines.com/public/Newantiqueblue

RSS (Really Simple Syndication):
RSS feeds are easy as pie to find...but tricky to post to this blog...well, at least for me!!

#7 Image Generators...How Clever!

I must say, there are way too many image generating sites out there. One could become obsessed or blue having to choose one to display on this KDL 23 Things project!

Do you want blue rice with that?

http://profile.imageshack.us/

# 5 Blue chair fading - Flickr Photo Sharing - #6 Flickr Mash-up

This lovely Adirondack chair was made by my sister, Angela. She made several this past year. This is her chair, which really is a lovely lilac color. She made one for me in a fantastic seafoam green. Where is the lemonade?


#6 Flickr Mash-up:
A lovely montage in blue is off to the left-hand side of the page.
Blue chair fading
Originally uploaded by mathman's family

Bathing Beauty Blues

Ah for another day at the lake.

We spent some lovely days at the cottage this summer. Lots of floating around on my curious new flotation device. Family and friends all around.

Time to button up the cottage this weekend!

#1, 2, 3 & 4 - Wrecking Ball Blues! (Setting Up and Registering My Blog)

Having read all the information on KDL's 23 Things, joined the wiki and registered my blog...I am off and running? Typing, cut and pasting and creating!

Good old Butman Fish Memorial Library, built in 1915, was just a lovely place to work. This is the first of many libraries that I have worked in over the years. Located in Saginaw, Michigan, it was torn down to make way for a school parking lot and playground in the early 1980s. I worked all through high school and three years of college at this library. I started out as a page and ended as a circ assistant.

This was a world of slow electric typewriters and correcto-tape. We typed everything by hand...overdue notices, library cards.

Welcome to my first blog!