With this particular training I felt the most valuable exercises centered around the creation, additions and fine tuning of the Bloglines account. What a great source to receive regular visual and audio updates on various interest areas. Professionally, I enjoy just total immersion in book review materials of varying formats.
It was fun to work with Meez to create an avatar.
The time we spent on Zoho Writer was a disappointment. As our customers work in Library 2.0 (in library) they are using our desk/lap tops which are loaded with Microsoft Office products. Why can't we learn more about the established packages which we offer? Wouldn't we provide better customer service?
Many prospective employers have gone to an online employment application process. We are experiencing a number of individuals coming into the library to start and/or complete this process. The interfaces vary from employer to employer. Shouldn't we be more familiar with these real-life applications?
And what about Library 2.0 and the spaces we provide our customers to work in? Is it a successful customer experience to be filling out an online job application surrounded in an open grouping of desktops by boisterous RuneScape players? What about that Learning Commons 2.0?
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Week #9 Post #22
I am familiar with the HCPL digital media site: eAudio, eBooks, Music and Video.
VibriVox is a volunteer driven organization which records chapters of books in the public domain. Wowio as is stated offers free e-books. It has more of a new-age and/or digital graphic novel (visual) feel to the site.
I went into all of the sites looking for works by William Shakespeare. On the HCPL site I did a quick search by author and found 13 eAudio titles of full productions . On an author search of LibriVox I discovered 120 entries, many, if not all were monologues from various plays (not the entire production). In the Wowio site, I found about 50 e-book entries.
I received training on downloading eAudio books from Overdrive more than a year ago. We occasionally assist customers (usually over the phone) with questions they have about the service.
VibriVox is a volunteer driven organization which records chapters of books in the public domain. Wowio as is stated offers free e-books. It has more of a new-age and/or digital graphic novel (visual) feel to the site.
I went into all of the sites looking for works by William Shakespeare. On the HCPL site I did a quick search by author and found 13 eAudio titles of full productions . On an author search of LibriVox I discovered 120 entries, many, if not all were monologues from various plays (not the entire production). In the Wowio site, I found about 50 e-book entries.
I received training on downloading eAudio books from Overdrive more than a year ago. We occasionally assist customers (usually over the phone) with questions they have about the service.
Week #9 Post #21
I first went into the Podcast.net directory. Through a series of searches I found "bookbuffet.com podcasts" which I added to my Bloglines account in the "Book Reviews" folder. This podcast describes itself as "bookbuffet.com::for book groups that click".
My second search was into the Podcastalley.com directory. I specifically was looking for a former employer, Los Angeles Public Library, and found "KCET Podcast: ALOUD at the Central Library". This is a podcast which includes lectures, readings, performances and discussions presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. I added this podcast to the "Librarian Stuff" folder of my Bloglines account.
When I get time, I would like to go back and search for podcasts to add to my Bloglines "Design" folder.
My second search was into the Podcastalley.com directory. I specifically was looking for a former employer, Los Angeles Public Library, and found "KCET Podcast: ALOUD at the Central Library". This is a podcast which includes lectures, readings, performances and discussions presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. I added this podcast to the "Librarian Stuff" folder of my Bloglines account.
When I get time, I would like to go back and search for podcasts to add to my Bloglines "Design" folder.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Week #9 Post #20
My favorite YouTube video for the past 4 or 5 months has been the "March of the Librarians".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td922l0NoDQ It's a great satire on librarians attending an ALA conference.
I like the site. I find it entertaining. I really enjoyed the CNN-YouTube Presidential debates amongst the Democrat candidates and more recently the Republican candidates. Those forums brought a different perspective to the 2008 race for the presidency. More real "constituent-based" questions I believe I read somewhere.
In the exploring required for this Discovery Exercise, I returned to the theme of my blog and searched on the terms "library chair". The first search produced 115 hits when I searched generally on those tags. The second search, with that term in a direct sequence, resulted in 17 hits. A good many of those having to do with library chair races in academic libraries.
As far as library website applications, there might be a marketing tool here for concisely explaining on video each of our services: exam proctoring, ILL, computer classes, ESL classes and etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td922l0NoDQ It's a great satire on librarians attending an ALA conference.
I like the site. I find it entertaining. I really enjoyed the CNN-YouTube Presidential debates amongst the Democrat candidates and more recently the Republican candidates. Those forums brought a different perspective to the 2008 race for the presidency. More real "constituent-based" questions I believe I read somewhere.
In the exploring required for this Discovery Exercise, I returned to the theme of my blog and searched on the terms "library chair". The first search produced 115 hits when I searched generally on those tags. The second search, with that term in a direct sequence, resulted in 17 hits. A good many of those having to do with library chair races in academic libraries.
As far as library website applications, there might be a marketing tool here for concisely explaining on video each of our services: exam proctoring, ILL, computer classes, ESL classes and etc.
Week #8 Post #19
I created an account in Zoho Writer. I then explored the site and created a few test documents. Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet, Project Management and Zoho Planner were of particular interest. I also experimented with the templates for resumes.
The "share, don't attach" concept is interesting, but I don't think very practical in offices or businesses that deal with proprietary information. Applications in education would have more feasibility.
Portability for a given document is great. I thought the graphics on the various tools (bars & buttons), particularly in Zoho Writer, were good.
The "share, don't attach" concept is interesting, but I don't think very practical in offices or businesses that deal with proprietary information. Applications in education would have more feasibility.
Portability for a given document is great. I thought the graphics on the various tools (bars & buttons), particularly in Zoho Writer, were good.
Week #8 Post #18
I took a look around several of the social networking sites. MySpace is visually active, commercialized and youth-orientated. Although FaceBook began as a social networking site for college students, it now states on an opening page that "everyone can use facebook.com". I enjoyed the photos of the animals on dogster.com and catster.com -- particularly the "cat of the week" section on catster. Ratemyspace, an HGTV sponsored site is great for those seeking an overview of the current popular trends in decoration. When I visited the site, it was a little bit more than two weeks out from the Christmas holidays. Thus photos and comments on various home exteriors and interiors that were decorated for the holidays were abundant. I also enjoyed a walk through threadless.com and the various designers stating their thoughts about their clothing designs. It had that final studio presentation feel to it -- sort of edgy, more experimental in a way.
As a professional I understand the social networking concept and the positive side of the argument for people being able to communicate with each other across the city or around the world. Unfortunately not everyone or everything presents us with this ideal. For us in the library these sites present almost a wild frontier quality. We have customers complaining because they can't access their particular social networking site at given times (usually too busy, or initially blocked by our filters). We have other customers objecting to what is displayed on their or another customer's computer monitor (from a social networking site) as being pornographic in content. We read in our professional literature that occasionally governing bodies of libraries in various parts of the country have voted to block the social networking sites from the publicly funded computers. We give classes on Internet security, have various handouts for our customers, and have an area on our website which discusses Internet security.
As a professional I understand the social networking concept and the positive side of the argument for people being able to communicate with each other across the city or around the world. Unfortunately not everyone or everything presents us with this ideal. For us in the library these sites present almost a wild frontier quality. We have customers complaining because they can't access their particular social networking site at given times (usually too busy, or initially blocked by our filters). We have other customers objecting to what is displayed on their or another customer's computer monitor (from a social networking site) as being pornographic in content. We read in our professional literature that occasionally governing bodies of libraries in various parts of the country have voted to block the social networking sites from the publicly funded computers. We give classes on Internet security, have various handouts for our customers, and have an area on our website which discusses Internet security.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Week #7 Post #17
I posted a comment on the "Librarians Rule" blog for Week 6 #15 Library 2.0. The blogger addressed the problems with our interior architecture and space planning as we continue in Library 2.0. We need more areas for group study as well as truly private areas for the solo learner. Sound proofing the walls between Reading Rooms would be a start.
Blogging About Technology--
The advancements in technology have always been amazing to me. Twenty-five years ago, I took a job with the Tandy Corporation in Fort Worth as a writer on their TRS-80 Microcomputer News magazine. This was a pre IBM-compatible [remember that term?] environment with Model Is, Model IIs, Color Computers, Pocket Computers and dot-matrix printers that we thought were just the last word in advanced printing. The Internet was in its infancy. CompuServe and AgriStar were services on the Internet which supplied us with various databases.
The editor of the magazine and I would have some spirited conversations. My editor thought that the Internet was going to revolutionize the library world--in that libraries, as we knew them, would soon be closing. I did not hold with that opinion.
Last month I was up in Fort Worth visiting the Amon Carter and Kimbell Museums on related library business for our branch. We are preparing for the opening of the Pearl Fincher Museum and I volunteered to visit the Carter and Kimbell to gain background and purchase some items in their bookstores which would support our displays on painter Frederick Remington and art from the American West. There I sat outside the Kimbell, waiting for the museum to open at noon and for me to get a quick lunch at their fabulous buffet. Where I was sitting afforded me a great view of downtown Fort Worth and the Tandy Towers were I worked twenty-five years ago. I was on my Blackjack cell phone checking my library webmail account. How wonderful is all this!
My editor and I truly could not see twenty-five years into the future. Libraries are very much still with us. Yes we have changed and evolved. We have absorbed the technology and advanced with it for our customers. There are wrinkles, problems and etc. but how much more information can we provide than twenty-five years ago when our computer technology was so new.
Blogging About Technology--
The advancements in technology have always been amazing to me. Twenty-five years ago, I took a job with the Tandy Corporation in Fort Worth as a writer on their TRS-80 Microcomputer News magazine. This was a pre IBM-compatible [remember that term?] environment with Model Is, Model IIs, Color Computers, Pocket Computers and dot-matrix printers that we thought were just the last word in advanced printing. The Internet was in its infancy. CompuServe and AgriStar were services on the Internet which supplied us with various databases.
The editor of the magazine and I would have some spirited conversations. My editor thought that the Internet was going to revolutionize the library world--in that libraries, as we knew them, would soon be closing. I did not hold with that opinion.
Last month I was up in Fort Worth visiting the Amon Carter and Kimbell Museums on related library business for our branch. We are preparing for the opening of the Pearl Fincher Museum and I volunteered to visit the Carter and Kimbell to gain background and purchase some items in their bookstores which would support our displays on painter Frederick Remington and art from the American West. There I sat outside the Kimbell, waiting for the museum to open at noon and for me to get a quick lunch at their fabulous buffet. Where I was sitting afforded me a great view of downtown Fort Worth and the Tandy Towers were I worked twenty-five years ago. I was on my Blackjack cell phone checking my library webmail account. How wonderful is all this!
My editor and I truly could not see twenty-five years into the future. Libraries are very much still with us. Yes we have changed and evolved. We have absorbed the technology and advanced with it for our customers. There are wrinkles, problems and etc. but how much more information can we provide than twenty-five years ago when our computer technology was so new.
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