Wrap-up

Much to my surprise, I did enjoy this learning journey! I must confess to moving more quickly through the last half of the 23 Things than I would have liked, so I have promised myself to go back and explore more deeply in the upcoming weeks. Available time is the biggest hindrance I have with this type of project and have done much of it at home. I am a contemplative learner and also one who isn't intuitive when it comes to all things Internet. However, when pushed, things like this help me make great personal strides which I do appreciate in the long run. I would sign on for more experiences like this again :-)
Happy Techno Trails, Everybody!

Amy

Audiobooks

I have had a good deal of exposure to this technology as have many librarians beginning when HCPL became part of the consortium subscribing to Overdrive a couple of years ago. My personal preference is to hold and read a book, but I have used Overdrive and downloaded a handful of books. If we had to lose one of our audiobook subscription databases, I am pleased that it wasn't Overdrive. Patrons find it easy to use and, if they have difficulty, the online help through the site is top notch!

Podcasts

I love NPR and got carried away listening to some of the many book and author related podcasts they offer. In my Bloglines account I subscribed to the podcasts NPR: Books. It was easy to do with just a few clicks, and now I'll be more knowledgeable about the new books patrons come in the library asking for.

MMM hearts Pat McHenry You Tube

An NC friend created Mad Miss Maddie to lampoon local North Carolina politics. What a hoot! She and I were in theater productions together in high school. Watching her takes me back!

These are a few of my favorite things !

I really love Library Thing and Google Docs! They are my favorites so far! I've created a list of books I've loved or books I want to read in Library Thing and find it to be a great site for that. And I've already gushed about Google Docs in a previous post. I am glad to have discovered these "Things", so , thanks Maryland 23 Things!

Great Google Docs!

Well, ding dang and hot dog!!! This is one of my new favorites of the 23 Things! This makes sharing documents and files between systems soooooo EASY! And before you think "Wow! Amy must be more networked than I thought!" relax. To start, I just put some of the things I use both at home and at work on Google Docs instead of emailing myself an attachment or saving stuff to my zip drive to carry back and forth. And since I am working on the 23 Things at home and at work, my tracking log was the 1st Google Doc entry. I wish I had explored this first!

Play time!

It's time to go for now but, like a child, I look forward to more fun in the sandbox!

It's a wiki wonderland!

Library 2.0 in 15 Minutes a Day was the first page that I explored. Wow! Would that it only took me 15 minutes a day! But, perhaps after the exposure to the 23 things that I am in the midst of now, some day that will be a reasonable goal. However, I bookmarked the site because I like many of the concise explanations of different Library 2.0 technologies.
The SJCPL Subject Guides created by the St. Joseph County Public Library system were really interesting! How innovative it was to take all library services and resources and organize them by subject in a wiki! I wonder how their library customers like it and how frequently they use it first when searching the library! In conjunction to that library wiki, I next went to The Bull Run Library wiki which we have identified as “a public library wiki.” It is very different from what the St. Joseph County Public Library system developed! And not developed by that library or even anyone on staff. In fact, it states that “this wiki is not sponsored by nor associated with the library system, it is maintained by one library patron.” There is a potential library volunteer that needs to be grabbed to work with that library system! That being said, I didn’t find the wiki itself extremely worthwhile, but given direction by the library, who knows? Here is the link http://bullrunlibrary.pbwiki.com/

Perspectives on 2.0 and the future of libraries

Rick Anderson states in his article “Away from the ‘Icebergs’” that “as a Web 2.0 reality continues to emerge and develop, our patrons will expect access to everything…” My experience is that they already do. They expect that we should have it all including that obscure book published in 1985. I think that one of the library’s biggest challenges will be to change public perception of what a library is and what we can provide both instantly and over time. And a second challenge will be to continue to serve those behind the 2.0 curve even as we move forward. You know them – they are the ones looking for that obscure book published in 1985 who still want to hold that book in their hands as they read it and don’t mind waiting for it either.

Technorati 'n tags

Wow! Everything blogged and more! I found it really easy to spend lots of time just seeing what people are talking about (or more literally blogging about) but I look at blogs as more entertainment than anything else. I still haven't found a useful application as far as my day to day work goes. I do see how valuable tags can be - the best way to easily find what you are looking for.