Thing 17: Del.i what?

What is this Del.ici.ous? I am not sure, but I think it is another place to manage Internet stuff through Bookmarking. For research this could be helpful to have one spot to where all my favorite websites are organized and the tags give me extra related links. I can also see what websites other people like and save myself time hunting out the best websites for any area of interest. For instance the one of the Hotlist sites is for free software for Windows...407 people currently have it bookmarked through Del.icio.us.

Walking Woods

Thing 18: Tecnorati

Wow...Tecnorati is a bit overwhelming to this nature girl! I feel I am entering a universe and, although I know the language (English, the scientific language of the world), the environment is totally alien! This is gonna take some time to get comfortable with and I don't know when I will be spending enough time on the net to ever get comfortable. Perhaps this Library 2.0 is a good way to get an introduction without having to actually move to the new universe.

Ultimately, I don't want to be close minded to new tech stuff, I think Tecnorati seems like a cool place to manage blogs that are of interest to me. As a researcher this may become very useful once I get the hang of it!

Thing 16: MySpace

I am really glad I don't have to create a MySpace account. The network seems great for 10-25 year old people; a very creative place with loads of possibilities for individual personalities. MySpace also seems like a great way to meet people and share ideas, I just don't have any interest in this format for myself.

As for libraries, MySpace appears to be an interesting option for drawing in a younger crowd of patrons. Also, there are a lot of options with downloading pictures and videos, posting upcoming events and other library highlights in a timely manner.

Thing 15: OSN good or bad?

Online Social Networks are apparently a crucial part of teenagers lives. For young people OSN seem to be the current form of communication and avenue of personal expression in the virtual world. My youngest daughter (born 1988) started having a MySpace network during her high school years. It is no wonder she had no interest in decorating her bedroom, that's too slow! She has artwork and music and poetry all over the place on her MySpace, and that is constantly changing. This is the way of school and home life for many teens today.

Educationally, my daughter really depends on IM (instant messaging) and Text messaging to communicate with her friends. Many nights when she had questions about homework the best source was through IM's. Especially since her friends were online doing their homework and chatting at the same time. School homework hotlines or teacher emails would be of no help at 10 p.m! I don't consider her a techy at all, but she needs these "tools" to fit in to the modern world. The controversy about allowing OSN or IM's at school makes sense only in terms of Internet "bullies" and increased risks of online viruses. Most high school students have study blocks and are allowed to go to the library to work, so why no let them communicate with friends about classwork during this time...it doesn't usually make any noise.

Overall, OSNs seem to be the way of the present and the older generation (myself included) need to become more familiar with the good and bad about it. Technological tools are coming at the public faster and faster, the challenge is to try and stay informed so that we can have more intelligent conversations with our kids/students/co-workers.

Thing 14: RA wiki

The Readers Advisory wiki was easy to navigate and edit, however I found it somewhat lacking in visual appeal. As stated in previous blog (Thing 13), the "staff picks" would be easier to search if they had topic headings such as: Biography, Science Fiction, Mystery, Crime fiction. Perhaps pictures could be inserted for headings if not for each book.

This wiki seems like a great outreach tool for the community through a common interest in books. When the public has access to more diverse tools for learning and connecting to other people without having to leave their homes then the VBPL is doing a great service. Of course it is important to get the word out about this service through advertising or Internet links.

Thing 13: Thoughts on Wikis

I have always liked searching wikis for information. Even though the info can not always be accurate, they can sometimes be the most up to date source. I really liked the format of SJCPL's wiki because the front page is easy to navigate and the the headings are great for book searches. I also like how most areas of interest also have staff pics. This can be very useful for patrons looking for a new title.

I am really glad to see VBPL has a wiki with the Readers Advisory. Hopefully this page will become more visual in the future, and staff picks should have genre headings for ease of search. This can be a great resource to offer staff and the public!

Thing 12: IM @VBPL

IM and VR at our library seems like a great idea. This may appeal to teenagers and also people who are unable to get to the library in person. It is wonderful when the public library can become more user friendly and accessible to a widening range of people. My concerns are how to staff this position; will we have the resources to properly staff the VR role in the beginning when IM reference is getting off the ground and the response may be limited? Can we create a job position for Virtual Librarians?

My first hand experience in our library has seen the IM person sitting and waiting for a question to come up while other staff are busy trying to cover for this shortage. At other times the IM staff member is inundated with questions and cannot respond fast enough. It seems the location of where this staff member is working is crucial so that they can be able to easily access information in the library. Or perhaps a cubicle can be created with ready reference materials close at hand. I suppose all this will depend on the demand for Virtual Librarians.

Thing 11: IM and the library

I really like the idea of IM at the library, ie;Virtual Reference Service. However, there are many pitfalls to getting started, such as adequate staffing, and user friendly environments for those patrons interested in the service. Good training is crucial, if the staff member is not comfortable or familiar with the IM environment then they could deter users from returning.

VR also seems like a great way to appeal to teenagers, but they are very selective with their time and communication channels. Of course if we are going to "do their homework for them" then they may get to really like our stodgy librarian IM environment!

Additionally, we have patrons who do like using reference by phone and similar patrons might really like the immediacy of IM reference. As a library we should be willing to meet the needs of a wide variety learning styles. Some patrons may only be comfortable with VR and if our system can be properly staffed then this would be a great service.

Thing 10 Blog and Feed searches

This was ok, however it is a bit frustrating that our library doesn't get any hits when I searched on Topix and Syndic8, but I guess that is what we're in the process of changing. The sites seemed ok except for info overload. Users need to be pretty specific of what they are looking for. I would like to try Feedster when it is up and running.

Thing 9: RSS feeds

RSS and newsreaders are so cool. I used to have subscriptions to sites in my email account and they would pile up w/o me reading them. Newsreaders allow me to receive up to date links to my favorite sites outside my email. This is also a great way get up to date info by accessing library sites all in one place.

I would like to see our patrons have RSS feeds for interesting sites on new books and technologies offered at the library. These should be easily accessible from our website. That way when they log into their Reader the links are there and they don't have to deal with our difficult city website. Right now it is very hard to even find the Library link from the city site, let alone navigate any further.

Thing 5: Thoughts on Library 2.0

Library 2.0 seems like a very exciting view of the future. I am happy to be learning and playing with some of the "tools". See, I am working on that 71/2 habit! At first all this stuff is very overwhelming, too many new phrases like "mashups" RSS and "tagging", it's like learning a new language. But then when I was a student I found that each area of study had it's lingo, so this isn't any different. The best thing is to just jump in and try some stuff. This is my second "blog" and I think it's getting fun!
One thing I heard around the workplace is how we are not given enough choices with Library 2.0. Perhaps this is to make it easier to learn however, if I want to have a Facebook account, then why do I have to use MySpace? The whole point of this is explore and see what suits me, right?

71/2 lifelong habits

The easiest habit for me is the first one, "begin with the end in mind". I have always enjoyed setting new goals and affirming them in writing. I like to put pictures into my journal and write down some detailed ideas about the goal. I also sometimes like to bounce my ideas off friends and family members. It's kind of like getting some feedback from the universe. If the majority of responses are good then I move ahead with further planning.

The other habit I really like is viewing "problems as challenges"! I know this sounds strange but when I get a goal in mind I like dealing with the problems that inevitably arise. The problems or challenges only seem to stimulate more commitment to the goal. However, I will say that when family members are not behind me on a goal it makes it extremely had to keep the energy going.

The two hardest habits for me are the sixth and the 7 1/2. The sixth is tough because even though I am comfortable with technology, I am also a nature girl. Because of the screen light I don't like spending long periods of time at the computer, and it seems that technology and computers go hand in hand. As for habit 71/2, I often take things too seriously and have to remind myself to relax and have fun! Playing keeps us young and allows for a better creative flow.