Wikis - Thing #16

Wikipedia is a tool I've been using for quite awhile--introduced to it by my son a year or so ago. So Wikis are not a foreign concept.

The Common Craft videos are all terrific. I've loved all of them. They could make just about anything seem simple and easy to understand.

The OCL Wikipedia entry is one of the best I've read. Love the photos of the library and the discussion of the art pieces.

Since I went to the class on Sensitivity of Seniors yesterday, I checked out the Services for Older Adults on the Library Services wiki. Enjoyed the blog from a librarian in Australia who addresses senior and boomer issues. Also article from Chicago about seniors, loneliness and the library--a universal topic.

Why doesn't OCL have a blog listed on the public library blog section?

Library 2.0 - Thing #15

Hey, I'm not a librarian, but I know a good library when I see it! I hope that OCL will continue to meet the challenge of Web 2.0. Michael Stephens article about the new world of librarianship was down to earth and made a lot of sense. Keep up, but don't go overboard. I loved the terms "technolust" and "techno-worship." Continuous monitoring and conversations with our patrons is the only way to go. We have to be realistic in budgeting and purchasing. After all, it is the Ocean County taxpayer who is providing the funds for our growth.

I keep going back to that conversation with a "senior lady" who insisted that we as a library are doomed. Kindle will do us in. There are two extremes at work here--those of us who love to curl up with a book and those of us who are information junkees. The library is the place for both groups.

Technorati - Thing #14

I found myself going in circles on this site. I kept coming back to the "Library Ladies" videos. It's election night in NC and IN so I thought I'd check out some political blogs. "Doh! The Technorati Monster escaped again!" was the error message I got. Must be lots of people out there looking up political commentary. I've been reading Craig Crawford's blog and I might add Arianna Huffington. Time is the issue. So much to read; so little time!

Del.icio.us - Thing #13

I was hoping for chocolate!

It's just not to my taste--am I too old for this? If I were in a corporate, educational, not-for-profit situation (or, for that matter, a library!), I might be really excited about this. But I'm afraid this is TMI for me. I'm not doing serious research in my mundane life. Had I had this tool 20 years ago when I was teaching, wow!

NetLibrary and WorldCat - Thing #12

Setting up the NetLibrary account was a piece of cake. Finding a book to look at wasn't hard. But moving around the "book" was maddening. I'm used to Adobe Acrobat. The book looked like Adobe Acrobat, but it took me forever to realize that you turn the page by clicking in the upper right hand corner, not at the bottom of the page as in Acrobat. I could easily show a patron how to use this--I'm waiting for my first opportunity in the Lab!

WorldCat was fun to play with. Most of the items I searched for were part of the OCL system, but I had fun with my old friend, Swedish mystery writer, Henning Mankell. When I looked up Faceless Killers in large print, I found the nearest copy to be 10,200 miles away in Griffith, Australia!

Does our ILL Department use WorldCat? Will there be a time when the Circ Department does their own ILL work? Hmmmmmm?

Library Thing - Thing #11

Library Thing rocks! I got carried away. I'm into books on Afghanistan and Swedish mystery writer Henning Mankell. Of course, Jane Austen, Jodi Picoult, and Janet Evanovich are favorites. I kept adding books and lost track of time. Two hours later it was time to stop. The reviews were pretty much what I expected--except for Henning Mankell whose reviews were in German and Spanish!

I plan to use the Library Thing recommendations in the future and I love being able to keep a record of books I've read.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/half-a-cup

Technology Blogging - Thing #10

Yikes, I'm overwhelmed! My brain is totally fried by what's out there. How can anyone keep up with all the stuff? Reading the 20 Things to Watch bought up these random thoughts (on the stuff I could comprehend):

What's a Mobile Crackberry? Google sent me to a site for Blackberry addicts--how sad. Let's talk!
Spent this weekend in a car with a GPS--that woman's voice was so annoying and she got us lost!
Microblogging looks like a fun tool for extended families--an electronic family reunion.
A very smug elderly lady came into the library recently to tell us we'd never see her again. Her son was getting her a Kindle. Oh to curl up with a book by the fire with a glass of wine!
DVD's are making way for streaming video. I haven't gotten all our family videos on DVD yet!

David Pogue's blog had a terrific article, Turn Those Bytes Into Books. I've been working for years on a family cookbook complete with family photos. I was so proud when we put it on CD for our family members. Now I'm going to check out these new ideas.

Then I hit the technology blog and checked out a review of Skype's phone service. Our son gave us a webcam and Skype account because he and his wife were working in South Africa for 6 weeks. We just love it. We have "skyped" friends in London, Sweden, Slovakia, Missouri and, of course, Johannesburg. We only use the phone service when we are trying to contact someone.

I want to be a lifelong learner, but I can understand how too much information can turn you into a Luddite!