ruth's post

WEEK 9 THING 23

2007-09-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

As my grandson says to me, "Yippee, Nana". So many young people have blogs and now I have one too!!!!!
My favorite sites were Avatar, Flickr, LibraryThing, and YouTube.
I found Rollyo, Technorati and Del.icio.us to be more difficult but, through the kindness of my coworkers, I got help with the more complex steps of putting some of the site information into my blog.
The exercises were entertaining for sure, but mostly I furthered my professional knowledge in a big way. Thank you BCPL for giving me the opportunity to be exposed to what's out there in the world of new technological advances. I can now speak with more confidence to customers who are interested in these tools. Libraries are certainly relying less and less on print material. My future years working here will be easier knowing how to navigate electronically for information.

WEEK 9 THING 22

2007-09-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

I learned a lot from browsing sites about e-books. Overdrive.com helped me to give better customer service when people come to the library asking for directions on how to download e titles from our BCPL collection.
The most amazing thing about Project Gutenberg was how many books were available in foreign languages. I even found a book titled "Hinemoa", translator Henry Fletcher. This particular book is written in MAORI, the language of the native people of Australia!!!

WEEK 9 THING 21

2007-09-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

From my reading, I learned that a Podcast is a "non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. The podcast's method of delivery is often done automatically through RSS." I-tunes by Apple is a downloadable application that plays songs on an i-pod.
However, users do not need an i-pod for podcasts since most of them are downloadable audio files.
I did listen to 3 search tools for locating podcasts. Podcast.net was interesting since it featured talk radio shows. The show I chose from podcastalley.com was called "Nobody Likes Onions" and was really foolish and silly. My favorite search tool was yahoo podcast because I love listening to NPR episodes.
Libraries could utilize podcasts for book talks, stories for children, staff training, etc.

WEEK 9 THING 20

2007-09-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Out of all the 100 million video views on YouTube, I chose to upload and share the video called Kittens' First Steps----This video is a perfect example of how libraries are broadening their abilities to bring information to people. Print information on newborn kittens would never do justice to this visualization.!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WdmIdgBj6A

When the democratic candidates debated on television a few weeks ago, YouTube made it possible for people all over the world to see the debate, and even play reruns of it if they so desired.

WEEK 8 THING 19

2007-09-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Now this was loads of fun. If I could have, I would have sat at the computer all day looking at these amazing Web 2.0 awards list. The most wonderful site for me was under Games-Arcaplay-Puzzles-Quick Pic. This game is like a version of Concentration. It is very addictive and good for people who have those Senior moments.

WEEK 8 THING 18

2007-09-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

I looked at Zoho writer and Google docs. Both of these tools make it unnecessary to use floppy discs. They can be used for creating and editing documents, and then the work can be saved online. Party lists are great because you will always have the names ,addresses, and phone numbers saved for future reference.

WEEK 7 THING 17

2007-09-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

Sandbox wikis are really good tools for librarians. I would want to set up an area of the website at work for favorite authors, and I would love to share conversations and viewpoints with other librarians.
If I had the time at home, my personal preference would be for favorite recipes and have people all over the world chime in with their ideas.

WEEK 7 THING 16

2007-09-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

From my reading, I see that WIKI is a Hawaiian phrase used to indicate something fast--wiki wiki. Thus , a wiki is a "quick to build, easy-to-edit website on which all information can be edited, changed, or rewritten by the users of the site". The largest wiki in the world is Wikipedia and I know that I have gone to this site many times for a quick explanation if a customer asks about a subject or word definition.
In most cases teachers will not let students use Wikipedia as an information source since so many of the entries are subjective and influenced by a person's opinion. I just read a newspaper article in the Baltimore Sun where a new site called WikiScanner can check where changes in editing an article can be traced to the computer where the person made the changes.
The article deals with corporate revisions where the writer made his company look more favorable; for example, someone at EXXON MOBIL made changes to downplay the environmental damage the Valdez oil spill made in Alaska.
For libraries, I see many positives of using wikis. Applications of wikis would be good for books, films, music and library instruction resources, especially when introducing new data bases.

WEEK 6 THING 15

2007-08-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

Library 2.0
The idea of a traditional library going back for centuries, Library 1.0, is now being replaced with the concept of Library 2.0. This service includes online services which encourages feedback and participation by the user. Library users who are technologically oriented will be empowered by the new tools available in getting information. Those who are less computer savvy may still be coming into the library to ask for assistance. I feel that there is so much more information available that we need Library 2.0 to keep up with constant changes.
Web 2.0
The article I read by Rick Anderson called "Away from the Icebergs" clarified for me the need to move ahead and keep up with upcoming technology. NO, not everyone needs a building to visit to gain vital information. In the future we can have "libraries" of information without the concrete buildings we now erect in systemwide libraries. It may not be necessary to have book "collections" in the traditional sense. Instead of asking library users come to us, we need to bring our services to patrons even if it is in the virtual way. Most of all we need to
educate our patrons , to train them so that access to information will be readily available online if that becomes the user's "preferred environment". Wow, what big changes are ahead!!!!!

WEEK 6 THING 14

2007-08-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

Technorati is a company which tracks fifty million blogs and has new and improved indexing. This site is a good way to get out there in the world of blogging and communicate with lots of other people.
Top favorite blogs are Youtube, My Space, and Facebook .

Baby Play Room

2007-08-10T08:43:00.001-07:00

Baby Play Room
Originally uploaded by lbrygrl

This new addition to the Pikesville Library has added hours of joy to a lot of little people in the community.

Week 6, Thing 13

2007-08-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

I listened to the audio introduction to Del.icio.us and found that it was a good social bookmarking site. I searched a while on the site and found YALSA nominations for the 2007 teens' top ten books. Now I want to try to make a tag so that I can share reading lists with others who have the same interest in making an annotated list of new Young Adult Fiction.

WEEK 5 THING 12

2007-07-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

I can see where Rollyo combines similar web sites by topic so you don't need to keep searching one by one for each web site.
For my Rollyo custom search I would like to have these sites included:
epicurious.com
foodnetwork.com
recipesource.com
allrecipes.com
With help, I was able to transfer my information from Rollyo onto my blog.

WEEK 5 THING 11

2007-07-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

My all time favorite job in the library is to recommend books to the customers.
LibraryThing is so helpful with readalike titles and also tags similar reading material.
I started to catalog my favorite books with two titles --these books have magnetic characters who find themselves in difficult situations. I call them real page turners!

WEEK 5 THING 10

2007-07-10T12:01:00.001-07:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by brownr83

So far this was the most amazing exercise for me. I did an online image generator by going to bighugelabs.com and then chose mosaic maker. As everyone can see, I want to be reminded of Lombard St., Painted Ladies, the Wharf, and of course, San Francisco Bay area. Seeing these pictures brings me back to memories of the "real" thing.

I've been tagged!!!

2007-07-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Shhh tagged me. Rules of the game are posted before facts are listed. At the end of the exercise, I will tag 8 new people and post their names. Then I will go to their blogs and leave a comment letting them know they have been tagged. I will ask them to read my blog.

Eight little known facts about me:
1. I am an only child.
2. When I was in grade school I wanted to be a ballerina and broke my middle toe while practicing.
3. I like to listen to country music.
4. I love pizza so much, I could eat it every day.
5. My favorite color is turquoise.
6. My favorite fiction reads are psychological thrillers.
7. My favorite non-fiction reads are memoirs.
8. I love going to flea markets.

I am tagging Sports and Technology Fan, ScrappinErin, Jim's Maryland 23 Things Blog – Neato!, memoir of an amnesiac, Library LunaSea, Library Lunacy, Wonder Twin Power, Thing From the Blog.

WEEK 4, THING 9

2007-06-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

When I went to Merlin I saw that I could do an Avatar, and it was loads of fun to create.

WEEK 4 THING 7 and 8

2007-06-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still fascinated by my husband's IPod. He can download so many different songs from so many CD's that he has hours and hours of listening pleasure. The amount of memory this little contraption has is amazing.

The RSS, "Really Simple Syndication", was cool.
I subscribed to the websites with subjects I enjoy reading about.
This way I save time and additional searching.
My choices were: Shifted librarians, About literature, Awn's headline news, Bloglines news, NYT book report, USA today.com books, Washington Post book reviews, Library bites, and Unshelved.
I'm looking forward to visiting these sources and be free of advertising.

WEEK 3 THING 6

2007-06-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

A mashup is a website or application that combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience

View Trivop
The self-proclaimed first videoguide for hotels doesn’t disappoint. Locate hotels on this Google Maps + Hotel mashup and view user-created videos of the hotels. This gives a much better view of a prospective hotel before visiting.
Currently looks like they only have hotels in England and France, but with their recruiting efforts one can only assume Trivop will becoming to a region near you.
WEEK 3 THING 7
This mashup fits the bill when we want to see how the hotel looks before we arrive at our destination. If we go to England next summer, this will be a great tool for us.

WEEK 3 THING 5

2007-06-21T12:02:00.001-07:00

No Time for Sleep
Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk

Traveling is one of the best things my husband and I have been doing over the past ten years. I will never forget the beauty of San Francisco. Coit Tower is the white tower in the back of this nighttime scene. This is just one of the memories that will always stay with me.

2007-06-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

WEEK 2
THINGS2, 3, 4

Yeah, I set up my blog. Then I wrote my first entry and voila! There it was in print.
I registered my blog and accept responsibility for my new challenge on the Web.
My biggest challenge will be to adapt what I learn in 2.o to practical use with the customers I serve.

CHANGE

2007-06-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

If ever there was a true saying it is "The only constant in life is change".
This is so true for me since I have been working in the library for 20 years and feel like a dinosaur who can even remember the days of card catalogs and Book Review Digest. Everything was in print. Over the years more and more technology has been introduced and I am thankful to be part of the "new world". I am determined to add to my vocabulary such sites as wiki, technorati, rollyo, and other names foreign to me.