Thing 24: Whew, I made it!

Wow! Thing 24, I wondered if I would get to you in time! After a frustrating start in the fall, I am relieved to have made it to the end of the program. Although I was doing the program at home, I still found it challenging to find the time, and yes, motivation, to keep on track. There are lots of distractions at home, although I could throw in a load of laundry before I started. I also did not feel limited by time if I wanted to spend more time exploring a more challenging or really fun Thing (usually the latter in my case...all those pesky rabbit holes, don't you know!)

I am glad to know about wikis, google reader and delicious. My most favourite Thing would have been LibraryThing, except that I was already a member, so it wasn't new to me. I am looking forward to trying out wikis in the future when planning or collaborating with others. I also came across some interesting reader advisory sites that will help with work, and some blogs that I now subscribe to out of personal interest. Some of the activities only skimmed the surface, but it is good to know that these Things are out there. It doesn't feel so dark anymore (a reference to an earlier comment about coming from the Dark Ages of Technology).

On the whole, I found the 25 Things program to be varied, informative and entertaining. There was a lot of information presented and much hard work invested in putting it together. It was great to know that support was always available if needed, but it was also a good opportunity to explore these resources independently. I really wanted to do as much of it on my own as possible, and I feel a sense of accomplishment and success as a result.

I have a couple of suggestions from a newbie ( or now less-newbie) viewpoint. I found the initial start-up a little confusing and overwhelming: all those passwords and user names! It might have been beneficial to someone like me to have done an initial organized sign-up session with some more experienced guidance, perhaps as a group in the computer lab? Also, I was often caught off-guard by the number of sub-activities that would be listed for some of the individual
Things. This made it challenging to allot enough time for that particular thing. Thank goodness for catch-up weeks (very wise)! It definitely took me a lot longer than the projected time requirement.

I am very glad to have had the opportunity to participate in the program. I learned so much, and feel less intimidated about exploring new things on the Internet. If there is another discovery program offered in the future, I would definitely want to participate!

Thanks, Elaine, for providing an enriching learning experience, and for including me in this staff development program. The view from the top of this little mountain is great!

Thing 23: Netlibrary is my friend!

Yay! Yippee! A Thing that I already have a user name and password for and some experience, too! Woo-hoo! I like it when something goes more smoothly than I expected.

I have used Netlibrary several times. Because I sometimes work in the branches and the infodesks, I wanted to try out the Netlibrary so I could better understand the patron experience. Of course, I am also a patron and have found that Netlibrary has made time spent painting my deck, travelling in the car or washing windows (now, don't go supposing that I do a lot of any of those...) go much more quickly (I like the e-audiobooks). I have downloaded fiction and non-fiction titles, and have recommended this library service to many dog-walking acquaintances. I am now exploring e-books and the WPL e-reader, and look forward to someday soon exploring the iPad. If libraries are going to be investing in these trends, I want to be knowledgeable and helpful. It's great that it is also entertaining and informative for me.

The only downside is that there are far more non-fiction titles than fiction. Great for researching from the comfort of your own home in the middle of the night, but not quite so satisfying from an entertainment point of view.

Thing 22: Podcasts

I have come across podcasts before and listened to on-line lectures and presentations. I found the directories not as user-friendly as I had hoped, especially if one is feeling short of time. Some of the websites to search for library-related podcasts I found to be boring and off-putting. I think I am getting too accustomed to the flash of many of the other web experiences I have had lately.

I found RSS feeds to a couple of interesting podcasts. One is "English as a Second Language Podcasts", which has podcasts that go over specific situational vocabulary (eg. applying for a passport), and discusses some current cultural trends and their associated vocab, such as vampires, humour, etc. Another one I like is "Lost: Smoke Monsters and You", which would appeal to any die-hard Lost fans (like moi).

I liked the links to what other libraries are doing with podcasts. There is a lot of potential in terms of storytelling (a Beatrice podcast, anyone?), promoting library programs and activities (podcasts of author nights? guest speakers? no seat limits!), reviews, anything where audio has an edge. A very useful tool waiting to be used by the savvy!

Thing 21: You tube, I tube, we all tube for ...you get the idea...

I have enjoyed YouTube for years. It was first made known to me when Youngest Daughter had some friends who made their own mini-movie over March Break and they posted it on YouTube to share with friends and family. It was so cool, especially since they were still in elementary school.

YouTube is definitely one of those rabbit hole experiences. You can look at one thing, that leads to another, which reminds you of something else and then you see something interesting in the side panel...you can see how "you can check out any time you wish, but you can never leave"...or at least not until much time has passed. Again, the addiction potential is high, or at least the novelty factor. I did rediscover a couple of fave Queen videos and Monty Python skits.

As for the library-related videos, I like the "IT person with IT Librarian with Librarian" video. It may seem intimidating to paper-oriented staff, but it speaks to future library staffing needs. The next generation of librarians will have always been wired in. Two options I would like to explore further are riding library carts throughout the building, and drive-thru window service. Oh, and staff training on "How to Be a Library Ninja" (although perhaps not quite this violent!)

Here are a couple of fun videos I found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUdmdodSiSg

And for those who would dare to try to steal library materials, beware! (They should have had a ninja on staff--no problem ever again!) Admit it, you didn't think Borrower Services could be so risky, did you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyLTqBARFt8

Hiii-yah!!!

Thing 20: PBWiki fun

This was a fun exercise, and so easy to add to. I must admit, the part I liked best was getting some new ideas for good places to eat! Nothing worse than finally springing for a meal out, especially for a special occasion, and being disappointed in the food.

The many uses of Wikis!

Thing 19: Wiki-wonderful

What an eye-opener for me! Until I did the wiki discovery activities, I had been operating with a minimal understanding of just what wikis and Wikipedia were all about. My first introduction to Wikipedia was through Eldest Daughter and her experiences in elementary and high school. Wikipedia was one of those unreliable resources that was never to be used as a reference or citation in a project or paper. It was all pop culture driven, unmonitored and unworthy, or so it seemed from the teacher point of view. Personally, I have used Wikipedia only when I want a quick, very basic explanation of an unfamiliar concept or term. I could always search for more reliable or in-depth information if necessary.

I found the Jimmy Wales video particularly informative. I appreciated his explanation of the neutrality policy and the self-monitoring software and volunteer moderating that is involved. Yes, some people want to punk the system, but most users would appear to be intelligent and/or devoted participants. For example, when the Canadian men's hockey team won the 2010 gold medal, someone had posted an entry under Sid Crosby's accomplishments that after scoring the winning goal, a group of wild bears flooded the ice and ate him! Obviously not true, and even kinda funny, but it was quickly caught and changed. Don't mess with Sid the Kid, even in Wikipedia!

As always, I found the common craft video very informative. I had no idea what wikis were and how they can be used. So much more efficient than multiple e-mails and cc's. This could be used for so many things: library interactions with patrons, and patrons with other patrons with the library as common ground. We could use it to let patrons post book recommendations, mini-reviews, organize book clubs, post an ever-evolving wish-list, etc. Much better ideas are generated when there is collaboration and brain-storming, which something that wikis allow.

Thing 17: Library 2.0

The whole idea of Library 2.0 seems to me to be part of the basic mission of libraries in general: to share up-to-date resources and information with the public it serves. Libraries have always been about sharing access, whether it be to a novel, an encyclopedia, a phone directory, the Internet, or information in general.

This is a time of being constantly plugged-in for many people. The concept of privacy is pretty loose for those who want to twitter, facebook and announce their every thought and move to the world at large. The idea of being cut off seems intolerable. Those of the more conservative mind-set still want to be in the loop via e-mail and keep in mind privacy settings when exploring other forms of contact. Libraries will need to be able to strike a balance between those who gobble up new technologies and interfaces as fast as they are released, and those who just don't want to be left behind; between those who need no assistance at all from the Librarian 2.0 (except a time extension!) and those who need to learn the basics of e-mail and the Internet.

Libraries need to be user-friendly now more than ever. As one of the articles said, we can't train everyone. We need to eliminate barriers to self discovery so that we can focus on assisting those who are just venturing into the brave new world of the ether. The Librarian 2.0 will be able to reach out in both directions by offering easy access to the one group and instruction and encouragement to the other.

Thing 16: Technorati-ca

This was an exercise that sent me down the rabbit hole a couple of times. I was exploring, okay? and then I would get distracted by an interesting-sounding title, and that would lead to another and the next thing I knew...an hour went by. I learned lots about iPad's release date in Canada (April, but with what apps?), read a bunch about Sony eReaders and public domain books available on Google Books, and how prices compare to Chapters on-line real books and e-books...you see how it goes? How scary that curiosity can suck me down an ether vortex that I need a ringing phone or biological need to pull me out of?

I may be skimming the surface of the world of technology, but am I ever learning a lot about myself. Come to think of it, I used to spend an inordinate amount of time on research when I was working on a paper, with not as much to show for it as one would expect. I would get distracted by interesting sounding articles and read those while researching something else. The down side or the up side, of doing these exercises at home, depending on my goals for the day. On the up side, I discovered the Vampire Librarian via technorati (useful for reader advisory). I found that technorati presented options that were more geared to my expectations, but I wouldn't want to use it for serious non-recreational searching. Ditto Google blog search. Lots of extra junk that had nothing to do with what I was looking for, which meant too much sifting required.

Thing 15 is del.icio.us!

How cool is this!

We have multiple PCs in the house, with different operating systems, and family members who are in different locations with access to non-domicile computers. The option to have bookmarks stored on-line is verrrry handy. I was glad to see del.icio.us has privacy options as well as the ability to creep...er, search... other peoples bookmarks. I found a couple useful articles to pass on to family and friends.

The Web 2.0 entry in Wikipedia was informative, and I wish I had come across it at the beginning of our Library 2.0 sessions. It gave me a broader understanding of the growth of 2.0 concepts in a nutshell, and how from there it was very natural and necessary for libraries to adapt. A term I keep coming across is "cybrarian". Very useful creatures to have on staff in a library full of bookworms!

I know I will be exploring del.icio.us further in my free time, and will be discussing its merits with others.