# 23

This has been a long process. Most of it has proven quite useful, with a few exceptions. My favorite tools mentioned in this program are LibraryThing and Pandora. I found it very useful to learn more about Wikis and Blogs. I had the most fun creating my Meez. Some of the other tools I hope to take some more time to go back and explore. I think that the biggest problem with this program is that it could have been more effective if it were shorter. It's easy to become bogged down when the assignments never seem to end! Also, it was frustrating when the technology didn't work the way it should, either because of a block on the computer or because of a problem with the tool itself.

Overall, I'm pleased that I had the chance to look at these tools. When patrons ask for help with them I will be knowledgable. Some of them I will use myself both in my personal and professional life.

Overdrive

I love that we subscribe to Overdrive. Our users are becoming more technology savvy which makes this is the future in audiobooks. I look forward to our acquiring more titles. The book I had in mind was "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen since I'm leading a book discussion about this book next week. I was a little disappointed to find that the only Jane Austen book available through Overdrive is "Pride and Prejudice!" It will also be nice when these downloadable audiobooks are compatible with the ipod.

Podcasts

I found myself a little frustrated with podcast.net. Some of my searches yielded no results. Many podcasts include a large variety of subjects and I don't have the time to sort through all of them. I guess if you use podcasts a lot you become loyal to specific podcasts that you visit and re-visit. Perhaps people don't use the search feature very often? I ended up finding a podcast for "Bands Under the Radar" which sounded very exciting (it inluded some of my favorite bands and also some I hadn't heard about) but the last entry was from almost a year ago. Oh well...

Del.icio.us

I personally find this site frustrating. I can see it's use, but it is too cluttered for me. I look at the page and am overwhelmed. It's like a massive department store rather than a small specialty store. I prefer the small specialty stores. Once I was able to focus and find something that I might be interested in, I was able to be directed by the tags. This proved helpful. There are some wonderful things to be found on del.icio.us. I'm just not a "diamond in the rough" shopper.

You Tube

I own a guinea pig named Charlotte. "Our three Guinea pigs fighting for a cucumber" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q85Tq3C6Bcc was originally found by my mom on the MSNBC webpage. By the time I got to the page, it was no longer there. But I found it on You Tube! And it is sooooo adorable. (Check it out for yourself.) I do love this site. It's easily searchable and watchable!

Web 2.0 Awards List

I've used Pandora pretty extensively already. What a fantastic way to find new music based on what you already know you like! I have several stations and I will let them play on my laptop as background music. I also recently began using You Tube from time to time. This can be a lot of fun... and highly addictive! "Lulu" wasn't what I expected. Because it was under the category of "books" I was expecting reviews, etc. It's more for people looking to publish, buy or sell. It's a nice site for those looking to do any of these! Ameteur writers and photographers will find a good friend in this site.

Online Productivity

Here's the document I created using Google Docs: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dhpk9xsh_0gv55b3&hl=en I can see a real future in this! It is easily shared, it has a clean look, and it has more features than I expected. At this point I don't see a lot of people abandoning Microsoft Office for this because it doesn't have nearly as many features, but I'll be watching this tool!

Maryland Libraries Sandbox

This Wiki seemed quite disorganized. Not user friendly at all! I won't go back to visit it for several reasons: 1. I don't think it's organized enough to find anything 2. It has no particular theme

Wikis

I love the way that St. Joseph County Public Library has used a Wiki. What an easy way to find out about events in your community! It's very organized and user friendly. I can see myself using Princeton's Book Lovers Wiki. The Teen Team is currently using a Wiki that Cathey created to post about books that we might use for Summer Reading next year. It's worked out very well so far because of it's interactive nature.

Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and theFuture of Libraries

Article #1: "Away From the Icebergs:" A few thoughts: I believe that Calvert Library already is taking steps in the direction to which Rick Anderson refers. We are very aware of the information shift and we're adapting accordingly. I agree that the services that we provide should, in an ideal world, need little training. We should always be aware of the databases, etc. out on the market and try to provide the most user-friendly products. But, no matter how easy the products are to use, patrons will always need to be directed to them. We will always be training in some fashion. Until we have more money to throw at on-line resources, we need to keep the "just in case" collection. Without that collection, we would still have holes in what we have to offer the customers.

Article #2: "Into a New World of Librarianship:" I think that Michael Stephens makes a lot of sense. He brings up several good points that were not mentioned in the previous article. He recognizes that the library should be a staple in the community and offer programs, etc. accordingly. I like that he realizes that "technolust" is not a good thing. Also, he brings up a point that we should always remember as librarians: "This librarian does not create policies and procedures that impede users’ access to the library."

Technorati

To be quite frank, I don't see myself using this tool. I'm glad that I've been exposed to it in case patrons have questions about it, but It seems like a lot to wade through. Yes, the same search in "posts," "tags," and the "directory" yield slightly different results, but there seems to be a lot of overlap. This holds true for results within each individual search. I was suprised to see a big difference between the topics on top favorited blog, top searches and top blogs. I may do my own search for the "top searches" term.

Rollyo

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Rollyo is an interesting concept. I don't see myself using it often... I have my "favorites" established already. If you have a very develped Rollyo account, perhaps it can save you some time.