Method 12

My experience with Web 2.0 has been very informative. It was such that all these words, chat, cloud computing, Flickr, tags and others were said and it had no meaning whatever to me. Now at least I know what they are and what I can use them for. They have so much application and benefit and these applications make it easier for people to communicate. Of all the applications those that I thought would be useful to the library are cloud computing, RSS, Flickr, YouTube, tagging, chat, wiki, and podcasting. Seven out of 11 is pretty good for web 2.0.

There is nothing like storage space when it comes to cloud computing, no disc, no restrictions and as long as you have a computer wherever you are your stored documents are accessible. Times were when to access a document you had to wait to either go to the office or retrieve it from a disc that you could not find. Even when you found the disc you got the message “word cannot open this document”. Being able to store documents and accessing them is a library concept. It can be used for library presentations and also easy sharing when it comes to updating wikis.

In the month that I have used RSS feed I finally found my internet browsing more productive. I have found lots of blogs that serve my interest and many topics that I would otherwise not have found by just going to my favorite web pages. In libraries there is a wealth of information that would be available to librarians when they RSS and which they can use to help patrons. I think the internet opens up better with RSS feeds.

The old cliché of a picture says a thousand words is what makes flickr very applicable in libraries. Displays would come alive in Flickr. Library tours can now be shared and events that were held can be published in photos to bring awareness and to promote other events. No need for catalogs or albums

If ever there was an easier way of classification without having to follow rules and regulations we have finally found it in Tagging. Simple everyday English that allows individuals find what they are searching for. The best part is everyone can add tags. Tagging therefore makes it rich and very current, there is no need for revised editions to accommodate changes in language usage.

Youtube and Podcasting provide another channel to present the library as a “living thing”. The possibilities for these are endless both for teaching and instruction. Everything from teaching about the library catalog to presenting a library tour can be made to come alive.

Social networking was not quite what I envisage for libraries. Most people want exciting things to do when they make friends and in doing research nobody finds the librarian that exciting. On the other hand a library presence in a very popular space does not hurt anything. It sure will create awareness and would probably draw someone's attention.

Web 2.0 was worth exploring I have new blogs to follow, I am using keyboard shortcuts to read my blogs and I am ready to try out new applications. I did my first chat at the reference desk and it was not intimidating.

Method 11

There is an endless possibility for podcasting in libraries. Library instruction can benefit greatly from podcasting. Even a library channel to promote library programs and to save those programs so patrons who miss them can download for later viewing or listening.

There seems to be little or no cost to libraries and as long as the service is available patrons would make use of it.

method 10

I never understood how Wikis worked until I did this exercise and I must admit that it is a very wonderful tool for collaboration. It sure serves as a very easy way to communicate and to bring ideas together. Being able to update information that would otherwise have to wait for a meeting gives freedom to all.

All the talk about Wikipedia being update sounded to me like how is this possible. It is possible that its success is due in part to the fact that everyone is able to chip in and make the essays rich. Librarians may be able to duplicate this type of encyclopedia in libraries but would patrons make use of it. It comes back to my earlier comment on the social networking where there seem to be little or no comment from users on the posts made. In this instance is there evidence that libraries that have Wikis get useful updates from the users? I did not see much of it .

Method 9

One of the best things that happened to internet is chat. Before I continue I would like to say that I am happy to have this clarification about names. I have always wondered the difference between chat IM, SMS. Apparently none, thank you. If there is any of the web 2.0 applications that I would vote for, it is chat. Chat creates a new way to enhance connections between patrons and libraries thus making library resources more accessible. Unlike phone you can almost always tell when someone is online so you can take advantage of their presence. This a great resource for delivering library services to patrons.

As a new librarian in my present job I am yet to try my hands at the chat service that we have. It is a bit scary because I feel you have to be a bit more faster than in person and copying and pasting links would be a bit cumbersome,with practice however it might come a little more easily.

You might always be sure someone is online before you chat but unless people update their status you will find either long absences of response or no response at all. Status update is necessary for chat to be effective and for confidence to be created in the system. What some organizations have done is to have a policy of making sure that during chats there is no long absences by putting time limits on the response. You either respond within the time limit or they cut you off. In this era of multi tasking this is bound to happen.

With all the chat services and Meebo providing a location to have all your chats integrated chat is just an awesome application.

Method 8

Social networking as the name implies is for socialization. The Library has always been a place for socialization. However in this instance I am not sure that social networking works. In Facebook and Myspace you invite people to be your friends and to me the library does not quite seem like a place to be friends with. The concept of the library being on Facebook to people is more of the building than a group of librarians who want to help. Besides most people come to the library only when they need information after they seek the information and are satisfied they would only come back if they need some more information. They are not likely to build a relationship with the library. In looking at the libraries that had presence on Facebook most of them had very few friends and a lot of the post had very few comments if any.

It is all good if the library has a presence after all it is free advertising but what good is it if there is no feed back from the target audience.

I like Myspace page of the of the Texas tech University better than the Facebook. In Myspace you were allowed to be creative so you could really personalized the page. I don't know how many students there are in Texas tech but there were only 113 friends . Facebook provided the capability of statistics but there were not much stats. Even a Youtube video on the page had zero comments. A discussion of football had two comments which goes to show you that the library is probably not seen as a friend in terms of social networking.

I think that since you have to invite people to your site and they can refuse your invitation it is going to be a daunting task for libraries to gain as many friends as individuals.

Method 7

Tagging makes indexing looks so old. It is really an easy way to do subject headings since even everyday language can be used to tag. My personal experience with tagging was on Facebook when I wondered how some of the pictures had names and others didn't. Well in order not to show my ignorance I never had to ask anyone. This lesson has been my way of discovering that simple process. One of the first things I did was to go to Facebook and using the tags I found all the pictures that my family and friends had of me on Facebook and I thought this is waaay cool.

Web 2.0 is the commonly used tag in the Continuing Education and Consulting Staff’s Delicious page. guess that is pretty much obvious. I am yet to figure out what the numbers actually mean. With this tool library materials can be accessed easily and that is what libraries aim to do. The strict vocabulary of the past where individuals had to figure out what subject terms to use was even difficult for librarians. As of now I think tagging in the web 2.0 application is a real library tool.

Its ease is underscored by its currency. What I mean is that even though it is so easy to use the fact that it can be current without waiting for revisions makes it even better. I actually saw that the Red Cross and Haiti have been added to the tags so people can search for relief efforts.

Way to go!!!

Method 6

For some of us YouTube bothers on the absurd and unusual. There is a bit of exaggeration to everything on YouTube. My search on YouTube was for instructional videos on how to teach BI I think the idea of video incorporated in library instruction would go a long way to stimulate interest in library instruction. I remember seeing a few clips of students enacting the research process on BYU website and I thought that was a very good idea. We can make some of these clips to reemphasize some of the points we make in Library instruction.

I found this tutorial "YouTube as your Video Tutorial Library"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr6jBUmuKiQ

and I liked it because it was just what I needed to able to post a link into this blog.

Creating your own video library would create another resource to aid with library instruction

and students will be able to go to that resource and watch.

Method 5

Flickcr sounds exciting but for libraries I don't see how advantageous this is with all the privacy rules. Something jumps to mind however about a discussion we had about creating a virtual library tour. We have pictures of the library all ready to go but we have to wait on the webmaster to put this together. Flickr might just be a way out . People are familiar with it and with proper tags others might even run into it thus creating more exposure for the library.

Sometimes there just might be one little thing that you are not getting and I am yet to figure it out

I have clicked on the icon for photos and think I have successfully uploaded my picture. Unfortunately it is not on the page but here is the link

http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

I have had fun doing the second part of this assignment just seeing what one can do with their pictures and no longer having to look for storage space or even paying to print these pictures.

As I worked on this assignment I found out one of the uses the library can make of this feature. One of my colleagues wanted some pictures for her Libguides so I took those pictures as well and now she can go to Flickr and use them. That at least tells me that with time there would be enough uses for this.

Method 4

I am familiar with RSS feed since I have been using Bloglines for sometime. I keep it for the websites that I don't visit always just to keep up with them. There is something about home pages that I like and I would want to visit the homepage of my favorite websites; little snippets of information that is not included in feeds, pictures and even videos that you miss when you RSS.

Google reader is however more extensive and I see myself using it though I would still return to those home pages . Navigating your subscriptions in Google reader is a bit difficult to do, with bloglines your subscription is right there on the left and easy to navigate perhaps there is something I am not doing right.

Just managed to figure out how to copy links to feed I am impressed with myself yeee!!!

http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http%3A%2F%2Fchronicle.com%2Fnews%2Frss.xml

http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http%3A%2F%2Frss.allrecipes.com%2F2%2F3.xml

to http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2FProduct%2FRSS.asp%3FSubmit%3DRSSDailyDeals

method 3

Cloud computing gives one the idea that we will never know how far the internet is going to take us. It really has endless possibilities. With privacy aside if you have ever been in a situation where you are unable to access a document for a presentation because your storage device is incompatible with the computers available then you will embrace cloud computing. My first question was how useful it will be for the library but as I read I realized that librarianship has stayed afloat because we have always embrace new technology and made use of it . This provides a wonderful opportunity to teach. let's not forget that not everyone is computer savvy and that there will be people who would need this kind of knowledge. Our students would be grateful to know that there is a cloud out there for their data and that assignments would no longer be lost.

Fun

This is certainly going to be fun. After my last two post I searched in vain for my post then I realized that I had not chosen the publish post. I did click on publish post now I don't know what to expect. That is the fun part the new experiences and the experiments that prove to be successful.

Methods 1&2

The concept of blogging is exciting and I am happy to be learning how to do it because it opens up new channels of communicating. However my questions is do we really reach our patrons through this channel or it is just a way for us as librarians to disseminate our ideas?

Cultural shock

It has been more than eight years since I came to this country and yet I continue to be amazed at how different the places in this country are. My travel first brought me to Athens Ohio and I was baffled by the tall beautiful buildings, the number of cars ( that belonged to college kids, I bought my first car when I was forty) the vegetation and even the landscaped lawns.