Reflection - Method 12

I really enjoyed the Dozen Ways to Two-Step program. The lessons were short, full of useful information, and thought provoking. Some of my favorite discoveries were wikis, Facebook, Flickr, and Zoho. My biggest surprises were probably Zoho and Facebook. I really like saving money with Zoho by not having to buy all that special and expensive software and hardware (MS Office, scan drives) needed for school and/or work. Facebook is also a nice surprise, with it I have communicated with friends, family, and co-workers and discussed subjects that are both work and non-work related. I really enjoyed this program so don’t make any changes. Learning while having fun is great, so if another program like this were offered in the future then I would definitely participate.

Podcasts - Method 11

Podcasts, like other subjects in Library 2.0, are another useful tool for libraries to consider. It would be a great way for the library to reach preschools and daycares who lack the ability to come to the library for our story times. It could also be used for educating people on our services and how to use them. While I think podcasts would be great for reading books in short segments, not just little kid books for story time but large and popular chapter books (Twilight, the Shack, Lost Symbol), there are probably limits on what can be done based on copyright laws.

Wiki - Method 10

I was taught that "wikis" were NEVER to be used as an information source, although that has supposedly changed. Wikipedia has turned out to be a good reference to find out what book is next in a series like Hank the Cowdog.
The use of wiki’s for organizations is interesting and has the potential to be very useful. The library could use wikis to share information about special book collections, events or programs, book reviews, set agendas for up coming meetings, etc. This would also be great for those planned family get-to-gathers, like Thanksgiving, were everyone spends all their free time on the phone trying to connect with others about everything that is being planned for the holiday. The wiki would eliminate much of this hassle.

IM - Method 9

We have IM at my library but it is for employee-to-employee use only. There are several good library uses for the IM. My worry is that people using IM generally expect instant gratification, never realizing that others may also have requests at the same time, and even with a person hired to deal solely with IM requests there could still be extended delays in a reply thus making the patrons experience a frustrating one. Nor does today’s economy promote the hiring of more staff. Personally, I prefer reference questions done through e-mail instead of IM. Overall, I do think that IM is another useful tool for libraries that should be further explored.

FaceBook/MySpace - Method 8

I really enjoyed reading the articles and viewing the various web pages, they were very informative. The articles helped clear up some worries (and confirm others) about Social Networking. Hopefully our library will use some of this modern tech to reach our patrons. I believe it would really help bring in some of the younger people who think that the library is just a place were older people go because they have nothing better to do.
I did create a personal FaceBook account, mainly to view the pictures of my son’s wedding, and found it surprising at the number of people I know with an account. FB has been a good experience so far and is a cheep and economical (no stamps, paper trash, phone bills, matching up free time, etc.) way to keep in touch with family and friends, although I wish there was a lot more ability to personalize your page like you can with MySpace. I’ll probably keep up with my page until I get bored with it, which will probably be only a month or two from now. Until then, I might as well have some fun while keeping the important information to myself.

Delicious/LibraryThing – Methods 7

Social bookmarking is a great tool that should be incorporated by more libraries. The ability to mark what is liked or not liked by an individual and then share it (if preferred) with others is neat thing. The use of these sites would help to inform the public of what the library contains inside its walls and the many and varied services it provides. I would like to have a partnership between public libraries and the schools. This would help with various required reading lists, information sources, reading contests, etc. Seeing what others have read, written about, or like to read could help students in finding books they might be interested in reading. To combine books with socializing would be great for the kids and help promote reading.
Personally, I like the thought of having a place (like Delicious) to save my bookmarks where I can access them if I am at work, home, or just out bee-bopping around. LibrayThing will be great for cataloging my personal book library, wonder if it works with music?

Titanic: Past and Present

Titanic: Past and Present