Thing 23

23 Things was fun and informative learning project. While I did have experience in areas such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Wikis; I had never regularly maintained a blog, used RSS, or Google Tools beyond the basic searches and Gmail. My favorite task was exploring RSS. I really, really enjoy how that connects to Google Reader making my blog addiction easy to keep up with. This is a tool that I will be spending more time with. As far as doing something like this in the future, I say enthusiastically yes! I would be on board with any activity that keeps us up to date with the various Web 2.0 toys that keep cropping up. I think that some sort of technology based, after hours event for teens would be amazing. It could be arranged like some sort of scavenger hunt where they would have to explore different tools and collect data. I think employees and patrons alike benefit from this type of training.

Online Reader Tools

On Goodreads, I recommended The Shadow of the Wind to Joe Patron.

On the Library Newsletters, I subscribed to the following:
LFPL E-News
Fiction Bestsellers
New Fiction

I will probably be signing up for more. I have a lot of patrons at Shively who are very dedicated to certain authors. They seem to know ages in advance when someone has a new release. While I may not be able to play quite the same game, these news letters will at least keep me more well informed than I am right now.

Because I love literary thrillers, I was pretty happy to see a section just for those on Novelist. There were several recommendations that I have already read, but many more that I plan on reading in the future (Sherlockian by Graham Moore, for example). Tools like Novelist are amazingly helpful. No one reads everything. I read some history and biography, and that is about it for me and nonfiction. I am pretty specific about the type of books that I enjoy. With tools like Novelist, you can make a recommendation for anyone regardless of what you really enjoy reading. I also use the website "Fantastic Fiction". I enjoy that most author pages list the author's recommendations for similar books or authors.

Things 18 and 19

This week we collaborated on Wikis. I added my comments to the Favorite Books page (The Shadow of the Wind, The Wind in the Willows, and Jane Eyre), and the Favorite Vacation Spot page (Skagen, Denmark).  I have gotten to use a Wiki on a couple of occasions. When finishing my MSLS from UK, many of the professors would employ a wiki to help facilitate conversation and the sharing of ideas. In my Children's literature class, we were expected to keep our own pages on the wiki as a reading journal. Each week we would read various award winners, type a summary, and share our thoughts. In our computer science class, the wiki was employed as more of a "crash support" center. As we would try our various projects (and some parts would inevitably fail), we could share code and correct amongst ourselves...and offer support when things went really wrong.

The video Wikis in Plain English  was absolutely right--there is no mass collaboration via email. It is just a mess. As far as comparing wikis, I suppose if you build it, they will come. I do think that people are collaborative by nature, and we enjoy sharing ideas with like-minded individuals. Judging by the Wookieepedia and the like, wikis just streamline the process. I really enjoyed "Library Success"--it was easily to browse by topic, and the information appeared to be pretty top notch.

So let's apply this to our mission statement:
"The Library's mission is to provide the people of Louisville and Jefferson County with the broadest possible access to knowledge, ideas and information, and to support them in their pursuit of learning."
A broad access to knowledge, ideas, and information can be found in wikis. If the wiki were employed as some sort of epic book group, a comment/suggestion forum, a classroom forum for people to discuss what they learned in our various educational endeavors, or any other number of collaborative based projects; we would be advancing our mission statement.  

Things 15, 16, and 17

Thing #15: You Tube
 The Joy of Books 

YouTube is a pretty entertaining application. I have used it for a few constructive things over the years; such as learning how to cast on knitting needles or hearing the appropriate pronunciation of a word in another language. However, most of the time I use it for purely entertainment purposes. This is where I watch my movie previews and geek out to travel topics. I have a great time "researching" places that I would like to visit. I had no idea that YouTube EDU existed! The amount of high quality, educational videos offered is staggering. I saw lectures from Harvard, Yale, and MIT. I also did a bit of searching for language lessons. I would really like to keep practicing French, but I do not want to pay for lessons. YouTube EDU will be an excellent venue for independent study.

Thing #16: OneClick Digital
Since we are now using OneClick Digital for our digital audio needs instead of NetLibrary, I completed this portion using the new service.
This is the official first day of summer, and summer means relaxing outside with some literary fluff. So I recommend my favorite silly mystery: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris. This book is perfect to sit in the sun and listen to with a large glass of sweet tea (she is a southern author, after all). Here are some stastics on this title:
Author: Charlaine Harris
Duration:  8.5 Hours
Release date: March 11th, 2008
Language: English
Book 2 of 13 in the Southern Vampire Series
Rating: Four stars out of five


Thing #17: Podcasting
 I do not have much experience with podcasting, but after sampling several offerings I can see that it can be entertaining and educational. After browsing through several recommended podcasts (Merriam-Webster's word of today was amative, by the way), I decided to do a bit of my own exploring. I found Amateur Traveler, Chocolate & Zucchini's favorite cooking podcasts, and Copenhagencast. These three sites had many excellent podcasts; I especially enjoyed my Danish lessons on Copenhagencast. The narration was top notch, the information was very useful, and the topics were kept interested. While I did end up enjoying these Podcasts, I really can't see myself keeping up with them regularly. Of course, it is good to know what is available for those days that nothing good is playing on the radio.

RSS--Thing #13

As a rather avid blog reader, I can not believe that I have lived without using RSS thus far. Instead, my "Favorites" folder is over run with countless blogs that I visit regularly. It does not take much, I have told myself, to visit these blogs daily for updates. Little did I know, that I could go to one place for all of my updates. Now instead of reading individual blogs over coffee in the morning, I will just plug into my Google Reader. RSS + Google Reader, you have changed me.

So far I have subscribed to several different things:
La Tartine Gourmande
Seersucker and a Collar
The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking
You Grow Girl

I will stop for now, but there will be many more later. I will definitely be employing these tools much more in the future.

Thing #12

I find that Learning Express Library (LearningExpressLibrary.com) is a hidden gem. Test prep is in huge demand, and many of our test prep books go missing. When we can't find what we need on the shelves, I turn to this database for our patrons. We get a lot of requests of citizenship test preparation, GED prep, and ACT/SAT prep with our high school kids. I love that we can link them to free, current test prep materials.

We should be telling more people about MasterFILE Premier provided by EBSCOhost. Libraries can only carry so many magazine subscriptions, as they tend to be quite costly to maintain. Magazines, however, are always in high demand. I enjoy referring people to this database when they request a magazine that we do not carry.

As far as the one research tool we should keep, all databases powered by EBSCOhost. I find these databases to be singularly valuable for a few reasons:
1. The depth of information provided--from popular magazines to very specific journals.
2. The breadth of the information provided--you can retrieve information from pretty distant past to very present. It is updated all the time to make sure the most current information is available.
3. Most articles are offered in full text.
4. Most importantly, it is VERY user friendly.

LFPL's Research Tools

Answers to research questions:

10b) Using the Courier Journal Database, provided by Proquest, I discovered that Betty Jean McMichael's obituary was published on March 18th, 2008. She had four sons.

10c)
Telos: You can track down the journal Telos using EBSCOhost. I found it easiest to just click on the "publications" tab, then type in the journal name. The journal is not available in full text, but you can access content lists, article information, and abstracts.

British Journal for the History of Philosophy: You can access full text articles for this journal using EBSCOhost. There is; however, an 18 month delay due to publisher restrictions.

Clinical Medicine and Research: Full text of this journal is also available using EBSCOhost. The date range is 2004-Present.

11a) Vanguard Target Retirement 2020: Manager: Duane F. Kelly (2006-Present)
Stewardship Grade: A
Overall Morningstar Rating: Four Stars

11b) Yes. Here is the link.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=35200868&site=ehost-live

11c) In zip code 402-, you will find approximately 132 coffee shops (cafes, tea houses, etc). In 40202, the biggest competitor is Nice Cream & Coffee on 332 W. Broadway. Java Brewing Co, Hillbilly Tea, and Dunkin'Donuts are close competitors in this area as well. If you use Business ReferenceUSA, you will be able to find the lists you need.

Flickr and Photosharing

I do love Flickr. Of all the fun toys and applications of Web 2.0, Flickr might be my favorite. Not only do I love the uploading and sharing of my own photos (Oh--the ease of it all!), I also just love browsing through other people's photos. I most commonly turn to Flickr before I travel. It is one thing to look at maps and guide books. It is so much more fun to see photos of the places you would like to go--not only is it inspiring, but it does also help with your sense of direction in exploring a new city. Love. Love. Love. I also love to look at decorating ideas from the homes of other people. I love Danish and Scandinavian design most of all, but it is difficult in the United States to find good examples of fantastic Danish homes. Flickr links me to my addiction. When I just need some cheering up, I Flickr photos of pets. I have seen everything from adorable puppies, spoiled snakes, and even an indulged hedgehog--these chase away the blues with ease.
Most of the photo sharing questions that I answer deal mostly with Facebook, but I look forward to spreading the good word of Flickr.

Social Networking and Me

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn...Oh My! We get a staggering number of questions each day about social networking. What does this setting mean? How can I post pictures? Who is this random person following me on Twitter? My experience with Twitter is quite minuscule. I created an account (to seem the "hip" librarian), but I find that I have a severe dislike of the word limitation. I also have a pretty intense dislike for the form of communication. You could be following some amazing folks--like your favorite author (which I do). However, you do not get to see a whole lot of what goes on in the conversations. It seems very one sided to me since we can not really see the original post that someone is responding to, you really only get to experience part of the conversation. How much can I get from "@MmePince I love blueberries too LOL". Perhaps I just need to get further into Twitter to fully enjoy the service. I do enjoy seeing immediate responses to world news (like the great posts about the world's tiniest vertebrate), I can't see using it as an actual tool for searching. Many people are using it for brief book reviews, which are fun to read and handy to have especially if you haven't read the title before, and I could see it as a tool for reader's advisory.
Responding to patron's questions about Facebook is a constant battle to stay informed about all the changes that the service seems to be making these days. What is the timeline feature? I hate the timeline feature, can I change it back? I no longer can save pictures from Facebook like I use to, what do I do now? Pretty much unless you are a Facebook user, you will not know where to start. For example, these days there is a "download" button that you must use to save a picture. You can no longer right click and save.
Social networking is more of a love/hate relationship on my behalf. Yes, it is great to keep up with old friends on Facebook. However, the online social obligation often frustrates me. Facebook is an all encompassing social media with chat, email, wall posts, etc all at your finger tips  rather than having to track down each individual service. Twitter and I have to talk more, and maybe some day we will come to appreciate each other. I do have to say though, I may refuse to upgrade to whatever social media dethrones Facebook.