Last but not Least..

So I've finally come to the end of the 2.0 experience...it took awhile, but I sure am glad I had the chance to dabble in some of the new and exciting resources hitting the web. I am a bit of a technology-phobe so it was a nice chance to break out of my typical avoidance and dive into some really interesting options that are available. I feel there are great options for integrating some of these technologies into BPL and look forward to seeing what developes in the coming months. Thank you Terzah for the chance to learn about all this great stuff in a very straightforward, and well put together way!

Not so del.icio.ous to me

I'm really trying to find some value in this for me, but it just really isn't my thing. I set up an account and added a bookmark to the BPL web page w/ a couple of "tags". I can definitely understand how individuals such as "John" would think it was the "Next Big Thing" b/c he has need of it and there is a great opportunity for social networking. For me though I am just not that into it. I am glad to know a bit more about what this is all about though even if I don't plan on utilizing it on a daily basis.

Library Thing

WoW! There is a LOT going on on this site! I think it has many cool features to offer those who really love reading and networking with others who have similar reading tastes. I found it fairly easy to navigate and was able to add 5 books to my catalog I was adding mostly the food\nutrtion books I enjoy and it was interesting b/c for 3 out of 4 of the titles there was no one else so I chose "The Alchemist" and found over 9,000 people had that book in their library plus comments which made it a much more interesting listing. There is definately lots to explore on this sight and I plan to do some more. Although I don't think I would personally get too into this, I know there are many out there who would and for them it is a fantstic resource. I will definately mention this site to patrons!


http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=alisab&shelf=list

Overdrive Insights

I was very glad that there was a lesson included in 2.0 on the overdrive system. While at the circ desk or shelving I have had several patrons inquire about this service and I have sent them on to the R.A. desk or Reference because I had never used the system myself. I am not a huge fan of audio books and while I have an MP3 player for music I find I don't use it all that often. However, I did find Overdrive really fabulous for those who do enjoy audio books and "classical-ish" music. I found the catalogue very easy to browse and enjoyed the ratings/descriptions provided for each title. I found it interesting that we offer such a small selection of music, however, and I was curious if someday DVDs might be able to be downloaded as well, I'm sure patrons would LOVE that! I am very pleased that now when a patron asks about this service I will be better prepared to advise them.

Google Docs

This really wasn't one of my favorite exercises mostly b/c I am not currently in need of a tool like this to generate spreadsheets , presentations, ect., however, if I were there are several valuable aspects to this resource. I utilized the program to recreate my Missing Pieces letter it took me a little while to track down where things were and how it worked but all in all it was pretty straight forward. What I found especially interesting was the aspect of sharing with others and the ability to collaborate. I know I would have enjoyed having this in college when I was working on group presentations, how easy it would be to all be able to sit at home and combine virtual forces! So while I don't personally plan to use this resource much at this point I imagine it offers a great deal to others.

Yeah it worked!

I was so excited that I was actually able to post the video clip! It took me a couple tries but it works which is SUPER exciting b/c I was worried that it would be much more complicated than it actually was. I've definately watched YouTube videos before yet I had never actually navigated through the site myself. I found it really neat that you could see what other people were watching at the time and I also found it very interesting what the top favorites and most discussed videos were. A new feature that was apparently recently added was YouTube greeting cards (basically you can send a video clip as a card to another person) I thought that was a great idea. There is definately a collasal amount of info on YouTube, some of greater value than others but I think it is a fabulous resource none the less. I think webvideo could be a wonderful resource for the library to explore...We can put those new video camaras to work !

I Am SO going to get this done!

So I have now taken a look through the world of podcasts which places me on the down hill slope for completion of the 2.0 program (I've certainly taken my time!) I'm not sure how frequently I personally will use podcasts but it is amazing what a collective there is out there who are. In the challenge to discover some interesting library related podcasts I discovered what a diverse and large offering there is in this form of info. I ran into an interesting challenge trying to seek out library sites in podcastalley b/c I wasn't sure what genre it would fall under after searching "General", "Games and Hobbies" and "Education" I finally found some good options when I searched "Arts". I love that I can just link the address right into my bloglines account, very easy and efficient!

Time to Begin Again

So it has been quite awhile since my last post, but I'm ready to get going again and finish this journey through the 2.0 lesson plan! I experienced some bizarre difficulties when attempting to publish my blogline so I never quite finished lesson #4. Fortunately a little time away seems to have brought some clarity and all came much easier this time. My blogline address is :http://www.bloglines.com/public/alisab. For further insights into lesson #4 please see previous post. Now I'm off to cruise throught the last few lessons!

"RSS" Really "simple" syndication

I must admit at first I was a wee bit intimidated by this particular lesson. The "discovery resources" left me slightly bewildered by their familiarity with a lingo and a purpose that I really don't relate to. "Really Simple" just did not fit the bill for my initial reactions towards this lesson. I think the initial hesitancy was due to the fact that I do not check in with about "80 websites" daily, nor had I really ever considered doing so. However, now that I have about 12 feeds going and I have marinated on the values of this technology I feel it is pretty FANTASTICALLY AWESOME! I struggled the most while trying to track down sites, which often yielded no "rss" capabilities and I became concerned how I could possibly "fill-in" 10+ "feeds"being the novice that I am. This is when I discovered the wonderful "200 Favorites" listed on the bloglines website. Through this tiny beacon of simplicity I found myself tremendously satisfied with the initial struggles I encountered comprehending the new techno-jargon I was previously feeling bogged down by. Through this method one can immediately subscribe to a variety of fascinating sites w/out going through all of the trouble of actually tracking them down as I had attempted for my first 6 or 7 sites. Now I find I feel very fortunate to have a blogline b/c it provides me with an extended network of interest that is available in one stop without having to navigate repeatedly through the web. As a personal user I am growing increasingly fond of this virtual culmination of my interests, though I am not quite sure in what ways it would be of use to the library as a whole. However, I feel that there are tremendous advantages for staff as well as patrons understanding and utilizing feed based technologies as they really save a great deal of time and encourage keeping a very large network of interest in the most readily available and accessible way.

Wiki Reflections

In my perusing of several library relevant wikis I found the use of wiki-technology used in a variety of very useful and interesting ways. I was particularly fond of the Book Lover's Wiki which provided rated reviews on a wide range of books that I found very useful and interesting. The example of the ALA New Orleans Wiki was also very useful in demonstrating the advantages wiki-technology can offer a large group that may or may not be in a close physical proximity to one another in that it allows a virtual space where everyone can contribute and distrubute valuable information w/out having to resort to a multitude of emails. Overall, I find wikis to be a very useful resource for libraries, however, when using them as a source of "true" information such as wikipedia offers I feel caution should be used as there are no requirements on these sites to authenticate the source for the information.

Lesson #1

This first lesson plan provide some very interesting general info. concerning how the term"Web 2.0" has developed over time and how the internet is being reshaped as a result of the new technologies. The focus of "2.0" seems to be geared toward the user who is allowed much greater liberty to add to, alter, and participate directly in internet applications. Libraries are also discovering the virtues of these technologies and the benefits they can offer to patrons, thus many libraries are begining to intergrate the various technologies that appear to have useful application in a library setting. I look forward to discovering in what ways these new technologies can be applied in the coming lessons.

Who, What, Where, and Why

My name is Alisa Burns and I currently work at the FANTASTIC Boulder Public Library in Boulder, CO. This blog is my attempt at working with some of the new technologies "2.0" has to offer in order to better serve library patrons as well as increase my own some what limited computer know how. I will be utilizing this blog to document my progress/ comments as I move through the 10 step program to discover just what "web 2.0" is and it's potential applications in a libarary setting. Stay tuned...