Book Droppings

#23 Is this really the end?

leafygreen — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:14:23 +0000

I think my favorite discovery was Del.icio.us. This will be replacing my old bookmark system. And it is just text on the web, so my funky old computer doesn’t impact it’s functionality. I do see myself using podcasts and audiobooks in the future.

All in all, this has been quite an interesting and challenging trip. I would choose to participate again.

#22 Audiobooks

leafygreen — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:13:00 +0000

I didn’t find a link for eAudiobooks directly on the Netlibrary site, so I used the Audiobooks link on the aclibrary site. I was surprised to find a new and popular item like Freakonomics in the eAudiobooks. I thought it was be mostly cheesy and/or public domain stuff. Now if only I could manage to download the software to listen to it (sigh) …

#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

leafygreen — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:12:21 +0000

My frustration level is definitely increasing toward the end of this course, because I have an inadequate computer with a very flaky internet connection. I will try not to take it out on you, Dear Reader. One day, I will have all sorts of fun with things like podcasts and videos.

There are a couple of public radio shows that that I have long been interested in trying out as podcasts, and I was able to use Podcast Alley to find interesting-looking new podcasts. Using Bloglines to subscribe to RSS feeds went okay. But actually downloading is a problem. Sometimes the download just won’t finish (I suppose it will finish when my computer is in a better mood), but sometimes the link will say download, but then it just starts playing with Quicktime. There must be something I am not understanding.

#20 You too can YouTube

leafygreen — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:05:13 +0000

This is an amazing and inspiring performance.

Libraries could spice up their blogs with videos of recent programs or videos supplied by upcoming performers.

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 tools

leafygreen — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:55:06 +0000

I discovered Meebo. At first I thought this would work great for online reference, but then, as I understand it, you can have many people in the room at the same time. So I guess regular IM would work better there, since you would have a separate window for each patron. I think it is going to take me quite a while to figure out what is possible here, especially since my computer has a very flaky internet connection right now. So far I have only received offline messages.

#18 Web-based Apps: ZohoWriter

leafygreen — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:50:53 +0000

Zoho sounds great for library use. When I first read about it, my mind immediately went to the announcement given every day at closing, “please save your document or you will lose your work.” This service can eliminate the need to save on a disc at times. It can also be used as an online backup. It would be so much fun to collaborate on projects with this. I like that you can add comments This makes me want to go collaborate on something!

#17 Playing around with PBWiki

leafygreen — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:29:29 +0000

I had trouble adding my blog. I tried to follow the example, but I could not produce a live link. So I cheated and used the Insert Link button at the top. That worked just fine and seemed a lot easier to me. The result is also prettier. I also easily added to the Favorite Music page.

#16 So what’s in a wiki?

leafygreen — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:28:25 +0000

I’m not sure how the SJCPL site qualifies as a wiki, since apparently only the librarians can edit.

I’m not sure if a wiki is the best format for something like book reviews. Why would you want to edit someone else’s opinion? If the point of a wiki is to be able to easily correct and update, then it should be used more for factual stuff, not opinions. Unfortunately, that is exactly when they are the most dangerous. Wikis would be good for things that need to be frequently updated, like lists of links, and info about classes and other community events, like a community bulletin board.

This is certainly a way to spread the responsibility for a website around. For example, there is a wiki that I am familiar that has outdated links. Instead of just looking and thinking, “Boy, this site sure has some outdated links,” I think I just might go in and update them.

#15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 …

leafygreen — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:15:36 +0000

I think of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 as being about user/patron empowerment and community building. Web 2.0 does a lot of this through peer-to-peer applications.

I feel that the quintessential Library 2.0 application is LibraryThing. I suspect this sort of service can do a better job of reader’s advisory than any single librarian, since I don’t know one who has actually read all of the books. It is all about user input, users helping users. The librarian/programmer just sets it up and stands back and lets it run.

John Blyberg says in his blog that “L2 requires a fundamental change in how we handle ‘authority’.” The internet is unlimited. Users can add as much stuff as they want. Under the old system, the librarian’s job was to filter out the bad stuff and only show you information from “trusted” sources. But there are times when we don’t just want the most trusted sources. What about when what you really want to get to is something on the fringe. What is the role of the librarian under “L2”? The librarian should be able to tell you the level of “trustworthiness,” but the ultimate decision about what information to use should be up to the patron.

#14 Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

leafygreen — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:10:40 +0000

Searching the blog directory brought up results that were about the general topic of learning 2.0. So bloggers were talking about just about anything that could go under that topic. Searching tags gave a lot of posts from people who were apparently taking this same course. Searching posts was more of a mixed bag. Searching either tags or posts gave me posts that actually mentioned learning 2.0. So if you wanted to find out what learning 2.0 is, it might be better to go with tags. If you already know and are looking for something new and exciting, look in the directory.

The most popular blogs are mostly pretty geeky. I guess that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.