Thing 22 managing info

Today I was overwhelemd. With a long vacation, two national conferences.. I haven't checked my bloglines in 45 days. Well, it was over 2,000 entries. I decided to just wipe it clean and not read them.... I also realized that I can't let it go- I subscribe to a lto of blogs, podcasts etc. and I really need to organize them better and to narrow them down to a core list. That is my resolution this week- to organize my blogline a bit better.

Also, I have great support through my colleagues with web 2.0 stuff, so I hope they will continue sharing sites, networks, etc. with me and vice versa.

Really, keeping up with your aggregator I found is the best way to stay informed, and to LISTEN... lsiten to the radio, to the television etc. that is where I often find interesting programs.... like the Internet history series on the Discovery channel, 60 minutes, listening to NYT podcasts... listening is great, especially for me as I have 2 hours to kill every day while riding the bus.

Thing 21 Ning

I just joined Ning and Ttwitter. I don't get the whole microblogging thing. Telling people that you jsut drank a bottle of water, got done with a meeting, etc. Sure I like knowing if you are at work, at home, at a conference.. overarching things, but I don't need to live your life via twitter... I jsut don't get the appeal. maybe it is because I am nto a big phone talker- I have friends who will tell each other everything they did via the phone, so now you do it real time via twitter.

I do like how with nonprofits the world of social networking can be a GREAT thing. For example with OCLC's open worldcat- if someone actually buys an item through amazon from that program's site a portion of the $$ goes back to the library they designate (or so they claim- I don't know of any library that has received $$ from the program yet). GoodSearch with nonprofits can join and then have people use the search engine and they get $$ from every one's search with that search engine. There is a lot of potential on the web for nonprofits.

Thing 20 Facebook

I have had a facebook account for a while now... it has been great! I have reconnected with high school friends taht drifted apart during college and now we have dinner once a month or so... Facebook's creator claims he wants Facebook to connect the world- he has lofty goals, and I wish him much luck. Facebook and LinkedIn have been great for me to connect with people personally and professionally. Though I think there is a fine line of privacy here that many don't think about- how much to share with the world or even with the vendors... that information might never go away. That is something I am trying to be more aware of- my lasting imprint in the online world and how vast it is!!!

MINITEX just created an organization page... not sure how we will use it, just to create announcements on our events etc. but it would be great if we could create widgets for MTX programs.

Feel free to friend me in Facebook :) I <3 library staff!

Thing 19 podcasts

Thanks for promoting our On the Road with MINITEX Podcasts. As a heads up I am hoping to podcast with Nancy Pearl, so you might see that in a month or so. If anyone has suggestions for interviewees, topics or ways to improve our podcast, please let me know- we are still learning and trying it out. I would liek to use garageband to create podcasts in the future because they allow .mp4 format output which allows pictures to be linked to the podcast, so you could see an image of who I was interviewing etc. Right now I use Audacity, which is free, and great in that regard and easy to use, but sin't as fancy as other software.

Podcasts I subscribe to are: grammar girl, library geeks, slate magazine, U's TEL vodcasts, LIBVIBE (GREAT for lirbary news around the country), palinet, sirsidynx, ACRL, OCLC connections and conference connections. I have so many, but onyl a coupld are daily or even weekly. it is great to download and listen to on my way to work on the bus. I can be entertained, use my dead time between work and time more effectivly and be more informed for my job.

Thing 18 You Tube

I love the link that you all posted that lists all the video sites: http://web2.econsultant.com/videos-hosting-sharing-searching-services.html what a great resource.

Does anyone get blinkx? I just don't get the appeal of searching videos... I watch videos when someone shares one with me, or when there is something specific I want to watch, like an episode of Desperate Housewives, for example. And I don't think it is that accurate.

A friend of mine helped make the IT vs the librarian videos- I think they are great! Reaching out to the community like that... though not sure what good it does to the rest of the world, but library staff sure appreciate it!

I love these video sites- they have a wealth of inforamtion. However, I am also a supporter of copyright, and it is a huge challange to keep up with sites like this and to police videos to makes ure they are not breaking the law... we will see where this goes as there are about 3 major lawsuits against Google for YouTube related items. I hope it doesn't go away, but I think it still needs tweaking. It also brings up a presentation I saw a while back where the speaker illustrated how the younger generations disregard copyright laws (not that they are preferct- I think they radically need to be changed- thank goodness for creative commons for trying to do that) but I think You Tube is a great teaching point parents and teachers can have with students on what copyright is and what is okay and not okay.


p.s. I am hoping to post something to YouTube in a month or so for work possibly.

Thing 17 ELM

ELM Rocks! :) But I am biased since it is my job to promote and use ELM all the time. I love soem of the new changes each of the vendors have made to the databases. Though finding NPR Podcasts in Gale can be tricky as they don't have a sort by podcast avaiable yet, they are a great tool to have. Another tool that we are promiting a lot right now is the RSS ability EBSCO has without having to create a personal account. This I think is fabulous because numerous users don't want to create another account, somethign to remember, but instead they can jsut take the RSS feed and plug it into their browser and presto- it is done! However, we are aware it doesn't work with all agregators- we are trying to troubleshoot the issue.

Page composer is ackward- I think ti could be improved. People have a hard time with having to move each citation or bit of text to rearrange things... but it is a nice addition. I have got a lot of feedback from K-12's though that they don't find it very useful as they have a page composer software at their school frequently, or a course management system that they have to use.

Thing 16 Calculator

I love RPC, and the Assignment calulator- I also love seeing so many schools link to them or adapt them to their own institution. Being a graduate student I have used the University of MN's version of the Assignment Calculator to remind me to to each task and to keep me on tack. I really enjoy the deadlines that are produced, even though they are tentative, and often I have to rework them to fit into my real world schedule... it is nice to see how if I don't procrastinate how much time I have to do things, versus when I wait and everything is due one day after the previous step how hecktic it all is.

I think the most useful past of the RPC is the new teacher version- the worksheets are fabulous, and when I should educators that is what they are so excited about.

Thing 15 Games

I am not a gamer, though I appreciate them... well I shouldn't say that- time in the evenings has been sucked up by playing the Oregon Trail or Pirates game application in Facebook. :)

I loved the PBS pages- what a wealth of information I never knew about- hopefully I can catch the series when it airs again. I also loved the old-skool gaming tips, like Pac-man to get unlimited lives :) wish I would have figured that out years ago!

I am torn with Second Life and other MMOPRG games. I think lirbaries should know about what teens and our public are using and trying- we should know about the hype and be aware of opportunities that libarries can be publicised and enhance services with. However, I am not so sure we should invest tons of hours creating avitars and virtual worlds when they are not used very much and for a small audience.... it is interesting, the second life people have virtually, and that maybe we can connect with people there that otherwise we can't in the physical world. However, I like ideas that bridge the two that librarians and educators are currently pursuing, like providing computers and times for patrons to play there games together unlimited like one night a week, or providing patrons materials that will help them be better at the game, or suscribe to gaming magazines so they come into the library and bridge the two worlds together.

Thing 14 Library Thing

I actually keep physical notes on the books I have read, but am slowly adding them into my iread application on Facebook rather than Lirbary Thing. I like the Library Thing interface but I use Facebook every day so it is more convienent for me to use iread, but now I noticed Library Thing has an application in Facebook, so maybe I will change... none of my friends are on Library Thing- they are on iRead, so it is nice to see their reviews and suggestions there.

I am looking at using Library Thing for a small library that I might be working with to catalog their small collection. They have virtually no budget so I am looking for a web based system that is super inexpensive and user friendly, and Library Thing might be the answer- we will have to see.

Thing 13

I didn't explore Basecamp but I know a lot of the departments at the U use it for project management. I want to look into it more but I jsut don't have the time to download it and play with it, however I took the tour and it looked like it would have really helped me keep on track with a recent project at work that I needed a timeline, etc. for.

I like Remember the Milk, very similar to another I have used called Sally, where I get messages sent to my cell phone- very useful! PDF converter was a lifesaver before we got our PDF system working at MINITEX. For items I want to share with people but don't want them to change, etc. the PDF converter is a great resource with no technology installation required!

Thing 12 Digg

Before thing I never really took the time to look at DIgg, never understood it. Now, I love it! How cool to sort to gaming or technology and get info from Money magazine, seattle times, the economist, CNN etc. before I would jsut go to CNN and BBC and MinnPost for my news, but this is great- I dont' always read money or the economist, unless something on a listserv poitns out something interesting in the library/technology world, but this site points to general articles of interest.... though I must say it is a productivity detractor.. beforei k new it 20 minutes clocked away while I was at home... my husband came up behind me and asked what I was looking at and he though it was cool, but I was so intently reading I didn't hear him call my name.... very distracting time-warping stuff you can find!

I do think it is a good thing that the public has an outlet that they can vote on the best articles/stories etc. however I do like having some professional interventions... at CNN I love reading the technology and headlines, but if you look at the most popular pages, usually they have to do with celebrity gossip, etc. I like that they focus often on headlines at the top and then lower down you can see the public's picks....

Thing 11 Tagging

I have a deciclious accoutn I started over a year ago, but I always forget to use it... I don't care much for the interface. Though sharing and collaborating in it is really easy. The student Art Lirbarians Group I belong to have a delicious account that every one adds to and it works wonderfully. Here is our group delivious account if you would liek to see an active example: http://del.icio.us/arlisnap


I looked at PageKeeper and I think this would be a nice site for me to use with my MORE training- to break it out by weeks, and people can add to it etc.... Good find! Furl I find a bit easier to use and love the plugins so I can use it with IE or Firefox. I need to play aroun with it a bit more but I think I am going to move everything from delicious to FURL... I also like that both have RSS features now- they didn't have that back when I started I don't think. Now I am going to subscribe to the RSS of my ARLISnap account- didn't know about that before! fabulous!

Thing 10

What did you find interesting about the wiki concept?
I like the idea of a wiki and an editable website, per say- you don't use it as a document, like Google Docs, use it to manage information, links, etc... or that is how I have used it so far.

What types of applications within libraries and schools might work well with a wiki?
At MINITEX we use it to list our vacation days, upcoming training date, etc.... use it to manage information more easily within a department.

Many teachers/faculty "ban" Wikipedia as a source for student research. What do you think of the practice of limiting information by format?
Honestly, we know the kids are using it- I think is it wrong to ban wikipedia- I use it for heaven's sake when I know little on a topic! I will look there to get an idea and then consult a mroe authortitative site. Wikipedia is a great site to teach accuracy of inforamtion in the web 2.0 world.... we should be using it as a teaching tool, not banning it.

Which wiki did you edit?
I added to the Wiki Sandbox- didn't want to mess up what looks like working documents in the other. I am at the beginning of wiki learning- at work I often get confused with adding a page and assigning it to the right department, etc. A ltitle to get used to but great power to share and edit things together.

Thing 9

I love Google Docs. I worked on an article for publication, and rather than having 9 copies of a document floating out there and none of us knowing which was the most recent we used Google Docs. We could edit and save changes, and revert to older editions if we wanted to change back to something. very slick. We did run into a few problems with two people editing at the same time- the curser jumped around a bit, and one time changes weren't saved. I think it is a fabulous tool.

Thing 8

Ohhh I have never heard of eFolio Minnesota before! I love the concept. I was thinking about creating a similar website on my own, but if they have the templates, etc. already done- why recreate the wheel! I am going to investigate this further when I have a bit more time. Similar to LinkedIn- it is a way for professionals to add more contacts, job hunt, etc. My huband used Linked in to maintain and grow contacts in the business world, and loves it!

Thing 8

1. Dragon, 2. Basic Reference Skills Participants 2, 3. MEMObooth, 4. DeLaSalle courtyard, 5. Cool Tools @ Your Library booth at the State Fair, 6. MORE at Grand Forks AFB, 7. MINITEX Reference Services Staff, 8. FAIR School 1, 9. Chaska High School


Visual information catches the eye and adds life to our stories. I think adding graphics to documents, webpage, etc. is a necessity these days when we are trying to tell our libary's story to our Boards, patrons and fellow staff.

Thing 6

I have always wanted to get SMILES4U as a vanity plate. My brother has MNNyce. Well, not willign to make the commitment money wise, so until then I will enjoy it virtually, thanks to Image Chef- very cool!

Thing 6

I never collected trading cards, but I love the idea of trading cards in place of business cards- so much more representative of our unique personalities!

Thing 5

Very cool- this would be a fun thing to use to create informal badges for small conferences, etc.

Thing 5

I have never really explored photo editing software, etc. WOW, Big Huge Labs is fabulous. My in-laws have this handpainted puzzle of Arizona at their house.. they are a puzzle family. What a great present it would be to take some of their AZ family pictures and make puzzles of them! Great idea, and so easy! It took me less than 30 seconds!

Thing 5

Oh how cool- I have never seen this name thing. reminds me when I was younger and we would clip out magazine alphabet letters to compose a message, our name, etc.

Thing 7

Describe how your library uses email. Has it improved productivity?

If you subscribe to any MINITEX listservs you probably know my name in your sleep ;) since the majority of our information is pushed out through e-mail. I think for our users this is the best method at the moment. Not everyone subscribes to RSS, so blogs we use as a method of communication of important inforamtion (e-mail first, then blogs) but our blogs are especially rich in supplemental information, which I think is a good fit.

I use e-mail personally with my friends- I am in that age group that grew up using e-mail so that is what we currently use. My younger brother, on the other hand, the only way to communicate with him is to text him on his cell. He rarely checks his voicemail and e-mail he checks once every 6 months and never responds.

Thing 4

We have been using Flickr for MINITEX Reference Services for a while now. Check out our page at: MINITEX Reference Servics on Flickr. I love it for our use of posting pictures from training sessions, conferences and site visits. It allows the MINITEX region to see what we are up to, and since we have allowed use through a Cretive Commons license, if a library sees an image they like, they can use it in their own publications, etc.

I am on the St. Paul- Nagasaki Sister City Committee. I am trying to convience the Board to let me create a Flickr accoutn and have everyone upload their pictures there, and I would work on scanning the older ones. I have made our Flickr site private, do to some copyright images, and because some of the members are not comfortable yet with the idea of making it viewable to the whole world, but they are warming up to the idea of how nice it is that everyone in the SPNSCC can view and use the images. The reason I started this project is one of our members passed away and we went looking through our arcives and it was realized that a former member borrowed three photo abulms and never returned them- the photos are lost forever. Though there is no guarantee Flickr will be around forever, but for now it is a great fit for our needs. I am struggling on trying to come up with "subject headings" for all the members to use when tagging their items, so we have some consistancy. We will see how ti goes.. the adventure continuous.

Thing 3

I have been using Bloglines for abotu a year or so now. I love it- so easy to access no matter where I am. However, since i subscribe to so many it is a daunting task to look at the number of 1,000+ posts a week if I don't check it regularily. I think I am going to use this time to pair down my subscriptions to a core and actually organize my folders better.

If you want to see the blogs I subscribe to click here.

The Machine is Using Us

This is one of my favorite videos regardng the change of information over time and the ways in with we are able to obtain information, edit, etc.

Thing 2

I just read Rick Anderson's "Away from the 'icebergs'" article, and I whole hartedly disagree with this approach in terms of my specialization. His suggestions that we should look "skeptically at the very idea of a library “collection” I think is unreasonable for my niche, the art community. Art hsitorians are one of the last to migrate from print; major works are still published onyl in print, and art historical texts soon go out of print and often are available in low numbers to start with, making out-of-print items ridiculously expensive if you missed the train to buy them the first go around.

I love the thought on library staff focusing on teaching; connecting patrons with information. I think we all would agree this is a daily mantra. However, he suggests thatour services need to change from lousy search interfaces, which I agree. However, one person cannot change the way giants run their databases, and it isn't like we can all refuse to sign our contract agreement for next year, or can we? Unfortuantely, I think the database vendors will only listen with the power of numbers, but i am not sure if we are willing to do that as a community. There is low rumblings in the distance of change, but I fear unless it happens sooner the library may loose it's "place" within some of the community.

Thing 1

This is my first personal blog. I have blogged for work and professional institutions, but never for myself, other than one sentence updates on my Facebook page. I am excited to learn some new "things" I haven't had time to try, and to learn some advanced features of other's I use.