2.0

I enjoyed the OCLC article about implications and associations of Library 2.0. The gist of it, as I see it, is to follow the digital trend towards openness, participation and socialization in developing new and revamping old library services. I think it’s quite interesting. The key words that helped me to understand Library 2.0 are:

• programmable
• self-service
• user-centered
• collective intelligence
• shared network space
• user participation

I was impressed by OCLC’s current and future plans for incorporating this new digital environment. They are launching an open (no authentication required) cataloging cooperative that will “harness the collective intelligence” by offering features like tagging, reviews, list creation/list sharing, personal cataloging and more. It sounds like a mashup between OCLC, amazon.com, and librarything!

Michael Stephens’ characteristics of a Librarian 2.0 echo the points he made during his presentation at CML. In this arena, I think CML has made more progress to date. We already use an IM interface w/our customers via Know It Now; we have various locations and divisions utilizing wikis for their staff; and it has always been our goal to break down barriers for our customers so that they can have access to the information they need.

So, in a nutshell, I am excited and energized by the concept of Library 2.0, and looking forward to seeing CML embrace this open environment even more.

Wikis

I’ve checked out a few library-related wikis so that I have something to compare to wikipedia (the only wiki I was already familiar with). I like them. SJCPL has a really useful wiki set up for staff that contains important info and links. For example, I clicked on “Cooking”. That took me to a page with staff tips, one of which recommended resources for looking up ingredient substitutions and equivalents. The page also listed the hours, location, and link to the local farmers’ markets.

It seems that wikis are laid out in a very simple fashion, and that you wouldn’t run into the problem of creating too many pages that are embedded within each other. The ones that I browsed seemed logical and organized and more intuitive than some web sites.

The InfoLine/Rover Team is creating a wiki to store all kinds of useful info that we may need either out in the branches or while answering the phones. This wiki is supposed to be revealed next week! I am looking forward to it seeing it and getting some further informal training on it.

del.icio.us

Wow. I used to think I was up on a lot of the hip places online, but since beginning Learn & Play, I realize there’s a lot I’ve been missing. I’ve heard of del.icio.us, but never taken a moment to scope it out and see what it’s all about. I should have! This is a great tool. I can definitely see its potential in assisting with research–I wish it had been around when I was in college! It also appears to be a smart organizational tool, which, considering the vastness of the internet, who couldn’t appreciate? As a Rover, I could see del.icio.us being quite helpful as sort of a virtual rolodex.

Latino Library Users

This week’s Library Journal featured a brief article discussing a new study from WebJunction called Latinos and Public Library Perceptions, and it seems that CML is right on track in terms of our service to Latino customers in Central Ohio.

The study, which (forgive me) I just skimmed, discusses tactics that public libraries can employ to better serve Latinos in their community. According to the study, libraries should emphasize service, user confidentiality, and access to English-learning materials.

Latino library usage is 54%, with the top draws being library services (computer use and children’s programs) as well as access to music and movies. Surveyed library users also reported that they visit the library because it is a place to learn English. “The report also found that friendly staff service was a stronger predictor of library visits, even stronger than access to Spanish Language materials!”

backtracking to bloglines

Thanks to my frustration with Thing 8, I postponed Thing 9. But, I begrudgingly logged back into my bloglines account just now to set up a few library-related news feeds (and encountered more frustration!). The pages take forever to load and twice it froze up. The layout is just awful. I hate to harp on aesthetics-I would be willing to overlook the lack thereof if-IF- the content and functionality were there. Anyway, that’s not the purpose of this post, so let me move on.

Apparently, when I opened my bloglines account I inadvertently subscribed to a bunch of library feeds automatically. So, I checked out a couple of them and one of them led me to the post below about Google scanning newspapers. I clicked into a feed called Resource Shelf and saw a link at the top for “related feeds”. That took me to a page of feeds and I chose a couple more to subscribe to: Librarian’s Internet Index and Research Buzz.

I think it makes sense for libraries to receive feeds from other libraries in order to be aware of and keep up on trends. I also think it would be a good form of “communication” between libraries throughout a community or region. CML could monitor feeds from other Ohio libraries or other library systems that serve similar populations.

Subscribing to news feeds could also make a valuable contribution to one’s professional development or increase networking opportunities.

So, the moral of this post is that news feeds are great tools, bloglines is not.

Google + ProQuest = Happy Librarian

This will make our lives much easier!

 http://www.proquest.com/pressroom/pressrelease/08/20080908.shtml

tweet, tweet

I created a twitter account, and posted a couple tweets for this Learn and Play exercise. I guess I have mixed feelings about it. I like the idea that I could go down to Barnes & Noble or something to hang out, tweet about it, and then possibly find out a friend was somewhere nearby and we could “randomly” get together. That said, though, it seems like people spend a lot of time tweeting back and forth about what they are doing instead of actually doing it. And, sometimes all these blogs and tweets and IMs and texts just make people seem self-absorbed.

On the contrary, though, I do think it’s cool that libraries are using twitter the same way they are using flickr, facebook, and myspace: as a way to connect with people that is very easy, free, and “pushes” the library out into the face of potential library users who may not come to us. Since Columbus is a large and very diverse city, I think it makes perfect sense to create a twitter page to promote some of our programs or resources. Or, if we followed discussions on twitter about, say wi-fi, CML would be able to inform/remind people that we have free, unlimited access. It would also be an additional venue to post news or updates about power outages, closings, website problems or special events.

library thing

In the spirit of Learn & Play, I created a library thing account, although I already have (and love) a goodreads account. ( I have cataloged almost 600 books on goodreads, so I’m afraid there’s no turing back and switching to another server at this point!)

There are some features I like better on goodreads, like the overall layout, but the process of adding books  is much easier on librarything. Like most librarians, I constantly check out more books than I can possibly read. I love having a virtual “to read” list on goodreads to keep track of books that I want (and will!) get to eventually. And, although I’m not that big into the online social networking scene, I do like checking out people’s reviews, and sharing and recommending books with friends. 

Cataloging and discussing the books I’ve read has helped me to improve my reviewing skills and I find that I really like writing book reviews. I suppose it brings out the English major in me. ;)

My virtual bookshelf has also enabled me to tag and categorize books so that I can easily access titles, authors, reviews, summaries, etc. This was very helpful as I worked on a project last month, writing 6 book reviews for CML’s spot in Columbus Parent, which will be printed in the October issue. 

So, here it is: my librarything library:  http://www.librarything.com/catalog/k8y

image generators

I had fun playing with this one. I don’t have a lot of pictures saved on my work PC, so I didn’t have much to work with. But, I did create a cute READ poster of my boy.

And in the posts below I linked a couple other things I tried out. I’d like to explore some more image generating sites, and attempt to create an avatar. The three sites I played with for this exercise are:

www.cooltext.com

www.interactimage.com

www.imageeditor.net

text generator

created with interactimage.com