The 23rd Thing

Well, here we are at the end of 23 Things. The time has really flown by, and as I look back over my blog posts I am amazed at how much we covered (and discovered). To keep this one simple and organized, I am going to use libraryjoy’s prompts:

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

• RSS (once I got the hang of it)
• Google docs – I am using these like crazy now
• CML’s Power Tools
• Twitter (a surprise favorite – I didn’t think I’d be interested in it at all!)

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

• The program has served to remind me that exploring new technologies and trends is, in fact, work-related and is certainly a large part of the daily on-the-job learning I do. It has also made me realize that lifelong goals can be quite small and simple (ie. exploring twitter or leaving a post or comment on a blog). I think the exercises in this program have also enabled me to see learning/discovery opportunities more readily and encouraged me to apply these to what we at the library do or to what I myself do in my daily work.

3. Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

• Yes – that I actually like blogging! Before beginning Learn & Play I had never considered that I might have anything to post on a blog. But, it’s amazing all the things you come up with once you get started.
• I also feel I’ve gotten to know some of CML’s staff better (through blogging and twitter).

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

• Hmmm, it was really done quite well! The Learn & Play team listened to staff when we said we needed more time. The right balance was struck in offering staff encouragement/reminders/updates without overkill or making us feel bombarded.
• Maybe next time there could be more “featured participants”. This seems to have become a trend over the last week or two, and I really like it. In the future, maybe that can be incorporated throughout the entire program. The videos that the Learn & Play team have done with various participants have enabled me to check out some of the many staff blogs with the bonus of being able to put a face to the post.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you participate?

• Yes, I would definitely participate in something like this again.

downloadable books

Since InfoLine receives a fair number of phone calls from customers regarding MOLDI, I try to occasionally scope it out and see what has changed. This afternoon, however, I delved a little deeper: viewed the tutorial, took some notes, logged in with my library card number, and browsed all of the formats. Here are a few of the things I learned from the tutorial:

• you need to download the OverDrive Media Console before you are able to download any material
• the quick search option offers ISBN searches
• the advanced search option lets you combine fields (ie. you can search by subject and date added to site)
• Digital Rights Management, or DRM, is a term that refers to technologies used to control access to software, music, movies, or other digital media. DRM prevents illegal file-sharing. Some parameters are set by publishers. By clicking on a title, you can view the digital rights associated with it. These rights will explain what you can and cannot do with the title once you have downloaded it.

And here are my discoveries after spending some time browsing:

• MOLDI offers study guides on various topics (like foreign languages) as well as Sparknotes
• there is an “always available” collection of movies – lots of comedy titles here, including the hilarious Jim Gaffigan show Beyond the Pale (“hot pocket!”)
• the audiobook collection seems pretty extensive; I found classics, early readers, chapter books, middle school and teen titles (John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines), and even graphic novels. I wonder what the statistics are for child and teen users.
• the music collection is comprised of mostly classical music – wonder if this has anything to do with music-downloading sites like limewire and iTunes…

My overall impression of MOLDI is a favorable one. If I had a portable player, I’m sure I would download titles frequently. There is the option of just downloading materials to my computer, but I’m not compelled to sit at my computer and read or listen to a book. I suppose I could see myself downloading an e-book that was some sort of study guide or reference material, but you’ll never find me sitting at my desk downloading a big fat novel.

Printz Discussion

I’m very excited to be participating in the Printz discussion at the Youth Services meeting next month! This is the first opportunity I’ve had to be involved in one of these round-table discussions. Two years ago, I was all set to participate until I realized that the meeting was to be held on my pregnancy due date! Needless to say, I didn’t want to commit myself to participating only to find myself in labor when the day finally rolled around. (As it turns out, I was not in labor that day, but 2 short days later!)

Anyway, each year for the December YS meeting, we rotate through either the Printz, Newbery, or Caldecott Awards. This year, we’re taking a look at possible Printz Award winners. I’ve been assigned 5 teen titles to either read or read reviews of, in order to be informed enough to participate in the discussion. I’m very much looking foward to my assignments:

• Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
• The Compound by S. A. Bodeen
• Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen
• The Fold by An Na
• Ringside, 1925 by Jen Bryant

I read Shift over the summer and was quite captivated with it. (I actually included it with my Columbus Parent book reviews.) Sarah Dessen is an author who is always on my to-read list although I never seem to get around to her. Her books circulate so well with teens so I’m interested to see what her writing style is like. Of course, An na is brilliant and I’m sure I’ll be engrossed in The Fold. Not only is Ringside, 1925 a work of historical fiction, but also a story in free verse, told by various spectators of the Scopes “monkey trial”. I enjoy reading books in this format, as with Day of Tears by Julius Lester, Bull Run by Paul Fleischman. And, lastly, The Compound was already on my to-read list on goodreads, which also bodes well for my enjoyment of it!

I’ll post about these again, once I’ve had a chance to get started on all this reading!