Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Week 9, exercise 23.
Finally!
First- the good stuff. I learned a lot! Some of it was really fun, and some really useful. I think it's very important for librarians expecially to know how to do some of the exercises, or at least learn about the topics. I can now talk about things I knew nothing about before.
Second- the not so good stuff.
I am not a computer whiz, and found it difficult to do a lot of the exercises. We never got speakers for the computer at my branch, and that made it impossible to do many of the exercises at work. Our computer at home is not Microsoft, and that made things very time-consuming and difficult. It's taken me much over 23 hours to do the program, which means most of it was done on my own time. Because I wasn't doing it on the job, I lost out on opportunities to work on it with my co-workers. Because I'm part-time, I did not find out about the help sessions in time to rearrange my schedule in order to attend them.
I don't feel I've had time to really thoroughly integrate what I've studied into what I know.
I'd love to keep learning about all this, and would enjoy the opportunity to continue through the library. However, I believe the problems I've brought up really need to be addressed in order to make this a "fun" experience.
Week 9, #21
Podcasting is really difficult if you don't have internet explorer on your computer! It's also difficult if you don't have speakers or headphones (such as at the library)! It's taken much time and energy to make this work.
http://podcasts.yahoo.com/player?s=6bfb586d1c1331c9c7db38dab88586ac&e=
This is an esl site, for people learning both American and British english.
Week 8, # 18
I used Google Docs rather than Zoho Writer. For some reason, my verification for Zoho refused to go to my email. I see lots of cool things about Google Docs- the ability to work on documents from any computer, and to be able to share and edit with others. This is really good if you're trying to make plans with a group of people- everyone can edit as they need to, rather than go through a hierarchy.
Week 9, #22
Ebooks can provide access to things not available in print copies. However, the steps needed to get an SJPL e-book take time and a certain level of computer knowledge. The students who come to my branch often do not have one, the other, or both things necessary to make use of ebooks. In my opinion, the ease and portability of print still far outweigh the value of ebooks.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Week 8, # 19
OK, I have a space on LibraryThing.
http://www.librarything.com/profile/hskahn
This is a great site for book discussion and recommendations- almost like an online book club!
Week 9, # 20.
YouTube is the most fun site of all! I finally saw Conan the Librarian (which deserves its status as a cult classic), and also enjoyed The Evolution of Dance. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMHObHeiRNg). I especially appreciate the suggestions for other videos to watch.
Week 7, #16
Wikis are exciting! However, every time I hear the word "wiki", I think of the "wiki wiki" buses that transport people between airline terminals in Honolulu...
I really enjoyed "Library Successes: a Best Practices Wiki". It is exciting to read about what's happening in other libraries, and there are some great ideas.
I know the SJPL youth services librarians have a wiki, and are experiencing some problems with people learning to use it. I would suggest a short tutorial on adding entries be made, so that people stop wiping out the wiki!

Monday, March 26, 2007

Week 6, exercise 15
In Rick Anderson's piece, "Away from the Icebergs", he talks about the need for libraries to change. Areas he focuses on include collections, user training, and use of libraries outside of their physical locations.
I believe that libraries (and the people who work in them) are all things to all people. There will always be those that come to the library for a good book, for help in accessing both print and virtual materials, and for safety, comfort, and socialization. Our challenge is to try to meet all of the needs without loosing sight of who and what we are.
Week 6, # 14
Technorati actually gives you a way to get into other peoples' blogs that work!
I found Helene Blower's blog on the original Learning 2.0 for libraries, and checked out the blog from Matt Lopez, SJLP. His comments were thoughtful and helpful for someone still trying to get through the exercises!
Week 6, #13.
Del.icio.us indeed is a good way to carry your bookmarks around, so that they can be accessed from any computer. Research can be enhanced by going through others' tags to find additional items of interest.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Week 5, # 12

Week 5, # 12
My Rollyo is geared toward music- traditional folk, some opera, discographies, info on instruments, Fun!




Powered by Rollyo














Week 4, exercise 9.
The different search tools for feeds were interesting, but I also found that searching google by putting in topics of interest and +rss brought me to lots of interesting feeds.
Week 4, exercise 8.
RSS feeds are cool. I enjoyed searching around and finding various kinds of feeds and topics. Here is my public bloglines url. http://www.bloglines.com/public/traveler.

Week 5, exercise 10, image generator. I found the inital image at Hetemeel.com, url http://www.hetemeel.com/einsteinform.php. This is the image I generated, with creative input from Mr. Barry Prindle, genius extraordinaire.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Week 5, #11
Craigslist is terrific! In fact, it's so terrific that cities and other locations around the world have opened their own craigslists, based on our own original San Francisco/Bay area one!
This is a great site to refer customers to when they're searching for jobs, autos, housing, or light reading. (Best of Craigslist is a hoot!).
Week 3, #7
Added a comment to scubagirl's blog. Love the name of that blog!
Week 3, #7
I am, therefore I blog.... or, I blog, therefore I am!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Week 3

Week 3, #6 and #7
Checking out mashups in flickr and beyond, I came across the U.S. EPA Superfund Site Locator, which allows you to look for vastly polluted sites by address or zip code. I looked at the Seventrees Branch (San Jose Public Library) zip code, and found 9 sites listed within 12 miles. Yikes!

Lanikai Sunrise, Week 3, #5

Lanikai Sunrise
Lanikai Sunrise,
originally uploaded by Hawaiian beach.
This is where I greeted the new day for over two years.