Friday, May 30, 2008

#22 ListenNj

I downloaded the first chapter of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin".

The sound quality on Windows Media Player was good and I was able to fastforward and rewind with ease.

I will promote this product to our patrons.

#22 Listennj

#23 Wrap Up!

The thing I found most fascinating about the Web 2.0 challenge was the del.icio.us aspect. I think this is a great tool.

My least favorite part was the flickr exercise since I don't think I will be using flick or instructing patrons on flickr as part of my job duties.

I think the library should get more involved with Google Docs since I think it is the wave of the future.

I guess the only Web 2.0 technology I have shared with my family are videos from www.youtube.com

Thank You OCL Technology team for introducing me to new and exciting technology.

Inside Movies and TV

Hi everyone, I thought you might enjoy this podcast: Inside Movies and TV


I really liked to visit www.podcast.com and I found an intertesting podcast that covers movies and television. The site was aesthetically pleasing, had good categories and was easy to navigate.






Inside Movies and TV

Podcast

This is a podcast for Inside Movies and TV. There are multiple podcasts for this one segment. I saw there are alot of great podcasts on www.podcast.com. I also liked the configuration of the website and everything is categorized very well.


http://imtv.podomatic.com/

Thursday, May 29, 2008

You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDCtf2DWGsI

Kamikaze attacks at Okinawa. Since I am a World War II enthusiast, I found some great footage of the Battle for Okinawa with kamikaze pilots attacking U.S Naval warships.

Web 2.0 Awards

I am glad to see "Google Maps" won 1st place since I use them on a daily basis for directions. They are alot more accurate than www.mapquest.com or "Yahoo Directions". I also like the fact that you can zoom in and zoom out on the maps and it also gives you an estimate on time travel when traffic is heavy.

Web Apps

I think Web Apps is a great tool and allows for one "common meeting place" for all who are involved in a project. The youtube presentation on Google Docs was very informative and I agree that e-mail attachments going back and forth amongst multiple people can get very tedious and confusing.

I have never used Google Docs before and this is the first time I have heard of it. Since I will be doing programming as a Librarian, it could be a great tool to use amongst fellow librarians who are also working on programming projects.

Wiki's

I love Wiki's and I think Wikipedia itself is a wonderful tool. You can find information on anything, it is edited by people who care about its accuracy and it adds a "personal touch" and more in depth profile that regular encyclopedia's don't.

The Library success Wiki is a wonderful source that gives information professionals a chance to practice staff development online. I will be sure to utilize this source in the future.

On Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

"Into a New World of Librarianship"- I agree wholeheartedly with the author of this article. EVERYTHING should be done (new materials, new technology, programs) with out patrons coming FIRST. Libraries should not buy new books, technology just to look "cool" or be up with the times. The whole nature of our business is and always will be 100% User services focused.

"To better bibliographic services"- I also agree with the author on this article. Metadata and bibliographic data needs to be shared and expanded to outside the library and information services realm. I think our patrons would like to see our OPAC's resemble www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com .

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Technorati

I think Technorati is a great tool to see what is "hot in the news" at the moment.

They also do a good job in having an aesthetically pleasing website and they make it very easy to navigate.

Most of the "popular" videos were surprisingly of "stupid" non important material.

I found it interesting how the movie "Tootsie" is now a huge hit all over again due to the recent death of Sydney Pollack. I also noticed all of the Indiana Jones movies are now a big hit due to the recent release of the 4th Indiana Jones movie.

Del.icio.us

I loved this tool and it is great for social networking. I really liked how "everything" was public and you can see what every member of this social network is doing.

The tags can really aid in research because one thing leads to another source(s) that is just as good, if not better than the first.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Net library and World Cat

Netlibrary is a great tool and it is self-explanatory and easy to use.

I think it is practical and would be easy to show to our patrons.


Worldcat is another great and easy to use tool. I think the patrons would appreciate its value, but too many of them don't know about it. Maybe, we could provide some more outreach about it or have a sample tutorial on the OCL website.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

LibraryThing

Librarything looks like a great tool for book enthusiasts and I really liked the "most popular" section of the bulletin boards.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

#10- On Technology- Myspace and Facebook causes more problems than good.......

With all of the various technical advances I guess the two that stick out in my mind the most are Web 2.0 Technologies Myspace and Facebook.

These two "community" websites have their ups and downs. They are great because it allows you search and keep in touch with old friends, high school classmates, college roomates, family, etc that you might not have seen in a long time. You even get to learn additional things about your family and friends from what they post on their personal myspace or facebook webpages.

While myspace and facebook are great tools, they also can cause alot of problems. These problems can exacerbate an already existing internet addiction problem, lead to cyber bullying and attract sexual predators. It also affects us as taxpayers because most local and state law enforcement agencies have to organize special task forces just to monitor these things.

I am not so confident on the future of myspace and facebook and I would not be surprised if both come crashing down.

Friday, May 16, 2008

RSS Feeds

I found each of the three RSS Feeds, Topix.net, Syndic8.com, and Technorati to be unique and different. I would have to say, I think Technorati was the most aesthetically pleasing and most organized of the three. Its layout reminded me of Yahoo, which is my favorite search engine to use.

I found Syndic8.com to be a little too technically advanced and did not care for it too much. However, I really liked the idea that they allow users to choose from 1 of 6 languages.

I think all three of these RSS feeds will be useful to patrons and those who work in the information industry.

Friday, May 9, 2008

RSS Feeds

This was a very informative and useful exercise. I did not really know about RSS feeds until the Web 2.0 challenge and now I know!! I am sure it will be useful in the future.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

IMG_0539[1]


IMG_0539[1]
Originally uploaded by stuka8739
This display near the childrens area caught my eye because I thought it was an innovative idea. I think this will encourage children to pick up a book and read.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

051005_018_Fussen_Neuschwantstein_castle

This is "Neuschwanstein Schloss" located in Fuessen, Germany.

Schloss is the German word for castle and it was built by King Ludwig II in 1886.

I visited this castle about 10 years ago in 1998. It was amazing scenery.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Embracing Technology

As far as the 7 1/2 habits of the lifelong learner; I felt strongly about a couple of them.

I think the easiest is that it is NEVER to soon or NEVER to late to try and learn something new. For example, many people who are middle aged decide to make career changes and go back to school.

For me, the hardest point of this tutorial is to embrace challenges and fear instead of feeling helpless or playing the victim-self-pity role. As the saying goes in regards to challenges "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.