The End...or Just the Beginning?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey through the 23 Things Program. While all of the modules were incredibly useful, here are some of my favorites:

• Image Generators: So much fun! I think my next e-card will be created with one of these.
• Online Productivity Tools: These make sharing information in the workplace so easy.
• Wikis: Like I just mentioned, wikis make sharing and collecting information within a group simple.

I would absolutely participate in a learning exercise such as this in the future. Thanks to 23 Things, I will feel much more comfortable working with the tech-savy youth of today!

Audiobooks

LibriVox is a great site to visit to download and listen to the classics. In the past I have read several books online that are in the public domain, but having access to audiobooks takes this to another level. My husband, children, and I frequently take trips to Dallas to visit family. How cool would it be for us to listen to Swiss Family Robinson or Treasure Island on one of our trips? My 4 year old son is very into pirates, so I think he'd love this option.

Since there are so many titles within the database, it could be difficult to scan through the list to pick a title. I really like the "our picks for your listening pleasure" section. If I didn't have any idea what I wanted to listen to, I'd go there for suggestions.

The only downside I found at LibriVox was that it was a tad difficult to manuver through the site. A couple of times I couldn't find my way back to the home page and had to re-enter the initial URL address.

All in all I really like LibriVox. I will download a book or two for our next roadtrip.

Wide World of Podcasting

I really enjoyed playing around the Educational Podcast Directory. As a former and future school librarian, I think I will recommend this directory to my teachers. It has just about every different subject represented--ranging from Algebra to Dance. It is also broken into elementary, middle, and high school podcasts. This is great because it would save lots of time sifting through information that may not be age appropirate for my library patrons.

I especially liked the Storynory link within the English/Language Arts section. This link takes me to a site with tons of fairytale podcasts. These podcasts would work beautifully in an elementary classroom or library center.

You Too Can YouTube

I have enjoyed visiting YouTube for a long time now. My husband and I usually visit the sight to watch silly videos we have heard about from friends. I think it's a very user-friendly sight. You simply type in your search terms and there you have your video. I guess my only criticism is that it can be a bit overwhelming if you don't know what to search for. What I mean is that you may not be likely to quickly stumble upon a favorite new video. This means that you can spend/waste a lot of time searching the site. However, maybe it's not a "waste" of time if you are having fun doing it!

Being that I am a big U2 fan, I did a search for U2 music videos. A few years back, my husband saw the U2 Vertigo tour. Here is the link to the music video of the band's song Vertigo.

U2 Vertigo Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhWZ7bpfQag

I firmly believe that Bono is the coolest performer on the face of the planet...ever.

One thing from the YouTube site I think would work very well within a library web site is the "Related Videos" feature. Every time I watch a video from YouTube there is a list along the side of the page with other videos that are related or similar to the one I just watched. A library could use that idea toward books. If a patron selected a certain book within the library's collection, it would be great if the OPAC would listed other similar books for the patron to choose from for their next read.

Web 2.0 Tools

I had no idea that I was so "with it", technologically speaking. I've been using several Web 2.0 tools all along, even when I didn't know what Web 2.0 tools were. I use Craigslist, Google Maps, and Facebook almost daily. My favorite thing about them is that they are so easy to use and manuver through. I remember back in the day when I was in college, I had to create a web page for one of my classes. I tell you what, that was one of the most difficult things I ever had to do in college. It was so hard! After many stressful hours, I completed my web page only to find that I had lost all of my information and had to start from scratch. Yikes! Luckily those days are long gone and it is incredibly simple to use internet tools.

Today I decided to take a look at some unfamiliar Web 2.0 tools.

I really enjoyed Last.fm. It's a Web tool for music. I entered my favorite artist (Aimee Mann, for those interested). One of my favorite songs began playing--great blogging music, I might add. I was directed to her bio, plus given a list of other similar artist I might like. Very cool.

I enjoy reading, so I took a look at Lulu.com. In the past when I've been trying to decide on a new book to read, I would aimlessly search the Internet for ideas. Lulu.com has officially ended that search method. Here I can effortlessly search through best sellers--both past and present, read customer reviews, search by topic/genre...the search possibilities are endless, yet very managable and user-friendly.

Go Web 2.0!

Web-Based Applications

I really like the idea of web-based applications. It reminds me of the wikis I investigated the other day. Some of the great features include:

• all of the information one wants to share is in an easily accessible place on the web
• the information is accessible from any computer, anywhere
• select users can update and change the information from any computer

I think Zoho Writer is a great hub for web-based applications. It is very user-friendly. I noticed that many of the services offer a user tutorial to help with getting started. What a help!

Whenever I create a spreadsheet, document, or powerpoint presentation, I like to get feedback from my husband or friends. Rather than sending multiple e-mails back and forth, using a web-based application like Zoho Writer would make the task much simpler. I could post a draft, ask for feedback, and those offering the feedback could make adjustments to my original document.

Many of us have been lost inside a tangle of e-mails before. The overused "Reply to All" feature can cause a huge mess in an in-box. Web-based applications can solve this problem easily.

Playing in the Sandbox

Wow...what fun! I just spent some time playing in the 23 Things wiki sandbox. This sandbox was filled with "favorite things". Using this wiki is such a great way to share information with one another. I'm always looking for suggestions for a good book or movie. By establishing a wiki sandbox to share ideas, it can save me lots of time. Now I won't have to aimlessly search for ideas on the Web. I can go to this wiki for ideas on what to read, watch, places to travel, etc.

So What's in a Wiki?

I have used Wikipedia many times. I knew that basically anyone can add or edit information to it, but I never really understood exactly what it was until now.

A wiki really is a tremendous tool for planning and sharing information. I took some time today to explore a few library related wikis. One thing I really like about wikis (at least the ones that I have seen) are all pretty similar. That is very user friendly, particularly to someone who may have a "fear of technology". For a comparison, let me use an illustration with Target. One thing I really like about Target stores are that most of them are set up identically. This make it very nice for a mother of 2 children (me!) to run in, pick up a couple of items, then run out. I must admit, when I visit one of the few Target stores that is set up differently, it throws me for a loop and has me vowing never to return again. Going back to wikis, since they are set up virutally the same, I believe many more people would feel comfortable using them...no one has to learn a new set of rules for each one.

I think the use of a wiki within a libary environment is a great idea. It would keep the staff and patrons on the same page. No ideas would be lost in the shuffle of e-mail, post-it notes, etc.

One thing to remember, however, is that anyone can alter a wiki. The information may not always be 100% reliable or accurate. It is important to investigate how credible the site is before anyone takes the information read to heart. For this reason, I like how several library wikis that I visited don't let just anyone make changes or updates.

Library 2.0

The idea behind Library 2.0 is great--create user-friendly library environment that is not only unafraid of change, but excited about change. In order to keep libraries vital to today's society, it is imperative for us to be eager about changing to fit the needs of our times and our users.

I am afraid that many of the library stereotypes are true. So often they are perceived as a place run by an unfriendly, unhelpful old lady with a bun, a scowl, and horn-rimmed glasses who is constantly shhh-ing her patrons. Whether this is true or not, fair or unfair, this is what many people think of when they think of the library. If we as librarians are constantly looking to change library services in order to best meet the needs of ALL of our patrons--both current regulars and people who have yet to darken the door--the future of libraries will be rosy.

If we want to reach our future taxpayers and show them how important library institutions are, then we need to imbrace Library 2.0 ideals and run with them.

I found a few sites discussing Library 2.0:

You've got to love Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_2.0

The Library 2.0 Gang: http://librarygang.talis.com/

LibraryJournal.com. Library 2.0: Service for the Next-Generation Libary: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

The Technorati Parti

I must admit, I was a bit overwhelmed by the Technorati web site at first. It is quite a feast for the eyes...it's easy to get lost in there! After playing around a bit I began to feel more at home.

I did several searches and found the results fairly easy to swim through. I really liked the "Tags" section. Here it listed other tags that were similar to my initial search. This feature would allow me to find information that I may have missed in my initial search.

I also enjoyed looking through the "Popular" section. This section would keep me up to speed in current events, including topics like news, movies, books, etc. It reminded my of my Yahoo! homepage, but intensified.

Del.icio.us

After playing around a bit with Del.icio.us, I am fully convinced that I will open a new account for myself. So often I've been at a computer at a relative or friend's house and tried to look into their "favorites list". I'll forget myself and think I'm on my own computer only to be frusterated when I can't find the web site I'm looking for. By using Del.icio.us, I would not have that problem again. I could find the information I want and not be tied to my personal computer.

I also liked the example used in the Social Bookmarking tutorial about how useful Del.icio.us could be among a group of teachers. As a former teacher, I worked very closely with my fellow 1st grade teachers. We were constantly sharing ideas and helping one another out. With a social bookmarking tool such as Del.icio.us, we could have taken that assistance to a whole different level by piggy-backing on each others research.

The previous example could just go on and on--students sharing research information, stay at home moms sharing valuable sites...the list is infinite.

I am sold!