Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Thing #9: Lifelong Learning

Trends in Children's Literature was the first course that I noticed.
Planning Story Time for Children will also be on my wish list
I could also benefit from Managing Difficult Patrons with Confidence.
I am definitely looking forward to Fundamentals of Exceptional Customer Service.

I think a group course would be great if it is a topic where we are not distracted. If it is a course where we can all stay on topic and keep up and support each other, that would be beneficial.

The added bonus from WebJunction is the Libraries in the News. It gives specific libraries and updates it weekly. I was impressed on the amount of articles there really is just for Illinois.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Thing #8 Online Apps

Google Doc appears to have a bigger screen. It has less choices for the fonts and font size. It is a plus that it adds a list on the left to itemize who is sharing the list (who also has access to edit).
I would definitely use Google Docs to make sure a big project in collaboration with other is saved.

Google Docs might be used to make sure everyone has read the document and all items have been added and corrected. You can use the hidden icon to attribute who added or corrected something and when they did it.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Thing #7 Wikis

I am impressed by how clean-cut the entries appear to be considering the number of people involved.
It really does have to be organized.
The concept of Wikis is amazing because of the infinite amount of information.
Roselle's entry on Wikipedia did not capture the essence of the people. The library was not included, but the mayor was. I found it fascinating that the exact coordinates of latitude and longitude were highlighted.
Schaumburg wiki was too intense, but isn't that a great way to involve the staff.
We beat Park Ridge in terms of time. Their wiki was more creative than Schaumburg; I feel that we are getting more out of this because we are covering all areas, not just one project.
The wikis work to their advantage because of the size of their libraries and because "recent activity" is right there on the first page
Library Success is the best wiki I found, It will take me a long time to get through it, but I saved it on my favorites.
I think we could use wikis for the parade, christmas party or any huge event that takes multiple input.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

#6 IM

I had previously gone to the Library website to look at the IM.
I had never sent anything before.
It truly is instant. It even informed me of the status of the response. It let me know that they were typing. You can't get any more engaged than that.
I appreciate the efficiency of IM. However, both parties have to be in sync.
I think IM Reference is valuable to a large-size library (Staffing!!!!). It serves a need for the patron who is at a computer and does not want to talk to a librarian.
I big TY to L. D. for including the acronym dictionary. Does everyone have that memorized?

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Thing #5: Podcasting & Video Sharing

http://www.bloglines.com/emailthis?itemid=768&siteid=91930

This was interesting because Garrison Keillor highlights one book and adds a poem and a thought.
Podcasting is quick. The Adventures of Super Librarian was too short, but it was great that they added wind.
The Haunted Librarian was too dark
I was surprised to find out the popularity of MSNBC on Vodcasts (and Nova - great resource for adults) .
On YouTube I learned to stop the pictures by simply putting the cursor over the picture. The pictures had been flashing by too quickly to be useful.
Video sharing could used creatively with the teens (such as the wonderful Halloween video)
The book talks will be a great idea because favorites can be highlighted.

I added an RSS feed to my account

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Thing #4 Flickr





Isn't this picture great? I chose activity #1. The library photos are great. There should be more library photos and the best ones appear to be the closeups that highlight specific activities. This display would be great for Roselle. Roselle could either do a time line or the current new items.
Photo sharing would be useful if you had a group of photos on one subject. I think that it would be looked at more if it was organized that way. There are too many pictures to stop and look at one at a time.
Roselle should not make Flicker a priority due to it's time-intensive nature. The library would not see "return-of-profit" results that we might hope for. HOWEVER, it would be fantastic to highlight an outstanding event or display!!!!!!!!!


Saturday, February 7, 2009

Thing #3: Social Networks

Security seem to be fine, however, it is too vast and public for me.
It is impressive to see the good security the library has formulated for not immediately having access to Library Network.
Facebook is easy to navigate, but I don't think that there are too many choices.

It was good to know that the high school preference of My Space is almost 80 million
Facebook, favorite for college and beyond doesn't even compare with an estimate of 8 million
(probably 10 million by the time I finish writing this!)

I think what makes it so popular is identity development and cultural integration.

At the library, the use I thought of is testimonials.
Also it might be set up just to show what volunteer projects they have done for the library or what days they would be available to volunteer

Social networking fills the void to make connections and keep connected to people and groups you might not have formal contact with or might not have known.