It has been interesting re-visiting Facebook from a Library perspective again.
I mainly use Facebook on a purely personal level - as a way to catch up with friends and family.
So find it difficult to see it's uses from a Library perspective. I know that places like the national library board of Singapore have a Facebook application that allows patrons to access their library account from their Facebook page - but haven't really had the chance to examine that in depth.
The one Facebook Library use that I have seen that I liked and could see the use of was the Facebook page of Geraldton-Greenough Public Library. I like the way it show what's currently happening at the library, what's coming up, and how it showed all the photos of the library's renovations. I also liked the fact it just did all that quietly well before any of us were even looking at Facebook.
So that's the sort of thing I could see our library doing - if we ever got to that stage - at the moment our IT staff ban any access to Facebook - so we wouldn't be able to create a page for the library even if we wanted to!
Let alone allow our customers to access us via Facebook.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Library Thing
I have had a bit of a play with Library Thing.
I'm not that concerned with cataloguing what books I own (that info is sort of in my head), but I was interested to see the social side of it and how I could use other people's reviews and tags to search for books I might be interested in.
I think I found it most useful to look at other people who had reviewed or added the book I had added and then look at their libraries.
There are so many people though with such huge libraries I'm not sure how relevant this will always be. The forums and groups might be a better way to go for this, but I've never really been that social online. I prefer just to look quietly and not interact...
A friend of mine got really excited about Library Thing a few years back as she has a huge collection of science fiction, romance and fantasy. But she was only to be disappointed by the fact once she got to a certain size library it required her to pay money to continue - a bit like Flickr.
Not a drama if that is really clear up-front, but annoying if you have invested time and effort into it thinking you can continue to use the service.
I'm not that concerned with cataloguing what books I own (that info is sort of in my head), but I was interested to see the social side of it and how I could use other people's reviews and tags to search for books I might be interested in.
I think I found it most useful to look at other people who had reviewed or added the book I had added and then look at their libraries.
There are so many people though with such huge libraries I'm not sure how relevant this will always be. The forums and groups might be a better way to go for this, but I've never really been that social online. I prefer just to look quietly and not interact...
A friend of mine got really excited about Library Thing a few years back as she has a huge collection of science fiction, romance and fantasy. But she was only to be disappointed by the fact once she got to a certain size library it required her to pay money to continue - a bit like Flickr.
Not a drama if that is really clear up-front, but annoying if you have invested time and effort into it thinking you can continue to use the service.
Delicious part 2
OK - here's my real Del.icio.us post. Glad to see it is still here despite the panic. It did make me wonder though about the reliability of using such tools.
If you had months or years of work and sites stored on such a site - and then for what-ever reason it disappeared - that could be just heart-breaking.
I'm sure there must be ways of saving / backing up such info - but I wouldn't really know how, and I'm sure lots of people don't do this - they just rely on it always being available.
That said - I think sites like this and social bookmarking can be really great tools.
Definitely using tags is a good way to link into other information on your topic that other people have found useful.
I think tags would be really interesting to use with your library catalogue. I know that some libraries already use this. Patrons are so used to google searching and brief keywords - a lot of the classification we use is almost obsolete for them.
Allowing patrons to tag books and also then search by the tags that other customers have applied would be quite interesting to implement.
It goes away from our more traditional methods of cataloguing and applying subject headings - but often these are meaningless to customers anyway.
Del.icio.us is possibly most useful for me as a way to easily access bookmarks from different computers.
My trial account can be found at: Scritty's Bookmarks.
If you had months or years of work and sites stored on such a site - and then for what-ever reason it disappeared - that could be just heart-breaking.
I'm sure there must be ways of saving / backing up such info - but I wouldn't really know how, and I'm sure lots of people don't do this - they just rely on it always being available.
That said - I think sites like this and social bookmarking can be really great tools.
Definitely using tags is a good way to link into other information on your topic that other people have found useful.
I think tags would be really interesting to use with your library catalogue. I know that some libraries already use this. Patrons are so used to google searching and brief keywords - a lot of the classification we use is almost obsolete for them.
Allowing patrons to tag books and also then search by the tags that other customers have applied would be quite interesting to implement.
It goes away from our more traditional methods of cataloguing and applying subject headings - but often these are meaningless to customers anyway.
Del.icio.us is possibly most useful for me as a way to easily access bookmarks from different computers.
My trial account can be found at: Scritty's Bookmarks.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wikis
My feeling on Wikis is that they work best as an internal collaborative tool. Those that I am just accessing for information - just feel like accessing an ordinary web-page if I am just visiting to look at the content. Though the knowledge that they have been created so easily is a definite plus. And the fact that they are created so easily but look very little different is also a huge positive if you don't have access to web designers, publishing software etc.
It means even a small club could easily set something up with very little knowledge.
In previous work situations I have used Wikis for a few things. We planned a staff development day where all staff had to access the Wiki to get info about what was going to happen, and the staff on the committee used the Wiki to put together the programme, plan the day and events and so on. This was really useful in a situation where staff were based at different branches, had access to different computer networks and no shared drives, and couldn't always make meetings.
And it is really interesting to see how the test wiki we have been using has evolved.
They are probably a much more amorphous being than a web-site. The comments on customer service and why people became a Librarian have really evolved from each other.
So its really nice to see how these sorts of discussion can grow in this sort of environment.
I think things like Google Docs also have these benefits - where they make collaborative projects between people from different locations and organisations a lot more accessible.
It means even a small club could easily set something up with very little knowledge.
In previous work situations I have used Wikis for a few things. We planned a staff development day where all staff had to access the Wiki to get info about what was going to happen, and the staff on the committee used the Wiki to put together the programme, plan the day and events and so on. This was really useful in a situation where staff were based at different branches, had access to different computer networks and no shared drives, and couldn't always make meetings.
And it is really interesting to see how the test wiki we have been using has evolved.
They are probably a much more amorphous being than a web-site. The comments on customer service and why people became a Librarian have really evolved from each other.
So its really nice to see how these sorts of discussion can grow in this sort of environment.
I think things like Google Docs also have these benefits - where they make collaborative projects between people from different locations and organisations a lot more accessible.
Monday, December 20, 2010
delicious
meant to say as part of my blog about rss - one of my rss posts that I read was about delicious - which we are about to look at in 2 weeks time.
according to michelle on Libraries interact - the future of delicious is in doubt.
See : the following for more details.
according to michelle on Libraries interact - the future of delicious is in doubt.
See : the following for more details.
RSS
Hi,
so now we are on to RSS. When I did this last time, this was when I went - YES - this is how I keep up with all this stuff. Kathryn who was doing it with us then said that for her it was irritating, and a colleague from Gosnells has said the same thing this time.
So my thoughts are - it works for us who aren't on the Internet that much.
As we can check in - and part of that is to quickly check our Google Reader and see what we need to catch up on.
But those people who have the Internet open all the time - don't want that extra check to go through.
In my past life I had a few things I checked regularly that came into my RSS Google Reader.
Kathryn's blog - just because I worked with her and she is usually ahead of most things.
Libraries Interact - just to see what is happening in the world of libraries in Wa. It was also good when I was thinking of changing jobs from Uni to Public Libraries - I looked at all my local councils and subscribed to the RSS feeds for job vacancies - so could keep an eye out for new library jobs in my local area (don't think Gosnells has this service).
For this new course I have been looking at Festival Australia which has literary festival info - just because it is something I find interesting.
And then because for work it is good to keep up with what's been awarded the latest literary award I have subscribed to Book Award Tragic.
The only problem is that with all these courses I have lots of Google identities - so all the different feeds relate to different identities...
so now we are on to RSS. When I did this last time, this was when I went - YES - this is how I keep up with all this stuff. Kathryn who was doing it with us then said that for her it was irritating, and a colleague from Gosnells has said the same thing this time.
So my thoughts are - it works for us who aren't on the Internet that much.
As we can check in - and part of that is to quickly check our Google Reader and see what we need to catch up on.
But those people who have the Internet open all the time - don't want that extra check to go through.
In my past life I had a few things I checked regularly that came into my RSS Google Reader.
Kathryn's blog - just because I worked with her and she is usually ahead of most things.
Libraries Interact - just to see what is happening in the world of libraries in Wa. It was also good when I was thinking of changing jobs from Uni to Public Libraries - I looked at all my local councils and subscribed to the RSS feeds for job vacancies - so could keep an eye out for new library jobs in my local area (don't think Gosnells has this service).
For this new course I have been looking at Festival Australia which has literary festival info - just because it is something I find interesting.
And then because for work it is good to keep up with what's been awarded the latest literary award I have subscribed to Book Award Tragic.
The only problem is that with all these courses I have lots of Google identities - so all the different feeds relate to different identities...
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Flickr
I have been enjoying re-acquainting myself with Flickr.
Its a really good way to share photos, though I find it frustrating that you can only go so far for free and then you need to pay money.
I've uploaded a photo from my recent Singapore study tour - it was the National Exercise Day for all the Librarians that work for Singapore's National Library Board and looked amazing! Imagine if all the WA Public Librarians go together and had a day of exercise...
If you want to see more photos from Singapore - you can see them at my photostream on Flickr
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Web 2.0 My first post
Well I have a last post from a few years ago and am back now with a first post!!
Hope it will be as much fun as the last time, and it will be really good to brush up on my skills.
It will also be good to learn totally new things - as some of the things in the survey I have no idea what they are.
I think its really important to keep learning and challenging yourself, and to just be curious about things.
Some of the other things I hope to get out of this are ideas about new services we can offer at our Libraries, plus to also look at different ways we can offer the services we already do provide.
I think there is a place for blogs to our customers - but they need to be done well and be interesting.
I can't say that I know of many blogs - hopefully through the course of this training I will learn about more.
Probably one of the things that I found really interesting last time was how different people's blogs developed. One of the Library staff members who did it was also an artist, and for her learning about this new technology opened up all sorts of opportunities for her art - now transformed into:
http://www.undersevenskies.com.au/index.php?page=blog
Anyway looking forward to many more such transformations!
Hope it will be as much fun as the last time, and it will be really good to brush up on my skills.
It will also be good to learn totally new things - as some of the things in the survey I have no idea what they are.
I think its really important to keep learning and challenging yourself, and to just be curious about things.
Some of the other things I hope to get out of this are ideas about new services we can offer at our Libraries, plus to also look at different ways we can offer the services we already do provide.
I think there is a place for blogs to our customers - but they need to be done well and be interesting.
I can't say that I know of many blogs - hopefully through the course of this training I will learn about more.
Probably one of the things that I found really interesting last time was how different people's blogs developed. One of the Library staff members who did it was also an artist, and for her learning about this new technology opened up all sorts of opportunities for her art - now transformed into:
http://www.undersevenskies.com.au/index.php?page=blog
Anyway looking forward to many more such transformations!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Harry Potter
Reading through my feeds and as usual distracted by something fun - check out my Harry Potter personality - like my star sign I'm quite happy with it!!
Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.
Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Last Post
Sounds like there should be music playing or at least a bugle...
So Kathryn has asked the following questions:
What have been the highs and lows of the 23 Things for you? Highs have definitely been the collaboration and team work amongst ELS staff. Also how creative they have been and outcomes like the WA VDX users blog.
Highs have also just been exploring the technology.
Seeing posts by people like Dianne and Pat who I know aren't into this stuff at all.
I'm not sure if finding out more about other people has been a high or low - sometimes its interesting to find out info about other people, sometimes it feels like it is blurring work with the personal a little too much for my comfort zones.
Helping lead a team of people through this has definitely had highs and lows - there's enthusiasm, energy and innovation; and there is also fear, resistance and negative responses. I'd have to say though the highs definitely out-weighed the lows on this one - though it was time and energy consuming to keep this sort of positivity going.
It can be frustrating too - with all the systems down yesterday - Twitter felt like the perfect medium to let people know what was happening - msn is one to one, email wasn't working, not everyone can access the refdesk blog - but no-one was on Twitter....
Where to next with emerging technologies? I think Library wide we need to discuss what would be useful for us to start using. Benefits of different tools, possible guidelines that we may need with their use.
For you? For me I want to look at a few things in ELS. I have ideas and haven't had time to do them. It will be one step at a time and is the sort of thing you keep putting off because it is so big - jobs that you can break down into manageable chunks are easier to tackle.
For libraries? For Libraries in general I just think we need to keep informed, keep skill levels up there and slowly the technologies will be incorporated into our services. For our Library I think what we need to do is not so much keep looking for new things to learn about (though good to do this) - but to actually spend some time working with the tools we've just learned about - as there is so much potential from them, and it would be very sad to lose that.
And no - I don't really think this will be my last post.......
So Kathryn has asked the following questions:
What have been the highs and lows of the 23 Things for you? Highs have definitely been the collaboration and team work amongst ELS staff. Also how creative they have been and outcomes like the WA VDX users blog.
Highs have also just been exploring the technology.
Seeing posts by people like Dianne and Pat who I know aren't into this stuff at all.
I'm not sure if finding out more about other people has been a high or low - sometimes its interesting to find out info about other people, sometimes it feels like it is blurring work with the personal a little too much for my comfort zones.
Helping lead a team of people through this has definitely had highs and lows - there's enthusiasm, energy and innovation; and there is also fear, resistance and negative responses. I'd have to say though the highs definitely out-weighed the lows on this one - though it was time and energy consuming to keep this sort of positivity going.
It can be frustrating too - with all the systems down yesterday - Twitter felt like the perfect medium to let people know what was happening - msn is one to one, email wasn't working, not everyone can access the refdesk blog - but no-one was on Twitter....
Where to next with emerging technologies? I think Library wide we need to discuss what would be useful for us to start using. Benefits of different tools, possible guidelines that we may need with their use.
For you? For me I want to look at a few things in ELS. I have ideas and haven't had time to do them. It will be one step at a time and is the sort of thing you keep putting off because it is so big - jobs that you can break down into manageable chunks are easier to tackle.
For libraries? For Libraries in general I just think we need to keep informed, keep skill levels up there and slowly the technologies will be incorporated into our services. For our Library I think what we need to do is not so much keep looking for new things to learn about (though good to do this) - but to actually spend some time working with the tools we've just learned about - as there is so much potential from them, and it would be very sad to lose that.
And no - I don't really think this will be my last post.......
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Info Game
Was it just me or did anyone else find it annoying that the Info Game didn't tell me what I got wrong and give me the correct answer?
Retroland
Retroland - that was fun. I've just brought back memories of neon and mesh shirts, leggings, acid-wash denim, flashdance and wham fashion and making countless friendship bracelets...
Can you guess that it was the 80's?
They didn't have boob tubes though - and the boob tube dresses - maybe that was an aussie thing (or just a busso thing even)
I am very sad that in recent unpacking I couldn't find my Choose Life t-shirt.
Had a nice conversation Tuesday night about retro hair and rat's tails - fits in well with this week's thing!
Scritty
Can you guess that it was the 80's?
They didn't have boob tubes though - and the boob tube dresses - maybe that was an aussie thing (or just a busso thing even)
I am very sad that in recent unpacking I couldn't find my Choose Life t-shirt.
Had a nice conversation Tuesday night about retro hair and rat's tails - fits in well with this week's thing!
Scritty
Learning 2.1 blog
Well I got to the Learning 2.1 blog and only got as far as a reference to Retroland.
How did they know!!!!
I am now going to have a play......
Scritty
How did they know!!!!
I am now going to have a play......
Scritty
Monday, November 26, 2007
My goals revisited
Hi - well Kathryn asked us to look back at our goals form the beginning and see what we have achieved over these past few weeks.
Let's see:
Let's see:
- Learn more about this technology and feel comfortable using it - well I definitely feel comfortable using most of it and would love more time to spend on using some of these tools to their full potential. That is probably my main regret - there's always been a little more that I would like to explore - particularly under the "for those that want more" sections of the weeks, but as the weeks have gone by its been more a matter of getting done the bare minimum of the week and a "I'll try and play with that later". Later is a little like tomorrow - it never comes... I would say that one tool I still don't feel comfortable with is Facebook. Its probably just me but I just don't "get it". I mean I can see what people say about the benefits they get out of Facebook, but it just doesn't sit comfortably with me - maybe its to do with networking, I've never felt comfortable with that either and Facebook in a professional sense is about networking. I can see it as a possible tool for a Public Library - but would need to explore it a lot more before really deciding on this.
- To look at ways we can use the new technology in our section and to make our services better for our customers - We have definitely already started on using some of these things in our section - the Doc del wiki for WA VDX users is one great example, plus the Doc del delicious account is another. I think because we have been doing this project as a collaboration between staff the natural progression has been to start using it as part of our work practices (Google docs is another one people have picked up and run with) and we haven't really had a chance to think yet about using it with our customers. But that will come, there are already many ideas running around in my head about things we could do for External students - maybe over the break I will have a little more of that thing called "time".
- Promote teamwork and communication across the Library and enabling staff to feel more confidant and a little empowered by this technology - well that one has been a fantastic and rewarding thing to see. Staff in ELS have buddied up at various times when a couple of them are falling behind (2 are twittering together this week as they missed doing it last week), everyone is helping each other, sharing what they've found and incorporating it into their work. The energy has gone up and down over the project, but there has always been a trigger from someone to set it off again. Then there's the comments after a night shift, that show that the Reference desk Librarian and the ELS staff have been discussing and exploring these tools together, plus there are all those tea-time conversations.... I think it has been really empowering for some of the staff - there's the power in knowing that you can do it - doesn't matter if you will use some of the technology again - you have had the chance to explore it with others also learning. And then there's those who have really gone beyond their comfort zones and presented info at a WAGUL forum - that's brave! I have to say I've been really proud of the way staff in ELS have explored this technology.
- Have fun and Enjoy work - well that one has happened nearly all the way - thanks Kathryn and Murdoch Library for giving me this opportunity!!!
Creative commons etc
Just wondering as I do this - are we supposed to be acknowledging who's videos and slides we are embedding - or is it enough that people can link back to the slideshare and youtube sites? This part of it all feels a little grey to me?
Slideshare - feeling jealous of Sue
Couldn't go past this one as Sue's recent photos made me jealous, I don't know if anyone else has been here - but for me it was a magical place, Scritty
And just to prove that I really meant it...
when I said that I loved tacky and kitch, one of my faves from Eurovision......
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