Thing 12

The topic of wikis reminds me of a project that is underway at my library and is a good example how wikis can be used in libraries. Currently, we have a information stored in a home-grown electronic Rolodex similar to the round Rolodex of the past where different types of information were kept in order to be easily accessible. As this electronic version of the Rolodex grew, it became increasingly hard to keep all the information accurate and updated. Therefore, we have undertaken a massive weeding project with the plan of converting the Rolodex into a wiki where responsibility of keeping the entries updated and accurate can be shared by all users. In fact, it has been discussed that we will give community organizations editing access so they can keep their own entries accurate.

Thing 11

I shared stories from the NY Times and some other online news sources (Emily, what did you think of the story?). Looking through all the different sites where readers vote, I did notice a trend where stories that made it to the top of the popularity list on one site seemed to also be at the top of list on other sites. So, if you are looking for the "most popular" news stories, these sites seem to deliver (popular among whom is the question--what are the demographics of the type of people that read, vote, and comment on online news stories...). Yes, I can see the importance of librarians taking the time to look at these sites because questions related to the stories will inevitably come up at the reference desk.

Thing 10

I used Delicious in several reference webinars. One was on science resources and one was on health resources. I searched using tags hoping to find either of the lists, but no matter what tags I used, I had a list of hundreds to scroll through and never found either list.

Thing 9

I tried to make a Flickr Badge and it worked but the html code it generated had errors. I know a little html and tried to edit it but the badge still didn't show. I explored Picture Trail but decided to use Flickr's tools instead because I already have so many accounts. I ended up using Mosaic Maker from Big Huge Labs because I could link it to my Flickr account without creating a new account. These tools are similar to the other ones and would be useful for displaying pictures from Library programs, library book covers, and more.


My creation
Originally uploaded by bakelaurieann

Thing 8

I do see uses for some of the communication tools mentioned in this Thing. I really like the idea of using text messaging to inform patrons when their holds are ready or when their books are overdue. Alerts like that are perfect for a text message. I don't see as much use for SMS as a reference tool because the very nature of SMS is "short" messages and it is hard to conduct reference interviews and provide thorough information in such small snippets.

As far as email is concerned, I have not worked during a time that did not have email so I am not sure how much it has improved productivity. However, it seems that while new communication tools often improve some areas they also create new challenges...

I use email constantly, IM occasionally, and text rarely. However, my IMing has started to decrease as my texting has increased.

I tried to view at least five of the OPAL presentations without success. I don't know if it was a problem with the OPAL Archive or the network traffic we experience at that time of day.

Thing 7

Here's my little image using one of the multitude of image generators! In fact, I went through so many I can't remember where I started, but I ended up at: www.imagechef.com

Thing 6

http://splashr.com/show/reflect2/25944746@N07/25/



Here is a slide show using splashr.com I enjoy fooling with the mashups and other ways of presenting photos, etc. I guess the library could use some of these apps to present book covers, event photos, program advertisements, etc. on the new Website (actually, I think we are).