Week 10, Thing 23: Summarize your thoughts

Despite being initially 'roped into' doing the 23 things, I believe that if you're going to do something, do it properly. So I did.

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
Del.icio.us, Library Thing, Zoho Writer.

Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I find myself starting to think differently about things that I would normally have ignored...
For example, when I come across a new programme/concept etc, I think about how it could be relevant to me.

What could be done differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
Time was an issue for most people. Maybe reduce the number of things done per week.

Week 9, Thing 22: eBooks and Audio eBooks

Hmm. I wasn't sure where to start with this one. As a book lover, I'd never thought much of the eBook concept and would rather have just not thought about it at all, frankly.
However after looking at the Project Gutenberg site I can see the merit in such a thing - I even read the first paragraph of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe online... But I still don't think I would use them myself.

Audio eBooks are different - they don't involve reading a computer screen - so although I've never listened to one, I might one day if I ever need to drive over long distances alone.

So why don't academic libraries use eBooks more? I'm guessing price, copyright issues, licensing, lack of appropriate titles?.... This article about their use in academic libraries explains in more detail.

Week 9, Thing 21: Podcasts

I've used Podcasts with my iPod. Not anything library-related though, just the Couch to 5k running plan.

For this exercise I added the Open Stacks podcast to my Google Reader account... which I haven't used since Week 4. Easy enough to do, but I didn't really find any library podcasts of interest to me. There are quite a few of them, but the ones I saw mainly related to the goings-on at a specific library, e.g. Arizona State University, or were about US library news, so they may be of passing interest to an outsider but not really worth subscribing to.
Also Yahoo podcasts says this: "Yahoo! apologizes deeply, but we will be closing down the Podcasts site on Oct. 31, 2007."

Week 9, Thing 20: YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos

I found this rather sad little video about library technicians. My favourite parts were "Library technicians are usually supervised by a librarian" ...Huh?
"A typical day may include HOURS spent in front of a monitor... BENDING, STRETCHING!"...

I've used YouTube for a while, but I'd never thought about its potential for library use. It could be a useful training tool. For example there are a few videos that libraries have developed such as demonstrations of their online catalogue, and tours of the library.

My Library Thing

Published from Zoho

Testing zoho Writer!