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!

Week 8, Thing 19: Library Thing

Many of my non-library friends have been raving about Library Thing for quite some time, and it sounded good, but I just never got around to creating my own account. I am embarrassed to say that one of them even bought a barcode scanner to add their books via ISBN! Not even I would do that, but no prizes for guessing that I now love Library Thing and will continue to add to it regularly. Many small libraries use it as their catalogue, which is a testament to just how good it is.

Here is my Library Thing. I prefer Display Style B, which shows comments and book ratings.

Week 8, Thing 18: Online productivity (word processing, spreadsheet) tools

I must admit I had never really heard of online word processing before. I had used Google Docs, but that was mainly for group things where my input was required, and for some reason I didn't think about how I could use it for myself. Zoho is easy to use, and everything I like about it is summed up in this Zoho document. I've never had a word processing application on my home computer, but I will now that I have a Zoho account.

Just to see how easy or how hard it was to do, I published the above Zoho document (well, sentence, really) to my blog. It took all of 5 seconds.

Week 7, Thing 17: TAFE 23 Things wiki

I logged into the TAFE 23 Things wiki and added the idea about using RSS feeds for new items under the 'RSS and Newsreaders' section. I like how quick and easy it is to add information.
I thought a cataloguing wiki could be something useful, and discovered this one.

Week 7, Thing 16: Learn about Wikis

Being a book lover, my favourite wiki on the list is obviously Book Lovers Wiki from Princeton Public Library.
Library Success looks like a really useful resource for sharing information and ideas related to best practice in libraries.

I found this slideshow which goes into detail about the pros and cons of wikis and the different ways that libraries can use them. Wikis are most useful for collaboration and group work, as everyone can contribute and share ideas.