Final reflections

I liked the blog because I tend to like writing so my thoughts deep or otherwise are important to me. I like the idea of sharing them although the audience who reads this is a tad small.) I liked the flickr mashups and image generators because they can make the text and the look of what's online more eyecatching and likely to attract an audience. Delicious helps keep all these sites organized. You tube appeals to my need to have a mental health break PLUS the videos con provide useful and frequently painless education. I feel similarly about podcasts. All in all the things I mentioned are items I think have definite usefulness at my worksite.

Not quite sure about twitter and im. Twitter goes against my need to explain and to get my meaning across. I don't see that as happening in a FEW words; and im goes against my need to not always be found. I don't want to be instantly contacted and on a bad day I'm not sure who in this universe does.

I'd like to thank the NTRLS for doing this. It was intersting and forced me to try my hand at literally a range of activities that usually I would have said I have no time for.

how to develop a program at my library

I'll admit it 23 things was great but time consuming. I have read some of the comments from staff and I'll be honest you get from a thing what you put into it. The summer is a relatively slow period of time. I for one am tired of people whining about everything they are asked to do. If I were to take this 23 things idea I'd do the following.

Before the end of the present year my library would have a wrap up of all 23 things and maybe divide them into categories: publicity, document creation,etc... Have staff vote on their top 5 and then the following year during the summer have staff working individually or with a partner on something that could be shown to fellow workers at the end of the summer. Perhaps, even the products could be rolled out to library board.

I know this took long but we can't stay in our hermetically sealed offices or we will be outsourced even more than we are and will have only ourselves to blame.

Podcast

I listened to booktalks through a public library; casts from a law school's speaker series and listened to a college's author series. The latter appeared to be speakers from their faculty. This has some possibilities. I am curious who is listening. We are short staffed in my humble opinion and I think in terms of how to maximize our presence. I'd like to do a few of these because e.g. when we had our graphics novel program we might as well have milked that baby for all it was worth. Ditto when we had a Darwin Day program. Both were well attended so again milking it for maximum exposure would be a good thing.

You tube

By now who hasn't looked at Y T. I did see one video in particular on information commons that I believe would be good to show to an ad hoc committee that I need to be creating in additon to working on world peace! It is not too short and creates I hope a buzz on what is happening in library world.

Yes, you tubes could be useful as a means of starting a conversation, e.g. customer service. I sort of liked the video with the angry librarian. You have to screen (as one might suspect) the products but there are great videos. We created one for National Library Week. It was not a real toe tapper but it is a start. I appreciate the staff member who was willing to do something and get the party started.

Google doc

I like this. I will admit I am trying to finish all 23 just because so I am not pondering heavily any of these near the end. We have outsiders (non MSU community people) who need or want to use Microsoft. Maybe this could be an option. It may not have all the bells and whistles but if it does the job that's fine. Google is in the mindset that all the bells and whistles are NOT necessarily always that important. I only tried the documents because I am taking an online course and need to spend time on that. I like the fact that the most widely desired products -spread sheet,powerpoint,et al are available.

Plus if you wanted others to see and comment you can share the work in a seamless fashion. I think this is a good example of one of those 23 things.

wikipedia - evil product or new found friend

I think I was asked to speak about it. It's there we all use it so we might as well stop getting our panties in a wad. Now if we could figure out ways to instruct so that students, teachers,etc... could see how this information is organized that would be good. When I began to look at the discussion history of different topics that was fascinating to me how back and forth a topic goes. I don't consider that a bad thing but one that researchers young and old need to be told about. Mind you I don't know how to sell our abilities in this area but we have potential instructional services we could be selling vs. whining and kvetching how people use this horrible source that by the way we all do as well.

Wiki

The experience was painless. It's ironic since I'm taking an online course in Reading Education. One of the tasks was to create a wiki on reading methods instruction. The wiki there seemed ripe with problems. I guess all wikis need active interest. Right now I am overwhelmed with work to do at work in general. I think if I had time this might be of appeal. I'm on a few do gooder groups boards where working on projects through a wiki might not be a bad ideal.

LibWorm

It's been a while since I've posted anything. But like Scarlett O'Hara I will prevail and finish this LOONG activity. I like the worm with a minor BUT. I tried library management and change issues. I found some things that were interesting to me. This afternoon at work I tried Project Sails which is an assessment tool that we may try at work. With the former topic some of the entries were unexpected and serendipitous as though I found a buried treasure or two. When I tried the Sails nothing that great that I did NOT unearth through google. I'll be honest. I've gotten really busy at work PLUS I needed to take time off as a mental health break. My 23 things task is just having to be put on the bottom pile. I think LibWorm is good when you think/perceive that you can't find all the obscure things out there. In that respect it is a good tool.

library thing

I like it. Although I'm not quite a complete true believer. I like the idea if I wanted to talk or share with like minded readers that we could connect based on like reading interests. If my home library ever gets a reading series done and part of me says could this be viable during the summer or some time period on campus that this site would be a good way to gather programming ideas in terms of books, authors, and may be the mind set of readers. Right now I feel swamped and I may come back and truly use this site or I may say I have too much on my plate. I do have an informal Alice in Wonderland book collection. I like getting different illustrated versions. So finding that other illustration groupies exist would be nice. It was very easy to "catalog" and if organizing my personal collection got to be important this would be a great way.

digg

I like digg it. Even though I was prepared to think more social networking. I discovered an article on a librarians group to provide services for prisoners. Maybe it struck a nerve but I thought this is the kind of information that needs to make itsway up the scale of human currency. This SLIS group of students has an Amazon link, a flickr presence. Yes, all in the joint aren't good people but they are humans and so I said digg can make what could be the obscure not languish in obscurity. We all see needs that we think if people only knew they would respond, but if they don't know the need is just out there. Digg can at its best provide a way of saying people and ideas worth pursuing don't have to languish. I'm digging it indeed.

Yea for delicious

I love this. I am rapidly organizing for bookmarks and deleting those that I hardly care anything

about. This organizing tool was so simple; the only bad thing is I have so many bookmarks and

I feel like I must go through all of them to feel like this is semi-done deal. This tool certainly

makes finding stuff in the future so much easier. I am so delighted I had to add a picture to express the joy I feel. :)

tagging

Mixed comments. I provide on flickr and on any blog postings I submit a tag; unless you speak Andrea talk some of my taggisms may not be easily retrievable. For example, I have ambivalence towards the usefulness or social good of some of the techno toys that we are using. I am tagging these observations Luddite. The word in and of itself is not unusual but what if you did NOT think along those lines. My words of brilliance via the blog might not be findable. In short I wonder if we can get to be too eccentric where we all have our own terms but not a common language to find stuff. I guess I'd like someone to occasionally go through tags and maybe do a bit of separating of the wheat from the chaff.

twitterings

Here's my inner Luddite. I got behind my 23 things since my home computer is on the blitz and I don't always have time at work. I signed into twitter, tried to find people I wanted to find, defriended a few people who I mistakenly thought I knew. I am now following the Onion, newspaper satire; Women's Wear Daily and one other thing. Oh I forgot I follow Rachel Maddow. I need to figure out why I would want to follow these people or things. Who has time? On a bad day of the week I am not doing anything fascinating so why in the heck would anyone care ditto on my following anyone or anything. I'm not sure if I don't get it or if I am just a sour state employee.

Instant Messaging

Like any good soul I have reconciled my situation and all is well. I am on facebook and I have had many a chat where people I actually like chit chat BRIEFLY. The conversation is as thin as Christmas paper wrapping but I do participate in that. I have convinced myself that that is o.k. so as long as I don't have to install something else chat is o.k.

On the other hand we have chat at work. It is not a hot property but perhaps we need to sell it much like Walmart sells its stuff. After all, I look for the Target ad every Sunday like a mother cat looking for its kitten. I assume that ad suggests I need to buy something. :) If Target can do that perhaps chat for students as a means of reference services can be sold!

Instant Messaging

I may have to "pray" over if I want to follow the rules and do this NTRLS 23. I have been adverse to doing any IMs. I do NOT wish to be contacted unless I really want to be found. I sourly assume many other people don't want to be found instantly either. I need to think long and hard about this because my gut says opt out. Keep in mind I don't even have a camera on a cell phone cause I avoid some techno charms 'cause I think I don't see the value and I don't want to be found, to be contacted. Part of me says I'm sorry to be a Luddite. Part of me says we can find more ways to be engaged and yet not connect with people.

Ning thoughts

I looked but did not inhale (library humor) by joining. I tried the following groups that I could imagine myself interested. I really like the late actress Natalie Wood and was delighted that a fan club of sorts for Nat exists. I was tempted and looked around marvelling at great photos and other teasing moments. I tried another activity am interested in and that's Alice in Wonderland collectible. I like the variety of illustrations, the imaginative story telling and of course the variety of crass and high minded stuff one can acquire. Now I did NOT look well or Alice is missing. If Alice is missing I could perhaps create a group but had no interest and no time to do so. The last group I tried was black librarians which on a bad day is akin to unicorns, a rare specimen. I was happy to see such a group but right now again have absolutely no time to explore.

So there's something, perhaps, for all but the question remains who has time. In all seriousness some little quirky part of me says we are all on the electronic friend trail but these relations may be as shallow as rain in West Texas. That's just the curmudgeonly part of me.

More facebook

I have changed my profile just a smidgen. I join for fun varioius quasi-political groups, artsie endeavors. I have enjoyed catching up with my old high school buds. I visited facebook just to see what I've been missing. It sort of reminded me of that high school reunion. Some folk I was just happy to have avoided other it was good to see. It's not all good but for a while when I used to check my facebook account it was addictive. I rather was hooked during the political season but now I am not quite willing to share my political thoughts with some of my long lost school buds. Many seem right wingish and I can read my local newspaper if I want that kind of noninsightful. In short the social network may not always be people you truly like that much!!!

facebook

I already have a facebook account. I thought at first that it would be a great vehicle to attract people to library programs/events (NOT!). So far that has not happened well. I have friended myself to various campus groups when I was attempting to ingratiate myself to student body groups. What needs to happen is my library needs to take its inactive facebook institutional account and figure out what and why and how we need to use it.

I have mixed feelings about its use. I like my foray into facebookdom but I don't know if it really can connect with official institutions dissemination. Perhaps, what needs to happen is to really use the existing Moffett account and to try to see if we can befriend students, etc... .

As for the privacy issue I have limits of who can befriend me. I have ignored people who I did not know how they made contact. I notice some people (individuals) who befriend into the 100s. I am amused/frightened at that but that may say as much about my caution on the very nature of friendship. I know we have a new generation that would be amused. Lately, every old high school acquaintance of mine has begun to show up out of the woodwork. Frankly, the contact I have made through facebook with them is better than when I went to a real world class reunion. Attending one reminded me why I did NOT like some people in the first place so much for the attractions of the real world.

Blog reading/RSS feeds

I'm back to feeling confused. Stuff does NOT show up on my blog but it's on my subscription list. This is my first day back. I'm tired and my brain is sluggish so right now I will exit and fool with this on Saturday when I feel fresh and enthusiastic.

RSS feeds

I now have officially subscribed to several. The process was simple enough. I already feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I have to look over to at least claim to stay up to date. Here's hoping this helps me stay non-inundated. I will after the fact give my thoughts if it makes a difference.

Blog readers

I started officially following 2 happenstance before I read the directions. On my own accord there are some blogs that I bookmarked because I enjoy reading them regularly. Now that there is a "better way" I will revisit this and either during the 23 things experience or on my own volition so that personal blog reading can be done more efficiently I would use this. I will admit the directions for some reason seemed somewhat confusing to me. Probably now that I am back from a mini-vacation and we have I gather a bit of a break to catch up with "stuff" I might decide to clean up my blog reading in one gulp.

Top of Texas Review Center (more image fun!)

flickr 2 (an astonishing success story albeit exaggerated)

I am rather proud of myself. After actually sleeping and then really reading what is asked of us I took another look at flickr.com assignment. I finally began putting more pictures on the site from the library's reception from last year. Yes, we did do something this year but another coworker is to do this. Part of this time lag is sheer procrastination. Lately we have been doing much more "outreach" but we don't always follow through. We take pictures but don't post them anywhere. It takes a bit of time but this exercise suggests it does not take that much time. In the new academic year I will do better at showcasing our efforts through the art of photography. Otherwise no one will know what in the heck we are doing.

flickr blues!

I had to write this because I feel bad, but not sad. I now know that no one truly reads text any more. Update to my previous entry. I have loaded Read posters so I've done flickr (part 1) but I was so tired this night that I was not thinking clearly. I think for the heck of it I will load a photo or two library related so that the practice becomes clearer. So far our flickr.com account is underused. I'm not sure how to milk this thingie for all it's worth but we need to do lots more. I have a staff member (the photographer/media guy) who is going to load about 10 or so of the latest photos from the most recent big publicity effort. We probably need to revisit the notion that he controls all those photos. Part of me says who ever wants to load photos as long as they are useful for the cause should do so. I'm not sure if this thought is a good idea, a bad idea, or more a tired overworked body.

This photo is just because I felt like it. It was from last year's NLW week though. This would need to be on the flickr.com account and right now it is not.

flickr world and human tiredness (flickr 1)

I have an account and have had library pictures from National Library Week Read posters for about 2 years. I'm not sure if I am so tired that I'm punch drunk and my brain won't operate quickly. I will try this tomorrow. I'd like to have flickr (1 and 2) done by Memorial Day.

What does 2.0 mean to me or why must we change always.

The definition that I like about the whole 2.0"thingie - as said by Sarah Houghton

“Library 2.0 simply means making your library’s space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives…to make the library a destination and not an afterthought.”

The part that hits a personal and professional nerve is 'making the library relevant , ... a destination and not an afterthought." This weekend as I cleaned off my mother's bookcase I stumbled across a book (pre-Kindle format) called Who moved my cheese?" I had assumed this book was another bad organizational self-help tome. It really fits what's happening at my worksite.

Right now at my library we're not quite in the Sniff & Scurry realm where we are grabbing change like a welcome long lost relative we truly are overjoyed to see; we are more like Hem and Haw. So at work sometimes we think that if we can ignore some changes some people will be retired/or dead, perhaps, by then; others feel more like how can we use what's here or what may be coming to make what we do better, and more useful for our publics.

On a bad day I too wonder can I be like Hem hanging on until I can retire (NOT!) and things get to be somebody else's problem. On a good day I want to try different things because I see so much potential to get better cheese if we are willing to shake up things in little and in BIG ways. We're already doing some things I see on your list but we also have a strong feeling in the work culture that we have done the cheese thing in a certain Walmart big store where you can get your old cheddar variety so why do we have to make adjustments; why can't we be shown love without having to do things differently. I want to hang around in this profession because I really feel in my heart that 2.0 can open up if we will let it what we do to publics that right now have written us off as irrelevant ; they don't even care about our position as solid citizen. I'd like to work long enough to turn some of this on its head. So that 's why I'm still trying to learn more stuff, and to make myself move along even when part of me says I'm lazy; I'm tired.

Welcome to my world (blog creation)

Well, so far I am the only person from my library to sign up for 23 things. I hope a little arm twisting will add at least one more person. I am very excited that NTRLS is doing this. I began thinking that somehow we needed to find at work a way to take a look at 2.0 and what it could do for our abilities to serve the public plus work on world peace. That's my running comment. Libraries are always doing a variety of tasks plus world peace on the side. Anyway to know that someone is manning a helm and allowing us all to play and get a chance to check out stuff without the sense that how will you find the time plus do your day job is great. I want to thank you big time.