I tried searching several of the podcast directories, and didn't find them that useful. There were so many podcasts listed, and when I selected a subject area to browse I just got podcast titles which didn't tell me much about them. The lists were so long I didn't want to click on each podcast name to get to more information about it to decide if I was interested. I didn't find anything of interest this way.
I had better luck going to the NPR website and clicking on their Podcast link. It took me to their Podcast Dirctory, which listed podcasts by NPR and their "partners." Here I found podcasts for lots of shows I enjoy listening to, such as Fresh Air and This American Life. This was a much more productive directory to look in!
I actually didn't subscribe to any of the podcasts listed in the NPR directory, primarily because I've done it before and I still never got around to listening to the episodes. In the case of This American Life, the podcast is only available free for a week after the original broadcast date, so if I didn't get to it within that timeframe, it was too late.
Trying to be more practical and realistic about my available time, I subscribed instead to the Grammar Girl podcast, which I knew about because a couple of my co-workers subscribe. Each of these podcasts is less than 5 minutes in length, so I might even find time to listen!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thing 20: YouTube
I think YouTube is great. You often hear people deride it as being full of drivel, but you know what? It actually restores my faith in people's creativity. Yes, a lot of what is posted is of no interest to anyone but the poster and a few of his or her friends or family members. But so what! The people who the video was intended for will enjoy it; the rest of us can ignore it!
There is also great stuff on YouTube that in my opinion beats the heck out of most network programming. Really creative people now have an outlet without needing a lot of money, and without needing to fit their content into some sort of format that fits on tv between commercials.
I think a great example of this is Dan Brown, the Lincoln high school student who recently won a YouTube contest with his video demonstrating how to solve a Rubik's cube. He has posted over 70 videos and has developed a huge following (over 19,000 subscribers). His videos run the gamet from comedic rants at his friends to a presidential endorsement, but all are impressive in their own way. See for yourself!
Other folks have already pointed out some of the cool library videos out there on YouTube, so I won't spend a lot of time on them. I will say I think it would be cool for a library to videotape patrons talking about books they've read, and then posting them to a library YouTube account and the library website.
Just for fun I did a search on YouTube for the tag CIL2008 - which I know folks are using to tag material from the Computers in Libraries 2008 conference. Take a look at the results and see if you can spot a couple NLC staff members!
For my finale I was going to embed into this blog post a video that I uploaded to YouTube. Unfortunately, it looks like I disabled the "embed" option in my account, and I can't remember or track down my password at the moment to get in and change it. So you will just have to follow this link if you want to see my "channel."
(Disclaimer: My videos definitely fall into the "only of interest to friends and family" category. But hey, it was me experimenting with two things for the first time - taking movies with my digital camera and uploading videos to the web!)
There is also great stuff on YouTube that in my opinion beats the heck out of most network programming. Really creative people now have an outlet without needing a lot of money, and without needing to fit their content into some sort of format that fits on tv between commercials.
I think a great example of this is Dan Brown, the Lincoln high school student who recently won a YouTube contest with his video demonstrating how to solve a Rubik's cube. He has posted over 70 videos and has developed a huge following (over 19,000 subscribers). His videos run the gamet from comedic rants at his friends to a presidential endorsement, but all are impressive in their own way. See for yourself!
Other folks have already pointed out some of the cool library videos out there on YouTube, so I won't spend a lot of time on them. I will say I think it would be cool for a library to videotape patrons talking about books they've read, and then posting them to a library YouTube account and the library website.
Just for fun I did a search on YouTube for the tag CIL2008 - which I know folks are using to tag material from the Computers in Libraries 2008 conference. Take a look at the results and see if you can spot a couple NLC staff members!
For my finale I was going to embed into this blog post a video that I uploaded to YouTube. Unfortunately, it looks like I disabled the "embed" option in my account, and I can't remember or track down my password at the moment to get in and change it. So you will just have to follow this link if you want to see my "channel."
(Disclaimer: My videos definitely fall into the "only of interest to friends and family" category. But hey, it was me experimenting with two things for the first time - taking movies with my digital camera and uploading videos to the web!)
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thing 19: Discovering Web 2.0 Tools
For this thing we were to select one tool from the list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees and write about it. Under the Communication category I chose Meebo.
We use Meebo, a service that allows you to associate multiple instant messaging accounts with a single Meebo account, in both the Network Services department and the Reference department. This tool is useful, because if you want to be able to IM people who use different IM services, you need accounts on each of the different IM services (for the most part). It's a pain to have to login to multiple IM services at the same time, however, and Meebo solves this problem.
If libraries are going to offer chat reference services to their patrons they are going to have to be available via multiple IM services, so a tool like Meebo is really essential for making that managable. Also, Meebo has something called a Meebo Me widget that you can put on a web page (see my blog sidebar for an example). This lets people chat with you even if they don't have an account set up on any of the IM services. All they have to do is type in the Meebo Me chat window and if you are logged into your Meebo account you will get an instant message from the person.
This is a great tool for libraries wanting to make it easy for patrons to chat with them!
We use Meebo, a service that allows you to associate multiple instant messaging accounts with a single Meebo account, in both the Network Services department and the Reference department. This tool is useful, because if you want to be able to IM people who use different IM services, you need accounts on each of the different IM services (for the most part). It's a pain to have to login to multiple IM services at the same time, however, and Meebo solves this problem.
If libraries are going to offer chat reference services to their patrons they are going to have to be available via multiple IM services, so a tool like Meebo is really essential for making that managable. Also, Meebo has something called a Meebo Me widget that you can put on a web page (see my blog sidebar for an example). This lets people chat with you even if they don't have an account set up on any of the IM services. All they have to do is type in the Meebo Me chat window and if you are logged into your Meebo account you will get an instant message from the person.
This is a great tool for libraries wanting to make it easy for patrons to chat with them!
Thing 18: Web-based Apps
I really like the notion of online word processing applications. Especially when you consider how much it costs to purchase something like MicroSoft Word for personal use. I'm not sure I'd want to try to format something really structured like a resume using an online word processor yet--there is too much fine tuning involved. But maybe some day! For most things I type at home though, something like ZOHO writer would be fine.
I've used Google Docs before when I wanted to have a document going that I could access from multiple locations, and that my husband could also access. I've also used Google's online presentation application before, just as an experiment.
Thing 17: Playing with PBwiki
Okay, I added my blog to the NLC Learning 2.0 wiki. I like the WYSIWYG editor of PBwiki!
Thing 16: Wikis
I think wikis are neat, but I agree with Michael - there are situations in which wikis will work, and situations in which they might not be the best tool. Do I have a handle on which situations call for a wiki and which don't? I don't think so. And in some situations, it may come down to the people involved. Will they contribute and take advantage of the wiki's strengths?
Of the wikis I looked at, I really like the Library Success: A Best Practice Wiki. I have used it before when I was researching IM use by libraries. It is a great place to go to see what libraries are doing, and how they implement different programs/tools.
I also think the conference wiki is a great idea. What a neat way to coordinate activities with other conference attendees and make the experience richer and more rewarding. I love the way that any conference goer can add to it at any time. This makes it a real-time, dynamic resource!
Of the wikis I looked at, I really like the Library Success: A Best Practice Wiki. I have used it before when I was researching IM use by libraries. It is a great place to go to see what libraries are doing, and how they implement different programs/tools.
I also think the conference wiki is a great idea. What a neat way to coordinate activities with other conference attendees and make the experience richer and more rewarding. I love the way that any conference goer can add to it at any time. This makes it a real-time, dynamic resource!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Thing 15: Library 2.0
I liked what Rick Anderson had to say about the iceberg that is the "come to us" model of library service. Sad to say, I think it's true that not a lot of people use library websites as starting points when searching for information. So how do we make sure that the library winds up showing up on our patrons' radar?
I think a successful example of this is the Reference Desk's "Ask a Librarian" link on the state government website. People having trouble finding state government information would probably not think to contact the Library Commission or come to our website on their own. But when they are having trouble, they look up and see an "Ask a Librarian" link and click on it, and there is a box into which they can type their question (a MeeboMe widget). They don't even have to pick up the phone or access their email accounts.
In a way I think Flickr can work this way too. If you put pictures of library activities and events up on Flickr, and tag them with the name of your community (among other things), you may suddenly appear on the radar of other Flickr users from your community. They may see things going on at the library that they knew nothing about.
So I guess one challenge is figuring out where our patrons go when they need information, and coming up with ways to make sure we are there too--a combination of meeting patrons at their point of need and marketing/brand recognition.
I think a successful example of this is the Reference Desk's "Ask a Librarian" link on the state government website. People having trouble finding state government information would probably not think to contact the Library Commission or come to our website on their own. But when they are having trouble, they look up and see an "Ask a Librarian" link and click on it, and there is a box into which they can type their question (a MeeboMe widget). They don't even have to pick up the phone or access their email accounts.
In a way I think Flickr can work this way too. If you put pictures of library activities and events up on Flickr, and tag them with the name of your community (among other things), you may suddenly appear on the radar of other Flickr users from your community. They may see things going on at the library that they knew nothing about.
So I guess one challenge is figuring out where our patrons go when they need information, and coming up with ways to make sure we are there too--a combination of meeting patrons at their point of need and marketing/brand recognition.
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