Friday, November 30, 2007

#23 Final posting

Thanks for providing this program, it's been very worthwhile and I've learnt a lot from it (even though I was a reluctant and tardy starter!). With "gentle coercion" from library management I"ve managed to complete this discovery program and enjoy (at least some of it) in the end. There are things that I will definitely keep using such as RSS and exploring such as blogs & podcasts.

What I do wonder about though is the amount of time required to fully participate in this online world and the amount of time that some people do actually spend online. Don't these people have jobs (paid & unpaid)? kids to look after? shopping to do? clothes to wash? food to cook? dogs to walk? friends & family to visit? homework to do? houses to clean? books to read? places to visit? fresh air to breathe? .........

I am inspired to create a new blog called "dodgytradesmenihaveknown". It's bound to have a huge number of comments posted although I'd better do Technorati search first as there are likely to be thousands of these already!...........signing off for now.......................

#22 Audiobooks

I found this very interesting, useful and surprising to know that so much literature is available online. This can potentially expand library collections almost infinitely! Imagine what a difference this can make to a small regional library with limited physical space and collections - there will be less disadvantage in these areas as long as there is adequate technology and knowledge about how to use it.

#21 Podcasts

I searched for "library" in podcast directories and came across "LibVibe" which contains library news. I added it to my bloglines account which should now keep me up to date with library news. Hopefully I can keep myself informed about technological changes and their application in libraries.

Libraries can use podcasts on their websites to help the vision-impaired access library information. Podcasts can also add a dimension in the way libraries promote themselves in the community resulting in a more immediate experience.

#20 Youtube

I was just curious to see if such a thing as a quiet library still exists. I did a search with keywords "quiet" & "library" and I found this Japanese Game Show where the participants have to play a game in silence while trying to hold back attacks of the giggles. It could only happen in Japan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I606ovtavSQ

Libraries could make their own videos to include on their websites to promote activities such as children's storytimes, book talks etc...

Youtube gives the opportunity to view unusual videos and those of specific interest eg. travel. It also means that anyone can contribute content and become a film producer!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

#19 Web 2.0 Awards

I visited the health part of this website. It brings together websites with similar subject content. I liked the rating system which attempts to provide some help in choosing the most appropriate site and information according to your own needs. Unfortunately, it wasn't a very comprehensive collection of sites. Awarding the best sites is a good idea so that better designed and consequently more useful sites may be created.

Through Boroondara's Weblinks page for staff we group websites in a similar way. Perhaps this will be extended to the Library's homepage so that library users can benefit also.

#18 Web-based Apps

I signed up to Zoho Writer and made up a quick flyer. The standard Word features are available where you can create documents and change the look and style of them. It seems quite easy to use. I had to get used to not using the menus as it doesn't have them. I'm a bit old-fashioned I know. I remember the days of learning MS-DOS & function keys!

http://writer.zoho.com/index.do

#16 Wiki

What I found interesting about wikis is that there is no such thing as a finished product. The content is a perpetual work in progress. It's not like a book that is "finished" when it is published and that needs an updated edition later. The content of a wiki is not static and may grow organically and who knows what thought directions it may take over time. It can be very different from where it started from.

Wikis in libraries would be helpful in all the collaborative ways we do our work. Because wikis can be edited easily by multiple people it may change our mindset as well; we may be more accepting of change in our workplaces and more effective in rising to the challenges facing libraries in a world of rapid technological change.

Wikis also have an application in such things as producing business plans and marketing plans where various staff have input. Getting feedback from staff would be made simpler and more inclusive as staff members would not need to all be at the same place at the same time to contribute their ideas. Draft documents would not need to be printed, edited, retyped, reprinted etc.. great also for the environment!

#15 Web 2.0 & Library 2.0

I see the new technology freeing up library organisations to collaborate more widely with the community and have a greater presence in each person's individual world. More personal relationships will be formed between staff and library users, between professionals and community members. It will allow libraries to further reach out to their communities beyond the physical location of the library building. It will provide for more constant, regular feedback from our library users and so we may improve our ability to provide appropriate services. There is the opportunity for greater input and involvement from staff in decision-making and the progression of the library profession as a whole due to more interaction and opportunities for collaborations and learning from each other.

It's interesting to note that in Wendy Schultz's article "To a temporary place in time" that in Library in 4-D we may eventaually come full circle and arrive at a library as a physical building again with a quiet and contemplative ambience. I'd like to see that!

http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/6.htm

#14 Technorati

I had heard of Technorati before but this was the first time I actually had a look at it, another search facility for finding and exploring blogs. I did the suggested exercise and searched for Learning 2.0 and was a bit surprised at the results. The first search delivered typical results, more than 12,000 posts and approximately 880 using the blog search, a bit like the difference between searching with keywords and narrowing a search to a particular format. When I did the same search again I got completely different results. I got the sense of how fluid the blogosphere is with the constant ebbing and flowing of information, instantly interactive rather than static collection of information sources. Its novelty never-ending!

http://www.technorati.com/blogs/tag/Learning+2.0

#13 Tagging & Del.icio.us

This exercise has shown me that bookmarking websites is not only a means of remembering website addresses but that it can be much more helpful and interactive than that. Being able to add, receive and view comments posted by other site users means that you can clarify the information presented and deepen your personal understanding of the topic. This research assistance is useful to promote lifelong learning. You may also find that other people have similar experience and comments to your own.

I can see how online communicatins such as these can enhance what we now call "community connectedness" The community is no longer just a physical location centred around where you live but it is also the location(s) where you think! An example is posted below.


http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2006/10/16/libraries_with_rss_from_the_catalog.html

#8 RSS

Basically the difference between RSS and searching websites is that by using RSS the information comes to you automatically without having to do anything yourself once you have set it up. I can see though that if you subscribe to too many RSS feeds you'd be totally swamped with information which would defeat the purpose of having them.


http://www.bloglines.com/public/wishfulthinking-lisa

#12 Rollyo

This feature allows me to specify which websites I want to search instead of searching the whole web. It's useful because I can make sure I get the type of information I want from sources that I'm familair with. As you can see I like to keep up with the daily Aussie news.

http://www.rollyo.com/search.html?q=Try+it+out...&sid=330317&x=6&y=1

Monday, November 26, 2007

#11 Librarything

This is a fascinating discovery indeed. So many recent titles available in very specific topics. The link below will take you to my first library of titles on fabric design.




http://www.librarything.com/catalog/LisaWilson

#10 Image Generators

I came across the brainscannr image generator and I thought it was quite apt for my wishfulthinking blog.
As you will see there's plenty of space in my brain for much more wishfulthinking. See link below.

See my brainscanner results

Saturday, November 24, 2007

#6 More Flickr Fun

This Mashup looks fascinating and I'm sure it is very useful for libraries but neither my husband or myself can quite understand it! I think the colour-coding idea has been used in public libraries before (e.g. Kew Library's magazine collection) but I think it is an idea that should be more widely investigated and used. Dewey Colour Scheme. Link to Mashup below.

http://mashupawards.com/map-amazon/

#7 Shopping Centre technology for Libraries

Last week I went shopping with my daughter to buy her a special dress for her graduation. I couldn't remember how to get to Portmans so we had a look at the directory. We were tanding in front of this new directory screen that I didn't know how to use. My daughter walked straight up to it and instinctively knew what to do. With a few quick touches of the screen she was able to find the shop we were looking for. The touch screen worked like a GPS system. It showed the location of the shop, your present location and gave directions on how to get there! I was most impressed. I immediately imagined how useful and applicable this technology would be for libraries especially large institutions. People would be able to find their way around the library better. It's a big improvement on the usual flat 2-D directory.

#5 flickr - My Dream House

We have recently bought a house in Ivanhoe. It is made of red bricks and was built in the 1930s. We are going to call it Little Red House after one of my favourite places William Morris' Red House in Kent England. Below is a link to Red House.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnyh/1055007478/

Doing this activity I'm really amazed at the number of photos available on the same topic. There were 28 alone of Red House. Tags were just like using keywords and subject headings in catalogues.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

what would you like to wish for?

testing bog, oops blog! wonder if I'll get a handle on this. Today we got really good rain and I didn't even wish for it!
wishfulthinking