#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!

#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!