Thing #23 Reminiscences

Don't believe it - where is the MP3 player prize?? That wasn't the real reward, was it? The learning, and the new skills were the prizes and they are for all of us!
Well, it is a surprise to be at #23 and the journey has been interesting. Somewhat frustrating, somewhat enlightening. Having largely forgotten how to play, there was an element of beating the clock (am I wasting time?) mingled with the temptation of following distracting leads (not really work subject matter).

• Faves: image generator; librarything; wiki. I valued the discovery resources and needed their guidance
• Learning goals: proved to me I could follow the course and pushed me into new technologies I didn't know about. It lacked good initial instruction and once I found the rhythmn of the lessons I managed better.
• Surprises: plenty. Loved YouTube, disappointed with Podcasts. Wikis will be the most useful tool for work
• Feedback: provide that initial recipe for managing the learning sessions...1. listen to podcast or read the intro. 2. Delve into the Discovery exercises. 3 Open the technology and set up a free account in order to explore the technology. 4. Explore the technology; answer some directional guidelines; follow 2-3 tasks. 5. Blog about your experiences, with examples. Provide 2-3 revision sessions throughout to consolidate the skills, eg how to improve the initial blog format, how to edit it, and try to add features like a search sidebar to your blog (I missed these lessons). Not all the technology was supported by the browser...something that prevented the product working properly (eg, uploads of YouTube posts)

Thing #22 Audiobooks

So www.netlibrary.org provides the open door to libraries of audiobooks! The reality differs! In my experience I had to sign up for another account to even look at the contents. Once there I found listings, even in Project Gutenberg (free of copyright), that were not free! I don't know how much I have logged up.
There was a useful demonstration but I didn't find it matched the interface. I learned that you would select your e-book, download it to your computer in CD or radio format, and then transfer it to a portable device like iPod or MP3 player. Therein lies my problem.
For example
[book jacket pictures missing]
eBook summary

Title: The Trojan Horse : The Fall of Troy : a Greek Legend Graphic Myths and Legends
Author: Fontes, Justine.; Fontes, Ron.; Purcell, Gordon; Schulz, Barbara Jo; Virgil.; Quintus
Publisher: Lerner Publications
LCC: BL793.T7F66 2007eb
DDC: 741.5/673
LC Subject Heading: Trojan War--Comic books, strips, etc, Graphic novels.
Language: English
Online Use: Yes
Offline Use: Yes
Title: The Adventures of Robin Hood Classics On Cassette; Unabridged.
Author: Vivian, Evelyn Charles.
Publisher: Recorded Books
LCC: PR2127.V58 1980eab
DDC: 398.2/0942/02
LC Subject Heading: Robin Hood (Legendary character)--Fiction, Robin Hood (Legendary character)--Legends, Downloadable audio books.
Language: English
Online Use: No
Offline Use: No



Title: The Adventures of Robin Hood Classics On Cassette; Unabridged.
Author: Vivian, Evelyn Charles.
Publisher: Recorded Books
LCC: PR2127.V58 1980eab
DDC: 398.2/0942/02
LC Subject Heading: Robin Hood (Legendary character)--Fiction, Robin Hood (Legendary character)--Legends, Downloadable audio books.
Language: English
Online Use: No
Offline Use: No

eISBN: 9781417553204
Print ISBN: 9781556900037
Product ID: 121202
Publication Date: 1980
List Price: Price Not Available
Format: eAudiobook
Special Pricing Program: Subscription Details
Status: Available
Subject Centers: None

And listings (unformatted):

Title: The Adventures of Robin Hood Classics On Cassette; Unabridged.
Author: Vivian, Evelyn Charles.
Publisher: Recorded Books
LCC: PR2127.V58 1980eab
DDC: 398.2/0942/02
LC Subject Heading: Robin Hood (Legendary character)--Fiction, Robin Hood (Legendary character)--Legends, Downloadable audio books.
Language: English
Online Use: No
Offline Use: No

eISBN: 9781417553204
Print ISBN: 9781556900037
Product ID: 121202
Publication Date: 1980
List Price: Price Not Available
Format: eAudiobook
Special Pricing Program: Subscription Details
Status: Available
Subject Centers: None

eBook Ownership
Total Number of Titles Owned By netLibrary Public 2: 0



Sort byTitleAuthorPublisherPub Date, AscPub Date, DescStatusLCSHLCCDDCList PriceOwned (Local) CopiesFormat
then byTitleAuthorPublisherPub Date, AscPub Date, DescStatusLCSHLCCDDCList PriceOwned (Local) CopiesFormat
Display 10152030405075100 per page.
Select
Qty.
Title, Author, Publisher, Pub. Date, [Product ID]
Format
Owned (Local) Copies
First LC Subject Heading
LCC
DDC
Status
List Price*
Special Pricing Program
The Adventures of Robin Hood Classics On Cassette; Unabridged., Vivian, Evelyn Charles., Recorded Books, 1980 [121202]
eAudiobook
0
Robin Hood (Legendary character)-- Fiction.
PR2127.V58 1980eab
398.2/0942/02
Available

Subscription Details
Imagining Robin Hood : The Late-medieval Stories in Historical Context, Pollard, A. J., Taylor & Francis Routledge, 2004 [115853]
eBook
0
English literature-- Middle English, 1100-1500-- History and criticism.
PR2129.P65 2004eb
820.9/351
Available
$27.95

#21 Podcasts

This was a session in which it was easy be be distracted onto tangents, and when time is limited, it wasn't so easy or interesting to focus on Library 2.0 queries.
The first source of podcasts needed Active8 software installed, so I didn't bother with that. Podalley.com provided plenty of diversionary and good resource material - I listened to a book reading for a while, what's new from the Director of the NLM (announcement of Nobel prizewinners), public library updates, and some useful stuff in a Manager's toolbox presented in a conversational style. There was a rich supply of management material including 2 brave ones on B.O.

The best of these on Library 2.0 is Second Life, in the best American venacular: http://www.rabble.ca/rpn/files/wos/wos-2006-11-21.mp3

I tried to get local podcasts to work (radio 774) and unsuccessfully searched for an RSS feed to upload. I had limited success with podcasts overall. I'm not MP3 or iPod savvy.

Thing #20 YouTube

Experimenting with YouTube has been fun, and could be a lot more fun if I had more time.
I looked at the slow mo butterfly emerging from its pupae stage; Taratella music clip; 60s music x 4, UHF Conan the Librarian (spare us the bully!), a chap whose head was trapped inside his cell phone! Dan the Librarian (comedy sketch, unfunny); an animated movie - simplified - about how taxes are collected and distributed in USA; the evolution of dance (very good); and my favourite - Free hugs (in Sydney).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AdQo1qBy1E

Web 2.0 (excellent) is a recommended view on the developing technologies we are learning about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4

Having browsed YouTube before I discovered the ALA conference this year is in New Orleans and so I went to have a look at the French Quater. Wish I was there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiljk4MemVM

For the purposes of library applications we still have a long way to go but perhaps it could apply as instructional media. Savvy young 20-somethings who have made animated movies, been born to compute and do wonders with mobile phones are the likeliest to produce such media.

Blogger's 'Edit HTML' did not perform the miracle of producing the YouTube products for me in this blog. Can't believe it's the browser's fault!

Experiment with ZOHOWRITER

1. Begin by creating an account 2
2. Verify your account is established by checking the message on your email and validating it.
3. Return to Zohowriter, and use the online processing tools
4. Publish to your blog, optional.
   
   

Wikis #16

Comments about the Wiki discovery resources:
SJCPL - the subject guides provide a useful guide to us. Good local content for legal (including for offenders), business, taxes. US based, good public library stuff
Book lovers Wiki - Index to reviews very good
Library success - good source
ALA 2006 and links to ALA 2007 in New Orleans, I wish!!!
Bull Run Library Wiki - good source material

Experience with PBWiki: I posted a couple of messages to favourites. I played and scratched in the "sandbox" . I opened up Edit, added this and previewed it. All OK.

A favourite novel of mine is ''Dirt Music'' by Tim Winton. It is accompanied by a double CD of music (some Blues n Roots music, some classical) the author has chosen especially to reflect the sentiments of the book. It's great. And it's Australian, pure OZ.

Favourite holiday spot: Tasmania. Can't beat a homecoming.

Amazed at the immediacy of the post.
Established my own wiki. Even though I only wanted restricted viewing I fear it is public. There was an offer to enhance it at a great cost, which I dodged.

Tagging and Del.icio.us Thing #14

The resource that was most use to me in learning about Del.icio.us was the Us.ef.ul guide to Del.icio.us but the name is still a problem for me. Delicious is associated with food!
It bugged me to know I had to install the Yahoo home page as a search default in order to get the Del.icio.us shortcut. My anti-virus software detected it immediately. However, it now sits in my browser options and is useful for this exercise.
Having a explored several websites to add to the Del.icio.us bookmarking facility I added several to my account. I explored tagging and agree that it is good to have the freedom to use a TAG that is not restricted by controlled vocabularies. I was able to edit my tags.
I believe this is a resource we could successfully use as research librarians in our work. I look forward to digressing through the tags to see what my colleagues are using for work topics.

Technorati Thing #14

Technorati is for the youth of today's society. Why? The most popular posts are on current music, movies and the marketing of commercially available products.

The most fun I had was on YouTube, checking out the blogs, videos and pictures, following my interests, and escaping off on tag tangents.

I found very few posts on "Learning 2.0" in blogs or in hosted sites under Technorati. However, I did come across the original organiser awarding a prize (a laptop) to a winner in the "Learning 23 Things" competition in October 2006 in USA. Once I used tags I managed to see a couple of individual comments in blogs.

Does this have a use in our special library situation? I think not. It may have more application in public libraries.

TechnoratiThing #14

Technorati is for the youth of today's society! Why? The most common hits are on music, movies, and marketing for commercially available products.
I had most fun with YouTube - blogs, videos, photos (went to Flickr!). There were very few hits on "Learning 2.o" in blog posts or hosted favourite sites, but I did find out there had been a competition in USA, a laptop prize had been awarded in Oct 2006.
Better results for my exploration came from searching on tags - "technology innovation information" and this led to some individual comments.
Is this useful for our special library work? I think not. Perhaps it has a role for public libraries.

Library 2.0

Having time, I read all articles. The momentum built up to a crescendo in the Schulz article. But lest I forget some of the messages I record them here:

1. Anderson advised againt teh just in case collection, reliance on user education, and the come to us library model.
2. Stephens outlined the skills of the librarian 2.0 - plans for their users, embraces Web 2.o tools, controls technolust, makes good, fast decsions (use biblioblogosphere), is a trendspotter, and gets content
3. Nilges advises on more powerful ways to cooperate: build new services with Web 2.0 technologies, touch the entire web, collect user intelligence, release lightweight services, and build better data "data is the next Intel inside".
4. Riemer urges better bibliographic services: expose expand extend metadata using web 2.0, package and push metadata, broaden relevance ranking, adopt Web 2.0 features, expand delivery, and streamline metadata creation.
5. Schulz dreams of a future place in society of the library concept, comparing a life of coffee, from coffee beans, to sale of the product, to the marketing of the product, to the serving of the drink, and the total environment of the experience of the coffee drink. She compares it to Library 1.0 - commodity, Library 2.0 - Product, Library 3.0 - service, Library 4.0 - experience. This is a superb concept to explain the evolution of the Library, the ripple effect. We are just continuing on the journey.

Rollyo

Having ventured into this product I did not find it as interesting as expected. Was this because of my work-related choice and interest in taxes, as it wasn't a play thing! I set up a Rollyo in an interest area of mine but still found sources to be the commonly known ones. I'll leave this to my talented colleagues who will explore it better than I. Or try another esoteric interest area of music! Perhaps I'm just hungry and need to eat!

Images

At last! A useful product for librarians - LibraryThing. Most useful for public librarians, and novel or fiction readers, book lovers and book groups. It is dominated by US sources, references and statistics. I created my library catalogue of a few favourite fiction titles and have attached the link below.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=uam5oo&shelf=list

Visual Poetry

Exploring Generator blog I played with a few images, diverting to various online image generators, but enjoyed Visual Poetry. This technology is for esoteric and hedonistic fun, but there's not much source material for librarians, do you agree?

Thing #7 RSS

There's a myriad of blog RSS feeds out there. I ticked a few obtuse interests to see what would come up, and was interested to notice that the one that held my attention most was for professional librarians. It shows where I'm grounded, hey?
I love reading modern fiction and can even support this recommendation.
Oprah's Book Club: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Jeffrey Eugenides' first novel, The Virgin Suicides, was translated into fifteen languages and made into a feature film. Middlesex, published in 2002, met with similar acclaim. In fact, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003. Now that Oprah is on board, Jeffrey Eugenide's Middlesex can expect to reach new heights in popularity.
Read the book review of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
Wednesday June 6, 2007 permalink comments (0)

The greeting card I made was susccessfully sent to my email - yee-ha! However, it was smothered in advertising. I am not impressed.

My photo is of albino salmon I took on a recent holiday.

Thing #5 Flickr

Technology evades me in trying out this very visual medium, Flickr. It's best for very pretty pictures. So too does anything related to content for work, but I did enjoy creating my own Flickr account, uploading photos and trying to create a greeting card.

Thing #2

Registration completed.
Content hunted down.

Thing #1

A late start, but nevertheless, a start. A new beginning. Let the journey begin.