The last few things...finally!

I have been working on this post for the last few days now...finding it very difficult to wrap up the last few things! So here we go...

Thing 18 Ebooks.

There are lot of statistics relating to ebook purchase/usage out there, but on the home front, it can be difficult to persuade the students to use them, we can tell them the advantages, but still some people like to have the physical copy and until we stop having both formats available I don't think that's not going to change too soon!

On a personal note I bought an online book about 3 or 4 years ago and never actually read it! It's still sitting in a folder on my desktop somewhere, I have tried to open it a couple to times recently, but I no longer have the correct programme, I also tried to save it onto a memory card so that I could try opening it up at home on my laptop - but no go. I think it was probably licensed for a certain period of time and then died away! Obviously wasn't a good read!

Thing 19 iTunes University.

I checked this out and it is overwhelming how much is on there, too much, I can't decide what to download/listen to. As a tool I think it is amazing, again there would have to be a lot more liaising with academic staff etc. Just think, lecturers could record their lectures for students to view/listen to whenever they wanted and then use the lecture time to discuss and debate the lecture topic!

 Google Books.
I have used Google books as a resource more than once, say if we don't hold something in the library, you can often check out the index or chapter titles to see if it is something worth using for your research - and then you can order it via inter library loan. Amazon is also quite handy for checking index/chapter titles as well! Check out Googles ebook store

Thing 20 Cloud Computing.
When we first looked at this I really couldn't get my head around it! Now I've done a bit of reading around it I understand it a lot better, and it actually makes a lot of sense! I used Google Docs for some of my assignments for college, it was really handy to be able to open it up where ever and whenever  I wanted, save and go, it never really occurred to me to wonder where it was being saved, but now I know. Again my concern would be be around  the safety and security of your information, can it be guaranteed up in the clouds?

Thing 21 Google Maps.
I haven't really used Google Maps much, I never really go anywhere different (aaahhhh!!!), but my daughter was heading of to Barcelona  recently and Google Maps and Streetview really came into its own, having never been there before she was able to use various building as landmarks on Streetview to know where  to go, and what directions to take to get back to their hotel. I think being able to upload your own photographs is quite cool as well.

Thing 22 Image Generators
I really did Smurf myself but pretty much decided that nobody else need to hear the result! So I did  a morphy picture thingy instead - see the widget to the right.


Thing 23 Scribblar.
 Alrighty then, scrabbled around in scribblar until I was all scribbled out! I can see this being very useful to a group of users that are not located as geographically close to each other as we are here in the library!

My first YouTube video, or rather, my first Extranormal video!.

This took a couple of hours to complete, if you think the voice sounds a bit strange it is because it's a text to voice programme, which means you type in your dialogue and it converts it to sound, very neat! Uploading the video was no problem (can't seem to embed it though!). So here it is in all its glory!!

The Anonymous Librarian has graduated to animations!

Podcasting

I have uploaded my very first podcast, entitled 'Behind the Issue Desk' though I'm  not sure how good it is, but I've done it!!!

This 'thing' was definitely more time consuming and technical than the earlier ones. It took me several attempts to actually record it without everybody cracking up with laughter. In the end I waited until I had the house to myself so that I didn't have an audience to distract me!

After finally composing myself enough to make a presentable recording, I exported it as an MP3, and this is where I became a bit unstuck because I couldn't figure out how to upload it to the blog, but I did a quick search and found the help I needed. You are never on your own on the Internet there is always a forum or a blog out there to help you.

All I can say is I need to work from a script, ad libbing is not an option for me, I either forgot what I wanted to say or rambled completely off the point! Also, keep your sentences short, otherwise you will forget to breathe and then you sound like some deviant heavy breather!

Although the podcast took some time and effort I still enjoyed it, I like learning new things, but I would need a lot more practice and I would definitely need to play around with the editing software before I would feel confident enough to create a podcast on a more regular basis.

I used a free hosting site called Podbean to publish it (another password for the little blue book) and have added my production to the side bar, take a listen, have a laugh and let me know what you think, but be kind after all this is my first attempt.

Oh, and one more thing, if you do decide to listen to it, please do it quietly or better still use headphones! If I hear myself around the office I will be mortified!

Library Day in the Life Project

I came across this project late last year and thought that it would be something that I could do this year, so I filed it away somewhere in the back of my brain. I must've signed up for a reminder about it too - because I just received it!

 Of course this was before the 23ThingsSPD was even a twinkling in Suzannes' eye, and I know that we have just received the first of the last things to do, but I still think it might be good to participate. Anyway, check it out, and then you all can decide for yourselves. Most of us are quite able to blog now, and we have signed up to various wikis and things, so there is nothing new or strange to stress over.

Twitter





Setting up my Twitter account was easy and I had a quick scout around it, on a personal level I don't think it is something I will get into on a regular basis. I added a couple of names to follow, Charlie Sheen seems to be the man of the moment, and William Shatner (because I'm a closet Trekkie!!).



You can click on my link on the right of the page. My account is private for the moment so you will have to be confirmed as a follower before you can access my account and check out my Twitterings!!!

There are lots of free 'follow me' buttons to choose from, just add a new HTML page element to your blog - copy and paste the code and away you go. I tried to use this cute image, but it was too big and I couldn't find the code for it to make it smaller.

Again, I think the potential  is here to do good things for the library; some libraries take the queries from Twitter and Facebook and add them to a reference page on their Wikis, this then enables all users to find quick accurate solutions to their questions. 'Banking' queries in this way gives all staff, especially evening staff that may not have access to staff email another avenue to locate new or changed library information.

I also found an updated list of Libraries that use Twitter that may be of interest, unfortunately they are all American, but at least they will give us some ideas on how we might utilise this application.

Week 5 in the BBL

Wow! Week 5 and Social Networking already.

So, on to Facebook and Twitter.

I have a Facebook account already, I keep it strictly to family only. I am absolutely sure that I do not use Facebook to its full potential and for now that's the way I like it! I find the instant messaging very handy, but you can IM in gmail and other applications as well. We mainly share family photos, videos and events through Facebook, uploading and sharing is uncomplicated and you can download, save and print the pics you like. I find the ads extremely irritating but there seems to be no way to eliminate them from a personal account, I know you can hide ads that you don't like, but then you go into a whole new realm of Facebook trying to find out why you don't like the ad, so it is easier just to ignore them!!

Facebook is very touchy about obviously false names so it took a while to find an abbreviation of the Anonymous Librarian that it would accept, so please welcome Ann Lib to the world of Facebook!

I like the Glucksman Library (UL) Facebook, and their Twitter, their posts are concise, with regular updates giving clear information.

Personally I think Facebook would be a great way to market the library, to highlight the services we offer, and to advertise up and coming events and exhibitions, the key is to get the balance right between what we want to say and how we say it.

My story so far...

I've opened ssooo many accounts in the last couple of weeks, my little blue book has become a life saver, I can't go anywhere without it! For the most part I've used my gmail account and variations of my gmail password in an effort to keep it all in check, but for some reason I couldn't sign up to Delicious with my gmail account, even though it gave me the option to, so now I have a ymail account as well.


I've become a blogging convert. I've learnt how to set up a blog, edit and delete posts. How to add links, images and video. I've also figured out how to time release a post, so that it is published on a certain date - not bad for someone who knew very little about the workings of a blog a couple of weeks ago!

Time is moving on quickly though, and I haven't gone back to any of the social bookmarking sites that I set up, but I will when I have more time... we could use it as a way of sharing articles and information to do with the library without clogging up the email. I use Firefox at home and found that using Diggo was much simpler with Firefox shortcuts, you can capture a page, or you can mark it to read later - great stuff when you come across info that will be good for your studies! Subscribing to Google Reader and various RSS feeds was doddle, probably because they weren't new to me!

Creating the comic strip has been great fun, there is so much you can do with Bitstrip and it is all free!!! You can create you own scenes and characters - down to their hair and clothes, you can share your scenes and characters or you can keep them all to yourself. I had to create the 'library' scene from scratch because there wasn't one, my dialogue and humour are a bit hit and miss but I'm working on it!!

So, I've created clouds, tags, bookmarks, blogs, links, a comic strip and lots of other stuff, I've even copied and pasted some HTML into my blog template to show an animated tag cloud of my blog labels - phew that was a bit scary (saved my template first just in case I messed everything up). The more labels and tags you use the better the cloud.

Week 3 in the BBL

Week 3 already!

RSS feeds, they are what they say they are! Simple to set up, simple to use. I signed up to Google Reader a long time ago, and subscribe to a large number of feeds already, some professionally and some personally. You can add the 'Next' button to your bookmarks toolbar so you have instant access to all your subscribed feeds. Google Reader also allows you to bundle your subscriptions, label the bundle and also add a 'Next (bundle label)' to your bookmarks toolbar. I find this so handy, click the button and instant updated info!

Wordle, wordle, wordle

Not mine unfortunately!

I just love Wordle! It was great fun playing around with it! Creating the cloud was very easy, copying and pasting the URL also easy.
Tried Tagul as well, this programme is a bit more complicated, but just as much fun!

Delicious...aaahhh

I've had another look around Delicious and I must admit it is starting to grow on me, the advantages of having all my fav sites bookmarked in one place, outweigh the 'clunkiness'. My wandering tags and bookmarks seem to have found their way home aswell! It's not a very pretty site, a bit harsh and busy on the eye, but you can't have everything.

If you would like to check out my bookmarks, go to the Delicious SPD page. I tagged an interesting article about the New York Public Library and also another article about Library 3.0!!!!

Still working on the clouds...
Sunny Clouds courtesy of www.freeimages.co.uk 

Week 2 in the BBL

Delicious...hhmmmmm!!


Signed up to Delicious, bookmarked a few sites, applied a few tags all fairly straightforward, but I don't think I like it. It feels a bit 'clunky' and while I can see an application for its use in a library environment, as a free spirited catalogue/subject portal perhaps, I know I won't use it much at home.



I followed the instructions to share my bookmarks with twentythreethingsspd, but they seem to have wandered off somewhere, hopefully they will turn up if not I will try it again later.

tag: lost sheep

I will check out a few more social bookmarking sites and report back.

These 'Things' Are...getting serious.

Time to settle down and behave seriously, now that the first flush of excitement at being a novice blogger has passed.

I am not a huge follower of blogs, I would just dip in and out of them, the only blog I would read on a regular basis is our own library blog. I can see the benefit of having current information available in one place. As to how we could apply a blog to 'behind the scences' I'm not sure, is it possible to have private group blog, that staff could use to put forward ideas, suggestions etc. for discussion? Would you would feel more comfortable about doing it anonymously, rather than around the table at a staff meeting, what do people think?

Not so seriously, I have become a follower and a followee (I know it's not a proper word, but it will do), bit strange really and the responsibility of it is overwhelming! What do I say to keep my followers following.Oh the pressure. I have also posted a couple of comments on various blogs, so come on, somebody give me a comment on mine.

I have now completed my 1,2&3 Things

These 'Things' Are...not quite so scary!

Now that I have posted my first post, it's not so scary.
I've had a good browse around my iGoogle homepage, added a few bits and pieces to make it more homely. I can see the benefit of having all your 'web stuff' to hand, though I do have an incredibly long favourites list!! I never delete anything from it. Played around with the blog a little bit, deleted a post or two to see how to do it. So far, so good.

Week 1 in the BBL

Hurray! I am now officially a blogger.

Now what do I say? Where is the spell check? Found it.
OK my thoughts so far...
I have set up a gmail account before so that was fairly straightforward, got a bit of  a fright when I thought the whole world could see my igoogle homepage- then realised I was still logged in. Setting up the blog wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. My advice is to keep it simple (until we've had more practice).