Week 16: It's a Wrap!

Well this is the end of my 23 Things Kansas journey.  I stumbled across the line, but at least I finished.  Over the last 16+ weeks I have Youtubed, wikied, screencast, LibraryThinged, IMed, cloud computed, tagged, blogged, microblogged, and 2.0ed my little heart out.  It may not have been interesting to read about, but it was interesting to do...which was the point of the program.

The last assignment is a reflective post, so let us look back.
 
I knew going into the program that one activity a week was going to be hard to accomplish and I was right.  Writing blog posts does not take much time, but for each new website or online tool, there were several hours of investigation and exploration.  Finding these hours within a busy work day was the hardest part of this program. Luckily the developers of the program padded the course with extra time at the end...a smart move...otherwise I would have not completed the program.  However even with the extra time at the end, many of my colleagues who started the program with me dropped out over time issues.  I do not know if this means that next time there needs to be two weeks for each tool/website, or if a larger restructuring is needed.

I understand that a technology program must be designed to accommodate novices, but it would have been nice if another track was offered for the more techsavy members of the program.  Trying to get excited about an assignment on Facebook or Youtube is hard when you deal with them every day.  This observation is not a knock on the program's creators who did a fabulous job.

That being said, I was introduced to a few websites and tools that I had not experimented with yet, that I have come to enjoy.  Zotero and Ning.  You can read my posts on Zotero and Ning to read my reactions, but of all the cites and tools viewed during the program, these were the two that made the hamsters in my head really start spinning their wheels.  I think there is great potential for patron outreach with Ning and a great continuing education tool with Zotero.

Overall I was pleased with the program and glad that I participated. I would have liked to have more time to explore the technologies and websites introduced in the program, but unfortunately work got in the way--isn't that always the way?  I would also have liked more variety for each week on websites or tools to try.  However, for what the program was trying to accomplish, I think the producers and mentors did a great job and I would be glad to participate in the next incarnation of the program.

Now the question is will I be able to keep up my blog without the pressure of a deadline?  Stay tuned to see...

Week 12: Screencasting

The focus for Week 12 of the 23 Things Kansas program is screencasting, a very effective teaching tool that is as easy to create as it is to create badly.  As with PowerPoint, screencasting is an extremely effective way to present information that is rife with the possibility of overuse, abuse, poor construction , and other foibles. Done correctly, screencasts can present library patrons with accurate, helpful instruction on any topic within the library's digital or physical domain. If your library has computer access for patrons, then it should have screencasts on how to use:

• the library's catalog--this is the patron's primary interface with the library. They need to understand it!
• service functions--library cards, reference service, public policies, reading programs, if you do it, show people how (for example, here is a link to the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library's screencast on getting a library card.)
• databases--all of them.  They don't need to be a complete "how to" but you need to give library patrons a basic run through of how to do a simple search.
• create email account--it is almost impossible to apply for a job online without an email account, which is why this is included

I am sure that with just a cursory glance around your library and its digital counterpart, you will find dozens of potential teachable activities that could become a screencast.

For my assignment I create a quick and dirty screencast on how reference librarians find those pesky telephone numbers for which people always ask.  Using Screencast-O-Matic I was quickly able to create a screencast.  The interface was easy to use, but there are no editing features on  the free side, so it is a one shot deal each time.  You can pause, but if the neighbor's car backfires, you are on your own. I also had trouble getting my microphone to record any louder than what you will hear.  Unfortunately, no help was found on the website.

Here is my screencast on the magic of reference directory assistance revealed!  Enjoy.

What other aspects of public library service could benefit from screencasts?  What screencasts does your library have made?

Week 13: Slide Sharing

I have to admit week 13 was my least favorite assignment for the 23 Things Kansas program.  If I want to share photographs, I use Flickr, Picasa,  or another photo sharing site. If I want to share a presentation, I'll send a PowerPoint presentation via email, or set up a webinar.  However, in the spirit of 23 Things, I explored Zoho Show, a online presentation tool.

I decided to use an old PowerPoint presentation I did on wikis for one of my MLS courses.  It is not one of my better ones, but it fit nicely with Week 15's topic.  It should have been a simple import, according to the cites documentation, but what I found was that nearly all of my formatting was erased.  Worse, the entire interface is extremely clunky for a presentation tool.  Zoho Show's tools are more fitting for a blog post, than a presentation.  After spending almost as much time on reformatting the presentation as I did creating the presentation, I created my Zoho Show.




None the less, the experience left me disappointed.  

What are your experiences with using Zoho?  Are there alternatives that are better?

Week 15: Wikis

A wikity wikity wack!

For week 15 of the 23 Things Kansas program, librarians across Kansas pondered the wiki, that curious mix of website and database. Being in reference for over 10 years, it is hard not to come across wikis, and despite the bad press they get in some library circles, the concept of a participatory online database is a great leap forward in information management and dissemination. Of course there are issues of "authority," but ever article, book, folio, and other publication has issues of "authority."  Given time, resources, and dedication, any wiki can become authoritative, accurate, and reliable.

As part the assignment for Week 15 we needed to examine and add to some existing wiki. My favorite wiki to browse when I need some down time, is Wookieepedia--I am not sure they could cram more geeky-goodness in one website if they tried!--so I used that.  What I found was that I had no more than altered/added/composed an entry then it was changed. Perhaps this was some automatic feature, but it was fairly discouraging. It reminded me of a colleague's story of how she spent a week battling someone on Wikipedia over the motto of Topeka. She would change it and someone would change it back. She finally gave up.

Well, off to Wookieepedia to kill some time.

What are some of your favorite wikis?...and don't say wikipedia!

Week 14: LibraryThing: Still Going Strong

Week 14 of 23 Things Kansas focuses on one of my favorite past-times, LibraryThing.

I joined LibraryThing back on May 08, 2006, expecting to catalog a few books and then loose interest. Why would I want to work at a library for eight hours, then come home and catalog? Well, almost four years later I am still hooked on the site, and I see no reason to stop.

LibraryThing (LT) has changed, advanced, and improved, but they have kept the core (the soul if you will) of the site intact.  At its core LT is still a catalog for your home library.  It does not pretend to be anything but this simple concept, and yet has managed to grow and add new features.

LT's online social networking components are flexible, makes connecting with other users easy, and provides a wealth of data and interactions.  However, the best thing about LT's social networking components is that I can easily ignore them.

Don't want to join any groups? Fine, delete them from your home page.
Don't want comments, reviews, statistics, author talks, or other components? Fine, delete them.

Unlike sites like Facebook, I can just have the elements I want.  For all it's additions (and LibraryThing has added many features) LT has kept the focus on being a library catalog.  It is a site that you can use to customize and store information about your books...and then if you want, you can move on to other things.  It has remained simple, yet powerful, and continues to be one of my favorite Web 2.0 creations.

Feel free to browse my personal catalog through the LibraryThing widget to the right.

Waaaay Behind

Well, it is currently week 14 of the 23 Things Kansas program, and as you can see from my posts, I am three assignments behind.  March and April have turned out to be extremely busy months!

However, I am still committed to the program and currently working on the backlog.  In the next few days I will be posting on screencasting, slide sharing, and library catalog websites such as LibraryThing and Goodreads.

Week Ten: Video on the Web

This week the 23 Things Kansas program leaves its visual mark on the blogosphere. The goal for this week is to create a video about anything, edit the footage, and then post it online.

Creating and posting were not an issue, but surprisingly, editing the footage was difficult. I used Windows Movie Maker, because I had heard good things about it.  However, after several frustrating attempts and various words all starting with &*(!@!!@, I was able to cobble together a nice video.  I intend to try a few other video editors over the next few weeks and I will report on what I find.

This video was taken at the Denver Aquarium.



Any suggestions on editors to try instead of Windows Movie Maker?