I recall a recent conversation with a patron and she made the comment, "I thought libraries were meant to be quiet places?" She had not been to the library for a while and from her accent I concluded that she was either from America or Canada. I also perceived that she didn't really approve of the changes she was observing, hence the comment. I told her that we had recently had an inspirational Librarian, Rivkah Sass, from Omaha library who informed us that their philosophy and direction for the year 2020 and beyond was to incorporate IT in their libraries to meet the needs of the new generation of library users.
It was at this talk that I first heard the terminlogy "Web 2.0" and "Library Thing." My ears pricked up and when I heard that we were going to get training in Web 2.0 I was excited. I agree with the concept of Library 2.0 because I believe that if we don't keep up with technology and provide what our community needs in terms of e-mail and internet access, then our libraries may become relics of a bygone era. The internet has changed the way the world communicates, whether we like it or not. I support the notion that libraries need to "keep up" with IT rather than "opt out." Just as the education sector has had to adjust the way it teaches to incorporate technology, so libraries also have to "add value" to is traditional services, so that we can continue to be a place of learning - through the provision of hard material (books/C.D's/D.V.D's) and e-resources. I am pleased to see that in the recent re-design of our Website that under the teen section we now have electronic databases available for stundets to access. See attached link:
http://www.manukau-libraries.govt.nz/e-resources/
According to Wikipaedia, the concept of Library 2.0 comes from the underlying philosophies from that of Business 2.0 and Web 2.0, and includes online services such as the use of OPAC systems. With Library 2.0, library services are constantly updated and reevaluated to best serve library users. Library 2.0 also attempts to harness the library user in the design and implementation of library services by encouraging feedback and participation. Proponents of this concept expect that ultimately the Library 2.0 model for service will replace traditional, one-directional service offerings that have characterized libraries for centuries. Basically it springboards libraries into the modern IT age.
Jesus Freak
Monday, September 22, 2008
What I did this week...
Well, it is a busy month.... I have got to get Web 2.0 completed so I can be in to win! Deadlines, even though most of us don't like them, are good for us all because if we didn't have deadlines, we would not achieve half of the worthwhile things we should get done and need to get done so we can maximise the opportunites that are available! If you fall behind you are busy thinking about "trying to catch up." I like the phrase "Carpe Diem" which was explored in the movie, "Dead Poets Society," which means "sieze the day." It's a powerful statement and a good "mission statement" to adopt, because every day has new challenges and new opportunities to learn something new or meet someone new! As a librarian, there are opportunities everyday to support our customers so they can achieve their goals, meet their deadlines or assist them in the challenges they are facing in life. It is a rewarding experience when you have a successful Reader's Advisory transaction, for example! You leave a positive impression with that customer and, hopefully, they will tell others that libraries are a great place to go and the staff are fantastic!
On another tangent, I have been conducting some staff PDR's and each time I have asked, "How is your Web 2.o training going?" Sad to say, there are a few that have fallen behind, with one thing and another. We have re-set the timeframe for them for end of December!
I am still trying to find some people on the social networking sites that I can communicate with. It's a little difficult on some of the sites as they have to see you as a "friend." If they don't know that you "want to be their friend, then you can't communicate with them? I guess it's like e-mail, unless your "friend" gives you their e-mail address you can communicate with them either, unless they have listed their e-mail address in the white pages or it is published somewhere in the public domain.
My focus for the next month will be preparing for "Best Sellers" training. In Lesson 4 we explore the excellent e-resources that are available to assist library staff with Readers Advisory transactions. We have looked at "Library Thing" with our Web 2.0 training but there are lots of other excellent sites too, apart from "Fabulous Fiction" or GALE "What do I read next" that most librarians may currently refer to. I can't share too much, because you will discover these great websites when you undertake your training in the next 12 months!
Well, I'd better sign off now so I can move on to the next challenge!
Jesus Freak
On another tangent, I have been conducting some staff PDR's and each time I have asked, "How is your Web 2.o training going?" Sad to say, there are a few that have fallen behind, with one thing and another. We have re-set the timeframe for them for end of December!
I am still trying to find some people on the social networking sites that I can communicate with. It's a little difficult on some of the sites as they have to see you as a "friend." If they don't know that you "want to be their friend, then you can't communicate with them? I guess it's like e-mail, unless your "friend" gives you their e-mail address you can communicate with them either, unless they have listed their e-mail address in the white pages or it is published somewhere in the public domain.
My focus for the next month will be preparing for "Best Sellers" training. In Lesson 4 we explore the excellent e-resources that are available to assist library staff with Readers Advisory transactions. We have looked at "Library Thing" with our Web 2.0 training but there are lots of other excellent sites too, apart from "Fabulous Fiction" or GALE "What do I read next" that most librarians may currently refer to. I can't share too much, because you will discover these great websites when you undertake your training in the next 12 months!
Well, I'd better sign off now so I can move on to the next challenge!
Jesus Freak
Monday, September 15, 2008
Week 7 - Social Networking
I had a look at the bebo page set up at Auckland City Libraries. I particularly like the comments shares about a dream library:
I reckon, my dream library would have a cafe and loads of books and magazines for browsing, and music stations... (and I would have a hand-held e-book reader connected to the internet with games and blogs and books and music!) All this is really not so far, far away, you know... Libraries are changing and we do need to hear what our customers would like their libraries to offer so we can provide the services that continue to serve our customers in the year 2020 AD and beyond.
Apparently in New Zealand Bebo is the social networking tool of choice for teenagers, but Facebook is fast closing in on its popularity. If this is the case, then it makes sense that libraians need to be aware of this resource, comfortable in negotiating themselves around the site, aware of it's potential and using the site to communicate library services, and literary events to this "captive" market. I know that some libraries in Amercia are doing just that e.g Iowa and Brooklyn Public libaries are using Facebook to communicate to their patrons. Check out Brooklyn Public Libraries Home page below:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Brooklyn-Public-Library/
Jesus Freak
I reckon, my dream library would have a cafe and loads of books and magazines for browsing, and music stations... (and I would have a hand-held e-book reader connected to the internet with games and blogs and books and music!) All this is really not so far, far away, you know... Libraries are changing and we do need to hear what our customers would like their libraries to offer so we can provide the services that continue to serve our customers in the year 2020 AD and beyond.
Apparently in New Zealand Bebo is the social networking tool of choice for teenagers, but Facebook is fast closing in on its popularity. If this is the case, then it makes sense that libraians need to be aware of this resource, comfortable in negotiating themselves around the site, aware of it's potential and using the site to communicate library services, and literary events to this "captive" market. I know that some libraries in Amercia are doing just that e.g Iowa and Brooklyn Public libaries are using Facebook to communicate to their patrons. Check out Brooklyn Public Libraries Home page below:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Brooklyn-Public-Library/
Jesus Freak
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Del.icio.us and all that.....
Delicious is a social networking tool so I am told. I clicked on to the http to explore this new world of "Social networking." According to "The Shifted Librarian on PCMCL2, "It is a social bookmarking service that allows you to save bookmarks to an account on a web site, so that they are accessible from anywhere with a browser and Internet access, but also lets you share your bookmarks through tagging, just like Flickr. Very convenient! On the front page I noticed under the tag "Popular tags - Education" a cool site entitled "Online libraries."
http://educhoices.org/articles/Online_Libraries_-%20_25_Places_to_Read_Free_Books_Online.html
Alongside this article they provide a useful "related links" option and I noticed there some excellent material for teaching and learning, amongst other titles. When I continued on the teaching link I came across "Teachertube" which had a video about 21st Century learning. It proports that "a 21st century learner is defined not simply by their use of new technology, but by their ability to learn autonomously." I agree!
I'm off now to discover more about Badges....
Jesus Freak
http://educhoices.org/articles/Online_Libraries_-%20_25_Places_to_Read_Free_Books_Online.html
Alongside this article they provide a useful "related links" option and I noticed there some excellent material for teaching and learning, amongst other titles. When I continued on the teaching link I came across "Teachertube" which had a video about 21st Century learning. It proports that "a 21st century learner is defined not simply by their use of new technology, but by their ability to learn autonomously." I agree!
I'm off now to discover more about Badges....
Jesus Freak
Technorati thoughts.....
From what I can gather at looking at the Technoratti website is that it is a website all about blogg.ng features and other related technological "add-ons" e.g IPhone. I was interested in one article about this new phone which sounded rather scarry:
Huge iPhone Security Flaw Puts All Private Information at Risk [Iphone]
There's a huge security problem in the latest iPhone 2.0.2: if you have your JesusPhone password protected, using a very simple trick gives anyone full access to your cellphone private information in Mail, SMS, Contacts, and even Safari.
While these technological advancements that come at the push of a button may appear to have it's advantages and convenience, there are pitfalls to be aware of and keeping up with these "pitfalls" caould take an enormous amount of energy! With the computer we can rely on the likes of "Norton" or "McAffee" to keep out viruses and scam, I am not sure what is out there for the Iphone generation. Perhaps this is why "Technorati" will come into it's own as a noticeboard/alert for us "less savvy" consumers?
Under the category of "Rising Itemds in Technology" further down the front page, I was interested in how Google Earth helped an Olympic athlete win a gold medal. Read about it on the following link:
http://www.technorati.com/posts/JiTK%2FCgSdc99Ot69d30cD1DOucHebhBkuyE2OyacN8s%3D
Technorati has been in existence for 3 years and has registered over 50 million blogs! Wow! According to the article on Web 2.0, the blogosphere is doubling in size every 200 days, or about once every 6 and a half months. That is a staggering rate of growth and shows that everybody everywhere is scrambling to keep up with "blogging" phenomenon! I am grateful for the challenge of doing these exercises as it is "encouraging" me to stay relevant with our library consumers who are also embracing this new technology in smaller or larger bursts of enthusiasm!
In the discovery section I had a go at searching for Learning 2.0 in Technorati and there wee 11,986 entries on the subject!
In scrolling down the first couple of pages I didn't find too much that related to what I considered relevant to our Web 2.0 learning, but I did come across the blog about the first Web 2.0 Conference that is going to be held in New York and this help me understand really where Web 2.0 is heading and who , in particular, would benefit from attending this Conference.
http://www.technorati.com/posts/ZntYa9tGkTMiWFRl8mOJXHGSscIF3Wsnb7EaU37VucE%3D
Jesus Freak
Huge iPhone Security Flaw Puts All Private Information at Risk [Iphone]
There's a huge security problem in the latest iPhone 2.0.2: if you have your JesusPhone password protected, using a very simple trick gives anyone full access to your cellphone private information in Mail, SMS, Contacts, and even Safari.
While these technological advancements that come at the push of a button may appear to have it's advantages and convenience, there are pitfalls to be aware of and keeping up with these "pitfalls" caould take an enormous amount of energy! With the computer we can rely on the likes of "Norton" or "McAffee" to keep out viruses and scam, I am not sure what is out there for the Iphone generation. Perhaps this is why "Technorati" will come into it's own as a noticeboard/alert for us "less savvy" consumers?
Under the category of "Rising Itemds in Technology" further down the front page, I was interested in how Google Earth helped an Olympic athlete win a gold medal. Read about it on the following link:
http://www.technorati.com/posts/JiTK%2FCgSdc99Ot69d30cD1DOucHebhBkuyE2OyacN8s%3D
Technorati has been in existence for 3 years and has registered over 50 million blogs! Wow! According to the article on Web 2.0, the blogosphere is doubling in size every 200 days, or about once every 6 and a half months. That is a staggering rate of growth and shows that everybody everywhere is scrambling to keep up with "blogging" phenomenon! I am grateful for the challenge of doing these exercises as it is "encouraging" me to stay relevant with our library consumers who are also embracing this new technology in smaller or larger bursts of enthusiasm!
In the discovery section I had a go at searching for Learning 2.0 in Technorati and there wee 11,986 entries on the subject!
In scrolling down the first couple of pages I didn't find too much that related to what I considered relevant to our Web 2.0 learning, but I did come across the blog about the first Web 2.0 Conference that is going to be held in New York and this help me understand really where Web 2.0 is heading and who , in particular, would benefit from attending this Conference.
http://www.technorati.com/posts/ZntYa9tGkTMiWFRl8mOJXHGSscIF3Wsnb7EaU37VucE%3D
Jesus Freak
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Technology Matters....
Technology is advancing in leaps and bounds. Doing the various WEB 2.0 exercises has certainly opened up a "mine-field" of opportunities and possibilities to computer users. There is a lot of technology to help us create wonderful websites and blogs and wiki's to name but a few.... I can see that there will be much to catch up on when retire (a few years from now, I hasten to add!) I say that because I haven't really had the time to expore these aspects further apart from a quick glance to try "something" new that has been suggested for me to read or look at!
I am an avid user of e-mail (as we all have to be), but I wonder whether we use it at the expense of picking up the phone. A sad case recently occurred where a person sent an e-mail to my husband and I and when we tried to ring her, as it was a very important matter warranting further discussion, she wouldn't answer the phone. She choose to use e-mail to communicate but clearly she didn't want the communication to be a two-way process, unless it was e-mail only. The difficulty with this approach to communication is that you can't really soften the tone" of the words you write OR show empathy and understanding (unless you are prepared to write a novel!). You don't have the opportunity to respond in an appropriate way as youcan't hear the tone of their voice....
E-mail has it's uses in that it is quick, but it will never replace the benefit of seeing and hearing somebody, "face to face," which is perhaps the reason behind "face-book" and social networking tool that I have not yet sampled, but I undestand that in a few weeks time, I will be able to comment in a much more informed manner.
Until then.....
Jesus Freak
I am an avid user of e-mail (as we all have to be), but I wonder whether we use it at the expense of picking up the phone. A sad case recently occurred where a person sent an e-mail to my husband and I and when we tried to ring her, as it was a very important matter warranting further discussion, she wouldn't answer the phone. She choose to use e-mail to communicate but clearly she didn't want the communication to be a two-way process, unless it was e-mail only. The difficulty with this approach to communication is that you can't really soften the tone" of the words you write OR show empathy and understanding (unless you are prepared to write a novel!). You don't have the opportunity to respond in an appropriate way as youcan't hear the tone of their voice....
E-mail has it's uses in that it is quick, but it will never replace the benefit of seeing and hearing somebody, "face to face," which is perhaps the reason behind "face-book" and social networking tool that I have not yet sampled, but I undestand that in a few weeks time, I will be able to comment in a much more informed manner.
Until then.....
Jesus Freak
pbwiki exercise
It was good to have a go at adding a few entries on to a wiki. I enjoyed reading what others had said, especially the ones whose blog names I knew!
See below for my entries!
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Numbers
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Books
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Music
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Fahttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Television-Shows vourite-Television-Shows
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.chttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Holiday-Destinations om/Favourite-Holiday-Destinations
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourithttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Recipese-Recipes
See below for my entries!
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Numbers
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Books
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Music
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Fahttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Television-Shows vourite-Television-Shows
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.chttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Holiday-Destinations om/Favourite-Holiday-Destinations
https://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourithttps://manukaulearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite-Recipese-Recipes
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