Week 8 - No. 19 Web-Based Applications

This afternoon, I created a Zoho account. I created two test documents. I learned the HARD way NOT to include puctuation or special characters in file names--doing this locked up my computer on the second document!!

Week 8 - No. 18 Social Networking

I watched the videos, took the Facebook tour and looked at numerous social networking sites. It is good to see that there are SO many social networking opportunities! Linkedin.com looks like it would be the best for social networking with other librarians. I was impressed with the various layers of personal security provided by Facebook. Looking at these websites helps me to understand the overwhelming popularity of MySpace !!

Week 7 - No. 17 Technology

When I began took classes for the Masters of Library Science at Emporia State University in Kansas 1978-79, we were told that libraries would soon be computerized to deal with the Information Revolution already in progress. It was actually 10 years after this when I worked for the Lee County Library System in Ft. Myers, FL, that we brought up the first DOS based version of Dynix to manage circulation. We still had separate stand alone computers that were only updated periodically to search for materials for customers. We have "come a long way, baby" from those humble beginnings. Even the sky may not be the limit for technology and its applications!!

I just finished adding my comment to beatlelover-nancy.blogspot.com. What is scary is that I can see the future she predicts where we are "all watched over by machines with loving grace" just as Richard Brautigan did. Will librarians be needed--or will be become lovable dinosaurs?!

Week 7 - No. 15 Wikis

I looked at several Library wikis. What I found interesting is the quick way a community wiki could be mounted. This would help a great deal to have one place to add answers to questions frequently asked in the local community. For example, at North Channel, we could list the contacts for English as a Second Language classes.

I just added my blog to the iHCPL favorite blogs.

Week Six - No. 15: Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

I read several of the listed articles on Library 2.0. I think that Web 2.0 and its offspring Library 2.0 have much to offer libraries. I also agree that as institutions, the best libraries are already user centered. I also agree that we should not rush to new technology just because it is available, but that we should review what's available and what these technologies can help us create. I entered this profession because it is customer centered. Library 2.0 gives us new and creative tools to link to our customers and serve them better.

Week 6 - No. 14 Technorati

I created a Technorati account and claimed my blog. Using Advanced Search, I used blog posts, blog tags and the blog directory to search "Learning 2.0" and found results on all.
I also used "brautigan" as my search word for blog posts, blog tags and the blog directory. In blog posts, this yielded an article on the CIA--which made me wonder, but this article did include a quotation from one of Brautigan's poems. In Blog tags, only blogs on Richard Brautigan appeared; no CIA articles. I really liked the blog directory search as this yielded "the brautigan pages" blog for all fans of my favorite author.

Boing Boing yielded a post on Creepy Michael Jackson fright masks. Neither Boing Boing or Lifehacker yielded any articles on author Richard Brautigan.

Week 6-No. 13 Tagging

I explored Del.icio.us bookmarks. I tried to view the tutorial video, but it would not work and was blurry. I toured the iHCPL bookmark, looked at comments and tags. As a former cataloger, I am glad that the tagging is simple and does not use one and only one thesaurus for subject terms. The main use I will make of this is to create an account so that I can have my favorite bookmarks when I travel to other locations and use other computers.