Method #12

This course has been valuable to me for its exposure to Web 2.0 applications I had heard about, but could not have clearly defined. My favorite application was social tagging, and I am specifically interested in exploring LibraryThing further as a readers' advisory resource.

Method #11

For this assignment I listened to portions of a podcast titled "Evaluating Online Instructors" offered through the Education Podcast Network. The topic intrigued me since my library science degree was completed almost entirely online. The podcast seemed to focus on the distinction between an online instructor and the online course material and how the distinction should be accounted for when performing evaluations.

At this time the only purpose my library might have to develop podcasts would be as a means of marketing our collection or services, but as of today I'm not sure enough users would be reached to warrant the staff time required to develop and maintain the podcasts.

Method #10

I was somewhat surprised at how many wikis offered an interface almost identical to the Wikipedia interface. I think I expected more customization, but I guess the aesthetics of a wiki are influenced by its purpose and its users.

As I mentioned in my post about tagging, I could see a wiki as more relevant to collaboration between library staff rather than interaction between staff and patrons. Possible uses could include creation of committee reports, supply request lists, book display lists, or weeding statistics.

Method #9

My experience with chat actually began in graduate school as a means to complete a group project for an online class. Communicating as a group via chat was challenging, primarily because of the necessary coordination of schedules for each member of the group to be at a computer at the same time. Sometimes we also experienced a delay or overlap in the flow of conversation due to the timing of when posts were displayed.

At this time my library does not offer chat/IM services, although I think we have in the past. Based on our current user population and my perception of their library usage, I don't think we would have significant reason to resume this service in the near future.

Method #8

In general, I feel very cautious about social networking sites, with privacy being a primary concern. As more and more personal and professional business is conducted online in an environment of constantly changing industry standards and policies, I think consumers will need to exercise alertness as they utilize the potential of online resources. In terms of using social networking tools to promote a library, Twitter seemed to me to be potentially simpler than Facebook. An interesting contrast is presented: patrons who do not have the technology or technological skills to access Twitter would never be reached through Twitter advertising, but Twitter advertising might reach users who would never be reached by more traditional library advertising methods.

Method #7

I could see Delicious particularly as an in-house tool for library staff. As librarians rely on the Internet more and more to answer reference questions, librarians could tag sites used to answer reference questions so that other members of the library team could refer to the same site when asked a similar question.

LibraryThing could be a valuable readers' advisory tool and might even be helpful in generating a list of books for a themed display, such as a display of fiction books set in New England.

Method #6

Comparing YouTube and Teacher Tube, TeacherTube seemed to be cleaner in terms of content but YouTube seemed cleaner in terms of aesthetics and user interface. The above video is from TeacherTube. The video argues for the potential of engaging students through the use of the technology that is already so prevalent in the daily lives of this generation of students. While the video was a little lengthy, I believe some parallels could be drawn between engaging students through technology and engaging library patrons through enhanced technology. For example, to teach a patron how to use download a library ebook to an ebook reader, we could supply the patron with a paper brochure or we could refer them to a YouTube video. Several libraries have already produced instructional YouTube videos on the topic of downloading ebooks and these videos could be recommended to even more patrons by other libraries across the nation.

Method #5

Here is the link to a striking image I found on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chalkbass/2836771004/

On a personal level, I would like to have a backup system for my photos, but I would be inclined to use a more private option like a home server rather than an online photo managament website. On a professional level, photosharing websites might be an interesting option in terms of storage and access to digitized photos from a local history collection.

Method #4

Here are the links to my three RSS feeds:

http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/feed/

http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/feeds/news.xml

http://rss.cnn.com/rss/cnn_allpolitics.rss

The Library of Congress blog and the Cincinnati Library blog both seem to be relevant choices (although the Cincinnati Library doesn't appear to have updated the URL for their RSS feed), and by following these feeds I will have the opportunity to see services and innovations offered by other libraries. The CNN Politics feed should be helpful as I practice collection development in the area of political science.

Overall, RSS feeds seem to be a timesaving tool, allowing the user to customize and streamline his or her information access.

Method #3

As I read the suggested articles, I found myself responding with both excitement and caution to the concept of cloud computing. Becoming familiar with the resources available in the realm of cloud computing will be important if these concepts continue to be fostered by the greater technological community. Knowledge of how to use a tool and discernment in when to use a tool can be a powerful and effective combination. Such knowledge would mesh well with the librarian's role as one who understands how to use tools in the context of accessing information.

Methods 1 and 2

What are your thoughts regarding Web 2.0 and Library 2.0? What do the terms mean to you? To your library? Or libraries in general?

Web 2.0 seems to be a new standard, and the minimum expectation for the younger generation. So the degree to which libraries are included in the culture's mainstream may be directly influenced by the degree to which they meet or exceed the technology standard.

Testing

Testing