Thing 23: Final Evaluation

Overall, I'm extremely pleased to be finishing this project and grateful for the chance to learn about Web and Library 2.0 via 23 Things on a Stick. Having to complete the things forced me to check out some applications that I may have avoided on my own which turned out to be worthwhile experiments - facebook, PuzzlePirates, and online image generators. I'm still not a very skilled gamer and have very few online friends but I now understand a bit of the appeal of these apps. I've totally incorporated at least two of the things - RSS feeds and instant messaging- into my daily routine. I think the habits of independent learning and life long learning are important habits for me to incorporate into my personal and professional life. I can't wait to check out more of the Minitex webinars, to subscribe to the RSS feed of Midmorning podcasts, and to explore some of the blogs mentioned in thing 22. On the down side, I've been disappointed at the lack of real connection I've felt with other Thing participants, despite Ning and the instructions to check out and comment on others' blogs. I found it hard to keep up with my own learning without having to check in with others I didn't know. Although when I did so I learned from their discoveries and mistakes. I would definitely participate in a similar online, independent learning experience in future and would endeavor to be more extroverted and participatory.

Thing 22: Keeping Up

As I reach the end of the 23 Things on a Stick learning project I feel that I've been fairly negative in some of my posts about the Library 2.0 applications(especially social media and social networks). However, some of the tools have been fantastic and have really helped me at work, specifically, the Minitex webinars. I watched an older one on using Business Source Premier and learned about the country reports (which I wouldn't have intuited were there from the name of the database). That awareness allowed me to help a student find information on Eritrea. I can't wait to work my way through some of the other Minitex webinars on Academic Search Premier, podcasting, WorldCat; and to dig deeper into the Elm productivity tools. I'm now starting most days by checking my Google Reader for RSS feeds from the Shifted Librarian and librarian.net among others, thanks to this project. And I absolutely love Del.icio.us and learning about organizing websites with tagging rather than bookmarking on a single computer. I also intend to keep giving the social networks a chance and checking out more online games, despite my initial hesitation. I expect that work, like school, will require that I use the collaborative tools like wikis, document creators and slidesharing. I feel like I've just scratched the surface of learning about Web and Library 2.0 and look forward to returning to work on some of the challenges. I'm really intrigued by the idea of posting the new thing that I learn each day, or maybe each week. Who knows, maybe I'll even get a cell and starting texting and uploading photos to Flickr.

Thing 21: Other social networks

I joined the 23 things on a stick Ning network, uploaded some photos, and pasted the Ning badge to my blog. I didn't post a comment to another member because I didn't recognize anyone. The jury's still out on what I think of these networks. I am wondering about their usefulness for me long term. Right now I still feel more like a voyeur than a member. However, I know folks who've established great friendships with like-minded others on online networks. And I really like what the second article said integrating the social networking tools with existing programs in the library. Such as combining promotion of an author event with a preliminary podcast interview with the author and book reviews on the library's book blog. This sounds really exciting and would help make the experience more robust. However, I feel overwhelmed by the plethora of options and like I'm just dipping my toes into a lot of them rather than sticking around and becoming an active member of one. I guess that's part of my learning curve and I'll eventually find a home in a social network.

Thing 20: facebook

After months of stalling, I've finally gotten an account on facebook. I added personal information and friends and wrote on Dawn Moder's wall. I joined the St. Kate's MLIS and the Minnesota Library Association groups. I'm not really sure yet what being on facebook means but I'm giving it a try. As an X-er I just didn't get very excited about facebook because it seems that none of my friends are on it. But many of my fellow MLIS students are there so facebook provides a way to stay connected. I browsed some pages and was amazed at how much stuff people have added to their profiles. Transparency seems a little scary to me but I also explored the privacy settings and relieved my fears a little. The fact that facebook is the fastest growing social network must mean that people crave companionship more than they fear stalkers.

Thing 19: Podcasting

I listened to the interview with Tom Shaughnessy from On the Road with Minitex and have also listened to podcasts of MPR's Midmorning show in the past. The podcast allows me to listen when it's convenient rather than being tied to the broadcast time. Thanks to this project, I learned that I can subscribe to the RSS feed and have added Minitex to my Google Reader. In my brief browse of the directories, I found Podcast.com to be the easiest to use because the genres (with little folder icons) were listed right on the initial page. It took me a while to find the genre search box on PodcastAlley.com. I know, it should have been obvious but I had to search for it. I wasn't necessarily interested in the most recent or most popular podcasts which were on the home page. I couldn't get Podcast.net to open. I tend to be a browser so Yahoo's search box wasn't appealing to me; if I don't know what's in a collection, I'm not going to know how to search for what I want. Will I create a podcast? Possibly. It would be a neat way to share book talks on particular subjects or to highlight new materials. I wish that St. Kate's would podcast their Monday night events those not able to attend could listen at home and attendees could refresh their memories of past events.

Thing 18: YouTube

Here's a little gift for everyone in honor of National Poetry Month. Rick Benjamin reads Naomi Shahib Nye's "The Red Brocade." I would love to see library patrons sharing their favorite poems.

Thing 17: Elm Productivity Tools

How I wish I had taken the time to set up an RSS feed for a topic search in Gale/Cengage databases at the beginning of the semester! I could be collecting any new published critical reviews on children’s literature without doing any additional work. This is a very cool tool for ongoing research about a subject. I imagine that many students (and library professionals) would find it extremely helpful. The same for the webpage composer in the Ebsco database suite. Who knew creating a webpage could be so easy? And you don’t need any software to do it! I wasn’t able to figure out how to add an image to my webpage but I did manage to download it to my desktop. Ditto for the web page composition tools on the ProQuest database which allow me to share search results via a webpage. These tools may help me make the transition to a truly paperless office. I don’t need to take notes; I can save my search results as a webpage and email them to myself or a colleague! No more cutting and pasting links. I feel very fortunate to be discovering these tools through the 23 things project and will definitely recommend them to students at my library. I have already used NetLibrary in my MLIS study and have assisted library users in using the index and table of contents for search an e-book. The video reminded me that a user can also do a keyword search on the content. There’s so much to learn!

Thing 16: Student 2.0 tools

Although created for secondary students, the research project calculator would be useful for undergraduates as well. At the reference desk of the college where I work, I encounter some students almost overwhelmed by fear and confusion about beginning an assignment. We have a version of the assignment calculator modeled after the U version. I find that students like to feel self-sufficient; very few of us like to admit that we don't know the answer or how to do something. Using the online tools, the student can review the basics without having to approach a librarian or writing center tutor and admit her ignorance. My goal as a librarian is to make my patron feel competent, empowered, and in possession of the information he needs. I want to use every tool available to achieve that outcome so would heartily recommend the 2.0 tools. They are available when needed, even if the library is closed or the librarian is busy. They can be used at the student's own pace and reviewed as necessary, unlike a classroom instruction session. Plus, many of them link to additional resources. I think the tools are especially useful for graduate students returning to study in midlife. There's a lot more to research now, with the advent of electronic indexes and databases, than there was when many older students went to college. Anything which assists in organizing the research process and managing time can relieve a lot of anxiety and help students to succeed.

Thing 15: Online Gaming

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the needed plug-in to install for Pirate Puzzles. I was kind of looking forward to pumping bilge and then liftin' a tankard with me mateys. So I watched the video tour of SL library island instead. I realize that there are millions of players, all potential library users, in Second Life. But I'm finding it hard to understand the appeal. Personally, I find it a little disconnected from the tactile reality of first life. For me one of the benefits of owning land is being able to dig your fingers into the dirt of your garden, to feel sweat dripping off your nose as you paint your garage, to smell the lilacs, and sawdust, and dinner cooking. I'm not getting any of that in SL. Granted flying is cool; as is an avatar with tail and claws. But I felt more like a voyeur than a creator. At first glance, SL seems to be focused on buying stuff. I see libraries as a way for people to have collective ownership of things that we couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to purchase on our own. So perhaps there is a place for libraries in SL as a way to promote collective ownership of information in the midst of the marketplace. I think the possibilities are great. I would attend an author reading there, or a book discussion, but I suspect it would feel rather flat. I would miss looking into a person’s eyes. And I would miss not being able to glimpse underneath their carefully crafted veneer of avatar personality. But Second Life is fascinating.

Thing 13: Online Productivity Tools

I decided to create a customized start page using Yahoo because I'm already beginning most days by checking my Yahoo mail. Now I have a page with a calendar, a to-do list, weather, facebook, some news feeds and my email all in one place. I think this will help me become more organized. In a previous job I used Outlook to manage my work calendar and tasks and could share my calendar with my colleagues within the network. These online calendar tools allow me to do that in a much wider way. Cool! Throughout the 23 things exploration, I have found it difficult to pick just one option. I'm also using a Google Reader and Docs for course work so it would have been just as easy to use iGoogle as a start page. In fact I created an iGoogle page too, but just didn't set it up as a home page. I decided to keep it simple in Yahoo, rather than using the other online calendar and list tools. I would recommend them to others thought, especially if they don't have personal computers and are using the Internet in multiple locations. I'm not sure I would use an online sticky note. It seems a lot of work to create and access. But again I have used the sticky notes in Microsoft Outlook to temporarily park information that I only needed once in a while so they may be useful.

Thing 12: Social Media Sites

Theoretically, the power and potential of these tools for helping readers influence the media are enormous. The application, however, seems to popularize the cute and weird, rather than the revolutionary. At least that's my opinion after today's browse of Digg, Mixx, and Reddit. Newsvine seems a little less fascinated with the bizarre and more attuned to news. It may be important for me to realize what people are reading in order to anticipate reference questions. But in my reference work in an academic library, I encounter users more interested in course-related resources and scholarly publications than in the popular press.

At first glance, the categories of Digg make it seem easier to use and more relevant; until you dig into them and find 'world and business' lumped into one. That's a pretty large category. Reddit seems to have the most information on the opening screen, with the option to sort by popular and recent, making it easier to scan for the 'lastest thing.

I'll keep exploring and hoping for more applicability but my initial foray leaves me feeling more overwhelmed than assisted.

Thing 11: Tagging

I love Del.icio.us! I've just solved the problem of how to access my bookmarks when I'm at school. I think I'm going to use this tool a lot to organize my own finds. It will help to eliminate that nagging feeling of remorse tinged with deja vu - knowing that I found a really cool website on that topic at one time but now can't remember what it was called or how to return to it. I really like the mutability of tagging; if I find another tag to be more useful in the future I can add it. And being able to add more than one tag for multifaceted sites is great. I was really impressed with how the Seldovia and Menasha libraries have used this tool to organize sites for their clients. What a simple way to create pathfinders for Internet resources.

Thing 10: Wikis

I edited the 23 Things wiki by adding Jenny Levine's line: "Life is all about having more fun than you can think of and it starts at the library."

I participated in a class wiki in Joyce Yukawa's Intro to Reference and Online Services class at St. Kate's in fall 2006. Our class shared search strategies for the course exercises. It is a really useful tool for creating community; collectively the members were able to create something much better than each would have been able to do individually.

Wikis can be really helpful in a workplace where folks can't easily meet face-to-face. They can preserve the wisdom of those with more experience and help orient newer folks to institutional procedures and ethos. They are living documents, unlike printed manuals, so they can be easily updated as needed. And they can be portals to other wikis/websites. I also like the democratic ideal of a wiki; everyone can contribute and benefit from a collective project. Why should each person reinvent the wheel. Wikis let us pool our knowledge, reduce redundancy, and improve efficiency! Wiki on!

Thing 8

I explored Slideshare. I was able to quickly upload a Powerpoint presentation that I created for a class project and share it with the rest of the world. Almost too quickly. After I realized that it was public, I began to worry that the bulk of the project was not mine. I had merely created the GIS metadata for an online mapping application currently in development in the geography department at the U. Did I have permission to share their work? My presentation included screenshots of the application in addition to my process for creating the metadata and examples of it.

Despite my nervousness about sharing, I think online slidesharing is great. The Picture Trail slideshow posted on the 23 Things blog is really cool and would be a great way to showcase public events at the library on the library's website. And these tools help those in small libraries without a lot of IT staff to enhance their web presence.

I hear a lot of talk about electronic portfolios so I was excited to see eFolio Minnesota. I would recommend it to students and look forward to exploring it further.

Thing 14: LibraryThing

I created a LibraryThing account after a readers' advisory class to help me remember what I read. So in order to complete this thing, I only needed to copy the code to the sidebar of my blog. Pretty simple and a really attractive way to share books. LibraryThing could be a great way for smaller libraries to catalog their collections and share them with browsers.

Thing 9

I've used Google Docs to collaborate with others on class projects. It's very easy to use; all project members can work concurrently or as they are able; and it's accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. Brilliant. However, as word processing programs go, its pretty elementary. We've found that once we've finalized our document, we need to export it back into Word for final formatting, especially if we want to use anything fancy, like graphics, tables, or headers/footers.

I haven't used Zoho and have requested permission to be allowed to edit the doc. Stay tuned for the comparison.

Thing 7

As a part-time reference assistant, I haven't yet gotten any emails from patrons but the regular librarians do use it to communicate amongst themselves. However, in my last job email was the predominant form of communication so I quickly found it necessary to implement some of the productivity tips that Merlin Mann mentioned, such as limiting my checking email to 4-6 times a day rather than constantly. That made it easier for me to employ templates for responding to routine questions and some issues did solve themselves without my intervention. Folders helped a lot in organizing correspondence, especially from regular contacts.

My first experience with IM reference was terrifying because I hadn't used it before. I felt the sender wanted an instant response and because I was learning both reference and IM on the fly, I didn't respond as quickly as I would have liked. Now that I've set up a Yahoo messaging account and goofed around a bit, the process seems a lot less intimidating.

Unfortunately I don't have a cell or mobile device so I didn't try texting.

I viewed an archived Minitex webinar about Business Source Premier. It was a helpful orientation to the databases nd I will feel more confident using it and suggesting it to our business/management students. I was surprised that there was so little response or feedback from webinar participants; the opportunity for interactivity doesn't always mean that folks will avail themselves of it. I will continue to check the OPAL and Minitex archives and register for upcoming live webinars to build my skills.

Thing 5: Shelf puzzle

Shelf puzzle
Originally uploaded by rmourningdove

It was incredibly easy to create this puzzle from a photo, upload it to Flickr, and then blog about it. Kind of makes me wish the photo were more artistic.

Thing 6: Online Image Generators

Children's Lit trading card
Originally uploaded by rmourningdove

Look, a trading card! This was fairly easy to do. It would be more interesting with a better photograph, with a librarian or library mascot, like the Reading Raccoon. I can imagine some neat applications in addition to using trading cards in place of business cards for academic subject specialists. How about using them to publicize the meeting dates of a book group using a photocollage of the year's books? Or to publicize an author event. Neat tool.

Thing 4: Flickr, part 2

CSC library shelf,
originally uploaded by rmourningdove.

Another photo from the St. Kate's library

Thing 4: Flickr.

CSC library Austen display,
originally uploaded by rmourningdove.

Here's one of my photos from the library at the College of St. Catherine. The display was created by undergraduate student workers to promote the works of Jane Austen alongside the TPT broadcast of the movie versions of her works.

It actually took longer for me to take the photographs than to set up the Flickr account, upload, label and tag them.

Flickr is incredibly easy to use, especially since I already had a Yahoo account. I think Flickr would be a really useful tool to chronicle a library's book/video displays, and to share them with remote users. It could also be used to keep a visual record of events: author talks, book groups, storytime, etc. I'm looking forward to using it to share personal photos with friends.

Thing 3: RSS is really spectacular, sweetheart!

Wow, in about 5 minutes I set up a Google Reader and subscribed to five feeds (rarin' librarian, shifted librarian, zenhabits, and unclutterer blogs and Grist's enviromental newsfeed). I then spent the next 55 minutes reading. It really is addicting. But I've answered my own question about finding time to keep up with blogs. This will put them all in one place. The next step for me will be discerning which of the feeds are important and being diligent about jettisoning those that aren't.

Thing 2: Library 2.0

I Love the idea of library 2.0. As a library user, I think L2 implementations help me to help myself and I like that. It means that I can reserve books and videos, request ILL, and view my borrowed materials and due dates online at any time without coming into the library. I feel trusted and competent, and any institution that makes me feel like that will get my business. I also like checking myself out. And I love the comfortable reading space (some with fireplaces!) at many of the Anoka and Ramsey County libraries and the coffee shop at Roseville. But I also think that enhancing service in the library means extending library hours. It boggles my mind to think that so many of the Minneapolis libraries are closed two days a week and are only open 8 hours a day. For me, Library 2.0 also has to embrace a commitment to libraries as community public spaces and to advocate for increased hours in addition to new technology. While promoting new services for those with the technology at home, L2 shouldn't forget about all those in the community who depend on the library for the very hardware on which those new technologies depend.

As a librarian-in-training, I'm a little anxious about keeping up with the technology. 23 Things is helping to alleviate some of that fear by encouraging exploration and letting me have a dress rehearsal before I get into a library. But where to find time? I think Stephen Abram makes a good point about finding 5 minutes blocks throughout the day to do these things. On the other hand, its easy to spend a hour browsing the blogs with nothing to show for it, at least in the traditional notion of productivity as accomplishing a work goal or serving a customer. For me, L2 suggests that community is first, something which many libraries and librarians have been embodying forever!

Thing 1: It's a Blog!

Creating a blog was fairly simple, after reading the instructions. And what I created even has a title, a description, an avatar and a couple of posts with tags. I did it!!!

Here are the rest of the pack for the booktalk on amazing animals:

• Scruffy: A Wolf Finds His Place in the Pack by Jim Brandenburg. This is a color photo essay for kids by the Northern Minnesota photographer famous for his wolf photos. It tracks a rumpled yearling wolf in a pack on Ellsmere Island.

• Peterson’s Field Guides for Young Adults: Birds of Prey by Jonathan P. Latimer and Karen Stray Nolting with illustrations by Roger Tory Peterson. Kids can be naturalists too and this mini-guidebook will introduce them to the methods that bird watchers use to identify birds. It also includes an abbreviated section of birds of prey common in North America.

• Poppy by Avi; illustrations by Brian Floca. This is a really exciting tale of a young deer mouse who faces the great horned owl, Mr. Ocax, who imagines himself the supreme ruler of Dinwood Forest. The mouse community has outgrown its home and wants to move half of their members to New House where the fields are supposed to be full of grain. Mr. Ocax refuses to let them move, citing Poppy and Ragweed's disobedience as his reason. Poppy undertakes a great journey through the dark forest to see if New House is really all that it's said to be, to find out why Mr. Ocax wants to keep the mice out, and to restore her reputation. Poppy learns to judge friends and enemies for herself rather than relying on the opinions of others and that she possesses all the strength and courage that she needs to survive.
  

• A Bear Named Trouble by Marion Dane Bauer. A young brown bear or grizzly, his jaw broken by a savage kick from a moose, wanders into Anchorage in search of soft food, like that found in bird feeders and garbage cans. He encounters Jonathan, a young boy, one evening in the boy's backyard. Enthralled, Jonathan continues to watch for the brownie, following him into the Anchorage Zoo, where the bear kills his favorite animal, Mama Goose. Incensed, Jonathan reports the bear to the local TV station. Trouble is now a nuisance animal and is being hunted by the game wardens. Jonathan is torn between his desire that the bear pay for hurting the goose and the realization that "taking care" of a bear who is not afraid of humans means that it will be killed. Jonathan is there in the middle of the action when Trouble is finally captured. It all works out in the end. Trouble gets his jaw patched up and a new home at the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth where Jonathan is able to visit him when he returns to Minnesota to help his mother and sister move to Alaska.
  

• Garden of the Spirit Bear: Life in the Great Northern Rainforest by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent with illustrations by Deborah Milton. This is an absolutely beautiful book. Full of rich watercolors depicting life in the rainforests of the Pacific northwest. The pale gold or white spirit bears, which First Nation's people believe are a reminder from the great creator that the earth was once covered with ice and snow, are becoming increasingly rare due to clearcut logging in the area. This book explains the interdependence of the bears, the trees of the forest in which they are born and seek protection, and the rivers which their food source, the salmon, use for laying eggs.

Now to make sure that my booktalk stays within the 13-15 minute time limit.

Booktalking

I'm working on a book talk for my children's library materials course. I would like to focus on books about animals, especially heroic ones, because I remember how much I liked to read about animals as a child. I remember absolutely loving Where the Red Fern Grows. Here's what I've got so far:

• Lewis and Clark and Me (Laurie Myers) about the big black Newfoundland named Seaman who hunted, guided, and practiced diplomacy on the exploratory expedition to the Pacific.
  
• The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail (Debbie S. Miller) about the gruelling serum relay to Nome in 1925 to stem the diptheria outbreak. This relay is commemorated annually with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
  
• Runt (Marion Dane Bauer) about a undersized wolf pup who learns about the world, life and death, and his place in the pack. It's a rocky journey but he eventually finds his voice, and his particular gifts for the hunt.
  
• Tiger with Wings: The Great Horned Owl (Barbara Juster Esbensen) is the story of the silent hunter of the sky. Beautiful colored illustrations show the how the owl's body is uniquely adapted for the hunt, with silent feathers, the facial disk which funnels sound to its hidden ears, and the ability to turn its head almost 180 degrees. Lots of interesting information about courtship behavior, nesting, and raising owlets too.
  

As a library school student in the final phase of study, I'm creating this blog as part of Minnesota's 23 Things on a Stick project. Looking forward to launching myself as a digital librarian, hopefully with lots of learning and some laughs too.