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.