Mantra54's Blog

Final Thoughts (#23)

mantra54 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:21:29 +0000

I’ve learned a lot going through this list and I’ll have to review most of what I’ve done. Will pick out some of the features I liked best to really concentrate on – Flickr, LibraryThing, Podcasts, YouTube, Wikis. I can see that the web is developing at a rapid pace and there is a lot more to it now than 5 years ago. Staying current takes time but it has many benefits and expands capabilities. This will definitely be an aid in assisting patrons with their experience of the library.

E-Audiobooks (#22)

mantra54 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:53:57 +0000

I can’t wait to start listening to audiobooks with my MP3 player. The process is easy to follow. It’s a great service for patrons who want to be able to access audiobooks from their homes. The title selection is fairly broad so it should be possible to find an array of books that would be nice to listen to. A great way to spend a free afternoon or evening.

Podcasts (#21)

mantra54 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:12:52 +0000

I haven’t used podcasts yet but I found a site that I like to listen to and I often don’t hear the radio program when it’s being broadcast so I have the link to the RSS feed here.

http://feeds.thisamericanlife.org/TALUpdates

I think this could be a very useful tool and I will probably be using it in the future. Podcastalley looks like a great way to search for all the podcasts out there in cyberspace.

YouTube (#20)

mantra54 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:28:48 +0000

This site is loaded with fantastic videos on just about anything you can think of. Looked at the CCLS entries for our contest and some of the videos libraries did as virtual tours of their services. This is a good way to show the public all that we can offer to them. I visit this site often when I’m trying to find entertaining videos on politics or just some good music videos. Here is one :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaMzKpNC2Jk

Social Networking (#19)

mantra54 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:08:43 +0000

Am familiar with Facebook and a bit with MySpace from personal use. Checked out WCPL Teens on these 2 sites. I think using these kinds of sites will encourage younger library patrons to be involved with their libraries because we are speaking their language when we use the latest the web has to offer. They can connect with people having similar interests in terms of library “things”. Keeps teens updated on library events they are interested in and targets webpages which they will want to visit or can use for help with school.

Web 2.0 tools (#18)

mantra54 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:05:19 +0000

I explored, under Music, a site called Pandora. This is really great- you type in the name of a music artist or group you like and they create a radio station for you on the theme. You can have multiple stations for various types of music you want to hear. I tried 3 different genres and then can switch from one “station” to another depending on your mood.

Also explored BBC – can listen to BBC radio programs. Wow the internet is amazing…

I think BBC radio could be useful to the library, not too sure about Pandora.

Zoho Writer (#17)

mantra54 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:09:25 +0000

This is a great idea – now there is a way to do word processing without having to purchase expensive software. I tried it out and it seems fine, easy to use, and files available from any computer – that’s neat. This is one of those 23 things that is a fantastic tool to know about.

PB Wiki (#16)

mantra54 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:14:04 +0000

The wiki we use at the tech center is a PBWiki. So far it’s been great. (See blog #15).

Wiki (#15)

mantra54 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:11:33 +0000

I had a head start with this one since the tech center already uses a wiki to track all the public pc issues, printers, workshops, tutoring schedules, etc. It is really easy to use and better than emails on all these things because it keeps everyone informed in one place and all the staff can add to it as needed. Email updates are available which alert all users to recent changes in the wiki, so you know when it has been edited.

Library 2.0 (#14)

mantra54 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:09:06 +0000

Read about all the new ideas, it’s very ambitious. I think we’re getting a pretty good preview of things to come with the 23 things. It will be interesting to see where all this innovation leads us.