Thursday, April 30, 2009

* #13 Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them

1.Ok

2. Create a blog post about your findings. What did you find interesting? Would you use a wiki for information? What are the benefits and drawbacks to finding information this way? What do you like or dislike about using a Wiki? What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?

What i found intersting aout these wikis is that they are able to hold up all the information that you would want on the frontpage of your website. This is something that I have never before seen done for a public liobrary website. It seems as though this would be a quick effiecient way for a library to do a website. They would not have to upload tons of files. They could edit it from virtually any computer. All the files would not be hosted for one website. I myself have used pbwiki to create a wiki in which I have the titles and summsries of books listed by genre. They are not the typical genres (Horror,Romance, Action) These genres are more specfic (Vampires,Complicated Hearts, Action?survival.
It has made my job easier as I do not have to upload the page when I make changes. Before I submitted changes to the webmaster at our library. Now the link on the main page goes to a wiki page I can edit. No middleman.

I think thereARE A FEW DOWNSIDES TO WIKIS. People are sometimes confused with what a wiki is. Seeing all of prompts to edit the page and also asking for the patron to sign in is confuisiing. Patrons don't know that this sign in is for editors only.

#14 Create a wiki or add an entry to the 23 Things - NELINET sandbox wiki

This is a wiki I put together for recommended reads.
http://esmyareviews.pbworks.com/

Thursday, April 23, 2009

* #12 Read a few perspectives on Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries and blog your thoughts

The Cult of Twopointia

I found this article to be most interesting. I feel more like the articles author than I do the librarians he describes. i feel that personally that those who can benefit from what 2.0 has to offer will and will not get behind. I like the blogs author am "annoyed' with the self important arraganet techno dweebs who are not open to the many ways in which you can get many things done. T I feel librarians need to meet people on different levels. When a person isn't caught up with 2.o it is there decision. Make yourself available to every kind of user

There is no wrong way to eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

* #10 Learn about tagging and discover Del.icio.us (a social bookmaking site)

I think that delicious is a great tool. It seems to be an improve over on bookmarking as we knew it. The fact that you can easily view and share the great number of links to others makes it easier to find information and will make the process of finding sources quicker. The tagging feature to me is helpful. Sometimes when I save websites into folders the old way I am not always sure of where to put a link. With tagging I can make it part of two separate lists.

I feel as these links can be most helpful to me in the public library. When we get assignment that the kids are going to have there is always a mad dash for materials. While using delicious not only can I give the students the best and most basic sites, but also encourage to share their findings with the rest of the class.

I do think it serves as a great way to have your bookmarks at any computer, but that is only the beginning.


Wednesday, April 22, 2009

#11 Explore Technorati and learn how tags work with blog posts

I.On the home page on the Headlines tab, what are the "Rising Blog Posts by Attention"? How about "Rising News Stories by Attention"?

The Top three blogs were:

1. TWC to Customers: You Don’t Want Tiers, You Don’t Get Super-fast Broadband
2. Beyonce's Daddy to Haters: You're All Idiots
3. Senate Report Confirms Top-Level Officials Authorized Torture


The Top three news stories were:
1. First look: 'Wolf pack' actors grin and bare it for 'New Moon' - USATODAY.com
2. LAP IT UP
3. Newsweek: A miner's daughter battles the industry



II.Click on the "Rising Posts and Stories" tab, then choose "Blogs" from the drop-down menu. How do the results differ from choosing "Blogs and News" from the drop-down menu?
It seems as though the top headlines are from blogs, rather than news sources


III.On the right-hand side of the home page, check out the section called "Tags from What's Rising." What are bloggers talking the most about right now?

• alistair darling
• budget
• business
• businessnews
• comment
• economic policy
• fox soccer
• free
• guardian.co.uk
• money
• nba
• news
• politics
• society
• tax
• tax and spending
• the guardian
• uk news
• united states
• world news


VI Click on "Blogger Central" from the top menu bar. Click on some of the top blogs and examine their tags. Note the use of everyday language in the tagging - this is called a "folksonomy."



V On the top right-hand corner of the page, click on "Advanced Search." Scroll to the bottom and under "Tag Search," type "libraries" into the "Find Posts Tagged" field. How do the results look?


VI Now click on the "Blogs" button in the top menu bar of the home page. Spend some time browsing the blog directory and clicking through some of the categories. Are the results as accurate as those produced through searching tags?

#11 Explore Technorati and learn how tags work with blog posts OPTIONAL

East Smithfield Public Library is one of 4,000 libraries across the country selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) to receive free hardcover editions of 17 classic books as part of the We the People Bookshelf grant program. The theme of this year’s Bookshelf is “Picturing America.”
he We the People “Picturing America” Bookshelf is the literary complement of NEH’s Picturing AmericaSM visual arts project. With the “Picturing America” Bookshelf words are the media used to portray significant themes in American history and culture. Readers are invited to steer their way across the continent by river with Lewis and Clark in 1802, travel the railroad with Robert Louis Stevenson in 1879, or drive along the open highways with John Steinbeck and his dog Charley in 1960. Through the life and poetry of Walt Whitman emerge powerful images of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln; through the life and lens of Dorothea Lange we witness the impersonal forces and human faces of the Depression.
National Endowment for the Humanities
ALA
East Smithfield Public Library
>

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

* #9 Locate a few useful library related blogs and/or news feeds

The blogs I subscribed to Librarything, Rhodarian, YALSA,Academic Librarian ACRLog, RILA, and the Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Day,

I found Syndic8 difficuklt to look and understand. It to me seemed to cluttered and was not effic9ient compared to the others.

I think Technorati is a great tool if you don't know what you are looking for, and can just browse around until you find something interesting. I would ue this one if I wasn't looking for something really spefic.

Google allows you to browse through sites, bot unlike TYechnorti, but I feel if you know the organization or group or even person ypou want to read about google blog is excellent for more spefic searches

Monday, April 13, 2009

* #8 Learn about RSS feeds and setup an RSS reader account

Check out my bloglines blog
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/mcardinlib

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

#7 Create a blog post about anything technology-related that interests you this week Assignment

Wimba is a tool used in conjunction with programs such as Blackboard. It has been dubbed the virtual classroom, but it's possibilities seem to suggest it is more than that. Users sign in and are able to communicate through a mic, typed test, as well as an area where a powerpoint presentation can be displayed. Users are also able to post pictures and use a tool in which they can draw on the screen.

You have the ability to record a session on Wimba (voice,text,powerpoint, etc) which might be a good way to archive YART meetings to look back at or to share with those who could not make it to the meetings.

If that sounds interesting to you you should check out the link below for more information . It goes into greater detail.

http://www.webjunction.org/wimba

There is also a demo on the following webpage.
http://www.wimba.com/products/wimba_classroom/