#8 Share Your Creations

#8 Thing: I have to confess that this is a Thing that I read/viewed. One of the tools that I thought was a good one was Lazybase. I thought it could be used for a database of book recommendations. Lazybase was very easy to use!

I was also impressed with the eFolio Minnesota. During this time of economic uncertainty, any way to promote yourself to prospective employers is important. I asked my daughter if they were doing anything like that at her school in California and she said, "No."

I was wondering if the Slideshare site could be used as a teaching tool for our library system's computer classes. The preparatory time could be significant, but maybe it could be cost effective.

#6 Online Image Generator

#6 Thing Online Image Generator:

This is an example of me not understanding what I am doing. I managed (?) to get a trading card on my blog. I like what the image generator is supposed to do but I need help with the process. My feeble attempt took a lot of work time, but I am not sure what I accomplished.

I did look at the Carleton College link. It was a very creative. I'm sure the students found it a fun but an informative way of locating library staff.

#7 Web 2.0 Communication Tools

#7 Thing: RCPL has been using email for quite awhile. Sometimes I feel like I am deleting a lot of spam & internal emails that do not seem relevant to me, but mostly it saves time. Since staff is scattered over seven buildings, it would be impossible to know everyone's schedules. Work email can be read from non-work related sites too. Not only is email used for internal communication, but it is also used to answer reference questions.

Our system implemented instant messaging last year to help eliminate negative issues (such as noise) regarding phoning. Mostly, it is worked well.

The Webinar I "attended" was an archived training session for the new EBSCO masterfile interface. Since I was not able to attend the session, it was wonderful to watch the webinar. Obviously, being able to train people at remote sites saves travel time and can be done at a more convenient location.

#15 Online Games and Libraries

#15 Thing: I looked at Second Life. It was fun to look at the Info Island video. I could see how Second Life would be a creative way to introduce the public, in particular teens, to the library. If a library was willing to use the help of teenagers, the teens could provide help with the scripting. What a good way to use their creativity! Teens might see libraries as a happenin' place if Second Life was available.

Now...for myself. Because Second Life (I did not register with SL) appears so time/labor intensive, I cannot imagine that I would have the time to deliver library services through this vehicle. If RCPL ever explored Second Life, I believe that selected librarians should work on this project. It would not be cost effective to have everyone doing this.

#4 Flickr

#4 Thing: Flickr



I do not use any other photo sharing websites. Since my husband and I just purchased a digital camera, we do not have a lot of experience with it. I can see the value of posting vacation pictures so that friends and family can view the images via Flickr or a similar service. My personal goal is to have my husband and I practice uploading our family photos to Flickr. I am not particularly concerned that the pictures are public. I could see how an amateur photographer might object though.

P.S.
It said I had successfully uploaded a picture from Flickr but I do not see it. Frankly, I do not have anymore time to deal with this. When my husband and I start to experiment with our family photos, maybe I will be able to figure out how to do this. Since my branch has no 23 Things help, I really am frustrated about the time spent with no results. I read and printed off instructions but have nothing to show for all my efforts!!!

# 19 Podcasts

#19: As I mentioned in a previous blog, I am really into my Welsh heritage. I listened to podcasts featuring how to learn Welsh. It was easier to listen to the podcast than my audiocassettes.

The Podcast.net directory did not open. Since I did not want to complete multiple registrations, I stuck with Podcast.com. Their website was easy to use.

Since I do not have internet access at home, I really do not plan to spend time listening to podcasts. But if I did have internet access, I would spend time listening to the Welsh podcasts.

# 18 YouTube

#18: Here are my YouTube videos:

I am particularly interested in my Welsh heritage. There were several videos that I enjoyed on the topic. Getting them off of YouTube was very easy.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of YouTube: I could see someone regretting putting a video of questionable content on YouTube. I have heard of police catching members of the public doing illegal actions as a result of viewing YouTube videos. Also, videos could be posted that are critical of someone else. What are the controls?

# 17 ELM Productivity Tools

#17. Well, research is not just about printed articles anymore. Frankly, I had not noticed until we had to do 23 Things that we had a multimedia option. This development is something students will need/want to see.

Another feature that's available through Proquest was the ability to email several articles all at the same time to an email account. Again, I had not had to use the "my research" tab before so it was helpful to see how this worked. Students will want to see this feature because it will save them time.

I enjoyed seeing how the collaborative features work on NetLibrary and Ebsco, but I doubt I would be using them in my workplace. I hope to point out the eContent feature to users who "check out" ebooks.