Beyond Method 6

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4276
I had no idea that there were so many formats and accessibility issues with e-readers.  In helping out patrons (who are already asking about ebooks when we closed our library for renovation) there is a definite learning curve that we as librarians have to master as nothing is standardised.  As we know, e-readers like Kindle and Nook were not developed for libraries but for purchases off of Amazon and Barnes and Noble so standardization is probably not in the future.  I find Project Gutenberg very easy to use if you are going to download it to a computer, however, downloading to the various devises is something else.  Here, in this time of transition, librarians are needed to be media techs.  After our library re-opens in January, we will be purchasing several kinds of e-readers so that we can serve as teachers to our patrons especially those retirees that just received an e-reader from a younger relatives. After practicing, I'm sure we will be up to the task of helping them download from Project Gutenberg when the owner of Kindles, Nooks, and other devises come in asking for help.

Beyond Method 5

I loved Goodreads at first sight although I enjoyed reading some reviews in LibraryThing.  I would like to have a class for our older ladies and gentlemen who are avid readers on how to use Goodreads as I feel it is easier to use.  So many of our patrons read series fiction and finding the next book in the series is easy on Goodreads as well as finding like authors that the patrons will enjoy.  I think that patrons would like to review books on a virtual book club on our library website.  They could find friends from our library or the San Antonio Library who are reviewing on Goodreads.  Teens would enjoy this as well.  The tags are so much easier to create and use than library subject headings.   We have a fair amount of suggestions for purchase and Interlibrary Loans but I think that this would add to it as patrons would be continually finding books that they want to read.

Beyond Method 4

As many other libraries at this time, we have people coming in who have not used a computer and are being told by employers that they must apply online.  Our library does not have a computer training program so the websites that are available are a big help for us.  I was not aware of the Goodwill site and I feel that even someone who hasn't used a computer before would find it helpful.  The Texas Workforce site, twdl.org is also most helpful.  I hope they keep getting the funding for this site.  Looking at Visual CV, I wonder what company would be interested in receiving resumes with so much information in them when usually they want one page only.  I guess you could pack more information in a youtube video.  This kind of resume would work well for people interested in getting a job in advertising or sales and would help the person who hires in eliminating people based on their youtube presentation,  podcasts, or their charts and graphs.  I like Linkdin, in that it seems more professional than Facebook in networking for a job.  All these websites are going on the reference computer so that we can refer our patrons to them.  I'm sure it will help them learn computer skills, find jobs electronically and apply for those jobs.

Beyond Method 3

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

This link will take you to the general area, click my places, then Hunt Walking Tour.

I love Google Maps.  They have done a lot with it in the last few years with street views and satellite views.  However, I find  creating a map full of problems.  When I wanted to put in a description, the increase/decrease bar was in the way and could not be moved so I didn't put in as many descriptions as I wanted to.  I have no idea how I managed to put in the ones I did.  Whenever I was able to use the line tool (very difficult) it would change the positioning of my map after I tyed in the box for the heading and I would have to go back and reposition the map.  If I clicked too close to a landmark on my Richmond map, it would pop up a google description box of that landmark so I gave up on that one.  Too many extranious boxes where popping up every time I clicked.  There should be some way of disabling the description boxes when you are trying to create a map.  

Beyond Method 2

Netvibes versus iGoogle
I have used iGoogle before and like it's clean lines but it can't be used on our 18 public computers.  Netvibes on the other hand seems to have everything and it shows in it's cluttered appearance.  iGoogle would work as a staff page but we would need Netvibes for the public computers.  I like the idea of everything on the opening page but it should be designed so that people are not confused by the clutter.  There are multiple tabs that can be used with Netvibes but I feel that is defeating the purpose of a single opening page.  Netvibes could be used as a sort of super webpage including the things that we know our patron access on their own.  Newspapers, Texas Workforce, games, news, and entertainment, library activities, and maybe a youtube video imported for a new book that we have just received are just a few of the things that could be included.

Method 1 "Beyond Two Steppin'"

 I'm about to start the course "Beyond Two Steppin.'"  I hope to get a little more creative on this part of the blog for this course.

Method 12 Reflections

I can see a fully technological library in the near future using all of these Web 2.0 technologies.  I was surprised to see that so many libraries are using Delicious and are tagging their collections.  The technologies that I can see adapting for our small library are Flickr, Delicious, Wiki's and Podcasting.   It will be a long time before Youtube is even considered mainly because it's just too entertaining and staff would be tempted to abuse it.  Google Docs is a great place for patrons to compose and store their reports and resumes.  So many of them don't bring storage devises with them, the computer automatically shuts down and all is lost, but not with Google Docs.  Storing documents in the "cloud" is the wave of the future despite the privacy issues.   I enjoyed this course so much I may have rushed through some of the sections but I got the general idea.  I want to have enough time to complete "Beyond Two Steppin'" before August 31st

Method 11 Podcasts

I can see many uses for a weekly library podcast.  The content could include: what new at the library, library events or even booktalks for new books.  It could be just like a newletter.  Libraries could interview city officials on certain city related topics such as library funding.  Teens could broadcast their own library podcast with books and music of interest to them.  It would be a great broadcasting experience.

Method 10 Wiki's

I found this exercise rather challenging. I added to the Favorite Vacations wiki but unfortunately, I ended up adding it twice.  I cannot figure out how to eliminate one of them.  When I try to edit, nothing appears in the edit area.  I have a feeling that I need to practice adding to wiki's to avoid this in the future.  Wiki's can be used anywhere in the library and the library community to share information and ideas.  The list of uses would be endless.  In a system with library branches, it could be the one area that youth librarians could share ideas for programs.  It could be a book club for teens or adults.   Everyone is so busy these days, a discussion could be had on the Wiki. 

Method 9 Chat and Instant Messaging

I have used the chat function on my Facebook account and find it very easy to use.  However, just because someone is on Facebook at the time doesn't mean that they want to chat.  I think people feel obligated to chat when someone starts the conversation even though they may be engrossed in other pursuits.  Chat is immediate, but now with smart phones, email can be immediate as well.  I can email a friend using my gmail account on my smart phone at no charge but have to buy a texting plan or spend $.25 for each text sent.  Email or chat, if the person isn't there to receive the message it really doesn't matter. The edges are being blurred between email and chat now that the smartphone has become so prevalent.   As for chat for libraries, I don't think that it is essential but can be an additional form of communication.  Many libraries including my own would not consider it as they see it as affecting productivity or a tool to be misused.  Social media is looked on in the same way as the Library is part of other city systems with all employees use the same computer system.  For difficult questions at the reference desk, the patron would still have to wait for an answer thus making chat irrelevant.  They might as well have emailed.  For the shy person, IM would be great but most people phone with their reference questions, others email.  Libraries can't staff 24/7.  I went to the UNC Chapel Hill chat site on Facebook and found that the reference librarian was not available and to leave an email. 

Method 8 Social Networking

Social Networking Page Versus a Standard Library Webpage. 
A standard library webpage, such as most libraries have, is more solid than a social networking page which I see as being very fluid.  As more people become "connected" we could gage what we are doing right and perhaps what we are doing wrong in our library.  The site would give our patrons the opportunity to involve themselves in the library with blogs and tweets. Library users are usually very verbal about what they want their library to be and one person's comment could be the starting point of a debate on library policies.  The library could use the networking page to gear the popularity of programs while still in the planning stages thus avoiding programs that have no interest in the community.  It would be a more effective tool in advertising our summer reading program as I could upload video and photos of previous professional events with ease. Comments on the performers would help me with decisions about who to hire next summer.  It also provides an easy way for other friends of friends to see our posts.  The uses are endless on social media. 

Privacy
I do like to separate my personal and professional life, although I have had a Facebook page for awhile mainly to keep track of my friends and relatives who post quite often.   I keep my privacy settings so that only my "friends" can see my posts and have limited my personal information in the profile.  Many of my friends will not post a picture on Facebook because of privacy fears while other relatives have posted pictures of everything in their lives.  I believe any website can be hacked and personal information stolen.  On the whole I would not have a problem being involved with a Facebook Group page but I would not have an individual professional page as well.  I can see why an individual professional page would be important to a younger librarian for their professional development and networking or for a librarian of any age with a special project or ideology that they would like to share. 

Method 7 Delicious

I set up a Delicious Account at home for my personal email and only had minor problems.  It seems easy to use but I found that I could only use one word as a tag at a time which of course is the purpose of tagging but I think that sometimes two is necessary.  I was looking up car rental websites for a future trip and somehow the separate words car and rental just didn't seem enough.  I do like the fact that I can have my bookmarks on different computers, for as a librarian I am always using two computers, one in the office and one at the reference desk.  The librarians can share and add websites and tags. I see Delicious not replacing subject heading but as an addition tool.   When everyone can add tags, Delicious becomes more adaptable to new words than subject headings are.  I know that young people would enjoy this as their vocabulary is constantly changing.

Method 6 You Tube

The video clip that I chose came from Yahoo video.  I wanted to find something that would advertise a certain book for a certain event such as a book club.  The video clip I chose is entitled "SAPL's Big Read 2009 Fahrenheit 451" from San Antonio Public Library.  It is done with red letters on a black background which is very attention getting and uses fire which is mesmerizing.  It is short and demands your attention.   Hopefully in the future smaller libraries will see the value of these media sites to advertise their programs and libraries.