Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Online image generators
Online image generators are a very cool tool for those who are creative, or who take lots of pictures. I thought the alternative hairstyles were neat. I suppose this would be useful for publicity, but I'm probably not going to use them very much.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Overdrive
Jim,
You asked for comments on Overdrive, and I have 3:
1) I tried to download “The Count of Monte Cristo”, but it said my computer has a problem with the DRM. Overdrive says that I’ve checked it out, but I can’t listen to it. I clicked on the “Help” button which brought up an email to the webmaster, but it’s been several hours and I haven’t gotten a response back at all (not even a “I’ve received your request and will get to it as soon as possible”)
2) I noticed some holes in the collection. For instance, in the “Teen” collection, it had the 1st and 3rd of Stephenie Meyer’s trilogy available, but not the 2nd. I also noticed that even though that trilogy is definitely fantasy (enjoyed by both adults and tee, it doesn’t come up in the fantasy list, only in the teen list. I noticed holes in other books that came in series, too.
3) It would be nice to have a little button that lets a patron know if a particular title is immediately available. It was very nice to have buttons that let the patron know whether a title could be burned to a CD or placed on hold, but there’s no easy way of sorting for or seeing if something is available for immediate checkout.
Hope this helps,
-Kathy
What surprised me? I didn't expect any books could be burned to CD! So to have at least some of them available that way startled me pleasantly.
You asked for comments on Overdrive, and I have 3:
1) I tried to download “The Count of Monte Cristo”, but it said my computer has a problem with the DRM. Overdrive says that I’ve checked it out, but I can’t listen to it. I clicked on the “Help” button which brought up an email to the webmaster, but it’s been several hours and I haven’t gotten a response back at all (not even a “I’ve received your request and will get to it as soon as possible”)
2) I noticed some holes in the collection. For instance, in the “Teen” collection, it had the 1st and 3rd of Stephenie Meyer’s trilogy available, but not the 2nd. I also noticed that even though that trilogy is definitely fantasy (enjoyed by both adults and tee, it doesn’t come up in the fantasy list, only in the teen list. I noticed holes in other books that came in series, too.
3) It would be nice to have a little button that lets a patron know if a particular title is immediately available. It was very nice to have buttons that let the patron know whether a title could be burned to a CD or placed on hold, but there’s no easy way of sorting for or seeing if something is available for immediate checkout.
Hope this helps,
-Kathy
What surprised me? I didn't expect any books could be burned to CD! So to have at least some of them available that way startled me pleasantly.
del.icio.us and tagging
I have already been using del.icio.us before this "20 for 2.0" module. My story: MacAfee updated my virus software without notice or my permission, and the update disabled my Internet connection. My computer could see the connection, but couldn't connect, and I couldn't figure out why. I tried everything, including paying for a customer support call. In desperation, I ended up completely reformatting my computer. Of course, I backed up my files, but when it came to load everything back, I realized I hadn't backed up my favorites. This was NOT GOOD, as I had been collecting good sites throughout my years as a MLIS student, and they were now gone-kaput-vanished. When I finally figured out what MacAfee had done because I saw the charge on my Visa bill, I was irate but the damage had been done. I figured that there had to be a better way, and that is when I decided to try del.icio.us.
It is great! I can mark cool sites, label them, and I can access it all from multiple locations. Best of all, if my computer crashes again, I won't lose my collected favorite sites. The disadvantage is that I need to remember to consult my favorite sites rather than default to Google.
One aspect that I hadn't used at all before was the social networking aspect. If I'm looking for resources for my storytime, I don't have to rely just on my sites. I can see what others have bookmarked as good storytime resources. This means my resources have expanded so I can see what others think are good resources, and I can access them, too. Cool!
It is great! I can mark cool sites, label them, and I can access it all from multiple locations. Best of all, if my computer crashes again, I won't lose my collected favorite sites. The disadvantage is that I need to remember to consult my favorite sites rather than default to Google.
One aspect that I hadn't used at all before was the social networking aspect. If I'm looking for resources for my storytime, I don't have to rely just on my sites. I can see what others have bookmarked as good storytime resources. This means my resources have expanded so I can see what others think are good resources, and I can access them, too. Cool!
Friday, May 16, 2008
2.0 Overview in LJ article
I just read an article by Mike Eisenberg, retired dean of the UW iSchool, in Library Journal (Library Journal; 5/1/2008, Vol. 133 Issue 8, p22-25) that does a SWOT analysis of various library 2.0 tools. SWOT is an analysis of the "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats". That's kind of what I've been aiming to do with Sno-Isle's "20 for 2.0" program, but he does it much more elegantly than I've been doing it. Check it out!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Wikis
I love wikis! My family goes on an annual ski trip/family reunion, and when I started Library school and learned html, I became the family webmaster. Email just hadn't been working very well when it came to planning our vacation with multiple people coming from multiple places. Me as webmaster was better, but it meant I had to go in and code all the changes as people emailed them to me. I was the one doing all the work, which was difficult when I was going to school while working full time and taking care of family. Plus, once I graduated we were going to have to find a new Webhost. Wikis are the best solution! I used the wikimatrix to decide that PBWiki would be the best wiki program for us. It was amazing how fast the site came together with lots of people contributing their efforts! My elderly mother even figured out how to edit a page, it is that easy. We have never had a problem with malicious editing, but our group is small, and I assume no one is interested enough in our little wiki to find it.
Relating wikis to libraries, I thought it was interesting that the example link to the Princeton Public library wiki hadn't been updated since 2006. Evidently it was used for a summer reading program where adults could post reviews of books they read to the wiki, but since that time they post directly to the library website. One way that our library has discussed using a wiki is as a readers advisory tool for putting together good bibliographies for various interests. Like my family's wiki use, it would involve only a small group of participants rather than be open to the general public.
Speaking to this wider issue of audience size, it seems like small groups that know each other are good candidates for wikis. This can even be enforced by making them officially private with password entry for editing. Huge wikis also seem to work, such as wikipedia. Enough people are interested enough to keep on top of any changes and change anything malicious. I wonder if medium sized groups such as the patrons of a particular library system are too annonymous for social checks, yet too small for enough people to keep track of changes. If you have a moderator, doesn't that just negate the benefits of wikis?
Relating wikis to libraries, I thought it was interesting that the example link to the Princeton Public library wiki hadn't been updated since 2006. Evidently it was used for a summer reading program where adults could post reviews of books they read to the wiki, but since that time they post directly to the library website. One way that our library has discussed using a wiki is as a readers advisory tool for putting together good bibliographies for various interests. Like my family's wiki use, it would involve only a small group of participants rather than be open to the general public.
Speaking to this wider issue of audience size, it seems like small groups that know each other are good candidates for wikis. This can even be enforced by making them officially private with password entry for editing. Huge wikis also seem to work, such as wikipedia. Enough people are interested enough to keep on top of any changes and change anything malicious. I wonder if medium sized groups such as the patrons of a particular library system are too annonymous for social checks, yet too small for enough people to keep track of changes. If you have a moderator, doesn't that just negate the benefits of wikis?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
On-line streaming videos:YouTube, Hulu and Fancast
This section of the "Sno-Isle library's 20 for 2.0" was certainly the most fun, most like not working at all section so far. I am familiar with YouTube, having watched multiple clips in the past, including such classics as "The march of the librarians", "The super-librarian" and the spot where a librarian interview committee interviewing a gorilla for the open librarian position. Just the other day I suggested my daughter post the video of her winning race on YouTube so that her grandparents and other interested family members could see it as well-though admittedly I have not posted a video myself yet.
What was new to me were the Hulu and Fancast sites. Now having poked around them a bit, I was pleasantly surprised. Both of them provided good sized screens of the shows I decided to watch, and advertising was amazingly light. Hulu showed a short commercial before the movie started (I chose to watch "Iceage"), but Fancast didn't show even that. I didn't watch enough to see if commercials popped up further into the show, but I wouldn't imagine so since users could just scroll past any such interruptions. I have been totally turned off of watching TV because the shows don't make the commercials worth my time-sometimes even when I watch good movies I get frustrated by having to wait through all the commercials. Hulu and Fancast are excellent alternatives. Two caveats: sitting in front of my computer screen isn't as comfortable an experience as sitting on my couch watching the TV screen (old and smaller than currently standard though it is), and so the experience isn't as sharable. The second caveat is that I don't know how extensive their offerings are. If I heard of a show or movie that sounded enjoyable, I have no way of knowing whether it would be available on one of these sites. On the other hand, I don't get cable anyway so these sites would be an excellent way of watching a particular interesting option without going through the hassle of getting cable just for that one show.
What was new to me were the Hulu and Fancast sites. Now having poked around them a bit, I was pleasantly surprised. Both of them provided good sized screens of the shows I decided to watch, and advertising was amazingly light. Hulu showed a short commercial before the movie started (I chose to watch "Iceage"), but Fancast didn't show even that. I didn't watch enough to see if commercials popped up further into the show, but I wouldn't imagine so since users could just scroll past any such interruptions. I have been totally turned off of watching TV because the shows don't make the commercials worth my time-sometimes even when I watch good movies I get frustrated by having to wait through all the commercials. Hulu and Fancast are excellent alternatives. Two caveats: sitting in front of my computer screen isn't as comfortable an experience as sitting on my couch watching the TV screen (old and smaller than currently standard though it is), and so the experience isn't as sharable. The second caveat is that I don't know how extensive their offerings are. If I heard of a show or movie that sounded enjoyable, I have no way of knowing whether it would be available on one of these sites. On the other hand, I don't get cable anyway so these sites would be an excellent way of watching a particular interesting option without going through the hassle of getting cable just for that one show.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
MySpace
MySpace seems like a big timewaster to me. Ok, it has games. It has applications that you can play with your friends. Big whoop. I have better things to do than hang out on the web twiddling my toes. Maybe I don't get it. I mean, I know that the Marysville library has a MySpace account, and I looked to link to it, but I couldn't find it. I could find the various schools in Marysville, but not the library. I could only find friends that had specific email acounts (eg, with Google, hotmail, etc), not with any email accounts that I might know (eg, sno-isle.org). I'm not looking for a mate. I'm not exactly sure how this would help with a job search, either, as it seems too frivolous and amorphous to me. I'd rather be more specific with my networking, such as with the Washington Library Association or the local Special Library Association. I guess I just don't get why I would visit on any regular basis.
On the other hand, I do use a networking site for sharing books I've read: Goodreads.com. I use it both for my own benefit by keeping track of what I've read and organizing them for use in Reader's Advisory, and for sharing with others who have similar reading tastes so we can share our opinions on new reads, both good and bad. Now this networking site, since it is more specific to my needs, I use almost every day. I even recommend it to patrons to help them keep track of books that they want to read, or have read in the past since their library account doesn't keep track of what they've checked out in the past.
On the other hand, I do use a networking site for sharing books I've read: Goodreads.com. I use it both for my own benefit by keeping track of what I've read and organizing them for use in Reader's Advisory, and for sharing with others who have similar reading tastes so we can share our opinions on new reads, both good and bad. Now this networking site, since it is more specific to my needs, I use almost every day. I even recommend it to patrons to help them keep track of books that they want to read, or have read in the past since their library account doesn't keep track of what they've checked out in the past.
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