Number 23!

September 16, 2007 at 3:50 pm (23 Things, Harford County Public Library, Libraries, Library 2.0, mdlearn2, Web 2.0)

23.  Summarize your thoughts about this program on your blog and learn about where to go from here.

Wow, summarizing my thoughts about this program as a whole might be challenging, as I’ve tended to be a bit verbose in my individual posts.  The aspect that I like the most was that after going through these 23 things, I look at the world, both my work environment and my life, a bit differently.  I see ways to utilize certain technologies to improve communication, to facilitate discussion, to encourage sharing.  I’ve created a blog for a political organization I’m involved in, and I am hoping to catalog the books in the library of a community organization with LibraryThing.  I have also set up a wiki for the Great Picture Books committee that I’m chairing this year, after realizing that we still have a lot to discuss and thinking about ways to speed up discussion (particularly of the titles that aren’t so great). 

I’ve also learned that there needs to be a balance between embracing new technologies and tools and just going crazy trying to use all of them even if they may not be the best option.  While some of these tools can be amazing assets to libraries, some are good to know about, particularly to help customers with, but won’t truly improve library services.  When a library becomes so crazy about new technologies simply for the sake of new technologies, I think it loses credibility with staff that aren’t such early embracers.  I’ve encountered this already in conversations about Library 2.0 and possible uses of it.  If you mention creating a wiki, you’re met with knowing eye rolls…i.e. it’s the next big thing that we’re going to have to survive rather than seeing how sometimes, a wiki really could improve how things are done!!!  I believe that libraries do need to incorporate some of these technologies into our services, but we need to do it selectively in order to prevent the next-big-thing mentality.  However, selectively does not necessarily mean slowly. 

 I’ve also enjoyed the online community this has created and the unexpected interactions between people at HCPL and from elsewhere.  The concept that someone found my blog, linked to it, and quoted it on their blog was just incredible!  And I would definitely participate in another discovery activity like this one!  I’m a big fan of self-directed learning and the flexibility it offers. 

So overall, learning Library 2.0 has been an incredible, eye-opening experience, both by teaching me how to use these new technologies and by enabling me to imagine the array of ways some of these tools could be used to improve library services.

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Podcasts, Video and Downloadable Audio…aka Week 9

September 5, 2007 at 10:37 pm (23 Things, Appalachian Voices, Coal mining, Harford County Public Library, ilovemountains, Lexington Public Library, Library 2.0, Mountaintop Removal, Summer Reading Program, YouTube)

20.  Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos.

I’m already pretty familiar with YouTube and it’s time-suckage abilities.  Whenever I find myself on YouTube, suddenly I look at the clock and an hour has gone by.  I had actually already embedded a video in my blog, but I did so again on the post immediately before this one.  I chose the video I did because earlier in the week, I downloaded Google Earth to my computer at home.  I located my house, my parents house, my apartment in Chicago, and was marveling at the capabilities of this tool.  I decided to try to find evidence of mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia and Kentucky, and I did, simply by searching for Whitesburg, KY and moving the view around in that area.  It was very disturbing; most of those areas of grey or brown in the green mountains are mountaintop removal sites.  In case you don’t know, mountaintop removal is a relatively new mining technique where they blow the tops off mountains to get at the coal underneath and then dump the dirt into the valley next to the mountain, usually smothering the waterways in the valleys.  There is a good diagram here from the folks at Mountain Justice Summer.  It’s very harmful for the water, causes erosion and flooding, creates many devastating environmental conditions, and employs significantly less miners than any other mining technique.  Okay, I didn’t mean to get onto an environmental lecture here, but that’s why I put the Appalachian Voices video on my blog. 

 As for how to use it in the library, I think using it at all will improve library visibility.  Since a few of HCPL’s staff day videos are already up there, I’m sure people have gone into YouTube, searched for Harford County, and found our staff day video.  A scary prospect to some, but this simple presence is good advertising, provided it’s nothing, um, inappropriate.  Another idea comes from my former library, the Lexington Public Library; they created a commercial for their summer reading program which can be viewed here.  YouTube is fun, but can also be very useful and educational, it all depends on how you search it.  While the impression seems to be it’s all fun and games, there are plenty of interesting and even educational videos on YouTube…unfortunately it’s blocked by many school district’s computers, which prevents teachers and librarians from accessing all of this available information. 

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Wikis…aka Week 7

August 9, 2007 at 11:24 pm (23 Things, Amazon.com, Childrens Services, Collaboration, Harford County Public Library, Libraries, Library 2.0, Wikis)

16.  Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.

I saw Meredith Farkas speak at ALA at a session called “Wiking the Blog and Walking the Dog”…and I LOVE the idea of adding user input or wiki functionality to the catalog.  I blogged about that for Thing 7 regarding John Blyberg’s presentation from the same ALA session.  In addition to making a library’s catalog look more familiar to the many people who use Amazon or Barnes and Noble’s website, it also provides more of a comprehensive portrait of a specific book, movie, or program.  If someone found a book in the catalog, they could tell what others thought about it (either by its rating or by comments) and other materials they might like.  It also gives I think this ties into the idea of serendipitous discovery, which is something I like about Aquabrowser as well.  It would also reduce our workload, as when customers are making recomendations for books to each other we are tapping into their knowledge and experience in order to help other customers.  For example, a co-worker had a question today for a family-friendly movie that teaches moral lessons.  Honestly, I think customers could answer this question better for each other through ratings, comments, recommendations, and lists than I could as someone who doesn’t have children and probably has a different concept of what is “appropriate.”

I really like the SJCPL subject guides as well.  It provides an explanation for each topic, simplifies the search for materials by listing titles AND Dewey numbers, and successfully meets the customers in their space, on their time.  For example, the subject of “Voter Information” includes upcoming elections, current elected politicians, and information about where and how to vote.  In short, it contains answers to questions that people frequently have, and using a wiki to provide this information would simplify their journey to finding it.  Also, with a typical library website only one or two librarians have control over the website or list of subject guides and links.  But with a wiki, if ANYONE finds a new source, they can simply add it to the wiki themselves, which is less work for everyone involved and gets people intrinsically involved in information sharing.  I know there are downsides to this open editing as well, but it seems that with the regular monitoring that goes on with a wiki, it’s not a serious problem (at least with a public library-sized wiki…I’m not talking about Wikipedia and authority). ’

A use that I think would work in HCPL, in addition to the subject guides, is using a wiki for deparmental connections.  As a children’s librarian, I value the information that’s shared at Children’s Services meetings about conference attendance, educational experiences, program ideas, and miscellaneous valuable resources (both in print and people).  However, there are continuously more and more people at these meetings as the library grows and with a static amount of time per meeting, it can be a less than ideal opportunity to share these experiences and ideas.  If there was a Children’s Services wiki, we could share information about these topics!  I don’t think a wiki would take the place of the meetings, but it would give more of an opportunity to include the parts of a discussion that are likely to get cut out of a meeting, or only given 5 minutes, so that we could focus on making decisions and planning at the meetings.  What do people think of this possibility?! 

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Maryland Learning Libraries 2.0

May 25, 2007 at 3:55 pm (Harford County Public Library, Library 2.0, Technology, Web 2.0)

Greetings to folks near and far…this is my account of my Library 2.0 experience.  While I already use some of the technologies covered in the 23 things, I’m looking forward to learning about new ones, as well as improving my usage of familiar ones.  I’m excited that Harford County Public Library is participating in this statewide program!

Here is an interesting note to start out with; I took the Pew technology survey posted on the Tech Fair blog, and it turns out I’m an omnivore.  I was somewhat surprised by this, as I don’t think of myself as one of those people who are always up on the new technologies.  However, I am a frequent internet, cell phone, and ipod user, as well as a semi-frequent text messenger.  I also feel strongly about Question 9 on the survey, “How much, if at all, have these communication and information devices improved…the way you pursue your hobbies or interests, your ability to do your job, learn new things, keep in touch with friends and family, share your ideas and creations with others, and work with others in your community or groups you belong to.”  I feel that technology, particularly cell phones, instant messaging, social networking sites, and the Internet as a whole have significantly improved my ability to do all of these things!  I learn new things so frequently, both intentionally and unintentionally, because of these technologies and the virtual communities and interactions that I have been involved in.  I think the combination of my technology use combined with my strong feelings about this question resulted in me being an omnivore, despite the fact that I don’t have a PDA!

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