Looking Back to Look Forward

Looking back over all that we have covered and accomplished over the last eight weeks, I am amazed, verily astounded even!

So many things that I have just heard about but never tried (like blogging and Delicious) have become an interesting and even integral part of my on-line life now. As time permits, I intend to revisit many of the topics in order to keep them fresh in my mind. As always, the question arises "how can this be applied?". Seeing what's 'out there' certainly will help me think outside the box.

This has been an enjoyable, challenging, and creative community experience. It was fun to peek into other people's blogs to see what they were up to and I found myself constantly amazed at the depth and creativity of my fellow bloggers.

Thanks to everyone who made this experience possible!

YouTube and Podcasts

What a cool addition to our LonelyPlanet library collection of travel books!

I just went on a virtual vacation by watching several LonelyPlanet entries on YouTube. check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laDBokx-K0I&feature=related for a trip to Hawaii. Follow the links on the lower-right hand side and you can (virtually) travel to the Sahara, Amsterdam, Scotland...it's amazing!

One reason I selected Lonely Planet from all of the mega-offerings on Youtube is because it was a name I recognized as being (hopefully) reputable and providing something not too shocking to watch. Call me naive but some YouTube selections just looked, well, questionable to say the least.

For tons of ideas on how other library systems have incorporated podcasts into their programs, check out http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Podcasting. See how other library do everything from podcast tours to computer instruction.

Blog entry

Wow! I used Zoho Writer to create this blog entry. Zoho appears to be very flexible, offering everything from creating documents to project management and website creation. There are several commendable points:

• Documents created in Zoho are accessible anywhere you have access to the Internet. No need to save things to a thumb drive or email. However, as has already been mentioned, docs on the web are still 'out there' in cyber-space so who knows what is really safe or protected.
• Tags - rather than creating folders for storage and wondering which folder is more intuitive for saving item, just tag it with multiple tags and it will in essence appear in both folders 'caused you can search by tags rather than folder names.
• Format - no more worrying about Word versus Word Perfect. At least, that's what the theory is...hard to know without testing.
• Easier than Word to include pics , emoticons , etc

• It's collaborative - it was easy to create this entry and invite my sister via email to share her comments by giving her read/write access.

• Interesting that it has a "Print using PDF" option. Would be nice to have a "Save using PDF" option.

Wiki-World

A wiki is not, repeat NOT a website created by wiccans to disseminate mis-information. Yes, I've actually had a patron ask me that as her child's school librarian had banned the use of Wikipedia for that very reason.

And how many of us out there in library-land still use Wikipedia as a fast and easy source of information when asked by a patron "What's the major export of Brazil?". I confess that my hand is raised, regardless of the training in library school that it is not an authoritative source. What it is, is a quick and easy starting point. Much like using triangulation to map points of reference, information from Wikipedia can be used in conjunction with other, more authoritative sources, some of which are even cited with links at the end of Wikipedia articles.

Beyond Wikipedia, I loved the Library Success Wiki so much that I immediately bookmarked it on Delicious. Interesting to note that Meredith Farkas' name was shown as the contact person for the Library Wiki as we had all read her article last week for our assignment on Library 2.0.

Not all wiki's need to be considered un-authoritative. It depends upon who can contribute to the wiki. The SJCPL Subject Guide wiki is created by librarians to give the users locally focused information. As a user, I would trust this source.

Several of the wikis that I visited for the assignment had the branded wiki image similar to Wikipedia - lots of white space, pale grey background, and similar arrangment of elements. This interface continuity creates a comfort zone for users who already are familiar with the 'look and feel' of Wikipedia. It was interesting to note that the mfagan wiki broke from this image.

Bottom line: wikis are popular, familiar, and easy to use. Their collaborative nature makes them a great tool for the workplace. But, as a source of information, always check who can contribute to the content.

Hey - let's create a Wiki-WorkFlows manual for our library staff! We could incorprate searches, help, FAQ's, and recent changes. We could also add trouble-shooting tips for our new staff and public PCs. Yes, it is possible to create user-restricted wikis that require logins.