Thing 23 - The Summary

Wow! There was a lot of info packed into these 12 weeks. Some things were interesting, helpful, and useful to me, even if I didn't quite understand them. Other things were not so useful, but now at least I am aware of them. Some things I would like to go back to and delve into a little more. I don't really feel totally comfortable with most of this technology but I can see how more use would improve that situation. Many of the things are very time consuming to keep up with and may not be something I use everyday. But to know what's out there with at least passing knowledge will help me work with our patrons especially with the children and tweens.

Thing 22

I looked into Overdrive and there are good selections of titles. My husband listens to audio books for his commute. I am always trying to find some in our library that he would like. With these on-line audio book downloads he can get what he is interested in and it will available when he needs another book. Overdrive also has children's books that I am going to recommend to patrons especially during the summer travel months. I always thought that Project Gutenburg is a very worthwhile cause and now it is even more accessible on downloads.

Thing 21

Podcasts are interesting little bits of info for learning or fun. I found that Podcast.net directory was easier to use to find items by subject or tag. I found some useful podcasts about books and libraries including live teen slam poetry from Kankakee Library.

Thing 20

I had seen a few videos on You Tube before, some are like home movies or kid stunts but some are well done and even informative. I did not realize that television shows, commercials and other professionally made videos were also included. I looked under the subject of books and found 'Reading Rainbow' and ala psa on banned books. This may be a good resource for these types of videos and in a portable format. Here is one of my favorite animated shorts about the library.

Thing 19

The Web 2.0 awards site is very good because it narrows down the overwhelming size of the internet. By having a few good sites listed helps you find something useful without spending sooooooooo much time hunting and seeking info. This would be useful in the library when patrons want info and feedback. I looked at the books and travel areas. Even though we already studied LibraryThing. com I think it would be very helpful professionally as well as personally. The realtravel site had some interesting comments, personal itineraries and photos that may help someone plan their own trip.

Thing 18

I can see the use of these new on-line products. Not only to share with others but to share with your other computers. If you have several computers you use, like one at home and one at work, you could connect the projects in this way instead of emailing yourself or putting new stuff on a portable storage units like jump drives. That way you would always have the newest update at hand. I opened an account with Zoho and found some new uses, like the calendar and to do list. These could be very helpful when planning meetings etc. with a group.

Thing 17

I found the favorite blog site on the Learning 2.o Marylandlibrariessandbox wiki and the ones I looked at were interesting. I opened an account, wrote up a wiki on my favorite science fiction authors but I can't get it into the sandbox. I must be missing a step somewhere. I'll keep trying and maybe get some help with this. I can see this is a good way to share things but right now I'm frustrated about how it's not working for me.