Summary -- The End of the Beginning

I have really enjoyed doing this project and learned more than I expected to. I hope to continue with many of the things I have started here.

What was the most important thing that you learned?
Really, I think that the most important thing I learned was how much I didn't know! And how much more I want to know.
Why?
If you don't know what you don't know, you can't learn!

How can PVLD use these technologies to deliver or improve library services?
We can implement the instant messaging feature for patrons both in and outside the library. We can use YouTube to promote library services, especially to our younger patrons. We can use blogs as a way to communicate informally with our patrons and get feedback from them.

How successful was the “self-directed” learning model?
For me personally, I thought it was a great way to do this because I could do it at my own pace and in making mistakes and correcting them myself, I learned even more.
Is this a useful way of encouraging staff development?
For instances such as this, i.e. learning about technology, it works well. In other instances, I believe that group dynamics enhance learning.

I encourage everyone to take on these tasks, you may surprise yourself!

Task 10 MySpace

I created a "space" on MySpace, you can check it out by clicking on this link:


Find me on MySpace and be my friend!


It was really fun! I explored and found some friends - even someone I went to high school with. I found a group that I wanted to join (we'll see if they accept me).

If you like to connect with people online, then MySpace is the place. There are many nice features, you can post a bulletin if you're selling something or having a party. You can search for people you may have lost touch with. You can create a group page for people who have similar interests. It's an easy way to have a web "presence". The pitfalls of course would be that you really have no idea who you're talking to! This is especially important for kids as we've all heard about. You also need to be careful about the information you put out there, nothing too personal. Again, as a children's librarian this could be a great way to reach kids who may not come to the library that often and I guess, there might be a certain "coolness" factor to it. Librarians are not boring! So I will probably keep working on this virtual "space".

Task 9!

I explored the Google Docs and Spreadsheets and am excited because I think I will use it to create a spreadsheet of storytime books that I can access from home whenever I want. Also if I find myself working at home on booklists, I can create them and have them floating on the web for me to get to when I get to work. I guess you can do this with email too, but this way might be easier.

Another thought I had was that our department could use this tool to create our desk schedule. This way we could all see it at our desk and even suggest changes if needed. We were trying to use the Outlook calendar for this but we couldn't print the schedule screen. If we used Google Spreadsheets, we could create, view and print. Easy!

Task 8 - YouTube

I created an account on YouTube, my user name is "loumewz". Here is the first video I found,





I found it by playing around with the categories and then using the browse links. This video was under the "Pets & Animals" categories.

Libraries Using YouTube

There are many ways libraries could use this site. One would be for fundraising. Check out this public campaign video for the new Vestavia Hills Library. I liked how they were able to show the actual building site along with the architectural drawings. I also thought they very effectively used real people’s commentary and segments with children exploring the site and reading as if the library were actually there. Videos like this are very powerful tools for fundraising as they can be easily accessible by almost anyone.

Rock 'n' Roll Library

Another good use would be for promotional purposes. Look at this video created by library graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh.

I think a video like this would be especially appealing to younger patrons, especially if they had a hand in it's creation! PVLD should definitely explore using this resource.

Flickr photo

Canal boat, Berlin
Originally uploaded by beebekat.

This is a picture of one of the canal boats in Berlin. Look at my Task 5 post to find a link to more photos of our trip.

Tigers Romp

Tigers Romp
Originally uploaded by Nikographer [Jon].

Here's a photo of tigers playing in the water that I found in Flickr.

Flickr, task 5

I created a Flickr account and here is a slide show that I created there:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/88917988@N00/sets/72157594574238117/show/

As I explored this site, I was amazed at the photos that people have taken. It was very inspiring and made me want to run out and start taking more photos! One of the features I really liked was call "interestingness" where photos are chosen based on certain things such as comments, tags, or how often it's marked as a favorite. I was mesmerized by the range of photos there, people are so creative and talented! Check it out (click the "reload" button to get more):

http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/

Tagging is important for finding photos in Flickr that have a certain element you may be looking for. If people tag their photo with certain words that describe the photo, then when you search for something in Flickr, it will find those photos that are tagged. For instance, I searched for "tiger", which is a broad term and found photos of butterflies, sharks, a baseball park, and of course, tigers! The more terms you put in, the less photos you'll get. Another search I tried was "tiger water play" which resulted in a more focused photo set.
Metadata like tags have been used for a long time in libraryland so it's interesting to see it being used by "civilians" now.

I looked at the user group page and searched for groups based on birds. I found some fun ones. One was called "Bird Identification Help Group" where you could post your photo of a "mystery" bird and others could help you identify it. I thought that was pretty cool! Online communities like this one are useful for sharing ideas, etc. on the internet. The great thing about them is that there are no geographic limits and it is basically free.