Just when I thought I was done

I was looking at my account at the public library and reserving books while looking for new things to read. Well, not all of the books I want to read that are coming out soon have been added to the library's catalog. So, what is a person to do? I decided a needed to make a list of all the books that I need to put on hold once they get into the library catalog. So, where to do it? I remembered that one of the Things about productivity tools had list makers on it. So, I went back using the knowledge that I garnered in 23 Things and found Ta Da List. I know I have said numerous times that I didn't want to sign up for anything else, but it seems that I am always eating my words. So, now I have an account on Ta Da List where I can list all of the books I want to put on hold, and reserve them as they become available in the library catalog.

Done!

Woohoo! I finished and early to boot.

Thank you

I must say this was quite an experience for me. I think it was a great way to learn Library 2.0 It took me out of my comfort zone and made me do things I probably would not have done on my own.
I had a friend who took an online Library 2.0 class. They met a few times and it was done. They didn't get to do all of the hands on stuff like we did here. You really can't learn it unless you do it. I liked that it was self-paced and I appreciate being able to participate.

Thing 17. ELM Productivity Tools

EBSCO.

Since I cannot get into ELM, I used the tools to which I have access. I created a webpage in Ebscohost. That is kind of cool. After looking at the sample webpages, it gave me the idea to make a webpage for my faculty workshop scheduled for the end of the month. It is on Information Literacy. The webpage could be a useful tool for engaging the faculty, as they are not always up for the workshops.



ProQuest.

The directions for this were a little confusing. But after going through it a couple of times I got it to work. I sent off a research webpage to a colleague and myself. I don't see myself doing that too much. It was kind of cool, though, and a feature I would not have known about as I don't take the time to fully explore what is available in our databases.



NetLibrary.

I created an account with no problems. I am trying to search, but everything is loading up very slowly. So I decided to start blogging about it while I am waiting. I am forever showing this to my students. We have a small library on my campus. While we can get materials from any of our campuses in MN, WI, ND, FL, or IL along with ILLs from all over, the students coming in for help usually need something yesterday. They are often thrilled to find out that we have this resource where they can access something today.

Still waiting......

Even thought I promote NetLibrary at my workshops, the students don't always remember it. When they come in I ask if they have been in one of my workshops. Most of them have but when I ask them if they remember NetLibrary, they often do not. I even have signs up around the library to promote the service.

Four bars.....

Once I show them how to use it, they are excited. They ask how to cite it, etc. I tell them it is easy, it is just an online book. It helps that we subscribe to Noodlebib, which is a nice tool to help the students compile their resource list. They are often afraid to try it, but when I show them how easy it is, they love it. It is a great time saver, doing all of the formatting for the student and printing up the reference page in correct APA style.

Lookee here...

I finally got somewhere on NetLibrary. I found a page to read and put notes on. Then I signed out and back in again just to see how easy it was to use. It was fine. I don't see myself using it as I am more of a pencil & paper note taker. (Probably why I like the Sudoku books better than the online or hand held games.) Something about the scratching of the pencil on the paper.

Thing 22. What did I learn today?

Winding down.

I need to go back and complete one Thing that I skipped, but then I am about to wrap it up. A resolution to keep up my blog? Hmm.... This is a Library 2.0 blog. I enjoyed doing it and learned so many things. Once I finish all the Things, I am not sure it is the place to keep going. What would I write about? I would have to wait for some new technology to try out. Of course, that wait most likely would not be long. Yes, I know I can do it, that it was fun, and that I need to keep informed. I also know that it did take up a lot of my time. One thing I have discovered is that everything takes longer than I expect. Can I ask myself what I learned today? Absolutely. Will I blog about it? Possibly.

The best way to keep up for me is RSS feeds. I can read others' blogs about new things and go and try them out. The information comes to me and I don't need to go searching for it. Of course my aggregator can get pretty overwhelming when I haven't been on for a few days. I did read a blog the other day that said when you add a new feed, delete two. I have deleted one so far as I didn't appreciate all of the negativity on it. I will attend some webinars. I have been looking to see what is available.

I really enjoyed creating my own blog. It is fun to do all of the things I learned from this exercise. Not that too many people actually read my blog. Maybe I will have to create a different blog with a different theme. Something to think about anyway. I think blogs are a great thing for people who like to journal, which really isn't me. So, we'll see....

Thing 13, again.

I am almost done. So I decided to try to get the countdown calculator to work again. And it did!!!
Woohoo! Sometimes things work out.

Thing 21. Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks

OK. More social networks. Of the three, I thought Gather sounded good because it mentions National Public Radio. I love NPR. When I looked at it, though, it didn't really impress me. I have been on WebJunction. I don't really think of that as a social network. For me it is a learning tool. I have taken a self paced online course on WebJunction. It doesn't feel to me like the kind of place where I would go to network or socialize with people. I like the sound of Ning. I did get on it and did join the 23 Things group. To be honest, I may never get on again when I am done with this. I am on overload. I have so many new sign ons and passwords, I may never be able to remember them if I do want to return to some of the sites. But, hey, I feel like I earned my badge. So here it is:


Visit 23 Things on a Stick

I don't belong to any social networks. I am not sure that it is something that I want to do. I may go back and explore Ning some more and see if there is something that would be suitable for me. If I do, however, I don't really know how much I will sign into it.

Thing 20. Libraries and Social Networks

I have heard so many things about MySpace and Facebook. This is the first time I have actually looked at either of them. I looked at MySpace, of course, because you don't have to have an account to do so. I looked at both of the library sites. As I expected, they are used to bring in young adults. My own public library has a MySpace account with lots of friends. I wouldn't create a library MySpace account, since we are a system library. It would have to come from the top. I thought about creating a personal MySpace account just to keep up with my family. My family all lives in the same little town. When we get together my teenage nieces and my sister are always talking about did you get the email about whatever. I never get the emails, and when I ask about it they say, "Do you have a MySpace account?" However, I have heard about some of the stuff my brother does on there and have decided that I would rather not have my own account.

I attended IACRL last week. Facebook was being promoted for libraries in one of the sessions. It was suggested that academic libraries should have accounts. We were able to look at two different accounts. I suppose if you were to have tons of links in there for the library it would be like one stop shopping. It does seem that there is a lot of maintenance involved and you would have to have someone willing to manage that. Since I don't have enough hours in the day for what I need to get done, this would not work for me.