Thing 23: The End?

My favorite discoveries for 23 Things for Libraries were:  Blog Setup (especially with figuring out how to add a picture!), RSS Feed (I had a vague understanding of this before), screencasting, URL shorteners, Creative Commons, social cataloging, multimedia, and podcasts.

Yes, this program has inspired my personal learning goals and helped me be more knowledgeable not only in reference but in my personal life (keeping up with my kids too!).  It also gave me the power to know that I can figure out these things (sometimes I need to ask for help), but I think this program was put together well to guide us so we don't become too frustrated working on our own.

The best unexpected outcomes for me were the podcasts and the multimedia assignment.  I needed help for the multimedia assignment (used Meebo chat! Ha!) but discovered how to make it work correctly. I was thrilled especially since I knew something my very computer-literate husband did not, i.e., how to embed a YouTube!

I looked at all the participants' blogs.  It was interesting to see the different ways in which people "decorated" their blogs.  I guess I was surprised at how many had abandoned or temporarily stopped their 23 Things.

What's next for me will be to enjoy what I have learned (My daily podcast, the goodread site that I joined, etc.).  I do plan to refresh my memory with what I have learned and look for ways to use these tools at the reference desk.  I feel more confident that I can learn the new tools that come down the pike!

Thanks for presenting this at our LRC Staff Day and giving me the impetus to start and complete it!

Thing 22: Podcasts

First I downloaded iTunes to my computer, which is an old one, and took about 40 minutes.  I started to download Juice, but my computer said it was "unknown" source, so I cancelled it.  I just finished the annual security training for the community college system, and it warned about downloading unfamiliar software, so I hesitated to do so.  I subscribed to The Writer's Almanac podcast from NPR through iTunes.  I have enjoyed listening to it on the car radio off and on for years, but wasn't always in the car or at home when it was broadcast on the local PBS station.  Now I won't miss any of them; I can listen to it when I have 5 minutes each day.  I have discovered new authors and poets through this broadcast.  On The Writer's Almanac's web site, it told how to subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or other generic podcast subscriptions; it didn't refer to it as an RSS feed, but that is what it would be by subscribing to receive it every day.  I had never listened to a podcast before, so this like so many of the 23 Things, is a first for me.

I listened to some of the other podcasts, but some of them did not say how long they were.  I only listened to some of the longer podcasts.  I was surprised to see how many there were in the education field.  I can see where this would be helpful for students too, so will keep it in my arsenal of places to do research.

Thing 21: Mashups

I learned about mashups while in library school in a reference class; I did a short report to the rest of the class on what it was.  There are a LOT more out there now.  I especially liked Spell with Flickr; that was fun.  I typed in different names from my family and friends, some of them twice and received different views.  I thought the Time Tube could be very helpful and represented a "reality check" for events when they occurred, not when people THINK they occurred.  That could be helpful for a community college student working on a paper about a current event and showing when different aspects of a subject occurred, at least according to YouTube!  The Wheel of Lunch was also fun, but it didn't have my favorite place to eat locally so I didn't find it as useful.  The Google Mashups could be the most helpful for personal reasons; for housing, places to walk/run, etc.  I also like maps so maybe that's part of it!

Thing 20: Tagging and Social Bookmarking

While exploring Delicious, I could see the potential to keep all my favorite web sites together with tags so they are easily reached by subject.  I looked at the "bookmarked by a lot of other users" and was able to see the tags but did not see any comments.

I can certainly see the potential for research assistance, allowing you to have all one subject together but also linking them to other subjects that overlap.  Our library does not have a social bookmarking collection that I know of, but then I didn't realize the VCCS had one!  I'll ask at work today!

I think I will set up a Delicious account to keep my favorites more organized.  I don't have a laptop now but I may be getting one in the future, and I will be getting an Android phone soon; Delicious would allow me to access my favorites on any device.  That's a nice feature.  I don't know how much sharing I would do, but there may be more out there than I realize!

Thing 19: Multimedia (2nd YouTube Video)

Below is the Rosanne Rosannadanna video:

Thing 19: Multimedia (With YouTube Embbeded)

Ok, I'm going to try this again. Below is the Monty Python video.

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Thing 19: Multimedia

I found 2 YouTube videos that I especially enjoyed.  The first one was Monty Python's "Art Gallery," a skit from their old TV show that I used to watch, Monty Python's Flying Circus.  The second one is longer but one that always makes me laugh, "Roseanne Rosannadanna's Commencement Address to the Columbia School of Journalism.

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YouTube was fun, but I don't have time to look at YouTube videos all day! I went to Help to try and figure out how to embed the video into this post, but I am not sure it is going to work. When I clicked on Preview, there was nothing next to 1 and 2 above. I also can't figure out how to get out of HTML mode. I found some videos of academic libraries; they were OK and may appeal to younger viewers, but I didn't think they were particularly well done. I guess they are supposed to be more informative in a carefree way.

I chose the Monty Python video because it made fun of people looking at art. You need to be able to laugh at things you love and not take them too seriously. I chose the Roseanne Rosannadanna piece because I have always laughed at Gilda Radner's characters and this one was particularly funny to me, but it is almost 7 minutes long so I wanted to choose a shorter one too.

Yes, I can see how YouTube videos could be helpful for libraries, helping people to visually see what your library looks like and where they can find items or services. When I was in library school, we watched 2 YouTube videos in a technical services class; one was informative, the other was more of a farce on how to repair a book, having the book be in an emergency room setting. Ok, I'll see if the videos are embedded when I post this.

Thing 18: Audiobooks

Farrell's article was informative since I really didn't know much about audiobooks.  Unfortunately, audiobooks are like the databases in that they are both expensive.  The advantages help the library patrons but the costs to libraries can be prohibitive, especially when a CD of the same book costs less.

I did try Overdrive, and I did not have any problems with the download of the Media Console, which surprised me since I have an older computer.  The user rating option is a good idea; I'm still trying to figure it out though.  The directions aren't very clear.  I downloaded a book on speaking French and listened to some of it.  I had French a long time ago but like to study it occasionally as I enjoy that language.  I only tried Overdrive at this time but may try another one to see how it works.

I have not had any questions about audiobooks from students but I am not sure how many are aware that we have them available.  It should be part of our library orientation for students if it is not.