#23 - Week 10 - The End

Wow! what an adventure. I must say I've certainly enjoyed my Library 2.0 voyage. I've reached my goal and become familiar with all emerging technologies.

Initially, it was frustrating at times. Various local technical issues were the main causes. I soon realized that even these were part of the learning process. My personal favourites were the image generators, RSS, Bloglines, Wiki's, YouTube, Web-based apps and eBooks. Which probably covers just about all the material.

The one single thing that amazed me throughout this journey was the ease of use of each and every application. As a first time user of most of these technologies I was able to import material to my blog with a minimum of fuss.

Broadband, as opposed to dial-up would be the only real and effective method of access. Library 2.0 has many challenges and opportunities for our profession. We can use Flickr, LibraryThing, Rollyo, Wiki's and YouTube for marketing, collection development and user access & education purposes. Podcasts & RSS feeds would be great for research. It's all pretty exciting.

Thank you to the organisers who also kept us motivated (not that we needed much) throughout.

#22 Audiobooks (or "The end is in sight")

I familiarized myself with the World EBook fair site. This free downloadable eAudiobook site is amazing. I downloaded both Shakespeare's Sonnet #055 and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Valley of Fear.
I really believe eBooks are more than just a fad. They have some real potential in library environments. No doubt there are licensing and technical issue to be considered. Then again, LIS has been using electronic databases for quite some time now. I realize a lot of people still prefer paper books. That's to be expected. A phased introduction of eBooks is the way to go.

#21 Podcasts, Smodcasts!

I had a look at all three podcast directories. Using Yahoo Podcasts, I was able to add the RSS feed for LibVibe: the library news podcast to my Bloglines account. It was easy and free...bonus! I found the Getting Started, Publish a Podcast links very useful. The podcast search and thirteen main categories were also very helpul.

Podcast.net had eighteen main subject areas and a choice of browsing via tags or across title, keywords, location, host or episodes. Wow! talk about choice!. I was able to access 3AW via the Listen to Online Radio link.

Podcastalley.com had 21 genres and RSS links that were easy to locate. The top ten monthly and five newest podcasts were very useful. The information is not cluttered, it's got a good layout.

Podcasts have a definate application in libraries. Clients would really appreciate RSS feeds of podcasts to research modules, Daily eAlert(Taxation), Management eAlert, Business & Finance eAlert. It's an efficient and effective information provision and marketing process. How about each weeks LIS Bulletin for Library staff use? I'm a fan.

AMG C63

#20 You too can YouTube

Just having some fun...and dreaming. It was so easy to register and add a video entry to my blog with YouTube and it's free.
I'm beginning to see what all the fuss is about. While I had heaps of fun, I'm not entirely convinced of it's workplace applications, yet. Did I mention I had heaps of fun. Perhaps in the future it can develop to an interactive video conferencing form and not just a static video sharing site. Instructional videos by Library staff for Library staff could be useful, for professional development. LIS staff can also perhaps upload videos featuring tips and tricks for specific research topics to compliment iLearns. Clients could then access via Library blog.

#19 Discovering Web 2.0 tools

The Web 2.0 Awards nominees were far too numerous, with over 40 pages of information. Instead I referred to just the winners in the short list, even they were across 41 categories, wow!
No surprises that Technorati and Del.icio.us were the Blog Guides and Social Tagging winners respectively. I was a bit surprised to find Library Thing in third place in the Books category, with Lulu coming first. This winner is an absolutely amazing tool. Take a tour of Lulu, register as a user and start publishing, it's that easy. It's very comprehensive and powerful. I can definately see an application for both staff and clients in a library setting.
For some more fun I had a play with Google Maps, the winner of the Mapping category. It was great to locate my house and favourite restaurant in street directory and satellite image versions.

#18 Web-based Apps: They're not just for desktops

Zoho Writer and Google Docs are great online resources. In particlular I found Zoho Writer very easy to use and with countless applications. Zoho Sheet, Zoho Show, Zoho Wiki, Zoho Creator, Zoho Planner and Zoho Chat are all amazing.
What's more, they're all available online. You can use them on any Internet enabled computer, PC or laptop. Unlike MS Office they don't consume precious computer file space. They cater for multiple user collaboration. Many users can edit the same file. They are some more examples of social networking tools.

#17 Playing around with PBWiki

I created a login account and added my blog to the PLCMC Learning 2.0 wiki. It was very easy to do and fun to explore. All three of the discovery resources were very useful and informative, especially the first two.

#16 So what's in a wiki?

Having used wiki's for several years now I must say I'm a fan. In our profession they can be used in a collaborative manner and as a great marketing tool. We'll have the benefit of expert ATO client input and at the same time promote our services and resources.
I appreciate the lack of any real control, but as information professionals we can at least provide administrative oversight on any future LIS wiki's.
In short I like the democratic and dynamic nature of wiki's.

#15 On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

I know I was meant to only read two or three articles but I read all five. They were all insightful in their own way. The common thread I believe is Library 2.0 / Web 2.0 and beyond is both a great challenge and opportunity. We can make a unique difference to both clients and colleagues by embracing all relevant emerging technologies. The actual learning part is half the fun.

I firmly believe client ease of access and use will continue to play the most pivotal rule. Dr Wendy Shultz's view of the Library 4.0 is inspiring.

#14 Getting not-so-technical with Technorati

I've had a previous but brief look at Technorati including the tutorial, during #9 Finding Feeds. This time I performed a keyword search and noticed the differences in Blog posts, tags and Blog Directory. Having this choice I think is quite good.
I find the top favorited blogs, top searches, top blogs and WTF features interesting and useful. There were no surprises with some of the top searches including Youtube, Myspace, Paris Hilton and Tranformers.

#13 Tagging, folksonomies & social bookmarking in Del.icio.us

I found Del.icio.us very easy to use. Not only did I bookmark webpages of interest, I was able to see what many other people had bookmarked. This social bookmarking has great potential for both research assistance and having fun. However, I agree with the need for 'topical authority' as mentioned in the tutorial. The help function was very useful and to the point.

Having used tags in numerous stages of this project, from Blogger, Flickr, LibraryThing to del.icio.us I've seen their relevance to social networking.

#12 Roll your own search engine

I found Rollyo very easy to use. After creating a Searchroll, I was able to not only manage my own but also search other Searchrolls. Having the ability to create links on multiple computers is very useful for libraries. I can also see an application for LIS Intranet terminals. Overall it's a very useful bookmarking tool.

Select Search Engine...Big BlueBig BlueBig BlueBig BlueBig BlueSearch The Web

Powered by Rollyo

#11 A thing about Library Thing

LibraryThing is agreat resource. Would I use it for work? probably not. It would be useful for organisations with no Library. Would I use it at home? most definately. It's great to be able to network with other members via groups. There are so many other useful features, it's absolutely amazing. In fact it's so easy I was able to put my library to the left, with a LibraryThing widget.

Continued #10

The image above was sourced through Letter James. It was both easy and free. I also tried FD Toys. This was a great resource as well. It offered a choiced among other things of uploading photos or using a link to Flickr. My personal favourite would have to be The Generator Blog. It has the best of both worlds, power and ease of use.

#10 Play around with Image Generators

This is truly amazing. Within 5 minutes I was able to search The Generator Blog, locate the Airline Sign Generator and presto, create this image. Off to explore some more image generators now.

#9 Finding Feeds

I really enjoyed this weeks activities. Having registered with Bloglines, I found both methods of finding feeds just as easy. I also managed to subscribe to feeds from the National Library of Australia and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Of the other search tools I found Feedster and Technorati the most useful. Feedster's great feature was having a choice of news, blogs and podcast feeds. While Technorati just felt better to use. All the search tools, including Topix and Syndic8 were easy to use. Exploring the numerousexamples of news feed icons was fun too.

I think Libraries can create and offer feeds to clients, informing them of new services, facilities and events. Bloglines is my favourite search tool....for now.

#8 RSS and Newsreader

Exploring RSS and newsfeeds was great. Establishing feeds in different ways is fun too. Bloglines is very easy to use. All this technology will save time and effort.

Libraries in general can use RSS to gather information snapshots from relevant external Internet sites and blogs. For subsequent use by both clients and staff. Likewise Libraries can participate in this technology revolution by establishing blogs with RSS links. For greater service promotion.

Week3 - Technology #7

I was very interested in exploring the various third party Flickr applications. They were all quite addictive. In particular I found Delivr Digital Postcards to be easy to use and yet quite powerful. You can really let your imagination run wild.

Landscape

Landscape
Originally uploaded by gourgas

I found this photo in Delivr. It's a really good tool and very easy to use.

Harp Seal Pup #5

Harp Seal Pup
Originally uploaded by Lissadreamer

This is my very first photo from Flickr. It was pretty easy to search once I signed up and created an account. A beautiful seal pup in the wild. Well, I'm off to explore some more Flickr features now. It's pretty addictive.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Big Blue

The Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners are pretty interesting points.

For me, the easiest would be Habit 1 - Begin with the end in mind. I always try to focus on the ultimate objective, it comes naturally. The hardest would be Habit 7 1/2. Sometimes I tend to be engrossed in the task at hand and forget to have fun.

Big Blue

This is my very first post. I can't wait to explore all the other tools and resources, it should be great fun.