Quest 12: Part Two - Podcasts

Today was my second day at SCLA in Columbia. I wanted to write about a fitting use of Podcasts on yesterday here at the conference. At the First General Session, SC State Library Director David Goble gave his introduction of the keynote speaker, Keith Michael Fiels (ALA Executive Director), via a podcast. He is actually in Washington, D.C. lobbying for more support for South Carolina libraries. This was a perfect example of how we can use this technology. Suppose you are going to miss an important meeting. You can make a podcast and have it aired at the meeting. What about using this to promote Library services at an Outreach endeavor? Or at a school to promote Summer Reading? I looked under the directory Podcast.net. The other day I tried to access a library-related podcast using Podcast Alley but I could never get it to play effectively. I was using a computer at the branch. Today, I am using my laptop and I decided to look for fiction-related stuff in Podcast.net. I found a cool site called Obsidian River Free Flowing Fiction in Podcast Form (http://del.icio.us/obsidianriver). It's place where authors submit their work and after a simple approval process their works are included in the directory and podcast. You can listen to a "live" telling of their short fiction piece. I listened to a story entitled "The Hitchhiker". It was a horror fiction story that had unique twist at the end. I have added this site to my bloglines account. I might even try and submit something to this site myself. Well, I think that I've officially finished this 2.0 course at the writing of this blog entry. It's been fun, interesting, and most of all beneficial to me in this library profession. I will continue to use many of these newly learned technologies as I know that practice makes perfect. Many of the steps that I started in this course, I need to review. The challenge now is to incorporate these technologies into my everyday online/computer habits so that they become a part of my daily process. Library 2.0 is here to stay. I participated in a concurrent session here at SCLA on today on Library 2.0 and learned how several South Carolina libraries are creating User-Centered versions of the 2.0 technology for their patrons. I certainly hope to do more with this in the near future. Yes! I have completed all 12 quests! "The race is not given to the swift nor to the strong, but he that endureth til the end shall be saved"

Quest 12: Part One - You Tube

I enjoy visiting You Tube. I've mostly used it to see things that I missed seeing on television or things that I can't see because I don't have cable television. I know, I know, I'm like the only person on earth without it! LOL! Anyway, when I hear about these infamous musical performances that occurred on these awards shows (think Britney Spears at the MTV awards), I can usually go to You Tube and find it. Remember when Beyonce' fell on stage or the now historical duet performance of original Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday and Jennifer Hudson (from the movie) on the Bet Awards? I was able to see on You Tube. There are a lot of hilarious jokes and videos of bloopers that are on this site as well. I recall being able to show my mother who is a big Tyler Perry fan some rare clips of him in character as Madea. Found them all on YouTube. How can libraries use this source? We can put video of our programs on YouTube. What about author lectures? Interviews with Library staff about our services and programs? The Democratic party hosted a national debate on YouTube because they wanted to get in touch with the demographic that uses this site. They are those 18-25 years old that we are trying to reach. They are those computer savvy teenagers who are constantly using the available technology available to them. We as librarians have got to think outside the box and look at unconventional ways to get the word out about ourselves. We have to also learn and be able to utilize these Library 2.0 technologies to our advantage in presenting our message.

You Tube Video

This is a video I found of a new line dance that I've seen people doing at functions. It's called the K-Wang. I saw it for the first time at a picnic last summer and I asked people about it that were knowledgeable about the latest line dances. Nobody knew anything about it so I decided to try Youtube to see if anybody had videotaped anyone performing this dance routine. There were several videos but this one of a Family Reunion in Texas was my favorite. Pay attention to the girl in the brown and white dress. She is really jamming!

Quest 11- Part 2 : Online Apps

I tried Zoho Writer. This online application is so convenient. I can think of many different ways in which this source is useful. It's perfect for that person that doesn't have a floppy disk, CD, or USB. People that are prone to save documents to the hard drive on their personal computers and show up at the library with a disk that has no files on it. They thought they had actually saved the document to the disk. Making them aware of a site like this, one that can be accessed from anywhere is a great option for them. This technology is really the next wave of the future. I believe that these common mediums on which we save documents will sooner or later become obsolete. Zoho was user friendly. The tool bar menus were simple and understandable. The poem down below this blog entry intitled, "Incomplete," is something I typed in Zoho and published in my blog. I also sent it to my email. HeCanWriteToo is my pseudonym as well as the username for my Zoho account. The availability to send it in different formats is also great (PDF, HTML, etc.). We really need to make the public aware of sites like these. It was really simple. I just typed my document. I saved it and then I clicked on publish. It prompted me for my blog log-in information and when I checked my blog it was there. I also have a copy of it in my email as well as saved inside my Zoho account. This is perfect for making a to do list. When you get to work or wherever you are going that has Internet access, you just enter you account and there is your file. We really are becoming a paperless society. Okay, I've completed Quest 11. Wow! Who would have thought? I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel....

Quest 11 - Part 1 : Online Apps: A Poem To Share

Incomplete

By

hecanwritetoo

Half of Me is ready

the other part is yet to come on shore

Like the painting still at the gallery

waiting

to soon add ambience somewhere

making a house into a home

Like the new soft drink you desire to sip for taste

but need the Sunday paper coupon to purchase

Just in case it is a waste

At least you wouldn't have spent full price

Remember that roasted garlic pasta that was supposed to be low cal

The diet now two years in the grave

That kiss from that someone still on the lips

Eventhough love said goodbye six years ago

When is the rest of me

Going to come forward

Step through this half-open doorway

Cross the threshold

When the I meets the You

So We can become Us

I can finally be Me

New, whole at long last the person I AM supposed to be

no longer incomplete

QUEST 10 - PLAYHOUSE FUN

I know that we didn't have to post a comment in the blog about this quest but that little anal retentive fella on my left shoulder was fighting with that fun-loving devil on my right shoulder. Anal guy won. He likes order and organization. Alas, we have Quest 10 posted. I ventured to look at Evite. The premise and possibilities were alluring but I couldn't seem to find out how to get started. I could see someone really benefit from using this source to organize an event. I really had fun in One Sentence and Art Pad. They are both now a part of my del. icio.us bookmarks. I enjoy writing, drawing, and sketching. Both of these sites are fun sites to exercise that creative energy. I am really glad that I was introduced to this.

Quest 9 -Wiki

Wikis kind of remind me of blogs. It's like a lot people posting to one blog but the postings surround one central theme, subject or event. I like that the simplicity of wikis allows for a level playing field. You don't have to have a certain level of expertise to actually contribute. Wikis centered around special events are really good advertising tools. The Big Read project could have benefited from this. We can create one to get feedback from Library personnel and the public in order to better prepare for the next one. People might even want to suggest titles to choose as the next Big Read book. Things in life where a person benefits from a mix of opinions make for good wikis (i.e., restaurant reviews, book reviews, sharing recipes, hotel accomodations, travel recommendations, and consumer services). I would not go to a Wiki to seek authoritative information if I were doing serious research. You need to know that the information is being delivered from an approved source with sound accountability. I am familiar with the Wikipedia. Students often use it. I am sure that they will continue to use it. People just don't ask themselves when they are doing research if the source is valid. They make the assumption that if it is on the Internet then it must be right. We as librarians when the opportunity allows have got to try and educate them. We have to teach people basic principles to look for when evaluating the accuracy of a source. The library can benefit from Wikis. It would be nice to see a troubleshooting Wiki that staff can post to and make comments about problems encountered with PC Reservation or practical solutions that might have worked at their library location. We all have encountered a different degree of issues associated with this new process. We could definitely benefit from the shared comments of others especially as we move towards the implementation of print management at all locations. I can see a patron Wiki for posting book favorites, plotlines of books, and book reviews attached to our online catalog. Even a "What Our Staff is Reading" Wiki. People are always asking what the staff members are reading. They want suggestions. I noticed that when you walk into a Barnes & Noble they have a section titled," Staff Recommendations." Why can't the library do this? Out of the selection of Wiki sites that we were to peruse, I looked at the Book Lovers Wiki developed at Princeton University (I know, I know, I'm a librarian and I can't help but be drawn to books). I found some great suggestions on books to read and even better two very good reviews by regular folk on two books I'm planning to read this fall. I also looked at the SCLA Wiki. This was a cool idea. It gives detailed information about the conference. If there are any last minute updates or changes, this is quick place to go for information. I opted not to create a Wiki account at the present time but if I find one that really interests me I can certainly see myself joining it and posting what I hope would be helpful comments.