iHCPL Bling

Here is the iHCPL bling that HCPL staff received for completing their tasks. The traing hours are nice too. This was a fun training project & I enjoy helping other understand it.

iHCPL #23 The end of one journey is the beginning of another

This has been an interesting journey. As my title states - The end of one journey is the beginning of another. Everything we learn is just another step forward on the path of life and who knows where it might lead?

In these exercises, I found both familiar and new things. I'm helping others learn about their new discoveries.

I found that there were some activities I was familiar with, but not using because I wasn't sure I needed them. Because I was "forced" to use them as part of these exercises, I found them to be quite useful. Two items are LibraryElf and Bloglines RSS feeds. LibraryElf has been really nice for monitoring the 5 cards across 3 systems in the family. Bloglines is useful in keeping track of new developments on site I like to monitor, without the worry that I have missed something.

I have been recommending LibraryElf to customers who track multiple cards. I think it would be a good promotion for us, especially towards those customers with families and multiple cards

I think we can use online video tutorials for customers to better learn how-to instead of just having a hand out. Video could also help us show "How the LibraryWorks" so customers better understand what happens "behind the scenes".

We need to know what Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 are, but we also need to know how to use it to help our customers. It has been a great journey, but I want to bring along others too.

Where are you going and what are you doing NEXT?

I think Library 2.0, and Web 2.0 for that matter, is something that evolves to meet the needs of its users. One examaple is the iHCPL program for employees and the matching iHCPL2 program for patrons at HCPL. These tools help employees learn how to help the patrons and patrons learn how to help themselves. The programs are voluntary, but available to those who want to participate.

We learn how to help others and make available the tools so they can also help themselves.

iHCPL #22 Downloadable Media

This is a "been there done that" moment. When the HCPL Overdrive system added videos to its repertoire, I had to try it out. I found the instructions to be clear, but my PC could have been faster. That is one thing that will limit downloading and viewing - PC speed. The other is available memory. This is true for any type of downloadable digital media. I don't remember the title I chose, just that it was short. I followed the directions, waited for the download, and viewed the video. I have downloaded music but haven't downloaded any books.

I checked out both Librivox and Wowio. Librivox uses volunter readers to record Public Domain books for free audio download. They also have podcasts. Wowio uses corporate sponsorships to make Adobe versions of their books available. They also ask to confirm your identity to be sure you are you.

Between HCPL's Overdrive, Librivox and Wowio, I see coverage of mainstream, the classics and independent publishers, most what someone is looking for could be found.

iHCPL #21 - Podcasting

I've listened to online podcasts before when I could not get the live radio broadcast. It was easy to do a search on various subjects. I found & subcribed to one on Library 2.0. I also have a subscribtion to "Engines of Our Ingenuity", a podcast from KUHF. I can't listen to the live broadcast version, so I like getting the RSS podcast feeds to remind me to listen to the podcasts.

iHCPL #20 You Tube & Video Sharing

I'm a long time viewer, but never posted user of YouTube.
I've received and sent video links, searched for links, and monitored certain posters.
It's to the point where I'm thinking of signing up for an account just to be able to subcribe and comment to certain posters.

One that you may have seen material from is mwesch. Mike Wesch is a professor teaching Digital Ethnography at Kansas State University. The videos posted by that class have always left me impressed and thinking. Their study and use of YouTube shows how YouTube (and its users) is changing the the way people view the world around them.

Here is an introduction to the YouTube Ethnography Project:


If you aren't able to view the embedded video, click here.

To get the full impact, search mwesch on YouTube for videos by the class and individual students.


I think the Library could use video to change the way people view the Library and how it works, but we would need to start from the customer point of view. Maybe they should see what really happens to that book they requested or returned. Hmmmm..."A day in the Life of a Book" ?

Parade of Pumpkins- Animoto Style

This was Fun! You choose your photos & their music. They make the video

To see My Parade of Pumpkins video go to

http://animoto.com/play/78baeed06c155d4dd8689210a4f508dd

iHCPL Avatars

I've downloaded my Avatar to the iHCPL Avatar file. Take a look at the Parade-of-Avatars and try to guess who I am!

iHCPL#19 Online Productivity Tools

OK, here I am using Zoho Writer. I am finding that it is very easy to use. The options are similar to what I regularly use. But the REALLY nice part is that it saves your stuff online. No worries about having a portable storage device with you. It is kinda like the roaming profiles at work. You log onto your profile and your stuff is there. The templates are varied and well thought out. I can see myself using this. I'll be putting this on my blog, instead of publishing from with in the blog itself.

All right! I did it! Now I'm adding an additional note to say - Zoho Rocks!

iHCPL #18 Social Networking

I've looked at Social Networking sites. If I were to join one, it might be Facebook or Yahoo!360 . I'm not interested in MySpace , it seems too hyped up. Facebook and Yahoo!360 make a better first impression on me. I'm not sure I want to wade too far into Social Networking at this time. I already belong to several Yahoo!Groups and like the contact I have in these groups. This contact is similar to some of the more specialized Social Networking sites like Dogster or Catster , but with my special interests all under the Yahoo! umbrella.

iHCPL #17 Technology

From World Book Online :

technology «tehk NOL uh jee», noun, plural -gies.

1. the science of the mechanical and industrial arts; applied science: He studied electronics at a school of technology.
2. the body of tools, machines, materials, techniques, and processes used to produce goods and services and satisfy human needs: Science has contributed much to modern technology.
3. a particular application of technology; any method, process, or system using special tools and techniques
to achieve a goal: medical technology. To reach the…conditions required for a net release of fusion power it is necessary to first develop many new technologies (Scientific American) .
4.technical words, terms, or expressions as used in an art or science; technical terminology or nomenclature

My favorite part about Technology has always been the TOOLS.
If you have the right tools, or can use what you have creatively, you can do most anything. That is why my favorite RSS feeds are Gizmodo and Make Magazine . They are always coming up with new tools or how to use them.

Regarding posting comments to other blogs - been doing that. I think it is nice to get feedback, so I try to give it.

iHCPL # 16 So, what's in a wiki?

Wikis are an interesting thing. You can open a wiki up to editing by anyone or limit it to just a few. A wiki evolves from what its users do. I looked at the iHCPL Wiki Sandbox. I added two items. One is my blog under favorite blogs and a website under favorite websites. I found it really easy to use.

I can see how it can be used to add and modify information for the "public", but it could also be easily abused if the wiki is not monitored or access restricted. That is one reason that I may use a Wikipedia entry as a starter point, but still find other sources to confirm any info.

Update: I have it set up to get emails once an hour if the Wiki is updated. It is fun seeing what others are adding.

iHCPL #15 Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

About Library 2.0 - some people may think "we've been there, done that". That may be true, but

Where are you going and what are you doing NEXT?

I think Library 2.0, and Web 2.0 for that matter, is something that evolves to meet the needs of its users. One examaple is the iHCPL program for employees and the matching iHCPL2 program for patrons at HCPL. These tools help employees learn how to help the patrons and patrons learn how to help themselves. The programs are voluntary, but available to those who want to participate.

We learn how to help others and make available the tools so they can also help themselves.

iHCPL #14 Technorati tagging

I've taken a look at Technorati and tried doing an advanced search by typing "Learning 2.0" as a keyword search in Blog posts, in tags and in the Blog Directory. The results ARE different. It also depends on whether you use the "exact phrase" option. I used the exact phrase option or quote marks for "Learning 2.0"as needed. I also tried it without and got 10X the hits since learning and 2.0 were used as separate keywords.

Searching by Blog posts using exact phrase option- There were 554 hits on blog posts.
Without the exact phrase option there were 6000+ hits. I'm sticking to "Learning 2.0" when I don't have an exact phrase option.

Searching tags gives me a variety of results because it searches for posts (127 hits), blogs (309 hits), videos (20 hits) and photos (20 x 20+ (400+) hits). Wow - a LOT of photos!

Searching the Blog Directory gave me 309 hits.

Searching results depend on how you phrase it. What you get might not be what you expect either - it depends on how someone else tagged it.

Popular blogs, searches and videos have some interesting results. I recommend checking this person's videos http://youtube.com/user/mwesch. They give you something to think about.

I'm not ready to get too involved with Technorati at this time. I may do so later.

iHCPL #13 Tagging and Del.icio.us

Tags are one-word (usually) descriptors that you can assign to things like bookmarks, blogs, books, and other things. These are descriptors YOU assign because that is what it means to you. As you can see to the right, I have a list of tags for my blog.

I've used Del.icio.us for work. It is handy to be able to access the links from any PC. Since it is a shared list, I get not only items I may have added, but what others have added as well. This gives me extra resources that I may not have known. The user comments give new insight on the various sites that I may not have seen.

I can see where this could be a useful research tool. The tutorial video showed how this can be used as such. Finding a good link and looking at what others have could get you another good link or lead you in a new direction.

I'm not ready for a Del.icio.us account yet. I don't have enough sites I want to track. but I can see where it coul eventually be useful for me.

#10 part ll - Having more Fun with Image Generators

Just because it is FUN! There are really so many fun things you can do. It's hard to choose just one. This one is from Sign Generator.

iHCPL #12 Library Elf

I get Library Elf emails for 5 different library accounts. I have 3 different library cards (different libraries) myself and watch 2 other accounts for family. I admit that most of the holds on the family cards are mine anyway, but I do have their permission to use their accounts.

Library Elf gives you a summary of all your accounts together, instead of you needing to go to each library site to check the accounts. This is really nice when you are waiting for stuff to come in for a request. Settings can be customized to your preferences. (e.g. number of days before item is due to be notified) You still get notices from the Libraries themselves, but I like the summary from Library Elf.


You still need to remember your card when you go to the Library.

iHCPL #11 LibraryThing

I have a Library Thing account and now that I remember the password, I can talk about it. As of this writing, I only have five items cataloged. I would have more, but I've been trying to weed my home collection to a more manageable size. Until that is done, there is no real time to use Library Thing . Because, once I start, I will be addicted. It is really easy to catalog your books. Your collection can be private or public. In a way, this site can be for social networking also. You can see who else has books you own and contact them to get recommendations.

You can see random books from my library at Library Thing on the right of my blog page.

iHCPL #10 Online Image Generators

This is is the result of using Comicstripgenerator . It was fun! I found that txt2pic has a list of various types of image generators. Have fun yourself!

Update : I added another post on image generators just for fun! Look for the "Dummies" book.

iHCPL #9 Finding Feeds

Finding feeds was fairly easy. It helped that sites I regularly visited decided to add RSS (or similar) to their sites. Bloglines instructions are clear and understandable. A few of my subscriptions are in the previous post. Take a look.

I looked at the tools listed by iHCPL.
Feedster has some preset "channels". This is nice when you just want to have a look a what is there without having to sort it out.
Topix has a feature to search news by city, state or zip and looks user driven.
Syndic8 seems more about statistics and syndication.
Technorati literally updates as you view it. It reminds me of those news tickers and the bottom of the screen on several cable news stations.

Since I've been using the Bloglines search tools, I haven't needed any others.

iHCPL #8 RSS & Newsreaders

I have a Bloglines account and have found it to be Useful and Fun. I try to check it everyday when I check email. Some of the Feeds I subscribe to are The Shifted Librarian, Librarian Internet Index, and Will It Blend . That last one is for Fun. I don't have to wonder when the next episode is available, it appears on my Bloglines account. You do have to be careful, some feeds can have numerous posts and regular checking helps keep it from overwhelming you. Watching 10 feeds as requested by this exercise won't be too difficult for me. I just needed to add a couple.


I have found that a number of ISPs have this sort of option on their Homepages. Yahoo allows you to customize "My Yahoo" to include feeds to update news, weather, movie times and more directly on your Yahoo page.

Why keep searching for updates when they can come to you? If you want to subscribe to my Posts, scroll to the bottom of the page for that option. Or add my URL to your Bloglines account. It is http://www.hcpljl.blogspot.com/ .
I'll be watching several of yours to see what you have to say.

iHCPL #7 Online Photo Editing Tools

I've worked with Picnik to modify my original posted picture. First I cropped the picture to eliminate extra black around the outside and center the image a bit. I then added color, a frame and text. Picnik is easy to use and gives you some nice options to interface with other sites. In this case I used the "add image" option from the blog to add the pics.

iHCPL #6 Flickr Mashups

I've played with the various Mashups before. I like Flappr and Flickr Sudoku at this time, but that could change. The more I play with Flappr the more I like it.

iHCPL #5-b Flickr Blogging

Sparkle Cone, originally uploaded by ireadalota.

This is my photo added as a blog instead of being part of the Blog display page. If you click on the photo name, it takes you to the Flickr page for the photo.

iHCPL #5-a Picture sharing in Flickr

I've set a few pictures public and tagged them iHCPL, along with a few other choice tags. These show what happens when "Fireworks Go Bad". Flickr has been fun, but I'm not sure if I will pay for the Pro version to continue or lapse to the free version.

Added note:

I haven't been able to search by tag and get the pics, so here's a link to the set:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/9929431@N02/WSDM19

Pictures

I added a picture last night, I hope you like it. I was rather pleased at how it turned out, since it was my first try at night photography with recently acquired digicam. With the digital camera, I take more pictures and have started using Flickr to store the photos. Flickr is nice to have as a back up to my HD and flash drives. I'm not to the point of sharing the pics online yet, but am working towards it. I want to organize and tag items before displaying them.

iHCPL #4 Online Safety and Sharing

Oh yeah, this is the scary one and rightfully so. I think I've been pretty good on this subject myself, but I've seen things others have done and wonder "what were you thinking??!!!". The one video link from iHCPL and Think before you post was really good. More people really NEED to see it.

iHCPL #2 & #3 Learning Habits

The blog is now registered with iHCPL for the training program.

I watched the Tutorial again to make note of the learning habits.
I noted the following :
Laugh
Give Yourself Credit
Motivate Yourself
Set a Goal
Think Positive
Organize

Laughter and Think Positive are two that are easy for me. If you can't laugh at yourself or find fun in your work, why do it? Laughter breeds Positive Thinking and vice versa - see previous sentence.

I'm not really interested in Credit. I know what I can do & what I've done, so I guess I give myself credit, but I'm not interested in "publishing it" unless it means more money (ha-ha-ha). But hey, I work for the County Government and don't expect to get rich from it. Those that do tend to get jail sentences.

The Motivate Yourself & Set a Goal are related. This can sometimes be tough when goals are changeable. It helps to set small step goals - like clean the dresser off, instead of cleaning the whole room. Working it in small steps eventually gets you to the goal. Taking that first step is easier when the drop off isn't so big. Accomplishing the smaller steps help you see progress and keep you motivated.

Organize- Anyone who has seen my house or desk will know this is the hardest for me. I usually know where the stuff is, but it would be difficult for others. I do keep working on organization. I just need to remember that "small step" will get me to my goal.

iHCPL #1 and me

This is a blog started for the iHCPL program. I'm not sure I'll continue this after the end of the year, but may continue on a personal basis. I viewed the slide show and signed the contract. We are doing blogs next week and a few of us are starting early.