Week 5, Thing #11: LibraryThing

LibraryThing is a cool resource-not only a way to organize and catalog one's own books, but a sort of social networking site for bibliophiles. (As some descriptive narrative states, a "myspace for books". The list of Groups on LibraryThing is immense! The groups form a virtual community of book lovers, providing opportunity for book discussion, and readers advisory. I checked the Historical Fiction group, and got some good ideas to add to my "to be read" list. The site has over 227,672 members.

I added my library to this post, but also added a "blog widget". I like how this looks much better, and it is always available for visitors to my blog.

I visited the LibraryThing Blog, and there were bloggers posting from ALA!
The posted linked to a site called the BIGWIG Social Software Showcase, an "unconference" at ALA. Lots of cutting edge Library 2.0 stuff!

http://showcase.litablog.org/index.php/Main_Page

Check out the site!

Week 5, Thing #10: Avatars

Well, here is my Avatar! I really like the dress. It took a bit of looking around to find out how to post to the blog. I thought that the Wikipedia article on Avatars was interesting, and gives a concise overview. It is interesting that the word "avatar" comes from the Sanskrit meaning "incarnation" and usually refers to (according to Wikipedia) "the deliberate descent of an immortal or divine being into the mortal realm for a special purpose".

Week 5: Play with Picnik.com

Original Photo on the left, sepia photo on right (picnik enhancement).

As a result of Library 2.0, I am more aware of articles in the newspaper that reference technology or new websites, etc. In the Baltimore Sun "Plugged In" section today, there was an article about a photo editing website that is free, and very easy to use. It is http://www.picnik.com/. I tried it out, and it was really easy to manipulate a saved photo (size, "red-eye", color, clarity, etc.). The article compares the site to Abode's Photoshop.

I used a sepia treatment to make the photo look "antique", and you can see the results. Try out this cool site!

Week 5: Play Week Break!!

I had to post this photo (I am having just too much fun searching Flickr for squirrel photos.) The photo was titled "Squirrels Play".

Next task, creating an Avatar!

Week 5, Thing # 10: More Play!

I used another generator called a sketch generator, and it was pretty cool. I still like the Andy Warhol generator best, however. I like the way that this black and white illustration looks. I might think of a way to make stationery with it!

All of these tools are just more ways for people to be creative and artistic. It is amazing how much is available through the web. I really had no idea. This play time has opened my eyes to lots of cool sites. I might have to make some creations and send them to my daughters. They would be quite impressed with Mommy!

Here is the URL for this generator:

http://www.dumpr.net/sketch.php

Week 5, Thing # 10: Play Time!!

I used a generator called a "Warholizer"-what would Andy think of these pop art squirrels!
I am going to investigate some more generators. Some require a Flickr account, which I have not set up yet.

Here is the URL for this generator: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/warholizer.php

Week 4, Thing # 9: MERLIN

MERLIN-Maryland's Essential Resources for Library Information Networks. Wow! I had not been aware of this resource for information sharing (note the squirrels in the photo above are sharing information, too!) I was particularly impressed by the list of Learning Links. These short tutorials, from Blogs, to Gaming, to Podcasting, etc. are really on target for our self-directed learning. I plan on going back to review many of them. The Trends & Cool stuff has much to offer., even a discussion of handheld devices (we had some MP3 questions here in our library). I really appreciate this site. I was intrigued by "LibVibe", a library newscast audio.

The search tools exercise was interesting. I liked the fact that one could sort RSS feeds by date and relevance on Feedster. I was a bit confused by Topix.net, as one had to put in the city and state and then the newsfeed items all pertained to your own city. So, this really focuses your search regionally. Syndic8 provided some good vegetarian RSS info. I had to play around with the use of the FEED URL and getting it in Bloglines. Once I figured it out (had to choose the XML box, then cut and past the entire URL that appears on the top of the screen into Bloglines), it was easy. Technorati has a really good support section with a 4 page "Blogging Basics" articles that explains blogging, RSS, syndication, RSS search engines, and the relationship between blogging and journalism (a line that is getting more and more blurred).

The Technorati site has lots of information about creating "favorites", tagging, etc. There is certainly a lot to learn about Blogging and the Blogospeare! I can see that I have just scratched the surface.

Blogging Off Topic: "Danny the Squirrel"

I remembered this great story from "The Onion", and decided to post it. (Remember, having fun at work!). Danny the Squirrel has to admit that he "loves the nuts".

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33804

I added this as a note to myself. I tried to use the tool at the bottom of The Onion page called "blog this". It opened a box, and I tried to follow instructions to add this story through The Onion website. It didn't work, so I need to follow up and ask some "experts" how this really work. Would be easier, and I think that the story should have just appeared in this box.

I'll follow up. Just enjoy the story!

Week 4, Thing # 8: RSS Feeds and Bloglines

This squirrel has set up his own "feed"! In any case, the tutorials were really helpful. I liked the idea of getting information without spam, and the ability (as one tutorial mentioned) "to choose what information you want, and to decide where, when, and how to receive it". I want to explore some of the diretories of feeds (Syndic8 or completerss) and add more to my bloglines account. My only concern is being able to find time to go and read all the interesting blogs and feeds that I have chosen. I added "The Onion", and my husband already told me (he reads it religiously) that there is a really hilarious Harry Potter article. I may have to read my bloglines at home! I can see setting up a bloglines account for "hot" homework assignments to get authoritative current event sources for students. My public URL is the following:

http://www.bloglines.com/public/Squirrels

Week 3, Thing # 7: Technology: Too Much of a Good Thing?

In Sunday's New York Times (June 10, 2007) there was a small article in "The Week" section. A doctor in Spain, Julio Bonis, diagnosed a new medical condition after a patient complained of shoulder pain after rigorous bouts of playing tennis on his Wii.
The doctor called this condition "Wiitis". He prescribed ibuprofen and abstinence from the Wii. The patient experienced a full recovery.

I know that I played tennis on the Wii at the HCPL Technology Fair and had fun. However, can someone have too much fun with a video game?

Week # 3, Thing # 6: A Great Flickr Image

I found this on Flickr-must have been made by a 3rd party tool. My favorite things: libraries, squirrels, and protecting books from censorship!

I'd better move on to Week 3, Thing # 7 now....too much time on Flickr!

Week 3, Thing # 6: Mash-ups: The Fun Discussion

I tried the Trading Card Maker, and the Magazine Cover 3rd party tools and here are the results.

It was pretty fun-not hard to do. I can see the appeal of these sites. They are very creative, and another way to share information in a new way.

I could waste lots of time at work on these sites!

Week 3, Thing # 6: Mash-ups: The Serious Discussion

Since we are still working with Flickr, I thought I'd post another photo of a squirrel attempting to use technology. He does have a tripod, so he is not totally clueless.

The idea of Mash-ups seems a natural one with entire idea of Web 2.0. Web users are merely taking information from different data sources and making it into something new, something different. It's a Web collage. It's creative, innovative, and allows programamers to combine and remix data from different Web sites. I like a quote from Business Week from July 25, 2005 called "Mix, Match, and Mutate" (one of the links from the Wikipeda article on mash-ups found through Thing #6) that calls this the "Wild, Wild Web", and Alan Taylor, a Monster Worldwide Inc. Web developer says "It's the Wild West all over again".

These mash-ups provide endless possibilities, and illustrate Web 2.0's main thrust. I am going to quote the Business Week article again. It says, "People are seizing far more control of what they do online".

What are the problems? Again, the Business Week article cited above lists some and as librarians we can understand.
1. Using the data without permission. What if there is a copyright? What if the data is used in ways that it was not originally intended (with negative results?)
2.Some of the mash-up software presents potential dangers to users-makes hacking easier.

Another article from our tutorial is called "Mixing It up on the Web: Legal Issues Arising from Internet "Mashups", by Robert S. Gerber from Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal (August, 2006). He discusses licensing application programming interfaces, the legal issues involved with using someone else's information, contract law issues, copyright, trademark issues, patent law issues, unfair competition and false advertising, obscenity issues, etc. Eee, gads! It is the wild, wild west!!!

Seriously, though, as new uses of technology and information arise, how we react in a legal sense and how we "protect" information has to be sorted out.

Week 3, Thing # 5, Activity B: Using Flickr to Upload

I'm creating this post as a place holder that I will edit later. I don't have a digital camera, nor does my phone have a digital camera. So, I am going to check to see if I can use the Marketing Department's digital camera to catch the "real" library squirrel at the bird feeder attached to my window.
More to come.......

Week 3, Thing #5, Exercise A: Explore Flickr Photo

Squirrels on Flickr!!!!

Title: "Party on the Patio". Title: "Wasted Away in Margaritaville".

Title: "Wired".

Well, I am clearly NOT the only one who appreciates squirrels as I found hundreds of photos through a Flickr search. You can see by the titles that people are having way too much fun! I could have spent much more time scrolling through the photo list. The tags came in handy. Looking through the photos, it is evident that people are being very creative and funny not only for their own amusement, but for the amusement of others as well.

I used the photo upload tool in Blogger after I saved the photos to my desktop. I have to practice more with positioning and sizing the photos in a blog posting.

Week 3, Thing #5: Flickr!

Of course, the squirrel is not using a digital camera as he is a bit behind the technology curve!

I just started to explore Flickr, and it is amazing how many people are using this site. I don't own a digital camera, so have only seen Flickr on other people's blogs. The abiltiy to create "virtual photo albums" and create groups (maybe made up of family members or friends) as a way to to share these photos is really cool. Tagging the photos is a great way to organize the photos for easier access, but can also be a clever or artistic way to describe them to entertain the photographer or the viewers. Allowing friends or family members into your group allows them to add tags, and this could be a great way to ensure that memories are captured, as additional tags might jog specific memories associated with a particular photo. The use of Flickr by libraries is very interesting. I found a site from my college, Vanderbilt University, with photos of the new libraries that provided a virtual tour. Allegheny County has an account with SRP photos, etc. Many of these library sites are using Flickr like a blog-a blog that is focused on photographs instead of text (although people do add comments to the "discuss" section). This is what stands out with library usage that I see. Flickr is being used as a visual blog.

I really liked the "Library Artworks" group, a place for the display of art in libraries.

Week 2, Thing # 3 & # 4: " A-blogging we will go, a-blogging we will go!"

I am having a great time playing with the blog (trying to keep Habit #71/2 in mind!). Although I have posted to a blog, I had never set one up from scratch. It is really fun! I am looking forward to learning about more enhancements as I go along. After I got the initial post and heading, I played around with the templates. It was almost like trying on clothes!! Which one would fit my blog best? I decided to go with a plain white background so my photographs of squirrels would really stand out. (As you can tell, I am carrying the squirrel theme throughout the blog.) It has been really interesting seeing the very different blogs that other HCPL Library 2.0 participants have created. I have added two of my favorite children's literature blogs to my "favorite places to visit". One is from Betsy Bird, a children's librarian from New York Public Library. Her blog is called Fuse #8. She was on the 2007 Newbery Committee with me, and her blog is always entertaining and has a great voice. (She has just received an offer to take her blog to School Library Journal-and will be getting paid to blog!). The other blog is from Roger Sutton, the editor of Horn Book Magazine. His blog is always guaranteed to generate discussion. It also has a great voice, and if you have ever heard Roger Sutton speak in person, you will recognize the style. This brings up the issue of voice and persona on a blog. Are you writing for yourself-sort of a personal journal? Or, do you have an audience in mind? Are you trying on a "new persona" behind the blog, or just being yourself? Do you find it easier to "be yourself" on the blog? Will you let others see parts of your personality that you normally dont' share? I wonder. Maybe we will all get to know each other better after Library 2.0, and appreciate the diversity and humor that we all possess.

By the way, registering the blog was the ONLY hard part. I thought that the blog would appear on the HCPL Blog Wall instantly (you know, faith in technology and all that.) However, Maurice called me and said that he, Irmgarde or Annette had to manually add it. This just reinforces the idea that technology is a tool, and that we still are very much involved in the entire process!

Week 1, Thing # 2: Pointers from Lifelong Learners

Whew! The online tutorial was only 14 minutes long, but has really made me think. I have been a lifelong learner all my life. I can't remember a time when I was not reading, making something, learning something, or wishing I could learn something. Just living is a constant learning experience. I am never bored. After the tutorial, I thought about which Habit is the easiest for me, and which the most difficult. I would have to say (and it's a good thing I am taking the Library 2.0 journey) that "Habit #6: Use Technology to your advantage" is the most difficult for me. It is not difficult because I can't learn technology, but because I often don't want to take the time to learn the technology that might make things easier. I don't think it is laziness, exactly, but perhaps a lack of confidence that I can learn it or understand it in a timely manner. (This comes close to "Habit #4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner".) I don't have this issue with other learning opportunites, however. Probably the easiest habit is "Habit #2: Accept Responsibility for your own learning". I do take learning seriously, and have never had a problem with self-education. The Habit that I would like to embrace is "Habit 71/2: Play". I feel that I need to have more fun at work. I am going to ponder this idea for some time.

Week 1, Thing # 1: About this Program

The idea of Library 2.0 is so much clearer after seeing the HCPL Technology Fair, and hearing fellow staff members teach us "what they know". I think that we are very lucky to have this opportunity to learn about Web 2.0 technologies, and I am excited to try and figure out ways to apply what I am going to learn to "real life" work. I am already thinking of new ways to do collection plans...(no one panic yet!) This self-directed training will also allow me to experiment, play, and try out new technology with many safety nets. After all, the idea is collaborative learning and sharing. I think that it is vitally important that we stay current with technology and the new applications and opportunities that these technologies provide. This entire project seems a great way to learn.

Squirrels and Library 2.0?

As you can tell by the name of this blog, squirrels rank very high on my list. My nickname is "Squirrel" (a long story), and I have a bird feeder attached to my office window that is really a squirrel feeder. I watch the squirrels climb in the feeder every day, and they watch me. I suppose they know that they have found a kindred spirit. Seriously, squirrels are a good mascot for me as I begin the Library 2.0 journey. The use of technology does not come naturally to me. I recognize the importance, and the applications, but need motivation to teach myself. I feel that pondering the attributes of squirrels will provide motivation. Have you ever seen the problem solving, innovation, flexibility, adaptabiltiy, and "stick-to-it-ness" that squirrels exhibit as they approach the problem of bird feeders? They do not take "no" for an answer. They never think, "I can't do this". Problems, for them, are merely challenges to overcome, just as they are for Highly Successful Lifelong Learners (I'll talk more in a later posting).