Mashups

Mashups are so much fun! I had a bit of a play around with some of the applications Big Huge Labs offer and here is one of my creations:



















The mashup applications available through Big Huge Labs can be used to create promotional material and also add interest to images that you post on library webpages.

Podcasts

During Law Week we had a local magistrate visit the library to talk about legal issues that may affect teenagers. We invited the local high schools to come hear him speak but some classes were unable to make it. We did record one of the sessions for those who were unable to attend and had to supply them with a taped recording. If we utilised podcasts we could post the recording on our website and allow access to a far greater audience than the one class who was supplied with a tape. Not only would people be able to see the guest speakers that we host in the library, they would also be able to listen to what was said if they were unable to attend the event. I think podcasts could be a great marketing tool and information resource to include in our webpage.

Answer Boards and Social Searching

I have never posted to an Answer Board. However, when searching online I often find the answers to my questions on Answer Boards (most recently: how to watch movies from my laptop on the tv using a HDMI cable).

I admire the librarians who take the time to 'slam the boards' as they either do it in their own time or have extremely supportive and visionary employers! Working for a small rural public library we simply do not have the resources to spend time answering the questions of those who are outside of our electorate.

Library Thing

I created an account on Library Thing and added a few of my favourite books (not all of course, the list would go on forever!) My catalogue is below:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/karen.lowe

It was interesting to browse through the different covers that each of the titles were published under and also to see the different libraries that are contributors (including the State Libray of NSW). I can't see myself becoming a regular user but I am impressed by the sites popularity and also by the co-operation and contribution of libraries from all around the world.

del.icio.us

At the Griffith City Library we have a del.icio.us account so I'm going to cheat a little and use that instead of creating my own (which I would never use again). I think social bookmarking is a great idea, however, from experience the problem is remembering to access it! For example, the CWA country of study this year is Egypt and all of the local primary schools do an assignment on the country of study. Each year I put together a Subject Thread of the resources that are available in the library and online. This year is the first year that (using del.icio.us) I tagged all of the webpages that I found BUT I never remember to access del.icio.us when fulfilling requests. I'm pretty sure del.icio.us has fallen into disuse among the other staff members also.

The link to our page is:

http://delicious.com/grifflib?settagview=list

youtube

I was already familiar with youtube and Google Videos so this was a quick exercise for me. Personally I found the videos's produced by other libraries to be a lil boring, not something I would look up in my spare time.

That's not to say that I can't see the benefits of using this technology in libraries. We have a very successful Baby Bounce program and a think embedding youtube videos onto our Facebook page would be a good idea, not only as a novelty for our existing parents but also to advertise the program to prospective participants. Perhaps we could also look at embedding videos on our webpage. We entirely transform the library for Book Week and run activities for all the schools. A short film showing the decorations and events during Book Week would be a great promotional tool.




This is a video of my favourite comedian. I think he's absolutley hilarious, I hope you agree!

Wiki's

I found the Information Today article 'What to do with Wikipedia' by William Badke, Trinity Western University, to be extremely interesting. I am studying BAppSc(LIM) at the moment so I well know that academics shun Wikipedia and do not consider it to be a reliable source of information. I was surprised by the results of the Stern survey that indicated the German version of Wikipedia was more accurate than its encyclopedia counterpart. Food for thought...

In our library we currently have a Procedures Wiki with PBwiki and it works really well. All staff can access it from every computer and its easy to navigate - as opposed to the old system; a massive word document.

Looking at the other wiki's available I was impressed with the St. Joseph County Public Library's Subject Guides. Easy to understand and yet quite comprehensive. The Book Lovers wiki has also inspired me to read Flushed: How the plumber saved civilization! Not a book I would ever have considered before reading Dan Bauer's fascinating review.

RSS

I had never come across RSS feeds before this exercise but I can definately see the potential. While I found Bloglines a little hard to navigate (in addition to the problems the site was having that day), I can appreciate the benefits of having links to all your favourite sites in the one place.

My favourite website is dictionary.com so I was pleasantly surpirsed to see that I could add their 'Word of the Day' feed. I also added World News Australia as I find their news stories to be the most credible.

I think RSS feeds are a great way for libraries to keep in touch with their clients. Keeping them updated on new titles and unpcoming events or notifying them of existing services and collections that they may not have been aware of.

Flickr

Last year I was fortunate enough to spend some time travelling through Europe. One of my favourite places by far was Turkey. The people, the culture and the scenery are incredible.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11239874@N02/1174995680/

I took a photo similar to this in Istanbul. Honestly, there is no way to describe to people how much the Turks love fishing. It has to be seen to be believed. The entire bridge is lined with men, young and old, bonding and enjoying the simple pleasures of this simple activity.

Cruise along the Bosphorus and lining the edges all along are fishermen. Lines dangling from bridges, construction sites and boat ramps. Personally I didn't see much evidence of success (apart from a few small fish here and there) but the fisherman of Istanbul are certaining one of my lasting memories from Turkey.

Slightly nervous!

Hi!

I'm currently working as a library assistant for a rural library in NSW. I enjoy the work and, from the little I've seen so far, I believe that the NSL Web 2.0 Training course is a valuable investment of my time. Ashamedly I'm rather ignorant of the world wide web beyond Google and I'm hoping to broaded my understanding of the innovations that are out there.

I have recently been accepted to study BA Applied Science (Library and Information Management) through CSU. As part of my course I'm required to meet a certain number of hours of additional training and the NSL Web 2.0 Web Training course will contribute towards this. Also, I'm a little bit nervous about beginning tertiary study so hopefully this short course will give me a little taste of what to expect from independent learning and the confidence to move forward.