Views on Web 2.0 and the Library

Various articles saught to anticipate the effect of many new technologies upon the world of library materials, patrons and information exchange. The interchange between the library and the patron at home would become an important service, and ways in which del.icio.us, Flicker and YouTube might share in the exchange were considered. More instant service, tools of research expanded by technology and the value of on the spot communication would all play a part in determining the personal and physical structure of the library.

23rd Thing

If asked to participate again, yes, I would.
The overall experience of venturing into Web 2.0 was perhaps amazement at what there is out there. Its channels and opportunities are inventive and exciting. A favourite avenue was the wikis. Another was the chance to see the Web 2.0 winners and to learn from their formatting and creativity.
Areas for improvement. On many occasions, the entrance to sites was either blocked or difficult to open. It was unfortunate that many good people were put off from finding out about something that they would like to use in future because of this. Also, it was very difficult to do this during working hours: upon hitting a snag, it would take much more time than it should to work one's way to the point of learning.
Skills learned: ask questions.

The Opaque Tube

I did try, but at this point I have not been able to enter YouTube, and when I went to Google Video, I was booted; at Yahoo Video, there was no burning bride.

Zig Z. on Digital

My choice of audiobook for an 'excursion' was Zig Ziglar's 'Conversations with my Dog', which had an immediate touch of reality, if little Caesar was what Mr. Z. and his wife ('Sugar Baby') wanted. Anyone who has been around corgis knows that they appear to be made to take control once their stubby little feet hit the carpet as they seem to understand that sheep and humans are not dissimilar, and that is what 'Taffy' does in the opening lines of this audio. The 'excursion' allowed a listener to decide whether the audio publisher had selected a reader whose voice projected a certain quality from the book. As Mr. Ziglar reads his own words, the bite is a fait accompli. I was left with a bit of a cliffhanger as I reserved the digital book just to see what would happen, and was 'redirected to a connection that is not secure' (more angst). Exactly what will happen when it is ready, I am yet to learn. ...

Pods to Bloglines

After venturing through a number of library podcasts, I found myself in the NPR Podcast Directory; and by cut and pasting the URL line to my Bloglines address, I was able to enjoy the free experience of joining listeners at Aspen for a very clear broadcast via pod. I attempted to send this on to my blog and accept the need for further training. NPR said it was an expensive procedure so please contribute; but for us it's free, and we are free to remember copyright.

Zoho Depot

Under the constraints of time, it was difficult to condense Zoho into a comfortable workshop; however, I managed to create PBC's most barren wiki, which seemed to want to progress from its third page to the first without manga illustrations. Also, I began a Presentation. A site packed with tools, which could be used in many ways, each option deserving of time and testing. Zoho Depot: it was a bit like walking into Office Depot.

Web 2.0 awards

I am afraid I had to come away with three favourites, which I appreciate is two over the top; however, it was difficult to calculate the merits and host a run-off. For me, the most exciting was VisualComplexity (Visual Arts) because I appreciated the in-depth approach to lots of stimulating images, and I enjoyed what the contributors had to say. PBWiki (Hosted Wikis) seemed very good at teaching what it was about; and, there was Biblio (Books), a catalogue, which was neither teaching nor commenting; but it did list a book I had been thinking about at a lower price than I had found elsewhere, and that was worth a round of applause! Also, I liked the way Biblio was designed.

As for applications within the Library, it would be awfully nice to see the PPMs turned into an internal website with helpful tags tying together similar subjects; and, certainly, the Supervisors' Manual could do with a tagged, web/wiki approach.

Wiki World

Perhaps my discovery within the world of wiki might be the possibility of speed in things experimental. If a particular wiki were able to attract the imagination of the right group of individuals, the union should result in valuable problem solving. It seems very much a thing of knowing where to go and keeping up with the issues. One item which was rather revealing occurred when a reader pointed out that she found the information she needed for a conference on the wiki site rather than on the official site for the conference.

How might a wiki be used within a library system? Various types of wikis: a) one for new recruits for the purpose of sharing new patron serving ideas - or survival tips; b) brainstorming wikis for everyone on what ideas are needed at a particular moment; c) obviously, a Reference Desk wiki for research exchange. As new problems arise, new short term wikis could be announced.

A Del.icio.us tour

In pulling out of my tour to Finland, I had a bit of a problem in finding the entry door via Del.icio.us; however, I believe I got there through the tag 'classical' (as in music) which took me to Sibelius, and from there to a host of Finnish surprises. The tags within Finland are comprehensive; the 'films' thought provoking, the Savonlinnan Opera Festival very creative with a different type of art. Within the time I had, I picked up a number of tips on a wide rage of national experiences worth following in future. Naturally, most of the text is in Finnish, but there was enough English to encourage curiosity. The great treat for this traveller was the opportunity to hear the voice of Jean Sibelius, something I did not expect in a crash course tag tour. (What an interesting country!)

WebTootsies

In searching WebFeat, I went to my town, which is in the shire of Surrey, south of the suburban megolith Surbiton and just north of historical Guildford. It played host to H. G. Wells' imagaination when he created 'War of the Worlds'. Since it really is a 'town' (in the less than cement sense of the word), one might think that one knew a thing or two about it. Unfortunately, it is growing, and the facts I came across in WebFeat rather amazed me. Also, mind boggling was the plethora (CM) of information, ranging from literary associations to new structures, biography, history, to name but a few. While the entries I pulled up were abstracts of abstracts, there was still enough information to encourage one to research further if piqued. WebFeat would be a nice drizzling Sunday afternoon hobby: broadening one's perception of a subject so that one might approach it from a different angle.

Wk Four Post

At the appropriate time, I did a RSS Post; however, in it were included the host of blogline e-mail addresses to which I had subscribed. Eventually, those addresses managed to turn the blog into something like an octopus's embrace: the blog stuck to the screen with such a tenacity that only switching off the pc would answer the problem. Tom C.* took a look and spotted the problem pretty quickly so that particular posting with its bloglines is gone. I suppose one might call it one of those 'learning experiences': just because they are out there does not mean one should eat all the goodies in the sideshow - at least, not those particular goodies.

*Thanks, Tom.

The advance of Technology

Considereing the very rapid push which we are enjoying towards Technical Rearrangement, I was stretched to learn that scientists and technicians have arrived at the crossroads for producing unnatural meat. The object is to stream protein directly into the digestive tract, bypassing slaughter, and increasing the paycheque of the scientists and technicians who may feed the next generation. The cause is inspiring: the question is exactly how much Unnatural are we meant to digest in order to avoid mutation? It has been said that Dolly is not the happiest sheep on the earth; but she is a merely a link to what may be possible in the future, and plastic meat may have an impact not only upon the plumbing profession but the Solid Waste Authority as well. Also, possibly, the medical profession.

Ought to be Post Two

The value of Blogging whould be the ability of getting past labyrintine instruction oppportunities so that one might actually produce a useful Blogg and share information with other bloggers who have specialist interests and who might have condensed difficult to find information on a valuable or unusual subject.

Ought to be Post One

The value of the Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners was its warning that one must be prepared for challenges perhaps because it foresaw all the challenges which one might experience in attempting to follow a system which warns the student that it might require five days for the 'Help' to answer the simplest question.

Post One

Post One