Week #12 Wrap up and social networks

Here I am writing my last blog for the NSW Public Libraries Learning 2.0 program. It’s been a really informative program & I’ve enjoyed the blend of content such as online explanations, videos, essays and articles, examples of online technologies and the varying adventures at the end of each week. It’s been great seeing how other public libraries have successfully used these online applications at their libraries, with staff members and in their local communities.

The self directed nature of the program has been good and has meant that I’ve been able to control my progression and speed through the course against workloads and family commitments without jeopardising my learning.

The course exposed me to online technologies that I didn’t know about or had been skeptical about using. There are some online technologies that have a place in my team and workplace and I am now keen to explore these further with my team members. 

Week #11 Online applications and tools

I really enjoyed this week as it demonstrated the wide range of free online applications and tools that now exist. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the range, but it allows users to be selective over what is available and to consider whether these applications & tools have a place in one’s 2.0 world.

The Slideshare presentation highlighted some interesting free online productivity tools such as Jott (a voice mail application) and Picnik (photo editing program). Senduit/YouSendIt sounds interesting - I had an instance the other day where I couldn’t send a large PowerPoint slide to an email address due to size issues. Tada list might be a great tool if collaborating with others on a “to do” list perhaps for a wedding, family reunion, play group function, 30^th birthday etc?

I’ve used Google Docs for some time and see its potential for collaborative projects and events. I love the idea of a shared workspace where all participants are aware of the latest version of a document and have access to older versions if required. I’m sure all of us have been in a position at some point or another where we’ve been confused by which version of a document is the most current and have seen comments added to incorrect versions!

Week #10 - Mashups

Mashups are very innovative ways of using multiple online applications and a great way to increase access to a particular resource or create a new service. We’ve used mashups for quite some time but perhaps not recognised them by their technical name or appreciated the online applications used in their creation.

The puzzle uses a photograph that I took during a visit to New York City in early 2011. 

There are a few things on the Big huge labs website which would make for great personalised gifts for Christmas e.g. you might make a puzzle out of the family portrait - a low energy activity for the after Christmas lunch period! 

Week #7: Tagging, folksonomies, del.icio.us etc

The Del.icio.us site is a good example of tagging and such a handy online tool for personal research purposes or within a team context. I like the ability to access your bookmarks regardless of your location and the ability to view websites that have been deemed interesting or significant by organisations and individuals. It is also a way of discovering exciting sites that you haven’t heard of yet - I found a few interesting sites in Sutherland Shire Libraries’ Bookmarks list. Here is a list to my delicious account http://www.delicious.com/mrnnhr which was relatively easy to set up.

I find the cloud view useful when the tagging is limited but prefer the list option when the tagging is extensive and when you are interested in the frequency or use of a particular tag.

As I am coming to this training package quite late (in 2011), a few links on the State Library of NSW learning 2.0 tag set's Bookmarks appear broken. I had a few issues working through the discover activities - it is either me or the websites have changed since the course was introduced. Nevertheless, the exercises still work as great learning tools.

I have experienced the addictive nature of blogging - in terms of being a blogger and being keen to add new content and as a reader of other people’s blogs and being very keen to follow their personal experiences. I have also seen the power of blogging for businesses and would definitely use Technorati for promotional purposes and to increase coverage.

I had a look at Technorati’s Top 100 list, business, political and technological blogs featured prominently on this daily updated list. Their website - including tags, popular articles, blogging themes etc - is extremely reflective of recent events and popular culture. The website also maps the rise and fall of blogs. I just linked to a very interesting article on prominent mothers who have successfully used various online applications to promote their experiences, businesses, careers etc. It just shows you that online applications can and are being used extremely effectively and successfully by very different users in a range of contexts.

Week #9 - Podcasts

I’m familiar with podcasts and have used them for quite some time for various reasons, although I have never made one. I really enjoying seeing how public and university libraries use podcasts for author talks, book reviews, library tours, staff training purposes, debates etc. Again, the possibilities for these applications in public libraries are endless. I’m becoming more and more convinced that the considered use of these web 2.0 technologies by public libraries greatly enhances a user’s engagement with their local library, encourages engagement with new and wider audiences, aids in the development of partnerships and in providing authoritative and relevant resources to users.   

Week #6 - Online videos

It was good to see how public libraries have embraced the use of online videos such as YouTube and Google video in presentations to customers and staff.  They have a role to play in my organisation, here are a few ways they might be beneficial:

As a way of promoting services and instructing customers on how to use these services. Services might include e-books, setting up email alerts, databases etc

As a way of recording library meetings and training sessions for part-time employees, casual staff and those who work at branch libraries. It’s a great way to promote knowledge sharing and to ensure that all staff are aware of new developments and changes.

As a way of promoting particular aspects of the library such as children’s services, local studies or the home library service to relevant organisations such as schools, childcare centres, historical groups, community groups, aged cared facilities etc. This would facilitate in the building of valuable partnerships ensuring that public libraries are more engaged with their communities and more knowledgeable about their needs and interests.

As a way of promoting exhibitions for those who can’t attend in person ensuring that exhibitions are promoted  to a wide and diverse audience.

The possibilities are just endless…

Week #8 - Answer boards, social searching

I’ve had mixed reactions to the forums that I have visited over the years. In some cases, I’ve been surprised by the usefulness of the answers particularly if someone provides their personal experiences, makes a recommendation in my area or provides expert/trade knowledge. In other instances, I’ve been very disappointed by the often unintelligible answers. I’ve often found that fellow users are reluctant or can’t be bothered to use peer review tools to rate answers.

I’ve enjoyed the social searching features of online bookstores, various rating systems and comments provided on food and restaurant websites - these tools have influenced my book purchases and where I choose to eat.

It’s really encouraging to read that reference librarians are “slamming the boards” and in doing so, promoting the specialised training of the reference librarian and encouraging users to engage with quality and authoritative tools when attempting to find answers to their questions. More people are going online to find “answers”, so the role of the reference librarian in these forums and answer boards is critically important.

In terms of my organisation, there may be a role for reference librarians to “slam the boards” by “answering” questions posed by our customers. Our “answers” might draw upon our online and print resources available in the library and at home. The answers might also refer to training sessions and other departments within Council.

Customers should have the ability to review and evaluate library services, this is a very important part of service provision. Features such as the ability to review resources within the catalogue and the ability to see items borrowed by other customers might be incorporated into later versions of library catalogues.

Week #5 - Wikis

Wikis are very applicable to my workplace. An intranet based wiki would be a great resource for the information desk staff as it would free up space on the noticeboard and in the communications/day book. The possibilities are endless - but I imagine that it might include information on opening/closing procedures, passwords, databases and troubleshooting issues. It would be a very handy resource for part time and casual staff who may not be in the library on a daily basis or able to attend library meetings.

A wiki would greatly benefit our department. Our department receives queries on a regular basis, some of which are repeated and in terms of their answers, don’t change. A wiki would allow team members to search to see if a query had already been answered and the tools that were used in the answer, to add content (such as answers to new queries) and to edit existing content. A wiki has the potential to reduce the amount of time team members spend on queries and to get an answer to the customer in a more timely manner. It takes the knowledge (and answers) that we have in our heads and documents this information creating a rich resource for other team members and new staff.

I’m keen to raise this with my team,  I'm not sure whether the wikis should be hosted externally or use wiki software on our server. There are other issues requiring thought such as IT considerations, who contributes and edits what information, version control etc.

I looked at a few things on Wikipedia - I found the entries interesting and seemingly accurate but it still bothers me that anyone can create and edit entries.  The Information Today article provides insightful views on academia, Wikipedia and information literary - reference librarians probably have a role to play here too. 

Week #4 - RSS Feeds

I love the way news comes to you! I have used the RSS aggregator, Google Reader, for some time and here are a few RSS feeds that I’ve signed up to:

Top stories - Google
I love food - so SMH’s Table Talk
Powerhouse Museum - Photo of the Day
National Art School
Would love another opportunity to travel - so SMH’s Travel Blog
and a tennis RSS feed.

I have also subscribed to a Google News alert on the library where I work, allowing me to monitor media coverage on the library.

While I found it initially difficult to find RSS feeds, they are very easy to set up using Google Reader.

I love the way that RRS feeds bring tailored information straight to you, saving on hours of crawling the web - although as the feeds are personalised to one’s own interests, I find that I often spend hours reading them!

RSS feeds are a great way for libraries to promote aspects of their collections, services and events. They are also a good resource for Reference Librarians to monitor their library and for complex and ongoing reference queries.

I am finding the CommonCraft explanations really useful - thanks for including these presentations.

Week #3 - Photo Sharing

I am totally new to the world of photo sharing and like others am reluctant to upload pictures of my family but see the benefits of these communities to public libraries. I can see from my searching on Flickr that some libraries have really embraced the world of photo sharing and are using it to promote events such as author talks and Library and Information Week activities.

I recently visited Boston and I just had a trip down memory lane searching using key words such as Red Sox, Back Bay, the Boston Common, Faneuil Hall and Harvard University. There are some beautiful historical photographs of Boston Public Library on Flickr, just search for Boston Public Library in the search field.

Here is a photograph of Central Park, New York, that I uploaded on Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrnnhr/5780027767/in/photostream. I can’t remember its exact location within the park but the picture reminds me of the great time that I had in New York and the beauty of the park in Winter. Although it was such a cold day, the sky is blue and there were many joggers, walkers and tourists enjoying the park.

Off I go to do more exploring on Flickr…

Week #2 - Blogs

Well, here I am writing my first blog entry about my adventures undertaking the NSW Public Libraries Learning 2.0 program.

It was remarkably easy to set up a Gmail account & blog webpage, which was a nice surprise. I’m quite excited about this program and hope that it will give me a better understanding of 2.0 technologies; how other libraries are using these technologies to promote their collections, encourage different user bases and encourage collaboration; and how I might apply what I learn to my workplace.

I was interested to see how the Southern Tablelands Regional Library (STRL) uses blogging to facilitate knowledge sharing of its history, the end result being a knowledge rich resource where staff and users collaborate through comments and questions. Successful blogging challenges the concept of the physical library, removes geographical distance and promotes accessibility. I might spend a bit of time now exploring how other public libraries use blogging to promote their collections and how successful these initiatives have been at promoting collaboration.