week 9 Podcasts and audio

Podcasting is another tool that libraries have already embraced and seem to be developing. I see suggestions from others on using them to distribute author talks, storytimes, training, book club meetings, etc. I can see that they allow staff and the public a chance to experience events/training at the library when they may not be able to make it into the library because of various reasons.

I know our library has Royal Blind Society volunteers who read the local paper onto cassette, perhaps in the future this could be a podcast from the library website for everyone to enjoy. Also perhaps library meetings could be podcasted for remote locations, or sick staff rather than having to read the minutes.

IT Restrictions could be a problem though as I was unable to access this at work due to recent downloading restrictions because of a virus attack on council.

week 8 Answer boards and social searching

This is another application that I have often looked at and used but never thought of in a library environment and it was an eye opener.

I know many libraries have ask a librarian spots on their websites that patrons can email questions and I see this as another way of doing that but with the added bonus of input from the public as well. This could be in the form of helping with the question but also in the feedback. How often have we helped someone and thought I wonder how they went or did those books really help and could I have done better. Answer boards enable you to get that feedback and help you improve your skillset.

I can also see answer boards helping library staff gain some experience and improve their skills. A library could use answer boards to hone and improve the skills and knowledge of their staff (Preparation for those tricky questions always sent to the reference staff as well as practice at getting to the information faster which another blogger mentioned in their comments) Something to think about

Also I had fun with answering the questions and I'm curious how my answers will be received.

Week 10 Mashups

I must admit it took me a while to get my head around mashups. It took quite a lot of searching all the different websites to get a feel for how it would be useful in a library environment. I could see how the maps/images etc worked but stuggled with how it could be used

Week 7 Tagging

I found this very interesting. I had very briefly looked at most of these sites but on actually exploring them I found a lot of things I did not know and saw how useful they could be. An excellent way of keeping all your blogs/bookmarks centrally so you can access them anywhere. Also to be able to have videos etc there as well was excellent. And of course being able to see what other have done is also very handy. I had used library thing before but really was surprised at how much more it can be used for.

My library thing page is here and it was a fun exercise to add books (and very easy). Took me a while to add it in but I decided to go with it on the sidebar with a search. Good fun and interesting to see what others thought about the books on the booklist. Also very interesting and useful to be able to link all these things back to your blog. Those libraries with book clubs could find this very handy.

Week 6 videos online

On to week 6 and videos online. I was aware of youtube and had seen many instances of videos being embedded in blogs, websites, etc. Again though I was surprised by the different applications and roles that video plays and could play in the library environment.



Being able to follow the progress of a new library building (some libraries use blogs and photographs) but this opens this up to a whole new level. Also documenting author visits and events in the library and being able to share it with others who could not be there or as a promotional tool. Also being able to show patrons (or new staff) an introductory video to the library would also be very beneficial. One example of campbelltown libraries use of video and youtube is below




Again I guess the possibilities are endless and we should be aware of these things when we are looking at any events, etc in the library where we could use these things

Week 5 Wikis

I am now up to week 5 and Wikis. I have, of course, seen wikipedia but it was very interesting to see the variety of Wikis out there and what they could be used for in a library environment. A lot of sites have booklists and subject guides which a wiki would be very useful for as well as Schools/Universities who not only have course information on the Wiki but also Publish the assignements on there for everyone to see. I had not realised what a good planning tool it could be as it is much more efficient than email. For planning events across library services as well as within libraries. It also provides a good option for an intranet specific to the library and allows collaboration and ease of use. I think wikis really are underused and a great alternative to other ways of sharing information. While I found many wikis interesting and informative my personal favourite has to be wookiepedia (No need for all those character guides in your library this has it all and more)

Week 4 RSS

On to week 4 and RSS feeds. I have used RSS feeds before to get the latest sports scores, etc but found it interesting to use programs that I had not used before. Bloglines was good and although I think I prefer google reader it was good to use something different. Also using RSS for blogs was something I had not considered but can see the use for libraries.

It allows you to keep up to date with developments/changes on blogs and I liked the idea of getting the latest ones. Some blogs change regularly and others that have upcoming events you want to be aware of so it makes this process easier. This combining of information is at the heart of what many of our library users are looking for.

Being able to keep up to date with assignment blogs, events in the library as well as having a RSS feed for new additions to the library catalogue all in Google reader makes many library users very up to date and helps when planning events and looking for ways to promote things. It really brings home how interconnected things are these days and shows not only that using these technologies is important for libraries but also that using them effectively and not efficiently can really help libraries short on staff and time market themselves and their libraries to their maximum potential

Lesson 2 Flickr

I found the Flickr lesson very interesting and can see a lot of uses and possibilities for libraries to use this. I found some old displays that had previously been in the library as well as photos of events and projects done in libraries, art centres, etc. This could be very useful.





http://http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=campbelltown+library&m=text








This is one of the displays held in the library. I am familiar with adding links but not adding pictures but this was not a problem either.







Overall I found this very interesting

Start of the library 2.0 journey

I thought I would start by answering the questions posed on the introduction to the library 2.0 program

What do you hope to learn from the program?

I have some knowledge of many of the topics listed in this program but I would like to see where the gaps are and to learn more about using them for both my professional duties as well as personal. I think it is very important for everyone in the library industry to embrace this technology and the way our library patrons use it

What do you think about Lifelong Learning?

I believe if we do not always strive to learn more about what our community is doing then we will find ourselves out of touch with them and not delivering the services and assistance that is required. If we wish to do our jobs at the best of our ability then we must learn continually. It's also a fantastic opportunity to connect with others not only in our idustry but from all over the world

What other blogs have you discovered? What do you like about them?

I have seen and used a number of different blogs. I like the information that can be constantly updated on these blogs as the newest one just keeps being added. I also like the interactivity that can happen when blogs are used to share ideas and thoughts and provoke discussion

Can you see a use for blogs inside the Library?

Many many libraries use blogs and the library I am connected to has several that are used for specific purposes as well as general information. Blogs are a chance for staff to not only inform and disseminate information but also to interact with those that are using the information