Supposedly I can add pictures as well ... Let's try it!
That's Bailey's surprised face because she was sleeping and I woke her up to take a picture :)
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Blogger Mobile App
Just downloaded the mobile app on my iPhone, and trying it out :) seems like a great idea for those blogging on the run!
Supposedly I can add pictures as well ... Let's try it!
That's Bailey's surprised face because she was sleeping and I woke her up to take a picture :)
Supposedly I can add pictures as well ... Let's try it!
That's Bailey's surprised face because she was sleeping and I woke her up to take a picture :)
Friday, April 20, 2012
Counting. Down. The. Days.
No, no, not till my wedding. School is almost out classmates, and while it has been a (mostly) wonderful and fantastic journey ... I am tired. I want to read a book because I want to read a book. I don't want to look at a journal article for at least one month, and I am determined to lose a few brain cells in catching up on my DVR at the end of next week. I feel like there is so much fresh information in my mind, every time I try to talk about a topic, all sorts of things are getting jumbled in as well. My poor professors trying to make sense out of my papers. Lucky for me, I have four classes this semester that all tie in together nicely, so hopefully I don't sound like a raving lunatic too badly.
Gaming in libraries. I will admit, before starting this career path, I could have cared less about video games. My fiance is that crazy guy thats addicted to COD (if you don't know what that is, you don't have a guy in your house that plays video games and I don't feel like it matters what it's called) and stays up playing online with people from all over the world. They talk crazy smack to each other, make fun of each other's friends, mothers and other players, and they all love it.
I sat down a few weeks ago after reading "Everything Bad is Good For You" and explained to my fiance why his video game addiction was good for him. All of a sudden, this librarian thing I had been explaining to him for the last two years seemed like a much cooler profession. He still teases me good-naturedly, but he is thrilled I understand the addiction behind the game, even the "educational" values that he couldn't quite vocalize but sternly believed he was getting. I have even joined in some of the games! I am a much better shot in real life, and thank goodness because if I shot a gun like I do in video games, people would be in trouble!
I think many times ignorance comes from not understanding, or not taking the time to research something (even on a basic level) and not allowing video games in the library is the easy thing to do. It's easy to say no. It's not easy to get the equipment donated, get approval from the board, and convince parents and fuddy-duddy patrons that its okay to let teenagers play video games in the library.
I started to watch the video on Second Life, and this must come from a lack of understanding on my part because I don't get it. Maybe that's because I don't have time to be involved in something like that right now, but I couldn't wrap my head around all the work involved in setting up that sort of system. I know it is an outlet for some people, and we all like different things, I'm just saying that isn't for me. There is a kind of redundancy to it that I can't grasp. I could get used to having my office outside under the tree. Yessirree.
Gaming in libraries. I will admit, before starting this career path, I could have cared less about video games. My fiance is that crazy guy thats addicted to COD (if you don't know what that is, you don't have a guy in your house that plays video games and I don't feel like it matters what it's called) and stays up playing online with people from all over the world. They talk crazy smack to each other, make fun of each other's friends, mothers and other players, and they all love it.
I sat down a few weeks ago after reading "Everything Bad is Good For You" and explained to my fiance why his video game addiction was good for him. All of a sudden, this librarian thing I had been explaining to him for the last two years seemed like a much cooler profession. He still teases me good-naturedly, but he is thrilled I understand the addiction behind the game, even the "educational" values that he couldn't quite vocalize but sternly believed he was getting. I have even joined in some of the games! I am a much better shot in real life, and thank goodness because if I shot a gun like I do in video games, people would be in trouble!
I think many times ignorance comes from not understanding, or not taking the time to research something (even on a basic level) and not allowing video games in the library is the easy thing to do. It's easy to say no. It's not easy to get the equipment donated, get approval from the board, and convince parents and fuddy-duddy patrons that its okay to let teenagers play video games in the library.
I started to watch the video on Second Life, and this must come from a lack of understanding on my part because I don't get it. Maybe that's because I don't have time to be involved in something like that right now, but I couldn't wrap my head around all the work involved in setting up that sort of system. I know it is an outlet for some people, and we all like different things, I'm just saying that isn't for me. There is a kind of redundancy to it that I can't grasp. I could get used to having my office outside under the tree. Yessirree.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Two Weeks ... and Starting to Lose It
Only a couple weeks left of the semester my fellow classmates ... and I will not lie. I am starting to lose it. I have given up all hopes of doing anything for the wedding until April 29th, when I'm done classes. I have 7 projects due in the next two weeks, and it isn't something I could have started earlier, I've been working on them all semester! Ah well, I know I'm not the only one. I just cannot. wait. for. it. to. be. over.
I will be honest - typing this up while at work, because not sure when else I would ever get to it. I started looking at this week's topics, but I cannot watch the video here, so I am exploring the Law Library blog instead. Oh, the goodies I have found there!
If you haven't checked it out yet, my favorite section is under "categories", on the left (the author has started tagging and is considering getting rid of the categories section, but it is still there for now), choose Library Crime. It is fascinating! Apparently someone is looking for videos of "those caught in the library", but it doesn't specify as to what they should have been caught doing. Yummy. Another post tells about a new high school librarian that sold his old unused National Geographic magazines to raise money to buy new computers (plus he put in his OWN money to buy the school computers), and was thereby fired for theft otherwise he would have been charged and lost his job anyway. Soon after this gem, we can read about the child molester that BLAMES THE LIBRARY for ALLOWING him to molest children. They should have prevented him from doing so! Because they did not stop him while he was casing the library, "an innocent boy was victimized as well as the State of Indiana, St. Joseph County, and myself Ladell Alexander," he claimed. Are you serious right now?
Anyway, this blog is definitely worth taking the time to go through because there are some very interesting tidbits along the way! I have a feeling we should be posting about the set up, the tagging, the use of the blog, but I am caught up in the content and having a ball. Forgive me.
As for the article presented to us on privacy in regards to social media, it is an eye-opening avenue of information for me. While I am obviously aware of ALA's stance on privacy for patrons, I have been so focused in most of my classes on using social media for marketing value and to move with the times I honestly haven't taken much consideration about the privacy and profitability aspect for these large corporations, and how it affects the patrons best interest.
Now, I think it is up to the library to establish guidelines when it comes to these prospective 2.0 tools, so how would you let your patrons know that what they contribute to your facebook site or twitter page is not considered "protected", or if, somehow, they are, then what? How do you even accomplish that? Do you assume because your patrons have a Facebook account this means they understand the privacy settings and how they work? Do we educate them if we are using these tools ourselves as librarians? This seems like a pretty sticky area that not many are looking at (at least, not as many as the advocates of use of social media in the library). Thoughts?
I will be honest - typing this up while at work, because not sure when else I would ever get to it. I started looking at this week's topics, but I cannot watch the video here, so I am exploring the Law Library blog instead. Oh, the goodies I have found there!
If you haven't checked it out yet, my favorite section is under "categories", on the left (the author has started tagging and is considering getting rid of the categories section, but it is still there for now), choose Library Crime. It is fascinating! Apparently someone is looking for videos of "those caught in the library", but it doesn't specify as to what they should have been caught doing. Yummy. Another post tells about a new high school librarian that sold his old unused National Geographic magazines to raise money to buy new computers (plus he put in his OWN money to buy the school computers), and was thereby fired for theft otherwise he would have been charged and lost his job anyway. Soon after this gem, we can read about the child molester that BLAMES THE LIBRARY for ALLOWING him to molest children. They should have prevented him from doing so! Because they did not stop him while he was casing the library, "an innocent boy was victimized as well as the State of Indiana, St. Joseph County, and myself Ladell Alexander," he claimed. Are you serious right now?
Anyway, this blog is definitely worth taking the time to go through because there are some very interesting tidbits along the way! I have a feeling we should be posting about the set up, the tagging, the use of the blog, but I am caught up in the content and having a ball. Forgive me.
As for the article presented to us on privacy in regards to social media, it is an eye-opening avenue of information for me. While I am obviously aware of ALA's stance on privacy for patrons, I have been so focused in most of my classes on using social media for marketing value and to move with the times I honestly haven't taken much consideration about the privacy and profitability aspect for these large corporations, and how it affects the patrons best interest.
Now, I think it is up to the library to establish guidelines when it comes to these prospective 2.0 tools, so how would you let your patrons know that what they contribute to your facebook site or twitter page is not considered "protected", or if, somehow, they are, then what? How do you even accomplish that? Do you assume because your patrons have a Facebook account this means they understand the privacy settings and how they work? Do we educate them if we are using these tools ourselves as librarians? This seems like a pretty sticky area that not many are looking at (at least, not as many as the advocates of use of social media in the library). Thoughts?
Friday, April 6, 2012
Yay for YouTube
Let me first start by saying ... 3 more weeks and SCHOOL IS OUT ... forever :o) While I have enjoyed my journey throughout the MLIS degree program ... I will not be too sad to see it go. I think with everything going on this past year, I have just had it. And with my current schedule I am ready to lose it :o) Three more weeks, three more weeks... I'm beat!
So, on to our topics. YouTube. Yay! I like YouTube. I also use it relatively frequently, always on my phone, never on my computer. (I don't sit at my computer often, except at work or to do schoolwork). I use it to catch clips of shows or events I missed (such as an award show performance everyone is talking about), news clips (the stage collapsing on those at the Sugarland concert) or for odd things I hear in the news, like Alicia Silverstone bird-feeding her baby chewed food. Ugh. I also like to look at music videos, or montage clips and jokes people post. It is great for just browsing through, and I love that it is just videos. Some of the short shows people tape themselves are pretty funny as well!
Flickr ... I feel like this is useless if you have a Facebook, or Instagram, or anything like that. How do people keep up on multiple sites that do the same thing? Am I missing something? I also looked at delicious.com, and definitely prefer how Pinterest is set up instead. I tried to do my book review on Delicious.com and got so frustrated I said the hell with it and went to Pinterest. Again, multiple sites that do the same thing - look at goodreads and shelfari. It's all in a person's personal preference for the aesthetics of the site, but what I don't get is how people use ALL of them at the same time!
Can someone enlighten me on that? :o)
So, on to our topics. YouTube. Yay! I like YouTube. I also use it relatively frequently, always on my phone, never on my computer. (I don't sit at my computer often, except at work or to do schoolwork). I use it to catch clips of shows or events I missed (such as an award show performance everyone is talking about), news clips (the stage collapsing on those at the Sugarland concert) or for odd things I hear in the news, like Alicia Silverstone bird-feeding her baby chewed food. Ugh. I also like to look at music videos, or montage clips and jokes people post. It is great for just browsing through, and I love that it is just videos. Some of the short shows people tape themselves are pretty funny as well!
Flickr ... I feel like this is useless if you have a Facebook, or Instagram, or anything like that. How do people keep up on multiple sites that do the same thing? Am I missing something? I also looked at delicious.com, and definitely prefer how Pinterest is set up instead. I tried to do my book review on Delicious.com and got so frustrated I said the hell with it and went to Pinterest. Again, multiple sites that do the same thing - look at goodreads and shelfari. It's all in a person's personal preference for the aesthetics of the site, but what I don't get is how people use ALL of them at the same time!
Can someone enlighten me on that? :o)
Friday, March 30, 2012
Saying "I Do" to Facebook
Before I even begin ... can I just COMPS ARE TOMORROW?!?! Why do I feel like no one made a big deal out of them coming up, and yet our graduation status relies on them? And why am I not too worried? I know it's something we cannot really study for, but I feel like I should be more nervous or something. I'm more worried about getting all my work and projects done on time. Sigh. We shall see what happens tomorrow. Meanwhile, these caramel Cadbury eggs seem to be helping.
So, I went through all the articles we were supposed to read this week, today. I have actually done quite a bit with social media in libraries (mostly public) throughout my two years in the program, so I felt comfortable with most of the stuff on Facebook. The Terrible Two's article was enlightening because while I'm a Facebook aficionado, I had no idea what those terms meant (besides anyone's vague understanding of Web/Library 2.0), though I did recognize them from other discussions and classes. But gosh darn it, I could not remember what any of them meant. AJAX and API's threw me for a loop, but there examples were helpful, and while I understand what a Long Tail is, I don't know if I can articulate it clearly for someone else.
The article on Facebook in Health Libraries was the same information I had read about before (what it is being used for, etc.), but I was surprised that they found 54% of librarians said that FB was not a useful academic tool. That was new, and I tend to disagree. Just getting the word out and being involved in campus life through FB is a useful marketing tool!
The two most surprising things I saw (from the Facebook Friends article/study)
1. That people with more friends on FB have a greater trust for people in general. REALLY? That makes me think people aren't too bright. I have a lot of friends on FB, but that doesn't make me more trusting. Is it our nature? Or does it make them feel closer to those people because they see the ins and outs of their every day lives even if they haven't talked in 20 years? I almost trust people LESS because I see the ridiculousness of some of their every day lives on FB and wouldn't want to have to run into them in real life. Ugh. (Granted, I have defriended a lot of those, and if I don't know you personally (lovely people in this class excluded!), I don't accept friend requests from you. If I didn't talk to you 15 years ago in high school, I don't really care what you are doing now.
Phew. Sorry about that little rant. Sometimes it just comes out :o)
2. The average person on FB has 229 friends. Which, turns out, is pretty accurate in my case. I have a few more now that we have this class, but it seems that's a pretty close figure to where I was. Which makes me think - are there 229 people out there that I want looking at my pictures and my information? Is it people I love to death and I don't get to see all the time? I think it's time to go through my list and evaluate ... I'm curious who is on there!
Which brings us to the topic of privacy ...I think I would rather censor who I am friends with on FB than worry about all the different privacy settings. That also makes me censor what I put ON facebook to begin with. If I'm friends with my boss on Facebook, then no, there will be no drunken pictures posted (I'm not a big drinker, so I don't have any of those, but if I did ... well, you know). I also cannot be bothered with blocking friends from seeing a certain update, or only allowing a select list to see something I posted. If I had to block someone from seeing something then it probably means it would hurt them in some way, or make them angry, or ruin a surprise. So why would I even put it up there to begin with?
Your thoughts? Am I too cynical? I feel like people judge more on FB than they do on Twitter. I'm not sure why, but that 140 characters makes me feel more free than unlimited space and pictures on FB...
So, I went through all the articles we were supposed to read this week, today. I have actually done quite a bit with social media in libraries (mostly public) throughout my two years in the program, so I felt comfortable with most of the stuff on Facebook. The Terrible Two's article was enlightening because while I'm a Facebook aficionado, I had no idea what those terms meant (besides anyone's vague understanding of Web/Library 2.0), though I did recognize them from other discussions and classes. But gosh darn it, I could not remember what any of them meant. AJAX and API's threw me for a loop, but there examples were helpful, and while I understand what a Long Tail is, I don't know if I can articulate it clearly for someone else.
The article on Facebook in Health Libraries was the same information I had read about before (what it is being used for, etc.), but I was surprised that they found 54% of librarians said that FB was not a useful academic tool. That was new, and I tend to disagree. Just getting the word out and being involved in campus life through FB is a useful marketing tool!
The two most surprising things I saw (from the Facebook Friends article/study)
1. That people with more friends on FB have a greater trust for people in general. REALLY? That makes me think people aren't too bright. I have a lot of friends on FB, but that doesn't make me more trusting. Is it our nature? Or does it make them feel closer to those people because they see the ins and outs of their every day lives even if they haven't talked in 20 years? I almost trust people LESS because I see the ridiculousness of some of their every day lives on FB and wouldn't want to have to run into them in real life. Ugh. (Granted, I have defriended a lot of those, and if I don't know you personally (lovely people in this class excluded!), I don't accept friend requests from you. If I didn't talk to you 15 years ago in high school, I don't really care what you are doing now.
Phew. Sorry about that little rant. Sometimes it just comes out :o)
2. The average person on FB has 229 friends. Which, turns out, is pretty accurate in my case. I have a few more now that we have this class, but it seems that's a pretty close figure to where I was. Which makes me think - are there 229 people out there that I want looking at my pictures and my information? Is it people I love to death and I don't get to see all the time? I think it's time to go through my list and evaluate ... I'm curious who is on there!
Which brings us to the topic of privacy ...I think I would rather censor who I am friends with on FB than worry about all the different privacy settings. That also makes me censor what I put ON facebook to begin with. If I'm friends with my boss on Facebook, then no, there will be no drunken pictures posted (I'm not a big drinker, so I don't have any of those, but if I did ... well, you know). I also cannot be bothered with blocking friends from seeing a certain update, or only allowing a select list to see something I posted. If I had to block someone from seeing something then it probably means it would hurt them in some way, or make them angry, or ruin a surprise. So why would I even put it up there to begin with?
Your thoughts? Am I too cynical? I feel like people judge more on FB than they do on Twitter. I'm not sure why, but that 140 characters makes me feel more free than unlimited space and pictures on FB...
Friday, March 23, 2012
Spring ... A Time of New Beginnings!
So ... good news first! I got hired on full-time in the North Kingstown Library :o) Exciting ... I'm filling Maggie's shoes since she is filling Lexi's shoes ... Hope I make her proud! :o)
Bad news next ... I hate cataloging! I had heart palpitations reading the topic titles for this weeks articles, but I persevered and made it through! I think my overall reaction is that it is time the catalogs start to up the ante and are made more user friendly. Like Maggie already blogged about, the OPAC in RI is terrible and not flexible in any way.
I think the goal of the online catalogs now are to be more like search engines, which will also only be helpful if the catalogers "tag" the entries correctly when first setting up the items. It is easy to see how the concept of social tagging can influence an online catalog, and if they are treated similarly, then searching will probably be much easier for the user. Unfortunately, not many people know how to search "properly", therefore no matter what they are using (an OPAC, search engine, or basic info form) they use them the same way. This can make it difficult to use traditional searches because it just won't work.
I'm feeling a bit of relief that my next assignment in all my classes isn't due until April 1st, and even that is a short critique I'm working on with a partner. After that, all hell breaks loose. I think it is in my best interest to start the other projects now ... but where to find the time? I somehow went from being unemployed and being a 25 hour week intern (across 3 libraries) with classes, wedding planning and half-marathon training to working 50 hours a week with 4 classes, wedding planning, and half-marathon training. If my blogs start to sound garbled, my tweets non-existent and my Facebook status' erratic, please forgive me! I will be back to normal by the end of June. :oP
Bad news next ... I hate cataloging! I had heart palpitations reading the topic titles for this weeks articles, but I persevered and made it through! I think my overall reaction is that it is time the catalogs start to up the ante and are made more user friendly. Like Maggie already blogged about, the OPAC in RI is terrible and not flexible in any way.
I think the goal of the online catalogs now are to be more like search engines, which will also only be helpful if the catalogers "tag" the entries correctly when first setting up the items. It is easy to see how the concept of social tagging can influence an online catalog, and if they are treated similarly, then searching will probably be much easier for the user. Unfortunately, not many people know how to search "properly", therefore no matter what they are using (an OPAC, search engine, or basic info form) they use them the same way. This can make it difficult to use traditional searches because it just won't work.
I'm feeling a bit of relief that my next assignment in all my classes isn't due until April 1st, and even that is a short critique I'm working on with a partner. After that, all hell breaks loose. I think it is in my best interest to start the other projects now ... but where to find the time? I somehow went from being unemployed and being a 25 hour week intern (across 3 libraries) with classes, wedding planning and half-marathon training to working 50 hours a week with 4 classes, wedding planning, and half-marathon training. If my blogs start to sound garbled, my tweets non-existent and my Facebook status' erratic, please forgive me! I will be back to normal by the end of June. :oP
Friday, March 16, 2012
Update - Completed Book Review
So, my book review is complete. I will admit I'm a little nervous, as creativity for this type of thing is way out of my norm, but I think it came out pretty decent. I might need to see if I can find a way to add actual tags instead of descriptions, but I think what I need is there for the completed book review. I broke it down into the important sections of the book and reviewed it that way with (hopefully) catchy images for each section of the review.
Jess has so kindly checked my previous link (in the blog post before this one) and it appears to be working fine, even if you don't have a Pinterest account. So exciting!
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's reviews. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, the weather is supposed to be AMAZING next week!
Jess has so kindly checked my previous link (in the blog post before this one) and it appears to be working fine, even if you don't have a Pinterest account. So exciting!
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's reviews. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, the weather is supposed to be AMAZING next week!
Book Review ... Pining for Pinterest
So ... I am 3/4 of the way done with my book review. I have decided to make a "board" on Pinterest and use that as my basis of the review.
The concern I have come up with is that do you have to be on Pinterest to see someone's boards? Here is the link to my board (mind you, my book review is not yet complete!!), but I would appreciate it if someone who does NOT have pinterest takes a look just to see if they can see my board.
If you cannot, I have to figure out a way to do it all over again, I suppose. I hear there is some sort of waiting period to be able to join? Not sure how this all works ...
Check out my (unfinished as of 12:45pm on 3/16) board here!
The concern I have come up with is that do you have to be on Pinterest to see someone's boards? Here is the link to my board (mind you, my book review is not yet complete!!), but I would appreciate it if someone who does NOT have pinterest takes a look just to see if they can see my board.
If you cannot, I have to figure out a way to do it all over again, I suppose. I hear there is some sort of waiting period to be able to join? Not sure how this all works ...
Check out my (unfinished as of 12:45pm on 3/16) board here!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Social Tagging - Somewhat Finally Understood
Ahhh ... so now I think I (kind of) get it. The concept of social tagging always seemed to have sort of eluded me, but with the example of Flickr explained in the article, I get it.
Pinterest is then a social tagging website, is it not? That's my conclusion after reading this week's assignments, and someone please tell me I'm right so I don't lose my mind. I love pinterest, and have actually used it for a multitude of things: craft time ideas for work, wedding ideas, motivational pics and sayings for running/losing weight, etc.I can only get on there once a week (on Fridays) but it works for me.
I'm still slogging through my book for the book review (Everything Bad is Good For You) and while it is very interesting, I am at my wits end trying to think of some creative way to do this book review. I'm hoping once I finish the book some idea will miraculously pop into my head.
Maybe I will do a socially tagged board. Hey, why not? I'll even add some pictures of cheeseburgers for my own rendition of the title :o)
Pinterest is then a social tagging website, is it not? That's my conclusion after reading this week's assignments, and someone please tell me I'm right so I don't lose my mind. I love pinterest, and have actually used it for a multitude of things: craft time ideas for work, wedding ideas, motivational pics and sayings for running/losing weight, etc.I can only get on there once a week (on Fridays) but it works for me.
I'm still slogging through my book for the book review (Everything Bad is Good For You) and while it is very interesting, I am at my wits end trying to think of some creative way to do this book review. I'm hoping once I finish the book some idea will miraculously pop into my head.
Maybe I will do a socially tagged board. Hey, why not? I'll even add some pictures of cheeseburgers for my own rendition of the title :o)
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Librarything, Citulike, & Shelfari
Soo ... trying to get a bit of jump on things this week. A whopping two days early, wow, go me! And on a Sunday night too boot!
I have previously checked out Librarything in the past, and while I liked the setup and get the gist, my heart lies with the shelfari. I love it - you are more than welcome to follow me there if you'd like - you can search now by Twitter accounts or Facebook (my Facebook, for those interested early, is Colleen Cote .. not sure if that will work, but hopefully you can find me!). I love how it is set up, and it is very aesthetically pleasing to me! I also like how they show all alternative cover titles (from old and new printings) so you can choose the exact one you are reading ... OCD I know, but right up my alley!
I have never used Citulike before, but I do enjoy I can sign up through Facebook (I love that option on many websites, makes my life easier!). I wish I could search for connections on there through Twitter, Facebook or email, but I can't and I don't know anyone else on there yet. It seems like a handy reference tool for articles of interest in many things (I chose Education because I wasn't sure what to classify as).
The "everyone's library" is a little insane to take a look at, and wow, do the subjects run the gamut! There are quite a few "library" journals available, and I'm excited to look through them a little more closely when time permits.
This seem like true academic scholarly articles (of course, I have not fully gone through the site in detail) but I'm curious about the reputation of the site? I'm embarrassed to say this is the first I think I've heard of it, though it seems I have seen links for it when doing research. If I understand this correctly, I think I can "bookmark" any article I am reading through one of the little links that show up (such as in Ebsco Host) on the right side of the screen (where you can click the cite button, or the print button, etc.) and it will automatically put it in my library, along with the citation (so awesome).
Am I interpreting this service correctly?
I have previously checked out Librarything in the past, and while I liked the setup and get the gist, my heart lies with the shelfari. I love it - you are more than welcome to follow me there if you'd like - you can search now by Twitter accounts or Facebook (my Facebook, for those interested early, is Colleen Cote .. not sure if that will work, but hopefully you can find me!). I love how it is set up, and it is very aesthetically pleasing to me! I also like how they show all alternative cover titles (from old and new printings) so you can choose the exact one you are reading ... OCD I know, but right up my alley!
I have never used Citulike before, but I do enjoy I can sign up through Facebook (I love that option on many websites, makes my life easier!). I wish I could search for connections on there through Twitter, Facebook or email, but I can't and I don't know anyone else on there yet. It seems like a handy reference tool for articles of interest in many things (I chose Education because I wasn't sure what to classify as).
The "everyone's library" is a little insane to take a look at, and wow, do the subjects run the gamut! There are quite a few "library" journals available, and I'm excited to look through them a little more closely when time permits.
This seem like true academic scholarly articles (of course, I have not fully gone through the site in detail) but I'm curious about the reputation of the site? I'm embarrassed to say this is the first I think I've heard of it, though it seems I have seen links for it when doing research. If I understand this correctly, I think I can "bookmark" any article I am reading through one of the little links that show up (such as in Ebsco Host) on the right side of the screen (where you can click the cite button, or the print button, etc.) and it will automatically put it in my library, along with the citation (so awesome).
Am I interpreting this service correctly?
Friday, March 2, 2012
Blogs Wikis Twitter OH MY
So, I've been reading through some of the other blogs through my google reader feed, and keeping up on some of the conversations through Twitter, and shortly we will all start following each other on Facebook. I have to admit - for class purposes, it all gets confusing. I like the blog for responding to readings, but I think everything else is a little much to follow. I'm slowly sort of phasing out of Facebook (I use it now mostly for picture sharing) and I love my Twitter. I feel like the blog is sort of eh ... maybe if I had a specific thing I was blogging about (like a running blog, or cooking blog, etc.) but I feel like I'm sort of repeating a lot of the same stuff (or sharing the same stuff) through a bunch of different sites. I like using the social media for specific purposes more, such as my friends/followers on Twitter aren't the same people as Facebook, so I think that makes a difference since it's not the same information coming from or going to the same people all the time.
Am I making any sense? Maybe I just haven't gotten the hang of juggling it all yet, or prioritizing properly. I just know I love me some Twitter!
Am I making any sense? Maybe I just haven't gotten the hang of juggling it all yet, or prioritizing properly. I just know I love me some Twitter!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Oh, How Tweet Tweet It Is!
So, let me start off this week's discussion with ...
I LOVE TWITTER. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE TWITTER. LOOOOOOVE TWITTER #crazylady
That being said, let's get down to business!
The LC blogpost is interesting. I am proud to say I actually saw their original tweet about cataloging all tweets first hand when the story first broke. I have mixed feelings on the issue - I don't really think it's a big deal in regards to privacy/access to information. I feel Twitter is a public forum, and if you aren't comfortable with that, then Twitter is not the social media forum for you.
I think Twitter can be VERY useful to libraries and librarians, especially for sharing information and getting ideas. It is a great tool for keeping track of news from the different organizations and upcoming events. I follow a bunch of different librarians, libraries (such as all our local libraries that are on Twitter, including the newly joined Newport Library) as well as large public libraries, such as NYPL. After reading through the uses list of Twitter in the lecture, I think the one that sounds the most odd (or the one I would least ever use Twitter for) is to make lists or reminder notes. Really? Twitter to jot down ideas? I guess ultimately that is what Twitter is, but this just seemed odd.
The guides, studies and tips have some fantastic links, and I can't wait to explore them thoroughly! I didn't know about some of the tools and add-ons, though I did know about the tie-in to Facebook, the locator service, and the search function.
While I am sure we will all be following some similar library/librarian tweeters, here are some of the others I like (purely for personal enjoyment and entertainment)
Whitney Cummings
Pierce Morgan
Howie Mandel
Reach Out and Read
Cox Rhode Races
Runner's World
Chad Ochocinco
Weight Watchers
I LOVE TWITTER. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE TWITTER. LOOOOOOVE TWITTER #crazylady
That being said, let's get down to business!
The LC blogpost is interesting. I am proud to say I actually saw their original tweet about cataloging all tweets first hand when the story first broke. I have mixed feelings on the issue - I don't really think it's a big deal in regards to privacy/access to information. I feel Twitter is a public forum, and if you aren't comfortable with that, then Twitter is not the social media forum for you.
I think Twitter can be VERY useful to libraries and librarians, especially for sharing information and getting ideas. It is a great tool for keeping track of news from the different organizations and upcoming events. I follow a bunch of different librarians, libraries (such as all our local libraries that are on Twitter, including the newly joined Newport Library) as well as large public libraries, such as NYPL. After reading through the uses list of Twitter in the lecture, I think the one that sounds the most odd (or the one I would least ever use Twitter for) is to make lists or reminder notes. Really? Twitter to jot down ideas? I guess ultimately that is what Twitter is, but this just seemed odd.
The guides, studies and tips have some fantastic links, and I can't wait to explore them thoroughly! I didn't know about some of the tools and add-ons, though I did know about the tie-in to Facebook, the locator service, and the search function.
While I am sure we will all be following some similar library/librarian tweeters, here are some of the others I like (purely for personal enjoyment and entertainment)
Whitney Cummings
Pierce Morgan
Howie Mandel
Reach Out and Read
Cox Rhode Races
Runner's World
Chad Ochocinco
Weight Watchers
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Vacation ... and School
Hello, from the lovely Florida Keys! I have spent the last 3 days in Key West, and we are now staying at a family condo in Key Largo. The weather is beautiful - 80's and sunny!! And here I am, on a Saturday morning, on the couch in the AC writing on my blog and trying to catch up on a little school work. Mostly Sakai stuff because I cannot muster up the energy to start writing some papers. Those will have to wait until I am home on Monday night!
My internet has been in and out, so I will be honest; I have not yet read this week's assignments. It appears to be on mobile access and libraries, and I have commented on some other blogs already. I will look at it next week!
Before even reading the articles, I do feel like mobile access is important, and one of the blogs I ready (maybe Kristin's? ahh, I can't remember!) mentioned that even though it is important for libraries to be up to date on the latest technology, they also have to give that technology to the patrons in the form they want - and that includes mobile devices. I couldn't agree with that more!
Adios for now! That pool is calling my name :o)
My internet has been in and out, so I will be honest; I have not yet read this week's assignments. It appears to be on mobile access and libraries, and I have commented on some other blogs already. I will look at it next week!
Before even reading the articles, I do feel like mobile access is important, and one of the blogs I ready (maybe Kristin's? ahh, I can't remember!) mentioned that even though it is important for libraries to be up to date on the latest technology, they also have to give that technology to the patrons in the form they want - and that includes mobile devices. I couldn't agree with that more!
Adios for now! That pool is calling my name :o)
Monday, February 20, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Book Review: Everything Bad is Good For You
Boy, I wish this was true when it came to food :o) I am about a quarter of the way through, and so far the author has talked about gaming and the positive effects it has (much more in depth than just hand/eye coordination levels improving). The book is actually much more technical than I anticpated, and I admit, I tend to glaze over in those spots. I like the gist though, and Johnson explains himself well and has some good ideas.
After skimming through, the other topics are Televsion, the Internet, and Film (all Part I). Part II seems to be more philosophical, talking about a couple of different theories Johnson has come up with that integrates technology and pop culture. I have to admit, I have no idea where to go with the media outlet for my book review. I'm hoping as I read further, some sort of idea will jump out at me!
After skimming through, the other topics are Televsion, the Internet, and Film (all Part I). Part II seems to be more philosophical, talking about a couple of different theories Johnson has come up with that integrates technology and pop culture. I have to admit, I have no idea where to go with the media outlet for my book review. I'm hoping as I read further, some sort of idea will jump out at me!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Blogs Wikis RSS Feeds & Some New Terms I Didn't Know
I was excited to learn two new terms today: folksonomie and AJAX. I don't know if I will ever reference them in conversation again, but it was interesting to know that these terms exist, and what they mean.
I was confused as well, initially, by the seemingly interchangeable use of Web 2.0 tools and Library 2.0 tools. It seems it depended on what article I was reading on which term they used. What I took from this article was that not all Web 2.0 tools are (nor should they be) necessarily Library 2.0 tools. I agreed with the author that only the tools that library and its users NEED should be included. This actually relates back to my literature topic because I will be looking at what users expect out of these tools from the library, therefore essentially finding out what their own needs are as users. The tools can also be what librarians need, such as the possible use of a wiki, for internal communication or a project to be shared amongst staff or a department.
I'm not sure I took away exactly what an RSS feed would do for the library users, so if anyone has any insight on that, please share! I think blogs are a wonderful way to include the community in the technological aspect of the library, and what AADL does is great (especially with patrons being able to see other patrons comments). It really does show respect that you trust your community, and I'm sure there is an option for the administrator to delete comments if they don't. :o)
I was confused as well, initially, by the seemingly interchangeable use of Web 2.0 tools and Library 2.0 tools. It seems it depended on what article I was reading on which term they used. What I took from this article was that not all Web 2.0 tools are (nor should they be) necessarily Library 2.0 tools. I agreed with the author that only the tools that library and its users NEED should be included. This actually relates back to my literature topic because I will be looking at what users expect out of these tools from the library, therefore essentially finding out what their own needs are as users. The tools can also be what librarians need, such as the possible use of a wiki, for internal communication or a project to be shared amongst staff or a department.
I'm not sure I took away exactly what an RSS feed would do for the library users, so if anyone has any insight on that, please share! I think blogs are a wonderful way to include the community in the technological aspect of the library, and what AADL does is great (especially with patrons being able to see other patrons comments). It really does show respect that you trust your community, and I'm sure there is an option for the administrator to delete comments if they don't. :o)
Friday, February 10, 2012
Literature Review
I tried titling this "Literature Review ... Dum Dum Dum", as in that ominous music sound in the background, but figured it just looked liked I was saying it was dumb, so I decided against it.
I digress.
For my literature review topic, I am researching what public library users expect from 2.0 tools. This seems a little broad and I am hoping that I am able to narrow it down a little as I get going on the research, but this is my starting point!
I digress.
For my literature review topic, I am researching what public library users expect from 2.0 tools. This seems a little broad and I am hoping that I am able to narrow it down a little as I get going on the research, but this is my starting point!
I WANT MY PRIVACY!
One of my friends on Facebook (the mother of a 20 year old and a 14 year old) posted this video this morning. It seemed to come at an apt time considering what Boyd said about how teens perceive their privacy on Facebook in regards to their parents. I don't know, maybe this daughter's settings weren't set properly, but her father obviously found her post and from the gunshots I'd say he isn't happy about it.
WARNING - Some mild cuss words are in the video. Don't shoot the messenger.
Let's see if I can figure out how to post this link! ...Upset Dad, Click Here!
Just looking for thoughts and reactions in light of Boyd's commentary
WARNING - Some mild cuss words are in the video. Don't shoot the messenger.
Let's see if I can figure out how to post this link! ...Upset Dad, Click Here!
Just looking for thoughts and reactions in light of Boyd's commentary
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Culture Of Connectivity - Paying Attention & Fighting the Flu
Oomph. What a tough week for a 54:00 minute video to watch :o) I am fighting this virus with all I have, so I am trying to watch the video on one side screen and take notes in my blog so as not to have to retype them all over again. If anything I say comes across as clumsy, misspelled or delirious, I beg your forgiveness. These alka-seltzer tablets are amazing for the drug-like induced sensations I am currently experiencing :o)
First note on video: The first woman to speak encouraged eating and tweeting throughout the entire session. I like.
Notes:
First note on video: The first woman to speak encouraged eating and tweeting throughout the entire session. I like.
Notes:
- Sociological divide - not all kids/students are born equal in digital skills, even at places like Harvard.
- This guys cheeks are super-rosy ... why is that?
- Two approaches: see what sticks, experiments, OR plan goals and work from there. Need a combo.
- Fair amount of data now for use in social and academic contexts (Boyd)
- Locate social media, and what they do, oversight of what they are and how set up
- Repurposed "liking" on Facebook as emotional set up instead of corporate support
- Conversation - social grooming, peripheral awareness (what's for breakfast), not really there
- Social presence expected, old connections, longer connectedness than pre-social media
- Scrapbook of their social lives
- Public Space - Social Space
- Persistance (always online), Replicability (cut & paste), Searchability, Scalability (embarrassing, humiliating, sexual or grotesque)
- Invisible audiences
- Collapsed contexts - lack of boundaries make it difficult to maintain distinct contexts
- Privacy/Publicity - social control - negotiate privacy
- Angelina quote - put out there so can keep close what is really private
- Overuse of pronouns - I know what SHE said
- Search engines - don't know how to make a query, use of copyright
- Wikipedia - amazing opportunity instead of just "bad"
- Process of creation, constant evolution of media literacy
- Social constructs - not everyone gets along
- Teacher Involvement - where does it begin, end or blur? A dance of tango
- Online face is only one facet of that person's story
I really enjoyed listening to Boyd; I found her engaging and funny and did not dread the time of the video once she started her presentation. Certain points really stuck or made me think more about the teens/student in these types of forums.
I found that she encouraged me to think about people on social media in a different light, especially teens, such as what their view of privacy is versus that of their parents. As she quoted Angelina Jolie, she speaks of putting stuff out there so people don't bug you about what you really want to keep private. I like this view, but I can't help but be a bit skeptical. If people are throwing what they want out their to keep their REALLY private stuff private, I cannot even begin to imagine what they are hiding!
I could also appreciate her comments on teacher/professor involvement with students in the social media constructs. None of the social media sites were around when I was in high school so it wasn't as much a concern then, but now I find I am friends with a couple of professors on Facebook, and the experience can be strange. There is a line there that seems odd since we are similar in age, areas of origin, etc., but I feel there should be a divide (until graduation possible, when we could be considered colleagues?) I always feel that even when we are apparent "equals" I am always the student and they are always the professor (respect, or need for a therapy session? who knows) ... the same could be said between the boss/worker relationship and their social media use.
I could comment on every point she made, but this is already quite lengthy due to my bulleted list of notes during Boyd's presentation. I will leave them up as a gracious token of support for those that may have not made it through the entire video ;o)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Week #2 - Evolution/Revolution Pros/Cons Old/New
Evolution or Revolution?
This article has been especially helpful in terms of articles for my literature review!
Basically, this article summarizes a few different points of view that surround the concept of 2.0 tools:
- Revolutionary (what a brand new idea!)
- Evolutionary (we are expanding upon the basics, such as email is the same as letters and posts, just electronic)
- Miserable attempt at change (we fail to meet the users needs and expectations)
- Nothing unique about it - it is just another change, and has been met like any other changes in the past. Deal with it and move on!
I'd like to think it's somewhat evolutionary, with revolutionary ideas built in. I don't think it's a miserable attempt at change, but we do need to recognize what the users needs and expectations are and make sure we adapt to them! (The article also addresses some main principles of 2.0 tools, which are quite similar to the concept of a library in general; the library is everywhere, has no barriers, invites participation, and uses the best of a flexible breed of systems)
Pro's & Con's of Social Networking
I really appreciated how this article was set up, and loved the individual thoughts surrounding the issue. I agree the concept of social media is pretty "value neutral", so those using that particular media can express whatever views suit them (usually causes controversy, but that seems part of the point of their posts). I found it interesting that one of the quotes (and I apologize for lack of names, I forgot to jot them down when taking notes) suggested that young users can tell the fake posts, or scam, from the real ones, and the older generations probably take everything as truth. Sort of a "it's in print it must be true" ideal.
Lisa Barone did state that she does not think social media is just a fad, and I agree. I think it is here to stay, though the format and sites may change, the concept will be around forever (sort of an evolution of the newspaper!)
Old Media/New Media
This article addresses how blogs and social media relate and differ from traditional press. The statistics were pretty interesting, such as 50% of people rely on others they know for most of their news and information updates. I also found it amazing how all of the social media outlets utilize different types of news for their forums. Bloggers tend to be more emotional/social, Twitter has a lot of breaking news and stuff that does not get in the mainstream news (either at all or for at least a week), and YouTube is considered very serediptious(sp?) The attention spans are brief of those using social media and I even find myself switching between apps to stay updated and see what is going on. I have a horrible habit of checking Twitter at 2am when I wake up for a bathroom break (did I just admit that?)
This article has been especially helpful in terms of articles for my literature review!
Basically, this article summarizes a few different points of view that surround the concept of 2.0 tools:
- Revolutionary (what a brand new idea!)
- Evolutionary (we are expanding upon the basics, such as email is the same as letters and posts, just electronic)
- Miserable attempt at change (we fail to meet the users needs and expectations)
- Nothing unique about it - it is just another change, and has been met like any other changes in the past. Deal with it and move on!
I'd like to think it's somewhat evolutionary, with revolutionary ideas built in. I don't think it's a miserable attempt at change, but we do need to recognize what the users needs and expectations are and make sure we adapt to them! (The article also addresses some main principles of 2.0 tools, which are quite similar to the concept of a library in general; the library is everywhere, has no barriers, invites participation, and uses the best of a flexible breed of systems)
Pro's & Con's of Social Networking
I really appreciated how this article was set up, and loved the individual thoughts surrounding the issue. I agree the concept of social media is pretty "value neutral", so those using that particular media can express whatever views suit them (usually causes controversy, but that seems part of the point of their posts). I found it interesting that one of the quotes (and I apologize for lack of names, I forgot to jot them down when taking notes) suggested that young users can tell the fake posts, or scam, from the real ones, and the older generations probably take everything as truth. Sort of a "it's in print it must be true" ideal.
Lisa Barone did state that she does not think social media is just a fad, and I agree. I think it is here to stay, though the format and sites may change, the concept will be around forever (sort of an evolution of the newspaper!)
Old Media/New Media
This article addresses how blogs and social media relate and differ from traditional press. The statistics were pretty interesting, such as 50% of people rely on others they know for most of their news and information updates. I also found it amazing how all of the social media outlets utilize different types of news for their forums. Bloggers tend to be more emotional/social, Twitter has a lot of breaking news and stuff that does not get in the mainstream news (either at all or for at least a week), and YouTube is considered very serediptious(sp?) The attention spans are brief of those using social media and I even find myself switching between apps to stay updated and see what is going on. I have a horrible habit of checking Twitter at 2am when I wake up for a bathroom break (did I just admit that?)
Friday, January 27, 2012
Week #1 Readings: Library 2.0 Webology ~ Blogging & Libraries
Week one readings complete! I always feel better when I get something accomplished :o)
The first reading (Library 2.0 Webology) was a little torturous to read. I was not fond of the tone of the study and just did not care for the style it was written in at all. After slogging through, I got the gist that the author is quite skeptical of the 2.0 phenomenon and seemed a little uppity in his (?) descriptions. I am not sure if there is a translation problem, since the article came from Hungary, or if I am just being overly critical myself.
Anyway, he goes on to discuss his opinion (with some back up articles cited) that there is an important difference in the use of 2.0 tools for professional and amateur level applications, primarily cited between public (amateur) and academic (professional) libraries. He believes libraries should be very critical of 2.0 applications, which I agree with, but I think they should be critical of which ones are used, not if they are used at all (unless your audience does not utilize digital systems, then it obviously does not make any sense to use them). The article also states that they do not know the long term effects of 2.0 on libraries (2007). I think we can now agree that they are here to stay - the forum may change, but the idea isn't going anywhere.
I did appreciate the attempt to distinguish between information literacy and digital literacy, and that statement that all sorts of librarians should be responsible for instruction of both.
The second reading (Blogging & Uses in Libraries) was far more helpful, especially for those that are new to blogging and social media. It clearly explained what blogs are, where they started, and their best uses. Blogs in libraries were discussed in detail, and especially how they can best be utilized. There is also a great link included (http://blogsearch.google.com) that helps people to search for blogs like they would search for a webpage!
This is my first attempt at blogging, so even writing this post seemed fairly difficult. I'm not confident about the length of the post and how long it is before someone gets bored reading! It is also very easy to ramble and not gather all my thoughts before I start!
The first reading (Library 2.0 Webology) was a little torturous to read. I was not fond of the tone of the study and just did not care for the style it was written in at all. After slogging through, I got the gist that the author is quite skeptical of the 2.0 phenomenon and seemed a little uppity in his (?) descriptions. I am not sure if there is a translation problem, since the article came from Hungary, or if I am just being overly critical myself.
Anyway, he goes on to discuss his opinion (with some back up articles cited) that there is an important difference in the use of 2.0 tools for professional and amateur level applications, primarily cited between public (amateur) and academic (professional) libraries. He believes libraries should be very critical of 2.0 applications, which I agree with, but I think they should be critical of which ones are used, not if they are used at all (unless your audience does not utilize digital systems, then it obviously does not make any sense to use them). The article also states that they do not know the long term effects of 2.0 on libraries (2007). I think we can now agree that they are here to stay - the forum may change, but the idea isn't going anywhere.
I did appreciate the attempt to distinguish between information literacy and digital literacy, and that statement that all sorts of librarians should be responsible for instruction of both.
The second reading (Blogging & Uses in Libraries) was far more helpful, especially for those that are new to blogging and social media. It clearly explained what blogs are, where they started, and their best uses. Blogs in libraries were discussed in detail, and especially how they can best be utilized. There is also a great link included (http://blogsearch.google.com) that helps people to search for blogs like they would search for a webpage!
This is my first attempt at blogging, so even writing this post seemed fairly difficult. I'm not confident about the length of the post and how long it is before someone gets bored reading! It is also very easy to ramble and not gather all my thoughts before I start!
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