Tea & Needles

24th Thing

2007-12-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

Revolution OS
Since I watched this movie before Christmas, I am trying to remember what I saw...

Well, I must say I learned a lot about people who spend lots of time locked away with computers for decades at a time. However, I won't spend any more time on that.

After watching this movie, I feel that I have a much better understanding of how long it takes to come up with computer software that we take for granted every day. Also, I was made aware of the different opinions on whether software should be available for everyone to use, or whether it should be made available for purchase only. I'm sure its a topic that will be discussed for many more years to come. It should be interesting to see how things may change 20 years from now, or how software will evolve, or maybe there won't be something called "software". Who knows?

The End is Near

2007-11-05T17:16:00.001-08:00

...only for completing 23 Things, luckily.
Okay, I finally made it-I'm done!!I have really enjoyed learning most of the Things, especially the fun ones, like Meez, YouTube, and Flickr. I can't say I'll be using all of the things I learned every day, but it is great to know they're out there. I need to keep up on things also, so I'll know what my kids are doing on the computer when they get a little older. :) The Things I learned have already helped me understand a little bit better what a lot of people use our computers for-they're not just for the catalog anymore. It's always good to keep up with the young people, it helps keep you young yourself. Who knows what libraries will be like in 20 years, but I hope I'm still learning new technology then.

I'm Almost Done!

2007-11-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

Since I have dial-up at home, I have not tried downloading audiobooks yet. I have helped a few customers who have tried to do it from OverDrive or NetLibrary, and I understand the process, but waiting hours and hours for something to download at home has not been one of my favorite things to do. So, I think the idea of it is great, but only if you have the fastest connection. It's something I'll keep in mind for when we do eventually get a faster internet connection.

Podcasting

2007-11-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

Sounds like some kind of alien thing...
I liked Yahoo Podcasts the best; it seemed easier to find what I was looking for. I was able to find one of the author Elizabeth Berg, reading the first chapter of one of her novels, and also an interview with Khaled Hosseini, on writing A Thousand Splendid Suns.

You Tube

2007-11-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

This site is so much fun, I can see how you can get sucked into watching a lot of videos. I wonder how much this affects work productivity? Here's one of my favorites below...

The Muppet Show - Mahna Mahna (better copy)

2007-11-01T13:11:00.001-07:00

The Muppets-do you love them as much as I do?

Web 2.0 Awards

2007-11-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

I looked at a bunch of different sites on this list, but the last one I looked at was Etsy. Being a long-time crafter, I was interested right away in the pictures, categories of searching, and ease of sorting your results. This particular web site is great for people who make all kinds of items and want to sell them on the internet. It's also great for other crafters who are looking for ideas, colors, patterns, etc. As far as how it could be applied in a library setting, I'm not sure yet... I think pictures draw people in, so more pictures are always good. I know we now have pictures of book jackets in Aquabrowser, which really helps when a student, for example, needs a certain edition of a book and they only know what the cover looks like. If I just were to look in Horizon, I would have no way to find the correct book. I used a picture just the other day to find a certain classic title that a student needed, because that was the one they were reading in school.

Zoho

2007-11-01T09:23:00.001-07:00

This was a lot of fun. I made a new document using Zoho Writer, and found that most of the same functions I use in Open Office are also easy to find in Zoho. I like that fact that I can log in from home and make changes, without having to send the document as an attachment through my e-mail. I think the sharing function will also be useful when coworkers and I need to work on a document together. I will definitely recommend this to others.

Sandbox

2007-10-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

I was expecting more, for some reason. I don't see how it's as fun as a real sandbox...no sand, and no sand castles...

Wiki Wiki

2007-10-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

I like the idea of wikis. I just found one called LyricWiki.org, which is great for finding lyrics to songs you might be looking for. Anyway, as far as libraries go, I think wikis are on the horizon for many. What a great place for customers to also participate in something like readers' advisory--they can add their own reviews for books and movies that other customers might be looking for. Since lots of customers read far more books than I can, it could also be a place where customers recommend books to us, share their favorites, and feel like they have more of a part in our great library system.

Library 2.0

2007-10-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

As I was discussing this with some coworkers recently, I thought about how much the library has changed since I was a kid (not back in the dark ages, but long enough ago). Back then, my friends and I waited for the bookmobile to come visit us in our neighborhood, and we couldn't wait to climb the steps into the cool, air-conditioned room and choose some new books to read. If we did travel to the library, we had to be quiet (!) and there were no computers.

I'd say things have definitely changed. And things will still change in the library, because the world is changing. How many of us see kids text-messaging each other, when we ourselves wonder, "why don't they just talk into the phone, isn't that what it's for?" Those of us who have worked in libraries for a long time sometimes forget that what we are used to, is not always what is the best. Maybe there's a better way to get information out to people. I, for one, know that even people in my family, who should know better, are not aware of what the library has to offer. They may travel to the library to check out books, and possibly renew their books from home on-line, but other than that, I don't think they know much about what's available to them from home, in the library, or where they work.

We need to think of new ways to get the information out there. And I do think that libraries need to stay on top of technology, offer customers ways of tagging and giving more input on library catalogs, and be able to write reviews for books they've read, as they can on amazon.com, for example.

Playing Tag

2007-10-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

I learned lots about tags and tagging on del.icio.us and Technorati. I liked the concept of del.icio.us, since I use different computers throughout the day, and having access to my book marks from any of them will be helpful. I never remember what I've already bookmarked, and having it available from home, work, and wherever I can access a computer is an advantage.

I don't see myself using Technorati that much, though, because I don't think I can keep up with lots of other blogs. The tags are a good idea, because as we know in the library world, people do not always think of the same subject headings to look up, so it gives a lot more opportunity for someone to find what they're actually looking for. It's good to know how the tags work, though-I really do think it's a great idea.

Rollyo

2007-10-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

Exploring this concept was interesting. I can see how many people might use this tool to narrow down their search for something in particular. However, having worked in the library for a long time, I don't feel the need for something like this. Here's the search engine I came up with:

Amazing Violinist

2007-09-13T10:54:00.001-07:00

He's not going to play what you would expect...

I Love Library Thing

2007-09-13T09:49:00.001-07:00

What can I say? I love the pictures, especially. Anything to add some dimension to an otherwise boring bunch of text. I added about 17 titles so far, but I need to catch up. I'll have to see how long it takes me to get to 200. Pretty neat, though. This way I have access from any computer.

The 1950's Me

2007-09-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

I always thought I should have been born in a different decade since I'm so old-fashioned, so here I am in a 50's diner, drinking a Coke (it should have been a Diet Coke, but I didn't see one in the list of choices).

Blogs, blogs, and more blogs!

2007-09-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

All of these tools like technorati and feedster helped me find some blogs I could be interested in, but after reading through a bunch of them, my head is starting to hurt! If I had the time and inclination to sit in front of a computer all the time, then I can see how maybe I would want to subscribe to a lot more feeds, but for now, I think I have seen enough. There's only so much information I can keep in my head at one time anyway...

RSS Feeds and Bloglines

2007-09-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

Having already been introduced to RSS feeds in a training here at the library, this information was not new to me. However, I hadn't used Bloglines to subscribe to feeds; I used My Yahoo, since I had a Yahoo account already. It was easy to sign up to use Bloglines, they just ask for an e-mail account and password, which is really nice, because I don't like having to sign my whole life away just to get some information on the internet.

Anyway, I learned how to subscribe to RSS feeds from some interesting sites; I just hope I remember to log in and read them! I think our library is already providing lots of great information for customers who already know about RSS feeds, so we're already on the cutting edge...

Technology

2007-09-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

After exploring technology so far, I have to say I could get into a site like Flickr. I haven't shared any photos online yet, but I think it would be great to be able to do that. So much easier and faster than going to have your pictures printed out, then remembering who wanted copies of which one, etc. etc... Of course, I would still have to do it the old fashioned way for those in my family who do not, and will not ever, own a computer.

Mashups...

2007-09-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

I had fun playing with mashups. I found one called Lunchbox, where I could put in my zip code and find reviews on local restaurants. Pretty neat, except I don't eat out much, so I can't see using that very often. But I could refer someone to it, now that I know about it.

And I played around with Spell With Flickr, which was fun, but I don't see a real use for it. I think I could spend a lot of time playing around with all of these things, but as for how it would help me in real life, I don't really know...

Flickr

2007-08-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

Mmmmmm! Chocolate!!

I did some searching on Flickr and learned you can do a search for pictures that are available for use with no copyright issues. So here's one from Flickr that caught my attention.

I haven't ever used a site like this before and found it very interesting. However, I don't know that I would use it in real life. I don't spend much time using the computer at home, since I use it all day at work, but I can see how it would be very popular.

7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners

2007-08-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

I think I've always been a lifelong learner...I believe that every day I learn something new. Probably the hardest habit for me is to view problems as challenges. I tend to worry first, then realize that I can handle it (much later). As far as the easiest habit, of course I would say "play"! I try to follow my kids' lead and remember to always find time to play-it keeps us young!

First Post

2007-08-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

I have just registered my blog and hope to be on my way!