This has inspired me to start thinking……how can I be an entrepreneur….within the library or outside?
Wild about the Wild Card
Before I go into what I think about web 2.0, let me thank whoever was the “instructor” for the Wild Card Week and added Todoist to the overview. Oh My Gosh – FABULOUS! In the spirit of 2.0-ing, I was trying to use Google docs to create and keep up a To Do list at home, work, wherever, but left it during my vacation and haven’t gone back to it. I had to create a new document every day, add things from the day before I didn’t do, etc. etc. etc. Too much work than it was worth. I’ve also tried to use Lotus Notes at work, but it is slooooooooow and I don’t particularly care for the format.
Todoist may now become my new best friend. Admittedly, I just signed up today and I do tend to get overly excited about these things up front – but it seems simple to create and I don’t have to reenter tasks every day, it plugs in to Firefox, which I use at work and home, and I can easily keep it open on my computer screen when I have my browser open, so its a visual reminder at all times – like the notebook I keep sitting on my desk next to my computer to check throughout the day.
So – about Web 2.0 – it ain’t going anywhere and I’d rather be involved and knowledgeable about the applications and tools – both with regard to how they might be appropriate as library tools and just in general – I never like to be put on the spot by someone, and our library users know and will know about all this stuff – there is no doubt about that! We need to be where our public is. Yes, they are coming to the library itself, they are enjoying our buildings and collections as a community center, and entertainment venue and a resource for information, but they are also online – for community/social purposes, for entertainment, and for information – and we need to be too. On the professional/work side of things, I find the networking, information sharing, communications possibilities limitless. I am now in conversation with librarians, professionals, and friends from around the globe on topics that are pertinent to my work and life – this will help me do a better job, it will help raise the visibility of libraries and of our library – and it’s FUN!
I plan to keep this blog up. If you’re interested – keep checking back!
Pod, Vod, and You
I’m on iTunes, I have subscribed to many, many Podcasts over the years – and I NEVER listen to them! I’m not sure why, it seems like such a good thing. I’m an NPR junky and often have the radio playing at home. I thought that having podcasts targeted at the topics I’m particularly interested in would be a good substitute for that, but it appears I like to have it on more as background noise (and to perhaps have a few things sink in) rather than to have on something I feel I should really listen to.
But, I digress….we’re not here to talk about that! I have to admit that I get a little overwhelmed searching for podcasts and vodcasts. Perhaps its because I started the assignment without having anything specific in mind. So, I did as I often do in the book store, the movie shop, the music store – I end up browsing because I can’t remember a dang thing I wanted to read/see/hear. Until I get my iPhone where I can call up the list of things I want to read/see/hear on my Google Docs site….I tend to wander. Which can be fun. I found library stuff, NPR stuff, training for a marathon stuff, and LOTS of Obama today!
With YouTube, I’m a late adopter. If I’m looking for something specific, I like it, but I just haven’t found myself that interested in browsing YouTube – I just don’t get that excited about the random things people put together. I have used it to search for demonstrations of how to do certain exercises or how to do certain crafty things.
As for the Library and Pods, Vods, and YouTubes……CCCL does storytime podcasts and for the Reading Festival we posted an author interview that was great! I see vodcasts and YouTube videos as tremendous marketing/publicity opportunities for us in the future – to make great events that we do in our libraries available online to a much wider audience, and to raise our visibility in Library Land. They’re great formats for creating community participation – through video contests, etc. We’ve done that at CCCL and, as the YouTube assignment showed, so have other libraries!
…..a few days later
Well, it took me a few days, but I have finally made it back to my Social Networking assignment for Week 8. I responded to the Library 2.0 post about pitching 2.0 to staff and I took a gander at other Ning networks that might be interesting to our CCCL community. The two things I thought of right off the bat were 1) a Book Club network for folks who want to be in a virtual book group. This could be targeted to certain age groups, focused on genres – anything, really. 2) The Government Documents Network, which, admittedly is a library staff network, but has great implications for how we might be able to use 2.0 applications with the public to communicate/share/make available government information as we move toward a more online-social environment.
Extra Credit – I joined the following groups……Public Libraries 2.0, Creative Librarians, Adult Library Programs & Services, and Library Leadership.
Bonus – I may have already mentioned this, but I created a network for Orinda Library staff a while back. Does that count?
On to Week 9…..
I’m baaaaack…..and socializing with a vengeance!
Been on vacation – 2 whole weeks (I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before!) Am feeling very behind the game, spent hours sifting through emails, emails and more emails today. I am now currently halfway through the Week 8 Social Networking assignment.
A couple months ago Cia Court talked about Ning at a Monthly Manager’s meeting. I was inspired. I created a network for the Orinda Library (I skipped straight to bonus points for this assignment – without even knowing it!).
This evening, I joined the Library 2.0 network, invited 2 friends, but will save my forum commenting until tomorrow. I have to admit, I spent too much time socializing on Facebook this evening to have the energy for more!
If you are on Facebook, I invite you to search for me and add me as a friend.
RSS……
Bloglines and I have been friends for a very long time. I use it mostly for work-related blogs and check it fairly often. I don’t use it much at home, though – I prefer to browse actual websites when there.
So – already having an account and knowing how to add a feed, this was a pretty easy exercise for me. I added Orinda Events – we’ve got a lot of Toddler Lapsits coming up! and then put the list of new DVDs on. I then did a special search for New World War II Historical Fiction. The first two feeds I deleted – I hope I know what all is happening at my library without the Bloglines reminder!!! But the list of new items that are specific to a personal interest – that’s something I want to keep! I hadn’t realized we had that option!
A week or so ago, while playing on my blog, I figured out how to add an RSS feed to my page (look on the left-hand side, under my photos). I went ahead and added a few of those that I have on Bloglines and read regularly. I have to say, though, that I still automatically go to my bookmarks for my Bloglines page to get to them, rather than opening up my blog and going from there. Old habits……
Can’t put it off any longer……
It’s 30 minutes until I leave for the weekend……..and I haven’t posted to my blog once this week! It’s now or never!
And to think, I actually signed up on Meebo at about 9am on Monday – I swear! I’ve had it on most of the week, but haven’t actually communicated with anyone via IM the whole time. Although that is more my fault than anyone else’s, as I’ve only added 2 people to my buddy list and more often than not, they’re out on the floor helping the public rather than sitting behind their computer like me.
So [[insert obvious uses for IM as a reference tool here]]. I see others’ point about a customer being able to see library staff working (or not working, or not visibly working) on their IM’d request and the implications of all that. I also think that there might be a person here and there that just won’t ask for help in person, for whatever reason. Might not happen often, but if we have a tool to help that person, too – all the better! It does call in to mind the issue of priorities when working on the desk 1) customers in person, 2) telephone calls, 3) IM??? Customer Service meets multitasking -to the extreme!
Google on…..
I’ve realized three uses so far for Google Docs…..and had a couple other thoughts….
Uses:
1) I’ll reiterate the benefit given by whoever is the MyWeb 2.0 Leader this week – customers being able to print word docs that they bring in on a USB from the Internet computer. I haven’t actually done it yet with anyone – but definitely see the usefulness.
2) Committee work – anyone who works on a committee knows that it can get confusing sometimes – where to save the documents you’re currently working on with other members – the Sdrive? Staffnet? Back and forth in personal folders – and be sure to keep track of which version is most recent! When working behind the scenes to create documents or to collaborate on What Needs to be Done lists, etc. – use Google docs, invite the appropriate people to collaborate.
3) My own To Do Lists — my mind is always, always, always going and I love to make lists so those many thoughts and ideas make it with me to the appropriate time and place for them to be useful! I’m also trying to cut down on the number of notebooks I buy and the amount of waste I create making these myriad lists. Recently, I’ve begun turning my computer on at home while getting ready in the morning, opening a New email message, keeping it open as I get ready and making a list to capture all the things I want to address at work. When I’m at work, I make a similar list in my organizer of all the things I want to do that day in my personal life. My plan now is to create a To Do list every morning in Google Docs that I can access from home and from work and have one list (one big list, I’m sure) every day to keep an eye on!
Thoughts:
I was hoping this would be a good way to share publicity flyers with people in the library and outside, particularly flyers created in Publisher. We only have 2 computers with Publisher in our library and many staff end up using Word to create flyers because the competition for the Publisher computers is high. Also, I/we get and send Publisher documents via email for someone to review, but they can’t even be opened to be looked at unless at one of the Publisher comupters. Unfortunately, it doesn’t accept Publisher docs for upload yet. Maybe in the future??
My family is on the run….
….in a good way!!
[Full disclosure – this post is in no way library-related. If you wish to stop reading now, I won’t hold it against you!]
I am currently training to run the Nike Half-Marathon in San Francisco on October 19th. My aunt, Alice, is also training to run the Nike Half-Marathon. My brother, Chris, is showing us both up by training to run the full Nike Marathon (that’s 26.2 miles folks!). I’m not affiliated with any group – just doing this one on my own – but Alice & Chris are both running with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.
We’re all running, and they’re fundraising, in honor of my parents, Mick & Gloria Gick, both of whom have struggled with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. While my mom has been in remission and doing well for quite some time (thank goodness), my dad died this April after a valiant nine-year battle with the cancer. Raising money to help LLS is one of the things we felt we could do to help find treatments and cures so others won’t have to face the same loss in the future.
I’ve run with Team in Training before – they’re a terrific organization and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is simply fantastic. But this time around I’m taking the easy route (trust me, the running is much easier than the fundraising) and I thought the least I could do to help Chris in his efforts was to post his TnT website here. If anyone feels so inclined (and please don’t feel in any way obligated), donations to his fundraising efforts would be gratefully accepted.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
cgick 