Well, here is the final ‘thing’. It’s somewhat difficult to go back and review each ‘thing’ without being redundant, as I’ve been leaving fairly lengthy posts about each individual task/lesson along the way.
I have enjoyed going through the tools. My responses and feelings towards the project as a whole, is quite positive. It’s a very good idea to expose the members of the library staff to these new and popular concepts and cutting edge technology. Without this type of structured program and support system, folks may not feel/have felt confident enough to ‘dig in’ to some or all of these tools.
In some ways, reexamining these online devices, resources, etc. have reaffirmed my ambivalence towards them. It’s difficult for me, at this point, to really believe that they will be an active part of the ‘library experience’ for either end users or librarians any time soon. But I found along the way that ‘things’ like Flickr, podcasting, the image generators, Lazybase and SlideShare (along with the goodies offered by BigHugeLabs) are all really great, useful resources for us to employ for various tasks around the library, on our site and blog, etc. I had prior experience with quite a few of these tools, but looking at these sites and applications with an eye towards how they can apply most effectively to our environment put a bit of a new perspective on them … which is good. And I definitely appreciate YouTube, though I STILL prefer both the moving image archive at archive.org and the iTV collection of WLIW for getting useful video clips to students or folks looking for historical information.
It was a pleasure to help the folks who needed questions answered here and there. Obviously, even after the project has been formally completed anyone can feel free to ask additional questions if they need assistance or tips about any of the ‘things’ … or about anything else that they find in that wild, weird and sometimes wonderful virtual world.
One thing that may improve this program would be to trim it down a bit further. There are a few resources that seem redundant, and a few that are somewhat … well, maybe frivolous is the word I’m looking for? I also believe that the single IM’ing sites that are discussed and suggested should be replaced by a consolidator like Trillian to help users preserve system resources and avoid the many taskbars, nags, etc. that each of the individual chat programs add to their software packages. And while it’s good for those who are following the ‘things’ to be exposed to multiple sites and resources in each area, it may be useful for those who are implementing the program to actually editorialize at times. What does the administrator feel is the best of the tools? Perhaps offer a few examples of library-specific practical applications for any of the ‘things’ that may give those who are going through the program an idea of the power and potential effect that a specific resource can have locally. I often find that folks who are not technologically inclined by nature can have a difficult time figuring out how cutting edge technology can apply ‘at home’. Otherwise, it’s a useful ‘course’. And hey … speaking of ‘course’ … maybe if there are eighteen things there can be a golf analogy used somewhere, LOL?
To sum it up in a single sentence, I’ll borrow a line from Stewart Brand, the founder of The Whole Earth Catalog, who said; “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road.” Now, while I would never think of us librarians as steamrollers. Let’s go, instead with technological cab drivers … navigating folks through the information superhighway. Guess I should go … my meter’s running.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thing #17 - I, the Rockin' Librarian ...
... hereby do solemnly swear to maintain my Blog, to use the tolls I have doth learned during this here "18 Things" thing to fight evil, spread good and accurate information around, to blather about my opinions regarding technology (regardless of whether or not anyone bothers to read them), and yes ... to actually USE some of these cool tools more frequently!! Um ... is that it? Do I need to pinky-swear? Um. OK ... that's it ...
NEXT!
NEXT!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thing 16 - Second Life?? I have enough trouble keeping track of my FIRST Life!!
I think Second Life is pretty cool.
I have a close friend (singer/songwriter Rob Koenig) who has been having an amazing time on Second Life. This very nice, talented fellow has a wonderful wife (an Assistant Director of a Nassau County Library actually!), a fine son, and a few pets. A good job, etc. And he has also recorded a few albums. But like most original musicians, he finds it hard to get gigs playing his songs ... in THIS world, anyway!!!
But in "SL", as the folks who reside there like to call it, he has been performing at Arlo Guthrie's club ... invited there by Arlo's avatar. Really. Honest. Can you say "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Is it great for him? Absolutely. Am I happy that he's found this new outlet, where he is picking up fans, being written up in "SL" magazines, etc.? Yes. But it boggles my mind.
I am registered in SL by the way. You can call me Liston Avedon in this life and I might ... just MIGHT ... answer as myself ... or as my alter ego. The trouble is that despite my technical abilities, this whole SL thing just makes me go "HUH??". So much so that my alter ego, y'know Liston, has NOTHING goin' for him. No job, no money ... I guess he has no personality. He is a full grown SL adult with nothin' happenin' for himself. Kind of an orphan of technology, I guess.
The funniest part of all this? My friend Rob will tell you that he knows next to nothing about computers. Now, I've installed software for him. He's kinda ... well ... right, really. But somehow he, like millions of other people, have been able to figure this out. And he's having a blast.
Did I mention that he is also a member of the Green Lantern Corps? That is just sooooooo cool.
I have a close friend (singer/songwriter Rob Koenig) who has been having an amazing time on Second Life. This very nice, talented fellow has a wonderful wife (an Assistant Director of a Nassau County Library actually!), a fine son, and a few pets. A good job, etc. And he has also recorded a few albums. But like most original musicians, he finds it hard to get gigs playing his songs ... in THIS world, anyway!!!
But in "SL", as the folks who reside there like to call it, he has been performing at Arlo Guthrie's club ... invited there by Arlo's avatar. Really. Honest. Can you say "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Is it great for him? Absolutely. Am I happy that he's found this new outlet, where he is picking up fans, being written up in "SL" magazines, etc.? Yes. But it boggles my mind.
I am registered in SL by the way. You can call me Liston Avedon in this life and I might ... just MIGHT ... answer as myself ... or as my alter ego. The trouble is that despite my technical abilities, this whole SL thing just makes me go "HUH??". So much so that my alter ego, y'know Liston, has NOTHING goin' for him. No job, no money ... I guess he has no personality. He is a full grown SL adult with nothin' happenin' for himself. Kind of an orphan of technology, I guess.
The funniest part of all this? My friend Rob will tell you that he knows next to nothing about computers. Now, I've installed software for him. He's kinda ... well ... right, really. But somehow he, like millions of other people, have been able to figure this out. And he's having a blast.
Did I mention that he is also a member of the Green Lantern Corps? That is just sooooooo cool.
Thing 15 is ... Facebook
Alrighty, so I've had a Facebook account for a while.
It's interesting, but I'm not lovin' it like some of my friends are. The coolest thing about it is watching friends and acquaintances who are completely unrelated to one another communicating together .... commenting about music, about their interests, about current events, etc. "Worlds colliding" as it were. Very cool.
But MAN can this stuff suck people's brains!! And I've watched it just eat people's time like nothing else.
I have also been seeing folks actually being emotionally effected by comments placed on Facebook. Isn't this supposed to be relaxing? A form of entertainment? If tripping about in these new social networks just causes added stress for folks, than why bother?
Anyway, I'm out there, so if you do a search ... you'll find me. Buit I'm not very exciting, be forewarned!
It's interesting, but I'm not lovin' it like some of my friends are. The coolest thing about it is watching friends and acquaintances who are completely unrelated to one another communicating together .... commenting about music, about their interests, about current events, etc. "Worlds colliding" as it were. Very cool.
But MAN can this stuff suck people's brains!! And I've watched it just eat people's time like nothing else.
I have also been seeing folks actually being emotionally effected by comments placed on Facebook. Isn't this supposed to be relaxing? A form of entertainment? If tripping about in these new social networks just causes added stress for folks, than why bother?
Anyway, I'm out there, so if you do a search ... you'll find me. Buit I'm not very exciting, be forewarned!
The 14th Thing: Podcasts! Yaaaay!
Well, podcasts are fun. They really are. They can be entertaining and informative ... and they're relatively easy to do. Are there a lot of crummy ones out there? You betcha! But there are a lot of great ones, too.
I've been at them for a few years now, and even had/have a running series called "4F" (short for "Free Format For Free") that has been available through a site called Podarama.com, as well as through iTunes, etc. since shortly before I began producing it. I also currently use that same title (and the same non-format!) for the radio shows that I do now and again with Winnie on WCWP-FM.
The legalities regarding the posting of copyrighted music on podcasts are ... to say the least ... HORRENDOUSLY MESSY!! But there are ways to do it, and as of last week (mid-July), things have changed dramatically for the better for amateur and semi-pro broadcasters. Remember, posting a monologue or conversation is fine, but once you add music, you need to read the rules and regulations of the site you plan to post to. The show I've posted the link to works for a number of very unusual reasons, which I could go into if inquiring minds want to know.
In the planning stages are: a restaurant review podcast and ... most directly related to this project ... a podcast touting some of the unique Media Department services offered here at the PWPL, as well as a few "How To" podcasts that may help folks to better understand what to do and NOT do with media items.
You can find two episodes of my show in streaming form or available for download on bomb-mp3.com: Episode 3 (Cartoon Rock) and Episode 5.
If you'd like to hear more of my shows, or want to check out some other fantastic podcasts, feel free to visit Podarama.com. Sign-up is free and easy, and there is MUCH fun stuff there to enjoy.
I've been at them for a few years now, and even had/have a running series called "4F" (short for "Free Format For Free") that has been available through a site called Podarama.com, as well as through iTunes, etc. since shortly before I began producing it. I also currently use that same title (and the same non-format!) for the radio shows that I do now and again with Winnie on WCWP-FM.
The legalities regarding the posting of copyrighted music on podcasts are ... to say the least ... HORRENDOUSLY MESSY!! But there are ways to do it, and as of last week (mid-July), things have changed dramatically for the better for amateur and semi-pro broadcasters. Remember, posting a monologue or conversation is fine, but once you add music, you need to read the rules and regulations of the site you plan to post to. The show I've posted the link to works for a number of very unusual reasons, which I could go into if inquiring minds want to know.
In the planning stages are: a restaurant review podcast and ... most directly related to this project ... a podcast touting some of the unique Media Department services offered here at the PWPL, as well as a few "How To" podcasts that may help folks to better understand what to do and NOT do with media items.
You can find two episodes of my show in streaming form or available for download on bomb-mp3.com: Episode 3 (Cartoon Rock) and Episode 5.
If you'd like to hear more of my shows, or want to check out some other fantastic podcasts, feel free to visit Podarama.com. Sign-up is free and easy, and there is MUCH fun stuff there to enjoy.
Thing 13: Ireland and the 'Reel Musicians' of O'Flaherty's Pub / Ireland Tour
OK, so YouTube is definitely a trip.
I'm actually looking forward to doing a program at the library in September about 'viral videos' ... a phenomenon that surely would not exist were it not for this bizarre, entertaining, and sometimes educational website/consolidator.
I will say that loading up large clips can sometimes overtax your modem and/or your router. On more than one occasion we have had to reset the electronics in order to get a clip up without a hitch. But it's still fairly straightforward.
I haven't added any of my own productions to the site yet, though a few are on the way soon, but here are links to some YouTube posts of videos shot by Winnie and I in Ireland in May of 2006.
The first one is a few minutes fo footage of folks laying down some wonderful traditional Irish music at a pub called O'Flaherty's in the peninsula of Dingle. Great stuff!
The second offers some shots from all over the mid-Western coast of the Emerald Isle. Enjoy!
I'm actually looking forward to doing a program at the library in September about 'viral videos' ... a phenomenon that surely would not exist were it not for this bizarre, entertaining, and sometimes educational website/consolidator.
I will say that loading up large clips can sometimes overtax your modem and/or your router. On more than one occasion we have had to reset the electronics in order to get a clip up without a hitch. But it's still fairly straightforward.
I haven't added any of my own productions to the site yet, though a few are on the way soon, but here are links to some YouTube posts of videos shot by Winnie and I in Ireland in May of 2006.
The first one is a few minutes fo footage of folks laying down some wonderful traditional Irish music at a pub called O'Flaherty's in the peninsula of Dingle. Great stuff!
The second offers some shots from all over the mid-Western coast of the Emerald Isle. Enjoy!
It's the 'Library Thing' Thing! That's Thing #12, That Is!
Well, this is a pretty cool idea. The GUI, however, is definitely not my favorite. I admit that I haven't gone into advanced search, but the primary search and add capabilities are pretty limited. Why not provide a list of responses to a search with check-boxes added, so that I can instantly add 20, 30 or 50 books to my library?
I'm a Beatles historian, with at least 3 or 4 dozen Beatles-related books in my collection. But unless I scan each book by barcode (which IS a cool way to do it, actually, unless they are in storage), I have to do my search for 'Beatles', scan through the responses when there are multiple releases of a book, and then add them one at a time. AND i seem to need to relaunch my search each time.
Truthfully, for a small investment of about $40 per module or $120 for the full suite (and often for free if you represent a not-for-profit organization) you can pick up a software package from a company called Collectorz.com that will allow you to catalog and classify your books, CDs, LPs, videotapes, DVDs, etc. VERY easily. I use it for the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. It's intuitive and allows for VERY quick adds ... based on search responses, by barcode or ISBN entry, etc. Your catalog can also be easily displayed online by adding their generated catalog pages to your website. They have litereally hundreds of options with regards to what you want displayed, and how you want it shown. It even has a lirbary card module, so that when we/I lend stuff from the collection I can keep track of who has it. I've done a chunk of my personal collection and all of the LIMHoF collection with this software, and it's really quite amazing.
'Library Thing' COULD be this good with some serious code work. I understand that it's free, but if you're going to go through all of this work to enter a collection, why do it with limitations? And yes, it's nice that it's accessible to all, but it's still living on their site. If the capability is there, isn't it better to have full control over how your catalog is displayed?
They're off to a good start, though.
I'm a Beatles historian, with at least 3 or 4 dozen Beatles-related books in my collection. But unless I scan each book by barcode (which IS a cool way to do it, actually, unless they are in storage), I have to do my search for 'Beatles', scan through the responses when there are multiple releases of a book, and then add them one at a time. AND i seem to need to relaunch my search each time.
Truthfully, for a small investment of about $40 per module or $120 for the full suite (and often for free if you represent a not-for-profit organization) you can pick up a software package from a company called Collectorz.com that will allow you to catalog and classify your books, CDs, LPs, videotapes, DVDs, etc. VERY easily. I use it for the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. It's intuitive and allows for VERY quick adds ... based on search responses, by barcode or ISBN entry, etc. Your catalog can also be easily displayed online by adding their generated catalog pages to your website. They have litereally hundreds of options with regards to what you want displayed, and how you want it shown. It even has a lirbary card module, so that when we/I lend stuff from the collection I can keep track of who has it. I've done a chunk of my personal collection and all of the LIMHoF collection with this software, and it's really quite amazing.
'Library Thing' COULD be this good with some serious code work. I understand that it's free, but if you're going to go through all of this work to enter a collection, why do it with limitations? And yes, it's nice that it's accessible to all, but it's still living on their site. If the capability is there, isn't it better to have full control over how your catalog is displayed?
They're off to a good start, though.
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