Thing #15 Library 2.0

I have to agree with these articles that the libraries need and must move with new technologies if we expect to stay in the business. What worries me most though is the disparity of information that will occur between the "haves" and "have nots". What I am talking about are those people who don't have access to a computer at home. I know at many libraries in MCPL this is not as much of an issue as it is at others. At my library we have people waiting for the doors to open so they can access the computers and they are there till we close at night. During this time of economic hardships many are looking for jobs and now it is imperative that people apply for these jobs online even for the most basic jobs available. So many of these people do not have the most basic of computer skills and I am not just talking about senior citizens but thirty somethings who have never really used a computer. The first article "Away from Icebergs" talked about the insufficient staff available to educate users and that technology should be easy enough for everyone to access without significant user education. Unfortunately for some - their basic education has not provided them with the means of knowing things like "I'll just google that"...many kids that come into the library have much better basic skills than their parents. These are the clients that we are challenged to serve at my library - insufficient staffing does not allow us to spend a great deal of time with each customer nor to provide much in the way of computer education. It is obviously a need and it worries me more than being able to provide others with access to our databases or information from home or outside the library building. I would like to see more articles addressing these customers' needs and what the libraries can do to help them.

Thing #14 Technorati & Tagging

Did the three searches with varying results and authority. Tagging accuracy is obviously important to these outcomes. Looks like plenty of people are out there doing the "Learning 2.0" at any rate. Looked at the top 100 on Technorati - lots of news/political sites, celebrity gossip, technology related sites.

Thing #13 Delicious

This one actually works well and fast. I created an account at http://delicious.com/network/katreid24

Thing #12 Rollyo

Rollyo was behaving very slowly but I did manage to create a search engine for simple kid's crafts that I like to use for my book club.
http://www.rollyo.com/katreid24/

Thing #11 Library Thing

I created an account on library thing and added 5 books that I read recently. After exploring the site I can see how useful it is to track what you're reading and find other interesting books. The reviews are helpful and this could also be a great tool for book clubs. Here's the link to my catalog: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/katreid

Thing #10 Online Image Generators

Today I looked at several online image generators. I ended up creating this pop art poster that I found on FD Toys and an avatar from yahoo which I posted for my picture on my profile for this blog.

Thing #9 Merlin and others

Okay subscribed to Merlin Maryland Libraries. Tried to look at Feedster but apparently they're dead. Looked at Topix and Technorati and saw some other interesting things to subscribe to like South American News and then I decided to add the NYT book review as well. All the news out there is rather overwheming. Definitely in danger of information overload at this point. Not sure what's wrong with Syndic8.com but could not get that link to open either.

Thing #8 RSS Feeds

I created a bloglines account which would have been easier if they had sent me the verification email as they state on the site. Not sure why I never received it but suddenly it seemed to be working anyway. I subscribed to some RSS feeds including the Washington Post Book World which I read weekly anyway and some other librarian related sites. I also subscribed to a few other sites of interest. I hope this will save me some time or perhaps it may use more of it as I see more sites that interest me. So here is the link to my bloglines account: http://www.bloglines.com/public/katreid

Thing #7 Technology Random

Today's assignment is to talk about anything technology related. Frankly I'm a bit worried about where all this technology is going. Is all of it positive? Just because we can does that mean we should? With mortar & brick bookstores going away - taken over by places like amazon.com -will libraries go the same way? Already there is news of a media center that chose to get rid of all its books in favor of Kindle readers. Will our public libraries become online places where you can download books to your Kindle? Will storytimes be led online (remember the training for online storytimes) by a virtual librarian? Will this technology become a replacement for a flesh and blood librarian - and if so what will we then do for jobs? When computers become affordable for all will they simply stop coming into the library? Frankly I'll miss those paper contraptions with real pages that I can flip back and forth at will - that will require no backup battery or electronic outlet. With virtual games and friendships will people no longer have to leave their houses to interact with real people. We've all heard of those games where people live in a virtual world with virtual husbands, wives, etc. It's interesting to ponder as I subscribe to Facebook and other social networking sites. One wonders if our kids and grandchildren who are so technology savvy - will they at some time revolt and bring back the book as a retro fad? Well only time will tell I suppose.

Thing #6 Flickr continued

Looked at some of the Flickr mashups, toys, trading cards, etc. Made some trading cards with the dogs and my kids on them. The kids liked them. Looked at the librarian trading cards - not sure why you'd want to make them...Anyway Flickr has lots of neat tricks to offer if you have the time and inclination to use them. I can see using them for photos taken at your branch that you'd like to share with other libraries but aside from that I'm not sure I'd have lots of use for Flickr at work.

Thing#5 Exploring Flickr

I went ahead and created a Flickr account. Here is a photo I uploaded of my newest dog Jenny.

Things #3/#4 New Blog

The blog is up and running and sent the url to Kate Tavakolian. Did my first posts as well.

Thing #2 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners

7 &1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners- Easiest: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective, learner. Hardest: View problems as challenges- kind of hard when your kids keep interrupting your training every two minutes - doing training at work (ya gotta be kidding?).

Thing #1 Learn About "23 Things" Program

Learned about the "23 Things" program and I'm ready to go on to the next thing.