The Final Post in the Fence That Encapsulates This Little Adventure

Well it all comes to a close here, well the weekly task part anyway, the actual incorporating of the new innovations that this course has shown me is now the goal, or perhaps the gaol that keeps me occupied now?

Social networking and its I have to say has been one of the many trepidations that have had with my own Internet usage, mainly to do with how one can present oneself to others, and of course having to confine my personality to a singular scrolling page of text, of course you can get other facets though sound and video snippets. Though I will have to make the admission that I am a bit of a sucker for MMORPG's, They are certainly an interesting place of social interaction, much like the Second Life 3-D world but with more dungeons, which I'm sure Second Life has hehe.

Of course when you apply this to a scenario to a library, it can be seen as the library wanting to befriend its users, rather than than the limited interaction we get with patrons, we will have a neutral place to exchange ideas and get feedback and even suggestions on services. Events at the library could be sent to friends, promotional videos or soundbites made, and even befriending other libraries online to perhaps brainstorm new ideas for promotion and interlibrary exchanges. The possibilities are well worth exploring, many libraries already use wiki's for internal staff interaction, why not open it up to the public, after all, we are a public library, it seems only right to have a web presence where people can come to visit and interact.

Anyway I am really glad I took up this challenge, and despite my misgivings and skepticism of the interenet as the ultimate source of information, it does not mean I should be ignorant of how it can be used to benifit the library and its users. Huzzah!

Signing off,

Keith Suburban.

The 11th hourly installment.

Well, More programs ahoy! I think the ones we looked at this week are valuable additions to the sphere of library use, especially for patrons to maximise their use of Internet access computers that they do not own. Since they are unable to save any works other than on a USB stick, they could instead save them to the web, where they could access them anytime anywhere! and with Google Docs times saving, you don't even have to worry about using a word processor! and this combined with zamzar means you can convert it to any format that you require, which would have been really handy last week when a student came in needing to convert a doc file into a pdf! oh to have been up to date! I will rue the day...today!

and with Jott, the future of online communication awaits! Internet voice chatting could spell the end of the telecommunication monopoly that they have over the populace! unite my intrafriends unite!

Keith

Bangers and Mash(ups)?

Well, it all started with the pulverising of the potato, and then the adding of milk products, perhaps some butter, and even a generous helping of pepper, and lo and behold! The simple spud has been mashed up!

As for my own encounters with Google maps, I have been using it on my endless search for an new abode ion a more southerly location than my current location. I uses a street directory, a satellite photo and even a mash up of the two! Just so you can get a good look at where your future location is. Perhaps you could even create a topographical map of the library outlay, and much like Kier Clarke's Star Viewer. It would be handy to find information in the library for sure.

As for my own mashup, I don't really have any photo's sitting around on my work computer, and my lappy at home has been shipped off to the sick house, so you can enjoy my favourite card game, Hungry Hungry Haiku's!

I guess one possible use of the Google maps (in addition to my library floor plan idea) would be to acquire digital maps of the local Hornsby bush walk tracks and include information on sites of interest along the way, linking videos, photos from the archives, and even links to books about a certain area! that would be handy indeed, especially for those not able to hike anymore.

Another option we recently discussed was creating quizzes that we made by having questions regarding the databases we use, and inputing them into a crossword generator, now that would be nifty, maybe even creating a link to the actual page when the answer is correct. This will require more research...

Another cliche title

ahh the world of podcasts, how ambivalent I am towards thee. Why do I say this, well I have always intended to utilise this lovely service myself for programs that I wanted to hear either on radio or television that I would miss due to work or inconvenient hours, but I could never find the time to allocate to said task. Given that I have such as busy lifestyle and my spare time is of a premium, I'm guessing I'm not alone in this circumstance. Hence their handiness!

And as for its applicatioin to the library world, its uses are numerous. Missed out on an author talk? Why, you could get it on podcast (with the authors permission of course). You could create help videos and spoken instruction files for using programs at the library, as well as speaking about upcoming events. Hell one day you may be able to upload a podcast for suggestions for the library, or ask a librarian a question! now that might be handy.

Slamming the boards? Rebounding?

As a former amateur basketball player I assume that it is a quasi-reference to the ability of librarians to clear away those errant shots (questions) and turn them into points at the other end (I'm assuming a slam dunk is in order). But points scoring aside, it is a definite way to virtually create a presence on the net for the amazing reference skills, which much of the public may take for granted. So it is a great way to promote one of the services you can get everyday at your library. By adding to this service people in the area that may use the online questioning service may frequent the library more often, or at the very least come to trust the answers provided by librarians. Handy indeed!

As for reviewing services or the collection, the ability to comment on the collection and services can only improve the quality of the patron's experience when they visit, so an open forum may be a possible solution.

And you thought a library was bad!

well of course not, otherwise you would not be reading this, or making such brash comments. So after many trials and tribulations I got Technorati to finally recognise my claim to this wonderful little blog as my own intellectual property, about time I say!

As for searching for bookmobiles as per our exercise, I found it really easy to locate posts, and even easier to find bookmobile blogs. and due to the tagging system, as bookmobile is only one searchable term, the advanced search yielded much of the same, unless you restricted it to bookmoblie tagged posts in bookmobile blogs, reducing it from 551 to 519 to 26 hehe. So perhaps this tagging system does work after all...

LibraryThing is quite interesting and would be great for anyone to use as a resource to find books of interest, especially with reviews and suggestions to read materials. I like how you can include the specific version you read, as some works have superior translations and linear notes to enhance your reading pleasure. A long week indeed, linking done, blogging out.

Mmmm tasty

Well, I have to say I am mighty impressed with the services available on the del.icio.us website, the fact that you will have access to your favourites from any computer in the world is a tremendous advantage, much like the the online email systems that I love to rant on to my friends.

This if fact has wonderful applications for libraries, as from my own searches books that I feel should all be grouped under one heading are in fact held under a multitude of headings, often so obscure you have Buckley's of finding them. One project I have is locating all the Adult Reader's advisory materials in the library, and boy are they all over the shop! How to make this easier to find? folksonomies I say!

Users would be able to tag items in the collection as a alternate method of subject searching, and rather have a narrow description for a certain title, it can have multiple tags in subject areas it covers. Brilliant! The two website examples are simply applying this to online content, why not within the collection too?

The use of folksonomy based cataloging eliminates the need to continually search for information by subject, so they can find relevant information much faster for their information query.

Of my standard reservations apply here, that anyone can index items does not mean that they are in fact doing so correctly, but as always you can simply create your own, such as a blog of the most important opinions eh?

I have to say that I sure will be using this tool as it is invaluable, as I work in many different departments and save my bookmarks to each pc, but now I know there is an easier way I will be sure to use it. Now to think of what to put on there...

I'm in a Tube!

Well, I have to say I have been familiar with YouTube for quite awhile now, but have been loathed to use it in excess. I fell into that with ebay once and oh boy can that been an expensive excercise! Especially when you start scanning amazon for more assorted usless junk that you for some reason want to scour the globe for.

Of course I appreciate the level of freedom that Google Video and YouTube offer users and gives them a chance to express themselves to a wide audience, if you are into that sort of extroverted thing. but it can also be used to exploit others, such as not asking for permission for using music, or filming people without permission. I really admire the level of creativity that some people have put into their work though, despite my ever present reservations.

I noticed that Google video also borrows alot of their videos from YouTube, which speaks volumes of its current popularity as a medium for visual communication. And My favourite aspect? Well music videos of course! So of course I'm going to link for you a ripping version of a Gillian Welch song 'Caleb Myer'. Go Dave on that ancient guitar!



Enjoy!

Editing a Wiki

So I decided I would take up the adventure and Look up the entries of my Former hometown Coffs Harbour to have a look at what the general populace decided was an adequate representation of my old stomping ground. I was very pleased that they included the fact that its is in fact misspelled naming of the original founder a Mr. Korff, at least his relatives can know that wiki users know the truth.

I was actually interested in adding to the wiki in the capacity of informing the population of the web about a suburb that had come and gone in Sawtell, The area known as Bayldon. It existed for quite awhile when I was growing up and the area was expanding, but then was renamed 'East Toormina', which I believe at the time was due to a stigma attached to the local denizens of the aforementioned zone, or so the papers would have you believe.

Of course whilst it would be good to include this information, I don't have any resources to back up my editing. This is my biggest issue with wikipedia, someone may know some information to be true, but without the facts to back it up, how are you to know if they have somehow been misinformed? and if people are to use wiki's more and more as a resource of information, you would hope it is built on reliable resources.

Wowwikkis!

Ahh, the wide world of the wikki, how I browse through you plentiful pages and abundant information swelling towards my eyes. I myself have been a rather fond user of Wikipedia over the last few years to find out information, though I have to say I have never been one myself to use it for any academic purposes, strictly for recreational research, such as music (yes I'm rather obsessed). I've always loved the aspect that anyone can contribute, with some doing so more professionally (or should I say more thoroughly) than others. For example contributor may add information complete with references to print or even links to online articles, whilst other may put in entries and leave a citation needed remark.

So my perusal of the examples given this week was quite interesting. I loved the Wookieepedia as I am one hell of a nutter for all things star wars, and I think I may even subscribe to it. It has everything for the casual fan to the die hard enthusiast.

the SJCPL Subject Guides wiki was an interesting way of linking resources that are available within a library under broad headings to help narrow their searches by offering direct links to the catalogue. I liked the idea but I think the presentation and headings need to be simplified to make it more user friendly, but otherwise its a great resource to use in conjunction with the catalogue.

As for the Book Lovers Wiki I think this is a wonderful resource that my own library is hoping to implement, perhaps with links to these reviews via the catalogue and vice versa. I feel this is a great way for patrons to get their opinions heard and assist with selection of resources, or simply to tell the inter world what they thought of an item. I think I would be to prone to long rambling essays much like the emails I send to my friends.

As for Library use? Well I think a broad genre listing of resources and reviews that clients can edit would go a long way in securing a the continued partnership between the library and its users.

XpRSSive!

Hooray for the continued bastardisation of the English language, break those grammatical boundaries and make not only your own words, but your own sentence structures!

OK opening joke complete, onto my exploration of the world of RSS. As my previous post may suggest, I'm quite the music nutter, and am often trawling away in hoping that the net will yield up the information on my favourite bands and any current releases that may be coming forthwith! So I figure there must be of course an RSS feed that surely will fuel my desire for such data. I was quite happy to see that Rolling Stone and JJJ have these, as well as JJJ offering pod casts too!

However, when I decided to delve deeper and actually look at the information posted in the news feeds, they often led me to websites that also looked like they had gotten their information from somewhere else, perhaps another feed from a website. Which of course leads me to wonder how many feeds have been, well, fed this information already, perhaps rephrasing the information (or translating) and how much of the information has degraded along the line.

Also, having at the rather wide but at the same time very narrow interests in certain types of music, I found it hard for any one service that catered to my needs. But there is a wide wold of RSS feeds to explore, perhaps it still eludes me! The hunt is on!

Freaking thing

Neil's acoustic guitars, originally uploaded by *hoodrat*.

OK so after many trials and tribulations, Ive finally go myself some serious linkage of a photo, complete with original credentials! The only real issue that I came across was the actual description of how to enable my two rival factions to peacefully interact and share their wealth of knowledge to better society, or to put it more succinctly to give blogger access to flicker. Yes it did say to go to Google to giver permission, but I felt the directions were rather murky (the page you end up on, sheesh!). As for searching Flickr I figured that most of the pictures would be copy protected (alas, twas so) so as per usual advanced search is my accomplice in completing this week's mission. So here is a lovely photo of one om my music heroes Neil Young's guitar collection, I'm sure when I make my millions I will have at least 3.

Also here is a link to one of my favourite bands frontmen gettin all frizzy n fired up in my hometown! Go the Drones! Woot! http://www.flickr.com/photos/snelvis/430845023/

More to come as per scheduled!

Keith

The wide world of blogs?

Well, I feel that even with a world wide web to catch these elusive blogs, I'm fairly sure some are going to fall thorough the cracks that riddle my attention span. A quick inspection of technorati found 11620 blogs related to the word library, which I must say in itself is something to be chuffed with that my fellow contemporaries are hard at it, it is a rather bewildering task to sough though.

So being me I started at blyberg.net, the first on this illustrious list. Perusing the pages available I really liked the work he was up to, and whilst embracing the new tools available in 2.0 was not hesitant to run his keen eye of critical analysis over the social networking aspects and the perils of falling to hard on such tools as saviors to Library land. Of course there is my own analysis of how many blogs consist of this information on information, with my very own comments adding a third step in the process from published work to private opinions (well, more like public in this forum, one of the many trepidations of my aloofness in online excursions). But I'm too inquisitive to stop now

Keefe.

The post that hurts the most...

Is of course the first post, and where to start! Even for why I am embarking on this task? how to Describe it? is it an appetite or a thirst for new knowledge that I write this blog? With virtually endless opportunities for style and content, I have decided to dedicate my blog to the actual experience, my views on the social aspects of it, and how I'm going to incorporate this technology into my online persona.

Whilst I am a regular users of computers and the web in general (especially when it comes to tracking down hard to get out of print Cd's from bands I'm hopelessly attracted to) I have rarely ventured outside the comfort of my email inbox. I must admit its not been though my fear of new advancements in online social networking, more so that I've always seen myself as a traditionalist in human face to face contact, or even pen and paper! So I figure that its high time that I hopped on board and take the journey with you all, and even if I don't take it under my wing, at least I can say I've rubbed shoulders with it.

Keith.