Wow, what a whirlwind merry-go-round my NVDPL Playground has been! I've always been a last-minute, do-it-all-at-once person - I wrote all my university papers the night before they were due - and doing the 24 things was no exception. I dunno, I just work better with a deadline, even if it's self-imposed.
Anyway, this has been really fun. I consider myself quite a web savvy person, so I had done quite a few of these things already, but there were some that I hadn't too, like De.licio.us and Technorati. There are definitely some things that I will return to after getting a taste of them here - audiobooks on Library To Go and especially LibraryThing. I want to build my virtual library!
I liked that some of the NVDPL Playground "things" are pure fun - like the image generator. Playing is how we learn!
All of these things add to the richness of experiencing and working in a library - and all the treasures it has to offer.
I would definitely participate again if we did NVDPL Playground - The Sequel.
Monday, December 22, 2008
#23 - Almost Done!! E-Books 'n Stuff
Library To Go is a great site! Very easy to navigate and easy to download what you need. I've been wanting to brush up on my French, so I put a hold on the soon-to-be-released audiobook "Dr. Blair's French in No Time," and I may go back later to download the eBook, "Better Reading French."
I also checked out LibriVox for the first time and browsed a bunch of the available titles. This wasn't of quite as much interest to me since - I'll admit it - I like to hear celebrity voices read out books! But who knows, I may download Jane Austen's "Emma".. I'd like to listen to that one.
I also checked out LibriVox for the first time and browsed a bunch of the available titles. This wasn't of quite as much interest to me since - I'll admit it - I like to hear celebrity voices read out books! But who knows, I may download Jane Austen's "Emma".. I'd like to listen to that one.
#22 - Plentiful Podcasts
I love my iPod, and I love podcasts. They are the best thing on the bus if you don't feel like reading. I also like just walking around the city with someone lovely talking away in my ear - it makes for a very edifying and entertaining walk!
I download most of my podcasts from CBC Radio 3 (link below) - I'm a big fan of indie music, and I love Grant Lawrence's podcasts, like "Sweatin' to the Indies." CBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio have great ones, too, like the fascinating "Quirks & Quarks."
http://radio3.cbc.ca/
Of the podcast search websites, the only one I'd heard of was PodcastPickle. After looking at the others, it's my favourite - but to be honest, I don't use it much. Most of the podcasts I download are recommendations from my husband or friends, or from the sites I mentioned above.
I download most of my podcasts from CBC Radio 3 (link below) - I'm a big fan of indie music, and I love Grant Lawrence's podcasts, like "Sweatin' to the Indies." CBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio have great ones, too, like the fascinating "Quirks & Quarks."
http://radio3.cbc.ca/
Of the podcast search websites, the only one I'd heard of was PodcastPickle. After looking at the others, it's my favourite - but to be honest, I don't use it much. Most of the podcasts I download are recommendations from my husband or friends, or from the sites I mentioned above.
Friday, December 19, 2008
#21 - YouTube-in' It
'Cause everyone needs a little MeatLoaf in their lives...
Yup, I like YouTube...it has wasted many hours of my life (not how I blame YouTube, not myself!) and I love it. I've looked up countless 1980s music videos, scenes from favourite movies, old Olympic gymnastics routines, travel videos and more from my friends, etc.
I can definitely see the benefits of a Library-specific YouTube - where patrons can search instructional videos about library services, featuring NVDPL staff in wacky costumes!
Yup, I like YouTube...it has wasted many hours of my life (not how I blame YouTube, not myself!) and I love it. I've looked up countless 1980s music videos, scenes from favourite movies, old Olympic gymnastics routines, travel videos and more from my friends, etc.
I can definitely see the benefits of a Library-specific YouTube - where patrons can search instructional videos about library services, featuring NVDPL staff in wacky costumes!
#20 - Askaway, baby!
I've heard so much about Askaway, and have done ads and promotional brochures all about it, but have never actually used it until now! Note to self as a marketing person: always use the tool before you market it - you get such a better understanding of what the heck it is!
Continuing on with my problem with not finding info on Consumer Health Complete, I asked the Askaway librarian about finding info specifically about homeopathic pellets. He guided me right back to Consumer Health Complete - and helped me out with some more specific key words and search terms to find exactly what I needed.
Librarians are just the bee's knees!
Continuing on with my problem with not finding info on Consumer Health Complete, I asked the Askaway librarian about finding info specifically about homeopathic pellets. He guided me right back to Consumer Health Complete - and helped me out with some more specific key words and search terms to find exactly what I needed.
Librarians are just the bee's knees!
#19 - Databases
I loved this exercise! Can I just say that I love "Canadian Newsstand"? So great to be able to read the Globe & Mail online with my morning coffee (on my coffee break, of course.) How I wish we had some sort of global newsstand - I'd love to read the UK paper The Guardian! I must admit, other than Ebscohost, I'd never really looked at any of these databases - so this was an especially good discovery exercise for me.
"Consumer Health Complete" seems like a good resource...although more on the allopathic side, as far as I can tell. I did a few searches and couldn't find much specific info on certain homeopathic and aromatherapy remedies. Oh well, it's still good for indulging the hypochondriac in me!
"Consumer Health Complete" seems like a good resource...although more on the allopathic side, as far as I can tell. I did a few searches and couldn't find much specific info on certain homeopathic and aromatherapy remedies. Oh well, it's still good for indulging the hypochondriac in me!
#18 - Office 2007 - I'm Not Good with Change!
When it comes to computers, I'm of two minds - a Mac user at home, and a PC user at work. When I first came to work here I had to totally re-learn the PC world, as I'd worked with Macs for so long. And then Office 2007 has been another adjustment - although not a bad one. But it is really, really different, I must say! At first with Word, I was like:: "Where's the label maker?" and "Where the heck is word count?"... but with a little patience and some assistance from Lisa M., I've adjusted. At first I thought it was a weird feature that all of the printing/saving/etc. menus are now under the Microsoft circle icon in the upper right-hand corner - it didn't seem too intuitive. But once again, I've adjusted. :)
I still can find "set print area" in Excel, though. I'm sure it's around here somewhere...
I still can find "set print area" in Excel, though. I'm sure it's around here somewhere...
#17 - Shared Calendars Rock My World
Outlook and its calendars are so handy - I use it all the time to schedule meetings, remind me of things I need to do, and check on the board room availability. Inviting sometime to a meeting is just the handiest darned thing - 'cause then they have little or no excuse for missing the meeting - it's in their calendar, too!
#16 - The Emily Post of Email Etiquette
Good to get a refresher on e-etiquette. As the victim of "my email went into the recipient's junk mail" dilemmas, it was good to be reminded of the tip about not sending an attachment the first time you send someone an email. Good to read about phishing scams, too!
#15 - Makin' a Wiki Sandcastle
Sandbox Wiki - what a cute little idea! I added to the books, movies and travels sections...very fun. I enjoyed adding to the country count in the travels section, and see where other staff members have gone. I'm jealous of whoever went all over Africa - that's my next dream trip!
#14 - Wiki Kalikimaka!
I had no idea that "wiki" means "quick" or "fast" in Hawaiian. Well, you learn something new everyday. As a big fan of Wikipedia, I fully understand the appeal of wikis - and I love the opportunities for collaboration.
One thing about wikis, though (and I don't mean to sound like my grandma here) - you really have to remember to think critically, not believe everything you read, and double-check facts! As they say in the "Wiki wiki wiki" article, "Being written by its readers, and having little in the way of editorial control, a wiki is prone to being subjective, or strongly influenced by opinion." I can see why most teachers don't let their students use them as a source.
But I'm not dissin' the wikis - as Tony the Tiger would say, they're grrrreat!
One thing about wikis, though (and I don't mean to sound like my grandma here) - you really have to remember to think critically, not believe everything you read, and double-check facts! As they say in the "Wiki wiki wiki" article, "Being written by its readers, and having little in the way of editorial control, a wiki is prone to being subjective, or strongly influenced by opinion." I can see why most teachers don't let their students use them as a source.
But I'm not dissin' the wikis - as Tony the Tiger would say, they're grrrreat!
#13 - 3.0 points about Library 2.0
As a lifelong library lover but not a library professional (although I did take some SLAIS courses as part of my MA in Children's Literature), it's interesting for me to do these more library-specific Playground exercises. It's been a fascinating learning curve for me since I started working here in March 2007 - negotiating and navigating and finding my way into the best way to do communications and marketing for a library.
Which brings me to Library 2.0. As a mass media junkie (communications was my undergrad minor) with interests in how the Internet affects our society and culture, I'm also fascinated with how it affects the microcosmic society and culture of the Library. In the article "Away from the Icebergs," I was struck by what Anderson says about collection development - and having virtual collections with a lesser focus on print materials. Veddy interesting!
As a marketing person, I also liked what he had to say about re-thinking the "come to us" traditional library model - so true! We have to keep our offerings interesting, and stay ahead of the game, to keep those customers flooding through the doors!
And I love what Wendy Schultz says in "To a temporary place in time...": "Libraries are not just collections of documents and books, they are conversations, they are convocations of people, ideas, and artifacts in dynamic exchange. Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities: they preserve and promote community memories; they provide mentors not only for the exploration of stored memory, but also for the creation of new artifacts of memory." *sigh* That stuff just really gets me! And it embodies what NVDPL's mission statement is all about - Your Library: the place you want to be.
Which brings me to Library 2.0. As a mass media junkie (communications was my undergrad minor) with interests in how the Internet affects our society and culture, I'm also fascinated with how it affects the microcosmic society and culture of the Library. In the article "Away from the Icebergs," I was struck by what Anderson says about collection development - and having virtual collections with a lesser focus on print materials. Veddy interesting!
As a marketing person, I also liked what he had to say about re-thinking the "come to us" traditional library model - so true! We have to keep our offerings interesting, and stay ahead of the game, to keep those customers flooding through the doors!
And I love what Wendy Schultz says in "To a temporary place in time...": "Libraries are not just collections of documents and books, they are conversations, they are convocations of people, ideas, and artifacts in dynamic exchange. Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities: they preserve and promote community memories; they provide mentors not only for the exploration of stored memory, but also for the creation of new artifacts of memory." *sigh* That stuff just really gets me! And it embodies what NVDPL's mission statement is all about - Your Library: the place you want to be.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
#12 - Social Networking
I was a Facebook resister for a long while, thinking that it encourages the problem of superficial connections and the breakdown of meaningful communication between friends. "Friends on Facebook aren't your real friends," I thought. To some extent, it is true, for sure. But since April 2007, when I created my profile on Facebook, I have most definitely become a convert. And also a mockery of myself and what I used to say, in a superior tone of voice, about Facebook breaking down the warmth of real friendships.
Of my 200+ friends, only a few are good friends that I actually talk to on a regular basis (ie. not just writing on their "walls"). The rest are old schoolmates that I haven't talked to in 20 or more years (gad, am I getting old or what?), co-workers and former co-workers, friends of friends, acquaintances that I met while drunk at a party, and family members. Oh, and a few ex-boyfriends, too. Despite my Facebook addiction, I am pleased to report that it has not contributed to any sort of withering of communication amongst those that I care about most. I see Facebook as one more tool in my personal communication toolkit - along with email, texting, voice mail, phone calls and yes, good ol' face-to-face chats. The very best kind.
I also have a MySpace profile, but I don't check it much. I dunno, I just find MySpace too messy and unwieldy or something.
Of my 200+ friends, only a few are good friends that I actually talk to on a regular basis (ie. not just writing on their "walls"). The rest are old schoolmates that I haven't talked to in 20 or more years (gad, am I getting old or what?), co-workers and former co-workers, friends of friends, acquaintances that I met while drunk at a party, and family members. Oh, and a few ex-boyfriends, too. Despite my Facebook addiction, I am pleased to report that it has not contributed to any sort of withering of communication amongst those that I care about most. I see Facebook as one more tool in my personal communication toolkit - along with email, texting, voice mail, phone calls and yes, good ol' face-to-face chats. The very best kind.
I also have a MySpace profile, but I don't check it much. I dunno, I just find MySpace too messy and unwieldy or something.
#11 - Technorati
I am totally blitzing NVDPL Playground today! That's how I tend to do things - I get my little obsessions and just dive right in and stick there for a while.
So, Technorati - I'd never heard of it before, so it was interesting to do this exercise. I don't know that I would use this a whole lot - I have my blogs that I read, and I usually find other like-minded blogs through links from those blogs. I can see how it would come in really useful for total blogomaniacs, though - it's really comprehensive. My favourite part of Technorati was "Top 100" blogs. "Boing Boing," the "weblog of cultural curiosities and interesting technologies" is definitely entertaining!
So, Technorati - I'd never heard of it before, so it was interesting to do this exercise. I don't know that I would use this a whole lot - I have my blogs that I read, and I usually find other like-minded blogs through links from those blogs. I can see how it would come in really useful for total blogomaniacs, though - it's really comprehensive. My favourite part of Technorati was "Top 100" blogs. "Boing Boing," the "weblog of cultural curiosities and interesting technologies" is definitely entertaining!
#10 - Tasty Yummy Del.icio.us!
My husband is totally into del.icio.us, but it's not something I'd looked into until recently, when I finally created my own account on my home computer. It's so handy because you can take it with you - it's not just a bunch of bookmarks stuck on one computer. Plus, categorizing them is fun! With this feature, I can definitely see its usefulness for research - this would have come in handy during my MA.
I'm such a fan of social networking across the board - as on LibraryThing, I like that when using del.icio.us you can see who else has bookmarked the same side, and all the other roads that can lead you down. Hours and hours of del.icio.us fun - I love it!
I'm such a fan of social networking across the board - as on LibraryThing, I like that when using del.icio.us you can see who else has bookmarked the same side, and all the other roads that can lead you down. Hours and hours of del.icio.us fun - I love it!
#9 - I Heart LibraryThing
I've heard so much about LibraryThing, but never got around to checking it out. Thank you, NVDPL Playground, for requiring me to do so! Seriously, where has LibraryThing been all my life? It's like my dream website - which I guess it is for all bookworms!
I've already discovered other fans of my favourite childhood books - "Norbert Nipkin" and "Benjamin Budge and Barnaby Ball" - I love the connections!
I've added 6 books to my Library so far, with many more to come!
I've already discovered other fans of my favourite childhood books - "Norbert Nipkin" and "Benjamin Budge and Barnaby Ball" - I love the connections!
I've added 6 books to my Library so far, with many more to come!
#6 & #7 - RSS-in'
I've been RSS-in' for a while, and it's great! So handy to use, and so time-efficient. I can get all my celebrity gossip through the IMDB feed, the latest on Archie Comics, and BBC and CBC world news. And let's not forget National Public Radio's Books feed. Totally good times!
For #7 - I'm getting so used to looking for that little orange stripey icon on my favourite websites. I use both that, and it's also fun to just search key words using Google Reader - you never know what might pop up!
For #7 - I'm getting so used to looking for that little orange stripey icon on my favourite websites. I use both that, and it's also fun to just search key words using Google Reader - you never know what might pop up!
Monday, November 24, 2008
#4 - Explore Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherylhowlett/144428537/
Here's a cool photo by my friend Cheryl - I love the movement in this picture. And I also love the mystique of cowboys...and cowgirls.
Here's a cool photo by my friend Cheryl - I love the movement in this picture. And I also love the mystique of cowboys...and cowgirls.
Friday, November 21, 2008
# 3 cont'd - Importing Text from Word
Forgot the last lesson - importing text...so I pasted in my most favourite poem of all time by ee cummings. *sigh*
#3 - Check!
The staff blog is good times. Check out my link to the handsome muppet, Beaker, a link to a fabulous crafty site for all your Christmas shopping, and a photo of my favourite singer. Yay.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
First Time's the Charm
I've always meant to start a blog, but never got around to it, although I am an active blog reader. So interesting, being able to look into others' lives like that. Like virtual journals!
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