YouTube! :0)

Ok, so YouTube has probably been my favorite "Thing" so far. Mainly because, when else do you have an excuse to watch movies at work...and get paid for it. ;0) Anyway, I decided to post Deanna Durbin's and Judy Garland's very first 10 minute movie "Every Sunday". I'm a big fan of old movies, so it seemed appropriate, besides the fact that Deanna and Judy are two of my favorite actresses from the 40's. Enjoy!

More Fun Stuff...

I enjoyed looking through the items on the Power Tools page and even downloaded the Catalog plugin...neat tool! The latest post was on Google, which I currently use both as my homepage and email server. I thought that Google Lively was interesting, though I imagine that it will appeal more to kids and teenagers than adults. However, I'm interested in downloading and exploring Google Talk, since I chat with friends ALOT on Gmail.

Finding a "Real" Lulu

I mostly explored the site lulu.com, which specializes in assitance with self-publishing and online marketing. As a person interested in books, I also naturally have an interest in writing and publishing. In past years, I've attempted to get some of what I've written published. However, the writing market is competitive, and it's hard to crack into the world of being a published author. As time has gone on, and the potential of the World Wide Web has increased, I believe that sites such as Lulu will enable little-known writers to publish and share their work without the hassle of soliciting big-time publication companies.

And, since I'm in the business of quotes, I thought I'd quote a quote from the Lulu community itself:

"Lulu.com's goal is to be a global marketplace for our users and letting the community decided the best sellers. Our hope has been to have 1 million users that sell 10 books instead of 10 authors that sell 1 million books -so far over the past five years, we're on the right track."
- Lauren B. Parker, Senior Communications Specialist

Playin' Around with Wikis

This one was probably the hardest as far as trying to figure out how to add my blog to the Favorites blog page. I almost had to ask for help on this one, but I kept trying and finally did it by myself! :0) I'm learning to see the value for wikis as I work more with them.

"It is a new day and a new chance to try again."

Google Docs

Wow! I loved Google Docs. :0) I've had a Google account for a while, but never knew about this feature. (Guess that shows how much I really know...) Even though I don't have an immediate need for it right now, it's definitely something that I'm sure I'll use in the future. There's endless possibilities with what can be done...


“We all have possibilities we don't know about. We can do things we don't even dream we can do.”
- Dale Carnegie

Wikis - And Other Fun Stuff

I'm still in the process of learning about wikis, so I can't say that I have a full grasp of what they're all about. However, I have enough of a grasp to understand their use and the potential of what they can be used for. I use Wikipedia all the time, so from that standpoint I understand and appreciate the use of wikis. As far as how wikis would/could be most useful to libraries, I actually found the idea of annotating the catalog to be the one I was most excited about. I like the review feature on Amazon.com and when I want a review of a book or movie, I usually look it up there. I think adding a review feature on library catalogs would be a great improvement and also beneficial to patrons. I've appreciated the format of Aqua Browser, which is similar in nature to Amazon, and hope that patron reviews is something that could be incorporated in future editions.


“A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.”
- Henrik Isben

Library 2.0 - An Effective Tool, but not an End All, Be All

My thoughts on this are going to be very brief and succint, since there was alot of information to think through in regard to Web and Library 2.0. While I believe it's important for libraries to keep up with current trends and not ignore the potential of internet usage and how it can enhance library service, I believe that there will always be a need for an acutal library. I enjoy my time spent on the internet, and devote a small portion of my day to keeping up with emails, Facebook, and favorite web sites. However, at the end of the day, when my eyes are tired from looking at a computer screen both at home and at work, often all I want to do is curl up with a good book before going to bed. Call me old-fashioned, but there's just something about walking into a building filled with books that I can actually put my hands on, open up, and discover for myself what they contain, without always having to use a mouse or stare at a computer screen. The same goes for bookstores - esp. the used, old-fashioned type, but that's another story...

My essential thought is...while I think that keeping up with online technology is essential for any institution, especially the library, I don't think we need to go overboard and relegate everything to cyberspace.

This post, I'm going to give you two quotes since last post I didn't list any:

"No possession can surpass, or even equal a good library, to the lover of books. Here are treasured up for his daily use and delectation, riches which increase by being consumed, and pleasures that never cloy." ~John Alfred Landford

"Libraries: The medicine chest of the soul." ~Library at Thebes, inscription over the door

Deliciousness

I was primarily impressed with how Del.icio.us is a combination of a newsfeed, "favorites" file, and social blog. It seems to work almost like an online catalog for favorite sites that you want to save but may not have the time to puruse until a later. The only aspect that I wasn't too thrilled about was the ability for others to see your bookmarked sites. I'm personally big on privacy, especially on the internet, so I probably would not set up my own account and bookmark my favorite sites. However, I did see the benefit for librarians, teachers, and people dealing with large amounts of infomation that need to be saved for public and shared reference. For the library in particular, I see social bookmarking being helpful for those dealing with reference questions. Librarians can bookmark information-related sites which would then be available to other librarians in the same system, or even those in other systems.

Twitter-pated :0)

Though I don't see myself using Twitter on a regular basis, I think it's a great tool for those who want to be continuously connected to the web world. Part of my problem is that I don't know anyone that uses Twitter. The one person I know who does is just a casual acquaintance. Other than that, Twitter hasn't hit my web world as yet. :0)

"Nearly everybody gets twitterpated... You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather, and before you know it, you're walking on air. And then you know what? You're knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!"
- Friend Owl from Bambi