Library 2.0

The wide range of new ways to find and share knowledge is wonderful, and no one can argue that it is changing the library. It affects us as librarians and as library users, and that can be one of the best ways to learn to serve our customers well: grasping how we, as users, would like to be served.

One of the resources for this lesson referred to the need to remove barriers. Technology is often mysterious, and the ones who understand how to use it sometimes don't understand how to help others use it. Our job as Librarian 2.0 must be to learn to use the tools to provide resources without barriers. This Library 2.0 program is a good start.

The next step will be for the Librarian 2.0 to be encouraged to do that job. The library needs a blog, it needs text messaging for reference, it needs to be unafraid of using technology. Access to the library's resources must be made easier. Why do customers prefer Google to the catalog? Because they don't feel like they have to know the "correct" terms - who talks about "cookery," anyway?

All the talk about the new directions for libraries is exciting, but also a little saddening. I don't want to lose a quiet place where I can handle books and choose some good reading to take home. I don't want to lose the place where I can ask a question and receive a personalized response. With these concerns running through my mind, I was pleased to read the Library 4.0 prediction that the value of libraries will be in the experience. If libraries survive, it will be by being something we can't get anywhere else, not just the print and e-resources or computers and the latest technology, but an experience that is unique.

Tagging the Blog

Sounds a little like a Wild Kingdom show I saw once when Marlin Perkins suddenly yelled, "Time to topple the camel!" and he ran over and actually pushed the poor thing over.

Hobby blogs are interesting, especially when they offer tips and help for solving challenges. Some of my interests are quilting, knitting, reading, and creating items for my dollhouse. The dollhouse items are usually tiny little quilts, knitted afgans, and books. See a pattern here?

Re-Del.icio.us

This was a good chance to become reacquainted with Del.icio.us. A friend had told me a couple of years ago about this terrific tool for carrying your bookmarks with you anywhere a computer is available. I don't believe the toolbar buttons were available at that time, or (is it possible?) I just didn't understand about loading them. For whatever reason, I thought the idea was great, but it seemed a little clunky, always having to be logged into Del.icio.us to save a favorite site, so I never really got into it.

Now that I have gone back into it, I found the links I'd added at that time, and it was interesting to see how many other people also liked the same ones. I also think having the toolbar buttons available will prompt me to more frequent savings.

Whether it is such a good research tool or not is questionable. I feel it is a little like Wikipedia: a lot of people linking, but how reliable are they? Social, definitely.

More Flickr Fun was way more fun than the first part of the exercise!

I am blown away by the Color Pickr and the Montagr. The trading cards are fun, too. I used this image to play with the trading card - my fantasy room!

Flickr Trickz

Florida Keys
Originally uploaded by loic_

It took a while to connect the image with the blog, but here goes! This image was found under "florida keys."

This exercise reminds me of the Murphy's Law that states, "Before you can do anything, something else has to be done first."

I agree that online learning is an important part of our future, but this whole exercise would have been so much simpler and quicker if someone had stood in front of me and told me what to do next. I have used a lot of time here.

RSSing

I am relieved to be catching up with the rest of the world. I'm also glad to read that this portion of the program will probably be the most difficult. It took longer than the previous lessons.

It seems that everything I read online has the little RSS button.....until I actually began looking for them! I added the ten required links, but expect the list will evolve as I get into more sites I really want to use. Did anyone else find that the ALA sites had dead links? Hmmm.

Using RSS feeds will be wonderful. I do use specific sites on a regular basis, and sometimes I can't remember whether I checked some of them last month or week, or not. Now their updates will be forced upon me.

I had a great deal of difficulty showing my list of feeds, as instructed. Many thanks to Auburn Librarian for her RSS posting that steered me in the right direction. For those of you who may also have trouble, be sure to click on the tab on your bloglines page that allows you to make your blogroll public (the default was private). You also have to have your username entered in the blog set up for it to work.

Another new trick!

First new trick

Ah, the first post. Kind of scary, but I'll use the suggestion to talk about the easiest and hardest elements of the 7 1/2 habits.

Easiest - I thought it would be #5: Creating your own toolbox. I began this TLC 2.0 project a couple of weeks late, so I had to get myself organized in order to catch up. I like being organized. I love toolboxes, lists, charts, all those aids.

Hardest - #3: Viewing problems as challenges. I already said this is scary. Problems are scary. But it appears from other peoples' comments that we're all in this together and learning a lot of things that will be useful, so here goes! New Trickz!!