"I wonder what Piglet is doing," thought Pooh. "I wish I were there to be doing it, too."
I really found this week's topic very beneficial. I did not know about Google Docs and the access to such applications available without a price tag. When I purchased a new computer about a year ago, I was most frustrated that I had to buy all the necessary software. Then the frustration that you have to save it in an earlier version to be able to open your documents at work. I remembered the days that everything was included when purchasing the computer. Having these applications available is great! I really want to be able to spend more time working with these in the future and becoming more aware of the possibilities.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tags
"You can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right; but spelling isn't everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn't count."
I am really behind in my posts, but mainly because I have been taking the time to absorb all that I have learned and what I will be learning in the near future. Sounds good, doesn't it?
I really like the sites that allows us to use our own tags. It makes things simplier. One of the main complaints I hear from patrons about the library is that trying to find information on a subject that they are researching becomes difficult and frustrating because they don't know the right word to use for the search.
Mainly the problem is that we in the profession often use words in the subject field that are not necessarily common to the average layman. The aspect of everyone being able to tag their own items make it easier to find what you are really looking for on your search for information.
This has been something that we have been discussing in out Cataloging Committee meetings and what we can utilize to make it easier for the patron and their quest for information. This, I believe, is a very good thing.
I am really behind in my posts, but mainly because I have been taking the time to absorb all that I have learned and what I will be learning in the near future. Sounds good, doesn't it?
I really like the sites that allows us to use our own tags. It makes things simplier. One of the main complaints I hear from patrons about the library is that trying to find information on a subject that they are researching becomes difficult and frustrating because they don't know the right word to use for the search.
Mainly the problem is that we in the profession often use words in the subject field that are not necessarily common to the average layman. The aspect of everyone being able to tag their own items make it easier to find what you are really looking for on your search for information.
This has been something that we have been discussing in out Cataloging Committee meetings and what we can utilize to make it easier for the patron and their quest for information. This, I believe, is a very good thing.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Social Networking
"I wonder what Piglet is doing," thought Pooh. "I wish I were there to be doing it, too."
Do I start a Facebook account? That has been my dilemma for a good while now. I listen to friends talk about it and have been very intrigued. I have gone on Facebook to look to see if family or friends have already set up accounts. Without setting up an account, one can not view much. A wonderful friend gave me her user name and password, so that I could actually start to investigate.
I really like the whole concept. However, is this something that I personally would enjoy and keep up with? I decided that I should look at the pros and cons. It would be great to catch up with people that I have not spoken with in years. Things in our lives change so rapidly, it is very easy to no longer be in touch with people that you were once very close with. That, I find most exciting. The downside is the first step that you have to ask permission to become a friend. If I ask someone, I don't want the rejection. The friends that have talked about this, have issues turning people down to access their page. Do you allow your boss or coworkers access? How about you parents or family members? You can make your page as private as you want, but what kind of information do you really want to share? Do I want all my conversations posted for everyone to read? I don't think so.
Side story: I used to be in touch with a college professor. We were very good friends. Many of his former students liked to keep in touch with him. He decided that he should start, basically a social network, so that we were all in touch. This was prior to the present Web 2.0 era we are now in, so he was ahead of his time. I had written him a private letter one Christmas. The next thing that I knew, that letter was sent to the whole group that he had joined together for this social network. I was humiliated. I never dreamed that he would share this private note with everyone. So, I quit writing to him. I lost the trust of one I thought I could call good friend.
This is the big reason that I had really put off starting a Facebook account or any of the other social networking accounts. I believe that it could be a good idea to set up an account for work and have it focus on storytimes and special programs. Many of the mothers and fathers that come to storytime come for the social interaction. Maybe setting up an account and letting the mothers and fathers know about this site would provide one more invaluable service for our patrons. I am not for sure that I really would keep up with a project like that.
As an added note, people have been surprised that I like the group Queen. So, I decided that I needed to be more predictable and since this lesson is about social networking, I decided that I needed to have a music video and what else should I use but a song from High School Musical. After all, we are all in this together. Does this make everyone happy?!
Do I start a Facebook account? That has been my dilemma for a good while now. I listen to friends talk about it and have been very intrigued. I have gone on Facebook to look to see if family or friends have already set up accounts. Without setting up an account, one can not view much. A wonderful friend gave me her user name and password, so that I could actually start to investigate.
I really like the whole concept. However, is this something that I personally would enjoy and keep up with? I decided that I should look at the pros and cons. It would be great to catch up with people that I have not spoken with in years. Things in our lives change so rapidly, it is very easy to no longer be in touch with people that you were once very close with. That, I find most exciting. The downside is the first step that you have to ask permission to become a friend. If I ask someone, I don't want the rejection. The friends that have talked about this, have issues turning people down to access their page. Do you allow your boss or coworkers access? How about you parents or family members? You can make your page as private as you want, but what kind of information do you really want to share? Do I want all my conversations posted for everyone to read? I don't think so.
Side story: I used to be in touch with a college professor. We were very good friends. Many of his former students liked to keep in touch with him. He decided that he should start, basically a social network, so that we were all in touch. This was prior to the present Web 2.0 era we are now in, so he was ahead of his time. I had written him a private letter one Christmas. The next thing that I knew, that letter was sent to the whole group that he had joined together for this social network. I was humiliated. I never dreamed that he would share this private note with everyone. So, I quit writing to him. I lost the trust of one I thought I could call good friend.
This is the big reason that I had really put off starting a Facebook account or any of the other social networking accounts. I believe that it could be a good idea to set up an account for work and have it focus on storytimes and special programs. Many of the mothers and fathers that come to storytime come for the social interaction. Maybe setting up an account and letting the mothers and fathers know about this site would provide one more invaluable service for our patrons. I am not for sure that I really would keep up with a project like that.
As an added note, people have been surprised that I like the group Queen. So, I decided that I needed to be more predictable and since this lesson is about social networking, I decided that I needed to have a music video and what else should I use but a song from High School Musical. After all, we are all in this together. Does this make everyone happy?!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Music
"If you want to make a song more hummy, add a few tiddely poms."
As I continue to investigate Web 2.0, I find interesting elements, as well as things that just make me smile. The time: 1975. I am in high school and the group Queen has released their new song "Bohemian Rhapsody." It was new, creative, and the most talked about song at my school. I was having a great time in high school and listening to that song just brings back many happy memories. When you have some time on your hands, sit down and relax to this classic performed by one of children's favorite toys.
As I continue to investigate Web 2.0, I find interesting elements, as well as things that just make me smile. The time: 1975. I am in high school and the group Queen has released their new song "Bohemian Rhapsody." It was new, creative, and the most talked about song at my school. I was having a great time in high school and listening to that song just brings back many happy memories. When you have some time on your hands, sit down and relax to this classic performed by one of children's favorite toys.
Gaming
"Pooh looked at his two paws. He knew that one of them was the right, and he knew that when you had decided which one of them was the right, then the other was the left, but he never could remember how to begin."
I think that kids have it made nowadays, because they love the fact that they can get on a computer and start playing games. A parent can go about doing their own book search and not have to worry what mischief their child might get into. Then you have the older patron who comes into the children's area, grumbling that all the computers are taken and "all those children are just playing games. Can't you tell them to get off the computer, because there are others who really need to be using them?" Then, as soon as a computer becomes available, that patron sits down, logs on, and immediately opens up a game of solitaire and plays cards for the next two hours.
The availability of games on the computer for children is not only recreational, but also educational. Children that have not yet started school, can sit at computer and play games that teach the child patterns, colors, shapes, beginnings and endings, following directions, and hand-eye coordination, to name a few.
Teachers understand the concept of computer games and education. By using games in the classroom, it makes the curriculum more engaging and culturally relevant. The computer game becomes a stimulus for the pupils.
As for me, I wish that I was younger and better at playing the games. I think they are hard and I don't always understand what all I am supposed to be doing. I also have problems with the use of my hands, and that makes it even more frustrating. I feel that if I would have had the computer available when I was young and had been using it for all these years, I would not be experiencing some of the problems I face today. Too often I have problems just pushing in the code to unlock the door to the office.
Computer games - much more of a help than a hindrance.
I think that kids have it made nowadays, because they love the fact that they can get on a computer and start playing games. A parent can go about doing their own book search and not have to worry what mischief their child might get into. Then you have the older patron who comes into the children's area, grumbling that all the computers are taken and "all those children are just playing games. Can't you tell them to get off the computer, because there are others who really need to be using them?" Then, as soon as a computer becomes available, that patron sits down, logs on, and immediately opens up a game of solitaire and plays cards for the next two hours.
The availability of games on the computer for children is not only recreational, but also educational. Children that have not yet started school, can sit at computer and play games that teach the child patterns, colors, shapes, beginnings and endings, following directions, and hand-eye coordination, to name a few.
Teachers understand the concept of computer games and education. By using games in the classroom, it makes the curriculum more engaging and culturally relevant. The computer game becomes a stimulus for the pupils.
As for me, I wish that I was younger and better at playing the games. I think they are hard and I don't always understand what all I am supposed to be doing. I also have problems with the use of my hands, and that makes it even more frustrating. I feel that if I would have had the computer available when I was young and had been using it for all these years, I would not be experiencing some of the problems I face today. Too often I have problems just pushing in the code to unlock the door to the office.
Computer games - much more of a help than a hindrance.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wikis
"Those who are clever, who have a Brain, never understand anything."
Wikis have been talked about a lot recently and it has been assumed that we all know all about this tool and we were never given any training or explainations about it. Well, at least not to me. I have watched HQ personnel get excited about it and supply us with this great tool to assist us in doing our job better. That is all wonderful and I do appreciate it, but I really wanted someone to take the time and explain how this tool is going to better me and my work performance. Am I going to just start playing around with this tool and see what I can do and see what all that it has to offer? No. That is not how I am made. I need for a one-on-one approach to explain what the tool is, what it can do, what are the benefits, what are the downfalls, how I can incorporate it in my work, and the list goes on.
I am happy that this is one of the topics being discussed. Finally, I am starting to understand a little what this Wiki phenomenon is all about. I am discovering what this tool has to offer. Is it something that I will immediately start using? Probably not. If I were working with a small group of individuals that really liked this tool and got me excited about how we were going to use it, then I could easily change my opinion. The video is great on giving it a practical application. There is a program that I really want to incorporate and I can see that this tool could be a bonus. We will see.
I did enjoy checking out the Wikis that are selected as examples. I really liked the book list on the Book Lovers Wiki, which was developed by the Princeton Public Library. I decided that I wanted to see which books had a 5 star review. I am really not a non-fiction reader. I have to live in the real world. Books are my escape. I just want to live in a fictional world for awhile each day. (For those who know me, I am sure that this comes as no surprise.) A book from the list that caught my attention was The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J. R. Moehringer. So, I searched our catalog and found that we had the book on CD and I checked it out. The book is being read by the author. I put the first disc in and was not for sure what to expect. It immediately starts out with, “We went there for everything we needed,” and then lists all that this bar has to offer from the necessities of quenching your thirst to developing a friendship that can last you a lifetime. It made me smile because it is very comforting to find a place that gives you what you need, and most importantly, a sense of comfort. He continues and states, “While I fear that we’re drawn to what abandons us, and to what seems most likely to abandon us, in the end we’re defined by what embraces us.” I found myself intrigued by just the prologue and was ready to let the story evolve. So far, I believe that The Tender Bar was a wise choice and would not have been made aware of it, if it hadn't been for this Wiki.
I hope that after this course is finished, I will continue to watch for the various Wikis available and will continue to discover and learn.
Wikis have been talked about a lot recently and it has been assumed that we all know all about this tool and we were never given any training or explainations about it. Well, at least not to me. I have watched HQ personnel get excited about it and supply us with this great tool to assist us in doing our job better. That is all wonderful and I do appreciate it, but I really wanted someone to take the time and explain how this tool is going to better me and my work performance. Am I going to just start playing around with this tool and see what I can do and see what all that it has to offer? No. That is not how I am made. I need for a one-on-one approach to explain what the tool is, what it can do, what are the benefits, what are the downfalls, how I can incorporate it in my work, and the list goes on.
I am happy that this is one of the topics being discussed. Finally, I am starting to understand a little what this Wiki phenomenon is all about. I am discovering what this tool has to offer. Is it something that I will immediately start using? Probably not. If I were working with a small group of individuals that really liked this tool and got me excited about how we were going to use it, then I could easily change my opinion. The video is great on giving it a practical application. There is a program that I really want to incorporate and I can see that this tool could be a bonus. We will see.
I did enjoy checking out the Wikis that are selected as examples. I really liked the book list on the Book Lovers Wiki, which was developed by the Princeton Public Library. I decided that I wanted to see which books had a 5 star review. I am really not a non-fiction reader. I have to live in the real world. Books are my escape. I just want to live in a fictional world for awhile each day. (For those who know me, I am sure that this comes as no surprise.) A book from the list that caught my attention was The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J. R. Moehringer. So, I searched our catalog and found that we had the book on CD and I checked it out. The book is being read by the author. I put the first disc in and was not for sure what to expect. It immediately starts out with, “We went there for everything we needed,” and then lists all that this bar has to offer from the necessities of quenching your thirst to developing a friendship that can last you a lifetime. It made me smile because it is very comforting to find a place that gives you what you need, and most importantly, a sense of comfort. He continues and states, “While I fear that we’re drawn to what abandons us, and to what seems most likely to abandon us, in the end we’re defined by what embraces us.” I found myself intrigued by just the prologue and was ready to let the story evolve. So far, I believe that The Tender Bar was a wise choice and would not have been made aware of it, if it hadn't been for this Wiki.
I hope that after this course is finished, I will continue to watch for the various Wikis available and will continue to discover and learn.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Photo Sharing
"Wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing."
I feel that I had an early start with this tool by creating the slide show that I placed on my blog when I initially set it up. For this exercise, I decided that I wanted to post the pictures with my copy.
For those who know me, I can not explain anything with just a couple of words or a sentence or two. I have to tell a story, whether you want to hear it or not. (I get this trait from my mother, so blame her!)
While finishing up library school, I changed jobs. I had been working for an advertising agency, and then I started working for The Richmond Forum. If you are not familiar with this organization, each season there are five program, each program with a theme. The Richmond Forum has a very highly respected reputation and are known for the celebrities they attract. This was a wonderful job to have because you get to meet many famous people. For each program, it starts with a dinner, which includes the guest speaker(s), the staff and high-dollar contributors. The speaker is always asked to say a few words before the dinner. After dinner everyone is bussed to The Landmark Theatre for the presentation. After the program, there is a reception held, where invited guests are able to talk with the speaker, get their autograph and/or have your picture taken with the guest. For the speakers that I was very excited about, I HAD to have my picture taken with them. For example, here I am with Tom Brokaw.
Being from Ohio, I had to meet John Glenn. I was very impressed that he knew all about my hometown of Gallipolis.
I had finished library school and still worked at The Forum, while watching for library positions to become available. At Catholic University, I took the School Media track, so I was paying close attention to what was being advertised in the school system, specifically in Henrico County. I got the job at Holladay Elementary School. That season, Frank McCourt spoke and I had to have a picture taken with him.
My first year at Holladay, I was school librarian all day and then late afternoon, I went to The Forum to take care of my responsibilities there. Friends knew where I worked. They wanted to meet the speakers as well, and maybe... just maybe, they too would have their picture taken with the speaker. Case in point, maybe you might know one of the ladies with Mr. McCourt.
I also got to meet and speak with Lily Tomlin, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Julie Andrews, to name a few. Yes, I am name dropping. Tim Russert was a regular at the Forum with the question/answer portion and he is greatly missed.
I have to now take the time to thank Katherine Harrison with helping me by answering all my many questions with the use of this tool.
I feel that I had an early start with this tool by creating the slide show that I placed on my blog when I initially set it up. For this exercise, I decided that I wanted to post the pictures with my copy.
For those who know me, I can not explain anything with just a couple of words or a sentence or two. I have to tell a story, whether you want to hear it or not. (I get this trait from my mother, so blame her!)
While finishing up library school, I changed jobs. I had been working for an advertising agency, and then I started working for The Richmond Forum. If you are not familiar with this organization, each season there are five program, each program with a theme. The Richmond Forum has a very highly respected reputation and are known for the celebrities they attract. This was a wonderful job to have because you get to meet many famous people. For each program, it starts with a dinner, which includes the guest speaker(s), the staff and high-dollar contributors. The speaker is always asked to say a few words before the dinner. After dinner everyone is bussed to The Landmark Theatre for the presentation. After the program, there is a reception held, where invited guests are able to talk with the speaker, get their autograph and/or have your picture taken with the guest. For the speakers that I was very excited about, I HAD to have my picture taken with them. For example, here I am with Tom Brokaw.
Being from Ohio, I had to meet John Glenn. I was very impressed that he knew all about my hometown of Gallipolis.
I had finished library school and still worked at The Forum, while watching for library positions to become available. At Catholic University, I took the School Media track, so I was paying close attention to what was being advertised in the school system, specifically in Henrico County. I got the job at Holladay Elementary School. That season, Frank McCourt spoke and I had to have a picture taken with him.
My first year at Holladay, I was school librarian all day and then late afternoon, I went to The Forum to take care of my responsibilities there. Friends knew where I worked. They wanted to meet the speakers as well, and maybe... just maybe, they too would have their picture taken with the speaker. Case in point, maybe you might know one of the ladies with Mr. McCourt.
I also got to meet and speak with Lily Tomlin, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Julie Andrews, to name a few. Yes, I am name dropping. Tim Russert was a regular at the Forum with the question/answer portion and he is greatly missed.
I have to now take the time to thank Katherine Harrison with helping me by answering all my many questions with the use of this tool.
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