Thing 23: Wrapping Up

Party!! I'm Done!!

Wow I can't believe I made it!! I almost gave up a couple of times but then would do the next "thing" and would learn something really great. I have a couple of favorite things-Librarything and from web 2.0 awards, farecast.com. I also really liked wikis and google docs.

I think my least favorite was technorati. For me the sheer number of blogs available is overwhelming and I am just not patient enough to read through blogs to find ones I'm interested in.

I don't think I will use bloglines and rss feeds because I do not really follow any web sites/blogs on a regular basis. However, I did recommend bloglines to both my husband and my son. I also recommended Librarything to my sister since she is a huge reader and always looking for recommendations. She can also use it to track what she's read and what she wants to read.

I was thinking web 2.0 would be great in teen services-maybe a wiki of whats in/whats out, whats happening, or what are you reading.

I would like to thank the OCL Webthings commitee for running this challenge. I have learned a great deal (and plan to get really good plane fares with farecast.com). It was nice to be able to learn at my own pace (as opposed to when I ask my teens to show me how to do something)

Thing 22: ListenNJ

For months now I had been meaning to go on ListenNJ to download an audio book to my ipod-hoping it would give me further incentive to remain on the treadmill at the gym. So I was really excited to see Thing 22 was Listen NJ. Boy was I disappointed to find out it is not compatible with ipod!!

I had some problems downloading the OverDrive Media Console the first time. So I deleted it and started over. Once I was able to download the Media console it was quite easy to download my audio book (I chose the Adventures of Tom Sawyer since it was one that could be burned to a CD). The download and burning process did seem to be slow however.

Thing 21: Podcasts

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelstories/podcast/london_0507/

I found a travel podcast about London. This was alot of fun to listen to since we went to London last summer. The podcast brought back some memories and made me want to return to London to see what I missed the first time. Podcast.com was very easy to use.

Thing 20: YouTube & You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpIu-R-1ej0

My YouTube link is to a video of Savion Glover tap dancing. I am a huge fan of Savion Glover-if you like tap, going to see him is a huge treat. (My favorite venue is NJPAC in Newark-his hometown and a beautiful theatre). He dances with so much joy, it is infectious and at some points his feet move so quickly they are just a blur.

I could get addicted to YouTube. I was watching so many different videos I had to remind myself I only needed to pick one to add to my blog.

Thing 19: Web 2.0 Awards

I am so excited! I found a web site under Travel which I will definitely use and tell everyone about. The site is farecast.com and it predicts whether air fare will go up or down. You put in your destination and dates of travel and it will tell you whether to buy your ticket now or wait-it even gives you a percent confidence level. The site lists airlines, prices and flight times. It even provides links to Expedia, bookingbuddy, Hotwire, etc. There is also a tab to search for hotels.

Last month my dad decided to wait a week to purchase his airline tickets to Ireland for a trip in September. When he went back to book the tickets the price had gone up $200. A predictor sure would have been useful for him.

Thing 18: Web Apps

Wow Google docs can be so helpful. Two of my fellow co-workers and myself are currently working on a display of famous NJ authors, actors, and musicians. Since 2 of us are part timers, working different schedules, communication can be difficult. It would have been so much easier to use google docs to organize tasks, compile lists of celebrities to be included, and to include display board signs for everyones input.

Thing 17: Play in the Sandbox

This was one of the easiest things we have done. It was so simple to add to the wiki and I didn't have to think very hard to come up with lots of favorites. I had fun playing with fonts and colors and background colors. The first time I added my link to my blog I added the url to the blogger web site-not my specific blog. But as soon as I realized my mistake I logged in to blogger and did a copy and paste to my blog. No problems.

Thing 16: Learn about Wikis

I like the idea of being able to organize a group of people using a shared web site-boy would that have been handy organizing boy scout camping trips. The Library Sucess wiki had lots of great ideas and was well organized. The Readers Advisory section had some great lists and links to websites/blogs. I also liked the book discussion resources. I can see the value of a wiki for sharing ideas, but am still a little uncomfortable with a site like wikipedia that is providing information. If anyone can edit an article how is the credibility of the source verified?

Thing 15-Library 2.0

Away From the Icebergs

A few years ago my cousin told her sister not to go to school for her MLS, since libraries would soon be obsolete. As a book fanatic I was apalled. However, I now understand her point. The old style of libraries is obsolete. Going through this web challenge I see how libraries have been changing and need to continue to change and the huge role technology has in this process. I can understand Rick Anderson's point about needing to provide web based resources in easily used formats. I have witnessed many technology changes in the library since I started work at OCL-the online catalogue & access to your account, all the new link to a topic type of resources, Listen NJ, etc. etc. I am sure we cannot even begin to guess what the next 5 years will bring in terms of changes.

Thing 14-Technorati

Again Technorati is fairly easy to use, but I do find the sheer number of all these blogs overwhelming. I did of course link to the popularbooks. Unfortunately this causes my reading list to increase even further. I will have to retire so I can make a dent in the all the books I want to read.

Thing 13-del.icio.us

This is a great idea. It will be so convenient to have a list of favorite web sites that are not limited to a single computer. I can see this being very useful for reference work. I had no problem seeing the comments and tags that others used for the bookmarks. I was able to follow along to see what web sites other people had in their del.icio.us accounts. This would be an easy way to find new sites on a particular subject.

Thing 12-Net Library & WorldCat

I already knew a little about Net Library so I spent some time searching. It was straightforward to use and I could show a patron how to use it. I have already used World Cat to search for items to fill out request for materials forms. Again its easy to use.

Thing 11-Library Thing

I love library thing. I like to read a wide variety of fiction and get easily bored with a single author, so the recommendations are wonderful for me. I can see using library thing when a patron comes in and says "Can you recommend a book?". If you ask them to give you a title of a book they liked you can easily give them a list. Very cool.

I was surprised that my least popular book was a Luane Rice book. But of course my most popular was part of the Harry Potter series.


http://www.librarything.com/catalog/srichardson

Thing 10-Technology

I always thought I was slow to learn & adopt new technology. For example I cannot figure out which remote to use for the TV (this isn't as stupid as it sounds because there has to be 8 different remotes in my house). When I first got my ipod I was lost trying to figure out how to manage the music. Then I realized my problem was having 2 teenagers. I made the fatal error of asking them to show me how to do things. Of course they click and drag at the speed of light and I get totally lost. Finally it dawned on me to sit down and figure it out for myself. I've learned alot through trial and error. The best part was when my daughters ipod had problems I was the one to show her how to resolve it!!

Thing 9-Finding Feeds

Boy you can sure get caught up when you start searching for feeds. I found Syndic8 to be the easiest search tool. Some of the other search tools seemed to return way too many hits and it was alot of material to wade through. I think I would have been better off being more specific in my search parameters.

Thing 8-RSS

Setting up the bloglines account was quite easy. I just copied and pasted the URLs to add my feeds. My problem was deciding which feeds to add since I don't visit very many websites on a regular basis and really don't read any blogs. I also had trouble adding the events calendar for Manchester for some reason. When I copied the URL the upcoming events for Manchester were not among the feed choices.

I really like the idea of a newsreader and all the web sites being in one place. It makes it quite convenient!!!

Thing 7: The Scanner & You

Scanned a photo of a person repelling beside a waterfall in Hawaii at night, then attached it to an e-mail sent to oclwebthings@gmail.com

Thing 6 - Horton

Horton presides over the children's area with a devilish smile. I wonder what he's thinking about.

I had a problem uploading Horton from Flikr to Blogger. His url at Flikr is http://www.flickr.com/photos/24974965@N08/2368636175/in/photostream/ but when I used Blogger's photo upload tool I get a box but no picture appears. This photo is from the saved file on the computer.

Thing 5-Flickr-Glacier National Park

I love to travel and to be outdoors, so I have been trying to visit
as many national parks as I can. Glacier National Park is next on
my list. I sure wish I was there now.

Thing 4: Register your blog

e-mailed oclwebthings@gmail.com to register my blog

Thing 3 - Lifelong Learning Habits

I always thought that I wasn't a "technology" person, so I was shocked when I realized how much technology I use each day. Last week I was on my way to see a show in Red Bank and I started laughing about all the technology that I was using. To start I had ordered my tickets and chosen my seats on line. A web search gave me a list of dining options. I went on mapquest to get the directions to the theatre. Since I'm really good at getting lost, I also brought along my GPS programmed to my destination. Driving up the parkway I plugged my ipod into my stereo and enjoyed a playlist of favorites. I was even able to avoid the toll booths by using my EZ pass.

So when I looked through the list of Lifelong Learning habits I decided that habit #6-Use technology to your advantage-was my easiest. The technology just kind of sneaks into your life, making things easier. It also helps to have 2 teenagers in the house. My 15 year old just got me to start texting!

My hardest habit would be #5-Creating your own learning toolbar. I tend to do things quickly, so taking the time to get completely organized before I start can be tough.

First Time Blog

Wow-my first ever blog-and so easy to set up. Hoping the rest of the challenge goes this smoothly.