Thing #13-Online Productivity Tools

Talk about your lack of online productivity: I just spent the last 45 minutes posting an entry regarding Thing #13--and I was saving the entry on a regular basis, and when I went to preview--I lost everything. Arrrrrgggghhhhh!

I was writing about the fact that I feel that the term online productivity tool is an oxymoron, unless you are one of those individuals who is really tied into using the computer 24/7. I have been trying to add a countdown gadget to the blog and I just can't seem to get it to work, and it has not been a productive use of my time!

I chose to mock up a start page on iGoogle, probably because of its familiar look. I like the idea of a personalized start page--in fact, on my home computer I do use one, and I have added things like the local weather where all my close family members live, local news for me, etc. I won't make iGoogle my permanent start page here at work due to the fact that theoretically there is an in-house start page that everyone is supposed to default to. I probably won't change the one I have at home, either, as it is all set up.

I could see the value of a calendar at work, but since we already have difficulty with everyone trying to follow a paper desk schedule and keeping that current--I could see problems with an online version. There is a calendar function tied into our email program, and again everyone is supposed to keep it up to date so that meetings can be scheduled. It's that keeping it up to date part that is a little tricky for some people! I did like the idea of the Backpack concept--I especially like the demo of tracking the process of filling an open position. For specific projects it could be handy.

It was helpful to learn about the file converters--that could be useful here at the Library as we have many of our handouts in word documents, but we would like to attach them to email reference questions as pdf's. I'm going to try that feature out at the next opportunity. Things like the sticky notes or the list makers--again I only see the value if you are tied into your computer 24/7.

I did like some of the cute widgets/gadgets, and I am now going to try to add my Countdown timer. It should be in the right hand column. It's counting, but it's not counting correctly!

Thing #12-I Reddit, but not sure I Digg it

Now that I have taken a look at these social media sites, I can say that this is where I separate out from the avid web users. I enjoy getting my media information the old-fashioned way, from newspapers, magazines, NPR and a few news service web sites that I visit. Obviously, if a person was totally web oriented, these tools could come in handy--but I definitely view them as leisure activities. Being informed as to current events is an important part of being a librarian, but as a professional I always felt that keeping yourself informed was something you did on your own time. At work I could see this being a real detractor--I could spend all day reading stories I found interesting. And once again, these sites have my favorite scenario (I'm being facetious here) of having no editor. However, on these sites it makes sense that no editor is involved as this is content that will pertain purely to your own personal interests, and you can somewhat set up parameters of what type of information you are interested in receiving.

Before doing the tours of the individual sites, I had never read a story/item from one of these sites--I had never even visited one. When doing the tours, I loved that on Newsvine the tour was brief, along with the statement, "You don't have time for a long tour!" Amen to that. Newsvine also had the best design style--very professional looking, with Digg coming in second for me. Of course, all the sites offered the option of your own personal information page--once again, the whole "look at me" syndrome that I don't enjoy about the Internet. I believe I'm turning into a curmudgeon--which I don't think is the effect Web 2.0 capabilities are supposed to have on me!

Thing #11-Tagging and Delicious

As a former children's librarian, (something I know I keep harping on...yada, yada, yada,) I see real value in tagging. The arcane rules of library subject headings were always beyond me, a mere public service librarian--little did I know of the mysterious ways of the catalogers once I barely survived my Intro to Cataloging class in library school. In the BI classes that I held for 5th and 6th graders I can still remember the kids' disbelief when trying to explain subject headings and see also references. "You mean someone just decides what word to use and that's the only one used?!?!" Tagging allows individuals to place a more common, more understood term to describe something, as well as multiple terms, and I think that is pretty nifty. I do feel, however, that some professional oversight for official contents, ie.a library's online catalog, would be helpful if it didn't become too overwhelming. I know that part of 2.0 is to trust the user and that includes whatever tags they might like to add--but I think some official content needs to be known for being reliable, and I wouldn't want inaccurate tags misleading people on a library catalog. It's good that one of the tasks was to go back and add some tags to blog posts, as I missed some for my past postings.

I also liked the idea of Delicious as well (note I'm spelling without the periods--too much trouble!) Again, I see a recurring thread in what I personally find useful in the 2.0 tools--and anything that can be accessed and shared on the web appeals to me, as I often find myself using different computers at different locations when traveling, working different reference desks, etc. It was interesting to explore the Minn23 bookmarks on Delicious, and it was fun to search by tags. I chose to search the Web 2.0 tag, and looked at a bookmark for "Three Awesome Sites". One of the sites was called Buddy Stumbler , and it allowed one to put in some criteria for locating personal web pages of people who match the criteria so that one could then presumably get in touch with those individuals they chose to follow up on. There was a great quote on the site that said "I search, therefore IM". Pretty clever! I also looked at the San Mateo Public Library's bookmarks, to see if I could get a sense of what research enhancements Delicious may offer library patrons. I liked the New Books page--but it seems like unless all of your patrons are using Delicious they are more likely to look for these kinds of bookmarks on the Library's own web page. But perhaps that is my problem--I am still coming into this information the old-fashioned way, and all the Web 2.0ers go to Delicious to find out stuff! I did not create my own account on Delicious at this point in time, but I see the value.

Thing #10: Wikis as collaboration tools

I really enjoyed watching the video--it helped to understand the process much better! It was interesting to look at the sample wikis--but I don't think the format is very attractive for most of them. I even went on the 23 Things on a Stick wiki and added a note about finding the video helpful. As I had mentioned in my previous post, I had been finding the wiki that my library uses for the policy and procedure manual somewhat difficult to use--but now that I get the concept slightly better I will give that wiki another try. I certainly do see the helpful uses of a wiki, and again just like the other collaboration tools you could work on the wiki anywhere. I also understand the concerns that educators have about Wikipedia as a resource--my biggest complaint is that everything often seems to be incomplete. Another issue for Wikipedia is the accuracy. I had a patron come in with a citation that she had located on Wikipedia regarding a theater opening in Duluth. Searching and finding the original actual newspaper article regarding the theater opening, I realized that not only was the quote used in the Wikipedia article incorrect, but the citation information had the wrong date and page number--but luckily the right newspaper at least! My patron was going to edit the entry on Wikipedia and correct the errors. So, I agree with educators about the quality of Wikipedia as a resource, but I do find it to be helpful as a starting point--especially for a topic I know nothing about or have even heard of before. However, obviously as librarians we know to look further for more accurate and authoritative resources on a topic. Again, now I think instead of using Google Docs for the policy and procedure manual revisions, I will use the wiki the Library has set up. Hopefully, I can convince everyone else on the committee to use it!

Thing # 9: Collaboration-Google Docs

Here I am, using Google Docs to create my blog entry for Thing #9. I really like this tool--it allows one to work on a variety of projects no matter what computer you may be using, and then you can transfer them to your own computer when needed. This is very useful at work, when one is on a reference desk and it is quiet. It also helpful when traveling and using a laptop. I am also on a work committee that will be revising the policy and procedure manual for a specific work process, and Google Docs may be helpful for sharing and editing the documents, as I think the wiki format is slightly more difficult to use. This is a fairly simple tool, and one that I think can be picked up rather quickly. Over all, a good to learn about!

Thing #8: Share Your Creations

Well, I'm not sure what my personal future will be like in the world of Library 2.0, if the very hallmark of 2.0 is sharing! The whole sharing, look-at-me and "what I can show you of every part of my life" feature of 2.0 is what I truly dislike about the whole deal. However, if I focus on the fact that it is the Library's services, collections and programs, etc. that will be shared then it makes more sense to me. It then becomes just another marketing tool.

Out of the optional choices to try for sharing online, I originally wanted to try creating a database of books that I would like to read. However, the only datbasesite that Thing #8 recommended, Lazybase, did not seem to create a very nice looking database. So I decided to once again try a photo option, and I chose Slideshare. I chose the Moving Thumbnails option to showcase 8 photos I have taken, and have posted the show to the blog, as you can see above.

Using Slideshare was fairly easy to navigate and understand. However, as usual I always have some difficulty getting the images posted to my blog. I always have to look up the instructions!

Thing # 7--Web 2.0 Communication Tools

Obviously, I have been using a few of the web communication tools for quite a while, but others I am totally new to. Let's review, shall we!

Email: At work we use email heavily to handle reference questions, some of which fall into the ready reference category and some more in-depth. There is a team of 4 librarians who are responsible for handling the Reference email account, and it can have an average range from 30 to 5 emails per day. I feel it has been a successful tool for handling research questions, and while the team doesn't look at the email constantly we do try to monitor it twice a day at the minimum, so researchers normally receive an answer with 24 hours at the latest, (with the exception of the two days the library is closed.) I do feel that it has offered our patrons another viable option for contacting the Library and getting some quick information. Personally, in terms of handling my own email I learned long ago to disable the notification system and look at my in-box only once an hour so that I don't get involved with it all day. I also have my options set so that my delete box empties automatically when I close my email, and I try to keep my sent mail and my in-box current so that they are normally only holding messages from the last 30 days.

IM: this is a feature that our Library has been looking into as a reference option we could offer our researchers, but we have come across some road blocks. I was part of a group that visited a similar special library to see how they had incorporated IMing into their service, and I think it could provide some possibilities for us. However, most of the staff, including myself, is not familiar with IMing, so our first step would be, as 23 Things suggest, to try amongst ourselves first. However we have met real resistance from our IT staff, and they will not at this time enable us to even just communicate amongst the librarians. So we really can't go any further until that problem is resolved. I realized, watching the video of the UB's instant messaging service, that there is a whole new lingo to learn with all the abbreviations! Staff also has concerns about how busy IMing would get, but I feel that is a variable that we won't be certain about until we can offer the service and see what happens!

Texting: while my cell phone offers the feature I never text anyone. My stepsons, however, at the ages of 25, 21 and 17 never put their phones down and their fingers fly! Reading the article about texting and libraries pointed out an obvious feature that I was wondering about--unless the text message can come through the computer I don't really see it being a viable reference tool, as what does everyone do--walk around with a cell phone? I do like the silent aspect of texting, however. I did text a friend on my cell for this Thing, and not only did it take me forever to type a very brief message on those tiny keys, but where's the punctuation! I definitely need to brush up on the lingo for all the abbreviations! I don't even think I remembered to sign my name when I texted my friend.

Webinars: I have attended several MINITEX webinars, and find the format of the presentations usable. I appreciate the tips in the WebJunction article about making sure that the steps for helping the participant get the webinar up and running are clear. I will say that it seems that more often than not there is some technical glitch when getting connected for the webinar. At my library we have discussed the possibility of turning some of our regularly presented classes into webinars, and I think that would be a good idea. I like when I can look at archived webinars and pick a topic I am interested in learning about on my own schedule, and I think our users would as well.

While some of the communication tools were new to me, this is one Thing that I felt fairly comfortable with.