Thing 24 - Zamzar.com

Missy Williams told me to be sure to visit Zamzar.com. Since she's one of most tech- savvy people in IS, I did just that. Often our Computer Center patrons require file conversions for their work, and now I know how this website can assist them. I did convert a Word document to pdf. And then, be still my heart, I followed the steps that allowed me to take my YouTube video and insert it into a PowerPoint presentation. It was so easy ,and I am so impressed with this website.

Thing 23 - a postscript

After I posted my Thing 23 evaluation last week, I fielded two calls to IS asking if the Library currently sponsors computer classes. It is always with reluctance that I tell patrons that the Library does not, and these recent calls made me take time to reflect. Why? I had just taken advantage of a Library program that encouraged me to reach out and explore areas of technology, and I gained so much from it. Now I was hearing from people who wanted to do the same.


Many patrons need classes to teach them how to use the new technology, and they turn to the Library for assistance. And why not? Computers are present and available at all of our libraries, and libraries connect patrons to information. I think that it is terrific that people of all generations are willing to be beginners, willing to reach out and become empowered. I also think that it is time again for the Library to help with this process.

Thing 23

A few notes at the end of the trail that I’d like to begin with a thank you to Louisa Berger for initiating Library 2.0. Louisa, you have connected us to an educational experience that was all that learning should be…..a time to become informed, a time to grow, a time for reflection, and, for good measure, a time of fun. I hope that future programs like this will be offered to our staff. I’d like to reflect on this “learning journey”, as Helene labels Library 2.0, in two parts: Hannah before Library 2.0 and Hannah after Library 2.0

Hannah before Library 2.0....
I essentially found myself in a technology box that was created by the needs of my work. I worked comfortably with Word and Excel and was able to create PowerPoint presentations. The requests of Information Services Department patrons and KnowItNow patrons meant honing research skills from a wide variety of electronic sources. The technology skills that I acquired at the Library spilled over into my personal and volunteer lives, and I only occasionally ventured into new territory. Perhaps it was a lack of curiosity; it also was a lack of time. And then comes Library 2.0.

Hannah after Library 2.0...
Library 2.0 introduced me to new aspects of the world of technology and the Internet. What will change?
· I know that I’ll visit my Bloglines account for the RSS and podcasts links that I’ve selected.
· I use and value Del.icio.us.com, because it seamlessly allows me to save and tag important websites.
· I look forward to using NetLibrary’s audio offerings.
· Will I become a frequent visitor to You.tube? Don’t think so....curious, but too little time to explore. Will continue to use Flickr.
· Blogs and wikis? I’ll continue to add them to Del.icio.us.com, collecting them through general searches on topics of interest.

Library 2.0 also has impacted my work as a librarian. It has certainly opened new avenues for research, and I hope that the presence of the Business and Investment Center on the library’s homepage will in the future include a blog for this collection. I hope that the future will also see a wiki for PLYMC staff. We rarely have the opportunity to communicate with each other, and I see a wiki as a means for adding to our professional growth.

There is enough time to go beyond Thing 23 and I plan to do just that. In the meantime it’s good to say, "Mission accomplished."

Week 9 Thing 22

I enjoy books-on-CD while I’m traveling or on those sleepless in Seattle nights. Now I’ll be accessing downloadable audio books, a new step for me. Explored NetLIbrary.com and now have an account with them. I searched for titles based on recent publication date and was delighted to find the books available.

Week 9 - Thing 21

How did I explore podcasts.? I first used the three suggested podcast directories. On Podcastalley.com I discovered Jane Brody's (the NYT's health writer) podcast. The podcasts are brief audios from her weekly columns. I then tried a Google search for podcasts from museums, and one of the results is a terrific website that leads me directly to them (http://www.museumpods.com/). I saved RSSfeeds for two podcasts to my Bloglines account. I suspect that I'll return to the world of podcasts more often than the world of YouTube.

Week 9 - Thing 20

I've just visited YouTube for this assignment, and I came away overwhelmed at this universe. I had visited only once before Library 2.0 and I was overwhelmed during that first visit as well. I did a search for museums combined with the words New York and found many videos made by visitors to the Big Apple's museums. I then found this video via a Wall Street Journal search. It is by the newspaper and about their ad featuring the boxer, Oscar de la Hoya. I wasn't aware of this boxer, and I thought I'd share this video about his life and his good works.

Week 8 - Thing 19

I decided to do a right-brain activity for Thing 19 and chose to explore an award winning Visual Arts website. TheBroth.Com allows a registered (free) member to create a work of art. I have a "room" on the website (I prefer to call it my web studio) where I am currently working on a mosaic. The website provides virtual tiles and I've decided to create a Halloween mask as my project. If you visit this website you can see the works of some very truly gifted members. You will not see mine; it is not for public view for very obvious reasons.

Week 8 - Thing 18 postscript

It worked.

Thing 18

Either I am complacent using Microsoft Office on both work and home computers or I am not angry enough at Bill Gates & Company, because I had not explored any free online applications and tools until the Library 2.0 experience. It has shown me that there is a world of free web-based applications for users to create documents and to share in the process of creating them.

I am currently writing this document via my Zoho.com account. I have explored this website and am quite surprised at what is available. There is even a template library with 50 templates for usage. Now this neophyte Zoho account holder is going to try to publish the document in her blog from Zoho.com. Stay tuned.

Week 7 Thing 17

Played in the PBwiki Learning 2.0 sandbox. I added my blog and added a current favorite book. On to online applications and tools.

Week 7 Thing 16

When I read, "Wikis aren't for everyone! If control is really important to you, then a wiki probably isn't the right tool.", on Meredith Farkas's (Norwich University) presentation, my initial reaction was that she certainly was reading my mind. Since the Library 2.0 experience is about exploring and learning and changing, I have to report......mission accomplished. My views on wikis certainly have changed. I visited many of the wikis suggested by the exercise, and I came away impressed. I was especially impressed with the Princeton Public Library's wiki and the wiki created by Chad Boeninger, the business librarian at Ohio University. Seeing them gave me a comfort level about wikis and their possibilities in the library world..

Week 6 - Things 13, 14, 15

We've all seen the t-shirt that tells us, Too many books. Too little time. With regard to blogs, it is too many to the 10th power. I do from time to time visit blogs attached to favorite websites or blogs of a special interest. For so many blogs, though, it is too much self-aggrandizing and self-promoting. (Well, now, and who has her very own blog? ....and promoting a favorite museum on it?) I did explore and search Technorati, and it did not change my mind about blogs. I'll continue to visit blogs of specific interest, adding to my list from time to time. I found del.icio.us to be a useful resource. Its icons now reside on my computer's browser, and I am in the process of adding/tagging websites. I will enjoy its portability, of course, and I see it as an easy resource for maintaining and categorizing websites of interest. Reading the Library 2.0 articles led me to my own odyssey as a librarian. I began my work at the Library in 1987. It had a card catalog at the time and well into my early years here. Technology impacted with the catalog's demise, and I have been present at its impact at all levels in our system. Working at Main Library as a reference librarian has meant absorbing these changes quickly and having these changes define my work as a librarian on a daily basis. The Library has become a place without walls. Library 2.0 will promote broadening what a library is with further interactivity a key. (As Dr. Wendy Schulz states, "Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities." ) I can see in the near future RSS feeds and blogs for many aspects of our Library's work. More to absorb; more exciting work ahead.

Week 5....a postscript

Thanks to our blogmasters I was finally able to capture the widget for my virtual library shelf at LibraryThing.

Week 5 - Things 10, 11, & 12

Show and tell for Week 5. After investigating several image generator websites I created a stamp (you'll need an additional 2 cent stamp for postage) and a motivational poster. After creating my online catalog at LibraryThing, I discovered that, yes, there were others who enjoyed the three Brit authors that I have included on my virtual shelf....and each one probably has an AARP card. I also created a LibraryThing widget for this blog and joined a group. On to Rollyo where I have listed several websites that provide business data from national to local data. The following is the link to these websites: http://rollyo.com/kemplermoses/business_statistics.

Week 4 - Things 8 & 9

RSS is really simple, and I selected feeds from the world of business, art, and libraries. See my choices at :
www.bloglines.com/public/kemplermoses

Week 3 - Things 5, 6, 7....a postscript

The new image on my blog is a sketch of the photograph of the museum, and it is courtesy of Starr's blog. One of her posts included a website that converts a photograph to a line drawing, and it easily made the conversion. Thanks, Starr.

The Product Pipline article in a recent issue of netconnect (a supplement to Library Journal) featured the website SearchMash. It is an experimental search site from Google, and you should visit it while available. I searched for information on a financial term and for information on a favorite artist. The results included websites, blogs, videos, images, and a Wickipedia entry....and the result screen is well designed. Take time to visit www.searchmash.com

Week 3 - Things 5, 6, & 7

I embarked on the Library 2.0 Express, because I wanted to learn more about technology that could impact my work as a librarian in the Information Services Department. I especially am interested in finding new ways to further promote the Business & Investment Center (a department assignment), and even at this early date I see that Library 2.0 can lead the way. Exploring Flickr this week has spilled over into my personal life. I had often thought about using an image sharing website instead of sending images via my e-mail account. Because of a recent family occasion...and our daughter's digital camera... I am using my new Flickr account, and evenings are spent editing photographs and uploading them to Flickr. I'm taking my time, hoping to create an interesting gallery that will also mean an interesting PowerPoint slide show. I know that it is not age-appropriate for me to say, "This is so cool", but "This is so cool". Next step...I'm going to use Montagr to create a montage of the Flickr photographs. Another next step....I'm purchasing a digital camera.

Week 2 - Things 3 & 4

It worked.....and here I am with my very own blog. I found that listening to and absorbing the 7 1/2 habits of highly successful lifelong learners affirmed what someone ahead of me on life's timeline told me....."Embrace being a beginner, no matter what your age. It's the only way to grow." At 80 something she still is growing and is an inspiration. 7 1/2 habits gave me a framework for what I plan to do with Library 2.0.

Week 1 - Things 1 & 2

Mission accomplished.

Testing the waters

I've crossed the boundary, and here I am in BlogLand. Stay tuned.