Week 8 - Mashups and ARI

Mid-WeekQuestion:

I can see mash-ups having at least an indirect influence on a library's on-line resources.
Databases and other systems that are more compatible and more easily integrated with each other will probably become those purchased over some others. I don't know specifically which ones however.


Discovery Exercises:

1. Pick a mashup

I looked at several of those offered because I did not have a particular subject area in mind.
I really enjoyed some of the videos, but they seemed more for entertainment. I looked at some others that used Google maps a lot. They were more practical in that they served a particular purpose; mainly, to pinpoint information to a specific location. I liked the one showing how much money had been contributed to the presidential candidates by state, and city.

2. Searchrolls on Rollyo

This was interesting because I did not know that you could search blogs by subject and type. I guess I just never thought about it. The comments that were made regarding privacy were
informative in that they showed varying degrees of concern about the issue. One person broke it down into ages, the younger people are less concerned than the over 40's. Another person said this was really because the younger people already know that we are living with an illusion of privacy. The older group would like to believe we still have control of that aspect of our lives.
Finally, someone else pointed out that, if it's in an electronic record anywhere, someone can eventually get to it.

Week 7 - Podcasting and Online Hosted Video

Mid Week Question:

I was very interested in the potential for podcasts in the library. This seems like a very practical way to save and to share any instructional sessions no matter who has done the session. We don't always have time to watch a video or attend a lecture, but we can listen to a podcast while we do our other tasks.


Videos of the library are a great idea. This would be particularly helpful when new procedures are instituted, or new staff needs to be oriented to be library. This is also a good way to get the message of the library out to the general patron population. Even if the quality of the video itself may be less than perfect, it will be remembered.


Discovery Exercises:


I was never able to get into the podcast.net site so I used the Podcast Alley exclusively. These were very interesting. I was able to listen to a few good presentations.


Regarding the health sciences library podcasts, I could get into the University of Tennessee site and see the lists. When I clicked on the podcasts though, I could not hear them. I did get into the Claude Moore Health Science Library podcasts. They were wonderful. I'm sure we could do the same thing in our library.

I found Youtube to be very interesting, even though some of the videos were of questionable subject matter. But that's just like television, radio, movies, books, whatever. If it's not your taste, change the channel.

I like the way some libraries were using Youtube to reach their patrons. I looked at UCSD libraries,DePauw,Western Libraries and Otis Library. I liked Otis the best and would like to share

Week 6 - Online Photo Sharing

I thought this was going to be easy. Everybody I know is on some kind of photo sharing something. I didn't have any photos online that were mine, except for one someone took of me. I used this for Facebook, but I don't feel comfortable having in out on my blog. I'm going to look for another photo for the blog. It took me a bit of time to finally get this photo on Facebook. I guess I'm better at following written instructions. Actually, it took me a while to get on Yahoo, too. All the names I wanted to use for my address seemed to be taken. I hope when the class is over I can remember all my passwords.

Mid-Week Question:

I think photo-sharing services could be very useful to me both personally and professionally. Having a place to store photos where they don't get abused is wonderful. Being able to pick and choose which ones and to whom to show is great. Having a forever family album is really great.

As far as using photo-sharing professionally, it would be really helpful in having actual pictures of
our staff and our library to put on the hospital website. We could also use certain pictures to highlight our services and our activities. They would be a good way to show our patrons and others what we are really about.

Regarding the Library of Congress venture with Flickr and the social tagging, I think it is a great idea. There are so many items, including pictures, in their collection that I'm sure would not get shown otherwise. It also lets the public feel that they are part of something important. In a way, this project is making history. The project is important because someone took these pictures of real people and events. Somewhere out there someone may have more exactly like these as part of their family history.

Week 5 - Web Office Tools

For the question, "Is this the future of all software products?" Probably, as there is less space available on work computers and more employees work from the road, thus needing the availability of the internet. Each company will improve upon their own product and try to outdo its competitors. Finally, users will decide which works best for them, and depending upon actual usage, one or two companies will be victorious.



I tried Google Doc and really liked it. It seemed very easy to me. I was able to do all of the steps in the assignment with no problem. Then I invited someone to view my slide. The first time I sent the slide, the person with the hotmail address could not view it all. The person with the yahoo address was able to view the first slide. Both got notes saying to click on the link to view the slide. The second time I sent the slide (I made a correction to it) neither of them could view it. They both were asked to log in to Google and neither of them had Google accounts. Finally, one of them did just get a google account to help me out. This wasn't really a hinderance to me since I probably wouldn't be sharing files with anyone else who doesn't already have several online accounts.



Mid-Week Question:


I looked at Webex, Zoho, and Microsoft Office Live. They all had their good points and their bad points based upon how I would use them. Zoho seemed the best of use among the staff of our library since you could use your Google Login. It also seemed to have the most "stuff".


I'm always concerned about security and confidentiality, particularly with folk out there who seem to work hard to get around any blocks. We just have to do the best we can so we don't become a victim.


I'm not sure how much my working environment blocks access to Web Office tools. I haven't had any trouble, but I don't use the tools that often.


My institution has adopted some of these products, but I don't know if it is at enterprise level.
Our organization uses Microsoft so this is what we will proaby stick to so all the work is in the same place and everyone knows how to get to it.

Week 4 - Social Bookmarking

I had some problems getting del.icio.us to load on my work computer, but I finally did it. I'm glad I persisted. This is a really great idea. I have so many bookmarks on my computer that I
give up trying to find a particular one. It is also nice to see that someone else has bookmarked the same ones that are of interest to me.

I can see this as a potential for research assistance. While looking for information on one subject, I often find information on something else that I would like to come back to later. When I get the time to go back, I have forgotten where I saw the information. I have to try to remember what else I was looking for at the time. With bookmarking, I can mark the site and give it a tag I will remember later. This will also help when I need to update the information I may have given to a patron, or when another patron asks for the same information.

It is also a way to pass some intial information to someone and have them build their own set of bookmarks based upon their view of the subject. Their interests may take them in a completely different direction, thus expanding both our information bases.

It is also great for having access to your list wherever you are and whenever you see something to add.

As far as uses for MLA, this would aid those working on the same projects. It would also be of use when members need to look ast an issue that requires some background information. Instead of having to read memos, press releases, etc., we could just get some bookmarks to look for. Some may be those we already have in our lists.

Week 3 - Social Networking Tools:Anwers to Assignment

MLA can use social networking to let members know what is going on in and around the organization. It would be easy for members who may not attend conferences and meetings to keep informed in areas of interest to them. It is also a way to become acquainted with people who share the same interests.

Right now I don't know if my library should have Facebook or MySpace page. Either might be a way of publicizing our library. I think facebook would probably be a better choice. My Space seems to be more for recreation.

I think there are always privacy concerns when using the internet. We just need to be aware of who (other than those we intend) can be viewing our information.

This class was the first opportunity I had to look at either Facebook or MySpace, though people around me talk about them all the time. I like Facebook. It has some real possibilities for personal or professional use. I did not like MySpace. It was just too busy for me. However, I might look at it again since all the "young folk" in my life have a page on it.

Week 3 - Social Networking - Mid-week Post

Since I'm already so far behind and out of sync, I think I'll start with the mid-week post:

Is social networking the next best thing to come out of computing? I don't know, but it is very useful for those who have a busy schedule. This is most of us. It helps us keep in touch with people we might otherwise lose track of. It helps us get our calendars and our activities organized. It lets us meet people with similar interests even though we are unable to meet in person. It lets us keep up with events we are unable to attend. It's like a long conversation at
two in the morning with several people and nobody was disturbed.

Is it the beginning of the downslope to Big Brother where they know everything about us? It doesn't have to be if we stay alert.

Will it be a help or a hinderance to those of us who are simply trying to get our work done. That will be up to us. In the beginning, some people will probably have to handle extra duties to get a system off the ground without letting present operations bog down. Someone else may have to let their work get behind temporarily. When any new technology is introduced, there are a few wrinkles. Things always smooth out in the end.