I accessed the PLCMC Learning 2.0 wiki and created an account so that I was able to login and edit the Favourite Blogs page. I needed to link the PLCMC Learning 2.0 wiki to my login in order to be able to do that. It asked for an additional password in order to edit the page - thankfully it appeared in the Title bar of the Window in the previous screen. I guess it's fairly obvious anyway :-)
I edited the Favourite Blogs page and added a banner for UniSA Library. My blog is now listed below it and other staff need to add themselves in as well. It's a very messy page really. An example of where there is a need for quality control in a wiki. There's no uniformity, different font sized and strange gaps. I guess it is a sandbox for a reason though, so I shouldn't whinge really. It's all learning! It just offends the graphic designer in me.
I've also contibuted my favourite wine Killawarra Dusk, my favourite poem Desiderata, my cat Alistair, my 3 favourite sayings... this has been great.
Tuesday 21 October 2008
Wikis
This week I've begun playing with wikis. I've had a small amount of experience with them prior to this, because in IR&T we manage WikIRT which provides updates on recently purchased materials and also access issues etc. I think WikIRT is a useful resource, but it is made that way by being kept current. This exercise has made me mindful of the fact that I really need to update it and add some news.
I began by looking at some of the suggested wikis. I quite liked the idea of the Pathfinder wiki from St. Joseph County Public Library system. It looked easy to work with, and very clearly set out. I did get a little distracted by the family history section, which looked like one of the best pathfinders I've seen, except for the fact that it was US-focused :-)
I preferred the Library Success wiki. I really loved this site, it is somewhere that I will visit regularly now that I know it's here. I've tried to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates, but it doesn't appear to be generating feeds correctly. I think it could be a useful reference for the future, the section on selecting materials was really very interesting. Again, well structured and useful - what more could we ask for!! It does seem that the more successful wikis are the result of a good community interaction. I think I need to begin making more of an effort myself.
I began by looking at some of the suggested wikis. I quite liked the idea of the Pathfinder wiki from St. Joseph County Public Library system. It looked easy to work with, and very clearly set out. I did get a little distracted by the family history section, which looked like one of the best pathfinders I've seen, except for the fact that it was US-focused :-)
I preferred the Library Success wiki. I really loved this site, it is somewhere that I will visit regularly now that I know it's here. I've tried to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates, but it doesn't appear to be generating feeds correctly. I think it could be a useful reference for the future, the section on selecting materials was really very interesting. Again, well structured and useful - what more could we ask for!! It does seem that the more successful wikis are the result of a good community interaction. I think I need to begin making more of an effort myself.
Monday 20 October 2008
Closest Book meme
* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
And here is my nearest book...
Acquisitions Go Global: an introduction to library collection management in the 21st Century by Jim Agee
The typical constraints are budgets that cannot keep pace with costs of materials, limits to knowledge when confronted with dynamically evolving technological products, meeting the needs of diverse populations of information seekers, and simply not having as much time to invest in crafting solutions as most professionals would like. A significant redeeming factor in all of this is that the situation, at an individual professional level, is essentially the same regardless of location. Whether a librarian lives in a developing nation with a less-than-reliable physical infrastructure or in North America, the entire profession is trying to find solutions. Location is less a factor in the work of today's librarianship than technology, networked production of new information, and the all too real fact that there are still only 24 hours in a day. Librarians must work to balance theoretical goals with real practicalities. Commitments have recently been made at major institutions, such as the decision at the University of Chicago, to continue acquiring traditional bound books. Books are a known format, easily accessible by library users, and there is already a huge existing collection of books upon which to continue building.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
And here is my nearest book...
Acquisitions Go Global: an introduction to library collection management in the 21st Century by Jim Agee
The typical constraints are budgets that cannot keep pace with costs of materials, limits to knowledge when confronted with dynamically evolving technological products, meeting the needs of diverse populations of information seekers, and simply not having as much time to invest in crafting solutions as most professionals would like. A significant redeeming factor in all of this is that the situation, at an individual professional level, is essentially the same regardless of location. Whether a librarian lives in a developing nation with a less-than-reliable physical infrastructure or in North America, the entire profession is trying to find solutions. Location is less a factor in the work of today's librarianship than technology, networked production of new information, and the all too real fact that there are still only 24 hours in a day. Librarians must work to balance theoretical goals with real practicalities. Commitments have recently been made at major institutions, such as the decision at the University of Chicago, to continue acquiring traditional bound books. Books are a known format, easily accessible by library users, and there is already a huge existing collection of books upon which to continue building.
Friday 17 October 2008
Library 2.0 - It's many things to many people. What does it mean to you?
I've heard the term Library 2.0 bandied about for a while now, but never actually heard a decent definition of it. My take on it is that it's a means of user-centred change and interaction. In practical terms it seems to be having greatest impact on OPAC and web design. The Library Catalogue has come a long way from cards in a drawer - I'm glad that I am part of a Generation that remembers working that way though. I remember using my first OPAC when studying at Newcastle High and it was just so...DOS. Eww. Unfriendly and dependent on using the correct function keys to perform the search you wanted. So much has changed. I have to wonder - if it's changed this much in my reasonably short lifetime, how much more is to come? Certainly the new-generation OPACs are taking a lesson from Google and Amazon in both functionality, look and feel. By making them as user-friendly, intuitive and interactive as possible, Libraries are going a long way towards cementing their role and increasing their 'approachability'. So many new possibilities for engaging with users.
It is funny though, there are some means of engagement that seem so natural for a Library to promote, but there are others that just seem really naff. Taking up new technologies for the sake of looking to be doing the right thing without actually having any sort of useful purpose is silly. It's a bit like those people who create an island in Second Life purely for appearance.
"This librarian does not buy technology for the sake of technology. “Techno-worship” does not exist here. Without a firm foundation in the mission and goals of the institution, new technologies are not implemented for the sake of coolness and status. Technology is put to the test: Does it meet the users need in a new or improved way? Does it create a useful service for putting users together with the information and experience they seek? These are some of the questions this librarian asks when planning for technology. This librarian creates and nurtures a living, breathing technology plan." (Stephens 2006)
I really like that. Michael Stephens makes a lot of sense to me. An understanding that the "future of libraries will be guided by how users access, consume and create content. Content is a conversation as well and librarians should participate" (Stephens 2006) - LOVE IT!
One thing I've discovered in recent years is that I love tagging. The concept of creating a blog entry and tagging it is just so good. It appeals to the cataloguer in me and yet it is part of this new wave of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 stuff.
Really when it comes to Library 2.0, isn't integration part of the key? Integrating technologies, integrating people, skills, knowledge?
I think this is going to be interesting...
References:
Stephens, M 2006, Into a new world of librarianship, OCLC NextSpace, viewed 17 October 2008, <http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/3.htm>
It is funny though, there are some means of engagement that seem so natural for a Library to promote, but there are others that just seem really naff. Taking up new technologies for the sake of looking to be doing the right thing without actually having any sort of useful purpose is silly. It's a bit like those people who create an island in Second Life purely for appearance.
"This librarian does not buy technology for the sake of technology. “Techno-worship” does not exist here. Without a firm foundation in the mission and goals of the institution, new technologies are not implemented for the sake of coolness and status. Technology is put to the test: Does it meet the users need in a new or improved way? Does it create a useful service for putting users together with the information and experience they seek? These are some of the questions this librarian asks when planning for technology. This librarian creates and nurtures a living, breathing technology plan." (Stephens 2006)
I really like that. Michael Stephens makes a lot of sense to me. An understanding that the "future of libraries will be guided by how users access, consume and create content. Content is a conversation as well and librarians should participate" (Stephens 2006) - LOVE IT!
One thing I've discovered in recent years is that I love tagging. The concept of creating a blog entry and tagging it is just so good. It appeals to the cataloguer in me and yet it is part of this new wave of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 stuff.
Really when it comes to Library 2.0, isn't integration part of the key? Integrating technologies, integrating people, skills, knowledge?
I think this is going to be interesting...
References:
Stephens, M 2006, Into a new world of librarianship, OCLC NextSpace, viewed 17 October 2008, <http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/3.htm>
An illustration - because there is too much text on this page!!
This is Imogen, she's one of my dolls. She's an Elfdoll Ryung with default faceup and is 56cm tall.
Technorati and Jennifer Garner
I've been exploring Technorati again this week. I first looked at it during Week 4 when I was trying to find interesting feeds to subscribe to.
This time around I've been looking at some of the popular blogs and topics which are being accessed. It was surprising to see zero discussion about the global financial crisis, obviously that could also be covered by the 'news' category, but I had expected to see more. So I thought I'd look closer at the popular searches.
The top search, when I looked, was 'Taskbar'. Huh?
Second and third most popular searches were 'News' and 'Environment' - all very reasonable.
Fourth most popular - 'Jennifer Garner'. Hmm, this is weird. So I clicked on this one to see what was currently being said about Jennifer Garner and it turns out that she took her daughter Violet to a painting class today. It all becomes clear to me now.
Other popular searches were:
5. Men
6. Cheat-codes
7. Google
8. Paris Hilton
9. Jennifer Aniston
10. Vanessa Minnillo
11. Arab
12. Olympics
13. Kerry Howley
14. Noelia
15. IBM
Did you know that the top fan-rated blog in the world is called Boing Boing. I thought this might have been a beat-up but in actual fact it's true. Technorati describes it as '... a weblog of cultural curiosities and interesting technologies. It's the most popular blog in the world, as ranked by Technorati.com, and won the Lifetime Achievement and Best Group Blog awards at the 2006 Bloggies ceremony'. It was really quite interesting, I had a brief look around and found this. Fascinating!
I found it really amusing that the blog rated as second best was called 'Blog Tips to Help You Make Money Blogging'. A little unsurprising, no?
This time around I've been looking at some of the popular blogs and topics which are being accessed. It was surprising to see zero discussion about the global financial crisis, obviously that could also be covered by the 'news' category, but I had expected to see more. So I thought I'd look closer at the popular searches.
The top search, when I looked, was 'Taskbar'. Huh?
Second and third most popular searches were 'News' and 'Environment' - all very reasonable.
Fourth most popular - 'Jennifer Garner'. Hmm, this is weird. So I clicked on this one to see what was currently being said about Jennifer Garner and it turns out that she took her daughter Violet to a painting class today. It all becomes clear to me now.
Other popular searches were:
5. Men
6. Cheat-codes
7. Google
8. Paris Hilton
9. Jennifer Aniston
10. Vanessa Minnillo
11. Arab
12. Olympics
13. Kerry Howley
14. Noelia
15. IBM
It's interesting to see what the users of Technorati are looking for. When you click further to see the results of these various searches, there is also a graph which illustrates how many posts mentioning the subject have been created in the last 30 days. Apparently something juicy about Jennifer Garner occurred on 10 October - I'm desperate to investigate further :-)
Did you know that the top fan-rated blog in the world is called Boing Boing. I thought this might have been a beat-up but in actual fact it's true. Technorati describes it as '... a weblog of cultural curiosities and interesting technologies. It's the most popular blog in the world, as ranked by Technorati.com, and won the Lifetime Achievement and Best Group Blog awards at the 2006 Bloggies ceremony'. It was really quite interesting, I had a brief look around and found this. Fascinating!
I found it really amusing that the blog rated as second best was called 'Blog Tips to Help You Make Money Blogging'. A little unsurprising, no?
Wednesday 15 October 2008
Library Thing
I think that Library Thing utterly rocks! Here's a link to my Library. I love that if you add a book into your library and it has a blank cover, you can click further and either upload your own or use a cover supplied by another user. The most recent Phryne Fisher title I added to my library only displayed the default blank cover, so I've selected someone else's, much better.
This sort of thing appeals to me. I'm a total library nerd, I've always wanted to properly catalogue my books and this is just such an interactive way to do it! Once you've added the books, you can then look at your library and see other users who also have the book. I've only added 5 of my books so far, but something tells me that there will be a lot more added there soon.
This sort of thing appeals to me. I'm a total library nerd, I've always wanted to properly catalogue my books and this is just such an interactive way to do it! Once you've added the books, you can then look at your library and see other users who also have the book. I've only added 5 of my books so far, but something tells me that there will be a lot more added there soon.
Del.icio.us
I really like Delicious. I started playing with it recently after being introduced to it by a colleague. I like that I can bookmark something at home and still be able to access that bookmark when I'm at work. I appreciate the ability to make some bookmarks public and others private. I've shown it to a few other colleagues who are equally excited about it. One of them has now begun going around showing it to others. The word of Delicious is spreading...
Tagging is good. As a cataloguer I find it appealing, it provides structure and findability. Both things that are reassuring to me.
Tagging is good. As a cataloguer I find it appealing, it provides structure and findability. Both things that are reassuring to me.
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