This post will be a quick one because I've just about run out of time for IUL 2.0 today!
I think del.icio.us would be a fantastic tool for public service librarians, or just about any librarian who uses several more than one computer on a regular basis. I work at one machine 99.9% of the time, but every once in a while I've had to move to a different machine, and oh, the agony! I have NONE of my bookmarks, and have to keep using google to find our vendor databases just to do my routine work! I actually set up my del.icio.us account right before I left for a trip this past September, so I would be able to find the hotel websites easily while we were on the road. I found it hard to set up and get my brain wrapped around the concepts, but now that all my links are there, I feel pretty good about using it. (when I have to... and I don't very often!)
So the portability of Del.icio.us is definitely its biggest plus for me at this point, because right now I'm not concerned with sharing my links or skipping along a research path using other users' tags. I really appreciated the Otter Group's tutorial because it had really good suggestions about using tags for group work. And last, the Several Habits of Wildly Successful Del.icio.us users will definitely come in handy someday!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Rolling my own - Thing #12
Forgive me if you've heard this from the others already, but being able to search my own little subset of the internet is a revelation. I already knew about Google's advanced search (where you can limit your search by domain name) but on Google it's a several-step process. With Rollyo, you can set up a subset of the web and use and reuse as you see fit. This could be useful not just for amateur cooks like me (that's the topic of the search roll I created and link to below) but for children's librarians on a budget, reference librarians with a set of selected free web references sources they want to advertise and make immediately useful for their patrons, the list could go on and on. In fact, i think the "on a budget" aspect is my favorite. All this is free! The drawback, of course, is the mental anguish of having to remember yet another website that knows something about me...
In fact, that's the only thing that's continuing to bother me about these exercises. I used to have a really, really low internet profile. I used to know exactly which websites had an account in my name or with my email address associated with it. (it was easy - some photo websites where my family shares snapshots, my bank, a credit card, that's just about it.) but now, what have I got? blogger... bloglines... librarything... rollyo... doppelme... I'm losing track.
Are more savvy people just not creating these accounts using their real names? Is it better to put in a fake name? Or maybe, is it better to set up a free email account and decide on a username and password that you only use for this kind of online service? I've already decided how to handle these questions, somewhat - but the questions still bug me for some reason.
Of course, it's not like these 23 things include creating a FaceBook or MySpace page (at least, not that I've seen yet!) so I still have a bit of control. :)
here's a search box for my Cooking and Recipes SearchRoll. I just picked a few websites to start this roll, so it's not exactly my favorites or the best of what I usually use... just the easiest URLs to grab at a moment's notice!
In fact, that's the only thing that's continuing to bother me about these exercises. I used to have a really, really low internet profile. I used to know exactly which websites had an account in my name or with my email address associated with it. (it was easy - some photo websites where my family shares snapshots, my bank, a credit card, that's just about it.) but now, what have I got? blogger... bloglines... librarything... rollyo... doppelme... I'm losing track.
Are more savvy people just not creating these accounts using their real names? Is it better to put in a fake name? Or maybe, is it better to set up a free email account and decide on a username and password that you only use for this kind of online service? I've already decided how to handle these questions, somewhat - but the questions still bug me for some reason.
Of course, it's not like these 23 things include creating a FaceBook or MySpace page (at least, not that I've seen yet!) so I still have a bit of control. :)
here's a search box for my Cooking and Recipes SearchRoll. I just picked a few websites to start this roll, so it's not exactly my favorites or the best of what I usually use... just the easiest URLs to grab at a moment's notice!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
aeons ahead of my excel spreadsheets, Thing #11
Don't even giggle when you read this:
I have several times attempted to catalog my personal library using excel.
Every single time I have enjoyed myself immensely for about as long as one would enjoy cleaning out the garage. It felt amazing to actually be making a permanent record for posterity that I owned a copy of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Then I remembered that I've never read The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. I've also never read most of the A's I own. I though it would get better as I got to the B's... maybe the C's? SURELY I've read more of the D's! Apparently I'm a trophy book person? No, not really. I'm more of a checklist book collector. I figure if I build a fascinating library in my own home I'll never have to go book shopping or library browsing for what I want to read ever again.
Actually these thoughts are a bit outdated - I stopped buying books when I started being cheap and paying off debt about 8 years ago, so I have an OLD checklist library. This just gets worse and worse, doesn't it?
I'll stop wingeing about my own personal book collection now and rave about LibraryThing instead. My favorite thing about LibraryThing is definitely the ease of adding to your collection. Instead of typing the title, author, pub date, and all that jazz into my excel spreadsheet, I searched by author and clicked on all the Jim Harrison that lives in my house. I'm pretty sure I've told the world I own the paperback when I really own the hardcover at some point, but it was fast, and it was easy. LibraryThing has brought the world of shared bib records to the masses! Wonderful!
So aside from using LibraryThing to list your collection, what about those social aspects? I'm still unsure of them. I really am a consumer of information on the internet, even now. I 'm just not inspired to join in the fray. On the other hand, I might be inspired to try it if this is the kind of question you can find an answer to on LibraryThing: "Recommendations on reading Kleist?"
So if there's one thing I like about new communication tools, it's the ability to find a like mind for your apparently random and/or obscure question. So yes, go on and find out where to start with Kleist. I can tell you where to start if you want to read some Jim Harrison. :)
Click here to see my library (so far!)
I have several times attempted to catalog my personal library using excel.
Every single time I have enjoyed myself immensely for about as long as one would enjoy cleaning out the garage. It felt amazing to actually be making a permanent record for posterity that I owned a copy of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Then I remembered that I've never read The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. I've also never read most of the A's I own. I though it would get better as I got to the B's... maybe the C's? SURELY I've read more of the D's! Apparently I'm a trophy book person? No, not really. I'm more of a checklist book collector. I figure if I build a fascinating library in my own home I'll never have to go book shopping or library browsing for what I want to read ever again.
Actually these thoughts are a bit outdated - I stopped buying books when I started being cheap and paying off debt about 8 years ago, so I have an OLD checklist library. This just gets worse and worse, doesn't it?
I'll stop wingeing about my own personal book collection now and rave about LibraryThing instead. My favorite thing about LibraryThing is definitely the ease of adding to your collection. Instead of typing the title, author, pub date, and all that jazz into my excel spreadsheet, I searched by author and clicked on all the Jim Harrison that lives in my house. I'm pretty sure I've told the world I own the paperback when I really own the hardcover at some point, but it was fast, and it was easy. LibraryThing has brought the world of shared bib records to the masses! Wonderful!
So aside from using LibraryThing to list your collection, what about those social aspects? I'm still unsure of them. I really am a consumer of information on the internet, even now. I 'm just not inspired to join in the fray. On the other hand, I might be inspired to try it if this is the kind of question you can find an answer to on LibraryThing: "Recommendations on reading Kleist?"
So if there's one thing I like about new communication tools, it's the ability to find a like mind for your apparently random and/or obscure question. So yes, go on and find out where to start with Kleist. I can tell you where to start if you want to read some Jim Harrison. :)
Click here to see my library (so far!)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Playing around with online image generators, #10
I'm a big fan of the Church Sign Generator! The old-fashioned version of the church sign generator is, of course, simply walking up to a moveable-type church sign and creating new words out of the letters already up there. This text/image generator is even better! It's as if the church loaned your their entire alphabet! (and isn't illegal or mean...)
Here's my church sign, proclaiming my favorite saying from the Homespun Analogy Generator, "I was as lost as an English warthog in a pickup."
I also like the cassette generator and the Internet Anagram Server. Endless hours of fun! Of course, I really ought to get back to work now!
Friday, November 16, 2007
#8 and #9... and getting ahead of myself
Ok, I admit that I already had a bloglines account. I wouldn't say I read it religiously by any means... sometimes it just sits there accumulating new posts and I sit there ignoring them. Click on this and you'll see why:
http://www.bloglines.com/public/SarahCornell
bad, bad Sarah. So many links, so little time. If you could see my view of my RSS feeds, you'd see 17 unread, 15 unread, 552 unread... it only gets worse.
Honestly though, I don't really think this is a problem. I use my RSS feeds as "ticklers" just to remember that I wanted to go back somewhere. If I find myself reading a really good blog post and I've never read that blog before, I'll subscribe to the feed pretty quickly and be able to go on my way - links to the last 10 or so posts will be "flagged" for me, right there in my feed list. I can go back whenever I want, I don't have to remember the URL or even the name of the blog. Later on I'll take a look a the posts and if I want to stay subscribed, I leave it there and wait for more content to be flagged for me. If I don't like it anymore, I can unsubscribe. It's really quite a convenient way to set up "signposts" for myself. Remember how revolutionary the favorites or bookmarks felt the first time you used a web browser? Just imagine, there's some computer out there, once an hour clicking on all those links for you and finding out if there's something new for you to see!
Regarding getting ahead of myself: I ran into an itsy bitsy problem when I tried to put my feed list on this blog as a blogroll. I signed up for Blogger under my IU email address, but I signed up for my Bloglines account under my personal yahoo account, since it's not for work. Apparently they don't play well together because the logins are different... oh well. I'm out of time again for the day, so I'm not about to change things around just to make them match up, even if it would mean you could see my feeds in a blogroll without clicking through to bloglines.
One more note - web software is changing all the time. Bloglines has upgraded really recently, so I'm sure some of these directions have changed since the tutorials were created... it's a sad fact that will probably frustrate people more than necessary!
http://www.bloglines.com/public/SarahCornell
bad, bad Sarah. So many links, so little time. If you could see my view of my RSS feeds, you'd see 17 unread, 15 unread, 552 unread... it only gets worse.
Honestly though, I don't really think this is a problem. I use my RSS feeds as "ticklers" just to remember that I wanted to go back somewhere. If I find myself reading a really good blog post and I've never read that blog before, I'll subscribe to the feed pretty quickly and be able to go on my way - links to the last 10 or so posts will be "flagged" for me, right there in my feed list. I can go back whenever I want, I don't have to remember the URL or even the name of the blog. Later on I'll take a look a the posts and if I want to stay subscribed, I leave it there and wait for more content to be flagged for me. If I don't like it anymore, I can unsubscribe. It's really quite a convenient way to set up "signposts" for myself. Remember how revolutionary the favorites or bookmarks felt the first time you used a web browser? Just imagine, there's some computer out there, once an hour clicking on all those links for you and finding out if there's something new for you to see!
Regarding getting ahead of myself: I ran into an itsy bitsy problem when I tried to put my feed list on this blog as a blogroll. I signed up for Blogger under my IU email address, but I signed up for my Bloglines account under my personal yahoo account, since it's not for work. Apparently they don't play well together because the logins are different... oh well. I'm out of time again for the day, so I'm not about to change things around just to make them match up, even if it would mean you could see my feeds in a blogroll without clicking through to bloglines.
One more note - web software is changing all the time. Bloglines has upgraded really recently, so I'm sure some of these directions have changed since the tutorials were created... it's a sad fact that will probably frustrate people more than necessary!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
anything technology related... are you SURE you want to hear this again?
I really wanted to think of something else to talk about for this post... to the point where I put it off for several days. I really could have just written a quick blurb about something fun I found on the internet! But no, I have a dead horse handy, and it apparently needs to be beaten again.
Technology is all well and good, but it had better be appropriate technology. There, I said it.
By appropriate technology I mean the next step, not ten steps ahead just because it's there. In fact, ahead isn't even the right word - perhaps what I really mean is we should resist taking ten steps to the left just because we can. Does that make sense? I'm definitely not the first one to talk about this, let alone think about it - and yes, I'm probably using it a bit differently than some people. (See here for a Wikipedia article on appropriate technology - it's a good jumping-off point if you want to read more.)
In short, technology is not a band-aid for those who feel behind the times. It's a tool, and we just need to keep a cool head about when to use which tool, which tool is the most cost-effective, least stress-inducing, and most likely to actually be useful to our patrons and ourselves.
Don't get me wrong... experimentation is remarkably important. Valuing experimentation and learning from experimental folks is one of the most important parts of being a part of a community or an organization. Some of us are the experimental sort, and some of us are the talented implementers of well seasoned tools. Some of us are one or the other at different times in our lives or in different venues.
I think IUL 2.0 certainly has a lot of potential for helping IUL staff discover their hidden experimental side. Encouraging all of us to try to actually use new online tools is a great idea - I know I'm one of those semi-up-to-date people who thought I knew enough about things like Flickr and RSS and del.icio.us... until I actually tried to use them! Rather than resting on my laurels feeling glad that I know what a Flickr mashup is, I can now say that I've taken the time to explore and would be able to use it as a tool later on in my career.
So now I've spent all my IUL 2.0 time for the day on one Thing, just because I felt the need to beat that old dead horse. I hope the next few Things don't make me think so hard. ;)
Technology is all well and good, but it had better be appropriate technology. There, I said it.
By appropriate technology I mean the next step, not ten steps ahead just because it's there. In fact, ahead isn't even the right word - perhaps what I really mean is we should resist taking ten steps to the left just because we can. Does that make sense? I'm definitely not the first one to talk about this, let alone think about it - and yes, I'm probably using it a bit differently than some people. (See here for a Wikipedia article on appropriate technology - it's a good jumping-off point if you want to read more.)
In short, technology is not a band-aid for those who feel behind the times. It's a tool, and we just need to keep a cool head about when to use which tool, which tool is the most cost-effective, least stress-inducing, and most likely to actually be useful to our patrons and ourselves.
Don't get me wrong... experimentation is remarkably important. Valuing experimentation and learning from experimental folks is one of the most important parts of being a part of a community or an organization. Some of us are the experimental sort, and some of us are the talented implementers of well seasoned tools. Some of us are one or the other at different times in our lives or in different venues.
I think IUL 2.0 certainly has a lot of potential for helping IUL staff discover their hidden experimental side. Encouraging all of us to try to actually use new online tools is a great idea - I know I'm one of those semi-up-to-date people who thought I knew enough about things like Flickr and RSS and del.icio.us... until I actually tried to use them! Rather than resting on my laurels feeling glad that I know what a Flickr mashup is, I can now say that I've taken the time to explore and would be able to use it as a tool later on in my career.
So now I've spent all my IUL 2.0 time for the day on one Thing, just because I felt the need to beat that old dead horse. I hope the next few Things don't make me think so hard. ;)
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
trading card for IUL 2.0
This Flickr mashup stuff is CRAZY! just plain bonkers! I'm probably supposed to be all cool about this stuff, but you can do the most amazing things! the card is neat and all, but there's SO MUCH MORE. wow. just wow.
I also really liked Retrievr, a mashup that helps you find photos on Flickr similar to the one that you've selected, or similar to a sketch you make in the box on the left side of the screen. Retrievr even searches as you draw, so if you pause for a moment your photo selection will change. The colors you use change the the color selection, and the shapes do too. It's really quite amazing, and I have no idea how they do it!
For purely practical purposes, these mashups, and probably just Flickr itself, must really be changing the age-old request at the reference desk: "I need a picture of a [blank]". If a kid needs a picture of a duck for school, here you go... well, as long as you've got a color printer. :)
I also really liked Retrievr, a mashup that helps you find photos on Flickr similar to the one that you've selected, or similar to a sketch you make in the box on the left side of the screen. Retrievr even searches as you draw, so if you pause for a moment your photo selection will change. The colors you use change the the color selection, and the shapes do too. It's really quite amazing, and I have no idea how they do it!
For purely practical purposes, these mashups, and probably just Flickr itself, must really be changing the age-old request at the reference desk: "I need a picture of a [blank]". If a kid needs a picture of a duck for school, here you go... well, as long as you've got a color printer. :)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
exploring Flickr
I took this photo while standing in the central courtyard of the Old Bodleian Library in Oxford. I really like the view of the arch and the three figures - the woman in a sari, the silhouette of a young woman in the middle, and a man on the right.
I only recently started a Flickr account, hoping to store all of my 930 photos taken on a recent long trip. Sadly, free accounts can only upload a certain amount per month, so I met that limit really quickly! I'm still not comfortable with sharing my pictures with all and sundry, so I've set them to only be viewable by friends and family.
I can see how Flickr opens up a lot of possibilities in terms of discussion on common topics, and I've seen quite a few really interesting comment discussions already. But I really wonder what it takes to get comfortable with sharing your work in such a wide-open way. Is it me? Am I just too private for this? That's probably the case, but I think that's ok. Maybe eventually I'll un-hide my photos and share a little bit more, but maybe not. I know it's social software and participation is the key, but I think respect for all levels of participation is also pretty important. *gets off soapbox*
I only recently started a Flickr account, hoping to store all of my 930 photos taken on a recent long trip. Sadly, free accounts can only upload a certain amount per month, so I met that limit really quickly! I'm still not comfortable with sharing my pictures with all and sundry, so I've set them to only be viewable by friends and family.
I can see how Flickr opens up a lot of possibilities in terms of discussion on common topics, and I've seen quite a few really interesting comment discussions already. But I really wonder what it takes to get comfortable with sharing your work in such a wide-open way. Is it me? Am I just too private for this? That's probably the case, but I think that's ok. Maybe eventually I'll un-hide my photos and share a little bit more, but maybe not. I know it's social software and participation is the key, but I think respect for all levels of participation is also pretty important. *gets off soapbox*
Friday, November 2, 2007
7 ½ Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners
The hardest habit is viewing problems as challenges, not obstacles. If I'm really excited about the project I'll learn my way through a problem, but if I'm learning something because I was told to or asked to by someone else, problems can slow me down and frustrate me. I would really like to change this mindset - I should just accept that problems might slow me down or redirect the course, but that it's all in a day's work (or play!).
Introductions
I'm participating in the Indiana University Libraries' "IUL 2.0" series, where we'll be working through a list of 23 Things by December 31st, 2007.
Some of these 23 Things are really familiar to me, some are not... some are nominally familiar to me, but I bet once I get to actually using them I'll find myself completely flummoxed! But I'm ready to get started, and hope I don't feel too silly doing this kind of thing at work. :)
Some of these 23 Things are really familiar to me, some are not... some are nominally familiar to me, but I bet once I get to actually using them I'll find myself completely flummoxed! But I'm ready to get started, and hope I don't feel too silly doing this kind of thing at work. :)
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