week 9 podcasts, video and downloadable audio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNIU4sNGQXc
Youtubes most prominent feature seems to be to have fun while you learn. Its application in the library can be for research purposes, exposure to new ideas in the library world or just purely for the customers entertainment. The youtube link above is for an author and his latest pop-up books. Pop-books are fantastic even though their life span in a public library may not be the longest.

week 8: web 2.0 awards

http://www.lulu.com/ this is a free site where you can publish a book, buy a book and sell a book. It is also a social connecting site and can help you get employment in the book world.
Another winner in the 2.0 awards is 'google docs and spreadsheets'. It is similar to zoho writer. Using google docs 'notebook' means you can access 'bookmark' info that you have noted down for future reference while at work, as well as any other info that you want to deal with later from any internet service at any time and place

week 8: online applications & tools

see the following link for an excellent online productivity tool
http://writer.zoho.com/jsp/home.jsp?serviceurl=%2Findex.do
These online applications break the stranglehold that microsoft has over those wanting to use word processing, spreadsheets etc
The down side is you have to access to the internet to use them but they do allow you to work off line. If I had completed week 8 a week ago I would not have put microsoft word onto my new computer. A program like zoho writer would have more than met my needs. In the library world it means internet customers would have access to a variety of tools through the net and the library would have no need to have a licensing agreement with microsoft etc to provide these services

week 7: learning 2.0 sandbox wiki

practice makes perfect....after a false start I was able to successfully play in the learning 2.0 sandbox wiki. The skills needed to play in the sandbox wiki are the same as in any sandpit - learning to share and to tidy up ready for the next person to play

week 7:wikis

The following link is to Princeton public library book lovers wiki. This is one way a library can use wiki to expand its services to the public. A major concern with wikis is that the information can be changed at any time, by any one. In a book lovers wiki this would not be a disadvantage as people would be able to read both negative and positive reviews of the book and then make up their own minds as to whether they want to read it. It would become an informal book chat within the library community.
http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library

A wiki site connected to the library could also be used as a forum for its members so that all staff could have input eg. for setting up 'green practises' within each branch. A meeting of the green team could then be conducted within the wiki

As wikis can be edited at any time, using them as a reference tool in the library would have to be done with discretion and thoughtful practice

week 6

The following is from an article written by Dr Wendy Schultz.......

What are libraries? Libraries are not just collections of documents and books, they are conversations, they are convocations of people, ideas, and artifacts in dynamic exchange. Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities: they preserve and promote community memories; they provide mentors not only for the exploration of stored memory, but also for the creation of new artifacts of memory. What was the library of the past? A symbol of a society that cared about its attainments, that treasured ideas, that looked ahead multiple generations. Librarians were stewards, trainers, intimate with the knowledge base and the minds who produced it. Librarians today are not just inventory management biobots: they are people with a unique understanding of the documents they compile and catalog, and the relationships among those documents.

Library 2.0 can make a 'little' library service into bigger, better one. The 'little' library is not limited by the size of its collection, a remote location or how many people use it.

week 6 - applying new skills

As we move through web 2.0 its a good feeling when we are able to use skills that have been aquired to help customers in the library. The ability to understand the information and then apply it in the workplace shows the value of the course. Recognising the terms and understanding their application when searching a web site refines how you access the exact information you need

week 6: tagging, folksonomies & technorati

A whole new vocabulary to learn - interface widget, global vs local, tag cloud are just a few. Those that can call themselves 'digital natives' would already be 'in the know' but for those of us who are still learning it is a journey of new worlds and new skills.http://www.librarytechtonics.info/archives/2005/10/tagging_on_flic.html