Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Wikis

I am the new coordinator of the Mayhem in the Midlands conference and I've been thinking that I should create a wiki in order to have all the information in one place. There are community members on the committee who do not have access to Library public folders and this would solve that problem. My biggest concern was security because I don't want all of the information to be public.

So I have created a new wetpaint account called Mayhem in the Midlands. You're welcome to click on the link but it is protected and shouldn't show you anything other than the front page. Sorry.

I think wikis have a time and place, just like every other Library 2.0 thing. It's great for something like this and for far-away collaboration. But I think we need to be realistic about it. I don't expect most of the committee members to contribute...I was primarily looking for a place to host information.

Library 2.0

I am a fan of Library 2.0....I really am. However, I think that we in public libraries need to be careful not to swing too far in either direction. I know cranky old library staff who never want to change and tech-loving young people who want every library to have a Myspace, Facebook, LibraryThing, Shelfari, Second Life, etc on the web site.

In my opinion, neither view is correct. I would strongly argue for restraint and thoughtfulness when making these decisions. We need to ask ourselves a few things:

1. Are we adding these new technologies to our website/library because we need to think of ourselves as progressive or because we really think they will be used?

2. Do our patrons have the skills/need for these technologies?

3. Do we have staff buy-in to teach patrons about these technologies?

4. Are we sacrificing things that patrons really want from us (collection development, for example) in order to pay for some of the Library 2.0 technologies?

Be careful. We cannot always be trying to catch up with technology and we really need to remember that many of our patrons don't have the skills or desire or hardware available to them to take advantage of these wonderful new opportunities.

I know we try so hard to prove that we are still relevant in this new world. And we are a great and important resource. But every decision that impacts staff and the budget needs to be taken seriously. And most importantly, we need to try not to be seduced by every bright and shiny new toy that comes our way.

Technorati

I prefer Google News to Technorati. To me, Technorati suffers from the same thing that many sites do: too much information. It seems to me that many sites are designed not by web designers but by tech geeks and they are overwhelming to look at. Too many advertisements (flashing especially) and it is difficult for the brain to process. I watch patrons every day try to navigate the main page of Yahoo, trying to figure out how to log into their e-mail. Why not use Gmail instead?

We really need to be careful, as library staff who is familiar and comfortable with technology, to try and choose sites to recommend that are well-organized and easy to understand.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Week 6, Thing 13: Delicious

I hate to be a naysayer, but I really don't like delicious. I think a bookmarking site is beneficial and can be especially helpful as I move between reference desks, but I absolutely hate the delicious layout. I dislike the incredibly looooong lists that some people have...I would much rather organize my links into folders. I like an organized and clean look and I don't think delicious has that. I have yet to find a site that organizes links in a manner that I prefer, so I use workarounds to remember the sites that I like when I'm at the desk.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

#12: Rollyo

Ok, so I created a Rollyo account and I'm sorry to say that I don't get it. I collect vintage Tupperware so I created a search for that but I'm unclear as to how I use the site. I logged several sites I use on a regular basis to search for tupperware to buy but I never search deeper than that. I suppose for someone who likes to perform very specific searches at certain websites might like this but I prefer my searches to be broad.

There's a link to my search to the right.

Library Thing #11

I created a LibraryThing account about 2 years ago but haven't updated it much. I know people love it but I find the interface to be a bit clunky. But here's the one I used in the past.

Exercise #10

Image Generator.



Above is an example of the child I will someday have with Brad Pitt. Adorable!

And...


If my husband and I had a child this is, apparently, what it would look like:


Thanks to Make Me Babies.