The prize, thing 23

Hey, blogteam, here I come at last across the finish line! I'm worn out from all this blogging. Since I procrastinated so long, the last couple of weeks have been quite intense.

I'm happy that I completed these exercises in Learning 2.0. Though not always easy or comfortable, it was often fun, and always informative. I caught a glimpse into the new web based technologies, and feel that, though I am not an expert, at least I now have a clue about such mysterious things as Flickr, blogging, mashups, RSS, wikis, image generators, tagging, etc. I will need to review the discovery exercises from time to time, so that I will not forget what I have learned. I plan to revisit my Bloglines account, and to check back on the news feeds that I added to my blog. I also plan to continue to use Library Thing to connect with book lovers everywhere. I like the idea of tagging, and following the tag trail of others to gain more knowledge, though I have not done much tagging of my own so far. I will probably not use Technorati again, though it is nice to know about it. I thought that wikis were valuable, and a great way to share with others.

I like the collaborative aspect of Learning 2.0, connecting and networking with others on the web, and sharing information. I think that our library will need to connect in new ways with patrons, and continue to offer more web based services.

Thanks to Agatha and Sara, and all of the bloggers at Austintown. You have helped me immensely along the way. I also thank my hubbie, George, who encouraged me to see this project through, and is always there for me.

22nd thing, e-Books

I set up an account with NetLibrary, easy enough to do, but I will probably not use this site personally very much, because these titles are not available in audio format. You can find some selection in most nonfiction topics, however, the fiction titles are more classic and dated than what most of our patrons want. Even with popular nonfiction subjects, such as digital photography, the titles seem more philosphical than practical. Also, doing a keyword search, I found none of the "dummies" books listed on any nonfiction topic. I think our patrons want the basics of how to do something.

I was already familiar with our Overdrive audio book collection, and I think it is fabulous, I love audio books, and can't wait to download one to an MP3 player. I love the selection of popular titles, and look forward to more. The selection of e- Books is also great, however, I do not have a pda, and can't imagine sitting at the computer to read through a book. However, I'm glad that these are available for those who like them, and they surely are convenient to check out, return, and reshelve!!

Thing 21, podcasts

I found this exercise to be difficult and somewhat frustrating for me. I looked at the podcast directories listed in the discovery resources: podcast.net, podcastalley.com, and yahoo podcasts. Of the 3, I found podcast alley to be the most user friendly, and was able to use podcast alley to add an RSS feed to my Bloglines account, of inspirational messages from a pastor that I like. I could not seem to readily locate the RSS feeds using the other resources. I also got a lot of error messages, although I finally was able to add a second feed to Bloglines using yahoo podcasts. I listened to a few podcasts, but don't like this format much, most are too long to sit there and listen from your computer. Maybe once I have an MP3 player, it will seem more appealing. I would be able to listen while I do other things. Some of the book review podcasts looked interesting, and I plan to go back and spend more time exploring these.

Still, I can see where podcasts could be useful to YPL patrons, if we could have short podcasts available on our website announcing upcoming events, book reviews,and resources that are available.

YouTube, thing 20

I guess I have to agree that YouTube is a fun site to play with, I most enjoy watching videos of performers that I like.

In a library setting, videos could feature our buildings, displays, and services.

Web 2.0 tools, number 19

I had a good time with this, looking into several award winning sites, and was truly amazed with all that's out there.


Pandora was great fun. I also tried other music sites, as well as Biblio.com for books, and colorblendor for artistic endeavor.


Under city guides, I especially enjoyed Yelp.com, where you can look up a city, and get participants' reviews of local places to go, business establishments, things to do, and services. There are many categories for each city, such as hotels, restaurants, automotive, and health services, with maps and reviews. I entered Charleston, SC, where I once visited briefly, and noticed that the first restaurant listed and reviewed was Pooghan's Porch, which I had tried and liked as a first time visitor. At the time I visited there, I happened upon this fine restaurant randomly on a walking tour. Yelp also has a fun section listing places with clever and unusual names.


Realtravel.com is another user friendly travel site where you can get travel advice and reviews from others, as well as plan trips and itineraries online. This site is also a winner for me.


On to number 20, oh dear, am I going to have time to finish??

Thing 18

Thanks to Agatha, I already had an account open in Zoho. Earlier on, she had me import the PLYMC Library 2.0 passwords sheet into my saved documents on Zoho. Now I have web access to all my 2.0 user names and passwords, as long as I keep the list updated. Neat. Thanks, Agatha, for the idea and the introduction to Zoho Writer.

Zoho seems like a really neat web site that could prove to be very helpful. You can move from computer to computer, and view your saved documents since Zoho Writer is web based. You can do word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations, save and share the documents, and also work in collaboration with others. No need for e-mail and attachments. In addition, there are useful templates for many different types of documents.

I will attempt to publish this document in my blog. Done!

PBWiki, thing 17

Okay, I created an account for myself on the PLCMC learning 2.0 wiki, and added my blog to the favorite blogs page. Books, vacation spots, restaurants, etc., all of my favorite things. I enjoy reading others entries, and may add my own.

Done!! I added an entry to the favorite vacation spots.

Wiki, Wiki, Wiki the 16th challenge

I think I really like this wiki thing, where anyone and everyone can participate, and share their knowledge and expertise. Of course there can be problems, such as misinformation, vandalism, subjectivity, and spam, but I can definitely see advantages and usefulness for the wiki. For one thing, you don't have to know HTML to add to or edit a wiki. Also, the information tends to be constantly emerging and up-to-date. I examined the library wikis, and my favorites were the book lovers wiki, and library success wiki. With wikis, you could greatly diminish the number of e-mails you must read and respond to. Also, with wikis such as the library success wiki, you would not have to wade through a list serve anymore. I like the idea of using a wiki for conference/meeting planning, policy manuals, such as the SIB, and the library catalog, where staff and patrons could review library materials.

the 14th thing Technorati

I viewed the Discovery resources for Technorati, and listened to the podcast. A search of Learning 2.0 on Technorati yielded 6,918 posts, 675 tags, and 723 blogs. Other searches I did were Librarian, Beatles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dancing with the Stars. Results were huge for all the above searches. For example, Dancing with the Stars currently shows 15,310 posts, 72 blogs, and 1,560 tags.

I claimed my blog but am not sure it worked.

Del.icio.us thirteen

I explored the tutorial for this site, and looked at the beginner's guide, but nothing clicked at first. Then the usefulness of the site began to fall into place when I began to explore the PLCMCL2 account, tags, sites, and commentaries. I also explored other subjects of interest, such as the Beatles, favorite vacation spots, and some favorite authors. It was interesting the see the tags that were used, and the sites and comments that came up. I set up an account, but did not do much with it yet. It would be nice to go back to this later on, and to bookmark favorite sites and discover more through following others tags.

Thing #15 Library 2.0 and the future

The Library 2.0 concept predicts that in 5-10 years libraries will be totally different than they are today. Despite all the challenges for those of us who need to adapt, the future trends of Library 2.0 ensure that libraries and librarians will continue to be relevant and valued in the information world. It's exciting that libraries of the present and future can have everything available digitally: books, periodicals, databases, podcasts, blogs, etc. You can literally take the library with you if you are willing to take on the new technologies.



Unfortunately, we still have many "icebergs" which stand in the way of the user, such as our library accounts requiring passwords, and the many steps involved in making a simple photocopy. Also, as we embrace the new technologies, we may leave the less technology savvy patron behind. There are still those patrons who do not want to be participants, but want to be served. Will we still be willing to meet their needs as well?

Rollyo the 12th thing

Select...book buying onlineSearch The Web

I created an account in Rollyo, and created a searchroll for online book buying. I would rather just list my favorites on my computer, but I'm guessing that the advantage of Rollyo is that you can share your favorite sites with others, and also see what sites others are using for subjects you are interested in.

Library thing # 11

Library thing looks like great fun for book people. Setting up an account and personal catalog was fairly easy, posting it was a little more difficult. This is definitely a site that I will use again.

Thing 10 again

I got my name in lights with notcelebrity.co.uk

Image generator thing 10

RSS Things 8 & 9

I've been reading about RSS feeds and newsreaders, and I have set up my Bloglines account. I have also added feeds to my account that I copied from my fellow bloggers, and some of my own. I now have RSS feeds about books and libraries, recipes, travel in Ocean Isle, NC, and even one about Paul McCartney.

I have used Topix, Feedster, and Syndic8 to find news feeds. It was fun playing around with these, and I think that if I get proficient with this, it will be a useful tool to keep up with daily news and interesting web postings.

Setting up the Bloglines account and adding feeds to it was fairly easy, however, providing the link to my public bloglines account has been difficult. I cannot seem to get the link to post.

wedding smiles

Just had to comment on Reading by the Pool's lovely wedding picture.

Technology--the 7th Thing

Technology seems to advance faster than many of us can keep up mentally and financially. Though sometimes frustrating, doing these exercises helps, because anything you learn about technology is a potential aid in doing library floor work.

Things 5 & 6

I used Flickr in my previous 3 posts, and viewed the site at length, and was amazed at some of the creative techniques that are being used. Many of the Flickr tools seemed challenging to use, but "Spell with Flickr" was not as difficult to post to the blog. Thank you to my helpers.

Library visit

Library visit
Originally uploaded by amfm429

Here is a distinguished visitor to the public library in Camden, Maine.

Camden Harbor

Camden Harbor
Originally uploaded by amfm429

Beautiful Camden harbor, in the town of Camden, Maine, which inspired Edna St. Vincent Millay to write the poem "Renascence."

Things 1 & 2. I looked over the goals of Library 2.0, and am beginning the journey of looking for clues into the new technology.
Lifelong learning enriches my life with new information, and knowledge, leading to fulfillment and success.
On this journey I need to remember that attitude is the key, and that I can get by with a little help from my friends and colleagues. I'll be looking for clues, and sharing the journey with others. Well, here is my first post, thing 3.