#17 Technology

Our dependence upon technology was reinforced today when the power went out at the ADM building. Other than being limited by lighting conditions, all work ground to a halt because we couldn't use our PCs. Despite all the great technology, our dependence upon it leaves us vulnerable. We'll still need our manual backup systems like having actual books in a library in the "post print" world or going outside to play real tennis when the Wii breaks down.

#16 Wikis

I like the ease of use and ability for multiple input into a given topic. Much better than broadcasting an email and repeatedly replying and forwarding messages. All comments, observations, etc. are grouped together and easily found. As with most things on the internet, there’s multiple sites on many topics.

Internally, the wiki could be very useful in soliciting input for the development or modification of library processes and procedures. Given the distances we have to travel for relatively short meetings, this could be an excellent communications tool to save time and stay focused on the issues at hand. Externally it may be useful for patron comments or “suggestion box” items that more people would be able to share and comment upon.

Library 2.0 - Iceberg #15

To me, Library 2.0 is a high tech adjunct to or perhaps a replacement for the use of focus groups, surveys, conferences, personal experience and politics to help identify and develop solutions to library services needs. I think it helps to reaffirm why library professionals got into the business to begin with and provides them with a means to respond to a rapidly changing environment. The “iceberg” article offers a perspective on three problem areas in current library services models that the author feels need to be addressed if libraries are to thrive in the “post print” world. Library 2.0 is a reaction to the “post print” environment and will help libraries change with changing times.

Technorati #14

Depending upon the type of information you are seeking, keyword searching Technorati through the advanced search feature coupled with some level of "authority" might be the best way to target your information. The number of blogs identified when doing a "tag" search coupled with "a lot of authority" produced almost identical results to the direct "blog directory search". I like the authority ranking as means of reducing the amount of information that is found, but question whether I'll miss out on newer or more relevant infomation by including that additional filter. This is another internet tool I'll be using in the future.


When searching through the "popular" blogs I came across Blog Tips at ProBlogger - Make Money Online Blogging. Never thought it could be a profitable enterprise. Always thought it was for people with a lot of time on their hands.

Del.icio.us #13

It's an easy way to bookmark sites that are of interest to me, but the participant population is select. Since that's the case, it's a good way to pass info between a group of people working on a specific project, have a common interest, or just letting your friends know about sites that interest you. I do like the toolbar and tagging buttons that make saving or retrieving stuff easy.

Library Elf

Still having trouble setting up an account. Although it appears to be a valuable notification system, I think ours works adequately for my purposes. Will continue to keep trying to set up account.

LibraryThing

I'm still not sure about the logic or usefulness of the "Book Unsuggester" except for amusement. The "Book Suggester" could be very useful in finding my next book to read.

Image Generator

So much stuff out there, so little time.

RSS Feeds

Now that I am actually looking for it, I see the "RSS" symbol everywhere. I used a combination of the Bloglines search tool and a google search of a topic with "RSS" added to the search term to locate RSS feeds. I am always amazed at how much information is available on the internet. What did we do before its invention?