Thing #11 -- LibraryThing

This is way cool!! You can view my 'library' at : http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=medda&shelf=shelf&sort=title I could spend days here, adding my own favorites, getting to see who's read what that I might like, this is a real treasure trove. I might even sign up to be a reviewer--why not?! This will really help people who want to read 'something like' an author they have previously enjoyed.

Thing #10 -- Library 2.0

According to Wiki, Library 2.0 is defined by a modernized form of library service, which focuses on innovation, a strategy for keeping up with technological and social change by, in part, encouraging user participation and feedback. It has been decades since libraries weren't struggling to redefine themselves and to keep up with technology, so this idea isn't really new. What is new is the impact of Web 2.0 on how library users expect to find information. I disagree with M. Stephen in that I see that libraries are struggling with how to eliminate barriers and integrate library service -- this isn't something he needs to convince us to do. I did appreciate J. Riemer's news that OCLC is working to make WorldCat more accessible. Yes! I was intrigued by the idea of broadening relevancy rankings to include circ activity, class reserve lists, & sales data-- ideal, but practically speaking, how much work and time would that ideal require? And if we create a technology to do this automatically, would it be invading anyone's privacy? I do agree that Google and Amazon have demonstrated what's possible, and our OPACs would do well to follow their lead. People know how to use them, why make our catalog harder to follow? I think W. Schultz is really pushing--we're still working to accomodate 2.0--please don't stress us with 3D and 4.0 already!!

Thing #9 -- Library Blogs

At this point I have quite a collection of feeds, including news, family, staff, and just interesting fun stuff. I found Feedster to be the easiest, next to Bloglines itself. It was a lot like the Bloglines add site. Topix is great for Grand Rapids info. Syndic8 is too big to browse, I found it confusing and not helpful. Technorati froze on me so I can't say much about that one. A lot of the comics I read online daily do not have RSS feeds, but its just as easy to bookmark them into a folder that I can open in tabs or just select, much like the RSS feeds list. I think with too large a feeds list, it becomes time consuming to read through them all, which is self-defeating, if the original idea was to short cut and save time... all the same, this has been a really educational exercise, and I feel like I've learned something practical and useful.

Thing #8 -- RSS Feeds

http://rpc.bloglines.com/blogroll?html=1&id=localauthor will connect you with my blogroll at Bloglines. RSS feeds are a great idea! I can organize the sites that I would like to keep updated with, without having to continually check if they have been updated today or not. I am not personally big on internet news, I prefer to sit down and read the Press in a comfortable chair. But there are so many sources of interesting items that keeping up with all these feeds could be a time consuming affair. On the job, I can see how these sites would be helpful to the info staff, to stay current and ahead of the next patron question. Feeds on the website would give patrons automatic access to information on new best sellers, music, dvds, the possibilities are endless!

Thing #7 Image Generators

There are hundreds of ways to manipulate a picture--this could be unsettling! if it wasn't so much fun to play with. I saw"Framer" used in a fellow staffer's blog and thought it was a great idea, so here's TweetiePie, the family Calico framed in autumn leaves which match her coat. Check out "Framer" at: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/frame.php I also had a great time playing with the "Scrabble Score Generator" at: http://www.solfire.com/scrabble/ It makes what you type look like Scrabble tiles and gives you the scrabble score for it. But I found that each tile is a separate picture so it didn't work to copy the whole word.

Thing #6 -- Mash-ups

One can truly get lost in the labyrinth of these convoluted but fun programs. I don't think Retrievr is useless, but it takes a lot of time to make it work. I drew a sketch of a generic smile face, and the resulting "matches" were pretty wierd. A coffee cup? A baby's behind?? I tried to upload a photo to match, but it didn't seem to work, so... The match-by-color is amazing, but I dont' generally need pictures for presentations based on what color they are. What I would use is Spell with Flickr -- very cool!! I'll use it for my next ransom note! :)

Thing #5 -- Cascade's Beautiful Landscaping

I believe that the Cascade Branch has the most beautiful landscaping in kdl-land. Yes, Kent City does have some really gorgeous flower beds, and the water wheel at Comstock Park is picturesque. But if you will check out the pictures I took at Cascade this week, I think you will agree that we have a garden park here as nice as Fred Meijers'. I especially like the statue of the Newsie, as "The Newsies" is one of my all-time favorite movies. Click on this link to view my Flickr photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12507856@N05/sets/72157601931644826/show/

Would you like to see my books?

"The Spy and the Miracle" and "Not by Accident"can be viewed at www.amazon.com or at Koenisha Publication's website, www.koenisha.com.