I think it is amazing that people are actually trying to organize the Net :) -- people who think like librarians, whether they realize it or not! I set up an account with Del.icio.us and found some tags for "libraries" :
http://del.icio.us/search/?fr=del_icio_us&p=libraries&type=all
which listed some interesting sites. What's impressive about this idea is how easy it is for people to connect with each other, and help each other find information on...well, on just about anything!! And that my searches could also be of help to other people, simply by tagging my finds. Del.icio.us use of tags is way more informal than catalogers' use Sears Subject Headings or traditional cataloging rules, but it's the same idea. hmmm...are library catalogers going to go in this 2.0 direction in the future?? Is OCLC in trouble??!! Probably not, but helping people find particular sites or info amidst all the millions of websites and blogs is definitely a good thing.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Thing # 14 -- Best of Web 2.0
Wow, they're all here, and we've been exploring the best of the best! I'm referring to the 2007 Web 2.0 Awards list, impressive in it's subject matter and variety. Because I enjoyed the "Library Thing" site a few 'things' ago, I chose the book category and visited Biblio. I typed in my favorite lost book, "Fair's Fair," and zing! Biblio came up with 3 hits, ranging from $18 to $70. Including paperback in the search added a few more. The interface was simple to use and the results were quick and accurate.
So if a library patron is looking for a book that just doesn't show up in the system, this is a good place to go to find a copy that might not be too expensive.
While I was at it, I took a look at Lulu as well--this is another whole world of wonders for my writing/authoring/publishing fancies. Lulu offers writing services from editing to marketing, with blogs and forums for writers to share ideas and questions. They even offer advice on how to get a LC control number assigned to a novel! (mine already has one, but it's still cool to know!) There's so much to this site that it will take hours to explore it all. It has a colorful, graphic interface, the links work quickly, and it's easy to move around the site. I'll be able to recommend this site to library patrons who would like some publishing information, and to my writer friends who are always looking for new ideas.
So if a library patron is looking for a book that just doesn't show up in the system, this is a good place to go to find a copy that might not be too expensive.
While I was at it, I took a look at Lulu as well--this is another whole world of wonders for my writing/authoring/publishing fancies. Lulu offers writing services from editing to marketing, with blogs and forums for writers to share ideas and questions. They even offer advice on how to get a LC control number assigned to a novel! (mine already has one, but it's still cool to know!) There's so much to this site that it will take hours to explore it all. It has a colorful, graphic interface, the links work quickly, and it's easy to move around the site. I'll be able to recommend this site to library patrons who would like some publishing information, and to my writer friends who are always looking for new ideas.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Thing # 13 Online Productivity
Because I spent the time and money to take the tests to be certified in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2003, I don't feel a personal need for other productivity tools. I already paid for my own copy of MS Office 2003!! I need to get my money's worth out of all of this! But these tools will be useful for library patrons who need an online tool to create a document. I'm not sure this looks easier to learn than Word, however. What are all these icons??! Anchor?? Man, do I have to learn another whole program??
Ok so it was super easy to post this Zoho Writer paragraph to my blog. All I had to do was tell it my blog address, and -zip- it was here! Cool.
It didn't work as well with Zoho Notebook--I couldn't find anywhere on the screen to publish my note to my blog. I had to cut and paste:
Ok so it was super easy to post this Zoho Writer paragraph to my blog. All I had to do was tell it my blog address, and -zip- it was here! Cool.
It didn't work as well with Zoho Notebook--I couldn't find anywhere on the screen to publish my note to my blog. I had to cut and paste:
Zoho Notebook would make taking speaker notes quite easy -- if I had a laptop, if I had web access on a laptop. Without a laptop, it still would be easy to access this program on the web if I am taking notes in a lab on an connected computer. Seeing as I am without a laptop, I'm still taking notes w/ my own peculiar frm of shrthnd. :)
I published a paragraph to the web from Google Docs -- view it at http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg73h6n8_0jj75fs Like I said in this paragraph, Google docs looks great for collaboration projects. I still prefer Word for my own stuff though!
Thing #12 -- Customized Search Engines
In Library School Reference class my professor defined search engines quite tightly. In fact, she believed Yahoo was not a search engine, it was a directory. I remember getting that wrong on a quiz because I disagreed! But in the case of Rollyo, I can see what she meant. I'm sure she would define the lists of sites created on Rollyo as directories more than search engines per se.
Regardless, if you like to go on rabbit trails, this is the place to be! Searching 'recipes' produced an impossibly long list that could have lost me forever. However, the rare books site couldn't find "Fair's Fair" by Leon Garfield. KG used to have this book, which I read to my 6th graders every Christmas. Then they weeded it!! Augh!! I haven't found it anywhere, since. But the search site did land me finally at Amazon, where someone is selling it for $120. Good grief, Grandville, you should have kept it!!
My search roll is "Tolkien Things" and it's nice to have all my favorite fan websites in one organized place. Find it at http://www.rollyo.com/index.html
The Google coop is interesting, but at first glance it looks like it is more oriented to business than to lay people 'playing' with the web. It's quite formal in its layout and more high tech. My search for Tolkien here produced some good sites for use in, say, a school research paper. Teachers should know about the possibilities here. They could create a search engine of approved sites to use to research assigned topics. They could attach it to their own home page and make it a lot easier for students to find research sources.
Regardless, if you like to go on rabbit trails, this is the place to be! Searching 'recipes' produced an impossibly long list that could have lost me forever. However, the rare books site couldn't find "Fair's Fair" by Leon Garfield. KG used to have this book, which I read to my 6th graders every Christmas. Then they weeded it!! Augh!! I haven't found it anywhere, since. But the search site did land me finally at Amazon, where someone is selling it for $120. Good grief, Grandville, you should have kept it!!
My search roll is "Tolkien Things" and it's nice to have all my favorite fan websites in one organized place. Find it at http://www.rollyo.com/index.html
The Google coop is interesting, but at first glance it looks like it is more oriented to business than to lay people 'playing' with the web. It's quite formal in its layout and more high tech. My search for Tolkien here produced some good sites for use in, say, a school research paper. Teachers should know about the possibilities here. They could create a search engine of approved sites to use to research assigned topics. They could attach it to their own home page and make it a lot easier for students to find research sources.
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