Update

Well, it's been an interest spring and summer. On April 10th the Suwannee starting coming into the house and before it was done we had 31/2 feet of water everywhere! Thank goodness for the Ark! It's not the most luxurious accommodations but it's high and dry. Renovations on the house are still ongoing and we hope to be in before the end of October since that's when my dad will be coming to stay for 21/2 weeks while my mom and I go to the Galapagos aboard the National Geographic Endeavour. Some bad and some good, so goes life.

Thing #14

I chose the iGoogle page since I liked the look of it best, and as so many of us, I think I've been Googleized. I added my own photo (from the Flickr account that I set up for Thing #5) and played around with various widgets. I can see this as being a useful tool for someone who routinely visits specific sites each day to get everything from sports to weather. Just like my husband Paul, who starts each morning with ESPN, CNN, NPR and two weather sites (sometimes 3 or 4 if it's hurricane season of if the Suwannee is getting ready to flood as it is now). As with most of these online tools, I think their usefulness has a lot to do with abandoning old ways, like the "At-A-Glance" calendar covering the top of my desk at work and the little scraps of paper I carry in my pockets with list of things to do and get at the store. I'm not sure if I'm ready to use this full time at work, but I'll definitely revisit it when I've finished the 23Things project and have some time to spare.
I can see myself using one of the online calendars the next time we have a project at work that requires participation by a number of people. Right now I rely on email for communication to set up meetings, check work schedules and set deadlines. The shared aspect of the calendars could make this task much easier.

Thing #13

As you can see, I've been busy with Library Thing. I even added our library system as a venue on LibraryThing Local, just in case someone is looking for a library in this small corner of North Florida. I had a lot of fun with this but it's not something that I'll use very often since it could become a big time consumer and there are other things at the top of my personal list. Use in the library is something else. I can see this as a great tool for staff and patrons, and it sure would be better than the printed copy of the New York Times Bestseller List that is currently used.
Check out my LibrayThing

Thing #12

Now this Thing is another story. I was already a fan of wikis, but #12 has shown me so many ways to make use of them in a library setting. And I have to admit that Wikipedia is one of my favorite sources of web-based information, keeping in mind that the entries are not always spot-on.
I have had occasion to participate in the SSLLI (Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute) Wiki numerous times and have found it easy to use and a great way for the participants to communicate and keep up with necessary information. Limiting information by format hasn't proven to be a deterrent for me, since I like the sense of order in most wikis, which is something I found lacking in the sites of Thing #11.
I understand, and agree with, the "ban" of wiki based information by teachers, since not all students are discriminating or knowledgeable enough to know good from bad when it comes to sources. But, the library is a great way to use this tool for both staff and public information dissemination and discussion. The various book talks and training wikis seem to be but a few of the potential uses.

Thing #11

I guess I'm still stuck in the traditional news venue. When looking at many of these "news" sites I feel like I'm reading the tabloids in the Public checkout line. So many of them, the websites, have a confusing appearance which to me begs the question "Why would I care about a lot of this "stuff" anyway?" As I said, I'm probably behind the curve on this one but I still like the CBS Evening News, The Week magazine and CNN and NPR online and on the radio. To be fair, I found that Newsvine is a site that I might check out from time to time. At least there I didn't feel like I should check the source on most of the items. Sorry to be negative about this Thing but it just isn't my cup of tea.
I think many of these social media sites would fall into the productivity detractor category in a library setting.

Thing #10

Of course I've heard a lot about Delicious but until this time have not made use of this social bookmarking site. I set up my account without any problems but found that the initial offer to set up the bookmarklets didn't function properly, so I had to go about it another way. The other thing I noticed is that unless you download the Delicious toolbar you don't automatically add any new bookmarks to both places (your browser favorites and Delicious). I generally try to stay away from a lot of extra toolbars so I'll just make do with the bookmarklets. Now that I have a Delicious account and have set up my bookmarks, I'll try to get in the habit of using it to my advantage.
The potential for use with library reference seems unlimited. Every reference desk could at least use Delicious for recommendations of worthwhile sites with good solid information, and I'm sure that there are many other applications that have yet to come to mind.
Look to your right and check out the little Delicious "bookmark me" link. Cute huh?

Thing #9

As you can see I created a mosaic using Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker. It was a little tricky but I muddled through. I imagine that someone who has never uploaded photos or used this type of tool would have a difficult time and need the help of someone with experience. For the creative library staff member (and one who has some time on their hands) there are endless possibilities for sharing through these types of sites.
By the way, the title of my mosaic is "River Watch" and the photos are all taken around my house on the Suwannee. This Thing did give me a great excuse to spend last evening roaming around our woods and yard snapping photos.