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.

Thing #8

I have to say, this was not nearly as much fun as Flickr but interesting none the less. Even though I have not done much IMing, I am familiar with the stuff discussed in this "Thing" and have used some of them in my library setting.
Email is by far the most prevalent tool used by our library staff. Along with computer generated forms and scanned documents, faxing between branch has been all but eliminated and phone calls have been significantly reduced. Since our 8 branches are spread over a large geographic area, with multiple telephone exchanges, email has become a budget friendly tool.
Webinars and web conferencing also play a major role in our staff training. Needless to say this advancement has saved both time and money for the library. I personally have used a variety of this type of communication tool, from Wimba to OPAL to Live Space and WebEx. For our library staff I would consider this to be the most important of the Web 2.0 communication tools.
I certainly see us using some of the other tools in the future but we just aren't there, yet.

Thing #7

Oh good, more fun stuff. Of course I haven't gotten much else done today except play with 23Things. Here's something I made with Poetry Blender from ImageChef.

Thing #6

Playing around with Flickr a little more! Fun Fun Fun! I used "Spell with Flickr" to create the niffty little 23Things@NEFLIN over to the right. And since the mashups were sooooo much fun I couldn't stop at just one. Hence the Flickr Pics, also over to the right, which was created with "Flickr Badge".

Thing #5

"Four Roofs from a Window"

This Flickr thing could easily become an addiction. I had a lot of fun with this one but suffered "The Walmart Syndrome". That's what happens when you get immersed in something and lose all sense of time and the real world. This photo was taken from the living room window of Dennis and Dottie's home. I really love the progression of angles and roofing materials. Flickr, I shall return. Just let me finish the rest of these 23 Things first.

Thing #4

RSS Feeds. What a great tool for web news and sports junkies like my husband. The only things missing are the embedded photos and videos that pop-out at you from the web pages themselves. In deference to him, I have added CNN and ESPN to my Google Reader and I must admit that I am more inclined to read the news myself since I don't have to spend the time bouncing from one site to the other. And if I just have to see those graphics I link to the original page. I also find it easier to read the 23 Things blogs I am following by having them on my reader. This Thing is definitely a keeper and I will be adding new sites on a regular basis.

Thing #3

Well, I'm not sure what to say about this Thing. There's a lot of interesting information on Technorati about Blog Search Tools, with a whole bunch of facts and figures. But after trying a number of different Blog Search Engines, I'm not convinced that any of them give you a complete picture of what's really out there in cyberspace. I tried the same search in the four engines listed on the Search Engine Journal web page, and each of them gave me different results even with the parameters set the same. So what's with that? I guess if I have to use one I'll go with the old tried and true Google Blog Search since it has a familiar interface and the search results were no better or worse than the others. On to Thing #4.

Thing #2

The concept of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 have given me much pause for thought since I attended by first NEFLIN workshop on these subjects, a couple of years ago. At first I was interested in the concepts but saw little or no practical applications in our library system. But things do change and I guess it's all about change and adaptability.
Even though there are still some "Things" that may not apply to our smaller rural system, there are many that are not only applicable but are already in use by staff. The next step will be to decide what we can use effectively to create interaction between our library and our patrons.
As stated in one of our "readings", the greatest obstacle to overcome is the on going resistance to change and the inability of some library staff to recognize the need and importance of some Things Library 2.0.

Thing #1

Well, it took awhile to get started, but I'm off and running (maybe that should read "taking baby steps"). I'm pleased with the way my blog has turned out since I think it reflects my personality. I find it most interesting to look at the blogs of other participants in the 23 Things project. Some of them I know and some I don't, and it's amazing how they use design, color and tone of content to give you an image of their personality. What a great journey toward enlightenment this will be.