Week #10: Thing #20 Microblogging/Twitter

Microblogging is macroboring. Searched multiple times.

I can see using this tool to update friends and family if I were traveling to some exotic locale. Might be fun.

Can't really envision any library use except updates on services, what's for sale in the cafe, etc.

Week #9: Thing #19 ebooks audiobooks

Are ebooks as "valuable" as print? I think they are a truly new thing, which will not replace print, but supplement print. Radio didn't go away when television arrived.

I can't read and drive. Audiobooks are great for boring major highway driving. But for pleasure listening only. I wouldn't want to listen to a difficult-to-absorb topic. With reading I can change my pace and pause. Too hard to do that when listening if I'm doing anything.

ebooks are great for reference, quick lookup.

ebooks for textbooks are a great idea. Save trees.

But for pleasure reading? I haven't tried any ebook players because of cost. I wouldn't want to read on a computer screen, as I do too much of that for work. If the players get cheap, I might try them, but then there is the availability of what I want to read. I don't read best sellers for the most part. Academic libraries are probably not in the business of providing best sellers either in this financial climate.

The British Library site was just fantastic. But that's on the order of visiting a museum, not reading.

Week #9: Thing #18 PodCasts

Wow, I didn't realize there was so MUCH out there. I had fun exploring NPR's listings, and PodCast Alley. But I was able to narrow my search for PodCasts better using Google searches for my topic and podcast.

Surprised by the number of colleges using podcasts for course material. I've not heard of this route at UMass at all.

Guess I'll dust off the iPod...

Week #9, Thing #17: YouTube

I'd never been to YouTube before this "class." I spent a few minutes having fun watching the first part of the recommended videos. I especially was taken with Introducing the Book. I could see using these to liven up a long instruction session if I could find something appropriate. But I spent quite a bit of time searching for quality interesting content, and most of the videos I began watching were in the nature of home movies, boring unless they were YOUR home movie.

There is quite a bit of creative talent out there, amongst the drek. For the really good pieces, like a wonderful bit of footage of Space Ship One, I worry about preservation.

So if I were teaching or had a presentation in the works, I might think about both using and possibly creating some videos too.

Week #8 Thing #16

I took the easy way out here. I looked at an application specifically designed for libraries. I looked at Villanova's implementation of VuFind. Slick, clean, elegant, open source catalog. Easy to use, easy to text info, send email, grab a citation (though that has an amusing warning message).
Great "more like this" features. Interesting date range e.g. "era" information.

I wonder what the staff side is like. Santa, I want this for Christmas. Please, I've been a good girl.

Week #8 Thing #15

This "week's" assignments are several hours worth really. Need to balance the workload here... I couldn't possibly spend 45 minutes on just one video.

Anyway I explored some of the tools at some length, over an hour or so. Google Docs is great. Would be good for working on committee work with librarians from other institutions. No need to use it for work or home as Office is already there. And wouldn't be permitted to put confidential stuff I work with there anyway.

Basecamp s*cks. I use it for a project I'm working on now. Don't go there.

I do have concerns about what happens to the content of the docs that are loaded to some of these sites. For now I trust Google to not be evil, but I don't know who these other people are.

And as for trusting recommendations, it is nice to get ideas from LifeHacker, but I don't BELIEVE. I get recommendations from people I know and trust. I think it is pretty naive of people to do ANYTHING because it is popular.

Back to work...