Thing 16 - WIKI nation

So WIKI's are everywhere. The grandaddy WIKI, Wikipedia, has become many internet users default encyclopedia. It is an awesome and amazing thing. However, it should not be the only source of information consulted in the research process. One of our tasks as librarian is to warn about authority and to introduce our users to other possibilities.

I went to the Spring Branch Sandbox (WIKI) and posted a commment about WIKIs. As I mentioned in that posting, we have created a WIKI to track and work on our departmental goals. Observation: WIKIS have to "catch on". You can build it but will they come? How do you get your audience to participate ? There are barriers to deal with learning curves, fear of making a technological misstep in front of your peers. This is one technology tool that is pretty deep and will require more practice and experience to be beneficial.

Thing 15 - Library 2.0

It is exciting to see all of the possibilities with Library 2.0. It is certainly a time of change to anyone working in libraries. I think that many of these new Web
2.0 tools will have a place in the the Library 2.0. The future of the library is all about service and delivering what the patron needs in the format requested in and a manner that is very user friendly. Design is very important and communicating for better understanding. I want to fast forward sometimes and take a peek.

I think one of the best Library 2.0 roadmap's was listed in Christopher Harris's blog, Informancy. Here is a quote that I want to hold close to my heart and mind.

"Being the Intel Inside is making sure you slap a “Powered by the School Library” sticker on everything you do. It is about making sure people know that the library is the person/place/thing/idea that helps make learning happen throughout the school. "

Thing 14 - Tagging and Technorati

Tagging is a big part of many Web 2.0 tools. The tag when used well can make searching and finding information so much easier. I think the key is to use it and the more you tag and use tags the better you will become.

I was impressed with the interviews with the Technorati leadership and their goals. Very idealistic I must say. I don't see myself using Technorati often. It is a great idea to be able to locate blogs by keyword and search blogs. It is just the time issue. Do I have the time to look for more to read?

Thing 13 - Social Bookmarking

Del.icio.us is probably the best known and most widely used of the social bookmarking sites. I had initially tried Digg but have since moved to Del.icio.us as more of my friend and colleagues are using this as their tool of choice. Hands down this is the way to go in order to keep track more efficiently of what sites you want to access. This exercise has given me ideas about using Del.icio.us more effectively by providing me with more ideas about smart tagging practices and also ranking. I really like the idea of using an asterisk rating system. Some of the other social bookmarking sites have that ranking part built in the tagging process; perhaps Del.icio.us will add that in the future. I am ready to tag. This can be a real boon to research and would be great for teachers to share with their students. We have been introducing this to our ACP librarians and need to make sure that all of our librarians are using social bookmarking sites.

Thing 12 - To comment or not to comment that is the question

Commenting is an important aspect of blogging. Both the blogger and the reader of blogs benefit from readers' comments. There is more to learned from the topic under discussion if one reads a blog and its comments. You are exposed to additional viewpoints. Therefore comments can enlarge and extend the focus of the blog. Comments that offer contrary viewpoints may make blog readers and bloggers reconsider their earlier statements or posts.

It is kind of scary to post a comment at first. It is easier to post a comment to a site of a blogger that you know.

Thing 11- Social networking reading sites

The two most popular social networking reading sites are :
Library Thing and Shelfari.
Another similar site you might want to look at is goodreads. I had actually started using that a few months ago and decided to switch to Library Thing instead during this exercise. With Good Reads you can rate your books and indicate what you have read, what you are reading, or what you want to read.

All sites allow you to list the books you are reading and those you have read. Both allow you to search and share what you have read with others who join the network. If your friends join, then you can also check on what they are reading.

Thing 10 - Image generators

Image generators are a lot of fun. You can make cartoons, trading cards, signs, art, and etc. I took some titles from our Name That Book Contest and had some fun with them. Can you identify the books?

The image on the left was taken from the Comic strip generator.
The one on the right is a more arty piece. I took a book cover image and
used the Bead Art site to create an arty cover. Know this title?