Thing #23 Learning 2.0 Ends

In 1996 I saw the Internet on the horizon and swam out to it! During the past 10 years that we have been together I have seen some amazing development and progress. Learning 2.0 looks like a culmination but I see it as another 'beginning' and even as I complete this current journey my eyes are scanning the horizon to see what is out there next.
Following the PLCMC Library Learning 2.0 Program and co-ordinating it at the same time has been quite a challenge and I would like to acknowledge the Help of Helene Blowers, The Grand Architect of Learning 2.0 from the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenberg County in NC. USA, who is encouraging and inspiring us with her passion.
Lynette Lewis, a fantastic mentor and partner in crime! Christine MacKenzie, our CEO who sees the potential of people and motivates us to embrace these new technologies within Yarra Plenty Library Service (replacement of the carpet between our desks and offices should take priority in 2007).
The staff who are taking this program on (some who I least expected too) I salute you and look forward to working with you on other exciting Projects in the future.

I have to say my favourite 'Thing' has been Blogging. It is the vehicle for this whole Program and probably the first 'Social Networking' tool that empowered us to create our OWN online presence.

I look forward to monitoring the Program through to its Finale on January 26th and further challenges in 2007.

Thanks to all participants, mentors and motivators.

Thing #22 Audio books

The NetLibrary access on the PLCMC is unavailable to our users so we have had to use different sources to complete Thing #22 Audio Books.

Yarra Plenty is currently trialling 'Overdrive' (available on our Intranet)
I immediately zoomed in on 'The Worst Case Scenario Survival handbook'. It is a running joke with my sister when we explored the Carolinas and traversed the length of Florida last year. My 5th visit to the USA, her 1st and all the nervousness that went with it! I decided to nickname her WSC (Worst Case Scenario!) after several 'incidents' trying to negotiate the highways, byways, backroads, Alligator alleyways and homes of the elusive Black Bears! Jumping at shadows is an understatement!

The book seemed to be downloading to RealPlayer but whether system problems here or Overdrive itself, I was not able to listen. Perhaps thats a good thing, I may have been told not to actually hike through the Pisgah Wilderness National Forest of NC without adequate clothing during an amazing thunderstorm.

Overdrive certainly looks to have potential for libraries and has an amazing array of up to date titles across all genres. Check out the libraries using Overdrive for their patrons.

The World eBook Fair. Browse the FREE Collection and see just what a wonderful resource this is for ebooks and audio ebooks.

Links to Mp3 audio files to download.
I downloaded and listened to the Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was excellent quality.

The eMovies is certainly worth checking out with many historical pieces including War footage.

Casneaux Tree

Casneaux Tree
Originally uploaded by yarraflickr.

I like this Mashup site and here is My pic of the Casneaux Tree in the Flinders Ranges.

Thing #21 Finding Podcasts

My area of interest is in Library/Librarian type podcasts, so this was my primary focus in searching for quality podcasts.

The good thing about Podcasts vs Streaming is the ability to 'pause' and return and if your connection is having hiccups you don't sit there frustrated as the audio keeps buffering and leaving you hanging for several seconds before resuming.

Here are some places I found good podcasts:

LearningTimes Library Online Community
I listened to an interesting Podcast here: "Conversations with patrons: extending your library's presence online" with Brian Matthews (The Ubiquitous Librarian Blog), Public Services Librarian at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This was broadcast on October 31st, 2006 (26 minutes).

OPAL
OPAL allows library patrons and library staff members to participate in online library programs from anywhere. Everyone is welcome to participate in OPAL programs, and libraries of all types are encouraged to become OPAL members.
I see they are offering Book Discussion groups (Chick Lit !) , History, genealogy, health & wellness, Librarianship and Information Science etc.
For those of us who are unable to attend sessions because of the time difference, podcasts are held in their archives.

SirsiDynix
Up and coming seminars and podcasts look interesting................do I know these people??

Interviews that I have missed on ABC Radio are now Podcast, so I can listen to them on my walks of an evening.
I have a Bloglines RSS feed from John Faine's Conversation Hour.

Podcast Search Engines enable us to pinpoint our Podcast topic of choice.
Podscope
Podzinger
Blinkx
Search for Audio and Video content using visual analysis and speech recognition.

Thing # 20 YouTube Woo Hoo!!

Free Hugs with the Sick Puppies video.
I just smile every time I watch this YouTube Video. We need someone standing on every street corner giving FREE HUGS.
YOUTube gives us all the chance for our 15 minutes of Fame.
YouTube could keep me amused for hours, I even managed to find the Gilligans Island theme here!

Slide Show what Fun!

All in a days work!

Web based Applications

#18 Web Based Apps.

FREE was the word that jumped out at me listening to the Podcast for this lesson.

Not having to download a single piece of software to use the Web Apps and allowing multiple users to access the same file certainly has my interest. Portability of this software no matter where you happen to be in the world is a big plus and has potential for business or private use. No need to worry about different software types, upgrades etc. and the integration with other Web 2.0 tools appeals to me.
Being a self taught Word person, I had a fiddle around in the Demo User with font styles, bullet points etc, uploaded a pic and felt pretty proud of myself.
I can see potential here for students to use this software in the library and I think we should look at offering classes on these FREE Web apps.

I looked at the 'Sample' documents and found an invoice sample that seemed quite professional.

After reading the Discussion Board on Zoho, I decided not to upload my practice page or create an account as Zoho still seems to be in Beta, but I will check back later and see how it is going.
I like Helene Blowers Tips on possible uses for Zoho Writer created using the software itself.


#19 Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

The Web 2.0 Awards had me at "Hello"!

This site has so many wonderful and amazing links it will take me well past Learning 2.0 to fully explore what has to offer, so I quickly scanned the categories and picked a couple that I think are worth mentioning.

'Craigs List' jumped out at me, a site I found many moons ago when I was researching accommodation in NYC. It is a Classifieds Site but full of 'hidden gems' and as an accommodation bargain hunter I think its great!
Slawesome looked interesting: Voice email messages, but I even after joining up I had no luck in 'Composing' my message, perhaps it does not support Firefox?

Week 7 Wikis

#16 Learn about Wikis.
Whats the buzz with Wikis? I get asked.
A good place to get a definiton is of course Wikipedia

The question Helene Blowers asks during her podcast is 'What would you put on a Wiki in your library? So I thought the best way to find out is to visit some Wikis.
Ann Arbor Community Wiki in Michigan is a truly collaborative Community effort, 22 bars, lunch tips for under $5 sit beside School, transport and church information. It is simple and easy to use, login and edit the 'Things to do with kids' section' to add your own special places to visit.
Library Instruction Wiki is a good resource for trainers, sharing ideas, brainstorming new projects or just keeping up with the latest ideas in training.
Encourages editing teaching techniques and tips.
St Josephs County Library subject Guides has an easy to read Genealogy wiki article.
I liked their Cooking Section!!

#17 Add an entry to the Learning 2.0 Sandbox.
Adding an entry to the Sandbox on the PLCMC learning Wiki was easy. I even created a heading called Australian Blogs under Favorite Blogs and added mine.
I also added one of my favourite destinations: VICTORIA
Perhaps I can encourage some Americans to explore Downunder.

Week 6 Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati.

# 13. Del.icio.us
Oh Dear! the 'old' Cataloguer in me who is so used to 'controlled vocabulary' now has to adapt to this random tagging (Folksonomies)..... Input by 'ordinary mortals! using an 'informal' method of categorizing by keyword' (..you can actually think them up yourself......pass me the smelling salts please!)

I decided to Barge into Del.icio.us (4 Volumes of LC Subject Headings under my arms) and give them a piece of my mind.
I had to admit defeat when I realised how easy this site is to list your favourite websites and the real exciting part......see who else also 'tags' those websites!
A great site for 'information specialists' who need everything at their fingertips!
Check out my starter group of of Del.icio.us bookmarks.

# 14. Technorati
See the Most popular Video Blogs on YouTube. Free Hugs my favourite! You gotta check it out! Great music track too!

Leading authority on all things Blog!
Currently tracking in excess of 51 million Blogs. Blogs double every 6mths. The Blogosphere is 100 times larger than 3 years ago.
Technorati also utilises the power of Tagging. You can search content 'within' blogs, and this makes Technorati so popular.
The way tagging works here is just amazing, you can see who is tracking 'Your' Blog and then see who is tracking their blog.....and on and on and on..!

#15 Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Reading through the listed perspectives certainly shows that Libraries and Library staff of the 21st Century will be the 'innovators', leaders and collaborators who will show others that we DO have a handle on 'new and emerging technologies and we will kick butt with the way we organise the 'information explosion' and provide exceptional customer service.....so basically we allow ourselves to be swept up into this cyclone of Learning or we get walked over by lesser skilled beings!

Reading the Blogs of 'Movers and Shakers' in the library World is my personal way of staying in touch, keeping my head above water, madly paddling underneath, appearing serene to all who observe.

Week 5 (Play Week)

#10. Image generators.
There is no shortage of resources on the Image Generator Blog
and Custom Sign Generator.

Image generators are fun and so easy for those of us with no creativity or Photoshops skills!!

# 11. Library Thing
I listened to the Podcast and clicked on the link from 23 Things, it took me straight in....I don't even remember registering or that I had already catalogued 'The Precious Present' on Library Thing last year.
17 others also have this book on their shelves.
The Zeitgeist link shows just how popular this site is.

Being an 'old' cataloguer from way back, I'm dismayed that mere ordinary folk are now joining our ranks! Unfortunately the mystique we sought to portray about the elite world of cataloguing has been revealed to all. Alas we are but humans, with the foibles of mortals. Can someone help me down from my pedestal!

I like the Search facility....if the book has already been entered. Just click and add to your own collection.

Old habits die hard and I found myself entering publication details according to MARC.

Library Thing also adopts the Amazon.com style of 'similiarly tagged' books enabling you to find like minded souls! check out their collections or Join a Group!

Library Thing could be a bit of a challenge to newbies, but like any other website....spend some time clicking around to familiarise yourself with the layout.
Tagging just like on Flickr = another name for Subject Headings! (have I reached the bottom step of the pedestal?)

# 12. Roll your own Search Engine. Rollyo

Wow, this is a handy little tool. I liked the way I could customise the Search engine to just my own sites. I set up 'Travel Australia' and listed over a dozen sites. I did a search on micro breweries in Victoria and the results only came from those sites I had listed.
I also listed 2 other categories to search with Rollyo - Libraries and Recipes.
This could be a great reference tool.
It's getting late, I'm doing something wrong, cannot get my Seach Roll to show correctly, will have to try again tomorrow.

RSS & Newsreaders

Things 8 & 9.

I have been interested in RSS (Really Simple Syndication??) for a long time now, even if it took me about 2 years to realise that the fancy acronym really has no bearing on this wonderful piece of software that lets you put several of your favourite feeds (or websites) all in the one place and just read updates as they arise.
I set up my first Blog and first Feeds all at Bloglines in 2004. I found that Bloglines handles the RSS feeds really well. The associated Blog software is not as 'user friendly' as Blogger but you do not have to use it.

I have Found an RSS reader to be an invaluable tool in keeping up to date with all the latest Library and Internet technologies. I subscribe (it's free) to the Blogs and Websites of several leaders in the field and find I don't have to re-invent the wheel as a Resource Discovery Officer here at Yarra Plenty.
Where do you think I get all my great 'Websites of the Week'?
You will find my feeds here!
Warning RSS can be addictive and you really do have to decide just what feeds you are prepared to read.

I think the word News Reader can give people the wrong impression about an RSS Feed reader. I agree, its great for the latest news if you subscribe to the CNN or BBC RSS Feeds, but perhaps we should think of the term NEWS loosely = also meaning latest additions to 'any' website (even our Blogs!)
As well as the Internet site Bloglines, you can download gadget type Newsreaders that sit on your desktop and run through the latest news just like the 'ticker' displays you see in places like Times Square (or Fed Square for that matter!)

I am also using a Bloglines RSS Feed reader to monitor all our partipants Blogs for Learning 2.0.
One of the Top Search engines to find RSS feeds in Blogs is Technorati
another is Feedster which looks for news feeds too.

RSS can make life easier so that you don't have to jump all over the web visiting individual web sites.

Week 3 Photos and Images.

5. Flickr is a great photo sharing site using key words and tags to create associations between images. Sort of like Cataloguing for Dummies!
Already being a member of Yahoo, signing up for Flickr was so easy, you just use your Yahoo login.
I uploaded a few photos I had taken, sunsets and sunrises being a favourite of mine.
Check them out here at Flickr

I browsed Flickr Groups under Oceania (Australia seems to be lumped into this category) and found a Group called Melbourne Graffiti with 244 members and their associated pics. The Australian Sunset and Sunrise Group has 52 members.
Flickr has lots of potential for Libraries to use the site to upload library activities and even staff pictures maybe?
Links to Flickr's most popular tags is a good place to start looking.
6. Flickr Mashups is a fun application. I used Fd's Flickrs Toys and picked the the Framer link to make my stamp pic!! I used the Trading Card maker for my Melbourne Trading Card.
7. Blog about Technology. Sitepal is a great Text to Voice site, that is not Free but certainly has lots of potential for use in a library. You just choose an avatar, type what you want it to say (You can even choose voice styles and accents). Play it back to yourself, Viola!! your words spoken out loud.....amazing stuff!

Wow I think I have completed Week 3 and 7 Things!

Week 2 My Blog

Welcome to my Blog!
Wow, it seems I have moved into Week 2 and 'Thing" Number 3!
I did set up this blog several weeks ago so this has pushed me through fairly quickly and all I need to do now is register my Blog on the Intranet and push on to Week 3.
I'm hoping to get some comments on my Blog and am looking forward to seeing other participants Blogs from YPRL.
This is a picture I took on the weekend, while hiking through Tara Bulga National Park. Fungi are Big in the temperate rainforests of Gippsland.

Week 1 for ME!

Lifelong Learning is probably something I have always embraced without even knowing it!
My inquisitive nature seems to propel me towards new 'things' and new experiences.
During this long career in library work I have had no choice but to keep abreast of new developments in my chosen field, who wants to be left behind? so I see Learning 2.0 as a natural progression for me.
The Learning 2.0 Blog is so well set out and easy to follow.

I spent 14 minutes at home watching and listening to 7 1/2 Habits of Successful Lifelong Learners and it was time well spent. This well produced Tutorial is very slick but simple and easy to follow.
I like the statement "It is never too soon nor too late to for learning"!

Which Habit was the easiest? Well I would have to say 'Accept responsibility for your own learning' this motivates me to be an active participant and take pride in my accomplishments.

Which Habit will be the hardest? "Begin with an end in mind, determine a goal and develop a plan" Not my strongpoint, I generally I don't have a predetermined goal or plan in mind, things sort of just happen! but I can see that by developing a toolbox, viewing problems as challenges and having confidence in myself, I might just pull this off :)

Library 2.0

Countdown has begun for implementing our Professional Development Program, Library 2.0 learning '23 Things'.
I'm looking forward to following the program and monitoring the participants. There are so many new and exciting technologies emerging that Libraries have no choice but to throw themselves into the thick of things. It really is a great way to further our knowledge in a nice self paced program.
'23 Things' is full of really interesting ways to use the Internet.....and its all FREE!!
I am sure we will get a really positive response from the staff here at Yarra Plenty Library Service.
This ENORMOUS directory website gives us a glimpse into the world of Web 2.0
Lots of great sites, FREE and Fee, but certainly worth a look!!! Check it out.

Kimberley Magic

Travelling through the Kimberley was a wonderful experience, the scenery is just spectacular!
My favourite place was the Bungle Bungles or Purnululu as it is called by the local people.
Living out of a backpack and sleeping in a swag, travelling like a military unit with 21 strangers is an experience not to be missed!

Day One

Today I launch into the world of Blogs, I wonder what is out there??????????