Final Post! (Sesson 15 blog)

These past 15 weeks have flown by!  I am quite pleased to have been a part of the initiation of this Library Technology class.  Of all the classes I have taken from Ivy Tech, I can say categorically that this one has helped me with my actual job the most.  I was not totally ignorant when it came to certain types of technology.  I knew how to search the web (thanks to the class on Electronic Resources) and I knew how to search our databases, thanks to experience on the job.  What I was not familiar with was the new technology that is out there.  Wikis, Twitter, RSS, Delicious, Flickr, Blogs, YouTube, Library Thing, Goodreads, Picasa...these were names I may have heard of before, but was not at all comfortable explaining them to anyone.  This class has allowed me to not only increase my vocabulary, but speak confidently to patrons when referencing technology.  For that, I am grateful.  Plus, I'm so excited about our Department Wiki!  That is a tangible benefit of this class!  (And the fact that I've earn 45 technical LEU's does not hurt either!  Once you all start working in a library, you'll understand why this is a real benefit! ;-)

Since I tend to be a rather wordy person, I have not had difficulty "blogging" each week.  I am very aware that brevity is far more interesting, and so I will keep this last post short.  I enjoyed learning how to include pictures and sounds with my posts.  I gave my kids access to my blog, and they have enjoyed seeing themselves within the posts.  I probably won't keep it up....but I've learned to never say "never." 
I enjoyed reading your posts - especially the ones with links and pictures!  With that in mind, I will close this blog with an Easter picture of my son and his family.  This picture was taken in China on Easter Sunday.  May God bless you all as you continue your studies.  If any of you are near the Kokomo Howard County Public Library - please come see me on the second floor!

Vacation Post (Session 14 blog)

Ok, so I'm being a little sparse on this week's assignments....this is MY spring break, so I have an excuse!  How is it going so far?  I've managed to thoroughly spring clean my bedroom, closet, bathroom, laundry room (ewww, there was unidentifiable scary stuff under that washer!) and hall closet.  This afternoon I start on the living room/dining room downstairs....and maybe if I'm lucky, I will finish with the kitchen and pantry on Friday!  Have you guys ever washed your drapes?  Oh man, I handwashed my bedroom drapes and the water was absolutely black!  Ok, so I am not the most dedicated housekeeper....that's why there is such a thing as spring cleaning.  I should just do it more often than once a decade! ;-)

This week, I appreciated the shorter lesson, but it was still incredibly relevant for me.  I made a copy of the troubleshooting checklist, and am excited about the other ideas we learned in our book.  I feel more confident to tackle at least turning on and off the power, checking the cables and recording the error messages.  Definitely great ideas!

Our group technology project was archived and is in the Wimba classroom.  I forgot to ask if that was all we needed to do?  What a pleasure it was working with Joanna and Audrey...This class has really stretched the whole experience of distance education for me through the teamwork project and presentations.  I like that!

This week I also made 9 lamb cakes, which is a family tradition.  We have one for Easter, and the rest I give away.  They recognize Jesus, as


"the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John 1: 29b.
  Have a blessed Easter, everyone!  Hosanna, He is risen!  He is risen, indeed!  God bless you all!

Wiki Assignment

 My wiki's address is:   http://khcplreference.wikispaces.com/



Early in the course I was challenged with the idea of setting up a wiki for my reference department.  We have moved into a remodeled department where we lack drawer space for our trusty "librarian's file" box of index cards, and file drawers for current notices and information.  Staff is notoriously negligent when it comes to following up on their email, so I thought a department wiki would solve this dilemma, as well as encourage participation, since every department member would be free to put their creative stamp and input into the project.  I asked our IT manager to set up a wiki for our department, and I've been "practicing" on it for several weeks.  The wiki I am presenting to you is an abbreviated copy of the one I have been working on for our department.  I do not have permission to give you access to our wiki - but I created a duplicate with similar (but limited) information so you can see how we are using it.  First, here are the specific answers to the management questions of our department wiki:

1.  Wiki editing.  Each member of the department was invited to join the wiki, and when they join they will be able to have full editing rights. 
2.  Wiki access.  The wiki is for our department only.  It will not be made available to the public, or to other library staff (although it could be - it is also on Wikispaces)
3.  Comment content.  This is an area for us to experiment with, but I think it is understood that since everyone in the department (including our supervisor) can see our wiki, we need to be discreet with our comments.  Although I set up a Home page which can include comments, I was intending its content to be of a general and timely nature - for example, posting birthday reminders/messages.
4.  Pages -I think we will limit the number of pages because we do not want it to be so large that it takes so much time to navigate and find things. 
5.  Training - Right now we are in the trial and error stage.  If we happen to be working with someone who has more experience, we help each other.
6.  Residence for Wiki - The wiki was created from Wikispaces.  Because it is a library wiki, it was set up with our logo, or brand.  Everyone in our department received an invitation to join our wiki - and they can then add it to their tool bar or Favorites to access it.
7.  Uploads - We do have the ability to upload files/pictures/content to the wiki.  This is most helpful because I edit an obituary database that gets loaded onto our library website once a month.  If it is April 29, the library still has only obituaries posted through March, so until now, we had to go through newspaper hardcopies to find recent obits.  Now, I can update the wiki with my updated file daily. 
8. Conclusion - I have had some valuable edits already made by fellow co-workers.  Whereas I set up a page of favorite websites (sorry, but it's easier than Delicious!) I copied in the URLs and made them hyperlinks.  A co-worker suggested we just make the subject headings hyperlinks - which was a great idea! Of course some co-workers feel the need to add redundant information...but we can tolerate that because it is better than their printing the info on a piece of paper for each one of us, OR posting the paper up at each desk, which looks tacky and cluttered.  The wiki has solved that problem!   This has been a terrific idea for our dept.  In particular, the ability to download widgets, such as the map feature, make answering directional questions over the phone much easier!  Eventually, I would like to figure out how to add updates to the calendar, but for now, it is helpful to just have the calendar!  My co-workers are very pleased with the potential this wiki has for connecting us all, and keeping us all on the same page!

Topical (Session 13 blog)

This week I worked hard to get the remaining projects completed so I can take this next week off for our spring vacation.  And where are we spending this magical week?  Somewhere where I am certain there will be  lots of walking and up and down climbing (rock climbing? nope) somewhere where there will be lots of sneezing and hay fever (from the tropical plants? nah..maybe from dust bunnies!)  We are spring cleaning our house!  Arghghghg.  Ok - so not so fun, but it's definitely long overdue.

This week's emphasis on security made me realize that there is much more at stake to lose in libraries than the books, cds and dvds.  There is a definite cost and inconvenience when one of those are stolen, but there is so much more at risk when one's identity or passwords or personal information is breached through the computer.  This is a new age, and we must prepare for a new kind of thief.  It is important that as we open our libraries up to new and wireless technology that we are conscious of the risks that it opens up.

Team Audrey-Joanna-Melanie had our final "tweak" session on Wimba, and in a few minutes will be recording our presentation for you.  I am blessed with such gifted and creative teammates, whom I appreciate so much!  Thank you Audrey and Joanna, for making this team project so enjoyable and easy for me!  You gals are great!

Goodreads Project ( 3rd Web 2.0 Project)

This is a review of one of my technology projects:  Exploring Goodreads.  I could have set up a new account with Library Thing, or Shelfari, but to be quite blunt, I've opened more accounts  for this class then I have credit cards in the last 35 years!  And that's a lot! ;-)  Seriously, since I had already set up a Goodreads account years ago, I thought it would be best to reacquaint myself with an account I never really used, and determine if it is something I would use in the future.  After four weeks of monitoring and interacting with Goodreads, I have come to the following conclusions:

1.  This is a website which can help me with my Reader's Advisory duties at the Reference Desk.  It is clear, that I am not the bibliophile that others are at this site.  My piddly 107+ books pale in comparison to others, but to be fair, I've been locked in to a pattern of reading for classes, rather than reading for enjoyment.  Therefore, I find the wealth of reviews and input from others regarding titles I WILL NEVER get to to be invaluable.  For example:

•  I can look up any title and read a review or plot synopsis.  I can then decide to "go for it" or not waste my time.
• I can look at my fellow "friends"  accounts to see their reviews - and then be able to intelligently suggest titles to others based on their categorizing titles.  For example, our teen librarian has divided her teen book reviews into "teen horror" and "teen historical" titles, etc.  - so I can peruse those to make title suggestions for teens.
• I can dialogue with others by reading and responding to their reviews.  Not only is this helpful to build relationships, but it also helps me to understand other perspectives of titles I am considering, or I have read.  
• I loved the "to read" shelf.  It was great to have a record of books I've been wanting to read.  Unless they are marked down, I'm sure to forget them - so it was nice to have the accountability of a list.
• It is helpful to me as a person who works in a library to see what titles people are reading.  I may not be able to read them, but I become familiar with the title and can link it to the author's name because they have put it on Goodreads.  The next time a patron comes in to the library and asks for a similar title, I have some knowledge to draw from to associate the title with author, or to know that "yes, a book exists by that title."  This has happened many times since I've reactivated my Goodreads account.

2.  There are also very active groups you could join if you share a common love for certain genres or medium.  I joined the movies group because I thought it would be fun to see what people were saying about current movies.  I was surprised to find these were not necessarily reviews of new movies - but of all movies.  This was a site for movie lovers, and they commented and created threads on all types of movie and television shows.  The comments were enthusiastic and showed a true passion for the film experience.  I wasn't expecting to see such respect for movies on a reading website, but that goes to show you that you can love books AND still love movies.  It was both enjoyable and beneficial to read these comments, because not only do I deal with books at the reference desk, I also get asked questions about movies and movie trivia. I was also impressed with the timeliness of the comments.  When director Sidney Lumet died, there was an immediate discussion started about his impressive body of work.

I also signed up for the Jane Austen fan club, because, well, I'm a fan!  It was quite fun to read the comments and share my favorites. 

3.  I felt that the method for adding titles to my account was very user friendly.  I appreciated the way you could look up any title, and find not only the picture of the book, but all the possibilities.  If I happened to mistype the title, it would give me a variety of options which usually included what I was actually looking for. Once you selected a title, you would then select from three shelf options - read, to read, or currently reading.  You could also add other shelves, as many of my friends have.  They further categorized their titles by genre, and age group.  That is a helpful feature.  Adding reviews and comments was also very user friendly.

4.  I signed up for daily email notifications when my "friends" posted to their Goodreads accounts.  I liked this because they would lump all the reviews/postings together in one email, and I only had to open one email.  Some of my friends were constantly posting, and others were like me - their activity was either "feast or famine."  I was glad to see I wasn't the only one who had given "Goodreads" a break.

5  There was  a "compare" feature which enabled you to see which books you and your friends had in common on your bookshelves.  Because you "rated" each title when you added it to your shelf (up to 5 stars) you could see even if the person did not write a review what they thought of the book.  This was helpful because it was a good conversation starter between friends, plus, if you knew you had the same taste as a friend, you could instantly see what you'd like, or wouldn't like.

6.  I was not very prolific with my book reviews - I tended to prefer reading others to creating my own.  However, I will say that I was tickled to get a "like" notice from my review of Dewey, the Library Cat.  Even though it came years after my review - it showed me that once you post a review, it can be read and effective to a much larger audience than when it was immediately written.  Goodreads will give you "community reviews" of people you do not know when you search for specific titles, or when you place your own reviews.  This opens up your opinions and observations to many others.

In conclusion, Goodreads is most definitely a valuable asset for anyone who works in a work environment that includes books and stories of any kind.  The convenience of perusing my teen librarian's shelf alone is worth setting up the account, because YA is one genre that is on the bottom of my "to read" list.  However, I can benefit from her recommendations and booklists, and I have actually done that on more than one occasion!    Here is my link:   http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1733243-melanie

Hey - (that's "hello" in Swedish!) (Session 12 blog)

This was a very weird week for me.  My husband, Dave, had to leave last Saturday for a business trip to Sweden.  All week long I was able to eat when I want (what I wanted ;-0) keep the TV channel on whatever channel I wanted! and work into the wee hours of the morning if I wanted!  Sounds good, right?  No, I missed him!  But I did get a lot of homework done, and for that I am relieved.

So, when I was not working on our technical projects or reading another book for my Political Science class (or building a new beehive!) I was learning to appreciate the job of a web designer.  There are so many more things to consider when creating a website, and I for one, am glad that is not my job.  It is a never-ending job, because there is always room for improvement.  I worked a lot on my wiki this week, and I've decided that even working on that gets my OCD in overdrive because there is always a way to "do this better" and "make this more interesting."  At least with a wiki the job is shared, not so with a website.  Unless you have content management....but then the issue of design and format still falls on the webmaster.

Team Audrey-Joanna-Melanie part 2 met  this week via Pronto to report on our library interviews.  One of us was poorly treated by the librarian, and that reminds me that the most basic usability feature of a library is its staff's demeanor and attitude toward patrons!  You can have all the latest high tech equipment and software and best looking website in town, but if you have rude staff, you have failed to be a truly usable library!

Picasa Project - Activity 2 - Public Library (2nd Web 2.0 project part 2)

Ashley Tan Photos

Filename: isaac2006-12-13.jpg

This was the second part of the Picasa assignment, where I needed to find a picture on Picasa after using the search terms "Public Library."  I thought this picture was a perfect image of what I see as a public library.  I limited the choices to pictures with CC and found this one, of little Isaac.  I hope you enjoy it!

Picasa Project - Activity 1 - My Girls, Summer 2010 (2nd Web 2.0 project part 1)

A-Twitter over Twitter - "hoosiervess" (1st Web 2.0 project)

      The first thing I did before I set up a Twitter account was to look up the meaning of the word.   "Twitter" is defined by Merriam-Webster online dictionary as "to utter successive chirping noises" or "to talk in a chattering fashion." This definition seemed to be consistent with the use of the bird-like term "tweet" for each successive message.  With a limit of 140 characters for each message, one must be concise and to the point, or risk becoming prolific with your number of tweets.  I decided the name Twitter was an apt name for this rapid, quick and concise exchange of information.  So, why my play on words in the title?  Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "a-twitter" as being nervously concerned.  That expressed perfectly my initial approach to Twitter.  Why in the world would anyone want to "tweet" information about themselves, and more importantly, why would anyone else want to read it!  Well, I quickly learned that Twitter is like any other social networking site - it has its share of narcissistic "tweeters" but there are also many more who are genuinely using it as a quick source of "spreading the news."  Here are some of the things I learned while I used Twitter:

•  Whereas I assumed Twitter was full of people sharing what they had for breakfast and where they were going, I quickly learned that if you don't want to read minutia, you can definitely be more selective in who you follow.  I tended to navigate towards like-minded organizations and groups - such as Focus on the Family, our local Tea Party, the Heritage Foundation, and of course Janet Evanovich. ;-)  I followed a lot of political and professional groups,  including the Librarian in Black (she was a riot) a library in Hinsdale, Illinois (where I have family) the Smithsonian and the ALA.  I really only followed 5 individuals, and never did I sense they were boring me to death with their tweets.  (or I would have "unfollowed" them.)
• I was fascinated with the way people were able to abbreviate their message into 140 characters or less and still make a point.  One person I followed was Michelle Malkin, an author and commentator on the news, and she gave a lot of tweets about her cousin who went missing.  It was days before I heard anything about it on the mainstream media, but I was following the progress, or lack of progress of the search by her tweets.  Unfortunately, her cousin is still missing.
• One thing that I noticed about monitoring Twitter sites is that the news is very quick.  I read somewhere that people were tweeting about the earthquake in Japan before it even made it on the news here, and I believe it.  For news and personal perspectives I think it is an invaluable tool.  I found I was more interested reading tweets than I was Facebook posts, because usually people were more selective with what they said when they had fewer characters to use.  
• The library sites I monitored impressed me because they used their tweets to introduce new employees to the public, and to advertise upcoming programs.  I was fascinated with a program the Hinsdale Library offered about learning what to do for your pet in an emergency. They called it "No Pet Left Behind."  Clever.   Their tweets "tweaked" my interest, and I thought they were effective.  The Librarian in Black allowed us to experience through her tweets a "Computers in Libraries" conference she went to in Washington D.C.  Truly, her tweets made me laugh outloud as she commented on everything from her pat-down at the airport, to the absence of the key-note speaker.  To get to the meat of that conference you need to check out her blogs - but her tweets enticed me to LOOK to her blog for more information.
• I was pretty amazed at the variety of people who were on Twitter.  My daughter casually mentioned a cookbook by "the Pioneer Woman" and I innocently looked her up on Twitter, and voila!  She tweets!  And she's pretty funny, too.  Sulu from Star Trek is amusingly sarcastic, although I don't follow him.  He just tends to show up whenever I do topic searches. 
• I was interested in the number of people who started to "follow" me on Twitter.  I didn't solicit anyone (ok, well, the two friends I sought out live in California, and she has a food blog I like, and he works for The Simpsons, so I got a kick out of his tweets to his Hollywood friends!) Anyway, local businesses in Kokomo became my followers, as did someone with "sexy" in their username.  I quickly blocked them from my account, but thought it was interesting that even on Twitter, you are a potential client, or, God forbid, partner.  You need to be careful who you open up to, even on Twitter!
• OK, so one of the things I expected to see on Twitter was a bunch of conservative or liberal thinkers flocking to like-minded people (I was right on that one!) as well as groupies who would hang on to every tweet from every celebrity, both present, past and has been. (not so right about that one!)  I suppose there was some of that, but I will confess to following my new TV obsession - Chuck.  What I found was pretty hilarious.  If you don't watch Chuck - he's a nerd who becomes a spy.  Anyway, with hesitation I became a "follower" of Zachary Levi, AKA Chuck, for the sole purpose of seeing what kind of groupies frequent a celebrity - and how a celebrity treats his groupies! I found him to be just as funny as his character on Chuck!  Apart from his tweet links to hilarious YouTube videos, he also encouraged support for Japan after the earthquake and generally seemed not at all what I expected of a celebrity who "uses Twitter."  Ok - so I confess, I became the groupie, and in this case, was pretty much pleased with the process.  I'm sure there are plenty of other not so normal celebrity exchanges.....just try doing a search for Charlie Sheen!  Ugh!!!!
• Speaking of funny tweets...if you are a Janet Evanovich fan, she tweets quotes from her books.  Really funny stuff!  
• By the way - Twitter can be a quick source of information!  I learned Butler lost on Twitter yesterday a few minutes after it happened!  
• Our library has a teen Twitter account, and I'm a bit discouraged that I was one of only 288 followers.  However, I must commend our teen librarian for the way she constantly gives updates and reviews of books on Twitter.  Eventually, I think it will pay off.

Any concerns I had about the appropriateness or inane content on Twitter was quickly dispelled as I became addicted to reading the updates of  all the people I followed.  They were short and to the point, and therefore easy to go through (I only followed 45 people...and only 12 followed me!)  I did find myself becoming disappointed when the same tweets showed up over and over...I mean, I'm sure that that sale at Victory Honda in Muncie is over by now!!!! ;-)  On the other hand, I did struggle with worthwhile tweets to contribute.  I only tweeted 9 times, and I stewed over what to say!  I find I am much more interested in reading tweets, than in writing them!  This assignment has changed my view of Twitter, and I am definitely going to keep up with it.  Check out my site and maybe I will follow you!    hoosiervess

Team Audrey-Joanna-Melanie

Well after much help from my fellow team-mates I was able to meet with them on Pronto this afternoon so that we could formulate our plan of attack on this technology review assignment.  I am blessed with such capable teammates, and so thankful that they know how to use Pronto, because it was a first for me!  We have identified our plan and prepared our questions, so I look forward to a field trip this week to our academic library choice.

I was very interested in the concept of universal design, and determined that my library is not nearly as up-to-date as I had thought we were.  The one thing I learned that I had not realized before was that disabilities come in much broader categories than just physical.  Mental, intellectual and verbal are all areas where people may be at a disadvantage, and it is important that libraries and areas of learning consider the needs of people who are lacking in these additional areas.  Perhaps if our public library was part of a more metropolitan city, we would have more assistive and adaptive technologies.  I am interested in learning what the larger libraries offer.  It would seem in a larger area you would have more patrons with needs.

My husband is in Sweden for the week on business, so I hope to be able to tackle my homework without distraction.  I just finished constructing a second beehive for my sweet hobbee.....I am looking forward to setting it up this weekend, and can't wait to get my next batch of bees!  I'm down to my last gallon of honey!

I wish you all a wonderful first week of April!

Creating Online Tutorials

Our wise teacher suggested I check out an online webinar on "Creating Online Tutorials" put on by Webjunction this week.  I was fortunate to have my boss allow me time off the Reference Desk so I could participate in the office.    Here are some of the main points I got out of the presentation (once again, "technical difficulties caused the audio to cut off every 7 minutes....):
1.  First look at other libraries that have done tutorials to learn from their successes and challenges.  They gave examples from Carmel-Clay in Indiana, San Francisco Public Library, William Paterson University and St Louis Community College.
2.  Practice making tutorials by "writing out a script" after you answer a question for the umpteenth time.  While it is fresh in your mind, write out the script and practice.
3.  The key is the script - should be no more than 3 minutes and should be entertaining.
4.  Tip sheets can be used as scripts for developing online tutorials.
5.  Do not discard anything!  Maintain an inventory of  of all "screen shots" taken -you never know when you can use it for a tutorial.
6,  The most likely people to use the tutorials are those who are comfortable using computers, so do not make the tutorial too elementary.
7.  Some of the suggestions for software starts at the beginning level of still screen captures - (nag-It, Word and Powerpoint) to the next level which is screencasting (Screenr & Jing) to screen recording (Camtasia) and finally the highest level of time and financial investment is e-learning (Captivate and Articulate are both software for this level)
8.  Make sure tutorials are promoted by the library - placement on the website is key, so that they are easy to find, in multiple places.  Have some sort of "branding" that makes the production easily recognizable and familiar (I thought of those YouTube "in plain english" with the hands and papercutouts as a good example)
9.  The audience for these tutorials can turn over quite a bit, so they do last a long time.  The key is, if after viewing the tutorial it raises more questions than answers, then that is the time to redo them.  (or if the interface or methods change.)

Part of the fun of these webinars is reading people's reactions to the material.  There is an ongoing instant messaging bar going on with technical problems (I was on that one for a while! ;-)) and then offering questions and solutions.  The main ingredient of the chat was the offering of other links to websites that have experience with producing online tutorials.  All in all, I think it was worth the hour I invested, and it may be something our library may do in the future.  Right now we do not have any of the software mentioned, and our webmaster told me she did not see a need for us to invest in it right now.

Lambert Wedding

 I just spent the afternoon playing with Animoto - what a blast!  Would this video slide show I just made count for the video Web 2.0 assignment?  If so, I would rather submit this than Picasa - I've enjoyed that, but this is really cool!

Oh - this is a brief (very brief - the free version is only 30 seconds long) collage of some pictures from my daughter's wedding last August.  The song is Caedmon's Call's "Lead of Love" because that was sung at her wedding!  Enjoy!  This picture was on their "Save the Date" cards!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Lambert Wedding

Skype and Stuff

I think I erred by not commenting on my Skype experience in last week's blog.  I will fix that by mentioning in this blog.  Up until last week, the majority of my Skype experience was with my son overseas, and the quality of the audio and video were subject to time of day, weather, and number of Internet users online in my son's apartment.  I was very impressed with the quality of the sound and picture in those experiences I had for our class.  I was also pretty excited to learn about "sharing screens" with the other person.  I must point out that my mechanical engineer husband had never heard of that - and so I was able to educate him on the many resources available through Skype.  I heard him pass along that piece of new information no fewer than 4 times throughout the weekend to various family and friends - so I know I taught him something he felt was important!  Thanks, Library 105!

My Skyping partners, Joanna, Audrey, Amber, Mary and Susie (yes, I had five...what can I say, I'm blessed!  Tifarah and Sharon - you owe me one to make it unanimous!) were all easy to hear and see (when they had a webcam) and made the whole experience so enjoyable!  I knew you were all smart and friendly through your writing, and Skype just confirmed that in person you are just as approachable and patient.  I appreciate you all!

 Speaking of Twitter...

I am still enjoying my Twitter experience, adding to my Wiki, conversing with others on my Goodreads account, and assembling a Picasa slide show with pictures I've long been wanting to organize!  Yes, distance education is definitely not for the lazy, because there is always something to do!   Which reminds me, it's time to go work on my presentation!  Have a great weekend!

Hooray for Distance Education

I appreciated the pithy wit in Joanna's response to the question of whether we have participated in distance education:  "That's kind of a silly question! :)"  I remember thinking the same thing when I read that question! Hello - we are living, breathing examples of students experiencing the asynchronous technology the book describes!  If nothing else, the author's question shows that the textbooks used for distance education courses are no different than  those in the more traditional classroom!  There are a multitude of class options out there - and a week doesn't go by that I don't get an email adding additional classes to IUs offerings.  As participants in the distance learning technology I feel we are experiencing education in a much more hands on way.  For example:

• Our class time is not limited to a certain time of day.  We can access and work on our courses 24/7.  We can capitalize on the time of day when our minds are freshest and most creative.  We can work non-stop as the inspiration allows, or postpone our work when life gets in the way.  I greatly appreciate the flexibility of distance education.
• Our courses require us to become familiar with technology.  Even when I was taking the correspondence courses at IU I still had to learn how to use the course management system called "Dragon."  I had to request my classes and exams online.  Ivy Tech's Blackboard system requires us to become familiar with how it works so that we can acquire our assignments and tests!   Years ago when I was in college, (and I will confess that was BEFORE PCs were readily available - in the Stone Age!;-)) you went to class, took notes, and left.  When I "go to class" today I am navigating not only Blackboard options, I am viewing multiple websites and podcasts and links and increasing my confidence and skill in using the Internet. 
• We are exposed to learning in multiple medias.  In a classroom, we get a lecture.  In distance education, we get to read, listen, and interact with programs such as our StudyMate link...which I find extremely helpful! 
• We are more "hands on" in completing the course because we must discipline ourselves to get the work done.  I have always thought that part of the schooling experience was learning how to discipline yourself to "get the job done."  The teachers held you accountable, and made up deadlines and calendars to help you.  To a certain extent, we have that in this class.  In my IU courses, I have no such deadlines.  This can be extremely freeing....or, it can mean that I NEVER finish unless I set goals and deadlines FOR MYSELF.  

Since I work part time, I am so grateful for distance learning because I do NOT want to have to spend my time physically getting ready to go to class, and spending the extra travel time and gas money to get there, and worrying about getting to class when there is a snowstorm or tornado warning!     I can do my lessons in my pjs....and believe me, I have! ;-)  I can do my work while the snow falls, and feel nice and toasty in front of my computer monitor!  I feel blessed and spoiled!  I say, Hooray for distance education!  Enjoy the cartoon!

Web 2.0 Projects

For my projects, I have opened a Twitter account, reactivated a Goodreads account, and plan to set up a Picasa web album. 

Twitter:  OK, so I am quickly becoming addicted to this.  I really thought this was going to be a waste of time - but I can see the value of the immediacy of the tweets.  I mean, I was getting hour by hour tweets of news from the news sites I follow about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  I am mainly following libraries, political and news organizations - but I did find one of my friends in California and I get a kick out of his tweets.  Michelle Malkin has been tweeting regularly about her missing cousin in Seattle - and I don't recall hearing anything about that on the mainstream news.  Anyway - this has proven to be quite fun.  I see the value in Twitter as it relates to news and sports updates - but I still cannot fathom the benefit of personal tweets.  For me, Facebook status updates are hard enough to make and follow!  But, if you want to follow me on Twitter - just look for @hoosiervess, and you can follow me!

Goodreads:  I set up a Goodreads account a couple years ago, but have not used it for quite awhile.  I get updates daily from my "friends" on Goodreads, and I guess I was just a bit overwhelmed by the volume of reading they get to do every day because they are always adding titles and reviews.  For myself, I've been in the textbook mode ever since I started back to school so I don't get to spend much time reading for pleasure.  However, I did log back in and attempted to include some updated titles to my "read" list.  I plan to spend some more time writing reviews and commenting reviews, so stay tuned....

Picasa:  Since my other two assignments deal primarily with words, I thought this last assignment would satisfy my need to learn how to upload and arrange pictures on the web.  For years we took pictures with our 35mm camera, developed and then put in a shoebox until I get around to putting them in an album.  I am still stuck at the year 2004.   My husband promised me it would be different with our digital camera and he is right:  now we take pictures, and once every six months they get uploaded into our camedia file and never get looked at again! I would like to use this assignment to work on little mini albums with the 100s of pictures we have.  I hope you are not bored, but then again, I'm doing this assignment for me! ;-)

To Terminate my monitoring or not to terminate my monitoring..that is the question!

I cannot believe it has been six weeks since we began monitoring our technology sources!  Mainly, I cannot believe it because I have yet to find an updated posting to my Educause site "Seven Things You Should Know About."  My first posting from that site had to do with open ended response systems - where students could immediately respond to a teacher's lecture through their mobile device.  That posting is still there - and the only other post I did from this site came from their archives, on "cloud computing."  But alas, or as they say "wouldn't you know" - I happened to check my RSS feed today and guess what- not one, but 2 articles!!!  Apparently, this is a monthly feature, and for some reason, they have not changed the website...yet.  I guess that proves the value of RSS feeds!  The new article is dated March 14, but has not posted on the website yet.  Now that I understand this is a monthly column, I will have to rethink my original decision to NOT keep monitoring it.  

Librarian in Black was a blog which I found to be much more interesting.  Although she did not have a new post every week, her posts were extremely relevant to life in a library.  I am still very excited about the fact that I was the first one in our department to learn about the HarperCollins/ebook controversy because of her column.  She has continued to blog about that subject, and I have enjoyed her take on the controversy. Anyway, what I also liked about LiB was that people could enter their comments and responses to her blog - and those responses gave you even more information and perspective.  Last week, the LiB posted the results to the book censoring survey that was taken at the beginning of my monitoring period.  The bottom line from this report is that #1:  libraries are not reporting material challenges to the ALA, and #2:  Of those materials withdrawn from the collection due to complaints, items were twice as likely to be removed in defiance of library guidelines. (If that's the case - why bother with guidelines?  Interesting!)
     This week, Sarah Houghton-Jan (the Librarian in Black) continues her theme of dissing ebook publishers by commenting on an earlier 2007 article she wrote lamenting the restrictive nature of DRM (and thanks to this class, I knew exactly what DRM was!!!!)  DRM restricts the free use of the digital material - and she proposes that due to the extreme actions of HarperCollins (restricting ebook useage to 26 check-outs) the library community is finally coming together to #1 - present an ebook users bill of rights, or #2 united advocacy against DRM.  According to LiB - the library community is "going Egypt on this one" - referring to the revolt by the Egyptians against their controllling dictator.   Our library is taking a stand - we will be participating in a semi-boycott of Harper Collins books, when we select our titles from Overdrive and for our printed collection.  I say "semi" boycott, because unfortunately, Janet Evanovich is one of their authors, and we can't boycott her books - they are too popular! ;-)  I will definitely continue to monitor LiB because I think it is something that will help keep me informed of library technology and library topics.
http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/
As an alternative to the Educause/Seven Things site, I checked the ALA TechSource site.  I was pretty excited to read about the 3D printers - and as a follow-up to that, I was very impressed to see them demonstrated on the Saturday morning show "Fox and Friends" a few weeks ago.  A doctor brought one in and made a "plastic" ear during the show.  Fascinating!  It felt good to be already somewhat familiar with this technology - proving that monitoring these sites DOES educate you!   This particular site intersperses blog reports on new technology, and workshops on technology offered by the ALA.  Sometimes they will have summaries of the workshops in the form of Powerpoint presentations.  I felt that this site was most helpful when it came to specific technology information.  I hope to one day participate in a workshop as well.  This is definitely a site I will continue to monitor.  http://www.alatechsource.org/blog

What I appreciated about this exercise, was reading the posts from my fellow blogging students that led me to check out their sources.  As a result of your posts, I enjoyed adding Glengage, Tame the Web and Gizmodo to my list of sources to monitor.  I will definitely keep those on my monitoring list as well. I guess the only one I'll be terminating is Educause/Seven Things....

This was a fun and valuable assignment!

Dieting on Delicious- Web 2.0 Projects

 Introduction
I must confess, I am a bit of a late bloomer where Delicious is concerned.  I didn't quite "get" what we were supposed to do for this assignment, and so I think I got out of it, what I put into it.  Now that I'm putting together my experiences for this blog, it  occurs to me that when we started this project, I did not fully understand what I was looking for because I did not have an adequate  understanding of the keywords   "web 2.0" and "technology" that I was using so early in the course.  I found sites that answered the question, but I lacked the foundation of understanding the chronology of library technology.      After learning more about the different types of library technology that is available, and after being introduced to examples of social networking and web2.0, I feel that I am more equipped to appreciate Delicious.  If we were to begin this assignment today, I know I would be more confident and less confused with its benefits.  But like I said, I'm a late bloomer.  So  I will continue to monitor and use Delicious, because like anything, the more you use it, the more confident and efficient you become in its use.    The title of my post is intended to be a bit of a pun, but also, to reflect the fact that although I did check out Delicious and bookmark different websites, I did so in a limited fashion.

Appetizer - Delicious Favorites
Many of the pages I bookmarked were those sites I was monitoring as Technology sources, so I did not have to "enter" Delicious  to access them.  Once I bookmarked them, they were conveniently placed on my Delicious toolbar, and I found this to be quite helpful.  One thing that I appreciate about searching for sites to bookmark on Delicious is the timeliness of the postings.  I just did a tag search for HarperCollins, since this is the publisher that recently imposed a restriction on the number of times their ebooks may be checked out.  I found the first 17 pages of 1086 posts were directly related to the current controversy.  This reveals the timely nature of the information you get when researching Delicious.  One can use Delicious to do a tag search and find up to the minute information.

I also appreciated the fact that you can access your favorite websites from any computer.  Going back and forth between work and home, I sometimes forget where I have bookmarked a site.  I have some at work, and some at home; Delicious allows me to carry them with me wherever I go.

Another  feature of Delicious that I liked was the note feature.  I can see where at some point your bookmarks grow so large you may forget why you put them there.   This feature helps you to remember what the site contains so you don't have to open it first and read through it, saving yourself time. It also provides you the option of  recording where you found the bookmark.   At a glance, this can save you time as you can immediately see the name of  it's  contributor whose bookmarks you value, without pulling up their entire bookmark list.   When you look through my bookmarks, you may find your own names mentioned, because I got them from you!

Main Course - Delicious Research
As for doing research using Delicious,  I limited myself to just finding interesting sites to my keyword searches.  It was definitely a different way of researching than just doing a search engine search, mainly because these were sites already considered important enough to tag by other Delicious users. This would narrow down the field when researching a topic.  When searching the term "library 2.0" I came across 5,789 hits in Delicious; on Google I got 101 million.  More importantly, the very first hits were scholarly articles. Delicious allows you a smaller search area, and this may make research easier, but it is far from complete. Like Wikipedia, I think Delicious provides some great sites to note, but it shouldn't be the end of your searching.  Incidentally, it is kind of funny to note that Google's second hit on "library 2.0" was Wikipedia!

 Dessert - Delicious Take-out?
Would I use Delicious on the job?  I asked my co-workers their feelings toward it and I was met with responses such as "it's faster to just Google it" to "what's that?"  Apparently, librarians are not as tech savvy as I thought.  It is always easier to do what you are used to.  I am currently working on a Wiki for my department, so I will probably include a page of "favorite" websites rather than push  them to set up Delicious accounts.  Academically,  I think that it is worth checking Delicious when doing research, and I will continue to add to my bookmarks and use it as a research source.   Personally, I did enjoy my bee sites....but I find it so much faster to bookmark something directly to my computer. So, for personal bookmarks, I think I'm stuck in a rut!  ;-)  But,  speaking of bees, that reminds me of honey, and  honey is delicious....meaning:  no more  dishin' on Delicious because it's time for dinner - and it's Friday, so no diet! ;-)

This Week in LIBR 105

I think the most interesting thing to me about this week's class was learning about mashups.  I had never heard the term before (unless I did, and just assumed someone was talking about potatoes...:-)  I was particularly impressed with the example the book mentioned where someone could look at a google map and have local landmarks indicated on it.  I am going to look into the possibility of including something like this as a link on my Department Wiki.  We are ALWAYS getting questions on where we are located, and it seems to me that this may be a helpful tool for us to view when giving directions over the phone.  Just an idea.

Another big deal this week was my signing up for a Twitter account.  My daughter may disown me, but, hey, it's homework!  For some reason, my kids are big into Facebook, but abhor Twitter.  So that will just be mine! ;-)

It was fun to learn about all the different social networking sites because there were many I have used.  My son has a Picasa account and that is how I view pictures of my grandkids and all their antics in China.  I posted a couple pictures from his Picasa account in one of my blogs.  He also has a blog post where he posts all these wonderful videos of the girls riding their bikes, talking, singing, and even sneezing!  ;-)  I am so blessed to be living in a time when this technology is available.  I don't know what I would do without it!  Also, I recently reactivated my Goodreads account.  It is a site where you can get book reviews from your peers.  It's been quite awhile since I posted to it - I think my last was when I read "Dewey" the Library cat...whew, that was long ago!  Anyway, I continue to get posts from my 'friends" and I need to pay more attention to their recommendations and criticisms.  Having this as a project for this class will get me back on track to participating.

On a personal note, my daughter and her husband (who recently married and live in Ohio) will be moving back to Indiana soon!  David got a job in Columbus, Indiana, and so tomorrow we are all going house hunting!  I LOVE shopping, and house hunting is shopping!  This is a picture of the newlyweds from our living room window.

I am now going to prepare my "social bookmarking" blog.   Have a wonderful weekend everyone! 

Source Updates...

First, I must pat myself on the back for my good fortune in discovering the Librarian in Black blog  from last Friday when it first came out.  I shared what I learned about the new ebook limitations with Overdrive with my coworker on Saturday, and she had no idea.  I didn't see any mention of it on the InPub site I monitor until Monday - and then it was like the floodgates opened!  Our collection management director finally sent an email out to our staff on Wednesday, informing everyone of Overdrive and HarperCollins changes, and warning us that a battle was brewing.  Based on all the conversation on InPub, I think we are on the verge of seeing a Library Bill of Rights being written, and boycotts on the horizon.  Anyway, I am pleased that because of fulfilling the assignment for this class, monitoring The Librarian in Black, I was aware of this BEFORE it became common knowledge in our library.  Thanks, Library 105! 


So that brings me to the follow-up to the Librarian in Black's (LiB) last column, and this new one discusses the lack of response to this ebook controversy by the ALA (American Library Association).  While librarians are all expressing their opinions on public forums and social networking sites, the ALA has chosen not to address the issue on their website, or in their current publication.  The LiB appreciates the president of the ALA's personal condemnation of the problem on her own Facebook account, but sees this as inadequate.  The LiB wants the ALA to take a stand, and in so doing, be the powerful voice for all the anguished and frustrated librarians who feel publishers like HarperColllins are taking away our ability to provide for the public. 

Once again, Educause and the "7 Things you should know about" had the old info.  What a bummer.  I was really thinking this site would be great, cause I'm a real bottom line type of gal, and 7 is a good number.  Anyway, so then I looked at my alternate, ALA Techsource, and found an interesting article that talked about new Discovery Service software that provides massive indexes of search terms that can allow library catalogs to offer searches within ALL of the electronic resource subscriptions they have within their collection.  I think we learned last week that this was called "metasearching."  Here's the link if you want to see it for yourself:  http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2011/03/building-comprehensive-resource-discovery-platforms.html

Blog Source Update!

Yay - This is a special day, because  my "Librarian in Black" site has got an update!  I have stopped eating my dinner to bring you the news!

Her article concerns changes that Overdrive, a vendor for e-books, is making.  Since my library currently offers Overdrive, this directly affects me.  She is not a happy camper about the changes, and I have to say, I agree.  Here are the 3 changes in a nutshell:

1. They are now going to limit the number of times a Harper Collins ebook can be checked out to  lifetime of 26 times per copy, as opposed to unlimited times. !!!!  As she points out - this will require more work on our part to keep track of this, AND, it's just plain unfair.  Why would we want to pay for titles that can only be used 26 times?
2. Overdrive is concerned about the vast geographical location of users of their product through one library. Just as libraries that belong to Evergreen are automatically members of all members libraries, this is the type of situation it seems Overdrive is trying to address.    They want libraries to provide better authentication of users based on their geographical location.  Consortiums that cover a wide range of area may be at a disadvantage here.  This is not real clear to me the implications, but it does seem that it may be a loophole for downsizing their consortiums.
3. The final change that the Overdrive letter addresses does directly affect consortium purchases:  they are saying that their publishers want to make sure that each library has the proper number of copies of digital as well as print and audio versions.  In other words,  they do not want libraries to keep purchasing digital copies at the expense of adding any print/audio copies.    Apparently, the publishers want to make sure their hard copy markets are still strong.  However, this also implies that the vendor may be requiring consortiums to purchase more or less of a product, rather than allowing the consortium to make their own selections.

Yes, this was definitely a good blog because this is totally new to me!  I will be sure and discuss this with our Collection Management head to see how this will affect us!  

This was a most busy week for this class!  Whew - I am a bit tired from all the reading and typing, but all in all it was quite interesting.  I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!  I will be working! 

P.S.  I am well aware that that running water keeps playing in the background no matter which blog entry you are reading!  My apologies to your bladder, but I will take it down as soon as it is graded!  Shall I put the sound of popcorn popping, or a crackling fire?  Wouldn't it be awesome if there could be a scent embeded just like a sound?  I guess that could be both good and bad! ;-)

My Search Incompetencies

In reading through the "Search competencies" paper, I am struck by my inconsistencies when it comes to searching.  I took LIBR 202 so I would become an expert searcher, and yet even today after that class, I am ashamed to admit I forget to utilize simple Boolean search methods, such as using a wild card*, truncation and limiters!  So, I must begin this evaluation with the confession that I am still "a work in progress" and not nearly as good at searching today as I will be next year, and so on, and so forth.  That being said, I feel that I have become fairly proficient at not wasting my time with non-relevant search results when using search engines.  I have collected a wonderful collection of websites that I can trust to not waste my time when I need certain information, such as series names, similar authors, government specifics, etc.  I have learned to view search results with a critical eye - noting who the website represents (special interests, specific professions that have an interest or financial stake in the subject) 

When it comes to doing searches on our library catalog, I am proficient in the following:

• Logging on/logging off the staff side of the computer
• Printing/downloading/emailing complete and partial search results
• Giving directions for library access over the phone
• Accessing our catalog via staff interface, and OPAC
• Able to conduct simple/advanced searches
• Am able to explain how to do a search and how to access our electronic resources
• Am able to read item records to determine order status, item status etc.  Can tell the difference between the bibliographic record,  and item record. 
• Am able to read patron records to explain what is overdue, or on order, or late
• Can tell the difference between volumes and series,
• Can identify location codes - although this is an ever expanding area! 
• Am able to edit patron records (address/phone change, adding notes, expiration date change, adding/deleting passwords.)
• Am able to edit item records (changing status and location)

Ok, I think this is what you had in mind for my search competency skills....if not, you'll hear from me again!  Just so this post is not entirely boring, I've included some recent pictures of my granddaughters, Ellie and Annie from their visit to Thailand.  While it was freezing rain and snowing buckets here, my babies were sunbathing!  Wish I was with 'em!

Thursday's Thaw

Wow - I cannot believe I can actually see the lawn, and my driveway, and even our street outside!  It's amazing that just a week ago we were feeling below zero temperatures.  It is quite beautiful outside, and although I am not anxious for spring (that means weeds, and gardening chores!) I am enjoying the warmth and the sunshine!  I haven't yet seen the emerging crocus, but I know they will be out soon!

What a week this has been!  I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day.  I'm thankful everyday for my Valentine  of 33 years! 

I was a bit overwhelmed with the material this week.  I am not sure I really want to know about connectors....I admit, I use them both at work and at home, but I avoid taking responsibility for them whenever possible.  ;-)  I have enjoyed learning about computer networks - and I think it is a funny coincidence that in my other class (Political Science) I have to view the movie Network this week!  Do you hear the Twilight Zone theme? I do!  Anyway, I have had fun exploring the library for access points, and found them to be hidden in the ceiling.  When they remodeled the library, they were able to gut the inside of the building, and so they set up little openings in the ceiling for the machinery to be hidden, yet accessible.  Pretty nice.    This is not an actual picture of our library - I found it on the net, but it gives you an idea of how they are hidden in the ceiling. 

I completed my survey for "most asked computer questions" and I wasn't surprised to find out people were most confused about using the printer/copier, with a distant second being searching websites.  Word processing questions, searching the catalog and  "what is my password" rounded out the top five.  One person asked "how do I access porn sites," but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to write an instruction sheet for that one. ;-) 

 

 Oh, and the other good news is that I received an answer back to my question about setting up a Wiki for our department.  Not only was the answer "yes" but our webmaster  opened one for us, and I have been tasked with setting it up with all the information.  We are all pretty excited about this, and I would never have pursued this had it not been for this class!  It will not be open to the public - just our department.  But it will give me the practice in wikis so that I can set up another one for our class project.

As for technical blog updates......
Librarian in Black presented a survey about how often we experience censorship in the library. Not technical enough for me to comment on here.    Educause didn't have a new post this week, so I went to ALA Techsource, one of my alternates, and I found an article from Valentine's Day which really blew me away.  It was on 3D Printers - and how this technology is growing and will soon become readily available in homes, like regular printers.   The author of this blog post linked an article which gave more information about what 3D printers can actually do, and that was where I had visions of Star Trek in my head!  3D printers are able to copy the entire structure of the object and produce actual 3D replicas.  Hello Star Trek!  I mean, this is incredible to me.  The bulk of the article focussed on the patent and copyright infringement issues that are sure to develop, but to me, I couldn't get past the idea that there is a technology that can replicate objects in 3D objects.  Here is the link, in case you don't believe it....
http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2011/02/3d-printing-fabrication.html
Be sure and check out the "It Will Be Awesome if they Don't Screw it Up" article!    I am...in awe.

Ok, I am going to go work on the study questions.  I really do appreciate that option for studying, although this week's terms are a bit harder for me to "get."  I hope you all have a wonderful President's Day, and I look forward to reading your blogs!

Blog Blog Blog Blahg

I guess I picked a couple resources who do not post on a regular basis, because both Librarian in Black and Educause did not have new posts this week!  (Except that the Librarian in Black did  replace her previous slideshow presentation with an updated one, but I've already covered  the content in an earlier post....)  So, I decided I would post about a headline that was in our local paper last Sunday.  By the way, Yay Packers!      Sorry, just had to say it!  (I would have been rooting for the Colts, but they didn't make it!  - and I have family in Wisconsin....plus, I admit.....I love cheese!

Anyway, there was a front page article in our newspaper about how politicians are now using the social networking sites as ways to keep connected with their constituents!  It's a total confirmation to me that I'm in the right class - because this technology is essential to learn!  If you want to check the article out, here's the link:

http://kokomotribune.com/local/x2072622719/Bridging-the-gap

This week we learned about all the different methods of storing information, such as CDs, DVDs, CD-roms, DVD-Roms, magnetic tape, paper, flash drives, hard drives, and MP3.  I'm proud that I can actually now identfy the difference between all of these!  I know I am not alone at getting confused, because people are always asking me for a "tape" of a movie, when what they really want, is the DVD.  I will ask, did you want a VHS or DVD?  and they'll look at me with a "deer in the headlights" look.  ;-)  At least I knew the difference between these formats before, but this week I learned many more things about all the other formats!

I also enjoyed the lesson on Creative Commons.  This was totally new to me - and if I had ever seen a cc before, I probably thought it was a liquid measurement!  This is a logical step in sharing materials, and I'm glad to see it is available.  I was challenged in embedding the audio and picture in the blog.  I will tell you my first choice for a sound was called "stream flowing" which probably would have been a little less "bladder stimulating" but for some reason, it did not play.  So, I had to settle for "Stream Noise" and now if you'll excuse me, nature calls! ;-)

Spring Has Sprung

I just got this link from a friend, and it sure brightened up my day!  Open it, and then click and drag the mouse around the black box, and spring will arrive!  Enjoy!

http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf

www.procreo.jp

Babbling Bridge CC

I chose this picture, because I'm a big fan of artist, Thomas Kinkade, and as soon as I saw it, it reminded me of something he would paint. 

 

To The Bridge by Flickr user Xelcise 

This photo has an Attribution Creative Commons license

                                                    Stream Noise by SoundBible user Caroline Ford

This audio has an Attribution 3.0 Creative Commons License.

Cloudy Computing

I checked out my resources and came upon a couple of new technology articles of interest.  The Librarian in Black had two interesting slide presentations she made to an Australian audience.  The one I will share with you was entitled "3.0 tools without 3.0 million dollars."  In this presentation, she lists out many different free options which libraries and businesses can access and use when money is not in the budget for commercially purchased technology.  Google docs was mentioned for software, free blogs were mentioned for setting up social networking and marketing purposes, and free ebook sites, such as Project Gutenberg were also cited.  All in all, a good reminder that there is technology out there that does not cost anything - and we are wise to take advantage of it!

My other website, Educause, had an archived presentation of "Seven Things You Should Know About Cloud Security."  Since we were learning about cloud computing this week, I felt it would be worthwhile to check this post out.  The thrust of the article focused on how colleges and universities are using cloud computing, and how this poses a security risk for the educators.  Educause is a site dedicated to educational issues - but the security issues posed by choosing cloud computing affects anyone, educational institutions, businesses or individuals who select it as a technological option.  I was sharing what I learned with my husband, who works for a major automotive parts supplier, and he shared how their company wide email was recently contracted out to a third party.   The emails they send  could contain company secrets which could potentially threaten the profitability of the company, if their emails are not properly encrypted and protected. The fact that their emails are now stored at an external location was very controversial within the company.  This is a perfect example of how important the issue cloud security is.   This article explained that  many times in the course of protecting the information available, the availability of the information becomes limited.   So, IT personnel must consider not only the security factors, but the availability of material and weigh that against any cost savings contracting with a third party company would cause.  Is the cost savings worth the lack of flexibility?  Is the company a reputable, long term business partner?  As the article stated, "cloud security is at least as much about policy as about technology." 

Cloudy, with a chance of Iceballs

   Couldn't resist that little homage to a classical children's book, considering the information we covered this week, as well as the crazy weather we have endured!  What a week!  I'm so thankful for the Internet, and for the concept of "cloud computing" so that I could actually accomplish some work today from home - since the library was closed due to the weather. 
   I was really impressed this week with the technology terms we uncovered - or at least I uncovered! It may have been common knowledge to you all.   I enjoyed "subscribing" to various Internet feeds.  I discovered when I went to set up my account with Google Reader, that I already had been populating it by becoming followers of your blogs!  Imagine my joy (;-)  when I went to Google Reader, and saw that I had already 8 links to follow!  I went to the Public Library Association and ALA websites and signed up for their feeds as well.  This is yet another new function of technology I never new existed.  I have already experienced the benefit of it without realizing it:  I was able to determine immediately when there was a new post on your blogs.  I just didn't realize it was RSS that made that possible!  I chose Google Reader so that I could use the same email and password for log on- and thought it would be more consistent to stick with Google, since I used it to access Delicious.
    I will say that a part of me felt that tagging bookmarks with Delicious, and subscribing to feeds for RSS was a bit redundant, although once I thought it through,  I understand there is a big  difference between Delicious (direct website links) and RSS ( updated posts to certain websites). 

    As for the rest of the week, I was a week late in signing up for the Wiki Assignment - but I hope it is not too late.  I asked my head IT person about the possibility of setting up a Wiki - and I have yet to hear back from her.  (some things never change.)  However, I thought I could set up my own "reference information wiki" as a project, and if I can later use it for our department, it will be done!  As for the Tech Project, I thought I would do 4.2 - and first do a survey of most commonly asked questions, and then set up a written answer sheet for them.  Sorry guys, no audio or visual of me for this.  I'm much better with writing than I am talking! ;-)  When I had to make a video of myself reading a children's book for my last LIBR 203 class, I messed up so many times on video - until I finally took all the stuffed animals in the house and put them in a semi-circle and I read to them!  I was able to finally read with confidence, but the view of moose ears, bunny tails and bear butts was pretty silly indeed!

   Anyway, one benefit of the RSS feeds is it will help me to know right away when one of the resources I'm monitoring (Educause and Librarian in Black) have a new posting.  I'll blog about that later in the week.  I will say I thoroughly enjoyed the Studymate link.  I think I will look at that each day and try a new method of studying.  So far I've done the flash cards and some of Wheel of Fortune.  ;-)  I hope you all have a wonderful first week of February - and stay warm and safe if you are driving!  God bless you!

Dishin' on Delicious and Classroom Discourse

I am really big on bookmarking sites. Whenever I find a site that I think is something I would use again, I mark it in my "Favorites" in some folder like "Medical" or "Statistics" or "Used Daily" depending on what information the site provides.  I guess, you could call that "tagging" the site ;-)  Anyway, I was thrilled to learn that there is such a thing as social bookmarking - where one can post their bookmarks on the web rather than on the computer, and one can actually access other's bookmarks.  This is totally new to me - and I jumped at the chance to set up an account with Delicious to try it out.  Setting the account up via my Google account was not very user friendly for this techno newbie.  It seeemed like every other click I had to "re log in" again and again.  I never did figure out what my user name was....but I'm hoping what I gave you in the Discussion section will get you there!  Once on Delicious I found it quite fun to hunt for subjects unrelated to the library but very fun for me, such as beekeeping or winemaking.    Then when I hunkered down to search for library web 2.0 bookmarks, I found myself getting a bit confused and lost.  Would I really use this in my professional life?  Hmmmm.  Not sure.  However, it may be exceedingly helpful within my reference department to be able to have access to websites other Reference personnel have deemed to be useful.  This is something to consider.

Oh, and I have taken a look at the two blogs I selected for Technology information.  I'm big on the bottom line, and so the Seven Things You Should Know...on Educause.edu seemed to me to cut right to the chase.  It had a very interesting article today (1/24/2011)  on the technology of open-ended student response during class lectures, which I could see as being of value in larger classes.  Students could text on their cell-phones, IPads or Ipods questions, comments pertinent to the lecture.  For larger classes, this seems practical.  For smaller classes, I'd say it would be faster and more efficient to raise your hand and ask the question!  And seriously, are we really supposed to think that students who bring their cellphones, IPads or IPods to class are intending to use them to "enhance" their learning experience?  Yeah, right.  I think they would be more of a temptation to NOT pay attention in class.  Just my opinion.

Quickie Wiki, part 2

OK, so in my last post, I didn't quite fulfill the assignment of summarizing what I have learned this week.  Yes, I learned that "wiki" means "fast," but I also learned that they are also webpages, and that they are very easy to use.    I enjoyed posting my contributions to our class "wiki" - and felt that there was great potential for creativity in future posts, if I put my mind to it!  As for the practical value of a wiki, I do believe that it would be an excellent means of getting my department at work literally "on the same page."  There are lots of emails that go out from one person in the department to the other - and they get lost amongst all the spam and library-wide emails that fill up our mailbox.  I can see that department announcements or information would be easily followed on a wiki - and having the history behind each post would be helpful.  Next time I go in to work I plan to ask our IT head if we can set up a wiki on our Intranet for our department.  I'll keep you posted on whether or not my idea is even feasible - and if it is, how successful it is! 

I really enjoyed the orientation which introduced us to wikis.  I learn best by actually doing the work, but next to that I prefer visual lessons.  They stick with me longer. 

Before I close this blog, I must say that the most surprising thing I learned this week, was that Wikipedia, the most visible wiki which acts as a type of encyclopedia, could be considered a valid source.  The professor in a previous class who gave me a "zero" for citing Wikipedia in a paper, and my boss at work who does not allow us to cite Wikipedia when we answer reference questions would differ with that conclusion.  Perhaps some day, but I do not feel comfortable using it as a reliable source. 

Quickie Wiki

My mother has a knack for twisting her words and creating some interesting malaprops without even being aware of it.   Whenever anyone in our family unintentionally misspeaks, we all roll our eyes and give credit to our being related to grandma.  One of her curious phrases which she has used when trying to get the kids and grandkids to bed, or out the door is "quickie wiki."  I always assumed it was just rhyming gibberish, so imagine my surprise when I learned this week that "wiki" means fast!  I have a new appreciation and respect for my mother's verbal recitations, and I am now curious to see if any of the others happen to actually mean something.  Could there really be a Dizzyland?  Is it possible to grow liberries?  Is that doctor edible AND credible at the same time?  Hmmm.   I think my mom has earned the benefit of the doubt!  And now, quickie wiki, I must get off this blog and make some meatboys and spaghetti!