Wrapup

When starting this whole exercise I had absolutely no idea what to expect, so approached it with excitement mixed with a little bit of trepidation. It has taken a whole lot longer than anticipated, as I fell into a hole halfway through. With wonderful help and encouragement from Sarah (thanks, Sarah), I have soldiered on. It did feel a slog at times but what a wonderful relief on reaching the end. I have learnt a lot and have realised how much more there is to learn.

Change, change and more change is the order of the day in the 21st century, and if one is not willing to embrace it, one will be left far behind. I am really pleased to have worked through Web 2.0; as a result of the programme I feel more open to exploring the fun aspect of the Web and in developing my skills independently.

Flickr, Youtube and Del.icio.us have been the sites I have enjoyed the most. I would love to surprise my family with my knowledge and skill in exploring the internet and its various applications - I know I am a long way off, but I now feel I have started on the journey.

Social networking and libraries

It is interesting to see how some (but not many, yet) libraries have realised the possibilities of the powerful social network that is Myspace. Embracing this technology will be critical to the survival of the library. Outreach programmes specially developed to engage young people on their own turf is very smart. However they must be maintained in a timely and relevant way otherwise libraries will soon be seen as nerdish and out of date. I enjoyed the article by Beth Evans.

Myspace and others like it are great vehicles for creating online communities for professional development. No one need feel isolated.

Social networking

The task this time was to look at Facebook (which I have done, and even joined it and the North Shore Libraries group), Myspace, Bebo and various other social networking services. Different members of my family are old hands at this and keep in contact almost every day with friends from around the world. They have been amused and sometimes disconcerted when someone they barely know has asked to be their friend - what is the etiquette, would you hurt their feelings if you declined? - and I think that although the networking sites are a great tool for personal use, I'll mainly pass. Don't think many of my friends have joined Facebook and Myspace and I cherish my privacy too much to divulge personal information.

Looked at Auckland City Library bebo and again can see it is a great tool, used judiciously and targeting different age groups. Must be kept up to date and relevant.

e books

Found this an interesting exercise, if only to realise that although it might be easy and convenient to download a book and listen to it on the bus, it still would not have the same feel as physically touching and smelling and absorbing the story in a book with pages as I have traditionally known it.

I searched for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice on LibriVox and immediately was able to make a choice of downloading it in total, chapter by chapter. Elsewhere I was offered any number of books and articles about Jane Austen and her works. It would be extremely useful to a student wanting criticisms for an assignment.

Podcasts

Went into podcastpickle.com, chose a travel tag, and then a podcast that appealed, added the rss link and added the feed to my bloglines account. I had to get help from a colleague to do this, as was getting very frustrated!

You tube

Having viewed some of the library videos, can see what a wonderful marketing and promotional tool they can be. I liked the way some videos were pacey, using modern music and technology while teaching kids how to use the library. Could see a use in our library in informing patrons of the different collections, like the specialist art collection and the NZ collection. Could also do a virtual tour of Sargeson House. We already have made use of videos in teaching how to conduct a reference interview but there are countless other uses.

Flock of starlings

Wonderful video of flocks of birds