Thanks and Yay!

Just wanted to say a big thanks again to Jason on two fronts: for putting together the great 23 Things program and for pulling my name out of the box last Friday - looking forward to spending my $100 voucher! Any feedback on how to spend it is welcomed...!

Library 2.0 and reflections

Since I attended a presentation from Stephen Abram back in October 2006, the concept of Library 2.0 has been at the forefront of my mind. Utilising Google during a reference inquiry is certainly one important element of Library 2.0 but encouraging people to share and interact is a more overriding theme. I've created a Delicious account for everyone to use as a point of reference on the Information Desk. This allows everyone to share the webpages to which they commonly refer to during an inquiry. In my view, it is very important that as librarians we are aware of advances in technology and embrace change. However that said, it's extremely important not to adopt change for change's sake.

I've really enjoyed working through the 23 Things program and would like to thank Jason for all his work. I will continue to use many of the things in the course of my day-to-day work as a TAFE librarian. Stay tuned as this is by no means the last of my posts...

Google Maps

I'm a bit old school when it comes to using online maps (not too sure if 'old school' and 'online' go together..!) Although I've used Google Maps before, I tend to refer to www.street-directory.com.au when requiring directions - guess it's out of habit. Google Street View is a bit scary privacy-wise - you can even see our car parked on the street out the front of our place. Guess it might be useful when we eventually want to buy a new house...

More Google!

How many more Google products can there be? Heaps is the answer and here I will tell you my thoughts on Google Book Search and iGoogle! I quite like the concept of iGoogle but to be honest, my Facebook page acts as my homepage outside of work. I guess it's like all of the vast array of Web 2.0 products - it's all a matter of changing our past habits with regards to the way we interact with the Internet and PCs. I also feel it's very important not to use Web 2.0 products just for the sake of it.

What can I say about Google Book Search... Again it's all about changing one's habits. Think I'll need to investigate this product a little further before I can really comment. I think it could come in handy when trying to determine whether or not to purchase a title for our collections. I'm so used to checking items on JBO and BookFind and have become quite familiar with their search interfaces. They also provide me with an $AU and let's face it in the end it's all about the $$$$!

Filling in the gaps

It seems I've forgotten to mention some of the earlier 'Things' I have completed. The first is 'Extend your browser' and for this particular task, I initially added the 'Morning Coffee' extension. Since completing this task some months ago I've branched out and quite like the Delicious and Facebook extensions. Actually I can't recall the last time I used Morning Coffee even though at the time I thought it was the best thing since sliced wheat free bread!

Another 'Thing' I've failed to blog about is Podcasts and Vodcasts. For this task, I revisited the Lets Talk Net collection of audio segments that I came across some time ago and thought might be useful for those who required an intro to the Internet. I've added the podcasts to my Google Reader in the hope that one day I'll eventually get to listen to them!

Google Docs

I can see Google Docs being very useful, particularly for collaborative projects. Fortunately we can access our Chisholm Home and Shared drives externally so for docs that don't require any collaboration there isn't any real necessity to move them to Google Docs. One thing I did find was a loss of formatting when I uploaded a Word doc to Google for editing - this was a bit irritating. Guess when using Google for collaborative projects, it'd be best to start a doc from scratch. Hmm, the possibilities and challenges that Web 2.0 presents us with..!

Facebook: the ultimate procrastination tool

Ah Facebook! Since signing up in May, Facebook has become my friend (and enemy!) I initially signed up after our VATL LIT group decided to set up a page. At first I was very skeptical however it didn't take long for me to become a total addict! It's been great for networking, tracking down old friends and for getting to know colleagues a little better. Sadly, I often find myself at night curled up on the couch in front of the teev, laptop in hand playing 'Bowling Buddies', chatting to a friend (even if I hadn't caught up with them since primary school) or exploring another of Facebook's numerous time-wasting applications. I'm just thankful Facebook wasn't around when I was at school or uni - don't know how I ever would have passed given I am already, at times, the ultimate procrastinator!

You Tube

After a long absence I've returned to finish the things! After consulting 'help' I worked out how to embed a vid from You Tube. For this task, I couldn't go past a bit of live 'Muse' - love this band!
I've viewed vids on You Tube quite a bit in the past and am keen to upload some of my own footage soon. I'll leave you with a great snippet of Sabine Schmitz, professional racing driver who raced a Ford Transit Van on Top Gear: