Thing #23 Reflection

North Texas 23 has been an enlightening experience. Although I use several of the Things from NT23 in daily life there were many that were new to me. A good exercise in Web 2.0 technolgies that I would recommend for all information technology professionals.

I would vote Google Docs as my favorite Thing because I love organization. Google Docs offers so many potential variations for tracking and requesting statistics or information that is a viable option as a professional tool at the library. I look forward to incorporating Google Docs to help streamline projects at work.

The Thing I was least impressed with is Ning. I had a hard time maneuvering the site. Possibly if I spent more time searching and playing with the site I would be more comfortable with it. I was also uncomfortable using Ning especially after reading the statement, "there has been some controversy surrounding the way Ning.com uses the data submitted by members its hosted networks." Even though I did not create an account on Ning I was leary of using the site.

The most challenging part of NT 23 was tackling new technologies. Fear of the unknown is always a little intimidating, but exciting. Finding time to take part in the project was not easy. Budget cuts and staff reductions leave little time at work to complete extra projects; therefore almost all of my NT 23 experience was accomplished from my home computer. Still a good experience that I am glad I took the time to finish.

Thing #22 Developing your own 23 Things for your library

It is easy to see why there is a necessity to keep on top of evolving technologies. As librarians we need to be aware of technological advancements if we are to effectively serve the public. Increasingly more reference questions are answered through the accessibility of Web 2.0 technologies. Even in the Genealogy/Local History/Archives research unit, which handles in-depth research questions, we are daily helping patrons gain access to the Internet and reference databases on their laptops.

I think the technology skill level in the entire library would benefit from a series of Web 2.0 classes. The library digital resources manager could teach a series of classes using North Texas 23 or develop a Web 2.0 program to increase knowledge and skill levels. Just as computers are a part of our world so are new technologies. To uphold a degree of professionalism and efficiently and successfully respond to patron needs librarians must be willing to adapt.

Thing #21 Podcasts

I find podcasts similar to YouTube vidoes; however podcasts are published in a controlled environment as opposed to YouTube videos being published randomly on the Internet. I watched several library podcasts and found artistic license is in the hands of the publisher. The Silver Creek High School podcast I viewed displayed moving graphics of book covers with background music and while the music was clear and strong, but there was no voice over promoting the library or its services. One of the podcasts I listened to from Denver Public Library has no visual, but the audio is strong. Boulder Public Library offers several Teen Web Casts that are great sources of publicity for their teen program. The audio on the podcasts are clear with uninhibited voice overs; however a static image of the teen uploading the podcasts is the only visual for the viewer. I listened to a Kankakee Public Library podcast on Abraham Lincoln that was very informative and professionally created. The podcast began with a disclaimer giving funding information for the podcast, information about the background music and who published the podcast. Although the podcast itself did not have moving images, the site also offered a downloadable video, which underscored the professionalism used in creating the podcast.

I do think podcasts would be great on our library web site and as an archivist would like to see podcasts promoting our archives. Highlighting various archive collections on a rotating monthly basis would go a long way toward increasing patron use of the materials. I like podcasts and would like to see them used by Fort Worth Library.

Thing #20 YouTube

I watched the "Library Book Cart Drill Team" video, which is cute and promotes library etiquete. The "London Public Library New Website Launch" video is a good marketing idea for any library. The "Harvard School Library" video was not helpful at all; individuals walking around looking around the stacks of a library and at the research tables is not my idea of promoting library services. I do realize some people make videos just for fun. The "TexShare Databases" video was good, but would have been better with audio; this type of video would be easy to create and post to our library website without too much effort. The "Library Gaming Event" viedo is a good example of how our library could increase teen gaming participation. YouTube is a viable means for Fort Worth Library to promote library services including reference; genealogy resources; archive collections; and youth and media resources.

Thing #19 Google Docs

I like Google Docs a lot! Creating a form was fun. I created a document, form, spreadsheet and a presentation and sent all to two different emails. All of which are similar to Microsoft Office programs and easy to learn. It is nice that you can save and download items in several different formats. I especially like the ability to share everything created. All in all a very good experience.

Thing #18 Wikis

The DFW 23 Things wiki is not hard to maneuver once you get the hang of it. I think all wikis are set up a little different. I did add one sub-sub page before realizing I needed to click back on my main page before adding a new sub page. Not difficult at all and a good networking tool. I post weekly on the wiki utilized by the Fort Worth Library and find it a great tool for professional communication.

Thing #17 LibWorm

LibWorm is fun to search and I found it comparable to Google except it is geared toward the library profession. As an archivist I am always interested in searching using the keyword archives or archivist. I did get several hits for Texas archives and interestingly enough the Portal to Texas History popped up. I did get a few hits on Fort Worth Library and more results using the phrase Fort Worth "Public" Library. I like the user friendliness of LibWorm and its functionality.

Thing #16 LibraryThing

I subscribed to LibraryThing over a year ago and love it! Currently I have 150 books catalogued on the site. "Recent recommendations" are nice to peruse and are geared toward member's likes refecting his/her catalogued books. I tag and rate every book I catalog. There are so many options for following blogs, groups and social networking sites that I do not follow chats on LibraryThing, but use it as a personal cataloging tool. However, I do like to read reviews on the books I am cataloging. Often I cannot find a book using the LOC search and have to revert to Amazon.com; I would like to see this changed and reading on Thingology it looks as though getting a better handle on matching up ISBNs is in future works for LibraryThing.

Thing #15 Digg

Interesting and informative site! I like the fact that the news feeds are categorized: technology, science, gaming, entertainment, sports, etc. The fact that posts can be customized gives insight to a members personality. I did not create an account on Digg, but did play around with the site quite a bit and feeling news deprived most of the time will most likely do so in the near future. A site that is policed by the members is unique unless I am mistaken and refreshing. A site named Digg where the members can "bury" miscreants is a hoot.

Thing #14 Delicious

I can be found at http://delicious.com/bkshankle on Delicious. This social networking tool is effective for research when away from the office. It is nice to have all bookmarks accessible on one site; releives the aggravation of trying to remember them. I could not master the art of adding buttons; however added bookmarks and imported bookmarks. I had actually set up an account a few months ago and this exercise reminded me how useful the site can be.

Thing #13 Tagging

I have used tagging with Library Thing; it is an interesting technique that I am still trying to decide whether or not is practical. Being an archivist first and librarian second I do like organization: the everything in its place and a place for everything mentality. Tagging may complement an individual's idiosyncrasies; however the masses as a whole will most likely be confused trying to make sense of tags used by others. I do not beleive tagging belongs in the library or the archives world. We need set standards such as subject headings and should discourage the use of tags. My two cents!

Thing #12 Twitter

Twitter is a bit clunky with less glamour than some other social networking sites. The last time I heard Twitter mentioned before creating an account was from reading about it on TMZ.com. Using Twitter I baceame a "follower" of several people/organizations including Fort Worth Library and the Society of American Archivists. I watched the "help" video and posted Twits/Tweets. I did not use my email information to request followers because I wanted to protect my privacy. I used the search function to locate Tweet pages that are interesting to me.

Thing #11 Instant Messaging

Well, wasn't Iming fun! I entered a music chat room and watched some of the conversation for a while before starting a chat with a 23 year-old male in Sydney. That was an experience; the first thing asked for was my a/s/l. After determining what that meant I assured the young man I was old enough to be his mother and that I was doing this as a learning experience for work. He wished me the best of luck and promptly said good-bye. Fascinating! I had another request to chat with a young female wanting me to go to a web site that had a photo of her naked! My reply was that I was not going there on the grounds of morals. Good experience; however now I know how teenagers get into trouble so easily. My initial goal was to converse with individuals about country music, but instead I got a lesson in just how user "friendly" the Internet can be.

My username for other NT23 members is fwarchivist using Yahoo Messenger.

Thing #10 Ning

My impression of Ning.com is that it is a good blog tracking network. It is nice to see photos and profiles of individuals who are members of various blogs. I like the look of the site and the way the pages are laid out; very user friendly. I find it interesting that some sites have added user guide videos. I looked at several blogs including ALA; TWU; and Lone Arrangers, which is an archive group. To view the "Fort Worth Public Library Staff" blog you need to be a member; darn I wanted to see who I knew on the site without becoming a member. I was surprised, but probably should not be at the number of religious affiliated groups using ning.com. I did not create a Ning account because of the cautionary note in the NT23 instructions stating, "there has been some controversy surrounding the way Ning.com uses the data submitted by members its hosted networks."