WEEK 10 -- PLAY

WEEK 10 -- PLAY

Exploring Fun Sites:  Ok, down to the fun part!  I've made it this far (only heaven knows how:  in my "spare time" I guess).  Before getting to the fun, I would like to sum up my experience with AurThings.  It was so frustrating at times that I could have screamed.  Lots of link rot goin' on in the instructions.  Since we were requested (read: non-negotiable) that we complete AurThings and since it is so time-consuming and we are all so busy with everything else, it seems cruel that there was no infrastructure and support to keep the instructions up-to-date and the links workable/updated.  So many links didn't work; at first I would contact the writers of AurThings, but they didn't have the time to update the links, so I just stopped reporting all the inconsistencies and the rotted links that ended only in frustrating error messages, or sites to which we were sent that no longer functioned the same way.  This is life, I know, that things are always in some kind of flux.  I take a larger view that we can end up doing this to our users as well as ourselves by not being strategic about rolling out ever newer technology, sometimes for its own sake and not strategically at all.  Why make it so much harder on ourselves?  

That being said, I did learn quite a bit and in general the documentation and written instructions were good, friendly, encouraging and content-rich.  I still don't quite understand how the Blogger software works; thank goodness I have had a little experience with html.  When all else failed and I couldn't get text to stop italicizing, etc., I would switch to the "Edit HTML" mode and see if I could extract some of the offending, non-compliant (to my wishes) code.

Just in time for Christmas I finish AurThings.  What a gift to have this off my shoulders!  I actually liked AurThings a lot, but I didn't like having the obligation hanging over me most of this semester.  

PLEASE ARCHIVE ALL THE AURTHINGS resources or just leave it where it is or, even better, make a commitment to update it and keep it updated for the next year or so.  I can appreciate the incredible amount of work that went into writing instructions, choosing the tools to emphasize, and finding all the supporting links and URLs.  Let's keep this as a continuing resource for the near future, at least.

**Guess-the-Google.  It had a series of approximately 20 screenshots and it was timing me.  I was able to see the connections among a series of pictures (probably  more correctly, a "montage") and guess them pretty quickly.  My final score was 300, and that was even with letting the clock tick down on me several times as I got distracted with a phone call or other small distraction.  

**Montage a Google.  I made two image sets here.  I'm so predictable.  Guess what the first one was?  Give up?  GREYHOUNDS, of course!  And then one on a favorite zoo animal, the world's largest rodents, CAPYBARAS.

**Rice.  I used to play this at home as I like word-type games.  I had to stop myself at 400 grains of rice donated.  It is nice to play and contribute in some small way to the demise of world hunger.  Seems to me this game used to have more difficult words.  I sailed through the words this morning, speed of light practically!   :-) 

Having too much fun here!  Need to wind this up.  I have already used (prior to AurThings) and so am not revisiting right now:
>  Animoto
>  Xtranormal (made a short video about greyhounds--what else?!)
> Wordle

**Wordle.  Well, OK, I couldn't resist Wordle.  I LOVE World.  I put the URL to this blog through Wordle and made several random and "custom" changes, e.g., font, color scheme.  I also added text to the first box:  the words to "A Prayer for Animals" by Albert Schweitzer, or at least commonly attributed to him.  A copy of the Prayer hangs in my office here at the Library.  Also a very interesting Wordle appeared and I ran it through several randomizations as well.

**Webby Awards.  I think I tend to look at these on at least an annual basis.  They have lots of categories and links to all the award-winning sites.  A very good site to browse for ideas on new websites that might be helpful or fun.  Although "fun" isn't usually something I am looking for in a work setting, i.e., I don't really ever do video games, here or anywhere else.  Guess I'm showing my age.  Or, like my greyhounds, I just never socially developed my sense of play, at least as far as computer games are concerned.

**Jackson Pollock.  You don't want to know what I think about this site.  As my mother always said... 

**Spelling Bee.  Ditto the Jackson Pollock comments.  'Nuff said.

So, at 2:01 p.m., Mountain Standard Time, while listening to Naxos Music Library's GERMAN BAROQUE CHRISTMAS album, I bid y'all adieu.  Au 'voir, goodbye.  Adios muchachas.  AurThings it's been real.

Con amour,

Linda

WEEK 9 -- ELECTRONIC ACCESS

WEEK 9  -- Electronic Access

e-Books:  I followed the directions to find an ebook (keyword search to find books, then modify the search to ebooks).  I found this title: 

Video Collection Development in Multi-type Libraries: A Handbook
Greenwood Library Management Collection, 0894-2986

It is a NetLibrary book.  As a collection development librarian, I select ebooks on a regular basis.  I am quite familar with the various ebook formats.  The AurThings instructions and narrative about the various formats ebooks was excellent.  They describe books from NetLibrary, from SpringerLink, and from the Hathi Trust.  Unfortunately, these various formats can be rather off-putting in that there is a new learning curve for each publisher or type of ebook.  But this is a criticism that is evident in other types of library resources we offer for our users.  For example, it is very difficult to explain to students why they have to learn various databases, especially since each database tends to have very sophisticated search and retrieval commands.  I think each database vendor thinks his or her product is "intuitive," but that's just not true.  Try to take a student from LexisNexis to Factiva to CSA and watch their eyes glaze over.  And send them back to the one-box, no worries Google.  Search results and finding proper research materials in Google is another problem entirely, but Google is definitely the fall-back position for lots of students unless expressly forbidden by their professors.

In summary, my problem with the ebooks is their various formats and the lack of search protocol consistency.  I can truly see why students are reluctant to explore the many wonderful resources we offer them in the library.  As Johnny and June Cash would sing, "time's a-wastin'" as we librarians are still at the mercy of the various ebook peddlers trying to fight it out in the marketplace to come up with good usability and a standard, easy-to-use search protocol that is, first and foremost, profitable TO THEM.  Where is Z39.50 when you need it?  Or ISO standard 23950?  Where is a better standard or set of standards than Z30.50 when you need it/them?  Or are the standards just fine, but the way they are implemented--by the vendors who often hold librarians hostage--intentionally not consistent?     

Explore Skillsoft:  I typed in the URL listed in AurThings to access my CU Portal.  Followed the instructions and after several false starts with the screens, found that this is the best link to all the training and ebooks available from CU:  https://www.cu.edu/eld/

I hope I will have (or can make) time in the new year to explore some of these rich online sources.  Thanks for reminding us that this is available for us (and has been for several years) and can be accessed 24/7.  Nice resource.

 

WEEK 8 -- CUSTOM DESKTOP

Week 8 -- Custom Desktop:

iGoogle:  I opened an IE browser and pulled up iGoogle, then set myself up a page.  Changed the theme to "Twinkle Twinkle," which reminds me of beautiful Christmas lights.  As I type, I am listening to J. S. Bach's "Toccata & Fugue in D Minor" on the YouTube gadget.  An unnamed organist playing in a cathedral.  Very, very beautiful.  I also listened to Manheim Steamroller's "Still, Still, Still," an old Austrian Christmas carol that is one of my favorites from childhood.  

I changed some of the gadgets and added a "To Do List," which can be emailed.  Right now I have a "trick" on my iPhone 3G where I add a NOTE and compose an email list on the way to work (with Bill driving, of course).  After I complete the NOTE, I email it to myself at work.  Perhaps I can work in the iGoogle To Do List with this routine.  The gadget is neat because you can print the list.  You can also cross off items on the list (strikethrough) which is quite satisfying as you see items crossed off the To Do List, instead of having to delete them and then you don't necessarily see your progress.

When I installed the gadget, I accidentally got two copies of it on my iGoogle screen, so had to use a dropdown toolbar to delete one copy.  I also did a drag & drop of several gadgets to reposition them on my screen.  

Also watched two video clips about use of iGoogle.

FireFox and FireFox:  Add-ons: I went to the FireFox and FireFox Add-ons sites and did some custom work on my FireFox.  I had already loaded Delicious bookmarks several years ago and have icons for adding tags & viewing my bookmarks from my FF toolbar.  Of course Delicious may be going away and I may be transferring to Diigo, like so many other people have done.  I also added Zotero to FF.  I use EndNoteWeb through our Web of Science/Knowledge databases and like that pretty well, but it looks like Zotero has some even better features for formatting your information and storing many types of files/information, including "mass imports" of marked items in a batch from the wonderful full-text database, JSTOR.

Search plugins for IE and Firefox:  As I finish up AurThings, I will no longer tolerate being obliged to do things for which clear instructions are not provided.  Case in point: 

From AurThings:
"Next, click on the drop-down arrow next to the search box in the upper right corner; refer to the screen shot above for a visual aid. You'll likely see the default searches that Firefox and IE give you, but you'll also note that there's the option to "Add Auraria Library."

My IE is version 8.0.6.  My Firefox is 3.6.13.  I don't understand what this is talking about and neither my IE nor my Firefox has that configuration.  It probably doesn't help that the screen shot we are to use "for a visual aid" is a Mac (I have a PC).  Or, I am just too stupid to see or know what the instructions are talking about.   

WEEK 7 -- TAGGING (Del.icio.us & LibraryThing)

WEEK 7 -- TAGGING (Del.icio.us* & LibraryThing)--or in my case, instead of LibraryThing, I will probably use Shelfari since I already have my personal books listed in my Shelfari account.

Del.icio.us Bookmarks:  Uh, I don't know how to break this to everyone, but this "cloud computing" program's life is in danger.  We are always being told about as one of the disadvantage of using the free, often easy-to-use applications:  that they could go away, without notice, any day.  And since they are "free," we might or might not lose our data.  Long story short, Yahoo bought Del.icio.us Bookmarks.  And now Yahoo has decided it no longer WANTS the company.  All the del.icio.us employees have been laid off and Yahoo itself is said to be hurting badly.  They say they wish to find a new buyer for del.icio.us and they probably do.  But early word says no one may be willing to buy this gigantic enterprise.  Many, many, many of us have come to depend on these bookmarks.  And the tagging associated with the bookmarks, and the ability to use this as the social networking site that it is (i.e., we can share bookmarks, "follow" other users to see what they are bookmarking, etc.) 

I have had a del.icio.us account since February 2008 and have created over 4,000 bookmarks and a complex tagging system of my own.  Part of my enthusiasm to use these bookmarks was the ability to create a "folksonomy" and watch how my tags developed.  I could change the name of a tag (e.g., instead of using a first & last name, I might tag everything with just the person's last name).  I tended my tags like precious little ducklings, herding them here and there, setting up hierarchies, and generally learning a lot and having fun.

BUT NOW:  You'd better believe that I am now backing up my bookmarks on a daily basis to my Desktop.  Sad to say, the social aspect will be gone as soon as Yahoo pulls the plug.  Maybe if I wish to be optimistic I should say "if" Yahoo pulls the plug.  All my wonderful tagging hierarchy will be gone and my ability to look at others' bookmarks.

So what is the Twitterverse saying about this situation, which actually trended for a day or two last week?  And what are my opinionated FB saying they will do?  Early word is that Diigo is a place of refuge being sought by many.  So much so that Diigo is sending out word that potential users practically crashed their system and that they are quickly purchasing and installing new servers to handle the traffic.  

More as I learn more...

* I still use the old, funky spelling:    Del.icio.us    Technically this name has been unfunkified (to use a technical term!) with the periods removed.  Hence, Delicious.  (Boooooorring...)

LibraryThing:  "Developed for book lovers, this online tool not only allows you to easily create an online catalog of your own, it also connects you to other people who have similar libraries. Add a book to your catalog by just entering the title (no MARC record training required) or, connect with other users with similar reading tastes.  In this community of book lovers you are bound to discover something new. There are lots of ways to use LibraryThing..."  (from AurThings narrative).

Yes, but I already signed up for Shelfari and have added lots of books there that I have read, that I own, that I plan to read, etc.  And I've joined several of their groups...

Shelfari:  I added a Shelfari widget to this Blog, so see for yourself.  :-)

WEEK 6 -- PODCASTS & VIDEO

YouTube:  I am quite familiar with YouTube, as are most librarians & other faculty & students & ... what a wonderful site.  I really loved the embedded YouTube video on the AurThings site:  Introducing the Book.  Really made me smile & realize that new technology isn't often as "obvious" or "turnkey" as many creators of the technology would have us believe!  That's why it is a good idea to have students test library websites & search engines & databases, so that we creators can benefit from having a "fresh eye" look at our creations (Zen Eye, Beginner's Eye as Alan Watts might have said).

I watched the Librarian podcast as well and spotted at least one Auraria, Ellen Greenblatt.

Here is a nice YouTube clip of the season, featuring the wonderful Robert Shaw directing the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus.  They are singing "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" arranged by Renaissance composer, Michael Praetorius.

PODCASTS:

After an extremely frustrating afternoon, wasting hours clicking dead links in AurThings, NONE of which worked, I finally settled for a ZDNet podcast site.  I watched numerous video clips on Podcasts 101 (although the video clip link in AurThings was dead and gave an error message), and searched Google and logged into my Google Reader and subscribed and unsubscribed to several RSS links in my Outlook RSS reader to prep myself for what I knew would be a frustrating endeavor.  I was not disappointed.

So here's a link:  to a podcast site.  May I never have to deal with these things again.  It appears that no site, including the three directory sites from AurThings is up-to-date or works across platforms and software.  But, to comply with this assignment, here:

http://www.zdnet.com/search?q=podcasts

IF I should ever wish to work with podcasts again (heaven forbid), I will really need to find a good podcast aggregator application or "podcatcher."

SCREENCASTS:

I had IT add Jing to my PC and watched several Jing tutorials.  I then took a .pdf document that Lorrie and I used in class this year and marked it up using Jing; I captured the image and have posted it below.  Michael from IT also fixed my webcam, so I now have it's internal microphone available to me, as well as the ability to capture video, should I so choose.  So my PC has been ramped up considerably since starting AurThings.  :-) 

WEEK 5 -- SOCIAL NETWORKS: FB, IM Chat, Twitter

FACEBOOK:  I have been on Facebook ("FB") for over two years and currently have 273 FB friends.  I have used the LIKE icon on 117 sites.  Thus, I am a very active FB user.

I just read Joe Murphy's excellent article that references ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, and think I have a good handle on the various competencies, some skills better than others, of course!  

I have met Joe at the Internet Librarian conferences that Bill and I usually attend each Fall.  Joe is also a FB friend.  He is one of those young, highly competent librarian/techie kind of guys, AND he speaks both Geek AND English!  Yes! 

One of the FB groups I joined is "Music Librarians Rock!"  I am also on several greyhound adoption groups, for obvious reasons (these wonderful greyhound adoption groups helped Bill and me in the process of welcoming home our two senior greyhounds, Mr. Buster, the big brindle jock who ran 144 races in his career, and Miss Sassy, our watchdog extraordinaire).  I am also in some political groups and some music groups, including several groups which involve fans of the band Boston).  

I think Facebook is a really good social media/networking tool, as it allows so many interactions and allows you to group your friends, e.g., geographically and by political affiliation and by fans of various music groups & bands.  I detest the games, however, and have banned them from my sight as much as I can through use of personal settings.  I particularly loathe Farmville and the one about the Mafia.  I also do not, at this time, use any of the geographically based apps such as FourSquare.  I find the "I am mayor of...." stuff inconsequential and unnecessary.  Bear in mind that I could change my opinion about this!   :-)

IM/CHAT:  This is not something in which I am currently interested.  FB has an IM chat function, and I just hate it when someone IMs me.  Maybe I'm missing something, but I guess I'm just an old-fashioned, email me and I'll get to you when I am able. Twitter is about as exciting & spontaneous as I can stand!

I have used FB chat very sparingly.  If someone send me an IM, I usually ignore it; relax, it's not work folks who have tried to IM me in Yahoo.  For some reason it always seems to be former students who just want to touch base; and I pretty much refuse "insta-talk" and just email them or post to their FB wall that day.  I am not interested in Google chat or any others, including on my iPhone.  I never IM anyone, and never consent to do so with others.  If IM/chat becomes necessary for my job, of course, I will use it.  


P.S.  I do understand that lots of younger folk like the IM/Chat idea.  I always do PR for the AskAuraria chat pod in the library instruction classes I teach.  

TWITTER:  I have been using Twitter since November 2008 and have composed & posted over 550 "Tweets."  I currently have 195 followers and I follow 321 people/organizations.  There is a disparity in those numbers, as I regularly go through new followers and delete those that seem to have nefarious motives (e.g., porn), as well as those which wish to (1) sell me something; or (2) pepper me with "feel good" aphorisms (not that there is anything wrong with aphorisms, but I don't need to be smothered in them!) I have used TweetDeck and have it installed as an app on my iPhone, but I don't like it as well as the regular Twitter app.  I used to use and really like "Tweetie" but that was incorporated into the main Twitter app, which isn't quite as good.  I have tried several of these Twitter browsers, and plan to use Twapperkeeper, which was touted at the Internet Librarian conference the last two years.  It saves tweets in an organized fashion with a name, e.g., #IL2010.  I have to have IT install something before I can use Twapperkeeper on my work PC.

WEEK 4 -- RSS Feeds

Week 4 is for RSS feeds; finding feeds & signing up for them.  I printed out information to take home & read, then will continue with RSS things on Mon., Nov. 29th.  I already subscribe to some RSS feeds that come to my Outlook account.  My favorite to date is Ellyssa Kroski ("iLibrarian").  She really rocks my library world!  I have also purchased a book she wrote about Web 2.0 for librarians.

	Kroski, Ellyssa.
Title	Web 2.0 for librarians and information professionals / Ellyssa Kroski.
Publisher	New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers, c2008.

There was a bad link in AurThings to look for blogs that might lead to RSS feeds, so Marical suggested I try this link:  http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs?mode=2  I looked up Bobbie Newman, "Librarian by Day," whom I met at the Internet Librarian Conference and found the RSS feed icon, so signed up to have it come to my Outlook account.