Google Docs and Productivity

Okay, so I'm bloggin out-of-order.... I posted previously about the optional fun photos section of our training mostly because, well, it was fun! But seriously, what can I say about online productivity? I have used google docs before and I like the fact the the document "lives" online (no need to even carry the usb thumbdrive with me anymore) and that is accessible anywhere there is internet access. Anyone can (or at least should) easily see the usefulness of google docs (and other online productivity sites) for collaborative works. I briefly wondered why someone might actually choose a wiki for collaborative work over online productivity apps but I think for committee work, sites like google docs make more sense. I see a wiki as a useful tool more for a collaborative work that you want the public to be able to view. Yes, I'm making arbitrary distinctions!

In some ways I wonder if online apps like those offered by google docs will eventually be the "death knell" for computer-hosted applications like Microsoft Office. In the ever changing world of technology, it wouldn't surprise me at all!

Playing with photos

Susan's website has some interesting photos of the library that have been edited using http://www.befunky.com/. I really like the effects, so here are 2 photos that I played with.

Tagging & Social Bookmarks

More than any other web 2.0 feature, I see this as the most useful for our library users. We librarians just have to face it - our subject headings are not intuitive at all! With tagging added to our catalog records, we could enable our customers to find what they are looking for so much easier. I'll be honest, sometimes I'll search for a book title on a topic that a customer is looking for (where I know we have books in the collection on the topic, but I'm not sure what the subject heading might be); then I'll see what in the world the subject heading was for that topic. Many times, the subject heading just isn't specific enough to be of any help, or is just "odd" enough that you wouldn't think in a million years that it could possibly be the subject term. I'm even not ashamed to admit that that on occasion, I've used amazon and LibraryThing to find additional titles on a topic - then returned to our catalog to see if we own the titles found. In a nutshell, tags make finding relevant titles that much quicker and simpler - and our library members deserve to be able to find the materials they need with as few barriers as possible.

Oh yes, on a personal level, I use delicious as a web-based set of bookmarks that can go with me anywhere.

e-library cards

I stumbled across an interesting post today. I had wondered what had happened to cause the San Francisco library to retract their eCards. According to librarian.net:

"EBSCO made a bold move recently claiming that libraries that offer e-cards [for accessing electronic library resources from home] are violating their licensing agreement."

The posting continues, but also mentions how this Boston Public Library is handling the situation.

"Boston Public Library is taking a different tack and keeping the e-card program and dropping remote access to EBSCO. Both libraries have to curtail services — and SFPL is changing their e-card policies fairly dramatically — because of this."

I'm adding librarian.net to my RSS feeds - it looks like it has some good stuff! The previous post to the one regarding eCards was a post about the top 10 apps for iPhones. :)

Online Etiquette

Some articles about what you should keep in mind to protect your online reputation when using social networking sites...

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/154374/facebook_etiquette_five_dos_and_donts.html

http://knol.google.com/k/alisa-miller/social-netiquette-of-social-networking/2id079d3nzhiv/3#

Social Networking

I've been meaning to post about social networking for a while now. So many people/places/organizations have presences on social networking sites that I kind of feel that we really need to take advantage of the networking opportunities this creates. Nearly all of my younger relatives keep in touch via Facebook - and not email. That's a trend I think we need to keep in mind when it comes to PR for library events -the younger generation doesn't use email nearly as much as the older generation. It's also something that has made me begin to reconsider whether or not the library should be blocking social networking sites. By blocking them for minors (especially teens!), are we alienating our future customers? Are we being over-protective as to the danger/risk and need to protect minors? Is there a grey area where perhaps we should be blocking these sites for young children, but not for teenagers?

Personally, I have a Facebook account, but I haven't done much with it. As a means to stay in touch with family and friends, I really need to start taking advantage of what Facebook offers.

Wiki Wiki!

I'm a fan of wikipedia & I think wikis are good for creating collaborative informational sites on the internet or for collaborative projects...but I do still have some questions. I went to the SJCPL Subject Guides and looked at their Gardening guide. I can see library staff working cooperatively to create this subject guide wiki, but for some sections of the wiki it seemed that there were better ways (less labor intensive) to do it. For example: Someone has to enter the information and maintain/keep it up to date. Also, for items like "New Gardening Books on Our Shelves", wouldn't it be easier to get that information via an RSS feed that is somehow linked to the catalog rather than to manually input the titles?

I also looked at the book review wiki - this looks like a much more friendly way to allow patrons to post book reviews than using the Evanced software. I find myself thinking a wiki (or a blog) could also work as a great forum for an online book discussion group.

Finally, I looked at the "Blogging Libraries Wiki". Sadly, I'd say that the Richmond Public library blog is an example of what not to do... It hasn't been posted on since November of 2008, and never received a single comment on any of their postings. I'm sure that was frutstrating for them!

I've sent a request to edit or add an entry on the CHPL Learning "sandbox", so I'll try that once permission comes through. :)