Thing 20 - Libraries & social networks - Facebook

Well I invited a couple of friends and looked at some of the postings on the group I joined.

Again, I can see the use for library applications but don't feel a need for it in my personal life.

Thing 19 - Podcasts

I thought that Podcast.net and the Educational Podcast Network directories were the most intriguing. They were pretty easy to navigate.

I listened to several Grammar Grater podcasts and a JetStreaming podcast. They were really interesting. If I had a portable device I think this is a piece of technology that I would use in my personal life.

There are lots of uses for podcasts to promote libraries and library service. Since this is a technology that lots of people use we should probably take advantage of it.

Here's a Grammar Grater to listen to:

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/podcasts/grammar_grater/

Thing 18 - YouTube and other sites

YouTube baffles me. Most of the video is grainy and unsteady. I can see the attraction for families if they have video of family interest to share but I don't think I would use it.

I think YouTube and its ilk do have fun library potential, especially for kids and teens. If we can get patrons to talk about programs, books, media, reading programs, etc. and encourage others to use the library and its technology I think that would be great.

In the meantime here's a cute sketch from the Muppets (featuring a possum of course):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSs4lSYVCKE

Thing 17: ELM productivity tools

1. I couldn't find the instructions to create a search alert.

2. I enjoyed creating a folder with interesting articles and then creating a Web page. It saved to my computer the second time I tried.

3. I skipped this one. I've already created a web page in #2 and I don't have a flash drive so it seemed a waste of time.

4. Adding notes in NetLibrary is a very handy way to compile usefule bits of information. I plan to use this in the future for work as well as recreational topics.

If we all had a bit more time I think the articles folder and the NetLibrary information and notes could be useful at work. It's definitely something we should share with our student patrons. I need to explore the web page part in more depth so I hope I'll be able to do that at some point.

Thing 16: Student 2.0 tools

I liked the Assignment Calculator a lot. I think that tool and the Research Project Calculator should be definitely be links on the Teen page. They are designed for older students so may not be as useful on the Kids page.

The AC would be great for a complicated library project and might be helpful for an employee who has time management problems. Since the library is heavily involved in homework help and Tutor.com these tools fit right in with our efforts to help students close the achievement gap. It might be interesting to figure out a way to inform teachers of these research helps so that they can pass the information on to students.

I wish I'd had such a thing for college research projects!

Thing 15 - Online games in libraries

Puzzle Pirates looked fun but I didn't have much time to pursue it. I've signed up for so many pages and downloaded so many sites doing 23Things that I just can't keep track!

Thing 14 - LibraryThing

This was a fun exercise with very useful implications for library use. We constantly have people asking to know which titles in a series they've already read. Here is a way for them to keep track of things like that. I think LibraryThing would be a lot of fun for kids; perhaps there is a way to use it for summer reading fun.

Unfortunately the LibraryThing widget wouldn't paste into this blog.