I now have so many online accounts I'm not sure I actually remember them all. Let alone passwords! Still it has been interesting and some of them I am definitely still using. LibraryThing in particular, I have found very useful, somuch so that I have signed up for a lifetime membership, and rediscovered a few authors I read a long time ago.
All in all, the exercises have been useful, at the very least just to know what some people are talking about when they talk about Rollyo, etc. As someone who works in an information service it is important to keep current with internet trends, but at the same time, working doesn't leave a lot of time for experimentation and exploration! This course has been helpful just by giving me a chance to do that.
It's also been interesting to note a few things that are probably going to have an effect on the way some library and education services will be delivered in the future, such as Second Life's virtual classrooms and ebooks.
It's been good, although more time consuming than I thought. I suppose once you get started, you could spend hours every day to fully explore a lot of the online applications. One reason why my blogs are a little short, I suppose, is that having done the reading and the exercise, there isn't a lot of time left over for blogging!
So this is my last one, before I shed my librarygirl cover and resume my former existence as an international woman of mystery. I shall miss it, but espionage beckons!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Ebooks and Audiobooks
Wow, I just read a Frank L Baum story i never knew existed! Found it browsing in the Worlde Book Fair.
I still definitely prefer a hard copy, but audiobooks and ebook certainly do offer a bit of variety to people, making it easier to fit books into a schedule that often may not include time to curl up with a cuppa and a book. Ebooks in particular, existing in a global library, offer titles that just may not be available in printed and bound form.
Of course there is a lot not available as well, but ebooks and audio books certainly have their place. Audiobooks, of course, have long been in circulation in libraries, offering an alternative to those with sight difficulties, or time constraints. More people are borrowing them now to listen to in the car, or whilst doing housework, gardening, and many other activities.
The rarer titles offered by ebooks are a welcome and valuable addition to library services. I think this will only grow as people become more aware of what is available, and get more comfortable using them.
I still definitely prefer a hard copy, but audiobooks and ebook certainly do offer a bit of variety to people, making it easier to fit books into a schedule that often may not include time to curl up with a cuppa and a book. Ebooks in particular, existing in a global library, offer titles that just may not be available in printed and bound form.
Of course there is a lot not available as well, but ebooks and audio books certainly have their place. Audiobooks, of course, have long been in circulation in libraries, offering an alternative to those with sight difficulties, or time constraints. More people are borrowing them now to listen to in the car, or whilst doing housework, gardening, and many other activities.
The rarer titles offered by ebooks are a welcome and valuable addition to library services. I think this will only grow as people become more aware of what is available, and get more comfortable using them.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Second Life
Who has time? I resent the implication that this one would be my second one, I may already be running dozens of lives under different alias. In fact my core existence may depend on it.
I did join Second Life several years ago, but never got past choosing a name. I'm too busy trying to keep the first one ticking over, and I have the sneaking suspicion that it would be all too easy (and rather soul-destroying), to start putting one's physical life on hold in favour of the virtual.
The question of virtual education is an interesting one. The advantages are obvious, particularly for remote students, or those with physical difficulties, and have been moving forward for some time, although second life can offer a much more interactive on-line learning experience. Much potential there!
I did find it interesting though, that already 30% of second lifes industry is sex-based, and people are starting to sue each other. Bit sad.
I loved www.getafirstlife.com
I did join Second Life several years ago, but never got past choosing a name. I'm too busy trying to keep the first one ticking over, and I have the sneaking suspicion that it would be all too easy (and rather soul-destroying), to start putting one's physical life on hold in favour of the virtual.
The question of virtual education is an interesting one. The advantages are obvious, particularly for remote students, or those with physical difficulties, and have been moving forward for some time, although second life can offer a much more interactive on-line learning experience. Much potential there!
I did find it interesting though, that already 30% of second lifes industry is sex-based, and people are starting to sue each other. Bit sad.
I loved www.getafirstlife.com
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Podcasts and YouTube
The benefit of podcasts, and vodcasts: A great way of saving something to listen to when and where it is convienient, whether downloaded to an mp3 player or listened to from a pc. Could be handy for libraries to have instructional podcasts that people can download for things like navigating the web page, researching family history, etc.
YouTube is hilarious, tedious, ridiculous, informative, revolting and entertaining. There is some great rare concert footage, old outtakes, short films, etc. However to get to them, one must sort through the most amazing amount of dross. Gems are there to be found however, if you have the patience and the right search terms.
YouTube is hilarious, tedious, ridiculous, informative, revolting and entertaining. There is some great rare concert footage, old outtakes, short films, etc. However to get to them, one must sort through the most amazing amount of dross. Gems are there to be found however, if you have the patience and the right search terms.
Wikis and Rollyo
I like the way public libraries are using wikis, it's a very friendly, community feeling. The Princeton Summer Reading Club wiki was a nice one, allowing people to share reviews and information on books.
Wikis are a handy open forum for many professions, a great way of gathering varying information in one place, and, as shown by the list of examples, a versatile tool, for those within the profession and for those it aims to serve.
As for Rollyo, well I think we can all immediately see the benefit of a general search that can be restricted to trusted sources!
Here's mine : http://rollyo.com/jessscotch/music/
Wikis are a handy open forum for many professions, a great way of gathering varying information in one place, and, as shown by the list of examples, a versatile tool, for those within the profession and for those it aims to serve.
As for Rollyo, well I think we can all immediately see the benefit of a general search that can be restricted to trusted sources!
Here's mine : http://rollyo.com/jessscotch/music/
A quick one
Library 2.0
I forgot to mention in my last blog, I agree, to some extent, with those who claim the key principles are not new. Certainly the applications are new and evolving, but the aim has always been to provide the best service possible, and help the patrons to help themselves, utilising whatever is available and relevant, hasn't it?
I forgot to mention in my last blog, I agree, to some extent, with those who claim the key principles are not new. Certainly the applications are new and evolving, but the aim has always been to provide the best service possible, and help the patrons to help themselves, utilising whatever is available and relevant, hasn't it?
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