Thing #23

This is it -- the final installment of my 23 Things blog! Some thoughts about this whole experience:

Favorite things: Setting up my own blog (something I probably never would have done outside of this assignment); creating an avatar; searching and downloading podcasts (especially the one with Lidia Bastianich teaching a neophyte how to make his grandmother's ravioli).

How has this exercise affected my long-term learning goals? It's made me realize that most (if not all) of my professional development will be online in the future; there really isn't a training budget anymore, and the budget situation will probably not improve much in the next 5-7 years, so this is the new reality.

I was surprised by . . . how much I enjoy blogging! Maybe it's b/c I like to have a say in things that affect me professionally, but I never expected to have this much fun doing some of the assignments. (Others were the equivalent of having a tooth pulled.)

To improve the program, PLEASE UPDATE THE LINKS! Also, it would be great to have a way for staff in each branch to discuss their progress with this training (regular meetings to share ideas, problems, etc.), but again, the staffing level will no longer support that amount of off-desk time. Also, please consider transferring the J Books to Know, YA, and Adult Readers' Advisory trainings to podcasts, especially if there is no money for out-of-branch training.

I would definitely participate in another program, but I think it would be better to limit it to 10-12 assignments; 23 was a bit unwieldy.

Expand your world with 23 Things!

Ciao!
tlk

Thing #22

Finally into the homestretch! I've created an account on NetLibrary and then tried to find some of my favorite authors -- Peter Mayle, Jamie Oliver (you knew there'd be a food connection!), and others, and the only one I could find was Shakespeare (I would've been really upset if the Bard weren't available). So much for selection. Of course, if I were in the MCPL catalog, I would just do a search for a particular author or title, and it might be available from a vendor other than NetLibrary. I also tried downloading an e-audiobook, but would have had to download software for the program to run, which I can't do on a branch computer.

I don't listen to e-audiobooks, but if I did, I would just search the MCPL catalog instead of limiting myself to a specific vendor.

tlk

Thing #21

Well, I've explored podcasts (although, again, the tutorial led to a broken link) and found a few worth following. One of my favorites is The Splendid Table, from Lynne Rosetto Kasper's NPR show. Since I usually forget to listen to this program, it's more convenient to have the podcast available. And if you're traveling, you can probably find a podcast for the city/country you're visiting and have your own personal guide. Much easier than lugging around hefty guidebooks!

As for library uses, I think it would be a great way to make computer and other technology classes available to the public. Especially now that many library systems are losing staff, more and more content is going to have to move online. Thanks to Noel for the excellent suggestion about podcasting J Books to Know Training (as well as Adult and YA trainings). And thanks to Annette for helping me put the RSS feed to my Bloglines account.

tlk

Thing #20

It's Youtube time! Since I already posted an online video in assignment #19, this should be a snap (operative word: should). Of course, in keeping with my foodie theme, I did a search for some of my favorite chefs. Not only did I find some instructive (and entertaining) videos, I stumbled upon a video by the author of The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: a search for food and family by Laura Schenone. I think that library websites could benefit from having instructional videos, e.g., how to find a book, the Dewey decimal system, etc. It's also a way to connect with younger and tech-savvy customers.

Enjoy the video of Lidia teaching someone (who's absolutely clueless in the kitchen!) how to make his grandmother's ravioli . . .

tlk

Thing #19

OK, training isn't supposed to be this much fun, but sometimes you get lucky. I just checked out the Web 2.0 Awards site and (naturally) went to the food category. Checked out a couple of sites, but by far "Im Cooked" was the most entertaining, as well as being useful in a library setting. As its logo states, "Cook it. Film it. Share it.", Im Cooked is a video recipe sharing site. For someone looking for a specific recipe, or a how-to video, this site may be better (and faster) than slogging through the 641.5 cookbook aisle, especially for the under-30 crowd, who may have been raised on take-out and microwave meals. Although I still love (and use) epicurious.com, this site puts the sizzle into recipe searching. Enjoy the video!

tlk

Thing #18 - Zoho Writer blog post

I'm creating this post in Zoho Writer and exporting it to my blog.  This software would be useful when creating shared library documents, such as updating the Summer Reading Lists.  Committee members could each make their own edits/additions/corrections more easily in real time.  It's also nice that you can do a "quick create" document without having to register or log in.  Unfortunately, to export it to my blog I had to register, as the "share" tab doesn't appear in the "quick create" mode.

 

 

Thing #17

Oops! Another application that isn't working -- so much for trying the Sandbox Wiki. I've tried several times, but after talking with colleagues, they were unable to access it as well. On to #18 . . .

tlk

Thing #16

It's wiki time! Yes, I do find them useful on occasion (e.g., Wikipedia). After looking at some library wikis, I think they work best for book lists and subject listings. One of the benefits is that they can be expanded as new information becomes available; if you're looking for books similar to the latest bestseller, the wikis can be updated as new titles appear.

tlk

Thing #15

OK, I've read about Libraries 2.0, and the future as written looks pretty wide open -- but my question is, who is going to fund all of this change (training, staff, equipment) when across the country local governments are laying off staff and closing libraries? (Not to mention essential public safety services like police and fire.) Also, one of the essayists mentioned a substantial decrease in circulation over the past few years; obviously that librarian doesn't work in a chaotic, demanding, bursting-at-the-seams public library with a growing/shifting population demographic. Bottom line? SHOW ME THE MONEY!

tlk

Thing #14

Well, I've looked at the Technorati website, and there is a difference between searching the blog directory for "learning 2.0" (zero), the blog posts (25), and tags (zero). Unfortunately, the "Popular" section of Technorati's website was unavailable, so part 2 of the assignment can't be done.

Overall, I did find some interesting blogs in various subject areas that I probably wouldn't have found otherwise. Although serendipity is a wonderful thing, it's a precious commodity in these fiscally depressed times, so I probably won't make use of it very often. (But it's nice to know it exists, just in case.)

tlk

Thing #13

This assignment focused on del.icio.us, the social bookmarking site. Unfortunately, the 12-min. instructional video no longer exists on their website (another case of broken/dead links, something that is occurring fairly regularly in 23 Things). However, I did explore the site, and found an interesting bookmark titled "10 Simple Google Search Tricks" from NYT.com. I learned that you can use Google as a calculator (all these years of opening the calculator on my computer -- what a waste of time!), and that you can get the correct time anywhere in the world by just typing "time whatever city". So, even though I probably won't set up my own account, I did find the site interesting and helpful.

tlk

Thing #12

This time I've created my own search roll in Rollyo; of course it's related to food. However, I really don't see myself using this tool in my work or personal life. I guess it's good to know that it exists and how to set up my own search roll, but I'd rather just use Google.

http://rollyo.com/gburggirl/tlkglobalfoodie/

tlk

Thing #11

After reviewing Library Thing for this assignment, I realized I had set up an account a couple of years ago; if you have a lot of time, you can really get into posting your personal library collection on it. But, like a lot things, you have to maintain it (at least occasionally), and that's probably why I never went back to it -- too many other demands on my time. I did set up a new account, however, and in keeping with the theme of this blog, it's food-related. Check it out through the link below:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/tlk

Thing #10

I've been trying to import my avatar from Meez, but this computer seems to be from the Pleistocene era -- it's been 15 min. since I started the download and it's not happening -- aargggghhhh!

Thanks to Noel, here it is . . .



tlk

Thing #9

Well, I've explored Merlin (which I like), although the link to avatars and gaming seems to be dead. Also, since my computer is soooooo slow, it makes it very frustrating to try and do these assignments within the recommended 45 minutes. And without an updated Adobe Flash Player 10 I wasn't able to view some interesting content (preview of Jamie Oliver in Huntington, WV.) I did enjoy Topix.net, and will probably use it occasionally, but as I stated in post #8, I much prefer to go directly to a website than through a feed.

tlk

Thing #8

OK, I've spent waaaay too much time on this assignment: started over a week ago, got seriously sidetracked by RIFs/furloughs/budget slashing, and now I'm trying to finish this assignment. One reason this took longer is that some of the instructional links were dead, and I had to have a colleague (thanks, NB!) explain some of the finer points. Bottom line: I like visiting websites to get my news, so I'm probably not going to use this feature. I tried reading my news feeds through bloglines, and I miss the layout of the actual websites. So now that I'm done with this assignment, I'm finally ready to move on to the next one!

tlk

Thing #7

I really enjoy reading other blogs on topics that interest me -- especially travel, and of course food! One of my favorite blogs is chocolateandzucchini.com by Clotilde Dusoulier; in addition to writing a mouth-watering blog (how can it not be, with chocolate in the title?), Clotilde has authored two books that may be in your local public library: Chocolate and Zucchini, and Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris. Grab a glass of wine, some dark chocolate, and check out the wonderful recipes on her blog. Oh, and don't forget to browse her recommended book list.

tlk

Thing #6

I've just checked out mashups, web apps, and flickr tools. Trippermap is a mashup that lets you combine your flickr photos with Google Earth mapping so you can locate your photos geographically. Now to zoom in on some of my favorite foodie photos . . .

tlk

Thing #5

There's a luscious photo I found on Flickr for assignment #5. The photo is by Max Nunziata and is a shot from the Italian store Eataly (no longer available only in Italy -- Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich are opening a store in NYC; not sure if it opened yet). Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to download it, possibly due to restrictions on the photo. However, if you want to see this mouthwatering photo, go to Flickr and search for "il pesce crudo di Eataly" and it should come up.
Make sure you click on the photo to enlarge it; the colors will explode on the page.

Ciao, and buon appetito!
tlk

Thing #3 and Thing #4

Well, on to the next Thing, which was the creation of this blog and registering it with Kate. I'm actually looking forward to posting my comments, thoughts, etc.

tlk

Thing #1 and Thing #2

Okay, this is the start of my 23 Things blog. I've already read about the program, and it will be a good way for me to learn about other technologies that I normally wouldn't make time for.

tlk