Ex #23 and the end of the road

Well here I am, the end of the Road and how I am almost going to miss you.  It has been so much fun doing this Training Session and I just know that I have upskilled in so many ways.  Mind you, I am going to keep a Hard Copy of my Favourite Exercises just to re-visit them and "polish up" on some of the ones that I feel will be of particular use to me.  Like "Soho Writer" which I still have to make use of to get this Post to you all.

Not to say that there has not been frustrations along the way.  I have fussed, fumed and fretted as well as cursed just as much as I have enjoyed it.  My particular favourites have been Zoho, (of course.)  Library Thing, Flickr, De.licio.us and many more.  Dislikes, well Technoratil for one springs to mind.  RSS feeds was another. But overall I have got a great  of pleasure from Training this way.  Would I do an online training session again?  Well ask me later.......  This one has taken a a great deal of our leisure time, more I think than we expected.  But I am pleased to see just how many of us are going to finish it and think that we can all feel well pleased with ourselves.  I daresay the Learning Team will be pleased to get a well earned rest as well, hate to think what corrollating all the incoming Posts has cost you in time and effort.

PS.  I didn't think at the start that I would ever last through to the end, but I did.  I see from reading other participant's Blogs that many of you felt the same way, but we have done it and I feel sure that we have all gained in confidence by taking part.  So if there are any of you out there who are languishing in the "charts" and you happen to alight on my Blog, then take heart and persevere to the end.  It gets better as you get closer the the ultimate goal.  If I could do it, then surely you can....

Ex #22. Libraries and Social Networking

Well, I am resorting to Zoho Writer to write this Post as I have been having intermittent problems with my use of Blogspot.  At the moment it seems to work for me in the morning, but quite frankly "craps out" when I want to use it in the evening.  The Learning Team, in response to my anguished e-mail reminded me of Zoho Writer.  Now why didn't I think of that before?  So at least I am making use of an earlier Exercise to get this one to you.  If it works this time I will definitely be a fan of Zoho..... 

But to #22.  Now if you have read my previous Post for #21, you will have seen that I wasn't the biggest fan.  Now this one is an extension of that and I have revised my opinions somewhat.  I began, as instructed by dipping into the List of Libraries using My Space.  Quite amazing it was too but surely not a comprehensive one.  Methinks that it would be better described as a List of "American" Libraries using My Space, not that I am decrying the use of the word American, one must remember though that this was but one resource on the subject.  Then I went off to take a look at Meredith Frakas' article on "Social Networking Software."  She made some salient points and I make one quote here :- Whether we like it or not, our patrons between the ages of 16 and 25 overwhelmingly use MySpace and Facebook, and are not going to stop using them no matter what policies we put in place. As librarians who should know our users, we should at least be aware of what they’re doing online and see what roles the library can play in our patrons’ online social worlds.  And quite right to!

Beth Evans put forward a most excellent case in her particular article entitled "Your Space & My Space.  She evidently was e-mailing her daughter and was not getting a response.  Later she found out that she was leaving her messages in the wrong place.  Her daughter relied soley on her Facebook site for receiving her messages.  Beth was later to be able to make use of her daughter's skills when it came to setting up her own Library employer's "My Space" site.  Food for thought for me!

Now for my summary.  I do think that we, as a LIbrary should be making use of such sites as this, but, and a big BUT, they must be attractive to those we want to reach.  It must not be left to someone who feels that they can "give it a go" and get away with anything, but should be professional in it's content and have a relevance to those we want to reach and still appeal to other age groups.  Is that an impossible demand?  I hope not.....  Let North Shore Libraries rise to the challenge.

Ex #21, getting Social with My Space etc

Yes, I am aware of the Famous Three, (My Space, Bebo and Facebook) but so far I have resisted the urge to join. It is an undeniable fact that sites such as these are the Phenonomen of the Web 2.0 and people around the World are flocking to take advantage of them. So just why am I so reluctant ? You tell me, though I think that I know the answer why.

Anyway, to the Exercise and my first port of call was to "Hitwise" and quite frankly I was surprised when I viewed the results. They are analysed on a percentage basis and the highest scoring Social Website was "www.facebook.com" which came in at No:4 with a scant 2.49% of the analysis. Mind you the winner only gained 7.65% and in total the top twenty only accounts for 31.82% of all hits made, so what the dickens is the rest of the World doing with it's time? The mind boggles.....

Went to Bebo, didn't sign in but had a look at "Auckland City Libraries" site and found it bright, attractive and very inviting. Next I checked out "Rotorua Public Library" and think that I preferred it over the previous one. Was impressed that what must be a relatively small Library System could come up with such a good and very inviting offering. I particularly liked their "box" that gave you their ongoing tutorial regarding the how to make sense of the Dewey Classification System. Now if North Shore Libraries wants to take a leaf from their book and do the same then I heartily approve, but the standard has to be high when judged against these two examples. Moved onto "My Space" but didn't tarry there as I had to sign in and I had already decided that if I had to choose one to register with, then it was to be "Facebook" to allow me to view the recommended pages in the Exercise and dip into the LIANZA event page amongst other things. Well, this is where it and I came unstuck. I registered using my "nom de plume" and then the fun began. First of all I checked the response e-mail that "Facebook" sent to my Gmail address. Then found I had to fill in lots of details about old schoolfriends, (difficult when it isn't "me" doing it so ignored that) and then found I had to add a load of RSS feeds. I was starting to lose patience at this point and ended up going into the "My Account" option and deactivating my registration.

So at the end of it all, my own attitude to these sites remains unchanged. They are not for me, but one thing I do know now is that I can help someone if needs be to Register themselves should they so wish. It is probably due to the fact that I am very careful about what I post to the web that I am a bit cautious in regard to this excercise. Once again I know that I am not giving the desired response, but then each to his own as they say.

Ex #20. Taking a peek at e-books

Once again we have an exercise that we can get our teeth into. I started off of course thinking that I already had a fair idea of what an e-book actually is. It was as well that I started off with "What is an e-book." It was at this point I found out that what I thought I knew was sketchy to say the least. It was fascinating to learn about the pitfalls and advantages of the differing formats and how they can help or hinder your acccess to various sources. It is a pity that various Publishers have made use of this to lock you into one particular file type or hardware reader and in doing so have retarded the spread of e-books.

Next I looked at "Project Gutenberg" seeing as I was aware of that one. Here I tapped in "Gaskell, Elisabeth" and found that her output had been far more prolific than I realised. I have long regarded her as one of the finest of the 19th Century's Authors and "Cranford" has long been one of my favourite reads, I never tire of it as it couples a delightful portrayal of life in a 19th Cent Provincial English town with a quiet humour and English Prose at it's best. In many ways she is far more modern than many of her peers. I will be checking up on many more of her works to read and perhaps I may have to resort to the concept of an e-book to fulfill that wish.

Now it was time for me to be off to Librvox and a source of "free" audiobooks. What a wonderful concept and first of all I clicked on the Box that said "Listen" and entered "Cranford" and there it was, chapter by chapter. I then delved deeper and saw that when I clicked "Read" I could actually volunteer to read a chapter of a book via my own Computer. Ummm! now there is something to consider...... I do think that I would enjoy participating in that.

The next stop for me was Amazon and the amazing Kindle. The cost $359 (presumably US$) will be a bit of a hindrance at first, though like all things the price will come down in time, but I was fascinated by it. I can see myself embracing this Technology at a later date, but then I am never in the vanguard of anything new. Wouldn't it be a wonderful space saver though as opposed to book shelves. Surely a repository for all my favourite reads. A question! Are our new "Playaways" nothing more than a primitive precursor of a "Kindle?"

But now for my summary. At the start of the exercise I thought it was just an interesting subject to explore, but by the time I came to submit my Post I was enthused. This is certainly something that Libraries should make use of if they aren't already. I may not have explored all of the resources recommended, but I certainly spent time in those I did explore . How fast the pace of Progress will make e-books more commonplace I cannot tell you, but one thing is for sure, it will be faster than I can anticipate. Anything that brings the World of Books into the home has my blessing. I am all for it........

Ex #19 Podcasts

Well, it's been a while since I Published my last Post to this Blog, though it is not through laziness. I have visited this exercise quite a few times in the intervening period just trying to get my head around it all. I know that the concept of Podcasting is more than just a catchy tune but so far I haven't found many "gems" in trawling through the Resources. Let me give you an example of what I have come across just this evening. I tapped into Podcastalley (again) and happened upon something called "The Litterbox," (it's quite near the top) where they said and I quote, "Your iPod is our litterbox, let us fill it with crap." Well, "Aha!" says I, being a bit of a curmudgeonly old so and so, "no you are not crapping in my Ipod." Not that I have one to pollute, but you get my gist......

Now I know that that the subject of Podcasting is very much the coming thing, but so far, it and I do seem to out of sympathy with each other.

Yes, I do know that the Library system has set it's eyes on utilising the subject of this exercise for use as a tool and I am quite happy about that but can I make a plea? If we are going to make use of it, then surely this is an exercise subject that we should take from here and actually plan a more structured Training Session along the lines of the the current OPAC Refresher Course. I for one think that I would benefit from that far more than I have from this particular online session.

Sorry to be so negative, but after all it's my experience, my offering and I feel that's what counts. I sit back and await a response.

Ex # 18. Discover You Tube

And now to You Tube! Who can fail to have fun with this site and perhaps learn something from it as well, in spite of all the garbage that gets uploaded to it. I started to dip into You tube only recently, like last May when I finally upgraded to a Broadband connection when we replaced our old, clapped out Compaq Laptop. But back to the Exercise....

As instructed I dipped into the various resources that were recommended to view, mainly Library subjects and came to the conclusion that yes, there is a place for us to utilise You Tube. But we will have to do better than the examples I saw on display. Library staff may view them out of interest, though I don't think that they would grab the attention of the Casual You Tube viewer let alone the younger Patrons. The best was "QandA's Now Your Library is open late etc." Even this one thougn was noisey, clever and too slick, in fact it was quite confusing. But loved "Conan" and can think of a few patrons I would like to smite with my sword as he does. Unfortunately, I would look too, too silly in that garb what with my figure and the lack of height. I will have to get by with diplomacy and tact. A pity........

I chose to look at a video clip of the Funeral of the last Kaiser, Wilhelm ll. After the First World War, he was offered Asylum in the Netherlands and finally made a home at Huis Doorn, a place I have visited a few times. He is buried in a Mausoleum in the grounds. At the time he died (1941) the Netherlands was occupied by the Nazis and although two of his sons had thrown in their lot with them, he shunned contacts with the Nazi overlords as much as he was able. However, on his death the Nazis gave him a showpiece funeral. What is interesting to me is the presence of a lot of his old Feild Marshals, plus you can make out quite a few of his offspring. I have a weakness for looking out for Historical news clips like this

What do I like about You Tube? Well, I can hunt out old News Reel Footage, clips of various singers that I used to know from years ago and lots of other things. What I don't like is the the fact that anything can be uploaded with little or no control. Things such as random acts of violence, school bullying and fighting, staged or otherwise. But hey! I still love the site and revisit it time and time again. But I also only view what I want to view and other people may find my preferences boring.

Gone back into the Exercise for a second and have viewed the "L Team" clip. Now that was well done! It made me smile as well.