week 10 post 23

Most of the programs were new to me. Obviously none of the information was necessary to do my job. Maybe after retirement when I have more free time I might use them. It took lots of staff time on workroom computers to listen to the videos and watch the programs, let alone do the discovery activities. It was difficult to get computer time to do my job. I much prefer the seminar training at Reliant Center which offers time to visit other branch staff, look at displays (and pickup goodies) and enjoy free refreshments and lunch.
The wave of the future in libraries (media centers) is technology. HCPL already has implemented some advancements. But more will show up I'm sure such as self-check-in machines and ILL searching and requests done by the public. Although the public will want help employees may be technology trained. Processing holds and mail may not require fulltime library oriented employees. Libraries seem to be "show me once" and then I'll do it myself. I think most people still want human contact. Technology has its place in libraries, but it should be limited.

week 9 post 22

Downloading information from the library and other sources seems to be the future of the world. E-books, audio books, music and videos can all be downloaded from HCPL which is a great idea as you can do it at home. LibriVox explains how to download items, offers non-reading and reading opportunities, and allows suggestions of books to include as long as the books are in the public domain. Wowio gives book suggestions which includes summaries of the books offered. You can download to PCs with Media Reader but not to Ipods or Macs. I have an Ipod which is easy to download music or photos to so I think Ebook readers will be popular soon.

week 9 post 21

I added CommonSense to my blogline which I hadn't accessed since the time we were to add 10 feeds to it. At this point a blogline is not necessary for me. Podcasts seem like radio broadcasts that you can sometimes see. Library information was easier to find on the Internet than using podcasts.

week 9 #20

I found the YouTube videos entertaining but most were a waste of time. If you missed the presidential debates on TV you could certainly catch up on the news. The Librarian video was out-dated (no AV or computers) although some of the information still applisd. One needs to verify information on computers. The energetic dances of the comedian were good but again I would't normally bother to watch. The Seneca Library holiday music video was informative as well as enjoyable.
My favorite sites were in the Pets & Animal heading. I liked Nora the cat who played piano with her two paws (and her face). The duet was cute. I couln't believe they actually sell Nora merchandise. I also enjoyed the Dancing Dog, the Cat in a Yoga Mat, and the foreign language video which included two dogs one of which was a Pomeranian-which I adore. Two poms shared my life previously.

week 8 post 19

I looked at applications and explored Zoho Writer. Since I seldom use word except for very basic help for patrons, I find all the Zoho offerings quite confusing. I tried to create and who knows what I really came up with. I won't find much use for spreadsheets, meetings, presentations, organizers, note-taking,etc. At least when I signed up for Zoho Writer it did give me an e-mail notice as several other programs have. Initially I had a problem signing up for Zoho Writer as it didn't accept my passwords, but it finally worked when I signed up again. This has been my least favorite week of computer training, probably because there are so many different options available.

week 8 post 18

One of my favorite items was the Lego Toilet Paper Dispenser--actually listed as a science-technology project. MySpace was listed as the "Glam" Hollywood social network with more subscribers than the "Geek" Facebook which has more loyal fans in the Newsweek article. I am not really fond of social networking. I don't like to write for strangers although I do see why many people do. I noticed the Ning broadway site has the most members. I enjoyed seeing the Xanga t-shirt messages. My favorite site was the dog/cat one. I noticed that there were a lot more dog listings than cat listings and wondered why. I also saw a Newsweek article mentioning FaceBook and donations or giving. This may be the future for helping out some causes.

Week 7 Post 17

Technology is not my favorite subject. Horizon is down right now and has been for hours so catching up will take a long time! It is much easier to read print on the computer versus writing on paper. Since i taught years ago and had to read written (by pen) themes I now appreciate Word. E-mail is better and faster than snail mail, but I still enjoy the newspaper versus news on-line.

Week 7 Post 16

The Wiki-Wiki shuttle is used at the airport in Oahu, Hawaii. It is quick as the Wikipedia is--short little paragraphs of information which are really helpful most of the time or when patrons want quick answers.
I'm not comfortable editing another person's thoughts unless the information given is incorrect. I suppose I'm glad not everyone feels that way because I enjoy reading book reviews, etc.

week 6 post 15

I'm older and remember when Harris County got their first computer programs such as Alice and Utlas. Boy, times have changed. I realize we have to change with the times into the library as computer-not books- based. But articles have commented on the fact that more paper is used than before the computer age--seems if a memo is more than 1/2 page long people print it out to read later. Lot of people have the written page mentality still.
We still have book talk meetings and lots more requests for holds.
HCPL still does not allow the public to request online for interlibrary loans. I'm sure they will soon. And books from Montgomery County libraries are still not available to most of the public.
So far the questions to librarians online is not used much.
These ideas are great but guiding all the patrons to use online facilities will always be needed.

week 6 post 14

I'm amazed by how many people choose to write in their blogs when English teachers have struggled to get students to write. Maybe it's because people can write (even anonymously if they want) what they want to write as in personal diaries, to pen pals or secret pals.
The 3 searches brought up different numbers of entries, of course, and some professional, informal or photo allowing responses. I don't understand why people would want to be published all over the world(claiming), but I guess everybody wants to "write the all-American novel" as authors of published books do.
It was interesting to note that some entries or responses were in foreign languages--a great opportunity to practice your language skills.

week 6 post 13

I enjoyed the tag Society-Culture the best. By limiting subjects you can read only about ideas you are interested in. I see possibilities for doing research on specific topics.

week 5 post 12

This would be helpful if you had several well-used cards and lots of items checked out frequently. For me the check-out slip is sufficient. I don't like all the e-mail notices reminding me of new holds or soon-to-be overdues. I just have to delete them.

week 5 post 11

Click here for my LibraryThing. This might be useful as my memory of previous books read is sometimes hazy.

week 5 post 10

I like the animated ones the best.

week 4 post 9

I appreciated the staff suggestions for RSS feeds the most. It's difficult to come up with ideas when I'm struggling just to understand new computer programs.

week 4, post 8

RSS feeds were not listed the way I expected them to be.

picnik_sample1

picnik_sample1
Originally uploaded by coupon114

picnik_sample1 week 3 post 7

picnik_sample1
Originally uploaded by coupon114

I did it with lots of help!

week 3 post 6 (tuesday-mashups)

I especially liked the ideas of global warming affecting coastal areas (maps) or the lousy neighbors which was humorous.

Water lilies

Water lilies
Originally uploaded by coupon114

week 3 post 1 This is my attempt at Flickr.

diary

Availability of blog addresses was difficult.