I am

I really did go through each letter until I found the ones I wanted. I can't be happy with random, haha. I didn't stop there, though.

No, I didn't stop there, either. There's way too much fun to be had with these mashups. Here's me, heavily painted (and I don't mean makeup).

I can see tons of ways we can use these in the library. They would definitely make our signs and advertisements more interesting instead of using the same old boring clipart over and over.

3 Things

1. I have too many pictures to go through.

2. It's easy to upload. Not so easy to organize.

3. EXIF data is really useful when you can't remember what was taken when.

This was my first time using Flickr, but not my first time using the web to store my photos. I used to have a Photobucket account - still do, probably. When I started using Photobucket, Flickr wasn't around so much, and when it was around more, I guess I thought it was more for real photographers, because they were the only people I knew who used it.
Anyways, my library already uses Flickr, but we could probably do more in taking pictures of what we're up to and organizing them so that they're easier to find. I think organizing is the hardest part. What makes the most sense to you may not make the most sense to others, and just how far should you go in separating things? By branch? By branch and by activity? Should you groups types of activities together, like keeping adult programs separate from youth programs. I guess it depends on your personal preference.

Oh, click here for the link to my photostream.

Ain't no thang

So I'm skipping ahead to Thing #5 because I'm having network issues. Basically, I'd really love to set up my Flickr account because I have all these photos from my vacation to Colorado (which was AWESOME) but all of the pictures are on the netbook, which won't connect to my computer so the hubby has to do his geek-thang and figure it out.


So here's my super funny attempt at Thing 5:



(Edit: Oh, yeah. So that's what that image was for. This teaches me to remember where I've posted pictures before I go deleting them).
Honestly, I am more interested in getting the actual image to post on here - rather than just the link - than I am in how we can use image generators in the library. I suppose I can see a use for them, but they would never be my first choice for creating signs or announcements. I've always seen these as jokes, literally. I've just never seen these used well, and when organizations do use them in an attempt to be fun, it just ends up looking cheesy. If anyone has seen an organization use an image generator well, send me the link.

Library 2.0
I read the blog post on blyberg.net and my reaction is - Library 2.0 is here, whether we like it or not. I used to be a reporter, and I worry about the friends I have still in the business because newspapers haven't evolved like they should have. They waited until technologies were already adopted and in wide use before they decided, "Hey, let's hop on the gravy train." Libraries shouldn't be afraid to use new technology - they don't have to be first-adopters, but they shouldn't wait until the next big thing comes out to decide to use the old one.

My library has game nights for teens. We teach adults basic computer skills, and we're about to start a program to teach adults what all this newfangled stuff is, like Twitter. We just started using Encore to make it easier to search for items - create tags, let users write reviews. We text-message notices, and let patrons text us reference questions. This is a great start, but we need to do more, and that includes ADVERTISING OUR SERVICES. Honestly, I don't think most of our patrons know we have a blog, or an e-mail newsletter. It's not enough to have all these wonderful new things. We have to tell people about them and make them easy to use.

Web 2.0
I'll say first that I'm a big fan of O'Reilly (the publisher, not Bill). I'm using one of their books to teach myself HTML, and according to the husband, who is the resident Technical Guru, O'Reilly's books are the ones to go by. Therefore, I'd say if you want a comprehensive explanation of Web 2.0, you can't go wrong with O'Reilly's article. I grew up online. I had AOL's dial-up service way back when everyone had it. I've seen how things have gotten so much ... cooler. I seriously love Google. Part of it is the "cloud." Everything I need is online, and I can access it from anywhere. What am I doing the third day of my vacation? Google Calendar to the rescue! Part of it is how they're still making it better. Adding apps, not keeping the ones that just don't work or that people just don't want. (Ever notice that Gmail is always in beta? Read Ars Technica's interview with Todd Jackson, Gmail Product Manager).

Web 2.0 has given us sites that we interact with and not just read. Back in the day, if I went to the Web site for a band, I could read their bios, see their pictures, maybe get their tour schedule. Now I can listen to their music, either on their site or with a link to Myspace Music or last.fm. I can download songs, buy merch, leave comments. Most, if not all, of my favorite Web sites have this interactivity, and whether I contribute to it or not, it's still extremely useful. There are a lot of things that I don't buy without finding reviews for them first, from books to headphones to - I kid you not - socks (but just ones for hiking).

And then the article goes on to blogs and RSS. I admit this is my first time writing a blog (if you don't count Livejournal which I stopped using years ago), but I'm a big fan of RSS. I realized that each day I was going to several different sites to read what was new, and it was taking a LOT of time (plus I'd forget a site and once I remembered, I'd have a ton to read). I knew about RSS but hadn't used it, but it was Really Simple to use Google Reader (surprise, surprise).


Libraries have to get on this. We have to use these Web 2.0 concepts in how we present information to our patrons. It's not enough anymore to say "Oh Shakespeare? He's over there in the 820's."

I'm just getting started...

...

Here is the test of wisdom;
Wisdom is not finally tested in schools;
Wisdom cannot be pass’d from one having it, to another not having it;
Wisdom is of the Soul, is not susceptible of proof, is its own proof,
Applies to all stages and objects and qualities, and is content,
Is the certainty of the reality and immortality of things, and the excellence of things;
Something there is in the float of the sight of things that provokes it out of the Soul.
Now I reexamine philosophies and religions,
They may prove well in lecture-rooms, yet not prove at all under the spacious clouds, and along the landscape and flowing currents.

...
From "Song of the Open Road" by Walt Whitman