It's spring, and I'm looking forward to the return of the Chimney Swifts, and what a delight the daffodils have been gorgeous and the tulips so splendid. And I've decided to return to a bit of blogging. I let several busy months pass, and now I find myself coming back to blogging and to Facebook.
I really like these tools, but I was a bit overwhelmed when learning about them this past summer. Even while "retired' from them I see the value of blogging and other Web 2.0 tools as great opportunities for academic librarians to use for outreach to users -- students, faculty, community users. (Public librarians can address their uses better than I). But maybe it's time to return and say a few words now and again about library issues out there. For instance, here in Kentucky a big issue is the budgets of the universities. There's just not much money this year, and of course that affects the budget for new resources.
Another very interesting theme for Kentucky's academic libraries right now is storage. I recently attended a one-day workshop at the U of Kentucky about storage facilities, and learned about some really interesting ideas on how to approach storage. Funny, the librarians of the 1960s were encouraged to buy the same title for each academic in America, and now the librarians of the early 21st century are having to grapple with what to do with all those books now that library space is at a premium. I wonder what the librarians of the 2050s will do with e-materials? Or will there be new problems on the horizon for library holdings -- however they may be defined?
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
End of the Road
Last summer I eagerly began working through a series of Web 2.0 tools to see what I could discover about those tools. Since those lovely days in early July, I have had an insufferable cold (late July), lost an employee to the Grim Reaper (early September), began holding major responsibilities with the Faculty Senate (the Committee on Committees and the Welfacre Committee; the last named includes automatic membership on the Benefits Committee, and THAT Committee has very serious charges to meet, including changes to the university benefits). These responsibilities have taken so much of my time (in addition to my job, which I love), that I have no time left for Web 2.0. So, someday I hope to complete the lessons; I certainly intend to keep up with these tools.
Here's my positive, professional, public comments about blogs, wikis, and so forth:
What great tools for libraries. Photos of your library on Flickr. Wikis for librarians. Blogs for librarians. LibraryThing as a potential tool for collection development. RSS feeds for information about the profession. Podcasts for teaching. There's a wealth of tools to use, and libraries and librarians would be foolish indeed not to take advantage of these resources for however long they exist -- for they could easily morph into something else within a few years.
Here's my other take on Web 2.0 tools:
I feel overwhelmed by the number of accounts I now have, and by the amount of information at my fingertips. Maybe I don't want all this information. Maybe I want to curl up on the sofa with a cat and cup of tea and read Dickens instead of going through all these accounts and gathering all this information that may or may not be of value to me. Do I want to spend my time doing this? That's my first point -- I feel like this is just too much information. And I am excluding my listservs on libraries and personal email and the listserv about birds. (And I tried a listserv on banjos once -- don't do it!!!! Practice instead!) So there's those resources. And then, gee, there's snail mail. Mostly junk, but still I have to sort through that too. (And magazines and professinal journals -- gosh, I wish C&RL News would go online. But I digress.)
My other point and this is the final one and the most important one is simply that I'm a private person, and I don't really want to put out that much information on the web where it can be read and seen. This is just me, and it doesn't matter if I'm 31 or 41 or 51 or 61 -- it's just me at this juncture in my life. I have discovered that I do like to post photos on Flickr (ok, there's just a few, but I want to put up more) and I like Library Thing, and opened an account for that a year ago. I remain ambivalant about FaceBook -- not sure I want to be there, but like being there. Otherwise, I really don't care much for sharing my life online. (If I were 21, I would sing a different song, but I'm not.) My final concern is that Web 2.0 takes a lot of my time, and when I do have time, I really prefer to -- well, not read Dickens, but play the piano. I bought a baby grand over a year ago, and I like to commune with it daily if possible. So I can spend my time with Beethoven and Schumann and Chopin or I can blog. (Yes, I could blog about those dead guys, and about when I get into my Duke Ellington mood, but then I wouldn't be PLAYING the Duke or anyone else, would I? I'd be busy blogging.)
For anyone reading through this, remember there's a line drawn here: what I think about Web 2.0 as a set of tools for libraries (more cool ways to serve our users!) and what I think about Web 2.0 personally -- it's just not quite for me. At least not yet. There may come a day when I'll make a podcast of a Beethoven sonata or put up a video on YouTube of my "great" rendition of "Satin Doll." Maybe.
So, auf wiedersehen for now. But for those of you in the library -- use these tools. We're here to help our users, and Web 2.0 is one of the most exciting ways to help users these days! Bravo, Web 2.0!
Here's my positive, professional, public comments about blogs, wikis, and so forth:
What great tools for libraries. Photos of your library on Flickr. Wikis for librarians. Blogs for librarians. LibraryThing as a potential tool for collection development. RSS feeds for information about the profession. Podcasts for teaching. There's a wealth of tools to use, and libraries and librarians would be foolish indeed not to take advantage of these resources for however long they exist -- for they could easily morph into something else within a few years.
Here's my other take on Web 2.0 tools:
I feel overwhelmed by the number of accounts I now have, and by the amount of information at my fingertips. Maybe I don't want all this information. Maybe I want to curl up on the sofa with a cat and cup of tea and read Dickens instead of going through all these accounts and gathering all this information that may or may not be of value to me. Do I want to spend my time doing this? That's my first point -- I feel like this is just too much information. And I am excluding my listservs on libraries and personal email and the listserv about birds. (And I tried a listserv on banjos once -- don't do it!!!! Practice instead!) So there's those resources. And then, gee, there's snail mail. Mostly junk, but still I have to sort through that too. (And magazines and professinal journals -- gosh, I wish C&RL News would go online. But I digress.)
My other point and this is the final one and the most important one is simply that I'm a private person, and I don't really want to put out that much information on the web where it can be read and seen. This is just me, and it doesn't matter if I'm 31 or 41 or 51 or 61 -- it's just me at this juncture in my life. I have discovered that I do like to post photos on Flickr (ok, there's just a few, but I want to put up more) and I like Library Thing, and opened an account for that a year ago. I remain ambivalant about FaceBook -- not sure I want to be there, but like being there. Otherwise, I really don't care much for sharing my life online. (If I were 21, I would sing a different song, but I'm not.) My final concern is that Web 2.0 takes a lot of my time, and when I do have time, I really prefer to -- well, not read Dickens, but play the piano. I bought a baby grand over a year ago, and I like to commune with it daily if possible. So I can spend my time with Beethoven and Schumann and Chopin or I can blog. (Yes, I could blog about those dead guys, and about when I get into my Duke Ellington mood, but then I wouldn't be PLAYING the Duke or anyone else, would I? I'd be busy blogging.)
For anyone reading through this, remember there's a line drawn here: what I think about Web 2.0 as a set of tools for libraries (more cool ways to serve our users!) and what I think about Web 2.0 personally -- it's just not quite for me. At least not yet. There may come a day when I'll make a podcast of a Beethoven sonata or put up a video on YouTube of my "great" rendition of "Satin Doll." Maybe.
So, auf wiedersehen for now. But for those of you in the library -- use these tools. We're here to help our users, and Web 2.0 is one of the most exciting ways to help users these days! Bravo, Web 2.0!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Back to Blogging; Charleston conference
A short note. Here it is, almost time for snow, and I have not blogged since the dog days of August. The fall semester began with a bang, one of my team leaders passed away, and I have been busy with her job and mine. Plus there have been meetings, including the usual great conference in Charleston.
Speaking of the Charleston conference, a wonderful skit spoofing Second Life was performed during one of the plenary sessions. This was definitely a welcome moment of comic relief, for there were many good sessions -- and many intense sessions -- about the future of libraries. One speaker stated the bibliographic instruction is dead. Another speaker stated that we should concentrate on teaching. So where does the truth lie? Anyway, there was much fine food for the belly, and much food for thought during the Charleston conference.
Speaking of the Charleston conference, a wonderful skit spoofing Second Life was performed during one of the plenary sessions. This was definitely a welcome moment of comic relief, for there were many good sessions -- and many intense sessions -- about the future of libraries. One speaker stated the bibliographic instruction is dead. Another speaker stated that we should concentrate on teaching. So where does the truth lie? Anyway, there was much fine food for the belly, and much food for thought during the Charleston conference.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
LibraryThing
Today I'm back to LibraryThing -- I say back, because I played with LibraryThing sometime last fall -- but for this adventure into social networking, I've chosen to start a new LibraryThing account. Being a book person, I like LibraryThing, so it has been a pleasure to return to the site and play around with this tool again. If I get around to being social, it will be through this particular social networking resource.
Here's my LibraryThing address: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Maggie_Foote
In my return to LibraryThing, I've enjoyed the tag clouds and the book covers -- they are pretty darn nifty.
At some point, though, I wonder if I should select a few library books for LibraryThing, that concern technical services librarians. Could one pull together such a subset on LibraryThing? And how can you socialize on such dry writing? Let's face it -- Chan's book on subject headings doesn't exactly rival Harry Potter as a riveting read. Maybe LibraryThing is of greater value for public services librarians in public libraries, or just for book lovers in general. Like me, who thinks this thing is just too cool.
Maintaining my Irish theme, I do have one title on the list, Anam Cara. The rest are either on books or on music. I do plan to continue adding titles to the list, slowly but surely.
Here's my LibraryThing address: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Maggie_Foote
In my return to LibraryThing, I've enjoyed the tag clouds and the book covers -- they are pretty darn nifty.
At some point, though, I wonder if I should select a few library books for LibraryThing, that concern technical services librarians. Could one pull together such a subset on LibraryThing? And how can you socialize on such dry writing? Let's face it -- Chan's book on subject headings doesn't exactly rival Harry Potter as a riveting read. Maybe LibraryThing is of greater value for public services librarians in public libraries, or just for book lovers in general. Like me, who thinks this thing is just too cool.
Maintaining my Irish theme, I do have one title on the list, Anam Cara. The rest are either on books or on music. I do plan to continue adding titles to the list, slowly but surely.
Monday, August 20, 2007
RSS feeds again
A hot summer afternoon, the perfect time to examine RSS feeds one last time -- no interruptions, no need to hurry home in the heat, a time to relax.
I've now explored syndic8, feedstar, and topix.net. I know about Technorati. I have a Bloglines account and a Google Reader account. All of these tools are easy to navigate. I see the potential for libraries, for professors, for the ordinary soul on the street.
And for the most part -- I don't need any of them. I feel deluged with information already. Some of these tools provide me with such trivial information about sports and entertainment that I feel almost insulted. There's more to life than much of this stuff, and if I do want to know this stuff, I can head to Krogers and read the National Enquirer headlines. Or read People. Or read the daily newspaper.
As for library feeds? Just not interested.
Right now, for the sake of experiment, I'm getting a substantial number of RSS feeds. Eventually I'll cut them back to a bare minimum of feeds.
This should not be taken as a criticism of any of these tools. They serve many good uses, and I'm certainly glad to know they are out there, and that if I need them personally I can use them. I do not mind showing a library user how to use one of them. The knowledge of these RSS feeds is highly worthwhile. The RSS feeds can be of great value for others who seek out information for their needs. I can also see that there are a select few feeds that are useful to me personally and professionally. I just don't need such a glut of information, especially a glut of shallow information. I've enjoyed the RSS ride, and now I'm getting off.
I've now explored syndic8, feedstar, and topix.net. I know about Technorati. I have a Bloglines account and a Google Reader account. All of these tools are easy to navigate. I see the potential for libraries, for professors, for the ordinary soul on the street.
And for the most part -- I don't need any of them. I feel deluged with information already. Some of these tools provide me with such trivial information about sports and entertainment that I feel almost insulted. There's more to life than much of this stuff, and if I do want to know this stuff, I can head to Krogers and read the National Enquirer headlines. Or read People. Or read the daily newspaper.
As for library feeds? Just not interested.
Right now, for the sake of experiment, I'm getting a substantial number of RSS feeds. Eventually I'll cut them back to a bare minimum of feeds.
This should not be taken as a criticism of any of these tools. They serve many good uses, and I'm certainly glad to know they are out there, and that if I need them personally I can use them. I do not mind showing a library user how to use one of them. The knowledge of these RSS feeds is highly worthwhile. The RSS feeds can be of great value for others who seek out information for their needs. I can also see that there are a select few feeds that are useful to me personally and professionally. I just don't need such a glut of information, especially a glut of shallow information. I've enjoyed the RSS ride, and now I'm getting off.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
RSS feeds
Time for a few words on RSS feeds.
I already have an account on Bloglines, and check it nearly every day. It's pretty good. For comparison's sake, I set up a Google Account. It was pretty easy to do.
Both accounts include library feeds, but guess what. On Bloglines I rarely check it. I look at the feed from the NY Times on the arts, covering everything from Mozart to Tony Soprano. Wonderful reading. I wonder if I will do the same with Google Account.
Because -- much I love libraries and librarianship, I find that RSS feeds and many other Web 2.0 tools interest me personally, but again and again I draw a line in the sand with libraries. Perhaps I think of social networking as social, unrelated to the profession. Or maybe I can only think about libraries for so long, and then I have to stop. Enough already.
So this brief paragraph concerns the lesson on RSS feeds, lesson 1. I'm done.
I already have an account on Bloglines, and check it nearly every day. It's pretty good. For comparison's sake, I set up a Google Account. It was pretty easy to do.
Both accounts include library feeds, but guess what. On Bloglines I rarely check it. I look at the feed from the NY Times on the arts, covering everything from Mozart to Tony Soprano. Wonderful reading. I wonder if I will do the same with Google Account.
Because -- much I love libraries and librarianship, I find that RSS feeds and many other Web 2.0 tools interest me personally, but again and again I draw a line in the sand with libraries. Perhaps I think of social networking as social, unrelated to the profession. Or maybe I can only think about libraries for so long, and then I have to stop. Enough already.
So this brief paragraph concerns the lesson on RSS feeds, lesson 1. I'm done.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Flickr and Mappr
In my further adventures with Flickr I decided to put my photos on Mappr. In the 15 minutes I've chosen to do this I have learned the following:
1) Don't locate your pictures with an obscure tag. They don't know where Buncombe County is . I do. The first place I ever saw in my life.
2) Even if you try to make it unobscure there are problems. I moved a mountain in Swannonoa to Asheville. When I asked to post it on Mappr, I was asked to drag the photo to somewhere in Kentucky.
3) The map moves way too slowly to suit me.
4) In a futile attempt to map a photograph in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, I managed to get as far as Hiltons, Virginia. That would be GREAT for my photos of the Carter Family home. Unfortunately, that's not Cumberland Gap, Tennessee.
5) In my lesson next week on tagging, I will emphasize clarity in the tag.
6) In the meantime, I will continue to struggle with mapping things. This is the second time I have tried to map a photo only to end in frustration. I have yet to map anything. This looks like a software that the brain dead could use, and I am brain dead from a cold. It and I simply aren't connecting.
1) Don't locate your pictures with an obscure tag. They don't know where Buncombe County is . I do. The first place I ever saw in my life.
2) Even if you try to make it unobscure there are problems. I moved a mountain in Swannonoa to Asheville. When I asked to post it on Mappr, I was asked to drag the photo to somewhere in Kentucky.
3) The map moves way too slowly to suit me.
4) In a futile attempt to map a photograph in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, I managed to get as far as Hiltons, Virginia. That would be GREAT for my photos of the Carter Family home. Unfortunately, that's not Cumberland Gap, Tennessee.
5) In my lesson next week on tagging, I will emphasize clarity in the tag.
6) In the meantime, I will continue to struggle with mapping things. This is the second time I have tried to map a photo only to end in frustration. I have yet to map anything. This looks like a software that the brain dead could use, and I am brain dead from a cold. It and I simply aren't connecting.
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