Project Play, Semester 2, Week 10

Write about your impressions of mashups in your blog. Do you have any creative ideas for something you could create for your library?

I understand the value with maps and other content as the mashup, such as the Winnebago County Barns mashup Keetra did for OPL. I'll have to see more examples of library use with the catalog and book titles to see advantages other than not needing to learn how to do this without mashups - which I guess is the point.

We could easily consider a mashup for Rural Schools of Winn. County for OPL website.

I think a city's website or tourism website would benefit from a mashup showing the existence of sites to visit and locations. Or picture a mashup showing Oshkosh sightings of J. Depp - he ate breakfast here, signed autographs over here, ate lunch over here, etc.

I added the Moran House to Map Builder and if I deleted other Oshkosh sites it was accidental. I can find the Morgan House by doing a word search on Map Builder.

Project Play, Semester 2, Week 6 HELP!

I'm not sure if I should reread RSS lesson or Bloglines but I couldn't find where to Add or Add Subscription
to get to where I paste the URL http://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/programs2go/rss.cfm?section_id=3

I tried Bloglines help and I got to a screen with a Widget and then a message saying this would slow down my computer.

I did look at and subscribe to Worthington Libraries . . . Adults podcast.
IT was interesting that they do multiple weeks/lessons on a topic and the topics vary quite a bit from Kindergarten to Job Interviewing.

I did sit down with Jeannie and others a few weeks ago to learn about podcasting. OPL has equipment and editing software. Jeannie will be setting up the equipment for us in the future. I'd like to interview upcoming authors who will be speaking at OPL adult programs. I'll need time to learn the editing software.

Project Play, Semester 2, Week 9, YouTube

HELP!
I followed instructions (code) from the help center on YouTube but I don't think it works to make the link clickable automatically. I got an error message from blogger.

YouTube Shelties at play

This is a YouTube video on Shelties playing with a sprinkler. I don't have a sprinkler system in my yard but any time I've turned on the hose or a stand-alone sprinkler my Sheltie starts barking and running around it like crazy. Just what the Sheltie Linus does on YouTube. And 3,530 views or viewers - not sure how they count - looked at Linus before me.

Endlessly fascinating -- what I like and don't like about YouTube! Just like searching the Web, Google, etc. before you know it, it's an hour later than you thought. What I do like is learning about YouTube as a research tool - I didn't know you could find famous speeches from history. The only YouTube I'd seen previous to today was excerpts on TV, which were always silly examples.

I did look at the Harper College Library tour - great fun - and I went to a meeting recently where somebody asked the audience if anyone wanted a pillow and I didn't get the joke at the time!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought the Allen Co. PL Genealogy Center tours were good too and had more viewers than individual speakers by far.

Project Play, Semester 2, Lesson 8

I know I've jumped past some lessons . . . but I'll go back.
Screencasting: I hadn't ever heard the term so I have increased my vocabulary! I haven't seen that word in my word-a-day dictionary calendar for 2008!

Screencasting would seem like a good tool to use. We just had someone ask for a brochure on how to use our card catalog. Years ago we created and printed a brochure but it was hard to keep up with changes and we didn't see too many people using it or asking for it.

A colleague printed out the Help screen but screencasting would give us another option. I'd be interested in knowing if there is a different reaction to screencasting based on age - that younger folks see this as a natural way to learn - it certainly seemed a bonus for the college sites you sent us to. I remember some QuestionPoint chat questions where college students got into the library website but couldn't figure out how to access databases, etc. I bet screencasts cuts down on those questions.

Back to my wondering about generational attitudes toward screencasting . . . perhaps "older" folks will actually like screencasting too - in a way, it allows a more human touch . . . with video and voice it's like listening to a "real person" help you!

Thanks for teaching us about another new tool. I would like to try it on our website . . . maybe even something simple like showing people how to find the library's event calendar so they know the programs we offer.

Project Play, Semester 2, Week 5, Social Networking

I went to 3 libraries with MySpace pages: PL of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Denver PL and Arapahoe PL WOW - I felt out-of-touch -- not so much the content as the visual images and designs of the pages - especially PL of C& M County - I felt dizzy looking at it - the other 2 pages were "more traditional" in terms of web page design. I saw lots of content similar to a teen page on a library web site -- and noticed the libraries cross-promoting a teen page on the library web site--will libraries forego a teen page at some point and rely only on social networking pages -- teen collections, sharing book reviews, teen programs were comment elements on library teen pages and MySpace pages - I liked the fashion show in Denver - lots of visual images and some conversation from teens. One easy element to add to our library page would be the photograph of the YA collection --the books themselves on the shelves - that A PL did which added a lot of color and said here are lots of books for you in a visual way -- although still had the old-fashioned YA library stickers on the spines!

I think the test for deciding if libraries have a place on MySpace or Facebook is really a pass/fail from the users -- will they come, will they become friends/buddies, if they don't want us there, we'll know ----- is it easy to count visitors, return visitors as we do with our web pages?

My biggest concern is who will design these pages -- if it isn't done at the system level, we'll have to step up our library commitment for time and training opportunities to handle not only content ideas but the "radical" designs needed -- are any libraries using teens to do the design work for them or advise them . . . .

We created a MySpace page more than a year ago but haven't really moved forward with it after our young librarian left.

Project Play, Semester 2, Week 2, Google Docs

What an ideal but subtle way for us to experience sharing files and collaborating by having us log into the same account (special Project Play Google account) and add something to Welcome. I also added to the Garden Budget. OUr garden looks very colorful and has furniture and fencing. Can we write an LSTA grant to build the living garden based on our virtual garden plan? I couldn't get into the Slideshow - my computer froze any time I tried.

I think the lesson clearly seplls out ways to use Google Docs - let customers know about Google Docs, use it when we have problems with people trying to save or forget to save -- since our security software wipes out what they have done if they thought they saved but didn't and logged off the PC. To share work with myself between home and work will be of the most benefit. Almost of equal importance will be sharing within the department to draft, revise, etc. on planning documents and procedures.

I understand everything is saved okay but is the information really secure and private?

Project Play, Semester 2, Week 1

Instant Messaging or IM
Heard about it years ago and never tried it - so now I have. I know a lot of parents use it with their college children. My 2 nephews hardly ever read their emails but use IM all the time - as the research cited in this week's lesson cofirms.

I set up an AIM Pro account and IM's with Joy. Joy helped with chat acronyms - in rereading the lesson I see the link to chat acronyms as the Fun Extra. I just set up a Meebo account. I will need to get the Meebo on my blog - I've seen the instructions from Joy on how to do this - but they're at the library. An AHA! moment in terms of Lesson 2 where Google Docs would help me so I can see what is on my work PC when using my home PC.

I looked at McMillan's website (Wisconsin Rapids) and see they have IM services, including Meebo. They were online but didn't reply during the few minutes I waited --but I clearly had told them to ignore me if they were busy with customers since I was just checking out IM from Oshkosh Public Library.

I can see how IM would put the Library out there for users to find.

Have I missed someone blogging or IMing about David Lee Kings's use on his catalog. Is that feasible with our catalog?

Tanks to the Project Play Team - Semester 2 is starting out as more fun (or should I say
"educational") than Semester 1.