I am a librarian!

Thing 46: WebJunction MN

2009-05-19T11:58:00.002-05:00

I explored WebJunction in more detail today than I have before, and I am very impressed by all that there is to learn and do on this site. I see WJMN as a good place to share ideas with other MN library staffers and a GREAT place for those interested to get Certification - I really liked all the course work that was available for MN's Voluntary Certification.

I also found a lot of value in the calendar feature. It is really nice to have one place to look for many of the regional activities and programs happening around the state. It is very easy to see what's coming up, which is very helpful.

Thing 45: Cloud Computing

2009-05-19T09:29:00.003-05:00

My head is in the Clouds! OK, maybe just my computing is, but I do enjoy a variety of cloud computing options. I love my Google Docs, since I don't have to remember anything except my password when traveling without my laptop. I can access the same files at home and work as I can at my parent's home in Madison, WI, or in CA when visiting a friend. It also makes it very easy to get projects done since I don't have to make sure the computer I'm working on has Word.

I also use PayPal somewhat frequently - especially when paying for an online purchase from a vendor I'm not very familar with. I don't have to trust them with my credit card or bank information, but instead they only get a direct deposit from my PayPal account. This makes me feel more secure with my financial information.

Thing 44: The Economy

2009-05-19T08:49:00.001-05:00

I have used/seen many of the websites in this "thing" already when I was looking for information on investing & saving for the Smart Investing @ Your Library grant I've been working on for the last year. Feed the Pig is one of my favorites since it is fun and has great interactivity. I particulary like the immediate feedback given by its different activities.

I have also used Gas Buddy in the past, and enjoyed it so much, I contributed to it for a while as well. I kept my eye out for gas prices & posted them to the site when they changed. Since moving to Rochester, I have fallen out of this habit since gas prices in this town are much more stable than in the Cities for some reason.

Craigslist is another popular site in my family. I have both sold and purchased things on the site, only not as much as my older sister. She is a Craigslist champion, and has saved tons of money by buying directly from other list users instead of visiting antique stores & paying their markups.

I have decided that anything worth buying is worth buying second hand. This is my frugal tip! Especially for "disposable" items like baby/children's clothing, toys & accessories that are only used for a brief period before they're outgrown. I have given many almost-new gifts I found at Savers and garage sales for friends & family, and also many items in my own home.

Thing 43: Online TV and Video

2009-05-19T08:09:00.003-05:00

My husband & I finally learned about the power of Hulu this week from IMDB.com. We were looking at information on Michael York, and we noticed there was a film clip in his biography. Upon following this clip, we realized it was a full-length movie - The Last Remake of Beau Geste, a Marty Feldman film that we never would have discovered otherwise. The hubby hooked the laptop to the TV, and we watched it last night. It wasn't earth-shattering, but it was fun, and it opened the door for us to explore more online TV & video.

I am not sure that the ability to watch on-demand shows & movies will change my daily television viewing since the shows I like to watch are not available online yet, but it will add a bit of fun when nothing is on and we don't feel like going out and renting a movie. I don't see this kind of service replace broadcast or cable television, but I do see the possibility of Hulu & Joost to allow my family to lower our service package and watch more of these free shows. And I have the feeling with the ecomony as it is, we're not the only household that will do so. So this could have a big impact on the higher end cable & satellite packages.

Thing 42: Music 2.0

2009-05-18T16:52:00.001-05:00

I’ve used Pandora quite a bit – it’s a wonderful service to add a bit of music to what can be a very quiet office. I really like the fact that I can select a band and a station will be created for me that allows me to listen to music like that artist plays. I have run into a slight glitch in the site for novelty music – like the stylings of Weird Al and other Dr. Demento stars - Pandora matches music only takes into consideration the overlying feel & theory behind their music, and doesn’t include the content/comedic aspects. Besides this completely understandable drawback, I really enjoy Pandora.

Another Internet radio site I’ve used quite a bit is 1.fm. You can listen to a wide variety of music with more traditional radio programming as its format. I particularly like the Flashback Alternatives station on 1.fm.

I do not believe that broadcast radio will be replaced by Internet radio – at least not for quiet a few years yet. There are too many places that do not offer wi-fi and not enough car stereos that allow you to tune in to Internet sites for radio.

Thing 41: Mashup Your Life

2009-05-15T08:12:00.001-05:00

I took a look at both FriendFeed & LifeStream’s overviews, FAQs and other help files, but decided not to join either of them, nor any of the other aggregators listing in this thing. I have other aggregators, including an iGoogle account that I don’t check on a regular basis, so I do not want to set myself up for failure in keeping up with another one. My main problem with these kinds of websites is that I do not check them daily since I don’t have time…and my backlog builds daily until I find myself not reading any of them anyways, but just delete them instead.

Thing 40: Mashup the Web

2009-05-13T08:31:00.003-05:00

I took a look at Time Tube, Wheel of Lunch, & CrimeReports for this Thing, and really enjoyed exploring the first 2. They were fun and a very interesting and new way to look at videos of a given topic and area restaturants, respectively. I have the feeling I'll be going back to those 2 mashups over and over again. On the other hand, CrimeReports did not pull up ANY crimes for the last month in Rochester, MN, nor in Minneapolis - not even for moving violations. And for some reason, I don't quite believe that! I have the feeling that the database they pull from for the crimes is not longer available or changed in a way that the information isn't available. Which is a shame.

I was very hopeful for CrimeReporter to work, since I can see this being the most useful for use in the library of the mashups listed. The main purpose I'd see is for real estate research or similar studies. Helpful to househunters and the like.

I had fun playing with some of the mashup tools that were provided as well. I particularly liked the Phreetings, and can see library staff using it to send thank you emails to volunteers, program presenters, etc.

One of my favorite mashups that isn't listed it LOLWRUS. It allows you to search for friends Twitter feeds and once you pick 1 of their Tweets, it pulls up 6 random images from Flickr (usually with a cat in it!) that you can pair with the Tweet. Oh, and of course, it automatically "translates" their post into LOL-speak. Here's one I created this morning:

Thing 39: Digital Storytelling

2009-05-11T12:18:00.001-05:00

I am not a scrapbooker, but I can see the value in creating virtual scrapbook pages for a variety of library events & programs. This seems like a great way to share photos and informtion about goings on in your library. I used Smilebox to create my own mini scrapbook for Smart Investing @ Your Library library programs that I coordinated earlier this year. It worked well enough, but I'm not too fond of the ads and the need to download software onto my computer. You can see my results below!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Thing 38: Screencasting

2009-05-11T10:26:00.002-05:00

I have been creating screencasting video podcasts all this year as a part of SELCOtv using Adobe Captivate for the software. It is effective, but just like any other software, there are wrinkles and things that could be improved upon. The videos I've created are for librarian training purposes, and they are quite effective. The main issue I've encountered with them is needing an additional piece of software to convert the Captivate created file to a flash format that is uploadable to our hosting site: blip.tv. You can see all the episodes we've created for SELCOtv here.

Thing 37: Photo Tales

2009-05-11T09:08:00.002-05:00

Animoto video featuring pictures from Christmas 2008.

This service was really easy to use to create this short video. I can see using this in a library setting - especially to highlight special programs or services. I can imagine a wonderful slide show using pics from a summer reading program or something similar. I am definately going to be sharing this video with my family, and can see doing more in the future.

Thing 36: Comic Relief-Generate Some Fun

2009-05-08T12:49:00.006-05:00

A Wordle for this blog: Click on it to see a larger version.

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On a bit more sinister note...I took a tweet from Ann Hutton and gave it a slightly creepy image at http://lolwr.us. You can see it at http://lolwr.us/view/759.

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Much more silly - from The Excuse-O-Mat - "I am consumed with guilt. You've reminded me-- oh, it gnaws at me in every waking moment-- that I have treated you as no decent human being would. It would be a mercy for you to never speak to me again. Say the word, and I will lick your boots in apology."

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I'm not sure that these fun generators have much use in the library. I can see a storytime talking about apologizing or making excuses giggling over the Excuse-O-Mat. It is clean, but quite nonsensical.

A generator I love is http://lolwr.us/. It takes your twitter posts (or your friends!) and give you 6 random Flickr images to pair the tweet with.

Thing 35: Books 2.0

2009-05-08T11:23:00.003-05:00

We've come to an interesting crossroads for books and the internet. There are so many websites out there that help guide readers to books in a variety of ways.

I investigated BookCrossing and lib.rario.us for this "thing" and I think I'll be exploring lib.rario.us a lot more in the near future. I like the idea that I can catalog movies & music...along with books - and the website will sort them out so they're not all in one big list. The biggest downfall of lib.rario.us that I see right away is its small user base. There can't be a lot of networking if there aren't a lot of folks to network with.

I don't see myself using BookCrossing at all since it is so unlikely that people will take the time to input that they found my book if they do. It's a fun idea, but not very practical.

Websites for books like the ones discussed in this thing are just like any other kind of resource for literature...it will help readers if they're interested in pursuing and researching books that interest them, but only if they take the initiative to do so. The sites themselves do not have the ability to hamper or not the experience of reading. If nothing else, the enhance reading since they give many options for sharing a special book with others. I can see the value especially for those living in remote areas.

Thing 34 Is This Our Competition--Online Answer Sites

2009-04-27T15:13:00.003-05:00

I just visited Snappyfingers, a site that puts FAQ questions & answers together & makes them available using a keyword search. This can be a very helpful place to go to get information on a variey of program/hardware specific questions - both by librarians and their patrons.

I've also visited Yahoo!'s answer site in the past, and found the ability for me to rate the answers given a nice feature.

I read the article on "lauren's library blog" on the future of the reference desk, and I must admit, I agree with most of the information she has mined from the articles she's read on the topic. There are many ways to provide reference services without a desk in the middle of the reference books. I have heard many good things that are happening in the "libraries" of SecondLife for reference. Web2.0 has many things that can be, and have been, adapted for librarians to use, so why not make use of them??

I really like the idea of Slam the Boards! I'll have to make a real effort to particpate in this effort. It is very important for reference librarians to be more vocal in their knowledge, & to promote their resources & services - I see this as a great way to do so!

Thing 33 - Travel 2.0

2009-04-20T16:06:00.004-05:00

I took a look at a few of the "Travel 2.0" sites on this thing's article (TravelAdvisor, Wines & Times, Boo), and I didn't really learn/see anything I hadn't known before. I really do not see many applications for library use, except perhaps if patrons come in and need help planning a trip and they wish to use the internet to do so. But even this use is not a major one, since so many people already know about the many travel sites like Travelocity and Yahoo travel that also have reviews and other features these Travel 2.0 sites offer. So I really don't see the need for library staff to have a lot of knowledge and experience with them.

I can see the usefulness of some of these travel sites for people planning a trip, but the ones I looked at all had quirks. They quirkiness mostly comes from not being well known, and the reviews and ratings of hotels or attractions are very low. I looked up Washington D.C. on Boo.com and The White House as an attraction only had 3 people review their visit there. It is really hard to see the value of a place with only 3 ratings!

Speaking of Twitter...

2009-03-12T08:21:00.004-06:00

Unshelved for today is all about the fun of communicating via Twitter. :)

Thing 32: Google Maps & Mashups

2009-03-10T15:13:00.002-06:00

View Larger Map

This is a Google Map of all the public libraries in the SELCO region. Interesting excercise, and I can see myself using these customized maps for road trips/vacations.

Thing 31: Twitter

2009-03-10T13:09:00.006-06:00

Twitter is my friend. :) I really enjoy coming up with short little blurbs about what I'm doing, and seeing what my friends and co-workers come up with as well. All my twitter posts (from @rlgray) are automatically posted to my Facebook status, which shares my Twitterings with many more people than would otherwise see it.

I have added a Twitter Badge to the side of this blog to help anyone reading this to follow me. So please add me! :)

With working on this Thing, I have added a couple interesting people to follow including Darth Vader and the blue whale that is suspended from the ceiling at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. While neither of these 2 have anything to do with libraries, the whale is a great example of a way to use Twitter to promote your organization. The whale's "voice" is quite irreverent and fun. It's been discussing the band Phish the last couple of days in avery fun mnaner. I can see a library doing this with a mascot, special collection or art installation.

I see Twitter as a way to let people know what you (personally or organizationally) are doing in a fun and quick manner. It is a snapshot as opposed to a full blog post which could be considered a full slideshow or video.

Thing #30 - More Uses of RSS and Delicious

2009-03-04T09:46:00.004-06:00

I almost didn't do this thing since I have quite a bit of experience already in using RSS & Delicious. I created a video podcst that highlights additional uses of RSS feeds for a project at SELCO, and in it I included weather alerts, FeedReminders and the like (it hasn't been released yet). So much of this Thing was repeated inforamation for me.

That said, I had no idea about the Delicious badge I could add to my blog. So I added this to this blog's sidebar. I also tried adding this to my personal LiveJournal blog, but they do not offer HTML/Script sidebar widgets. :(

I have been pretty lax in keeping up with my RSS feeds since installing the web browser Flock, since I am able to go directly into my gmail emial account with a single click in Flock itself. I keep most of my RSS feeds in my Google Reader, so I have to make more of an effort in the future to go to Google's homepage more often to get my feeds.

Thing 29 - Google tools

2009-02-27T10:24:00.003-06:00

I love Google & the variety of applications they have developed over the years. They have taken the concept of a search engine to a whole new level with all the extras they've added.

I attended the Google tools session at MLA last year, so I had heard about a couple new products and add-ons they offer (like Google Notebook), and this Thing reminds me to check out all the new "toys" Google has been producing for us to use and to help people collaborate with friends, family & coworkers. I have already used the Google Docs for this purpose, and am also a Gmail user. (I love the layout and the combining of all the emails with the same Subject line - much easier to read and organize. Although this did take me a while to get used to it.)

I just downloaded the Google toolbar. Not sure how enamored I'll be of it, but I like the moon phase, "Today in History", National weather radars and cat clock widgets I've downloaded for so far. I'll post more on how this works with my work flow in the future...if I remember! :)

I glanced at the Google Sites application, but am unsure if I will ever use this kind of service. Then again, I can see this being really helpful for groups collaborating across distances, so I'll never say never on this one.

I can't wait to try out GOOG-411. The one question I have on it right now tho, is how do they pay for this service? A friend of mine mentioned that they might charge companies to be the top result like they do for their web search engine. I can see this being the case, so it will be something I'll take into consideration when using it.

Thing 28 - Customized Web Pages

2009-02-20T10:24:00.004-06:00

I have been using iGoogle for a couple years already, and really like its flexibility and usability. I have a variety of widgets I use - including a birthday reminder, CNN news feed, local weather and my Google Reader feed. While I have been getting out of the habit of viewing this personalized page every day (since I use the web browser Flock and can easily get into my Gmail account with 1 click), I do enjoy taking a gander at it every couple of days. I still add and subtract things from my iGoogle page, and have even used the tab feature they offer (I currently have 3 tabs), which makes it very easy to keep my widgets organized.

Thing 27 - Twitter

2009-02-19T16:37:00.003-06:00

I'm a very regular twitter-er already, so for this Thing I simply added a twitter widget to this blog so all my visitors can see my last 5 tweets. I usually use twhirl so I can upload what I'm up to straight from my desktop instead of having to login to a website.

One of my favorite tweets that I follow is the NatHistoryWhale. The "author" of this feed is the blue whale that hangs from the ceiling at the Natural History Museum in New York City. He has just started posting again after being silent for a while, and he posts quirky things like this one from yesterday: "Everyone's talking about how it's snowing outside. Hello? Why isn't anyone talking about the 21,000-pound whale in the room?" If you reply to his comments, you are almost guarenteed to get a reply, which is fun too.

I actaully have 2 twitter accounts, my personal one, and one for my work at SELCO. SELCOtv is a podcast project we are working on, and to help promote it, we have SELCOtv on twitter. Please follow it and find out our latest video podcast episodes! I think this is a great use of this kind of Web 2.0 tool, and a quick and easy way for libraries to share with their patrons what is happening in the library.

Thing 26 - Ning

2009-02-05T15:15:00.003-06:00

I just joined Ning today during round 2 of 23 things. I think I have used it before when this site was first launched, since it looks familiar, but I stopped since I was able to get a very similar feeling of community with mySpace & facebook. I do not plan to join any more communities on Ning, because I already use a lot of other social networking sites & barely have time for them as it is.

I think Ning could be a great networking tool, especially for newcomers to library work (or in other fields as well for that matter!). I do not see myself using it now for the same reason I didn't really key into it earlier. I just have too many other websites I connect to librarians, friends and family that I do not see a personal need for Ning.

Baby born in the library

2009-01-28T16:56:00.002-06:00

The Denver Library has a newborn patron. An baby girl was born there on January 27. Read the news article here. Good thing a library was right there for her! I just hope the baby girl doesn't get stuck with a name like 'Dewey'.

Thing 25: Bloggers' Toolkit

2009-01-28T16:21:00.003-06:00

I had a lot of fun in poking around the various tool and toys in this thing this afternoon. I added two widgets to this blog; one looks at where visitors to the blog are from, and the other lets visitors see places around the world in real time. I figure they go well together! I would have liked it better for the Clustrmap to have the option of showing a more compressed area (like the Midwest, or even just MN), since I don't expect anyone from outside the region to come a visiting.

I looked at a couple other options like games and countdowns, but I didn't see them as being good choices for a mostly professional blog. That said, I may go back and add a couple of them to a personal blog sometime in the future. Other gadgets, like the frog that climbs the area given to the widget, are just plain silly. I would have liked to add a widget that featured leadership quotes since I'm active in MILE, but it had a script error and is not functional.

I poked around quite a bit when looking at these different tools. I'd say all told I spent about an 75 minutes on this thing. And I don't see it as a waste of time at all. Very good things to learn more about!

Thing 24: Refresh Your Blog

2009-01-22T13:12:00.005-06:00

I am starting the newest 23 things on a stick with this post. I really enjoyed playing with all the Web 2.0 tools last spring, & expect the same enjoyment with this round.

I was going to go crazy and give this blog a more custom look, but I could not get the third-party template I was interested in to work. There were tags that were not closed in its coding. Bummer! So I chose this lovely lighthouse template from the Blogger options. It's not quite as jazzy as the bright pink flower I chose, but it is pretty all the same.

I also uploaded a new avatar. She is fun & spunky, which is pretty much how I feel about myself most of the time. :)

I have not done much professional blogging here since completing the last 23 things, and for that I am sorry. I had such high expectations of having a high-quality, relavant library blog... I hope this time I'll do better! Maybe I should put it on my calendar each week to post something...not a bad idea actually. (Note to self: do this!) I also have a personal blog that I have been a bit better in keeping up-to-date. But lately even this has suffered. I'll work on doing more blogging period this year! Talk about a New Year's Resolution!

I do read a fair number of library blogs including:

I don't normally leave comments, but I do enjoy keeping up with what is happening in the library world.

Leave it to Colbert!

2008-10-10T11:13:00.001-05:00

I never knew public libraries were communistic. It's a good thing to be so educated about my own profession!

Lists

2008-06-05T13:01:00.002-05:00

I have never been a big fan of making lists of things that need doing and checking things off when they are completed...until recently. I have created a to-do list for the Smart Investing project I'm working on to help keep track of all the little details that need to be looked at and/or completed. It is really helping me get things done and remember what still needs to be done.

The main reason I'm finding it to be so helpful, is that there are 8-9 different parts of my job that I'm working on at once. And each part (webpage development, promotions, library programs, etc.) has many tasks associated with it. I was going to learn how to use some project management software to help track all these subtasks, but didn't want to spend the time to do so. This list is much easier to use, & I'm able to update it at will.

One thing I have learned to do since creating it initially - do not delete things when they're done. Instead I'm striking them out to show completion. This way, I will still have a record of everything I've done for this grant to make the final report easier to write. Thank you Amy for this idea!!

Less & less privacy

2008-05-21T16:11:00.003-05:00

I just read a very interesting article from Top Tech News - "New Web Sites Make It Easier to Spy on Friends" by Vauhini Vara. I recommend it to everyone who spends time on the internet (that means everyone reading this post!), since it really opened my eyes to how much people can find out about you for free online. It definitely proves that you are not anonymous online like many thought in the late 90s when I worked at an ISP.

The article goes into detail about some websites that allow people to search the dark recesses of the internet - the areas that don't necessarily come up in a simple Google or Yahoo search. Of course, the information this article talks about people being able to search is all in the public domain, but it still raises warning flags to me about my own personal privacy. I have come to the conclusion that there really is no such thing as privacy in the 21st Century - especially when it comes to your interactions on the internet.

One specific search engine is mentioned in the article that allows you to enter anyone's street address and find out if that person has donated to any political campaigns. While this may be information in the public domain, it makes me a bit mroe leery of donating to any campaigns. Can you imagine a possible employer looking at this search engine (that allows you to look at contributions from 2004 & 2008 presidential campaigns) and deciding they don't like my political views so they pass over me for the position? Ack! No good in my book.

There is such a thing as too much transparency. And I've now found it.

Free books!

2008-04-30T09:55:00.002-05:00

John Lithgow and the Book Donation Challenge

I just ran across this wonderful challenge online this morning, and think it's a wonderful way to promote books & literacy. I challenge everyone reading this post to also particpate in this challenge. It's free and you're answering questions about John Lithgow's childrens books. It is ok if you haven't read them...you have a 1/3 chance of guessing correctly! Info from their website:

The Cheerios Book Donation Challenge gives individuals the power to help decide where the books will be donated by answering trivia questions based on children’s books, from now until Sunday, June 15, 2008. For every correct answer, individuals can cast one vote. Cheerios will donate 20,000 children books, written by John Lithgow to the five states with the most votes.

Del.icio.us

2008-04-14T08:33:00.001-05:00

*sigh* I just tried getting into my bookmarks at del.icio.us, and the site appears to be down. Major bummer that.

Thing 23 - Looking back

2008-03-11T10:27:00.004-06:00

I really enjoyed going through this program & getting more information on the variety of Web & Library 2.0 products out there for people to use. When I started on this journey, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I learned a lot and had a good time doing it.

This 23 Things program was well thought-out & planned, but there were a couple of other things I'd have liked to see, including:

Survey Tools
Diagramming & mind mapping
Music sites

That said, I know that not every topic can be covered in one program...otherwise we'd have "TONS of Things on a Stick"! I hope to participate in a follow-up program some day that may cover more Web 2.0 programs.

Thing 22 - Keeping current with 2.0

2008-03-11T10:18:00.004-06:00

I resolve to:

Post to this blog at least once every two weeks information, tidbits I find interesting, fun library news/stories or other professionally related stuff.
Continue to explore new technologies - especially those that are applicable to libraries &/or their users.
Read & keep up with a couple library-related blogs.
Encourage others to learn about & use Library 2.0 applications.

Thing 21 - Other Social Networks

2008-03-07T12:25:00.003-06:00

I used to have an account on Ning. I was quite hopefully that it would be a good & fun place to meet other librarians since they have a librarian group on the network. I'm sure it would have met and exceeded my expectations had I not gotten sucked into LiveJournal at the same time. I had a couple beefs about it, mostly because the group was brand new when I joined it. It seemed like no-one was posting anything, and just like MySpace & facebook people were requesting me to be friends that I didn't know anything about and they didn't introduce themselves.

Sorry about a slight rant, but I really don't like this. If I'm going to befriend someone (even online), I want to know a bit about them. I do not see the point of having lots of "friends" just for the sake of having lots of friends. I'd rather have a couple really good contacts then a bunch of people I have no connection with.

There are just so many online social networks these days, that it is hard for me to check in with a lot during the course of a day...or even a week. And if I only have time for a quick peek in to see if anyone's posted before I have to do something else, I'm not really going to have time to post to my blog there or do the other things you're supposed to do in these sites. I'd rather have 1 spot to meet and greet others - and this blog is it for me professionally. I still have an account on LiveJournal to connect with my friends. These 2 blogs are enough to keep me busy, so I do not see myself joining any other networks right now.

More on SecondLife

2008-03-07T09:58:00.005-06:00

I played around a bit more in SecondLife yesterday, and found Info Island. This is a great presentation of libraries!! This isn't an empty virtual world shell of a library, instead it is a staffed facility that answers all kinds of questions. The librarians are all identified as such with a "Librarian" title before their name, which makes it very easy to ask them questions. And they're happy to answer both reference questions and inquiries on SecondLife.

I highly recommend people visit this wonderful "library" if they get the chance.

Thing 20 - MySpace

2008-03-06T16:35:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time, a long time ago I created a MySpace account because a lot of my friends had one. Unfortunately, I haven't touched it in quite a while. (Boy, this sounds very familiar to a couple of these other things!)

For this thing, I popped back in and poked around a bit. I found myself a pretty layout that a commercial site created and applied it to my page. I also found a couple more friends to befriend on the site which is cool. BUT...I don't really see myself using this social network much at all in the future. I am very interconnected and enjoying LiveJournal, that I do almost all my personal networking & blogging there.

The last library I was at (MN School of Business) has a MySpace account in an attempt to reach their clients better, since college students of all ages seem to be the most active facebookers and MySpacers out there. Our online librarian was in charge of it, so I really do not know how successful it was in reaching our students. The idea is a good one, and I'm sure many school libraries & YA librarians are able to reach more people online than they would be if they counted on their young clients coming into the actual library building.

Thing 19 - Podcasting

2008-03-03T16:14:00.004-06:00

"I drink your milkshake!! *slurp*"

I visited Podcast.com and did a search for movie reviews. I found in this search National Public Radio's Movies podcast. This podcast compiles movie reviews each week from it's many daily shows, including Fresh Air & Day to Day. This last week's podcast was just over 30 minutes, and included clips from six shows from 2/22-2/29.

I really like having these compiled together and having them in one easy to listen to file. The thing I dislike about it, is there is no way to easily forward to the next show's review. Instead, I had to just grab the status bar and fast forward the clip, hoping I didn't go too far. Also, there was a lot of overlap in what movies were being reviewed. The big one was The Other Boleyn Girl - 3 different reviews were on it, and they all pretty much lambasted the film; they all said the same things and maked similar observations.

When I listened to this podcast, I did so right from the Podcast.com search engine, but once it was over, I followed the link to the NPR: Movies website. I am happy to see there that I can listen to individual reviews here! I have subscribed to this podcast, & look forward to hearing more about film from it.

(In case you're wondering...the quote that opened this post is from Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood. It was discussed in one of the reviews in this week's podcast!)

Thing 19 - YouTube

2008-03-03T10:26:00.004-06:00

I've been a fan of YouTube for quite a while already, & am overjoyed at this being a thing we are playing with for this project. The embedded video in this thing's post is one I've already seen & shared with fellow librarians, along with many other library-related videos on this wonderful site. I also use YouTube during the day as a jukebox if there is a song or singer I am in the mood for hearing. I have queue up a list of videos and let the run in the backround so I can listen while I work.

For this assignment, I decided to look for an old favorite bit from Sesame Street & Mr. Rogers. I loved this short documentary on how crayons are made, and in watching it again this morning, it still has the zing and fun it had when I was a kid. I especially like that it doesn't have a narrator, but instead just guides you through the steps without words. Here it is:

Thing 17 - EBSCO's Page Composer

2008-02-29T12:59:00.003-06:00

I have just played around with EBSCO's Page Composer after doing a search on the history of timekeeping and pieces for a friend. It makes it very easy to share searches and knowledge with others. I emailed her, and am waiting to see if this helps her out in her research needs. *grin*

I was a bit disappointed in that I couldn't get the Search Box to work for just the articles I had selected. I was hoping to be able to search them alone - not all of EBSCO. But this was a very minor drawback for me.

A very cool tool, and one I'll use again!

Thing 16 - Assignment Calculator

2008-02-27T12:16:00.002-06:00

I wish I'd paid more attention to this when I was working at MSB and when I was giving bibliographic instruction to students. I can see this being very helpful to help prevent procrastination & to encourage them to get their research done BEFORE they wrote their papers! It's good to have intermediate due dates to get parts of their research papers done.

I'm sure this if helpful for teachers as well, in that they have a very easy way to decide when each section of their assignment should be due. This is a very nifty tool, and I wish it was around when I was in college!

Thing 15 - Puzzle Pirates

2008-02-27T12:00:00.005-06:00

I love Puzzle Pirates. I've played it before and loved this opportunity to explore this great game for WORK! How cool is that. I've made some good connections and played with some very good folks from around the world. Most of the people who play PP are nice...although they can be on the young side. Such is life in an online game community.

I tried getting into Second Life as well - but all I have to say about this community is ARRRG! It's not as user-friendly as PP, nor is controlling your person as easy. This is probable due to the 3D nature of the environment & the added processing this site needs because of it. I will try it again sometime, because I know there are libraries who do reference work out of SecondLife, & I am interesting in exploring them some more.

Using LibraryThing

2008-02-27T11:56:00.003-06:00

OK...so there I was...I had just posted my observations on LibraryThing, and went to look at my email. A friend was wondering about where he might find a certain book to borrow from someone, since he wasn't sure about paying the $75 for it (the cheapest price he found for it online). I looked at WorldCat for the title - UW Madison had it, but it was lost in 2005 and the next closest were in Illinois - but they were both checked out. Hmmmm. I then thought - hey, let's just see if anyone has it cataloged on LibraryThing! So I did. Turns out a mutual acquantance had it listed. How cool is that? :)

Thing 14 - LibraryThing

2008-02-25T14:12:00.002-06:00

I have had an account on LibraryThing since December 2006...and haven't looked at it really since. I am so ashamed!! But this is a wonderful reminder that it is available, & I will try and make better use of it from here on out. I had been using it for books that related to my participation in the SCA, and do not see this changing.

As to using LibraryThing in as library tool, I can see setting up a network of accounts that each have a different topic. So you can have a Thing for books related to wizards & witches to relate to a Harry Potter event your library is holding. Or you can have an exhibit about landscaping, and you can have a Thing highlighting the titles in this subject. I suggest having more than 1 account so you do not have to deal with the 200 title limit, but if your library has money for the paid-account, I could also see having all these & more under 1 account as well.

Thing 13 - Ta-da!

2008-02-25T13:54:00.003-06:00

Since I have already set up online calendars, Google & Yahoo start pages, & the like, I decided to start an online to-do list with Ta-Da. It was very easy to do, but I worry that I will not remember to check this site and make sure I'm on track and getting things on the list done. This is why Microsoft Outlook's Tasks has been helpful for me in the past. As long as I remember to add new items that need doing - I am automatically reminded of them since I keep my Outlook email program open all day at work.

I see this and other Web 2.0 babies to be helpful to some, but forgetable by most. It requires an extra step to view them, and as much as I'd like to be Microsoft independent, Outlook covers calendars, tasks, address books & more in the same location as my email. It just doesn't make sense for me to NOT use these features in the one program.

Thing 12 - I've Reddit

2008-02-22T11:29:00.004-06:00

I took a look at the four sites included in this thing, and decided to register and play with Redditn today. What an interesting way to get my daily news fix.

I can really see how this kind of site would appeal to the populists out there. Everyone who registers is able to help or hinder a news article, image, website or YouTube video's ability to be seen by more people. It's really easy to select the up or down arrow if I like or dislike something that's been posted. This will be a fun site for me to play with, but unfortunately I do not really see a use for this in the library world for the following reasons:

Librarians like to select what they present to their patrons. Reddit doesn't really allow for this kind of professional filter.
The articles & other postings I saw were for funny or political in nature. The articles did not include any real serious or pressing news.

I did post an article from MPR on the arrest and charging in the school bus crash tragedy from earlier this week in Cottonwood, MN. It hasn't gotten any points from others in the 33 minutes it's been available on Reddit. I'm not really surprised since the other postings on the list are much more fun and upbeat.

Thing 11.1 - Ma.gnolia.com

2008-02-20T09:40:00.004-06:00

There is another website that allows you to save links in a social setting - Ma.gnolia. It works a lot like Del.icio.us in that it allows you to save URLs (with tags) and share them with the world. I have an account here as well that I am using for the research project I am working on with investing.

I think Del.icio.us is a little easier to use, but I really like printing Ma.gnolia since it will include the URL for the websites in my list. I've not been able to figure out how to do this with Del.icio.us, so I was VERY happy that Ma.gnolia has this feature. :)

Thing 11 - Del.icio.us & tags

2008-02-20T09:25:00.003-06:00

I have used del.icio.us for about a year now, and have found it to be a very helpful & useful way to organize & share URLs I run across. I use it almost exclusively for my Medieval Recreation activities. My del.icio.us account.

The neatest thing about this tool is when people ask me for information on a specific topic & I can pull it right up. For example - a friend of mine asked me if I had information or links on Jewish illumination/manuscripts. I remembered tagging a webpage I had happened across, and was able to pop it right over to her within a couple minutes. Had I kept the link in a traditional bookmark list, it would have taken much longer to locate. (In case you'd like to see this link for yourself - Special Treasures from the Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary. I have it tagged with three tags - jewish illumination manuscripts.)

I can see this tool being used in a library setting as well. Librarians can find resources online for their patrons, and add them to a "We Recommend" website list on del.icio.us.

Thing 10 - Wikis

2008-02-19T10:27:00.003-06:00

Let me say this again...I love the Common Craft videos! They are such fun and are informative at the same time. :)

I have used a wiki before with other librarians at my old job. It was a good place to share ideas for library instruction, and also to have a place for fun and funny links for our breaks. The issue I saw with it was that it was well-used at its inception, but this dropped off steadily as time went on. We all enjoyed it for a while, but then only 1 or 2 people actually added to it or visited it. So it was under-utilized.

I see Wikipedia as a wonderful place to get research started. Most articles have bibliographies so people can look to reliable (hopefully!) sources on the topic. When I was working in an academic library, I steered most students away from Wikipedia, since they were not willing to go the extra mile & check the info they got here against other resources. This is the key to using this open encyclopedia in my book. Users need to be prepared to verify the information they get here in other places, since ANYONE can make changes to any article.

Thing 9 - Collaboration tools

2008-02-19T10:11:00.003-06:00

What an interesting way to do things! I haven't used Google docs before, but I think I will be in the future. What an interactive way to have many people look & edit one document! (I wish this was around when I was getting my MLIS!) I did not have time to look at Zoho, but am very happy with the ability to see what changes have been made, and who made them. It looks like Google docs has just about all its bases covered in that you have options for adding images, tables, and also in having the ability to export the document in a variety of formats. Very cool Thing!!

I didn't include all my corrections to the Google doc, but here is my new edition of page 1:

Sometimes, in the course of history, it becomes necessary for a group of people to end the political ties which have connected them with each other and to become a separate and equal body to which the laws of nature and God entitle them. When this happens, it is necessary that they should express the reasons which make it necessary for them to become individuals.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, regardless of race, gender, or religion, that they are endowed with God given rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To secure these rights, governments are instituted, and derive their powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of those so governed to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that the governed are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right and duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the United States is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

Thing 8 - Lazybase

2008-02-15T12:22:00.006-06:00

What a great way to track things! I am a member of a group the does Middle Ages & Rennaissance recreation (kind of like Civil War Re-enactment - only we cover 600-1600 Europe). Here is a database I've created to keep track of projects I've worked on and put out for disply or competion.

I can see this coming in handy for libraries, for MANY things - upcoming events, book club selections, new books, librarian contact info, etc. Very cool tool!!

Thing 7 - Web 2.0 Communication

2008-02-15T11:31:00.004-06:00

Email - I've been using email for nearly 15 years now, and I am very impressed by the improvements that have been produced in this time. The spam filters are wonderful as are the rules that direct email directly into predesignated folders. I love having folders to organize my incoming mail, and have vowed that I wil not use my inbox for storage. I WILL read, reply & file them right away. And so far, so good.

IM - In my years online, I have used many different instant messanger services including AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Google Talk, and others I don't remember. (I currently use Yahoo {screen name rlgray001} & Google {screen name rlgray01}.) I love IMing and chatting real time with friends from around the country and also with co-workers just down the hall. It is quicker and less formal that calling or emailing, and I also like being able to send files quickly & easily.

Text Messaging - I am not a fan of texting, and have never sent a text message. I know if may seem odd since I do so much IMing ont he computer, but I feel that if I can send a text message on my cell phone, I can call the person much easier.

Web Conferencing - I have been a part of a couple webinars via SirsiDynix. They offer free webinars on a wide variety of library-related topics and the best thing about them is they archive their confrences so people can get the info long after the session is completed. I have also attended web confrences through my past employer, Minnesota School of Business. The online librarian holds basic library instruction sessions each quarter to teach students about using the matierals available to them on their webpage. The power of web confrences & webinars is in their ability to connect people from anywhere together at one time and teach them the same thing. A very powerful tool!

Thing 6 - Online Image Generators

2008-02-13T12:22:00.003-06:00

I've enjoyed playing with graphics for quite a few years, and never imagined the number of templates out there these days to make our lives easier! The templates on ImageChef were helpful, easy and best of all they look great. I can see myself using these for library programs and my blogs on a regular basis. Here's one I created...

Thing 5 - Flickr Fun

2008-02-12T09:36:00.001-06:00

My creation, originally uploaded by Lib Gray.

I took this self portrait in December at Barnes & Nobel, not even realizing that the reference sign was behind me...what fate! For this thing, I Warholizer-ed it. What a fun tool!

For using this in libraries, I could really see this tool being used for program promotion. This tool is a lot of fun, and the resulting image can be used for postcards, posters & bookmarks for popular (or young adult) programs.

This kind of tool could be a very fun way to have staff pictures on a l ibrary's website. Each staff member can pick one of these Flickr toys and create the way they want to introduce themselves to their public. A good way to say "See, we're really NOT stuffy!" :)

Thing 4 - Flickr

2008-02-12T09:09:00.001-06:00

OK...I just want to say that I LOVE that video introduction of "Online Photosharing in Plain English." What a great way to communicate this information!

I have used Flickr and other online photosharing in the past, and will share those images from that experience here. Here is my Flickr account: msblibrary.

Here is a coworker of mine when I worked for Minnesota School of Business - Dave Stevenson. We nicknamed him Super Dave, since we had lots of Daves on staff, and this one could fix just about anything!

Thing 3 - RSS Feeds

2008-02-07T14:56:00.000-06:00

I just did Thing 3 without meaning to! :) I wanted to see all my coworker's 23 Things blogs quickly and easily, and setup Google Reader to do this. And ZAP! Thing 3 was completed. I only know I did it because the first post that appeared in my reader screen was on Thing 3. Hehe

I've used this compiler in the past, but to be honest I haven't paid much attention to it before. I hope to peek in each morning when I get to work here at SELCO to see what everyone is up to.

Thing 2- What is Library 2.0 anyways?

2008-02-06T11:02:00.000-06:00

Library 2.0 is the library community's response to all the exciting and interactive things that have been developed for Web 2.0. I am really looking forward to exploring in-depth things like Facebook and Flickr and Wikis, and seeing how they can be applied to my professional life as a librarian. I am lucky that working at SELCO, I am given the time for exploring these new ideas through-out the work week.

Even though I am well versed in many aspects of the web and web developing )I worked for an ISP for 3 years in the late 1990s), many parts of Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 ellude me. I've used social networking sites in the past like MySpace, but have allowed my accounts to languish since I do not have time to maintain them, and in all honesty, I don't see their attraction to so many people. I hope that with participating in 23 Things on a Stick I will see the usage of all these applications as they relate to libraries and serving our publics. This is what I ultimately hope to gain from this experience.

Open ID

2008-02-06T09:42:00.001-06:00

I got this from Unshelved Blog. Quite interesting, but I'm not sure of if I like it or not yet. Basically, Open ID is there to let you have a site so you only need to remember your password for one site (the one you pick for Open ID of course!). Once you're connected to it, it automatically signs you in to your other accounts online, like LiveJournal. I'll explore it, and post again later.

Thing #1 - blog updated!

2008-02-03T17:24:00.000-06:00

I'm registered, I've created an avatar, I'm ready to go... I've started my 23 Things! Stay tuned for the next 22. :)

MS Walk - May 4

2008-01-31T15:22:00.000-06:00

Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. That's why I registered for Walk MS: Christopher & Banks Walk 2008 presented by Anchor Bank and that's why I'm asking you to support my fund raising efforts with a tax-deductible donation.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a collective of passionate individuals, moving together to create a world free of multiple sclerosis. But they can't do it alone. It's faster and easier than ever to support this cause that's so important to me. Simply click on the link at the bottom of this message. If you prefer, you can send your contribution to the address listed below.

Any amount, great or small, helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS. I appreciate your support and look forward to letting you know how I do.

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from Walk MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit nationalmssociety.org.

Click here to visit my personal page.

Click here to view the team page for Silfren Mere for Dana!

Click here to view the company page for Society for Creative Anacronism.

New Challenges

2008-01-31T14:42:00.000-06:00

Today is my last day at Minnesota School of Business as their campus librarian, and my feelings are very bittersweet in leaving. I have learned so much here from faculty, staff, students & other librarians, & I've really enjoyed my job. Unfortunately for MSB, I wasn't really challenged in this position, which is why I applied for the position at SELCO that I start on Monday.

I begin at SELCO on Monday, February 4, & am taking on the roll of Project Librarian for a Smart Investing @ Your Library grant they received. This means for the next 16 months or so, I'll be doing research & reference work for investing programs for both local libraries, AND the local public TV station. Should be very exciting & challenging, & totally different from what I've been doing in an academic setting over the last 2 years.

23 things...

2008-01-28T10:42:00.000-06:00

I am participating in 23 Things on a Stick. It is a program for Minnesota librarians to improve their Web 2.0 skills - Flickr, blogs and the like. I'm looking forward to seeing all the things this will have to offer. :)

Tatoos!

2007-12-03T10:58:00.000-06:00

Ok...I think I must get these for myself and other librarian friends. :)
http://www.mcphee.com/items/11696.html

MLA

2007-10-29T06:53:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted here. Sorry about that, and I'll do better in the future. :)

The MLA confrence this year was very good and I learned a lot. I also did a lot of good networking, which is never a bad thing. Got to know quite a few area public librarians which was also nice. I will be posting notes from the different break-out sessions I attended later this week. Quite a few of my friends from both MILE & St Kate's led some classes, which makes me very excited to do so next year. Hopefully I'll have an article about blogs under my belt by then as well!

Messy Desks

2007-08-07T12:46:00.000-05:00

I was not cut out to have my desk be in the public sphere. Depsite all my best wishes, my desk & shelves get cluttered and messy looking. I can find what I need, but it ain't pretty and tidy.

Serials

2007-07-18T09:20:00.000-05:00

Why, oh why, is it so hard to find a street that is new and hasn't existed before? One of the MSB campuses moved to a new building, causing strife and chaos for our newspaper deliveries there. I never thought it would take THREE calls over almost a month to customer service to get to talk to someone who knows what they're talking about!! Talk about frustrating!

I am also frustrated with program directors who think they can cancel &/or start up subscriptions to journals whenever they want. HELLO! Didn't they get the renewal information in April? Couldn't they take 10 minutes to look at it then and request their changes?? How do other academic libraries deal with this I wonder? Our policy is that these should all be done with the new ernewal cycle, but things happen sometimes that alter this.

Saddle up to the bar...

2007-07-10T17:29:00.000-05:00

I never knew I played the same role in society as a bartender. I help people order thing (books instead of drinks unfortunately!) & I listen to their problems. I never knew that my MLIS came with a gratis degree in human behavor! :)

One of my students/patrons, I'll call her Claire, came in today to check her email. No problem - all the computers were open since we don't have classes this week. She was able to log right on and take care of her messages. Of course, she couldn't just leave it at that. She had to fill me in on the latest happenings in her life - which involve her leaving her loser boyfriend who takes all her money and watches adult pay-per-view all day. As a captive audience, I got to sit and listen to her tale, and make the appropriate suggestion that it may be time for her to get closure with this relationship and move on. She's ready to do so, which is a good thing.

What I don't get is my role as librarian. I never knew that being a caring person would lead to people unloading their problems & issues on my desk. I don't mind really, but I am always surprised that they want to share them with someone they don't really know. Maybe it's just a non-biased sounding board they are seeking. *shrug* Just one of those things that make you say HMMMMM...

365 Library Days Project

2007-06-20T15:19:00.000-05:00

I just found out about & joined this 1/2 crazy, 1/2 interesting, 1/2 archival project. Here's what it's about from Libraryman himself:

Will you join in? What do you think of the idea? The group is up and ready to go, so why not learn more? Here’s the idea:

Let’s get as many libraries as we can to sign up for and actively participate in a customized, library friendly version of the 365 project. That would mean that if you decide to participate, you would commit to downloading at least 365 pictures from in, around or about the library you work in, for and/or with. Uploading a picture every day for 365 days in this case wouldn’t be practical for most folks, but committing to 365 images in a year could be done fairly easily. It could also have HUGE value for your library.

Just imagine what a valuable historic document you could create for your library with this project! And while you’re at it, at the end of your year commitment, you could contact your local newspaper and tell them about the project, where they could do a story and print selected pictures that you took over the year. Such a substantive advocacy project! It would demonstrate in very real ways, ways that get lost to many people in your community, that you and your library are doing important work every day of the year!

If you decide to take part, please add the photos you upload for the project into this group.

If you take part, please also tag the pictures you take for this project with the tag: 365libs

Finally, if you have any questions, I am willing to help. Drop me (Michael Porter, libraryman on flickr) a line via flickr mail or email me and I’ll help you get things running if you have any trouble.

Take pictures in/about/for your library! Share them! Join this community! Use this project and it’s collection as a powerful advocacy tool!

See you around the 365 Library Days Project Page!

If you're interested in seeing the images I'm taking for it, I've started a flickr account and folder for it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9127506@N02/sets/72157600412456751/

Serial's Strife

2007-06-12T10:47:00.001-05:00

I love my job...really I do. Why is it that I'm less than enthused about dealing with being the serial's librarian?

Could it be that there are lots of ins & outs to it and one has a lot of tedious little tasks when working with them? Could it be that its overwhelming that there are 8+ campuses each with around 100 titles?

Ack! I think it's all of the above. I guess I just get to buckle down and get serials done this afternoon.

The Library of the Future?

2007-06-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

I got this from a fellow librarian. It's a wonderful 7 minute piece on the possibilities of libraries in the technological age. I'm not sure where this library is, but I'm thinking a Scandinavian country somewhere. I hope to see something similar in the US sometime. It looks like a lot of work, but if it is successful, I can see the work being worth it completely!

Blog blatherings

2007-05-17T13:06:00.000-05:00

The blog article prep is going well. We've compiled a list of blogs mentioned in the Laughing Librarian's "Blogga Song". Jonya & I just have to tweek a couple more things with this list of 40+ library blogs to move onto Phase II, which will include winnowing down the list by 1/4. We hope to take 10 or so of these bloggers to get their help in brainstorming & developing the survey for our study.

In addition to having the list of blogs done, we also have permission to use the song & video for our MLA presentation. So we are well on our way to having our groundwork laid for an excellent article & presentation!

Professional Development

2007-05-03T14:49:00.000-05:00

I have been asked by Jonya Pacey @ SELCO to take part in a state-wide professional development library for librarians (others involved in this project are Pauline Siem, Jess Laares, and Brenda Carriere). There was a MN State Library that was shut down a couple governors ago, but the Friends of the Library has leftover funds of $30,000. Some of the library districts around the state (there are a total of 12) have these kinds of collections already started and funded as well. SELCO, for example, dedicates $500/year to this kind of collection. We hope to get both the district and the Friends funds as sources of funding for this project.

Things are still in their baby planning stages, but we are going to be putting together a proposal to create this new collection to present to a CRPSLA subcommittee to get this funding. Things we have to take a look at are where this collection will be housed (either at a central location or distributed around the state at the library district offices), how items in the collections will be shelved (either with existing collections located at the district offices or separately) and if we will be able to use the $500/year some districts are already putting aside to add to this collection. Of course, this is by NO means a complete list!!

I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead in working on this proposal.

Monday Musings

2007-04-30T15:58:00.000-05:00

You know, when it rains, it really does pour.

I have decided to write an article on blogger readership with a good friend on mine Joyna Pacey. It will be a study that looks at people who read blogs & why they do. We hope to present it at this year's MLA convention and also get our final findings published. It should be very interesting and a good way to get my name out there in the MN library community.

Jonya just emailed me today with another project she is working on that has to do with an area I really don't have much background in - Collection Development. The project has something to do with the state library closing. I don't know details yet, but it sounds very interesting. More to come when I learn more myself!

Blogs

2007-04-25T08:39:00.000-05:00

The reason behind this blog is to force myself to put my ideas and feelings about librarianship & being a library down to see if I can make any sense out of them. I would love to be able to write an article that's published in a library journal sometime, so I really need to figure out what inspires me.

One idea that a friend of mine (Jonya Pacey) and I are tossing around is a study on library blog readership and seeing how many/what kind of people read them on a daily basis. Here is our preliminary working concept:

We are examining the readership of library blogs to see what kind of librarian reads them and what topics are the most interesting for them. In doing this, we will look at outside interests, other technological interests they have (video games, mp3s, etc.) and also other interests (sci-fi literature/film, social groups/organizations, etc) to see if there are correlations about who reads blogs.

I think this should be very interesting to work on. If anyone has any articles they think will help us prepare for this, please let me know!

I am a librarian - really!

2007-04-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

"I am a LIBRARIAN!" ~Evie from The Mummy.

I can only agree with the above quote. Being a librarian is not just a job, it's a way of life. Unfortunately for me, that means people think I'm an organized type of person. Not so my friends! I am one of the more outwardly disorganized people I know, but if I need to find something in my misc. piles on my desk or at home, I can usually do it in 3.5 seconds. Give or take a few minutes.

But back to living life as a librarian. I love the fact that I know how and where to find information on a wide variety of topics - not just online either! I also love the fact that my education for this lifestyle included classes on how to catagorize information - just please don't ask me to catalog anything! Have you guessed yet that my passion is reference? I thought you may have. :)

I love helping others. I really do. It was a natural choice for me to go through the MLIS program at St. Kate's to combine my love of books/learning and helping others. I've been a professional librarian for 17 months now and I love it. Really. I am glad I've found a niche for myself and that I am able to do what I enjoy doing for a job. And also be able to live the exciting life of a librarian.
Excuse me, but a student needs help turning on a computer now.