whew...I am so glad that this is over. But it really isn't is it? Starting the whole process proved to be very difficult for me. In fact, I was blocked and finally had to admit that I needed something or someone to kickstart me into getting going. Luckily Annette Gaskins graciously offered to help and then showed immense patience with my frustration until Lo! the scales fell from my eyes and I could finally feel that, yes, I could do this. It wasn't easy and it DID take a LOT of TIME! But, now I consider it an investment in my future as a librarian. The experience gave me a frame of reference, new tools, some ideas, and terminology that will enhance my ability to understand and help the people who ask for my help. . . library patrons....and ain't that what it's all about anyway?
Adieu,
InfoSherpa
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Week Nine : Thing 22
Traveling long distances everyday to get to work and back home, I devour (if ears can devour) audiobooks. I would go absolutely crazy without them and in fact go into some type of withdrawal if a book ends while I'm driving and I don't immediately have a replacement. A serious "jones" that now even listening to NPR can quench. So, yes audiobooks are high on my list. As rapid as my interest (they are exclusively my highest check-out item) I have never taken to downloading audiobooks. At first I thought great but they are such a hassle and I have such weird tastes in books that I could rarely find anything that I wanted to read. I guess I am one of those rare individuals that don't read Steel, Grisham, Clark, Sparks or Patterson. I also don't own a MP3 player and didn't see the point of downloading them to CDs so that I can then play them in my car and then have absolutely no use for them again. Until it's easier with more choices I don't think that downloadables will last much longer. But, Project Gutenberg is a different story. I have long been a fan and it's been the rescuer of many a patron request that needed a copy of a classic and needed it now because their whole class was reading it and our last copy had just been checked out. For me, Project Gutenberg exemplifies the great joy of the Internet for me personally as a librarian.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Week Nine : Thing 21
Podcasts. Checked out podcast. net and checked out various podcasts on different subjects included libraries and librarians. Signed up for Libworm which pulls up various podcasts on whatever subjects you are interested in, kinda like the old Dogpile search engine. I can see how it can be used for teaching, sharing brief tidbits of information, perhaps even teaching patrons at the library how to use the computer.
Week Nine : Thing 20
YouTube. Well...prior to working on these 23 things I had only seen YouTube used in the library to show embarrassing, irreverent or downright obscene images. I equated it with America's Most Embarrassing etc. and the ilk. There's been lots of talk about how it can be used in libraries etc. and I can definitely see the potential and I enjoyed searching and finding video clips on mandalas BUT for myself, unless I had an express need to find a video clip I do not see myself searching on a daily basis for weird, cute or funny cat videos!
Mandalas: Spirit In Art
Week 9 : Thing 20
Mandalas fascinate me. I feel that they are not only a device for meditation but can provide a snapshot of our own unconscious state.
Week Eight : Thing 19
I looked at the list of award winners and had a hard time finding anything that interested me until I came across Lulu.com. A very "long tail" idea for self-publishing. The idea of self- publishing interests me very much. It looks to be a quick and easy process (haven't tried it yet so I can't say for sure). Having gone through the long process of getting my father's-in-law's writing self-published (it's been 3 years and still not in print) and my husband longing to publish his writings Lulu just might be the way to go. Plan to investigate the cost and maybe a Christmas gift is in the offing!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Week Eight : Thing 18
Since I already had a Google account and since it recently won an award, thought I'd go ahead and use Google Docs. What I like about this technology is that it opens up the strangle hold that Microsoft has on the market and offers products to people that can't afford or do not need the big software packages. They are bare bones users, like my mother and many of my patrons (I still have a hard time calling them customers ;-), who don't need all the bells and whistles. Spell check versions for different langauges and even for different version of English, American or UK, cool. Note : added the google doc version to my blog relatively easily.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Week Seven : Thing 17
This was NOT a pleasant experience. Very frustrating trying to do such a seemingly simple thing. Several sets of directions without any being clearly written. That's my big thing about technology...i need clear directions. I really am not stupid but I do wish that just because a step is obvious to the person writing the directions doesn't mean that it's going to be obvious to the person reading them. Over my lifetime I have written A LOT of procedures and no matter how well thought out YOU think it is when it comes down to the "doing" of it by the person for whom the procedures were written it can turn into a whole 'nother animal. Then again, I've worked a full day and am into my, what, 11th hour of straight time at work. I'm probably so tired that i couldn't comprehend the directions to tie a shoe.
Week Seven : Thing 16
Wikis
I love Wikis. I've been a big fan of Wikipaedia from the very beginning. But then again, I was a big fan of pathfinders too! To me a Wiki is like one great big collaborative pathfinder. That is, an informative guide that can lead you to many places. It is wonderful to see the myriad ways that people are using this idea of collborative information sharing. Talk about being pertinent to librarians, aren't we all just walkin'-talkin' Wikis? Before HCPL decided to do the Learning 2.0 thang I had already thought that using a wiki as a way to create a living breathing Branch Manager's handbook was the way to go (now having the time to do it is the problem, yes, it's that old time thing again that I keep ranting about.) Heavy sigh...
I love Wikis. I've been a big fan of Wikipaedia from the very beginning. But then again, I was a big fan of pathfinders too! To me a Wiki is like one great big collaborative pathfinder. That is, an informative guide that can lead you to many places. It is wonderful to see the myriad ways that people are using this idea of collborative information sharing. Talk about being pertinent to librarians, aren't we all just walkin'-talkin' Wikis? Before HCPL decided to do the Learning 2.0 thang I had already thought that using a wiki as a way to create a living breathing Branch Manager's handbook was the way to go (now having the time to do it is the problem, yes, it's that old time thing again that I keep ranting about.) Heavy sigh...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Week Six : Thing 15
Learning 2.0 and the Future of Libraries.
To everything there is a season. There is nothing new under the sun. To thine own self be true.
My first "job" working in a library was in elementary school. The librarian would let me behind the desk and stamp my classmates' books with due dates. Pretty darn low tech. No bells and whistles, just you and the books and the worlds contained within. That was the truth of that library in that time. It was about reading, information. It was about opening and expanding the mind beyond everyday existence in order to grow a person, to invest in their, and thereby, the world's future. Scroll forward to undergraduate school where I worked in the Music Library. This was a place of exploration. Once again a place to expand oneself but it was also a place of "social networking", a place to meet friends, to talk, to share, and to drive the librarian crazy. (That woman deserves sainthood for so good-naturedly putting up with our crazy antics). Moving on, I worked in the cataloging department in the medical/health sciences library in a univesity setting. Technology was just making it's way into libraries. We were using OCLC and those big bulky terminals. The emphasis on this library was providing needed information pure and simple. Access and speed of retrieval were the driving factors. Same for the serials department I worked in at another University. More technology was available for serials management. In both University situations the transition from print to digital was not easy, not because we objected to it but because the technology was not improving access or increasing speed. Print was faster and more accurate. The technology had not developed sufficiently to be an improvement over the paper systems. Moving forward to working in law libraries. In this environment I was on the cutting edge. I saw the need for information at the speed of sound was a constant for attorneys. Technology could do this I felt but the attorneys were not sold on it. When I implemented the first access to the Internet in the entire law firm in my library I was told by the managing partner that I "shouldn't be anticipating the needs of the attorneys" that they "would just let me know when they needed something". Through training, one-on-one's with the attorneys, publishing an in-house newsletter, and proving to them that this was the way government agencies and courts were going, I finally turned them around until they were clamoring for everyone to have access. Years have passed with my seeing technology more and more important in libraries. I see decisions made for the sake of technology rather than to expand on the essence of the library. Perhaps each library and each librarian needs to ask themselves these questions when faced with making a decision about technology, or where they should spend their moneis, or how they should build and design their buildings; what is our truth, are we supporting that truth, and are we "marketing" our truth? What drives our decisions; zeitgeist, the need to justify our existence, or our truth.
To everything there is a season. There is nothing new under the sun. To thine own self be true.
My first "job" working in a library was in elementary school. The librarian would let me behind the desk and stamp my classmates' books with due dates. Pretty darn low tech. No bells and whistles, just you and the books and the worlds contained within. That was the truth of that library in that time. It was about reading, information. It was about opening and expanding the mind beyond everyday existence in order to grow a person, to invest in their, and thereby, the world's future. Scroll forward to undergraduate school where I worked in the Music Library. This was a place of exploration. Once again a place to expand oneself but it was also a place of "social networking", a place to meet friends, to talk, to share, and to drive the librarian crazy. (That woman deserves sainthood for so good-naturedly putting up with our crazy antics). Moving on, I worked in the cataloging department in the medical/health sciences library in a univesity setting. Technology was just making it's way into libraries. We were using OCLC and those big bulky terminals. The emphasis on this library was providing needed information pure and simple. Access and speed of retrieval were the driving factors. Same for the serials department I worked in at another University. More technology was available for serials management. In both University situations the transition from print to digital was not easy, not because we objected to it but because the technology was not improving access or increasing speed. Print was faster and more accurate. The technology had not developed sufficiently to be an improvement over the paper systems. Moving forward to working in law libraries. In this environment I was on the cutting edge. I saw the need for information at the speed of sound was a constant for attorneys. Technology could do this I felt but the attorneys were not sold on it. When I implemented the first access to the Internet in the entire law firm in my library I was told by the managing partner that I "shouldn't be anticipating the needs of the attorneys" that they "would just let me know when they needed something". Through training, one-on-one's with the attorneys, publishing an in-house newsletter, and proving to them that this was the way government agencies and courts were going, I finally turned them around until they were clamoring for everyone to have access. Years have passed with my seeing technology more and more important in libraries. I see decisions made for the sake of technology rather than to expand on the essence of the library. Perhaps each library and each librarian needs to ask themselves these questions when faced with making a decision about technology, or where they should spend their moneis, or how they should build and design their buildings; what is our truth, are we supporting that truth, and are we "marketing" our truth? What drives our decisions; zeitgeist, the need to justify our existence, or our truth.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Week Six : Thing 14
Technorati, like a lot of Internet tools, is a snapshot of cultural zeitgeist. By perusing the favorited, to searches and top blogs I found it interestingly equally divided between techno-geeky and the Brittany Spears/Paris Hilton stuff. Top searches was pop celebrity gossip while favorite blog and top blogs favored the techie category. I personally don't see myself spending anytime in the new future with Technorati, unless bedridden for like 2 years and ran out of things to do.
Week Six ; Thing 13
At heart I'm a cataloger. Early professional experience in librarianship involved lots & lots of cataloging. Such as original cataloging of hundreds of nursing theses (that's how I could tell that I was a cataloger at heart, I actually enjoyed doing it.) I haven't done any "real" cataloging in a while and I miss it. What I don't miss were the limitations of the LC subject headings. They drove me crazy. They were archaic and rigid and everything tagging isn't. That's why I love tagging. Finally subject headings that are personal and flexible. They can evolve as language evolves and keep pace with the world. Now when it comes to Del.icio.us, well, I find it cumbersome and find IE favorites suits my needs and I'm not that interested in peering into others "filing cabints". I barely have enough time to straighten my own.
Week Five : Thing 12
Rollyo
Not the most intuitive tool but can definitely see the potential in streamlining research. Kind of reminds me of the old "Dogpile" in the pre-Google days.
Not the most intuitive tool but can definitely see the potential in streamlining research. Kind of reminds me of the old "Dogpile" in the pre-Google days.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Week Five : Thing 11
Love, love, love Library Thing. Now this is the most useful "thing" that I have discovered thus far. Definitely something that I will continue to use.
Week Five : Thing 10
Whew!!! Creation of an avatar takes a heck of a lot of work. Now I understand why the kids can get hooked onto the computer for 8 hours at a time. It's fun but goodness gracious the time!!!
And as I keep saying over and over, this girl just ain't got the time!
And as I keep saying over and over, this girl just ain't got the time!
Week Four : Things 8 & 9
I'm not real wild about RSS feeds. It's just one more thing to keep track of, one more thing to do on the computer. When I'm not asking kids to be quiet or solving the myriad problems that occur in a busy branch, I'm on the computer. So when I go home the idea of turning my computer on and reading some hot RSS feeds just doesn't turn me on. Give my a great book that I can touch, smell, feel, and read!
Week Four : Thing 8
Merlin could be addictive. So easy to get caught up in the interesting stuff that libraries and librarians think about, explore and share. I've added it to my Bloglines account (not that i ever have time just to set and read) but it's knid of nice knowing that it's there waiting for me.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Week Three : Thing 7
Anything technology related that interests me . . .
There is too little time in my life to really play with technology. It has always been a matter of learning for the sake of my job than just technology for fun. I have just so many interests in my life that the time it takes to mess around with the big T doesn't seem worth it, especially since I'm mired hip-deep in it all day. I am very interested in using Wiki's, but once again for work. Posting family pictures with flickr is interesting but it's not really new. There have been other ways to do it for years. But the idea of using a wiki to create your own "encyclopeadia" with input for others has the possibility of being a very useful tool.
There is too little time in my life to really play with technology. It has always been a matter of learning for the sake of my job than just technology for fun. I have just so many interests in my life that the time it takes to mess around with the big T doesn't seem worth it, especially since I'm mired hip-deep in it all day. I am very interested in using Wiki's, but once again for work. Posting family pictures with flickr is interesting but it's not really new. There have been other ways to do it for years. But the idea of using a wiki to create your own "encyclopeadia" with input for others has the possibility of being a very useful tool.
Week One : Thing 2
Pointers from lifelong learners
My mother is my model for a lifelong learner. At the age of 78 she learned how to use a computer and a complicated phone system for her job as receptionist/switchboard operator at a hospital. She was proud to claim that she learned how to use that computer faster than some of "those" younger girls. In her late 40s after having five children and never having graduated from high school she took secretarial courses so that she could join the workforce. She also took up golf and played until the arthritis held her up. She sang in a church choir although she had never had any music training or much of a voice but she loved to sing. In her 70s she began to garden, which she had never done before, on her small apartment patio and took so much joy and pride at the beauty that she created. While I was growing up, she taught herself how to sew and made not only my clothes but also those impossibly tiny clothes for my Barbie doll. What better role model that shows all the attributes of a lifelong learner than my own mother.
My mother is my model for a lifelong learner. At the age of 78 she learned how to use a computer and a complicated phone system for her job as receptionist/switchboard operator at a hospital. She was proud to claim that she learned how to use that computer faster than some of "those" younger girls. In her late 40s after having five children and never having graduated from high school she took secretarial courses so that she could join the workforce. She also took up golf and played until the arthritis held her up. She sang in a church choir although she had never had any music training or much of a voice but she loved to sing. In her 70s she began to garden, which she had never done before, on her small apartment patio and took so much joy and pride at the beauty that she created. While I was growing up, she taught herself how to sew and made not only my clothes but also those impossibly tiny clothes for my Barbie doll. What better role model that shows all the attributes of a lifelong learner than my own mother.
Week Two : Thing 3
7 and 1/2 lifelong learning habits.
Easiest : View problems as challenges
Some might call it a "knack", others experience and training, and still others would say intuition but put me down anywhere and in any situation and I can tell you what needs to be fixed and how to fix it. It's so much fun to almost step outside of myself and view the situation from different angles and to be able to say, "okay, now here's what you need to do".
Hardest : Play
It can be so difficult not to get so caught up in solving the challenges that I lose that wonderful feeling of play that can come from solving the sweet conundrums.
Easiest : View problems as challenges
Some might call it a "knack", others experience and training, and still others would say intuition but put me down anywhere and in any situation and I can tell you what needs to be fixed and how to fix it. It's so much fun to almost step outside of myself and view the situation from different angles and to be able to say, "okay, now here's what you need to do".
Hardest : Play
It can be so difficult not to get so caught up in solving the challenges that I lose that wonderful feeling of play that can come from solving the sweet conundrums.
Week Three : Thing Five.2
Mandalas take you into a journey into self. An Info Sherpa can be a guide through the mandalas of your subconscious. Helping you to discover the many stories that reside within each of us.
Week Three : Thing Five
Being an Information Sherpa can lead you through many a varying landscape. One of those roads led me to the study of the Tarot.
Beginning the Journey
Packed and ready to go on the journey. Not sure where it will take me but I'm sure that come what may it will be a grand ride!
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