Moving On from "23 Things on a Stick"

Well, I finished the "23 Things" twenty-four hours before deadline (phew!!) and had a great time doing it. Now, I want to continue the blog, going onward and forward to try to stay current and "invigorated."

I'm making some layout changes to the blog, so I'm moving the list of "23 Things" to this blog post, for posterity's sake (so I can remember how slowly the process went, at times).

What Are the "23 Things"?

01 Set up blog, post an entry, add an avatar - DONE!
02 Read/watch, then discuss Web 2.0 - Fini!
03 Learn about RSS - Done!
04 Explore Flickr - fait accompli
05 More fun with Flickr - Done!
06 Play with online image generator - Done.
07 Try communication tools - Done!
08 Share slide decks, photos, or presentation slides - Done.
09 Learn about collaboration tools - Completed; but would like to try editing with Zoho.
10 Learn about wikis. Add an entry to the "23 Things" wiki - Done!
11 Learn about tagging and del.icio.us - Done; but would like to have del.icio.us working correctly under IE 7.0.
12 Explore social media sites -- Dugg!
13 Try out an online productivity tool - Done!
14 Play with LibraryThing -- Done.
15 Explore some online games -- Done.
16 Learn about Assignment Calculator and the Research Project Calculator -- Done.
17 Use ELM productivity tools -- Done; would like to get NetLibrary to work better.
18 Explore YouTube and other video sites -- Done.
19 Learn about podcasts -- Done.
20 Explore Facebook and MySpace -- Done!
21 Learn about other social networks -- Done with the Ning Thing.
22 How can I keep learning about Web 2.0 and Library 2.0.? - Done.
23 Online evaluation and blog entry about the "23 Things" experience! DONE!

Thing 23 - Final Thoughts

I am mentally and physically tired at the end of a long day of finishing up my 23 Things on a Stick (yup, I let the later Things languish a little too long). (Ooh, nice alliteration! Now I know I'm tired!) But I am also invigorated by considering what I have learned, and the infrastructure I have established. I set up a blog, and have kept it fresh and vital (I hope I will continue to keep it active). I gained familiarity with Flickr and Facebook, encountered old friends and met new ones. I expanded on my use of RSS and Library Thing. I had a little fun break at YouTube, and envisioned what could be done in my library. I wondered at podcasts and Webinars, IM, and SMS. I visited other 23 Thing-ers' blogs, and learned from their creativity. I've become very "sociable" in social networks and on wikis.

I think I learned a little bit about maintaining a careful critiquing view of the "latest and greatest" tools. My time is valuable, and so I need to determine which tools will be most helpful to me in my personal life and as I strive to be the best librarian that I can be.

If I could choose one word to sum up the experience, it would "invigoration." I see so many possibilities in Web 2.0 and Library 2.0. I am very thankful for this experience, and I would definitely participate in "23 More Things on a Stick"!

Thing 22 - Ways to Keep Learning

Well, now I'm getting sad that the 23 Things is almost over! The thing is, it isn't. I plan to just turn right around and review and refresh my take on the 23 Things. I'll tidy up loose ends (like my del.ici.ous not working correctly with my IE 7.0). I'll look at the "Challenge" activities, and maybe try some of them out.

My RSS reader will be a great help. I've conscientiously added feeds throughout the project, and I think that this will be very helpful to me in the long run.

I will attempt to spend at least 15 minutes a day to maintain my blog, use the tools that I have learned, keep up with new tools, and apply those tools to my work in the library whenever I have the opportunity. These months working on the Things have reinforced my curiosity and ability to use new tools. I'll continue the process, and use my blog to tell myself (and the world), "This is what I learned today!"

Thing 21 - Other Social Networks

I had joined the 23 Things group at Ning a while ago, so my work for this Thing was made a little easier.

1. I read the articles ("Can Gather.com Get Book Lovers Online?" and "Building a Social Networking Environment at the Library"). I found the second article especially appropriate for this project. The author provided three steps to establish a social network in a library: (1) education of staff; (2) the stimulating of imagination of the staff; and (3) integrate the new network into the existing library structures. Sounds simple, but that's a lot to accomplish.

2. As I said, I had joined Ning already, and I had responded to a message from another "23 Thinger," Minnemom. To reinforce this part of Thing 21, I sent Minnemom another message. I also joined another Ning group, Ramsey County Library, which I found at Ning. I knew that there were other RCL people doing the Things, but it was great to get "sociable" with them. I posted to the wall of that group. I tried to find a "Ning badge" to put on my blog, but I have no idea what that is or how to add it. So, instead, I published some photos of the Textile Center Library to the "23 Things" group.

3. My final activity was to find another social network that might interest me. I find myself drawn to Library Thing, and I plan to explore the social aspect of that site.

I was very excited to find another Ning group to join! (the Ramsey County group). I can see how joining a social network helps to create a feeling of community.

Thing 20 - Social Networking and Libraries

For this thing, I set up an account on Facebook. Despite long (!) wait times to accomplish the updates, I completed my profile, sent a bunch of invitations to my family and friends to "friend" me (nobody has, yet, boohoo), and joined a bunch of groups. I found a "23 Things on a Stick" group, the ALA Members, the MLA group, the Library 2.0 Interest Group, and one whose name just cracks me up - "Don't Mess With Me, I Worked in a Public Library." The intent of the group is to commiserate about the joys and sorrows of working in the public library environment; well, I can certainly relate to that.

I posted to the wall of 23 Things on a Stick.

Personally, I found family and friends that I did expect to be on Facebook, and quite a few that I was surprised to see. I guess one should never judge about technical inclination! I'm hoping to reconnect with some that I haven't talked to in a while.

I chose Facebook, rather than MySpace for this Thing, because it seemed a little more secure, a little more private. I know that the intent of online social networks is to be. . .sociable, but I like the fact that Facebook won't show your profile to an unregistered user.

The tool was easy enough to figure out, but as I mentioned, it seemed a little slow. I guess one wouldn't update their profile every day, but time crawled when I would wait for a simple change to be saved.

So, I will wait for my friends to befriend me, check my Facebook account regularly, and see where it leads. I can see a lot of advantage to using Facebook, both personally and for libraries.

Thing 19 - Podcasting

Podcasts are a wonderful way to broadcast information and opinion. I had some exposure to podcasts from library school, but with this Thing, I feel just overwhelmed by how many podcasts are out there!

I played around in a few podcast directories--the MPR podcast site (in fact, I added the site to my "23 Things" bookmarks, because the site seems to have quite a few podcasts for news and music). I listened, just for the heck of it, to a podcast about Jimi Hendrix on the "Facemelter" set at the MPR site. The hosts were very funny and the music sounded great, even on my little laptop speakers.

Then, I moved to Podcast.com, and even established an account there. I don't know if I'll use my Podcast account much, but I did add a few podcasts to my Bloglines account - "Book Lust" with Nancy Pearl, and "The Marketplace of Ideas," which I found by searching for "literature." I found "Book Lust" by simply specifying the title; I've always enjoyed reading Nancy Pearl's essays, and now I can listen to them! I have no idea what to expect with "The Marketplace of Ideas," but it looked promising.

Here is a link to the "Book Lust" podcast that I listened to, and which I would highly recommend. I'm looking forward to listening to more Nancy Pearl podcasts.

http://video.seattle.gov:8080/podcasts/BookLust/JustinaChenHeadley.mp3

I think it would be so much fun to make podcasts and put them out there; even more fun if people would listen to them. I did find myself trying to multi-task while I was listening, like I wasn't doing enough! I found it a little disconcerting to not have printed words in front of me, to be just listening, but I think I could adjust.

Libraries could really utilize podcasting! For book reviews and author interviews (like "Book Lust"), or for training purposes (how to use the library, even in its "1.0" format). The possibilities are endless!

Thing 18 - Explore YouTube and other video sites

I just love YouTube! It's such a great forum to get messages (and entertainment) to people, to share in a social environment. Video-sharing is definitely a Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 thing to do.

Here's the video that I selected for my blog: it's one of the videos that the ALA made in honor of National Library Week. I think it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.




I looked for other videos with the tag of "library card" and found a cute one from the television show "Arthur" ("Having fun isn't hard...When you've got a library card!").

I really enjoyed all of the videos in this Thing. I'd seen most of them before, but some were new to me, like the hilarious "Library Musical." Part of the beauty of the musical video was seeing the reactions of the library patrons to the "prank," both during and after--very sweet.

The "Web 2.0 Directory: Econsultant" site ( http://web2.econsultant.com/ ) is terrific - I added it to my "Interesting Links" on this blog, and I also grabbed the RSS feed for my Bloglines account.

I really think video is important to a library website, and can convey so much of the values, mission, intelligence, and sense of humor of a library and its personnel. Video is a real common denominator in our society; it's a medium that most individuals can utilize (even the visually-impaired can enjoy the audio component). Services like YouTube make it seem fairly easy to incorporate video, and I think that the opportunity should be taken.

Thing 17 - ELM Productivity Tools

ELM really has a lot of powerful tools, but I finished this Thing with a bad experience with NetLibrary--while logged in, at the end of my search, looking at my eContent book, I kept getting booted to a Log In screen. A few times I managed to look at pages within the book, but I was never able to add notes. So, I give a "thumbs down" to NetLibrary. Which is really too bad, because it looks very helpful.

1. Create a Search Alert. This activity was easy to do, now that the bugs had been worked out in the process of capturing the RSS feed. Thank you to all of you early finishers! I created an EBSCO search on (okay, this may sound boring)...the Old Testament, choosing only peer-reviewed journals that were available in full-text. I also wanted only English articles, so I limited it to keyword=English (I couldn't figure out any other way to do it). I successfully added my search alert to my Bloglines account.

2. EBSCO Page Composer. This was kind of fun. I can see a use for this (as I stated in my web page) as a place to keep notes and links about searching in EBSCO, for sharing or just for record-keeping.

I read in the comments for this Thing that it really isn't necessary to "save the webpage." The page is assigned space inside my account. So I didn't attempt that. I did confirm that the webpage stuck around, did not vanish into thin air.

3. ProQuest - Create a web page. This was easy; I emailed the html file to myself and my husband (since I'm working these Things on my own). I also downloaded the file to my computer. There was a handy help function on the screen that helped me a lot.

I can see a real use for this product in helping develop a reading list for a research project. It could be very handy for students and other patrons.

I, too, had a terrible time trying to look at the videos. I'm still clocking on one of them! Well, I guess I kept hitting the link, trying to bring it up. I only attempted the first video.

4. NetLibrary. Grrr! I followed the instructions to the letter (I think) but still kept getting the Log In screen (even though my name appeared at the top of the screen as being logged in, and NetLibrary knew what book I was looking at. Maybe they were doing maintenance to the thing at the time I was trying to work? (it was kind of late at night). I might add a note to follow up on this Thing after the 23 Things on a Stick is done.

Yikes! Six Things left to do!

Thing 16 -- Student 2.0 Tools

The Assignment Calculator and Research Project Calculator (RPC) are very cool! I wish they'd been around when I was in high school, or that I had known about them in my college years.

I browsed through them both (although the RPC seems to have a lot more to offer, in terms of support materials and links). The Assignment Calculator provides a lot of great practical hints for the U of M student. It is geared to a research paper format, providing a 12-step research guide and timeline for the project. It recommends resources and strategies for completion of the paper.

The RPC offers guidelines for two other project types -- slideshow, and video. I don't know how often those types of projects are done in the secondary environment, but the availability allows for "compare and contrast" activity. The RPC site had some great support materials. The Glossary of Terms would be helpful to a student struggling with concepts, and the teacher or librarian trying to assist her. The MEMO Standards for Information and Technology Literacy are linked to, as well as the Metronet Information Literacy Initiative (MILI) "dribbling exercises."

I added links on my blog to many of these things -- they are so valuable! I've always thought that information literacy is of utmost importance to the student, the school, and the library, and there is so much here that is helpful.

I would love to have a chance to show the RPC to a secondary student. I think that they would appreciate the automation idea, the way that the tool helps them organize and to plan their time to accomplish the goal. The RPC is really easy to use -- I entered a "calculation" for the remainder of Things that I need to complete for this project, and emailed the overview to myself.

In the same way that I linked to these tools on my blog, I think that libraries could link to them on their webpages, on the first page of a separate youth page, or even on the main page. So much great work has been done already, and the library (school or public) should take advantage of it.

It would be great to have school and public libraries work together when research projects are assigned, focusing on these tools. Kids often come to the public library, looking for books on a topic, but if the librarian had a "heads up" on the assignment, the end result would be better. If the teacher, the school library, and the public library were all using the same tools, no doubt, the student would benefit.

Thing 15 - Online Games and Libraries

This Thing has brought me into contact with my prejudices and biases toward online gaming. Intellectually, I can see that video gaming could be fun, socially engaging, and mentally stimulating. But I find it hard to understand how a person could spend hours involved in a world that is make-believe. I am shocked by the amount of time that gaming seems to consume.

But...I am of the generation that grew up watching television for hours each day. And frequently not the "good" stuff on public TV (that's all we had back then; no cable TV, so no Discovery or History Channel or Learning Channel). I and my cohort watched sit-coms, and lots of them, literally for hours every day. Now, there's a waste of time.

I found the article by Henry Jenkins, "Eight Myths about Video Games Debunked," very enlightening. The author refutes these eight myths: (1) The availability of video games has led to an epidemic of youth violence; (2) Scientific evidence links violent game play with youth aggression; (3) Children are the primary target for video gamers (over 60% of the market consists of adults 18 years of age or older); (4) Almost no girls play computer games; (5) Because games are used to train soldiers to kill, they have the same impact on the kids who play them; (6) Vido games are not a meaningful form of expression; (7) Video games play is socially isolating; and (8) Video game play is desensitizing.

I find especially promising the idea that gaming can be a leveler, a socially- and politically-neutral way for teens of both genders to meet, get to know each other, and even work together.

I took a look at Puzzle Pirates, and it does look like a lot of fun. I hadn't heard about the game before. On the other hand, I had heard of Second Life, but had never visited the site or actually seen what it looked like. It was enlightening to see a little bit of what it's all about. I took a look through the Second Life site, took the Info Island tour, and visited the Teen Second Life resources that were listed in the Thing.

Although I probably won't pursue online gaming or Second Life for myself, I think that online game play might have a place in the library. Gaming won't overrun the library, but will only be an additional option. Offering games for checkout or at special stations won't harm anyone, and may bring in new patrons, as well as bringing a new form of entertainment to library users. Special event gaming, like tournaments, sound like a lot of fun, both for the participants, and for the librarians putting on the events.

The idea of gaming in libraries seems to me now like a breath of fresh air. Fresh air to clear out the cobwebs and dust, to bring a little life and laughter into the library.

Thing 14 - LibraryThing

I love LibraryThing. I've been a member for a while now, and have about eighty books cataloged. Here is a link to my catalog -- http://www.librarything.com/catalog/klobrien2

For this Thing, since I was already pretty familiar with the product, I decided to add to and to refine my LibraryThing experience. I'm now watching the MLA LibraryThing, and I've joined the "Librarians who use LibraryThing" group. I added the LibraryThing Search widget to my blog. I added the LibraryThing blog to my Bloglines reader. I'll be able to keep more up-to-date on what's happening with LibraryThing.

I think LibraryThing has a lot to offer to a library. How cool would it be to have tag-based browsing and recommendations on the OPAC, based on the vast amount of information on LibraryThing?

Thing 13 - Online Productivity Tools

This Thing was a lot of fun! However, I think that the productivity of these tools would come after a bit of time, after one has gotten used to using them.

I used iGoogle to set up my home page--well, I didn't make it my home page yet, but I may do so. I was really impressed with all of the gadgets available, and went a little crazy setting some up. Not only did I add a "Countdown" gadget, but also a weather forecast, Google Calendar, and Date and Time. I went with iGoogle for convenience sake--a lot of the work that we've done for 23 Things has been Google-based. I was also impressed by how well-designed and visually attractive the iGoogle site looked.

I think that the Google Calendar could be quite useful. I added a task for two days from now, and it was really easy to do. I think that the fact that the calendar is online makes it very useful in scheduling meetings (I'm assuming that it could be set up to allow others access to your personal calendar).

I set up an online list tool - Ta Da List. (I started a list of the Things that I have left to do in the 15 days left of this project--yikes!) I think that a tool like Ta Da List could be very useful personally. I am an inveterate list maker, and here's a way to make lists that aren't just on paper, but which can be saved, emailed, and printed. Again, a real advantage is the online nature of the tool--it can become a collaborative, dynamic thing when working with others.

I also downloaded Sticky-Notes.net (the "lite" version). I'm not very familiar with this tool yet, but I can see lots of applications personally for this product. I am sure that, with practice, this tool would become very useful (again, for the listmaker in all of us).