Well it's the end of the road, folks. I've enjoyed parts of this course more than others, which is not surprising I guess. It was kind of hard to get started, and as a part time worker it has been difficult to get it all completed in the allotted time at work. I found myself spending more time than was originally suggested to get through the course. Obviously some modules took alot longer than others to get through, and some of the technologies appealed to me more than others did.
I did have previous hands on experience with some of these things, such as Facebook, and others I had dabbled in, like Youtube. I had never blogged, never been on Twitter, and some things like Library Thing, I had never heard of at all. So it was a learning experience for me, and I would say I am more aware now of some of the wide range of Web 2.0 technologies that are out there waiting for us. Certainly I felt some were more appealing to me than others, but they all obviously had merit in one way or another.
Actually I'm not sure that you can make a profit from Geocaching, but I do know people who have done it and tell me it can be alot of fun. I am an SES volunteer, and I must say our training searches using GPS can be a bit hit and miss, so it would be interesting to see how hard it would be to fnd the 'Cache. Looking around on the Geocaching Australia site it seems to be a very popular activity. Some caches have puzzles to solve before you get the details, and other just give the co-ordinates.
I can't see Geocaching being used at our library anytime soon (funding & staffing), but I could imagine it would be possible to make use of it. For example you could have a Local History heritage trail using Geocaching to lead you from one point of interest to the next.
Hopkinton Library Puzzler requires you to use the library to solve the puzzle which will give you the Geocache co-ordinates. Clever!
I think Podcasts can be a great tool, but like much of the resources available on the internet, you need a pretty good connection to take advantage of it. Since my home connection could best be described as "dodgy" (sorry Virgin Broadband, but you know it's true) I have never really got into Podcasts at all.
I had a look around on the Library Success Wiki and didn't find much Australian content on there at all. I looked at Lincoln City Libraries, and they have a program called 'Casting About which are satff book reviews done as an interview and presented as an audio file. That seemed to be a pretty good idea to me, assuming your staff are happy to do it.
The library could use Podcasting to present book reviews, it could also record talks and events that occur here and make them available. Podcasting could be used for staff training, and also to "spread the word" from the CEO or other management.
I had a look around the web for some Podcasts that I might like to listen/sunscribe to. Lonely Planet the travel company do Podcasts on various travel topics that are quite interesting. The ABC website http://www.abc.net.au/services/podcasting/ has heaps of current information, and would be a great way to keep up with current affairs and topics you might otherwise miss.
You Tube is very popular here at the library. Many patrons spend time every day on the free internet terminals watching YouTube videos (Facebooking is popular also). I enjoy YouTube also, it is a huge collection of videos, with a massive variety, educational, informative, hilarious - you name it.
YouTube could be used here at the library to provide educational videos/slideshows, for instance on how the self check unit works. It could also possibly be used to post video of library events (with patron consent of course) such as the annual senior's trip. I found a great library video, which I think many public library staff will relate to.
I also had to put in a video simply because I really like it. This is what Wikipedia said about the Budweiser Clydesdales Superbowl ads.
Television advertising featuring the Budweiser Clydesdales had been a longstanding Super Bowl tradition. However, in 2010, the new parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, announced that there would not be a Clydesdales ad aired during the 2010 Super Bowl. However, the company reversed its position after asking fans to vote on Facebook whether to include the horses in an ad, compared against two other potential spots. As a result, the company aired a Clydesdale-focused ad during the fourth quarter,[7] one of nine ads aired by the company during the game.[8]
The power of the internet!
Their ads are great if you have a soft spot for Clydesdales (which I do)!
Of course I'd heard about Twitter in the news, usually with celebrities telling people what they had for breakfast, and I always thought "what a load of cr*p, and why would anyone care?" So now I have my own Twitter account @lisajs68 and so far I am unconvinced. I'm trying to find some interesting people to follow, so I can get the feeling of why Twitter could be a good thing. So far I'm seeing alot of links to follow, some are interesting, some not so much. More to follow......
I've had a bit of a conversation on there, and retweeted something, and I think maybe I'm starting to see how it works. The information seems to move very quickly, so it seems best suited for people who will be connected all the time. That's not really me at the moment, but I can see how some people would love it. As a tool for work, Cockburn Library are on twitter and show how it can be used to send out quick messages about upcoming events, new resources, current affairs etc. Certainly it could be of use to a portion of the clientele, as another means of keeping people informed.
I have a personal Facebook account, but I am not massively active on it, although I tend to at least log in everyday. It is a easy way of keeping in touch with people in a broad kind of a way, and also can be fun with people posting links, pictures etc. I recently went to a High School reunion that was organised mostly via Facebook, and it was a great way to get in touch with a lot of people.
In a work context Facebook can be used to keep patrons up to date with functions and changes at the library. Ellenbrook Library have a Facebook page that seems to be fairly well used, and kept well up to date. The important thing would be for staff to have a commitment to keeping the page up to date and relevant, and also promoting it to the customers.
Well, what an easy way to pass (waste?) some time. The temptation is strong to JUST KEEP ADDING BOOKS. It's so satisfying to seem them all listed there with the cover pages and all. I have an urge to wander around my house with my laptop, and add in all the books I can find, just to see them all listed nicely! My Library Thing page is here if you would like to take a look. I am planning to add a Library Thing widget to the blog, but so far I'm not having much luck. I followed the instructions (well, I tried to) but no joy, so I'll try asking someone for help next. So time will tell whether a widget will appear on here or not!
I really like the way you can click through to see who else has the same books, then see what else they have, and just keep going and going. A couple of quick clicks took me to the virtual libraries of people in Edmonton, Canada and in Johannesburg, South Africa, who share at least some of my literary tastes. Exploring other peoples libraries is interesting, and usually ends up with me seeing titles I think I'd like to track down and read myself.
