Reflections Upon 27 Things

What would you like to learn more about?

I am interested in Second Life in terms of how it relates to libraries. We practiced a bit when I was in Tucson for library school orientation, but I'm still not entirely familiar with navigating the program.
It would be really interesting to check out one of the virtual libraries or classrooms in Second Life. It might even be a good way to offer online staff or patron trainings at KCLS.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

I have definitely felt the need to further my knowledge of technology in libraries, but I never thought that Web 2.0 could be a way to do this. In addition to the blog I created for KCLS 27 Things, I also created another blog addressing the issues and concerns of public and staff members. It is very exciting to think that each day we are more connected digitally, and that each exercise has helped up to achieve an overall goal of better communication and understanding throughout library world.

What were your favorite Learning 2.0 discoveries or exercises?

I have enjoyed all 2.0 activities, but probably the most fun for me was to be able to find and upload my favorite music videos to my blog. I think many things can be done with music, especially when thinking about ways to connect with diverse communities.

Did anything surprise you?

I was surprised at how fun and creative these activities were. It's actually pretty addicting.

Was there enough help available when you needed it?

Every time I had a question, David was very helpful.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

Actually, I think the format of this program was very useful and well organized. Also, it allowed staff to participate remotely.

Would you like to see similar training opportunities as new library-relevant technologies emerge?And, last one, if you could go back in time and tell yourself to either participate in the program or skip it, what would you do?

I think blogs represent a valuable format for training purposes. It is often difficult for branch staff to leave libraries in order to attend trainings, so instead of bringing staff to the trainings, such things as blogs and podcasts can bring the trainings to the staff. In terms of going back in time, I would most definitely encourage myself to participate. There is always something to be learned from advances in web-based technology, especially since libraries are headed in this direction.

Podcasts. etc.

Since my degree work is primarily online, I have listened to several podcasts of letures. The most interesting of which was from Luciano Floridi, Oxford University professor of philosophy.
Since I could not attend his in-person lecture at the University of Arizona, I was able to listen to the podcast of his lecture on the origins of information. I was also able to visit his blog
and interact with him personally through e-mail. It seems that podcasts and programs such as Second Life are revolotionizing education. There is still no comparison to learning in person, but how wonderful it is to be able to learn about anything anytime, from anywhere.
I have not experimented with Overdrive software because I already have I Tunes installed on my computer. I'm concerned that loading another music program may not be the best idea since I've also had difficulty with sound. I know that most libraries utilize Over Drive software, but I wonder if some thought has been given to partnering with I Tunes since many people use I Tunes already.

de rodillas te pido

Los Alegres de la Sierra

Podcasts

On the forefront of concern in Spanish speaking community is the issue of immigration. I tried to find a Podcast that included frequent questions and answers that many people have. I found Viernes de Inmigracion Preguntas y Respuestas de los Oyentes. In this particular episode, Lawyers David J. Hart and Andrea Olivos-Kah answer questions of a listener from Colombia with regards to obtaining a transit visa. There are also other podcasts of this nature available.
Since I am not equipped to answer in depth questions regarding immigration, I have suggested lawyer's blogs, radio podcasts, and the INS website en español to better assist people with their concerns.
Most information regarding immigration on the internet is more up-to-date than the books we carry in the library.

los angeles negros 'y volvere'

One more ( ;

la mentira

O.K. uno nada mas..
Pero que bonita voz tiene (o mas bien tuvo porque fallecio hace mas de 50 anos) Don Javier Solis. "Pues llevamos en el alma cicatrices, imposibles de borrar...." ay que romantico, no? ( ;
Feliz Cinqo de Mayo a todos y arriba el inmigrante....

Kenan Dogulu - Cakkidi

I'm having so much fun with YouTube I decided to post yet another video by Turkish pop singer Kenan Dogulu. It's a good indication of what Turkey is really like, as opposed to the extremities we see in the media here.

Wikis

Somehow I overlooked this aspect of 27 Things so I'm back-tracking a little.
Unlike many people, I find Wikipedia to be a pretty good online encyclopedia. It is also nice that information is easy to post and that it can be edited by others.
As librarians and library staff, we can share ideas about practices that work and do not work, kind of like a big chat room.

Asena with Male Bellydancer

Asena Bellydancer

This is my attempt to upload a video from YouTube to my blog. I love watching videos from You Tube, and since I dance belly dance and salsa, I found this video that matches my interest from Turkish belly dancer Asena and another belly dancing guy. Enjoy!

30 Boxes Online Calendar

For an exercise in the Web 2.0 new and interesting contributors, I chose 30 Boxes. 30 Boxes is an online calendar system that allows me to keep track of all important events (whether social or otherwise). I often use the calendars associated with Outlook or Hotmail to keep my schedule on track, but I like the layout of 30 boxes better. It is larger and instead of clicking on times and days to make an entry, I can type in a single entry box to enter my important dates. I can also add pictures and friends to the calendar system, so it's pretty much a social networking site wrapped up in a calendar. I can see this as a useful feature for library events. It would be fun to be able to add pictures to the days that an event takes place in order to provide a more interesting and attractive program layout.

Google Labs

I discovered Google Labs for a project I had to do for an Ethics class.
I was instructed to create a free-standing, hypertext document of an Ethical code, in other words, I had to create a website.
I know a bit of HTML, but I am in no way proficient in making and completing a website. Google Pages made it so easy for me to create my own code of ethics website. It's basically like creating a document in Word but it's published on the Web! I even added pictures.
It is a Diversity Code of Ethics. Check it out if you want:
http://jessmex77.googlepages.com

Zoho and Google Docs

I very much like the idea of on online word processor that I can access from any computer. The most appealing aspect aside from the fact that it is free is that I don't have to worry if my computer crashes. Just this year, in fact, my laptop met an untimely death at the side of the freeway (loooong story, I won't bore you with the details). We were lucky to have been able to recover the hard drive, so I didn't lose my infinitely valuable data and pictures. However, if I had saved everything on Google Docs or Zoho, despite the sadness of losing my laptop, I would have been relieved to know that my data was floating somewhere in cyberspace rather than on roads of 520.

Library Experiences and 2.0

Osman Hamdi Mihrab

It does seem that Web 2.0 is a direction that libraries should consider taking. However, it is also important to realize that there are about 29% of U.S. households without Internet access. So, not only must we address the future trends but also we must work to help those affected by the digital divide. Remember that although we are creating websites, learning about wikis, chatting on MySpace and just accomplishing every day Web 2.0 stuff, there are many people out there who are just learning to use the mouse. Many of these people are our patrons. This is also why computer classes are important in libraries.

Rollyo vs. Google Custom Search Engine

The idea of being able to customize searches allows us the search only the websites that are relevant to our needs. I can see the advantage of a customized search engine geared for libraries to ensure that the websites found actually contain relevant and useful information for our patrons. Also, it weeds out the junk, for profit websites that distract us from finding the information we really need.
Additionally, it is nice to have a search engine that doesn't assume I want information about Turkey (the bird) when I am actually looking for information about the country. Alas, this is one of my Google pet peeves.....
As for a preference of one custom search engine over the other, I don't really have one. It seems to me that functions and layouts are inherently quite similar, it is just a matter of choosing between the two. I chose Rollyo this time because I kind of feel like Google is going to take over the world and that could be scary.

Library Thing

I had joined Library Thing a couple of months ago. One of the things that I really like about this website is that it has pictures of the books I am reading.
I think that having a visual image of books is very helpful for readers.
I could see Library Things as being a great way to give book recommendations to patrons. Most books I read are en español, so I hope that it will help me give recommendations to people who speak Spanish. I wonder if there is also a website that does the catalogues movies.

Technocrati

Technorati Profile

Del.icio.us

I am just in the process of discovering Del.icio.us. It seems like a very good way to keep bookmarks organized. Currently all of my bookmarks are under "my favorites" category on my lap top at home, but this doesn't help if I want to access them from another computer. I really like that I can keep track of all source material for my school papers online. Most of the time I have many different windows open and I am unable to keep track of my sources.
Additionally, "My Favorites" on my lap top have no real organization, so it's difficult to find what I am looking for. I'm hoping that Del.icio.us will help me to better keep track and organize my bookmarks.
As for the library, it would be great to have popular reference websites in one place in order to better assist library patrons.

My Space

Me as a South Park character. I guess I did a good job since my co-workers say it looks like me ( :

I've had a MySpace account for some time, mostly for the purpose of connecting with friends and classmates. Through my initiation into library school at the University of Arizona, I met friends from Tucson, Las Vegas, and Arkansas. It is really great to be able to catch up with them online through MySpace.
I can also see how it would be a way to let teen patrons know about library programs.
However, my niece was telling me that she and most of her friends avoid MySpace in favor of
Facebook. She says that there are many predators using MySpace, so most teenagers prefer Facebook. I think this is something KCLS should take into consideration.
I also have a MySpace URL http://www.myspace.com/jessmex77
The picture on my MySpace account and webpage URL is calle Mihrab and is by the famous Turkish painter Osman Hamdi.

Mashups: Trading Card Maker

I tried the Trading Card Maker Mashup (what kind of name is "Mashup" anyway?)
Anyway, it was really fun to create a card with a photograph I took when I was in Turkey.
Maybe it could work as a retro business card too. I think I'll make a Sponge Bob one for my six-year-old nephew.

RSS Feeds

What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?-
Having a bloglines account and subscribing to RSS feeds has helped me to organize my favorite websites. It is very nice to have everthing from school news to news from my friends and general interest websites all in one place.

How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?-
I plan to create a list of feeds to websites that I find interesting or useful to my studies. I will likely be able to use these at work as well.

How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

Having a bloglines account with RSS feeds is a wonerful way to receive relevant and up-to-date information about what is going on in the world. This can be very useful for librarians to share information with users. I wish, however, that there were more feeds to websites in different languages.

Idiomas

Es sumamente importante tener alguien dentro de todas las bibliotecas publicas que habla una de las idiomas pricipales (español, ruso, chino entre otras) para atender a nuestro público tan diverso. Porque tan pocos bibliotecarios hablan otra idioma más que el inglés?
Flikr

Bibliotecas Publicas

Como podemos mejorar nuestros servicios hacía la comunidad hispana?
Ofreciendo coursos de computación en español, programas para niño en español, blog en español, y clases de inglés.