Reflection (Thing 23)

What do you think about social media in libraries?

I think focusing on some social sites can be very beneficial for libraries. Tackling too many could problematic but putting the same content on as many as possible will allow libraries to reach more patrons and potential patrons that may not make it to the physical branch. These means of delivering information is much more effective than simply putting it up on a static site or printing brochures.

What do you wish FPL was (or wasn’t) doing?

I would like to see much more on our YouTube channel and Flickr type slideshows. We could put anything we do at the library online and I think people would seek it out. Puppet shows or book talks on youtube and flannels could be made as slide shows.

Have you learned anything from the program?

I had used most of the sites before, though a couple were new to me. There were many features I had not used before that 23 things had me try out. Google Docs Presentations was one such feature. I think most of all I learned that the sites I hate for myself may be very useful for an organization.

USER CHOICE (THING 22)

I found Docstoc in the SEOmoz awards. It is a site to upload documents for business and professionals to share. I found some good reading on the site. I like the ability to share resources. I read some presentations and papers about early literacy and library managemnet. It could be a really cool site if more libraries contributed.

GOOGLE DOCS (THING 16)

Docs has tons of cool features. I love the ability for multiple people to modify documents at the same time. I like the ability to create and share with docs. You can embed presentations wherever you like. Being able to access docs from any computer makes it a huge plus for me. This would have been great for school when the file you need is not on the jump drive as thought. There are also a few drawbacks to docs. Many of the features I use in similar programs are missing from docs. Or, it could just be that I have not found them where I expect to find them after using Microsoft programs for so long.

TAGGING (THING 8)

Tags make browsing websites much easier and more productive. I serendipitously follow tags to all sorts of nifty new things. Like libraries, websites can’t always sort or index all the associated terms. Tags can add much more depth to indexing.

GOOGLE MAPS (THING 15)

I have used maps several times to give patrons directions. They always get bad directions in the first place and show up to the ref desk at the time their event starts. I cant imagine leaving the house without directions from Google or using a phone's navigation. I have used google maps for thrift store excursions. I made six in a day once and scored some great vinyl.


View Larger Map

WIKIS (THING 21)

I like Wikis. I often use Wikipedia as a first stop for research. I like the way the site organizes information. It makes it quite easy to find a quick answer. I had never looked at the discussion tab before. It was actually very entertaining. People arguing to have their garbage information added back to pages. It’s good to see how often the pages get checked and edited.

To the FPL wiki I added Linda's.

PODCASTING (THING 20)

I have very little interest in podcasts. I do check one out every now and then. I know people that subscribe to tons and I hear about some good ones. I have never been tempted to subscribe myself though. Podcasting could be useful for our library. We could do walkthroughs like the tour that was discussed or for any other how-to’s. It seems like more work that it would be worth for the most part. I can’t imagine myself ever looking to a podcast for assistance with anything.