Week 12: Wrap up; social networks and catch up

Finally it's the farewell time - but I don't feel sad. I've learnt so much from this program and I am happy and grateful. It's a great program which helps me understand a lot of what happened in the technology world. Though I am not up to the stage that I dare say I am good at it. At least I had some ideas of almost a bit of everything, and I knew I will keep learning in a life long time. Thanks heaps to State Library who organized this program for us.

Week 11: Online applications and tools

After watching the video of Google docs I was inspired that it will be quite useful on when library management review library policy. Management of library and staff related can make and share the draft policy in Google docs and both party will be able to amend it till eventually the final one is agreed.

Google docs can be also used when staff plan their work review or work plans with supervisor. It allows supervisor to comment and give suggestions so that staff could amend it accordingly.

Week 10: Mashups

Wow, Mashups is such a favorite thing of mine. It's really fun to use. It can be used for library posters, activity advertisement, library brochures and event flyers, etc,...

Local history team can use it for their exhibitions by combining pictures and texts. Reference team can use it to promote books on a particular subject. Even IT team could use it to make a user friendly computer or scanner manual for both staff and patron.

Week 9: Podcasts and Audio

Podcasts can be used for new staff induction program and it will save a great deal of time for HR. It can also be used for library tours, OH&S issues and author talks, etc., In fact it will suit many activities requiring group attendance. And these audio files will be part of library archives.

Library can use Podcasts for staff trainings especially came to think how hard to get all staff rostered for a training. With Podcasts staff can simply turn on their computer to listen and watch. I think Podcasts will be very useful for library.

Week 8: Answer boards and social searching

I am positive Answer boards would be an niche for our reference librarian. In fact they do this every day on the service point and this time they are going to answer questions on computer in stead of in person. We could use Answer Boards for students asking home work questions after hours. They post their questions on line and our reference librarians can get onto them later. This will especially help some little kids who can't come to library by themselves. Then again our answers to their questions have to be really simple and easy to understand. With busy University students this will be useful too. They could do their assignments at home by asking some specific reference questions. Interesting!

Week 7: Tagging, folksonomies, del.icio.us and LibraryThing

Discover 1

http://del.icio.us/just_4_fun

I think I quite like the idea of you make up tags when you need them and you can use as many as you like. This way our library could do exactly the same as Sutherland Shire Libraries tag cloud and Cleveland Public Library’s tags The only difference is how we might use it and who are our targeted users.

Discover 2

I have tried keyword search of bookmobile in Technorati. My discovery is I got more hits with advanced search. I also tried the keyword search of nswpln2008 and was at beginning puzzled with completely no hits at all. Untill I read another fellow blogger's blog I realzied no posts, no blogs and no videos don't necessarily mean no photos. We were all tricked by Technorati. Lesson learnt. Haaa...

Discover 3

Isn't Librarything really something? It would work perfectly for staff who does Book Club in the library. It will help them pick titles for the reading group easily. And one thing worth to mention is to join up them is so easy. Gone the usual many blanks to be filled in and loads of questions to be answered. Instead just an account name and password you decided and that's all. I give it a thumbs-up! It truly makes no sense to complicate things if it's not necessary.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/just_4_fun

Provincal style house - Week 6: Videos online

Another one - Wiki

Week 5: Wikis

There are just so many ways to make a library useful and resourceful, aren't there? Blogs, flicker, RSS features, etc,... you name it. And here comes another one - Wiki. To think that any staff member can contribute to Wiki painlessly, how nice!

Book group lovers can get involved as well just like Book Lovers Wiki at the Princeton Public Library. Patron can use library Wiki search for information as well as to be directed to library's own on-line catalogue if needed, or view all the service library offered. the full Library Success: A best practices wiki is a good example. Bravo!

Guess in the end of day with so many existing ways out there we'll just need to work out which one serves the best in the interest of library.

Libraries benefit from RSS

Week 4: RSS

Eventually I successfully decided which 5 RSS should be added in for me. I can't help to think how easy to get access to any information we are interested these days. It's just amazing. I had a look of ABC news and it has such a broad range of information sorted in categories. How good is that? With RSS features a library can easily have its own account and add some RSS entirely based on customer's focus such as Health, Science and Technology and Sports, etc,... especially those information updated so quickly that books published can never meet up that kind of speed. I can already see how much RSS features will benefit students with their study researches and school assignments. No wonder these days when students come into library looking for information not only they want books, but also for on line resources too. They have to list all the resources entries including the databases they used in their home work. So to get very much involved in this kind of on line strategies in order to keep up with clients needs is a must for libraries. We've got so much to do, haven't we?

Eze, beautiful Eze!

Week 3: Sharing Images

If you haven't been to Eze, go! If you have, I am sure you would have been amazed by this gorgeous little French town as much as I have. It's close to the French city Nice and on the beautiful costal line. It's almost like a bird nest nestled on the hills. Once inside, you will discover a small Provencal village filled with charm and colourful window boxes, plus plenty chic and cute arts and crafts boutiques, some of them are like tiny caves dug out of the rocky hill-side. Eze village is one of the most picturesque spots in the region. In spite of the crowds, it's a "must-see" for visitors...

Small narrow roads, archways and superbly restored stone houses, shady squares, refreshing ancient fountains... you will soon be seduced by the marvels of Eze. The village is so beautiful, it's hard to believe you have not stumbled onto a movie set... !

Live in eworld and have fun with it!

Week 2: Introduction to blogs

I had one thing to confess years ago - I cannot live without Google. Now I guess I have more things to be unhappy live without. You guessed it! All these blogs and photbuckets I often pay my visits. They are part of my entertainment and amusement. To read news on internet is so quick and easy. I could have told my mom in Shanghai some local news there she hasn't heard of. I can still recall quite few years back I used internet to dial up my girlfriend's phone in US. So we had this I type on computer while she talk on the phone chat. It was so interesting. Then things got easier with camera mobile phone came out. All these new technology products made our life more colorful. To keep up with it is indeed a lifelong learning experience. Just like when first time we learnt to use computer, even so many softwares are named made for idiot we still at time strugglled to figure it out. So it's never too late to learn and most important, KEEPING UP with your learning.

Will we lose our jobs to ebook readers?

I honestly was more or less startled when I was reading the latest issue of City Weekly. There it was, a picture of a smart looking ebook reader on the cover. It has a capacity of approx. 200 titles. It also has a basic QWERTY keyboard for limited text input such as margin notes, downloads eBooks wirelessly instead of synchronising with a computer and at the time of writing more than 100,000 books, daily newspapers, magazines and blogs were available for download, including at least 90 of 112 current New York Times bestsellers. Plus, the e-paper is more comfortable to read than conventional computer displays because of the stable image that is not constantly being refreshed, the large viewing angle, and its use of ambient light like normal paper. No wonder since Dymocks launched iLiad e-book reader, demand has been strong. By mid-February, both Dymocks and iRex's Australian distributor has sold out and there was a wait of two to three weeks. Up to now I can't help to wonder - will we ever lose our jobs to ebook readers?

I was quite confident when facebook, youtube and flicker and so on were introdcued. But now my confidence is wearing thin...