Thinking ahead to the night of the goblins

I'm married to a man who adores Halloween. My husband is married to a gal who isn't nearly as fond of this holiday. Being a good sport, however, I'm thinking ahead to what our costumes could be and have arrived at:

After all, Batgirl was a librarian!

Thing 23: Final Thoughts

Wouldn't you know it? Last post, tried to put in a cute animated picture from ImageChef and the html code won't work. Fussed with it a bit and still not working, so no pretty pictures for the end.

Wonderful staff development experience and I liked the "go at your own pace" speed. It was fun to be doing it with a group of colleauges from both EPS and MHS. Lots of different experiences, insights and thoughts. Lots of fun conversations about possible uses of various 2.0 programs in different settings.

But now, I'm done and am looking foward to having a little more time to read BOOKS!

Thing 22: What Did I Learn Today?

Today I learned that vocabulary makes a difference. My librarian friend Ron asked me if the area high schools used the ELM databases. Recently he had a conversation with a friend from Minitex who thought schools weren't using them. Here's the thing . . . we are. We are using the state provided databases like you wouldn't believe. My neighboring high school media colleagues and I make have links to all of them on our school library web pages. Here's the deal. We don't use the ELM interface, rather we link directly to the databases themselves.

I explained to Ron that the ELM welcome is very user friendly and has a public library feel about it. In my school, as in most of the classic lake schools, over 85% of our students are college bound. We teach the students how to access the databases by their names and talk about when and why you would use each type. College libraries are set up the same way. In that regard we are intentionally training our students for college library use. I showed Ron a couple examples of school library web pages. He saw the common theme and remarked that they were set up much like his college library web page.

So, it all comes down to vocabulary. We are using the same things, but just calling them by different names.

(Mike, I think is the post where I am to pledge allegiance to things library and web 2.0-ish. I'm uncertain about a formal pledge, but I will continue to keep my eyes open, keep reading professional materials including the feeds at bloglines and even try new things once in a while. I can't promise though, that my Luddite skepticism, better known as practicality, will take a complete leave of absence.)

Thing 20: Libraries and Social Networks

So I joined Facebook. I signed up a couple of weeks ago and have not taken the time to upload a picture yet. Three invitations were issued to close friends and those dear hearts were kind enough to "friend" me. Since then, I've also been "friended" by folks I haven't seen in years.

Already, I feel like I'm back in junior high and wondering if this is the day you're supposed to wear the sweater with the "V" on the front or on the back. Are we pinning pants this week or not? In the end, I hated all those social pressures and would just wear what I wanted to wear. Facebook is little bit like that for me. Am I being witty enough? Did I choose the right picture? Who is this person? Do I know them? ARGH--what a time and energy drain! I have a Linkedin account for professional things and even with that, I hate making the decisions of whether or not I "link" with people. Last week I received a request to "link" with a woman who isn't a very nice person. Do I link with her because we have mutual friends? If I say no, will that lead to an uncomfortable conversation at an upcoming cocktail party? ARGH!



I'll continue to work with Facebook and even post a picture. My college class is having a reunion this year. I put together a wiki for us to use, but have since learned from the college, that they prefer for us to use Facebook for these things. It was the recent graduate who works in the alumni office who emailed me with the news. On a positive note, two his office mates who are further up in the leadership were introduced to wikis via our class page and were even willing to give them a try!

About using Facebook at school . . . my superstar librarian friend put together the Myspace page for HCL. I talked with him about schools doing such a thing, but because of the parameters of school and other concerns, he advised against it. This spring, I revisited the idea with some of my library kids. I asked them if they used Facebook or Myspace. Most had Facebook accounts. I asked them if they would use a school library Facebook page as a a way to get at the online resources the school provides. Their faces held looks of confusion (apparently the school and personal worlds were about to collide) and they told me they wouldn't. "You already taught us how to find those things. Why would we use Facebook for that?" Why indeed, though I do think it's a brilliant use of social networking by the public library system to connect with kids--meeting them in "their space."

Thing 19: Podcasts

If I weren't marrying a charming man who insists, nay, demands a speedy Internet connection at home (As if it were a constitutional right, which I do not believe it is, well, that is until we have Constitution 2.0!), here's the thing that might just push me to upgrade from dial-up all on my own!


Of course, once the downloadable book vendors figure out how to download books onto my Ipod, well then that speedy Internet connection will really be the bees-knees!


(Yet again, further proof that tattoos really out to be well thought out before being inked and in most cases, better not seen!)

About podcasts, I get them. We've had some small successes in our building with them, though just one or two teachers really interested in trying them. I am grateful, Mike, that you have helped with these projects and are familiar with Audacity. I have also read about them in educational magazines, the articles emphasizing the importance of pushing the learning beyond the classroom walls. Again, understandable, but the high school skeptic in me wonders who is listening to these regularly, other than family members? (You know, the fourth graders from Nebraska. Fun, weekly shows, but core audience?) Maybe my frustration comes from the technology a little bit, but more so wanting (some) teachers to raise the bar for the quality of the type of project students are doing?

Thing 18: YouTube & Other Online Video

Like most people, I'm familiar with finding things on YouTube. We have periodic discussions about whether or not to block access for students, but ultimately we leave it open. There are other resources out there, but they don't seem to have nearly the holdings as YouTube. TeacherTube, for example, is a great idea--a place for teachers to post scholastic and school appropriate materials. Problem is, there's never what you need there. This past February, an English teacher wanted to share some Shakespearean sonnets with her students. Couldn't find a thing on TeacherTube, but some fellow record all of them and put them on YouTube.

I played a little bit with Google video, but didn't care for their interface. Also, their search results weren't well compiled. Is there a different algorithm for video searches than for word/text searches? I also looked at the list of other recommended video sources and while the reviews were helpful, none of the sites seemed to be a great fit for school projects.

Disappointing all around, however, is that no one seems to have posted a video for this fine song:


Jimmy Buffett - Love In The Library

On the corner of Government and Bay Avenue
The old doomsday fanatic wore a crown of kudzu
Sirens where wailing in the gulf coastal heat
And it seemed like the whole world was in forced retreat
I paid no attention, revolved through the door
Passed the newspaper rack on the worn marble floor
Near civil war history my heart skipped a beat
She was standing in fiction stretched high on bare feet

Love in the library, quiet and cool
Love in the library, there are no rules
Surrounded by stories surreal and sublime
I fell in love in the library once upon a time

I was the pirate and she was the queen
Sir Francis and Elizabeth the best there's ever been
Then she strolled past my table and stopped at the stairs
Then sent me a smile as she reached for Flaubert

Love in the library, quiet and cool
Love in the library, there are no rules
Surrounded by stories surreal and sublime
I fell in love in the library once upon a time
She gathered her books, walked while she read
Words never spoken but so much was said
You can read all you want into this rendezvous
But it's safer than most things that lovers can do
Well stories have endings and fantasies fade
The guard by the door starts drawing the shade
So write your own ending and hope they come true
For the lovers and strangers on Bay Avenue

Love in the library, quiet and cool
Love in the library, there are no rules
Surrounded by stories surreal and sublime
I fell in love in the library once upon a time

So instead, we'll look to Cookie Monster to help contemplate that age old question of why there are no cookies in the library.

Thing 17: ELM Productivity Tools

Minnesota is a great state. It's the 32nd state admitted to the union and one that pride's itself on fantastic public libraries. Hence ELM4You. Each year, I write a note to my state representatives to let them know how useful it is for our students to have access to a wealth of information via these state tax dollar funded databases. There's no way our school could afford all of them. It's simply fantastic that the state provides access.

Back to the assignment . . .
I have user folders at all the databases listed and demonstrate for a wide variety of audiences how to make them, store info, set up alerts, etc. I do like that feature because for many, research is done at a variety of locations and it's very helpful to be able to put all of the findings in one easy to locate spot! To give a quick example, when the online physical education class was being created, I was charged with finding assignments for students to read. I was able to search for articles, find them, dump them in a folder and then easily share them with the teacher, all without wasting paper. Yea!

Thing 16: Student 2.0 Tools

The Student Research Project Calculator is neat and I LOVE that it is aligned with the Big 6 Skills. At our last Big 6 training days with teachers I introduced it, but it didn't get much use. I've been thinking about how best to do some staff development for teachers in regards to student research and would like to cover/review this site with teachers. First step though, will be to put a link for it on our school library page. The teacher support materials are good as well. Laurie, Mary and I have been charged with updating the Info Lit Skills curriculum this summer. The student research guide looks very similar to what we currently have, but the narrowing topic sheet could be useful.

Thing 15: Online Games and Libraries

Ahoy ye mateys! I tried to play Puzzle Pirates this afternoon, but network problems prevented logging on. The round, fleshy pirates looked cute in a weeble sort of way. Certainly the creators and programmers seemed to have fun with their word choices and character creations. My pirate would be named "Bernadette."

Mike, I'm going to take liberty here (nice pirate term, eh?) and count our emails this past spring about the Frontline show as credit for the impact of gaming on teens.

Thing 14: LibraryThing

This fall will mark my fourth year as a panelist for Booked for the Evening. It's an annual children's and young adult literature review and alumnae/alumni event for St. Kate's. On a late fall evening, four librarians review the best of the best books published in the current year and the Red Balloon Bookshop has copies of said books on hand for purchase.

I've tried different ways to keep track of books for this project, my most favorite is to toss reviews into a folder (usually purple as that is the Katie color) and then review them in the summer as I start to gear up in ernst for the presentation. Last year, my fellow presentor Ashley used LibraryThing and upon her reccomendation, I started to use it for this project.

I like that I can see the book covers and can tag the books I add to help organize by year which titles I present. Also helpful is the comment section where I can start to put together my thoughts for what I will say about each book. Slow to embarce some library 2.0 technologies as I may be, this is one in particular that I enjoy and for which there is focused use and application.

Thing 13: Online Productivity Tools

Here's the thing, I'm an organized person. So you'd think that I would love these online productivity tools, but it's taking me awhile to embrace them. My soon to be legally-wed-to-me love and I have a shared Google calendar. It's nice to be able to see things that are going on in our busy lives; I just hate feeling so tied to a computer. There's a certain beauty to pulling out my paper planner/calendar, quick and easy access whenever needed. But that was also when it was just me. Now, there are more calendars to consult. Maybe I need to pony up and buy an Iphone or similar device and service plan that allows me 24/7 access to all these online planning tools, but at the same time, I do enjoy being unplugged several hours of the day!

The project management tools are neat, but again, it's my love/hate thing with them. I couldn't register at The Knot because the sheer idea of having a wedding day countdown appear each time I logged caused great stress. Since I am good (well, atleast in my opinion) at managing my time, I wouldn't care to have a countdown clock for projects. At the same time, I can see where such a thing would be useful for group projects.

At Remember the Milk I created at to-do list for tomorrow. It was irritating to ahve to set a due date for each item and to have to manually enter a date. Clicking on the calendar icon did not bring up a calendar. I can see the usefulness of such a product, but in my luddite ways, really do like putting things on a post-it and then crossing them off as I go. And now Mike, before you go and suggest that I look at Stikkit, you should know that I did. It seems to have lots of similar features to Outlook (meeting planning, notes, etc.), but perhaps is intended for people in the broader community.

The ideas and sites listed here warrant some more investigation and perhaps an article in the parent newsletter this fall about student use of online planning/calendar tools.

Thing 12: Digging my way to China

Stories about the Internet and China have been a regular part of Morning Edition this week. The filter software required by the feds has nothing on the Chinese government! A former teacher friend turned PhD candidate thinks that I look like Education Secretary. When she wears her glasses, I can see the vague resemblance--if you're squinting.

Though, you'd never catch me doing this:

A handshake and that's it!

Aah, but back to digging. I don't digg. Lots of it comes down to how I want to spend my time and doing some of the social networking is not really something with gathers my interest. And yes, I know may be alone in that, but that's just fine with me. I'm happy to read my copy of Plato in the cave.

Thing 11: When is tagging like cataloging?

Or like vandalism?

Here's the thing. I'm a librarian because generally, I like people. This afternoon, that likability is being tested a bit by the patron wear patchouli, the worst scent in the world. The smells from my uncle's hog barn which waft near the hot tub when the breeze blows from the south (sore muscles must be eased after a hard day of labor and chores) are sweet compared to this ungodly foul unwashed medieval pungent smell.

Anyway, I am a librarian. In library school I quickly learned that there are two type of people: people who like people (and aren't they luckiest people?) and those who don't, better known as catalogers. I appreciate all that my cataloging colleauges do, for without them, it would be difficult to find things. It's easy to find things because they catalog things, organize things, label things based on a set of rules that all librarians know. What's to say then when the world goes wacky and starts cataloging or tagging things are on their own, without following any sort of rules? I'm all for organizing things--my friends will attest--but how can I find your pictures with light bulbs when you are labeling them as (gasp!) light bulbs and I am referring to them as their properly assigned subject heading: incandescent filters? Is it a case of tomato and tomato? Or should I just learn to embrace another new Web 2.0 tool and rejoice in the idea of more people getting organized?!

I can see the application for librarians and teachers to create a list of websites for students to use and setting up a spot for them to add what they find.

Thing 10: Wikis

Where to start . . . a review of how wiki's have changed how we look at, access and compile information? How Wikipedia created? engineered? the former and then responded to concerns of validity by adding footnotes and links to resources? Or to talk about my frustration in trying to create wiki's. Perhaps the last as the others have been covered over and over by people who are both smarter and better writers than I.

After reading Will Richardson's book Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts . . last summer, I created a wiki to use with an advanced art class. It looked good. I was excited about it. The teacher was excited about it and as these things go, we never used it. Not wanting to loose my wik-ability (Wait, now I sound like merino wool!), I tried making another one for my upcoming college reunion. I tried two different sites, some horrible site the name I can't remember and wetpaint. Wetpaint was easier to use and had pretty colors, so the planning group is playing with it right now. Come October, we'll see if it was a useful planning (and recruiting tool) for a reunion.

With my other job, not to be confused with my other other job or yet that different other job I have, the institution has been doing lots with Web 2.0 tools. One of my colleagues as well as boss was recently recognized for her work with promoting and integrating Web 2.0 tools, namely Placeography. This house history wiki has been a phenomenal sharing site for users. Two weeks ago I was at a lovely garden party and mentioned this site to Ryan K. who is hosting a walking tour of his neighborhood. Not only did he know about Placeography, but had also been interviewed on a local TV show about his well regarded contribution. So while the Internet brings information together, it is the garden parties in the central neighborhood of Minneapolis where people truly connect!

One thing that I have noticed about wiki's . . it takes people to keep them going and it there's no interest or it's too difficult to contribute, then they grow stagnant. Case in point, Minnewiki. The idea behind the site is great, but what's the point of a Minnesota music wiki if no one can contribute? The site is doesn't allow for users to add material. Without the ability to contribute or even keep things up-to-date, the Current's self chosen name is more than ironic!

Unnumbered but related Thing

My friend Eric (insert broken link. An early blogger, before blog was a word, he ~sadly~ no longer writes online.) is a long time reader of The Atlantic. The topic of conversation over a recent dinner had to do with reading fodder and attenion span. He mentioned Nicholas Carr's recent article Is Google Making Us Stupid? and if you have time, it's worth reading. (Yes, reading. Not skimming, but sitting down, slowing down and enjoying the words as they were put together by the author and taking time to reflect upon his point of view.)

Thing 9: Online Collaboration Tools

Photo credit: jelens

I'm a fan of Google docs. Last summer I started using at as way to work on school projects no matter where I was. It's not always convenient to have a jump drive and sometimes I am working at a work station where the software choices and accessibility is limited. Google docs has been freeing for me (wait, something else is supposed to be freeing for me what is it . . .) as a traveling user.

Last fall we started using Google docs with students as a way for them to create things, but more so as a way to easily transfer items back and forth between school. Slowly the interest is growing and I think as more teachers begin to use and demonstrate it, Google docs will become more popular.

(Mike--you may have noticed that I didn't write about editing public documents. I understand what the software is for and what can be done with it, just not my area of interest. Perhaps those government teachers might like to do something with it in the fall when they have students create their own Pledge of Allegiance . . .)

Thing 8: Share your creations

Here are pictures of the mural in my library. Last summer, my friend John created and painted it. While he was hard at work painting and singing along with radio, I weeded and weeded the non-fiction collection. There are no pictures of the many boxes of deaccessioned books, but there are these great pictures of the mural in progress!







With Zoho, I like the idea of being able to make updates and then those changes being automatically updated on the webpage. We'll see if that happens. I found a grammar error, corrected it and resaved the show, but when I last checked, that change hadn't yet been posted. What was frustrating for me was the slowness of Zoho. I wanted it to move a little faster than it did, but when I reminded myself what I was asking of it and that it was live and on the web, I became a little less critical about speed. (I know, I know. Those of you who know that I have dial-up at home are thinking I don't have a leg to stand on, but this post was done on a speedy computer with a speedy connection. :0)



A side note, I love the pictures of my fellow school media specialists posted on the 23 Things site!



Finally, I am intrigued by Lazybase and am contemplating how we might use that for the various reading lists I/the English Dept. compile for students. Right now, we use MS Excel as well as tables in MS Word lots and lots . . .

Thing 7

The use to web 2.0 technologies in the workplace has been in the news this week. Make it Stop! Crushed by Too Many Emails was a story on Morning Edition about the deluge of email at the work place.

Escape is but one solution and not one with much ROI (it's the acronym of the day, return on investment). According to the radio story, some companies have turned to instant messaging as a way of communicating while others have instituted "no email Fridays" where workers are encouraged to phone colleagues or better yet, walk down the hall and talk face to face.

IM has is place for quick things, though for more important things, I prefer email. I can keep the messages as well as search for errant ones. A topic on conversation today at the reference desk was the possibility of using text messaging here and how that could impact how we staff the reference desk. The idea represents change, which rarely goes over well in this department, but much of the professional literature reports that IM is being used and used well. As the occasional visitor, it's always interesting to see how new things are introduced and potentially, implemented.

In my other life, I am adjunct faculty at a university in Wisconsin. Part of my duties are to provide library (aka bibliographic) instruction for their students in Minnesota. About two years ago, the unnamed university started a "live chat with a librarian" feature. Each time I demonstrate it, the reaction is the same. The adult students in the class are thrilled that there is someone at the other end to help them with their research projects and they are also a little surprised that the software is so easy to use. Of course, they also puzzle about what sort of person would be willing to help with such things, but I reassure them that librarians are people too and at that moment, point out the library hours, noting they close on Friday and Saturdays at 5 pm, because librarians have social lives, too!

Photo courtesy Linda M.

More on Thing 6

Having lots of fun at ImageChef.

Again, more ideas for publicity things such as:

Thing 6: Online Image Generators

And you thought those READ posters were fun (stay tuned . . . I've been struggling with Photoshop and the software for these posters so am taking a class next week).

Here's my trading card:

Yet another addictive online tool that 23 Things has introduced. Students in World History create a resume for historical figures. It might be fun to create an online trading card for these folks, too.

Thing 5: More Fun with Flickr

Discovery time:

Mashups seemed like an interesting thing to explore. Despite out of date links, I was able to find some examples of mashups at the Webmonkey site and really like this prize winning site Podbop. Enter your city and a calendar list of off many (notice, I didn't say all) of the bands playing in the area appears. What makes this site different than say City Pages or Vita.mn, is that there are sound clips, freely and legally available. Users can listen to a band before heading out and paying a cover fee only to discover that the Detroit Cobras may not be to their liking!

The assignment:



23 Things posted a warning that Flickr spelling could be addictive. Right they are! I'll have to add this site to my bookmarks and use these fun creations in future library publicity materials.

Thing 4: Flickr

With interest, I clicked on the link for the Clemens and Alcuin Libraries. Their online book display idea is fun, though I wondered how much work is it and are they tracking the data to see if their circ statistics increased as a result . . .

Certainly people have found creative ways to use Flickr and it's definitely got some classroom applications for visual learners. Check out this spelling word project put together by an ambitious mom . . . Spelling in fourth grade. Some of the other postings, however, are more about humor and remind me of the goofy photos on the back page of the Sunday travel section of the newspaper. I'm curious to know if my elementary school colleagues would look to Flickr for help with spelling lessons.

The clustering search tool, which reminded me of Clusty, was helpful in narrowing down my search for a picture of a library. Here it is, the Peabody Library.

photo credit: Lisa Pisa, accessed 6.18.08

Thing 3.0: Feed

In the book Feed, M. T. Anderson writes of a future where most people have computer implants in their heads. These "feeds"take over the ability to read, write and even think for oneself. In way, while convenient, RSS does a little bit of that. Each day, it feeds me summaries from websites that I have chosen. In the book, the world is controlled by the feed. With my RSS conenctions, I control the news and information I receive and by doing so, I wonder what am I missing?

For awhile now, the death knoll of the newspaper has been sounded. The drums thump that subscriptions are falling. Thump-ad revenue is slipping. Thump-the actual size of the paper itself is shrinking. Are these all signs of the end of the printed word? The debate continues with new data added to the argument each day. What isn't changing however, is that as a society, we're becoming more divided and absorbed by our own self interests. If The Daily Show is my only source for news (as it is for many college students), I'll get just a one sided view of current events. If I read just the New York Times, the likehood of being exposed to ideas and views different than my own increases dramatically. Newspapers purposefully employ columnists with differing viewpoints such as David Brooks and Maureen Dowd. The interet has the power to bring people together, but it also has the ability to keep us apart in that we can focus on just the things that are of interest to us, never having to consider another viewpoint.

That said, no doubt about it, RSS feeds are useful. But for the time being, I'll continue to make my daily visits to various news websites and enjoy the clicks that lead me to read something that challenges me, enrages me or even reinforces something I know. When else will I have time to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee?

(Note: I have a bloglines account and have had one for a couple of years. A bunch of librarian friends all set them up. We thought it might be a faster way to get at information rather than checking each website each day. Included in my feed are headlines from NYT, Salon, The Atlantic, CSM and a bunch of educational technology sources. Included in the feeds of my friend and co-23 sticker Steve is this breaking news website.)

Thing 2.0: L2

Why blog about L2 when we could blog about CB2 or even L7? The simple answer is because it is the assigment. The mere truth is that it impacts my job, well, all my jobs.

Librarians have embraced the web and now Libraries 2.0 in different ways. To quote the beloved Mary Manderfeld, "Life is change. Growth is optional." With the fast paced changes that come with L2, librarians have had to make quick decisions about what to incorporate and how these new technologies change the way service is provided to patrons. The decision making process has not always been pretty nor easy, but adapting to and integrating new techologies is a necessity. For at their core, libraries are about providing access to information as well as meaningful and helpful service to patrons.


At school, L2 is making inroads. Assignments like blog journals for outside reading have replaced making web pages. Students are asking to use their own laptops on the building wireless system. Despite their age and ability to click fast though, their searching and navigating skills not to mention analysis of materials found still need work. (Thank goodness--job security!) Teachers embrace the new technologies differently and librarian/media specialists are called to help support these new curricular initiatives. My building prefers to study and analzye before jumping in, surely creating frustration for those in charge. At the same time, schools also serve as "in loco parentis" and teachers want to make sure that these new technologies have a sound educational base and are indeed "what's best for kids."

At my other jobs, I observe the libraries looking at L2 and slowly making use of what is available. Like most places, there are early adopters, those who were asking to set up internal wikis over two years ago and those who stubbornly refuse to particpate. Those who are change adverse or who simply don't want to learn new things are being challenged to do so by their patrons. The patrons are seeing what is possible and are asking for those things; libraries, to some extent, must respond accordingly.

Like everything, it's about balance, but in an era when information and access are the new currency , libraries are posed to once again prove that they are invaluable. Thomas Friedman knows of such things. Check out his webcast from the 2005 National Book Festival hosted by the Library of Congress.

Thing 1.4: Create an avatar

My mom always told me that I was unique. An individual. One of a kind. There was no one else like me.

Turns out that my mom is full of Wisdom 1.0 and that Al Gore and the other creators of Web 2.0 want to give her a run for her money. In a nod to my Norwegian ancestors, my avatar is named Ingrid (after my Tante Ingrd) and she speaks with a slight norske accent.



Get a Voki now!



Ha det bra!

Thing 1: Create a Blog

23 things to do, so let's get started.

Thing 1. Create a blog and register.

Done! Hurrah!

(I wonder, is Vista done? For a little bit of fun, check out the latest Mac/PC advertisements)

23 Things on a Stick

Trust Minnesota librarians to come up with a staff development on Web 2.0 technologies and cleverly term it "on a stick" - a long time reference to the Minnesota State Fair where there are many offerings on a stick.

What started off as food on a stick (think of corn dogs as the original food on a stick) has grown to so many more things. I have yet, however, to see a tractor on a stick!

(photos from the Minnesota Historical Society)

23 Things on a Stick