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 Despite out of date links, I was able to find some examples of mashups at the Webmonkey site and really like this prize winning site Podbop.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