I think social media in libraries is wonderful. It is exciting to see how many libraries are embracing social media rather than recoiling from it. It seems to me that most people are using some social media in their personal or professional lives, and what better way than to promote the library and its mission statement than with what people- of all ages- are already using? We want to be an entity that is moving forward and is in touch with the world, not one that is stuck in the past (not to say I do not value history!).
I love that FPL is a place in which all library staff are encouraged to be familiar with social media and what it can do for us and our customers. I appreciate that we were given time at work to complete the 23 things. It has not only been really fun, but has been informative. I know I will use these tools at reference (especially when I'm helping someone on the computers)I think it would be great if FPL had promotional videos on YouTube, Twitter updates, webcasts of computer classes and podcasts of events.
I learned so much from this program- (I love Google Docs, Tiny URL, and Last.fm- three of the things I had never used before) and I also feel more confident about exploring other social media in the future. Thank you, Adam and Elizabeth, for all of your hard work on staff in-service days. I am looking forward to what is next!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Podcasting- Thing 20
I didn't have any recommended library podcasts, so I did an online search for "library podcasts". The first one I listened to was from the Denver Public Library. Their podcasts seem to mostly be library staff reading children's books. I picked one called Fat Cat: A Danish Folktale. I have to say I was really impressed with the person who read the story. She had a wonderful reading voice and was great with the few sound effects, as well. I actually thought it might have been a professional recording (audiobook), but I checked again after listening and found that it was one of the librarians. I think this is a good idea for people who want their kids to listen to stories, but for whatever reason, they are unable to read to them. Now, it is not the same as attending a storytime. It is like listening to an audiobook- only for very young children.
The next thing I came across, was a teen webcast from the Boulder Public Library's website. (I just realized I went to two public libraries in Colorado- did not do that on purpose) The webcast was of a recent teen art show at the library. The narrator was obviously nervous and she did not enunciate well, and she did a lot of "upspeak". The camera person was wobbly. However, the teens did it themselves- and that is good to engage them and get them even more involved at the library.
Then I went to the Manchester Public Library's website and listened to a podcast about their Summer Reading program. The sound was fine, the speaker was ok- but not great, and the information was all there. I think this was a decent way to let people know about the SRP.
Finally, just for variety, I listened to one of the This American Life podcasts- the one on true urban legends. I found it very interesting and I would listen to another one. However, I would not subscribe to this or any other podcast that I have listened to. For me, it is very much like listening to an audiobook- I get bored and sometimes fall asleep. I am just not an auditory learner- never have been. For people who are, podcasting must be awesome.
I think libraries should use podcasting for some things. I think it's good to get information about programs, events, etc. out there in as many ways as possible. Also, it would be nice to have podcasts of some of our library staff reading kid books on our website. It promotes the library ( not that we need it- I know our storytimes are slways full!!). When I listened to the podcast from the Denver Public Library, I thought, "Wow, she's really good." I think if I had a child, I would take him or her to a storytime there based on the podcast. Having the podcast on the website gives people from other cities and states- who may never visit us- a sample of what we offer.
The next thing I came across, was a teen webcast from the Boulder Public Library's website. (I just realized I went to two public libraries in Colorado- did not do that on purpose) The webcast was of a recent teen art show at the library. The narrator was obviously nervous and she did not enunciate well, and she did a lot of "upspeak". The camera person was wobbly. However, the teens did it themselves- and that is good to engage them and get them even more involved at the library.
Then I went to the Manchester Public Library's website and listened to a podcast about their Summer Reading program. The sound was fine, the speaker was ok- but not great, and the information was all there. I think this was a decent way to let people know about the SRP.
Finally, just for variety, I listened to one of the This American Life podcasts- the one on true urban legends. I found it very interesting and I would listen to another one. However, I would not subscribe to this or any other podcast that I have listened to. For me, it is very much like listening to an audiobook- I get bored and sometimes fall asleep. I am just not an auditory learner- never have been. For people who are, podcasting must be awesome.
I think libraries should use podcasting for some things. I think it's good to get information about programs, events, etc. out there in as many ways as possible. Also, it would be nice to have podcasts of some of our library staff reading kid books on our website. It promotes the library ( not that we need it- I know our storytimes are slways full!!). When I listened to the podcast from the Denver Public Library, I thought, "Wow, she's really good." I think if I had a child, I would take him or her to a storytime there based on the podcast. Having the podcast on the website gives people from other cities and states- who may never visit us- a sample of what we offer.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Wikis- Thing 21
I have used Wikipedia in the past, usually when there is a subject that I am curious about and just want an overview. I have not added to or modified any Wikipedia pages, although I did know that one can do that. For this exercise, I looked up puffins. I hadn't visited a discussion page on Wikipedia until today- nor had I visited a history page. It's interesting to see the different topics and changes that have been made over time. I also noticed that the page is "B-class" and of "mid-importance." I'm not sure that these ratings really mean anything from what I read about the scales. It seems fairly arbitrary. There is, of course, a disclaimer at the bottom of the page. When you click on it, it says there is no guarantee of validity, no peer review, etc. In some ways, I do find this to be troubling- mainly because I don't know that everyone realizes that anyone can put anything on a wiki- and it may or may not be valid information. We, as librarians, know this- but I wonder how many people think Wikipedia is an authoritative resource? That aside, I think it's fun to pool knowledge together and I love the idea of an ever-changing (or evolving) document.
For the restaurant portion of the assignment, I reviewed a few of the ones I have been to and I created a page for the Irish Rover. It's sort of like a discussion forum and I do think this can be valuable to libraries. We could have wikis for our programs and materials. It would be yet another great way to be in touch with our customers and their interests.
For the restaurant portion of the assignment, I reviewed a few of the ones I have been to and I created a page for the Irish Rover. It's sort of like a discussion forum and I do think this can be valuable to libraries. We could have wikis for our programs and materials. It would be yet another great way to be in touch with our customers and their interests.
Music Streaming and Sharing- Thing 17
I waited to do this thing until I had at least 2 hours of time by myself because I love music. I wanted to really explore this thing thoroughly. I already had an account with Last.fm, but I hadn't used it much. One of my friends had encouraged me to sign up, so I did. I only used it for a couple of days, so I had actually forgotten my password when I recently revisited it and had to reset it. When I did get into the site, I remembered why I had stopped using it. I searched for a song that I wanted to listen to and there was no obvious link to just play the song all the way through. I could play the artist's radio station, look at the bio and discography of the artist, download the song (for a fee), save the song (still couldn't play it), share the song, bookmark the song, add it to my library, or listen to a sample of the song. I did quite a bit of clicking around until I finally just went to the "Radio" area of the site. I did like this feature. You can choose an artist and listen to a station that will continually play songs that are similar to that artist. Last.fm also gives you the option of choosing 3 artists, then they play they think you will like based on those 3 choices. This option worked very well for me as I enjoyed all of the songs that were played on this station. They also show a variety of photographs of the artist as the song is playing- almost as nice as watching a music video. I noticed a link to "recommendations" based on my favorites, searches, and saved songs. I clicked on it, and I was pleased to find a radio station that played music "just for me". I did like most of the songs that were played. I found one that I marked as "love" and shared it with my husband. He does not have a Last.fm account, so I was interested to find out what it was like on his end. When he opened the email and clicked on the shared song, I was disappointed to see that it took him to the place I was at before I went to "Radio". There was no obvious link that played the whole song- just the artist bio, discography, sample, and option to download for a fee.
Incidentally, I had the same experience on Pandora when I shared a song with him. I was surprised because I found Pandora to be more user-friendly and intuitive in terms of how to find what you need. This was my first time to use Pandora, and at first, I thought I would like it better than Last.fm. It guided me through the sign up and it was much easier for me to navigate. However, I did find that I couldn't search by individual song title. I created a few radio stations based on some artists that I like. Last.fm allows you to choose up to 3, but I was only able to choose one artist per station on Pandora. The main thing I didn't like about Pandora (and the reason I will probably use Last.fm over it in the future) is that the radio stations stopped after about 3 or 4 songs for a long time before playing another song. At first, I thought it had something to do with my computer, but then a message appeared on the screen that said, "Sorry about the wait. It is taking us more time to pick the next song than we thought" or something to that effect. Well, I used to be in radio, and one of the first things I was taught in broadcasting school is that dead air is absolutely forbidden. Additionally, when I am listening to radio, I don't want any pregnant pauses- I want continuous music. Another advantage to Last.fm is that they show the images of the artist as the song is playing. When I shared a song from Pandora with my husband, it was the same as when I sent him a song from Last.fm. So, I don't know if I just am not sharing music properly, or if he has to register to hear the entire song.... or ?
I should mention, too, that I have listened to radio stations on the Internet in the past. I have a subscription to Sirius satellite radio, and I sometimes listen to the stations on the computer. I love it- especially when I am doing housework. I may try one of my Last.fm stations next time (not Pandora, though- too much dead air!). I have also used Yahoo Launch to watch music videos. It works in the same way as Last.fm in that when you watch a video, it plays more videos based on that selection. So much fun! Yes, there are ads, but it's usually just one short one here and there- nothing like the 10 minute commercial blocks on FM radio and television.
As far as how this technology can be used in libraries- I do think CDs are perhaps on the "out", but I'm not sure how music streaming and sharing will be used in libraries. Maybe in the future our catalogs will also offer patrons a chance to listen to music. The OPAC will be so much more than what it is now- it will allow customers to create their own stations. Imagine customers spending hours on the OPAC listening to music! I do think there are a lot of people who still want to "own" in addition to simply listening to it. Maybe CDs won't be necessary for that as there are MP3s and such now. They do take up quite a lot of space. But, I still listen to them in my car which is a 2006. Do new cars have CD players in them? I'm not sure- but that also makes a difference to customers- especially in an area like DFW where there are a lot of commuters. It will be fascinating to see what transpires in this realm in the next ten years!
Incidentally, I had the same experience on Pandora when I shared a song with him. I was surprised because I found Pandora to be more user-friendly and intuitive in terms of how to find what you need. This was my first time to use Pandora, and at first, I thought I would like it better than Last.fm. It guided me through the sign up and it was much easier for me to navigate. However, I did find that I couldn't search by individual song title. I created a few radio stations based on some artists that I like. Last.fm allows you to choose up to 3, but I was only able to choose one artist per station on Pandora. The main thing I didn't like about Pandora (and the reason I will probably use Last.fm over it in the future) is that the radio stations stopped after about 3 or 4 songs for a long time before playing another song. At first, I thought it had something to do with my computer, but then a message appeared on the screen that said, "Sorry about the wait. It is taking us more time to pick the next song than we thought" or something to that effect. Well, I used to be in radio, and one of the first things I was taught in broadcasting school is that dead air is absolutely forbidden. Additionally, when I am listening to radio, I don't want any pregnant pauses- I want continuous music. Another advantage to Last.fm is that they show the images of the artist as the song is playing. When I shared a song from Pandora with my husband, it was the same as when I sent him a song from Last.fm. So, I don't know if I just am not sharing music properly, or if he has to register to hear the entire song.... or ?
I should mention, too, that I have listened to radio stations on the Internet in the past. I have a subscription to Sirius satellite radio, and I sometimes listen to the stations on the computer. I love it- especially when I am doing housework. I may try one of my Last.fm stations next time (not Pandora, though- too much dead air!). I have also used Yahoo Launch to watch music videos. It works in the same way as Last.fm in that when you watch a video, it plays more videos based on that selection. So much fun! Yes, there are ads, but it's usually just one short one here and there- nothing like the 10 minute commercial blocks on FM radio and television.
As far as how this technology can be used in libraries- I do think CDs are perhaps on the "out", but I'm not sure how music streaming and sharing will be used in libraries. Maybe in the future our catalogs will also offer patrons a chance to listen to music. The OPAC will be so much more than what it is now- it will allow customers to create their own stations. Imagine customers spending hours on the OPAC listening to music! I do think there are a lot of people who still want to "own" in addition to simply listening to it. Maybe CDs won't be necessary for that as there are MP3s and such now. They do take up quite a lot of space. But, I still listen to them in my car which is a 2006. Do new cars have CD players in them? I'm not sure- but that also makes a difference to customers- especially in an area like DFW where there are a lot of commuters. It will be fascinating to see what transpires in this realm in the next ten years!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Yelp! Thing 22
After browsing the suggestion lists to help me choose something for Thing 22, I decided to take a look at Yelp. It was rated #1 for Guides and Reviews and I have been looking for a site with local reviews of a variety of places and things. I am sometimes skeptical of online reviews because as it is said, "Anyone can write them- for any reason." However, Yelp has such a high rating that I wanted to at least give it a try. First, I searched for salons and spas by zip code. I looked at reviews of salons I had been to, and those I had not. I was mostly in agreement with the reviews of the salons I had visited, which was reassuring. Also, none of the reviewers seemed to have any ulterior motives for posting. One thing I liked, is that none of the reviews that I read were mean-spirited. One can write an honest, negative review of a place and/or experience without being cruel.
I tried some other searches- cleaners, restaurants, and then.... libraries! I was disappointed that I found no reviews of the Frisco Public Library on Yelp. I did find reviews of some of the Dallas branches, Garland, Carrollton, and Richardson (which was the only 5 star rating, based on 8 reviews). I think it would be great if some of our customers started posting reviews of FPL on a site like Yelp. I have heard that there are comments posted on the Frisco forum regularly- so why not take those comments to a larger audience? If someone is visiting the DFW area and they check Yelp for library reviews- wouldn't that be cool if FPL had more reviews than any other local library (and, yes, we would hope they would be 5 star!)? If someone was only in town for a week and only planned to visit one library- and he based his decision on a site like Yelp- well, right now he'd go to Richardson Public....
I tried some other searches- cleaners, restaurants, and then.... libraries! I was disappointed that I found no reviews of the Frisco Public Library on Yelp. I did find reviews of some of the Dallas branches, Garland, Carrollton, and Richardson (which was the only 5 star rating, based on 8 reviews). I think it would be great if some of our customers started posting reviews of FPL on a site like Yelp. I have heard that there are comments posted on the Frisco forum regularly- so why not take those comments to a larger audience? If someone is visiting the DFW area and they check Yelp for library reviews- wouldn't that be cool if FPL had more reviews than any other local library (and, yes, we would hope they would be 5 star!)? If someone was only in town for a week and only planned to visit one library- and he based his decision on a site like Yelp- well, right now he'd go to Richardson Public....
Hulu- Thing 19
I discovered Hulu on Facebook. Someone had posted a link to the latest Lady Gaga video and it was on Hulu. I was impressed with the quality. Sometimes on You Tube, the quality is really poor. Sometimes, this has to do with the fact that it was taken from an old VHS tape or something like that- but I've experienced it with some newer video, as well. After watching the Lady Gaga video, I went on to watch all of the other ones on Hulu and remained impressed. I have searched for some old Saturday Night Live sketches on Hulu from time to time and have always found what I am looking for. I hadn't watched whole TV shows on it until this assignment. I chose to watch the last episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I had watched the other 5 episodes on ABC's website, and found Hulu to be just as good. I prefer to watch TV and movies on my huge screen TV, but sometimes that is not convenient and I will use the computer. Streaming is a really amazing technology that I think will most certainly affect libraries in the future. I doubt that it has slowed down our circulation of DVDs at this point, but eventually that is the direction we are headed and libraries should go with that tide. It will definitely save shelf space and we won't have to do as many repairs, discards, and new cases. Libraries should move toward offering more streaming... slowly. Many of our customers will have to be trained and so many people don't want to let go of past technologies and formats. I remember in 1999 when I worked at Borders, I had people trying to special order cassette tapes. My thought was "Still?" Even in my first year or so at the Frisco Public Library, I had people ILL audio on cassette. So, yes we should move forward, but be prepared that some customers will still want DVDs- even when they stop making anything new in that format!
An interesting note- when I watched the Food Revolution episode on Hulu, there was a statement at the bottom of the screen that said the episodes are available on Hulu until June 6th, when the streaming rights expired. Streaming rights. Wow. It's a whole new world.
An interesting note- when I watched the Food Revolution episode on Hulu, there was a statement at the bottom of the screen that said the episodes are available on Hulu until June 6th, when the streaming rights expired. Streaming rights. Wow. It's a whole new world.
You Tube- Thing 18
I have been visiting You Tube for some years now for entertainment. It started when friends sent me cute animal videos and old comedy sketches. It's funny because I rarely go to You Tube and only watch one video. There are always "suggestion" videos on the side that are always tempting! Recently, I searched for a videos on how to save iPods once they had been splashed with water and how to change an iPod's battery. The instructions were excellent, but it really helped to have a moving visual aid. My iPod still died, but at least I had a resource like You Tube. I have a friend who is an architect and he makes his own outdoor furniture. He has created some "how to" videos just for You Tube- really amazing way to share knowledge AND promote his furniture.
I have also watched some library-oriented videos on You Tube. I think this also started when someone sent me links to "The Library Song" and "March of the Librarians" among others. I remember being shocked at how many videos there were pertaining to librarians. I even found an Australian sitcom that took place in a library! After watching the suggested videos, I am further convinced that You Tube is an excellent way to promote libraries and reading. I do like that the image of librarian is changing toward someone more approachable and light-hearted than the stereotypical shusher. Videos like Super Librarian illustrate that we do have senses of humor and don't mind being goofy from time to time. I also like the idea of a library channel for individual libraries. I think it would be great to see the Frisco Public Library create a few of these videos and share the links on the Facebook page. This would be ideal for promoting Summer Reading and events such as the Storytelling Festival.
Now, I want to watch some more of these library videos on You Tube.
I have also watched some library-oriented videos on You Tube. I think this also started when someone sent me links to "The Library Song" and "March of the Librarians" among others. I remember being shocked at how many videos there were pertaining to librarians. I even found an Australian sitcom that took place in a library! After watching the suggested videos, I am further convinced that You Tube is an excellent way to promote libraries and reading. I do like that the image of librarian is changing toward someone more approachable and light-hearted than the stereotypical shusher. Videos like Super Librarian illustrate that we do have senses of humor and don't mind being goofy from time to time. I also like the idea of a library channel for individual libraries. I think it would be great to see the Frisco Public Library create a few of these videos and share the links on the Facebook page. This would be ideal for promoting Summer Reading and events such as the Storytelling Festival.
Now, I want to watch some more of these library videos on You Tube.
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