Social networks
There are so many of the Web based applications that have a social networking component to them. Blogs, Flickr, Wikis, Tagging, answer boards, etc all have the ability to let people comment on a site, communicate or give feedback.
Social networks and libraries
As mentioned before, blogs can be a great way to get information out there about library services and to get invaluable feedback about services offered and a way to add information to an area such as the local history section. I believe that this is the best type of forum for a structured social networking starting point.
The only reason for going to some of the other more widely used social forums would be to reach a far larger audience and varied clientele.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Online applications and tools
Uses and advantages
To be able to search for any application on the web and just start using it without the expense usually associated with business type, software applications is a very useful discovery. I'm sure there are many people out there that would have a limited requirement for a slide show application for example. This new technology opens the opportunities for using this application up to a much broader audience.
In the library
Our library already has access to the types of software applications that are being provided online by GoogleDocs and Zoho etc. The real use in the library would be in using the collaborative tools where you can share the document.
Compare
Zoho seems much more comprehensive than GoogleDoc. It has all the tools that you could possibly need in a very comprehensive toolbar. GoogleDoc's has to rely on downloads from other applications in some instances. Zoho also seems quite user friendly and gives access to many different types of software applications in the one place.
To be able to search for any application on the web and just start using it without the expense usually associated with business type, software applications is a very useful discovery. I'm sure there are many people out there that would have a limited requirement for a slide show application for example. This new technology opens the opportunities for using this application up to a much broader audience.
In the library
Our library already has access to the types of software applications that are being provided online by GoogleDocs and Zoho etc. The real use in the library would be in using the collaborative tools where you can share the document.
Compare
Zoho seems much more comprehensive than GoogleDoc. It has all the tools that you could possibly need in a very comprehensive toolbar. GoogleDoc's has to rely on downloads from other applications in some instances. Zoho also seems quite user friendly and gives access to many different types of software applications in the one place.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Mashing it up
Discovering Mashups
Wow! Now we get to put together some of the applications we have learnt about so far. Music with the videos. Photo's and pictures with narratives and captions.
Pointers with the maps. It all sounds great. Now I need to find out how user friendly these new applications are.
My Calender
Big huge labs did it all. It was just a matter of clicking on the calender icon, getting a photo from my adobe application and checking the size I wanted and the dates required. When the application was doing the mashing, I noticed it went to the flicr application for the calender.
Library uses
Wow! Now we get to put together some of the applications we have learnt about so far. Music with the videos. Photo's and pictures with narratives and captions.
Pointers with the maps. It all sounds great. Now I need to find out how user friendly these new applications are.My Calender
Big huge labs did it all. It was just a matter of clicking on the calender icon, getting a photo from my adobe application and checking the size I wanted and the dates required. When the application was doing the mashing, I noticed it went to the flicr application for the calender.
Library uses
With the regional history material and photo's in particular you could use this type of applications add captions explaining more about the images or you could add a podcast telling about it. Storytime could add the voice and images together from a book, copyright permitting. As mentioned before, tutorials and virtual tours could be mashed up using captions and arrows on maps. Verbal explanations with images of different parts of the library etc.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Podcasts and Audio
Discovery
Podcasts is yet another application within 2.0 that makes the accessibility to otherwise very technical applications much more available to the average person. Looking at the different recommended sites with podcasts gives a good idea of how pod casting can be used in general. I was impressed with the ABC site and being able to look within a subject area and then a broadcast under the topic of interest. I like the ability, when you subscribe to a particular podcast, to continue to get updated RSS feeds.
Going to the Orange County Library Service, I noticed all the different ways to subscribe to the podcasts, eg. through RSS Subscribe, Bloglines, ITunes, my Yahoo, google etc.
Libraries and Podcasts
Looking at the examples, libraries are using podcasts in promoting story time and adding to their client base by making story telling available to the home user, and to make available special speeches and historical talks that have happened within a library. An example of a free down loadable file of a recording - (British Library) , extract from new CD introduced by the Curator of Drama, Steve Cleary called "The spoken word: Evelyn Waugh", with an exclusive clip from the CD of Waugh reading.
Podcasts and promotion
One really good way that my library could utilise this application, would be in promoting services to library clientele and the wider public. I can envisage work shops where staff could work on doing tutorials on the use of under used services like the subscription databases. To make people aware of these services, we could prepare podcasts of purely promotional material for local radio and to go over the loud speaker system in the library at certain times of the day eg. during after school hours, a podcast saying:- having trouble finding the right information for your assignment. Did you know that you can access twenty different databases on the libraries internet computers. We have comprehensive databases on science, health,newspaper articles etc. These promotional podcasts could be as specific or as general to meet the requirements at the time.
Podcasts is yet another application within 2.0 that makes the accessibility to otherwise very technical applications much more available to the average person. Looking at the different recommended sites with podcasts gives a good idea of how pod casting can be used in general. I was impressed with the ABC site and being able to look within a subject area and then a broadcast under the topic of interest. I like the ability, when you subscribe to a particular podcast, to continue to get updated RSS feeds.
Going to the Orange County Library Service, I noticed all the different ways to subscribe to the podcasts, eg. through RSS Subscribe, Bloglines, ITunes, my Yahoo, google etc.
Libraries and Podcasts
Looking at the examples, libraries are using podcasts in promoting story time and adding to their client base by making story telling available to the home user, and to make available special speeches and historical talks that have happened within a library. An example of a free down loadable file of a recording - (British Library) , extract from new CD introduced by the Curator of Drama, Steve Cleary called "The spoken word: Evelyn Waugh", with an exclusive clip from the CD of Waugh reading.
Podcasts and promotion
One really good way that my library could utilise this application, would be in promoting services to library clientele and the wider public. I can envisage work shops where staff could work on doing tutorials on the use of under used services like the subscription databases. To make people aware of these services, we could prepare podcasts of purely promotional material for local radio and to go over the loud speaker system in the library at certain times of the day eg. during after school hours, a podcast saying:- having trouble finding the right information for your assignment. Did you know that you can access twenty different databases on the libraries internet computers. We have comprehensive databases on science, health,newspaper articles etc. These promotional podcasts could be as specific or as general to meet the requirements at the time.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Answer boards and social searching
What is the answer
It seems that these two activities within web sites can be very different. One being very social and relying on other peoples experiences and opinions (social searching eg. Taste website) and the other being a place for more informed type of reference queries (Answer boards eg, Yahoo!7Answers). One is just an extension of a web page, your blog being an example. The other is a site built for the soul purpose of being a reference centre. Of course both of these tools have the same function, in that they answer peoples questions.
Promoting reference services by librarians
I liked the idea of slamming the boards once a month by librarians. Whether this is a good way of promoting reference services by librarians would be very hard to gauge. On the other hand I think it would be a fantasic promotional tool to set up a type of social searching option from our web page and blogs. Of course time could be an issue with this type of service.
It seems that these two activities within web sites can be very different. One being very social and relying on other peoples experiences and opinions (social searching eg. Taste website) and the other being a place for more informed type of reference queries (Answer boards eg, Yahoo!7Answers). One is just an extension of a web page, your blog being an example. The other is a site built for the soul purpose of being a reference centre. Of course both of these tools have the same function, in that they answer peoples questions.
Promoting reference services by librarians
I liked the idea of slamming the boards once a month by librarians. Whether this is a good way of promoting reference services by librarians would be very hard to gauge. On the other hand I think it would be a fantasic promotional tool to set up a type of social searching option from our web page and blogs. Of course time could be an issue with this type of service.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Let's catagorize
In our element
At last we can begin to make sense of the web. We are able to organize our information into subjects and our books into an organised structure. Of course we have more control over the way we do classify the sites we set up. No adhering to particular classification standards, although I'm sure we would follow what has been tried and tested to a point. Folksonomy - unstructured categorization scheme. Never heard that word before, yet it really does apply to the web tools that we have been looking at this week.
Discoveries
Del.icio.us seems to be a great bookmarking site. Its almost a web, inside a web, where you can tailor make it to suit your own needs. Tagging your sites with the appropriate tags to make your searching, or that of others as easy and effective as possible is the most important task in setting up a del.icio.us site.
Library Thing could have many uses and at a glance seems to be the starting point to creating a fantastic book club or reading group. Could be a lot of fun!
Uses in Libraries
These collaborative online reference tools are still in the early stages of seeing what the possibilities can be, if you consider how many people have really given them a lot of thought and time.
Both the Southerland Shire Library site and that of the Cleveland Public Library show how you can categorise within the site, making the search to other web pages much easier. I think this is just the beginning for this type of reference tool.
At last we can begin to make sense of the web. We are able to organize our information into subjects and our books into an organised structure. Of course we have more control over the way we do classify the sites we set up. No adhering to particular classification standards, although I'm sure we would follow what has been tried and tested to a point. Folksonomy - unstructured categorization scheme. Never heard that word before, yet it really does apply to the web tools that we have been looking at this week.
Discoveries
Del.icio.us seems to be a great bookmarking site. Its almost a web, inside a web, where you can tailor make it to suit your own needs. Tagging your sites with the appropriate tags to make your searching, or that of others as easy and effective as possible is the most important task in setting up a del.icio.us site.
Library Thing could have many uses and at a glance seems to be the starting point to creating a fantastic book club or reading group. Could be a lot of fun!
Uses in Libraries
These collaborative online reference tools are still in the early stages of seeing what the possibilities can be, if you consider how many people have really given them a lot of thought and time.
Both the Southerland Shire Library site and that of the Cleveland Public Library show how you can categorise within the site, making the search to other web pages much easier. I think this is just the beginning for this type of reference tool.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
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