Circulation

Moving to WordPress...

2009-01-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

I've decided to move to WordPress. Follow me here: http://lindyjb.wordpress.com/

Nothing against Blogger - I like the format and it's really easy to use, but I've tried both and am going to stick with WordPress for now...

Thanks Blogger!

Libraries on Twitter (updated list)

2009-01-10T11:02:00.001-08:00

Here is an updated list of Libraries on Twitter. I decided to create a new post instead of continually updating the old post. Some folks on here haven't updated their profiles in a long while, but I thought I'd include them anyway...

Libraries Using Twitter:

New innovative uses of Twitter

2009-01-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty psyched in that my Twittering Libraries web 2.0 article from LIS 5313 is receiving some notice. The Shifted Librarian mentioned it in her post An open letter to [libraries] on Twitter and the ACRL mentioned it in their post Proselytizing for Twitter.

I'm not writing here to publicize myself; rather, I wanted to briefly highlight a few comments that were shared from the Shifted Librarian and ACRL blog posts.

The first comment was from Jenn who works at the College of DuPage Library. They have a Library Secrets Twitter account they use not only to promote the Library Secrets program but to promote online tools and applications that their patrons (students, faculty and community members) might find useful. I checked out the Library Secrets program and it looks really cool!

The second comment was from the ACRL blog. Brian Matthews, a User Experience Librarian at Georgia Tech, shared a paper he wrote for the Journal of Web Librarianship titled Twitter and the Library: Thoughts on the Syndicated Lifestyle. After reading his article, my head was spinning with ideas and thoughts because he provided so many practical uses for libraries using Twitter: it is a great tool for not only communication and collaboration (which many libraries are doing), but for assessment.

I thought I had most ideas for Twitter covered in my lil' article, but that truly isn't the case. Doh! Because of the rapid growth of Twitter (it grew 752% with 4.43 million users in December 2008!), the chance for innovation is immense.

I love learning about how others are doing things!

If you have any ideas or thoughts to share or innovative ways libraries and librarians can use Twitter, please share!

photography fun - tiltshiftmaker

2009-01-08T21:16:00.001-08:00

I wanted to comment on tiltshiftmaker - a nifty lil' site that allows you to tilt-shift your images. I tried it out with one of my funny-retro motel pictures. (I like to take pictures of old-school colorful vintage signs. When I lived in Florida, there were lots around the central-Florida area. I have a very small collection of them on my flickrstream). I tried out tiltshiftmaker and it was super easy and kinda fun. I recommend taking a try at it!

Flip Video

2009-01-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

Ooh! We got a flip phone at my office. I brought it home to try it out by filming my dog, Casper. Not bad quality, though the director could have done a better job with the editing portion (or rather, could have done a little editing at all)!

My experience with Twitter and Delta Airlines' customer service

2009-01-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

Much is written in the blogosphere about companies using Twitter for customer service (i.e., Comcast, JetBlue, Zappos.com). I even briefly discussed it in my Twittering Libraries article.

It's one thing to read about others' experiences, but recently I experienced my own encounter of customer service and Twitter.

I wrote about this earlier, but long story short: Over the holidays, I attended a wedding in Richmond, VA. At the time of the wedding ending, Portland was having one of its worst snowstorms ever. As a result of mechanical difficulties and then the impending craziness of canceled flights to Portland, I was stuck in Washington, DC while my luggage was visiting places like JFK (NY), Dulles (DC), Richmond (VA) and then Eugene (OR).

In my frustration of several hours of phone calls, waiting on hold, several calculations where my luggage was (but really wasn't) and seven days of absence, I got the idea to see if Delta Airlines had a twitter account. I discovered they did. So what the heck, I decided to try it. Alas, I'll let my tweets tell the rest of the story...

The End.

Blogger vs. Wordpress?

2009-01-04T12:56:00.000-08:00

I have been playing around with the Circulation blog in Blogger and WordPress. I am debating which would be a better format... I plan to upgrade, get a domain and upload the blog so I can really customize it, so what you see here is not what Circulation will look like in the long-term. However, I am curious to see if anyone has comments or recommendations about using Blogger and/or WordPress for their blogs.

I've been doing research and it seems that both have positive attributes... What to do? What to choose?

Do a good deed today and share your knowledge with a young and eager blogger... If you have suggestions and/or recommendations, please share!

Kansas City Public Library's Twitter Trivia Contest

2009-01-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

How cool is this?

The KC Public Library is having a trivia contest and they're using Twitter as the forum for folks to submit answers. What a great idea for getting more people involved and connected to the library! Follow their stream at KCPubLib.

Library of Congress Photostream

2009-01-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

I have added the Library of Congress to my flickr contacts. I love their photostream! As of today, they have over 5,080 wonderful vintage photographs uploaded. My favorites are tagged rosietheriveter (i.e., Rosie the Riveter).

Photo credit: Operating a hand drill at Vultee-Nashville, woman is working on a "Vengeance" dive bomber, Tennessee (LOC) from flickr user Library of Congress.

Dar Williams - Promised Land

2009-01-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

LOVE it! My favorite musician is back after a 3 year hiatus with a new CD, Promised Land. I highly recommend it.

The Librarian (1947)

2008-12-31T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have an affection for old, retro stuff. It's funny to watch these old movies to see how much things have changed (and stayed the same!)

The Librarian (1947). The original post of the film can be found on the Internet Archive.

Twittering Libraries Article (on LIS 5313 wiki)

2008-12-30T21:34:00.000-08:00

Finally done fine-tuning! Check it out on the LIS 5313 wiki: Twittering Libraries

Playing around with GIMP

2008-12-30T00:51:00.000-08:00

Having a little fun with Gnu Image Manipulation Program.

Green background (aka "Bossonova Green"), care of flikr user bluekdesign.
His photo has a creative commons attribution non-commercial share alike 2.0 generic license.

New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-28T11:02:00.001-08:00

I may be a rookie when it comes to blogging and web site design, but I am going to work hard to improve this lil' project of mine. In addition to this blog, I plan to continue gaining experience in librarianship. A few of my goals for the new year:

1. Continue posting to the blog twice a week.

2. Improve the look and layout of the blog so it gets away from the "template" look.

3. Continue to improve XHTML/CSS skills.

4. Increase volunteer time at the Corvallis Public Library to twice a week.

5. Get involved with the Albany Public Library.

6. Increase number of reference questions answered through IPL.

7. Become proficient in GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program).

8. Continue working on MLIS specializations in leadership/management and reference.

9. Continue to fine-tune web authoring ability. Take CS 195/295 (intro to web authoring/ intermediate web authoring) through Oregon State University (spring 09/fall 09).

10. Join OLA.

11. Do an internship this summer.

Cross Country Adventure: Wedding, Mechanical Delay, Flight Cancellation, Missing Christmas, and Lost Luggage

2008-12-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

Well, as you may know, I took a trip out to Washington, D.C./Richmond, VA for a wedding. (Oh, I received a few comments on my dress, by the way!). I met L's college roommates - hope I passed the test.

While the wedding was the highlight, the best part of it was the drama-filled fun of flying the friendly skies.

The trip consisted of a missed flight on the way from PDX to Regan International on the 17th. Thus, after a $50.00 change of ticket I was on my way to Washington-Dulles instead, by way of JFK.

Ah... after the late arrival into DC, we spent a few days in Baltimore/DC area, met some friends, relaxed.

Then came the wedding. Very nice.

And then... ah, and then the delightful attempt to get home began on a lovely Monday afternoon, December 21st at Dulles International airport.

(Before I get into the details of the attempt home, let me tell you that I saw the Delta in-flight safety video on 4 occasions. I do recommend it - it's quite catchy. My two favorite parts are when the star of the movie (1:50) says in such a catchy tone, "smoking is not allowed," and when the male flight attendant is demonstrating (3:30) how to inflate the safety vest (he looks so genuinely happy - it's quite cute).

I was also luckily chosen three times for the extra search. I thoroughly enjoyed the search at Dulles - they keep you in a 8X8 foot glass fish-bowl for everyone to see who the bad children are as they rush through security checks.)

Back to the story: On my way back to PDX, the first leg from Dulles to JFK was delayed... delayed... delayed for mechanical reasons. The delay caused me to miss the leg from JFK to PDX.

I spent an hour and a half in the Delta line to get a new ticket only to find out once I arrived at the desk that they could not get me to PDX until 5 days later... (this also meant after the Christmas holiday). The Portland area was having one of the worst snow storms in its recent history, thus making it difficult to get back.

We grabbed the only flight available at the moment so we could have something...

Oh, by the way - our luggage - we were told it was in New York. "Oh, but we'll have it for you tomorrow," Delta-man tells us. "In fact, we'll deliver it to you."

Thank gawd L has a friend in Arlington, VA (just across the DC border) who offered us her apartment. We stayed there throughout this debacle.

Next day... no luggage. Lots of phone calls to Delta.

In fact, we spent the next four days calling Delta, trying to find earlier flights to PDX and was told everything booked... talked to 4 different people - three were helpful... every time I called I was able to get the last tickets on a flight that was pieced together over several layovers and airlines.

Luggage was never delivered. Four days in the same outfit. Start to feel quite grimy.

Finally found a flight out on the 24th to Salt Lake and then a flight from Salt Lake to PDX on the 25th. "Oh, by the way," we ask Delta-baggage-man on the phone - after 45 minutes of being on hold - "where's our luggage?"

Luggage is at Dulles, we're told.

Arrived at Dulles on the 24th. Asked about our luggage. Delta-baggage-lady tells us it's already in Portland. Oh goodie we think. Ah... but there's more to this story. Just wait.

Got into PDX at 2pm on Christmas... Yes! We find luggage - yes! Oh wait... we found one bag - L's. "Where's my bag," I ask Delta-luggage-lady. "Hmm.... looks like it's at Dulles." Sigh. "But we can deliver it to you at your home in Albany. It will be there tomorrow on the 26th."

Sounded ok to me.

Found the car we left in economy parking... covered in 2 feet of snow and a layer of ice underneath that... Snow falling, out in converse and jeans, scraping it off with an empty CD case... but an angel came - a guy with a shovel helped us out and an hour later after scraping and shoveling snow away from the car, we were off to Sherwood to spend the rest of the Christmas holiday with the Brown family.

Oh! But wait! We took a wrong turn off I-5! Instead of I-84 through Portland, we found ourselves headed to even worse-wintry-wonderland of I-84 EAST! It is quite scary to be driving on icy roads in a tiny Jetta with front-wheel drive and scary, giant semi-trucks speeding past you at 60 miles an hour when you're driving about 25 mph.

But that is beside the point... we made it...finally. We spent a wonderful Christmas evening with the Brown family, opened a few presents and had a fabulous dinner.

We left this morning for our house in Albany, and here we are... and I am so glad to be back home.

ps - did I fail to mention that my luggage is still missing? No deliveries to the house today. Grrr...

Testing out Ping.fm

2008-12-26T17:02:00.001-08:00

Just a test...this is simply a test.

Twitter updated search function: Search for People

2008-12-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Short and sweet post... Check out Twitter's new search for people: http://twitter.com/search/

Out of commission for a few days...

2008-12-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

I am headed out to the east coast for a lil' while for a wedding. (Oh yeah, I did choose on a dress, by the way: JCrew Madeline lil' black dress). While in Richmond, VA/Washington, DC, I'll try to get a post in or two, but it's probably unlikely... maybe during airport time I can get an update on my Twitter survey... we'll see...)

Anyway, I'll be back soon. Stay tuned and don't give up on me yet!

Photo credit: We'll be back soon by flickr user marcopako

Twitter survey, Q7: Have you faced challenges or obstacles in offering/participating in Twitter?

2008-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Note: This is the seventh question of a 15-part questionnaire I sent out to over 90 libraries with Twitter accounts. 65 libraries responded. I used this information for a web 2.0 article for my LIS5313 class at Florida State University. Once the article is finished, I will share it on the blog. In the meantime, I am sharing data collected of the responses for each question.

Seventeen of the 65 Librarians (26%) said they ran into no challenges in using Twitter at their libraries.

The rest of the group mentioned some obstacles in using Twitter:

Technology

Finding Followers in the Community

140 Character Limit

What to Tweet?

Getting staff/others involved, participating & supporting

Twitter survey, Q5: Who organizes/runs the Twitter account for your library?

2008-12-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

Note: This is the fifth question of a 15-part questionnaire I sent out to over 90 libraries with Twitter accounts. 65 libraries responded. I used this information for a web 2.0 article for my LIS5313 class at Florida State University. Once the article is finished, I will share it on the blog. In the meantime, I am sharing data collected of the responses for each question.

Question five asked who organizes/runs the Twitter account for the library. I wanted to see if there was a pattern of who coordinated library Twitter accounts. If a specific title was mentioned more than once, I put a "X+number" to mean the number of times it was mentioned. Otherwise, I simply listed the specific title mentioned by those surveyed. Some did not answer this question or provide their title.

(I know different titles can mean the same area of expertise and/or responsibilities so I put similar titles together).

Who's running the Library's Twitter account:

Assistant Reference Librarian
Reference Manager
Research Manager
Research Librarian
Reference Librarian (X4)
Reference/Technology Librarian
Reference & Instruction Librarian

Library webmaster
Web Design Specialist
Web Librarian
Library Webmaster
Systems Librarian

Information Technology Manager
Information Literacy Librarian
Divisional Librarian, Tech Services (head of Tech services and head Cataloger)
Information Services Director

Manager of Marketing & Communications
Public Programming Librarian
Public Relations Coordinator

Library Manager (X2)
Library Director (X4)

Head Cataloger (X2)

Youth Services Librarian
Youth Services Coordinator

Paraprofessional
Volunteer

Those who specifically mentioned a collaborative effort with others:

Computer Specialist, along with the Director, Head of Reference Dept and ILL Librarian. (This library asks others from other departments to contribute and they do).
Information Services Librarian + one other librarian (no title mentioned)
Reference Librarian plus help from Youth Services Librarian. (Director expressed interest also).
Web Specialist, but head of Electronic Services and Director of Technology have access.
Director formally runs it with the help of the Library Technology Assistant. Twitter posts are spread across all librarians.
Public Relations Coordinator runs it; Youth Services Coordinator posts.
Biomedical & Mechanical Engineering Librarian (though it is noted anyone from the staff can post)

Photo credit: 5 from flickr user Leo Reynolds
This photo is licensed with a creative commons attribution non-commerical share alike 2.0 generic

Twitter survey, Q4: Are there any 3rd party apps you use to enhance your Twitter experience?

2008-12-14T16:54:00.001-08:00

Note: This is the fourth question of a 15-part questionnaire I sent out to over 90 libraries with Twitter accounts. 65 libraries responded. I used this information for a web 2.0 article for my LIS5313 class at Florida State University. Once the article is finished, I will share it on the blog. In the meantime, I am sharing data collected of the responses for each question.

The fourth question on my survey asked the twittering libraries if they used any third party applications to enhance their Twitter experience. I actually answered this in an earlier post on my blog. Check out this post to see what the top 10 applications are that these twittering libraries are using.

Every day new applications are sprouting up. I suggest bookmarking Darren Rowse’s blog, Twitip, or following him on Twitter. He is constantly updating posts with interesting news about Twitter. In fact, he posted an informative snippet on his blog of the 5 applications and tools that made him a better Twitter user in 2008.

Photo credit: door number 4 from flickr user Leo Reynolds
This photo is licensed with a creative commons attribution non-commerical share alike 2.0 generic

Twitter survey, Q3: What has been your experience using Twitter?

2008-12-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

NOTE: This is the third question of a 15-part questionnaire I sent out to over 90 libraries with Twitter accounts. 65 libraries responded. I used this information for a web 2.0 article for my LIS 5313 class at Florida State University. Once the article is finished, I will share it on the blog. In the meantime, I am sharing data collected of the responses from each question.

I asked librarians to describe what has been their experience with Twitter. While using Twitter for the library was a new experience for a handful of librarians, overall, the responses were positive regarding their experience with the service thus far. I informally divided answers by themes I saw throughout. Some of the comments:

GOOD/EASY

"I've really enjoyed it and I hope to continue it indefinitely. The library culture [at my library] is very laid-back, casual, and that's allowed me to be myself in my updates. I like being able to try new things... like the reference live-blogging and seeing how our followers react to it. I've had no complaints from either library staff or other tweeters.""

"For library - pretty much out of sight - almost everything that is posted to Twitter is automated, so it gets updated and kept fresh without much input from staff."

"I don't have feedback about whether our patrons are making use of our Twitter account, however it requires almost no staff time to maintain (our twits are automated with the Twitterfeed application). It's easy to provide this service even if the usage is uncertain."

"Beyond the reliability issues and some brief problems with our RSS feed, the experience has been positive."

"Great! We tweet to tell people about programs, to ask for input and to direct them to our site and other 2.0 outlets, like our blog and Facebook pages."

"Overall, our experience with Twitter has been good. Most of the experiment is automated. I dump the RSS feed of new books and movies into Twitter. It has created an increased interest in our new items."

"It is a fun, fast way to communicate, to see what others are doing"

"I post at least one tweet per day that refers followers back to other online resources, like flickr, our blog, our website, MySpace page, etc. I tweet about library and community events."

"It's easy since it's all automated (twitterfeed.com pulls the RSS form the library's blog and flickr stream)."

"Positive, especially in the last 6 months since they have resolved many of their outage issues."

"It's been positive, overall. Generally speaking, when we can increase the number of communication media we use to reach various groups, it benefits everyone. You just have to be selective and back the right horse from the beginning. For example, Orkut and Friendster didn't really get much traction in the social networking arena as compared to MySpace and Facebook. It would have been troubling to have put all of your resources into building a presence on one of those neglected sites."

"Personally - a lot of fun and helpful. If I have questions about something or want opinions I can post them on Twitter and usually get an answer pretty quickly. It's also great for keeping in touch with library friends I've met."

"Very positive. It's so easy that a few of our librarians, who aren't comfortable with web2.0/library 2.0, pick up the Twitter interface in no time."

"Simple and easy to use. Occasional service outages, but they don't last very long. There have been times when I've tried to post a tweet and the Twitter servers are overloaded and I receive an error, but I just wait a minute or two and then I'm able to post the tweet without problems."

"Generally positive, we have over 100 followers, now including the local newspaper."

"It is easy to set up, quick to maintain and looks good for the library."

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT/CONFERENCES/NETWORKING

"Especially like it for conferences - way to virtually attend a conference as people send tweets."

"Way to "meet" a lot of people at my University; learned a lot about what they do and about new work-related items and issues."

"Incredibly helpful in keeping in contact with other librarians around the world and keeping tabs on cool things that they're doing."

"We get to see how other libraries are using Web 2.0 - gives us wider peer-to-peer network than our local consortia offers."

"I personally love Twitter. Professionally, I get a lot of tech support on Twitter that I don't get at my library. There's only one cataloger and we don't have a programmer on staff, so when I work on some projects it's good to have the help of my tweeps."

FOR MARKETING

"We use the account for marketing purposes."

"We mainly use for publicity/marketing."

"Most of our postings promote imminent events (like library programs) or comment from those events."

"One more way to get the updates out. Savvy users know how to get tweets on their phones, so I hope that followers will turn on that feature."

FOLLOWERS

"As far as the library's Twitter page goes, we have a lot of followers, but I don't know how many follow through and go to the links we send out."

"It is so encouraging to read from our follower's responses after they discovered that we were Twittering."

"We are getting a lot of followers so must be interesting to some folks."

"Most following us are libraries, but we have also followed them back."

"We have a bunch of followers (many libraries from around the country, but also some local organizations, radio stations, etc)."

"So far, we're not being followed by a lot of our users. Most of the other people following our Tweets are other librarians, other libraries, etc."

"The library is seen as hip and cool by keeping up with the latest technology. Local bloggers use our tweets to blog about happenings at the library."

"I Started with a personal account... then I set up [our library] account with the intent of broadcasting updates the community about our struggling library. It turns out most of our followers are library professionals around the country and around the world, plus some [sic] who are not necessarily (a) in our neighborhood or (b) into libraries. We've become Twitter pals with numerous library people and local people who often offer advice and encouragement. One of our most interesting episodes in our Twitter life was Hurricane Gustav, when we gave and received pertinent updates via Twitter before, during and after the storm."

"We try to follow everyone who follows us, but some of the tweets aren't appropriate for a publicly-funded library."

"It was slow going to get people to add us - we now have 103 followers which is interesting."

OTHER

"Wish length of text could be more than 140 characters."

"I have enjoyed using Twitter, but I've been frustrated with the lack of tech support or response to user suggestions and complaints, especially regarding the search function."

"Seems to be a somewhat different kind of communication than anything else: not quite like email, IM, or blogs."

"Over the past several months I've created three different accounts - one for our library, one for me and one for our new building project."

"Not many staff members help change the content."

"Initial use - keep in contact with coworkers in far away locations; now use personal account to stay up-to-date during conferences; use library account for promotional purposes."

"First use was to use as a private notice board for reference desk news (making our tweets private and only allowing library staff to follow). When we found out that there was interest in following from the public, we decided to revamp our account and use it to publicize library workshops, collections, service, and events."

"Original use was to provide an off-site mechanism for our administrative staff to alert the public (and staff) of Library weather related closings or emergencies. Unfortunately because of delayed lapses in posting, we have moved to another reliable service."

"We stopped using it on our blog. If we served a very wired population, we would have continued."

"Our library recently set up its Twitter account and we have yet to fully integrate it into our reference services. We really do not have information to share about using the tool with patrons. We are still determining who in our system will work with this."

"Experience limited to only the library's Twitter account. We don't use it the way it was intended - as real-time "what's happening" or as a collaborative tool for work groups - but we seem to be reaching some people out there."

"No experience outside of our library account ... opening a Twitter account seemed like the next step (after creating a MySpace and Facebook account for the library)."
Photo credit: 3 by Leo Reynolds
Photo is licensed with creative commons attribution non-commerical share alike 2.0 generic

Twitter survey, Q2b: What are the cons of (libraries) using Twitter?

2008-12-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

While most libraries say there are few negatives to using Twitter, they do share some problems with the service: its brevity, the fact it hasn't caught on with patrons quite yet, it's another thing to update, fellow staff members are hesitant to use it, and the fact that it can be a time-waster. A few librarians mentioned technological problems as well.

Brevity. Some librarians note it is difficult to keep their announcements brief and had to repackage messages to fit within the 140-character limit keystroke. Comments:

“The 140 character limit is sometimes too short to be adequate.”

“We have to repackage some of our entries to fit within the keystroke limits of Twitter.”

Lack of Support or Interest from Colleagues. Despite the ease of use of Twitter, not all librarians, libraries and administrative staff have warmed up to it yet. Some librarians are hesitant to try the service or are already overworked and not open to adding another thing to monitor on their plate.

“Some of us in the office enjoy it, but the rest of the office doesn’t quite embrace it – thus when only two people are tweeting, it’s pretty limited to what us two are specifically involved with.”

Technological Problems. While Twitter hasn't had many technological problems recently, there was a time where the famous "Fail Whale" was a very familiar sight to see on the website. One library mentioned that recent lapses or delays in service made Twitter unreliable for them. (When using Twitter for announcements regarding climatic weather closings, the need for a reliable announcement and emergency service was especially important). There was a period of time when Twitter crashed often due to the increased overload on their servers. The addition of many third-party applications that enhance Twitter's service has tapped its servers.

“Twitter filled the bill for posting emergency notices…Recent lapses or delays in the service (some of the accounts did not update for several days after posting was done) plus the length of characters limitation, have made us move to a more reliable service (WordPress) for most of our purpose.”

“Reliability issues – although Twitter service has improved recently, there was a period of time it wasn’t working too well.”

Reaches only a select audience/Not popular amongst patrons…yet. Twitter only reaches a select audience of tech-savvy patrons. Many librarians note that because Twitter hasn't caught on yet with many of their patrons and clientele, their library's reach with Twitter is limited. (This may be a challenge depending on a Library's location. A library that is in a larger city will likely have a more tech-savvy clientele that they can connect with through Twitter. Another library, for example, that serves a high population of Amish will probably not rely as heavily on Twitter to connect with their clientele).

“I don’t think a lot of people in the real world are aware of it yet, so its reach is limited.”

“You may not have that many people online for your library. A majority of your patrons may not use it or care to use it.”

“The only con may be that not all our customers use twitter, but we have a printed newsletter, an email newsletter, our web site, printed flyers, a blog and word of mouth for those who do not follow us on Twitter.”

“Some patrons do not “get” Twitter… Oftentimes, social profiles such a Twitter and MySpace tend to only attract other libraries or librarians and not the target audience.”

Yet another thing to update. Remembering to do updates is a difficulty noted by some, especially when the librarian has many other duties to tend to while at work. Many of the libraries using Twitter also have blogs, Facebook/MySpace pages, and the website to continually update, thus making Twitter yet an additional responsibility to an already full workday.

“It’s another account we have to keep active.”

“Posting [to twitter] can get lost in the midst of busy days (just like with the blogs).”

“Requires somebody to update it (sometimes this is the hardest part).”

“I don’t think there are any cons if it is used appropriately, but the devil is in the details, as they say. The biggest problem with being present in any social media space lies in the time involved in the commitment to be present. It doesn’t’ work unless you keep it up to date and engage with a community.”

Time waster/Not necessary. Some librarians find Twitter time consuming and discovered other programs (e.g., IM between staff and Meebo for patrons) that serve their purposes better for communication.

“We found Twitter to not be useful for us. It was a little too intrusive and time consuming. We use Messenger IM between staff members and Meebo for answering questions from patrons.”

“It takes time away from other work.”

MLIS: My Coursework

2008-12-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

I am updating this as I go through school… slowly… semester by semester… Several classes I took have since changed their course numbers, but they still cover the same content! All courses are from Florida State University's College of Information.

Spring 2007

LIS 5442 Information Leadership (3)
This course allows us to explore the changing context of leadership in contemporary society. We will examine the implications of new communication and information technologies on organizations and the role of information leadership in the Information Age.

*(When I took this class, it was LIS 5916; It has since moved to LIS 5442.)

Summer 2007

LIS 5411 Introduction to Information Policy (3)
Course examines selected fundamental policy questions relating to information use, access, and dissemination. Particular attention is given to complex policy issues that involve value conflicts among information ownership rights, personal privacy rights, and public access rights to information in a societal context.

LIS 5020 Foundations of the Information Professions
This course provides background information about the information profession including librarianship and the discipline of library/information science (LIS) and information technology (IT); the organizations and institutions of the information provision environment; and the applications of technology to information provision. The overall intent of the course is to facilitate optimal information management.

*(When I took this course, it was coded LIS 5916; It has since moved to LIS 5020.)

Fall 2007

LIS 5603 Introduction to Information Services (3)
Introduction to reference work using both print and online sources; relationship of reference work to other information services in libraries and other information-providing agencies.

Spring 2008

LIS 5271 Research Methods in Information Studies(3)
Examines the principles and methods of systems analysis and research in the context of library and information studies. Considers problem identification and definition, techniques of data collection and analysis including statistical analysis. The course also discusses typical problems studied.

Summer 2008

LIS 5362 Design and Production of Network Multimedia (3)
Examines theory, concepts and techniques for designing, producing, and evaluating network multimedia resources to meet specific information needs. Students engage in collaborative design projects applying theoretical constructs from communication, education, engineering, graphic design and information science to the provision of resources using emerging multimedia network technologies.

LIS 5703 Information Organization (3)
Principles and techniques of bibliographic organization, including the description, subject analysis, and retrieval of recorded knowledge and information in bibliographies, catalogs, and machine-based systems. Emphasis is on the application of AACR2, Sears, and L.C. Subject Headings and the Dewey Decimal classification in the organization of library catalogs.

LIS 5008 Advanced Online Searching (3)
Prerequisite: LIS 5603
Presents the latest tools, resources, and techniques of searching online database systems (such as DialogWeb & LexisNexis) and various Web search tools (such as search engines, directories, & meta-search tools), and of delivering search results for clients.

(When I took this class, it was LIS 5916; It has since moved to LIS 5008).

Fall 2008

LIS 5313 Design and Production of Media Resources (3)
Techniques for designing, producing and evaluating media sources which meet specific instructional needs.

Twitter survey, Q2a: What are the pros of (libraries) using Twitter?

2008-12-09T22:24:00.000-08:00

On the whole, of the 65 libraries that responded, a majority believe that Twitter has so much to offer their library: Twitter is easy, fun, free to use, is a great marketing and public relations tool, allows for collaboration amongst staff and community, provides opportunities for professional developing and networking, has strength in its brevity, and allows libraries to meet many of their patrons "where they're at."

Efficiency. Twitter is powerful in its ability to efficiently get the word out via a whole range of communications. The Library doesn’t have to memorize all their patrons’ contact information. Patrons that are interested can subscribe to the library’s Twitter feeds and get the information on the web or on their phone. Libraries can reach a massive amount of people in little time (and for free).

"Twitter is easy to use, requires very little effort to reach multiple people at once, more immediacy than a blast email. We don't have to remember to update Twitter, we just update the Calendar and the events are fed to Twitter; we update our blogs and those get sent to Twitter."

Marketing/Public Relations. Twitter is an excellent way for libraries to grow their online presence and profile (or “brand”). Twitter gives libraries a chance to promote their content and it extends the Library’s audience by finding new users/patrons/readers. By using a third party application such as rss2Twitter or Twitterfeed, Libraries can drive traffic to their website or blog.

"We reach a segment of our community using this communication tool. We keep up with the converstions going on locally and participate too. We use this too to advertise our events, blog entries and photos."

Brevity. Using 140 characters or less to write a post is a quick way to get the message out. It forces users to be brief and to the point, thus creating another way to communicate effectively. The short tweets are effective for concise messages and news items or links to longer messages and news items.

"140 character posts is constraining but it's ultimately a good thing. Keeps us focused."

Instant Information & Active application. Twitter as an "always-on" micro publishing tool. Users can send and receive tweets in a variety of ways and third-party applications make it easy to quickly send out information from blogs, websites and other RSS feeds.

"Twitter is a great way to inform lirary users and website visitors about up-to-the-minute goings on."

Networking and Collaboration. Libraries can use Twitter to network with other Libraries, Librarians, bloggers and patrons. In doing this, they not only market their services, but they provide user-centered information. Furthermore, they create a community with the constant updates. Several librarians mentioned following others as they twittered at conferences - it was as if they were virtually attending.

"It is a tool librarians can use to update each other on the newest programs or services."

"[It's an] equally great way to stay in the loop of what other libraries are doing."

Customer Service. Twitter provides Libraries the opportunity to have another way to provide customer service, increase and open the lines of communication. Twitter can be used for patrons to provide information about what they really think about the library.

"You can interact with people that are expecting you to talk to them. By people following our library on Twitter they are wiling and eager to listen to what the library has to say."

Cost. Although there is the cost of staff time, Twitter is free to use. Libraries can avoid using expensive software or hardware to communicate with their constituents. For patrons that have unlimited texting and for those that can access Twitter accounts through the internet, the cost is low for them as well.

"...Ease of use and the fact it's free - basically there's no harm in trying. If you reach even one patron that wouldn't otherwise have known about an event or something, it's worth it."

Quick, Accessible and Easy to Use. Not only is it free, it is easy to sign up on the web and easy to use, whether one uses it on the web, via browser, email, instant messaging clients or the phone or through a third party application.

"[Twitter] gives us a potential method to update portions of website without needing to know web skills."

Open API (application programming interface). Twitter publishes an API so applications are regularly being developed. These creative applications build upon Twitter, thus consistently improving its reach and type of service.

"Twitter (with Twitterfeed) provides an easy, automated way for our library to provide our patrons with another "channel" to receive information abou tlibrary programs and service. no difficulties so far in using the service."

Forward-thinking. Several librarians note that using Twitter is positive in that it shows they are forward-thinking in using the technology.

"It allows us to demonstrate a familiarity with web 2.0 applications, which I hope makes us look more relevant to younger patrons."

Twitter survey, Q1: How did you learn about Twitter?

2008-12-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Most librarians are learning about Twitter and its uses from the blogosphere. However, they are additionally learning about it through their IT friends and fellow coworkers, at conference presentations and in-service trainings, and through professional literature.

Blogs:

* David Lee King
* Endgadget
* Free Range Librarian
* Gather No Dust
* Mashable
* Michael Casey
* ReadWriteWeb
* Shifted Librarian
* Tech Crunch
* WebWorkerDaily
* Wired
* Zeitgeist

Professional Associations/Journals
* ALA
* Library Journal
* American Libraries

Conferences/Training
* Computers in Libraries 2008
* InfoPeople's 21/23 Things training
* As a member of the Ohio Library Council Information Technology Committee
* In service program on Web 2.0 technologies in Nov. 2007
* Through a Technology Consultant that came to our library
* Leadership Forum group at my library in 2006
* Library's Digital Collaborative (group of people who advice the web developer of needed enhancements)
* University's Instructional Technology staff at a technology conference

Other
* Now-defunct online reminder service called Iwantsandy.com (instructions could be given to Sandy through Twitter)
* Random internet exploration
* From Technology Innovation Librarian
* Colleague during a staff meeting
* From former coworker
* ITS manager
* Friends
* Family
* Talking with teens
* Other Libraries
* Learned about Twitter as a personal user

Twitter survey

2008-12-09T18:34:00.000-08:00

I decided to go ahead and informally post some of my findings from the Twitter survey that I sent out last month for my LIS 5313 web 2.0 article assignment. I emailed over 90 libraries that have Twitter accounts and received 64 responses back.

I realize that several of the questions I asked were somewhat similar to one another, so I found similar themes in these questions.

I decided that I would go ahead and post some of the responses/themes (with identities hidden, of course). In order to be concise and spare everyone a very, very long post, I will send out the answers to each of the questions in individual postings.

LIS 5313: Twitter Tools

2008-12-07T22:16:00.001-08:00

I created a video as part of my LIS 5313 web 2.0 article. (We had to incorporate media into our posting). I decided to focus on the third-party applications and tools that make Twitter so easy to use and so accessible. I based it on the top 10 applications/tools that libraries/librarians in my survey research mentioned they used to enhance their experience with Twitter.

LIS 5313: From the survey: most used 3rd party apps for Twitter

2008-12-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

Many libraries ( a good 30% surveyed) said they did not use any third party applications to enhance their library's twitter account. The other 70%, however, did use some sort of application. The most popular, in order of those mentioned most:*

Twhirl
A social software desktop client, based on the Adobe AIR platform.

Runs on both Windows and Mac OSX...
connects to multiple accounts (i.e., Friendfeed, Iaconi.ca, seesmic, Twitter)...
Provides notifications on new messages...
Shortens long URLs...
Posts images to TwitPic...
Searches Twitter tweets via TweetScan and Twitter Search.

Twitterfeed (and RSS/OpenID)

Automatically twitters your RSS feed to all your followers on Twitter.

Signing up is simple; you need an OpenID account and a Twitter account.
Takes your Blog or RSS or ATOM feed and tweets it to all your followers.
Choose how often you want your feed updated, the title of your posts.
Automated - requires no work once it's set up.

Ping.fm
Updates all your social networks at once.

Posts your message wherever you want.
Supports over 30 social networking sites and is adding more regularly (i.e., Facebook, MySpace, WordPress, Tumblr, Flickr, etc.)
Messages can be sent via mobile phone/SMS/MMS, Instant Message/Email, and 3rd party apps/API

Twittermai l
Allows you to send tweets from your email inbox

Give your twitter credentials to TwitterMail.com and they’ll give you your own email address.
Receive all of your tweet replies directly in your inbox.
Allows you to go over the 140 character limit - TwitterMail will simply write “read more” once you hit the 140-limit.
Has the ability to delay postings for a specified time.
Converts longer URLs to shorter ones.

TweetDeck
Adobe AIR desktop app takes twitter feeds & breaks them into more manageable bits of info.

Sleek design.
Allows users to split main feed (All Tweets) into 3 columns: All, direct replies and @replies.
Allows users to group tweets or followers (and create columns to manage the information).
Automatically updates.

Firefox plugins (i.e., Twitterfox)
Firefox application that notifies you of your follower's tweets.

Adds a tiny icon in the status bar that notifies you when your friends update their status.
Has a text box for you to send your own tweets.

TwitPic
Lets you share photos on Twitter.

Send pictures from your phone to your Twitter account.
Tag pictures, send messages with them.

Twuffer
Allows coordination of calendar with Twitter account.

type your tweet and then schedule when you want it to post by the day/hour/month.
schedule appointment/milestone reminders.

TweetLater
Boasted as "productivity tools for busy Tweeple"

allows you to set up alerts and track keywords in the publc twitter stream.
schedule and publish tweets that go only to yourself.
schedule tweets to go out when you're not at your own computer.
sends automated thank you notes to new followers.

Twitterlocal
Tracks locations of tweets.

Type in a zip code and search within 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 or 20 miles within those tweets.
Create RSS or XML feeds to filter out tweets within a certain area.
Search by city, state or zip code.
Great for finding active twitterers in your locale.

Also mentioned:

- Spaz - Opensource Twitter client for Mac, Windows or Linux

- Natsulion - Twitter client for Mac OSX

- Java_Script used to add Twitter to web page

- Applications through Blogger and WordPress blogs

* many of those surveyed gave information they used for personal use/for their iPhones (e.g., Twitterific). The list above includes those used for Library accounts only (not personal accounts).

TweetDeck - must try!

2008-12-03T18:41:00.000-08:00

Through following some folks on Twitter, I noted that quite a few were using and positively tweeting about TweetDeck. I decided to take a look. I downloaded it, tried it out and must say really like it.

TweetDeck is an Adobe Air desktop application. It is another way to improve the functionality of Twitter several ways:

Allows the user to break down twitter feeds into columns
Followers can be grouped together and separated by columns. (I tried it out by creating a "libraries" column, a "librarians" column, and then a column for all my other friends. This is nice because I can keep the different subjects/interests grouped together, thus making it easier to find who/what I'm looking for.
Among the same vein, users can be filtered by username, tweet text, time frame
It has a nice search function to search within your followers or all Twitter users
The default columns created are the three original: all tweets, replies and direct messages
Easily resizable (want one column, full screen, etc)
It auto updates

TweetDeck also has a Twitter account (@TweetDeck), so if you want to stay on top of news, updates, upgrades, you can follow them. They are seeking feedback via Twitter, email, its blog or its website.

A nice review of TweetDeck can be found at Darren Rowse's TwiTip blog. (Great blog for more information on Twitter. It's also a great place to get ideas on how you can use it in libraries, for yourself, your brand, etc).

LIS 5313: Lil' update on my web 2.0 article

2008-12-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! I contacted over 90 libraries with Twitter accounts and have received around 50 responses back so far. Not too shabby. I have a lot of information to read through, but am very excited to get crackin'.

Monitter: keep tabs on 3 different things on twitter

2008-11-30T21:28:00.001-08:00

Monitter plays an interesting take on Twitter, allowing people to keep tabs on tweets with certain words they're interested in. The folks at monitter describe their application as "a twitter monitor... it lets you "monitter" the twitter world for a set of 3 keywords -- all in one place -- and watch what people are saying."

In trying it out, I put in three things I'm interested in: anyone mentioning MLIS, library and librarian. It shows tweets in real time. In fact, CNET news says that "monitter is three times better than Twitter's search." I would have to disagree with that, as Twitter's search has its strengths in a diferent way. With monitter, bloggers can add their three custom keywords into their sites with a monitter widget. Another nice feature of monitter is that it can filter tweets based on location.

TwitPic: 3rd party app for Twitter

2008-11-30T21:07:00.001-08:00

Another fabulous 3rd party application for Twitter is Twitpic, where one can upload photos and post them to their Twitter account. Posted above is a picture of my Newfoundland puppy, Casper (at 10 months), which can also be found at my account.

How can libraries get more Twitter followers within their own community?

2008-11-29T09:58:00.001-08:00

In my research, I am learning that while more and more libraries are using Twitter, they are having trouble hooking their patrons as followers. Several librarians I interviewed for my LIS 5313 web 2.0 article on Twitter noted that many of their followers are either other librarians or libraries. While it's great to have followers, when the goal of a library is to reach more of their own patrons and within their own community, this can be disappointing.

(Don't get me wrong: having other librarians and libraries following you is a wonderful way to network, possibly get ideas from them on how they are using Twitter, and, well, look more popular...) Because Twitter is so new in library usage, my guess is that many libraries are following others because they want to see how others are using the service.

I just finished reading an article about one of Twitter's founders, Evan Williams. While the article was geared toward Williams' success, it had interesting information and debate about types of "Twitter users" and reasons why people use Twitter. While reading it, I wondered, how can libraries get more Twitter "followers" in their own community? Some ideas:

If the library has a writing club, members could experiment with working together to write a story, line by line (140 character limit, of course!). The library could make it a writing contest.
If the library has a book club, they could be introduced to TwitterLit or KidderLit. Book club members might be interested how both sites tweet out the first lines of new books.
A library could have a haiku contest, where patrons are to create a haiku in Twitter and submit it to the library's Twitter page.
If a library ever does a scavenger hunt (i.e., for children or patrons to learn more about the library or the community), clues could be sent via Twitter.
Collect mini-one sentence testimonials from patrons and have a special Twitter page to share these testimonials (getting their permission, of course).

It just may be a fact that, at least for public libraries, their particular clientele may not (a) be interested in such technology and/or (b) have immediate access to such technology (i.e., cell phones, instant messaging, unlimited texting, the internet). The same may go for clientele at other types of libraries as well.

However, in this day and age, the types of clients/patrons/communities we serve are those that are very diverse. Because of that, we should provide many different avenues to get the word out, be it web pages, blogs, Facebook/Myspace, old-fashioned email and telephone reference service, community outreach, Twitter and other web 2.0 applications. Many of the librarians/libraries I interviewed noted that even if they got through to only one person through Twitter (who wouldn't have normally connected with the library any other way), it was worth it.

If anyone out there has other suggestions, ideas, or are using Twitter in other creative ways for their libraries, please share!

Non-MLIS related: My absolute favorite vegetarian cookbook (at the moment)

2008-11-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker for really cool-looking cookbooks (you know, the ones with a to-die-for morsel on the cover). If they have really pretty pictures inside next to the recipes, I usually buy them. (Unfortunately, this also means I have several cookbooks -- covered in dust -- piled away on my kitchen shelves).

Anyway, I found a cookbook that truly, truly is my absolute favorite at the moment, and I wanted to share it with anyone else out there who loves vegetarian food, doesn't have time to cook, and wants to eat healthy, low-fat stuff... oh wow, this cookbook is for you. IloveitIloveitIloveit!

This particular book doesn't have pretty pictures inside, but the outside cover appealed to me (of course). I actually checked this book in during one of my shifts at the CPL, and before letting it go from book return pile-to lazer-beeper-thingy-to be put back on the shelf, I opened it up, looked out the yummy recipes and checked it out for myself.

(On a side note, having the ability to check something in to check it back out for yourself - if there isn't a hold on it for someone else, of course - is one of the wonderful things about volunteering in the Circulation department).

I took the book home, tried out several of the recipes - ohmygoodnesslovedthem - and then bought my own copy. I have been cooking meals from it since.

Therefore, if anyone is looking for something new and veggie-fabulous, I suggest giving this book a try. It is so good!

Thank you, Librarians!

2008-11-24T17:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight I would like to thank all the wonderful librarians out there who replied to my requests for information about how they use Twitter at their libraries. I have been so happy and humbled by how quickly they not only responded back, but how interesting, detailed and thoughtful their answers were. I am truly, truly thankful to all of them! (It is also really exciting and inspiring to me - as an aspiring librarian - that they were all so eager to share their stories about Twitter).

Tonight I will do a second read through all their answers and start compiling themes and other information from their responses. I am definitely looking forward to it!

On another random note, how cool is it that I got to see my question/request pop up in the Nebraska Library Commission's (NLC_Reference) Twitter feed!?

LIS 5313: Questions for Tweeting Libraries...

2008-11-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

For my web 2.0 article for LIS 5313, I am researching libraries that use Twitter. From my preliminary research on the web and via several articles found within the various holdings within the FSU Libraries, I found many reasons why more and more libraries are incorporating Twitter into their everyday business. To expand on this, I hope to talk/email/tweet directly with Twittering Libraries. Among the questions I have for these libraries include:

1. How did you learn about Twitter?

2. What are the pros and cons of using Twitter for your library?

3. What has been your experience using Twitter?

4. Are there any third party applications you use to enhance your Twitter experience?

5. Who organizes/runs the Twitter account for your library?

6. How is Twitter supported in terms of human labor and technological infrastructure?

7. Do you/have you faced challenges or obstacles in offering/participating in Twitter?

8. Why does your library use Twitter?

9. What value does Twitter have for your library?

10. Have you dealt with constraints or limits in using Twitter?

11. How accessible is Twitter to your diverse clientele?

12. For the future, do you plan - or have you thought - about using Twitter in a different way than
how you are using it right now?

13. Do you believe Twitter allows for greater participation by your patrons/clients in your community? If yes, how?

14. What benefits does Twitter have for outreach to patrons/clients of the library?

15. What are the potential benefits of using Twitter for your library's information services?

Hopefully I can get in contact with those in charge of their Library's tweets. I look forward to learning more information about this fascinating subject.

I heart GNU Image Manipulating Program (aka GIMP)

2008-11-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

GIMP, how doth I love thee? I have other work to do this weekend, but all your image editing capabilities are making it difficult for me to focus on, ahem, that paper I have due and must present on tomorrow...

However, I'll tear myself away from thee and go to the local coffee shop in "downtown" Albany. Until then, I will miss your ability to provide so many fabulous features such as photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring... My favorite part about you, GIMP, is that you do this all for free.

The everyday, average folk thank you for sharing your gifts with us.

Interested in more? Check out the GIMP features page.

Non-MLIS-related: Cash for gold commercial

2008-11-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, but I have to share this with all of you. I have been working on my web 2.0 article for LIS 5313 and the TV is on in the background...

Ever seen the Cash for Gold commercial?

Silly! Take a look and have a laugh. My favorite part is where a woman pops up on the screen and gleefully declares:

I sent in my diamond wedding band from my first marriage and got money the very next day!

Wow! That lady cracks me up.

LIS 5313: Making Sunshine out of Rain

2008-11-23T09:17:00.001-08:00

Our first media project in LIS 5313 was to get acquainted with finding pictures on flickr via their Creative Commons advanced search engine. In addition to finding a picture, we had to find a song to accompany the picture through CCmixter, a wonderful music site that features remixes under Creative Commons.

This image, Flood Dancing Couple-7, is owned by Flickr user Krypto. It is a picture of a couple dancing in the Stratford-upon-Avon floods (in England). This image has a creative commons license of some rights reserved.

This song is called Everything by Doghouse Riley featuring dripmanila. I picked this song because it sounded fun, silly-ish, and upbeat — just like the young couple in the picture. Despite the rainy flood water, they are out in the street, dancing and having a good time.

I found the song on CC Mixter. It has a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial license.

Mashups: the fastest growing ecosystem on the planet?

2008-11-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

David Berland, executive director of ZDNet, proclaims that mashups are “the fastest growing ecosystem in the internet.” What exactly is a “mashup” any way? Check out Mr. Berland’s video below to find out more about this growing Internet phenomenon.

Some examples of Mashups:

Flickrvision is a combination of pictures from the Flickr website and Google Maps. Flickrvision shows pictures as they are updated and entered into the Flickr website and where those pictures are being uploaded. Flickrvision offers a 3D version as well.

Twittervision - Much like Flickrvision, Twittervision shows up-to-the-minute updates of twitter comments. It is a mashup of Twitter and Google Maps. Twittervision offers a 3D option where one can see updates on the globe in 3D.

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service: This mashup with Google Earth and local emergency and disaster information services shows major ongoing emergencies in the world. Check out the map and click on any of the icons to see what is going on in that area (i.e., earthquake, flooding, etc). More detailed information (a summary of the event, situation update, photos, etc) is incorporated if you click on the links.

TuneGlue is a mashup of Lastfm.com (a UK-based internet radio and community website) and Amazon.com. TuneGlue is an extensive online music mapping mechanism which utilizes relational data from Last.fm to make focused and accurate music recommendations to music fans. TuneGlue is a user-generated site that mashes with Amazon.com to link consumers to recommended artists, websites and retailers, and is based on the comparison of the listening preferences and profiles of other music fans.

To find out more information about Mashups:

I recommend starting with ProgrammableWeb.com. This website is GREAT! You can search for mashups or browse the various categories. ProgrammableWeb.com also has information on what APIs (application programming interface) to use (i.e., Google Maps, del.icio.us, Yahoo, eBay, Flickr, etc.) how to create mashups (code, tools and resources) — just in case you were wanting to create your own! ProgrammableWeb is where you can keep up with what’s new and interesting with mashups, Web 2.0 APIs, and the new Web as Platform. Bookmark this site!

Question to consider:

After watching Mr. Berland’s video and checking out the sites above, do you agree that mashups are the future of the “web 2.0″ revolution?

Credits:
Photos: Flickrvision 3D & TuneGlue screen shots by Lindy B.
Video: What are Mashups? - posted by YouTube user ariosamba.

LIS 5313: Our Past Shapes Our Future

2008-11-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

This is our first video project. As a class, we all used the same 45 seconds of music, but each video was unique because of the differences in interpretation. Please note, the video was created in October, before the results of the Presidential Election.

Credits:

All pictures for the movie were gathered from Flickr and have Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic, Attribution 2.0 Generic and Attribution 2.0 Generic licenses.

2025: Our Past Shapes Our Future is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Non-MLIS-related: Need fashion advice!

2008-11-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

I am attending a wedding in December and need a lil' help choosing a dress. These are the dresses I am choosing from:

Do help! Any votes for which to choose from?

The first dress is wool... not sure how that works out, but I really like the embellished neckline. The second dress is cute because of its cap sleeves.

The difference between the third and last is one is that one is silk tricotine and the other is silk chiffon. The other issue is the last dress is only in that blue color which may be a bit much for attending a wedding of someone I don't even know! The third dress is in a variety of colors -- I would choose navy, chocolate brown or black...

What would Stacey and Clinton (What Not to Wear) say?

photo credits: dresses: JCrew
Stacey & Clinton's heads from stacey and clinton by flikr user annablume.
annablume's picture has an attribution-noncommercial-share-alike 2.0 generic license.
The image was altered with GIMP by me. The altered image is also licensed with the same license.

New themes for Gmail

2008-11-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

Check out the new themes for Gmail. Today's choice for me is Ninja!

The official Gmail blog also has info on the subject with a nice picture of all the themes available.

I heart the Internet Archive

2008-11-19T20:00:00.001-08:00

Oh how I love thee, my dear Internet Archive!
Open source information... Moving images...
music... audio... software...
The Wayback Machine!
Live Music Archive!

In fact, enjoy some Grateful Dead - live at Paramount Theatre in Portland, OR, on October 1st, 1997:

photo credit: www.archive.org by lawgeek
the Grateful Dead comes to us live from the Internet Archive

LIS 5313: My Podcast

2008-11-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

For one of our media projects, we had to create a podcast. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Download the free Audacity software, find some tunes from CCMixter, and use Audacity to record voice, cut and mix the music and sounds, and ta-da! You have a podcast.

The deets:

All Things Oregonian is my podcast about the state of Oregon. I envisioned it to be a traveling podcast where the “left-coast” host (yours truly) travels to different hot-spots in the state. In this episode, I am at a local coffee shop taking in the sights and sounds while answering an email from an interested listener who wants to know if it’s true that it rains all the time out here.

(I didn’t have more time to answer the question in my podcast so if you want to know the answer… well, we do have a rainy season - we like to refer to it as a misty season - but it doesn’t always rain here. In fact, the state of Florida gets more inches of rain per year than Oregon. It’s the truth!)

Credits:

Voice: lindyjb

Music: Keep on Movin (oldschool version) from CCmixter user colab. This song is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution.

Coffeeshop sound: making drink 3.wav from CCmixter user Todd Bradley. This work is licensed
under a Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 license.

Keyboard typing: Keyboard Key Typing.MP3 from freesoundproject user Percy Duke. This work is licensed under a Creeative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 license.

Rain and thunder: rbh thunder_04 Distorted.wav from freesoundproject user RHumphries.Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 license. This work is licensed under a

Picture: Oregon, from Flickr user rgtmum, creative commons some rights reserved.

Lil' ole me...

2008-11-17T23:00:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I'm one of 500 gadzillion folks blogging. I'm probably waaay behind when it comes to the information professional world of librarians and their ability to catch on to the latest technologies and and creations of information retrieval and organization, social networking, public relations 2.0, trend setters, knowledge-creation, shaping and dissemination tendencies...

Sigh.

So I wanted to jump in. I'm enjoying learning about all this stuff, but dang! I feel a tad bit like a wannabe... Well wait! I guess I kind-of am, eh? For example, inspired by my latest assignment for LIS5313, I've been writing about Twitter, but sheesh, that's so passe now, isn't it? Wasn't that, like, so 6 months ago?

Will I always be on the backend of things, trying to catch up?

So here's another blog of random ramblings... discussions about library-related things that, most likely, were already discovered and discussed about 5 years ago. I believe, however, that maybe if I keep practicing all this and keep fiddling around with this blog-thingy, I might get the hang of this, become a better writer, researcher, and contributor to this global information world. I would like to think that others might be interested in what I have to say, but... yeah... comments are at zero. I can't help but want to feel wanted, ya know?

So yeah, I'll take my damaged ego (zero comments and readers will do that to a person), and I'll continue to troop along. I wonder... how did all those popular blogs out there start out? How'd y'all get so popular?!

Maybe, just maybe they started out just like this one?

When I was surfing the web awhile back, I was looking for blogs created by librarians who were currently in library school. I wanted to read more about their experiences while in school - the classes they were in, the things they were learning, their aspirations to become librarians and so on... I wanted to learn more about that community and then become part of it...

I am trying to do all I can to become a good information professional. I realize that I am a little behind... well, I'm actually a lot behind. I work full-time in another profession (one that I do enjoy), but I know I can't do it forever. Looking forward, I am trying to gain all the experience and knowledge I can to be prepared when I graduate with my MLIS.

Right now I fear I may be over-educated and under-qualified. I know I need to gain much more experience before my resume looks appealing to a library that is looking to hire... And this is ok, because I am happy with my current job and have no plans to jump ship at this time. However, I want to make sure I keep getting practical library experience. That is what I crave most and am trying to gain.

So I am volunteering with a digital library reference service as well as at a local public library. It can be tough - I'm working 45+ hours a week in my current job and then volunteering another 8+ hours a week on top of that. I have so much to do - and so much I want to accomplish in preparation for that next career step!

So in the meantime... Here's blog #500-gadzillion-and-one.

How Addictive is Twitter? Hecka!!

2008-11-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

I created my Twitter profile about a month ago. I am checking it several times a day. I find the micro-blogging opportunities it provides hecka addictive! Beyond the libraries I'm following (for my "web 2.0" article I have to write), I am following several other librarians that I admire. I am learning all sorts of wonderful things - little tidbits o' info in short tweets that keep me abreast of the latest goings on in in the information sciences world.

I know this is one of the many latest "2.0" fads, but it is one of the easiest ones to start up - it's free and takes about 5 minutes to create an account... it's more than just a micro-blogging service; it is actually part of a community.

Over the course of the next few days I'll be sharing some of the research I've encountered on the web about Twitter. By far the best information on I have found so far - and the most comprehensive for sure - is Warren Sukernek's, Twittermaven and Social Stalker's EverythingTwitter. Both these folks keep a real close eye on Twitter trends. Anything you've ever wanted to know about Twitter are on these blogs. Hecka cool.

Twittering (or Tweeting?) Libraries

2008-11-16T20:58:00.001-08:00

My latest assignment in LIS 5313 is to create a "web 2.0" article. I am focusing on Twittering Libraries. I recently joined Twitter so I could "follow" the many libraries (and library organizations) out there who are twittering/tweeting away. I have enjoyed seeing how the many libraries out there are using Twitter to post library announcements, market products, services and programs, for reference services, update patrons on new materials, send alerts about new materials, get information about conferences and/or use it for micro-blogging.

The following is a list I have compiled of tweeting libraries. The list is not all-inclusive, so if you know of a library or library-related organization using Twitter that I haven't found yet, please share!

Libraries Using Twitter:

Abington Library - new
ACLA Libraries (NY) - new
Akron-Summit County Public Library - new
Ada Library
Anderson Community Library - new
Austin Public Library - new
Birmingham Public Library
Bluffton Public Library - new
Boise State University Albertsons Library - new
Brooklyn Public Library - new
Camas Library (WA) - new
Chili Public Library (NY) - new
City of Casa Grande Public Library
Cleveland Public Library
CMRLS Public Library (MS) - new
Danbury Public Library
Denver Public Library - eVolver DPL Teens - new
Devereaux Library, South Dakota School of Mines - new
Dickison College Waidner Spahr Library - new
Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library - new
Fox River Grove Memorial Library - new
Free Library of Philadelphia - The Free Library no longer uses their account. (update)
Grabill Public Library - new
Grand Rapids Public Library
Greene County Public Library - new
Greenfield Public Library - new
Hillside Junior High School Library - new
Hinsdale Public Library - new
Homewood Public Library (AL) - new
Houston Community College Libraries - new
Houston Public Library
Hubbell Library - new
Kansas City Public Library
Lapeer District Library
Lee County Library (SC) - new
Lester Public Library - new
LBJ Library - new
Lunar & Planetary Institute Library
Massachusettes Trial Law Library - new
Massillon Public Library - new
Maui Community College Library
Michigan State University Libraries - new
Missouri Regional River Library
Monroe County Library (NY) - new
National Press Club Library
Nebraska Library Commission
Northeastern Illinois University Library
NSLS - new
Oklahoma State University Library - new
Palm Beach County Library - new
Pasadena City College Shatford Library
Pennsylvania State University Libraries
Post University Traurig Library - new
Providence Public Library - new
Randolf Public Library - new
Rapid City Public Library - new
Reed Library - new
Roanoke County Library
Rocky River Public Library - new
Santa Barbara City College Luria Library
Santa Fe Public Library - new
Scranton (Albright Memorial) Library - new
Skokie Public Library
Skyline High School Library - new
South Dakota School of Mines, Devereaux Library - new
South Salem Lyon Library
Stanford Graduate School of Business Jackson Library
Stillwater Library - new
Takoma Park Library (MD) - new
Tonganoxie Public Library (KS) - new
Tripp City Library - new
University of Alabama, Huntsville
University of Alabama Lister Hill Library
University of California, San Francisco - new
University of Colorado, Boulder, Libraries
University of Illinois Undergraduate Library
University of Mary Washington CGPS Library
University of Maryland Ask us Now
University of Michigan Dentistry Library
University of Minnesota Science & Engineering Walter Library
University of Nebraska Library Computers - new
University of Nevada Architecture Studies Library
University of North Carolina, Wilmington Randall Library - new
University of Notre Dame (London) - new
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Library
Waldo Community Library (KS) - new
Waltham Public Library
Waubonsee Community College Library - new
Westerville Public Library (OH) - new
Westlake Porter Public Library - new
West Palm Beach County Library - new
Westport Public Library
West Springfield Public Library - new
Windward Community College Library (HI) - new
Yale Law Library
Yale Sciences Library
Zion-Benton Public Library - new

Library-related organizations Using Twitter:

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/comicbase/2531094926/ by comicbase

updated Nov. 29, 2008

LIS 5313: My Coming Out: The Development of My Librarian Identity

2008-11-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

This is a video I created for my LIS 5313 (Design & Media Production) class. One of our major projects was to create a digital story based on a specific experience in our lives that has importance to who we are. I chose to create a video based on the evolution of discovering my "librarian identity." I used my previous life graduate experience in Student Personnel in Higher Education (i.e., fancy word for Student Affairs) by incorporating student identity theory. Loosely based on Cass's 1979 model of sexual identity development, I created four stages of figuring out that I was (well, I want to be) a librarian. I tried to incorporate a light-hearted, humorous tone.

And so the beginning...

2008-11-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

I picked up my copy of Blogging for Dummies last night during my Friday night volunteer shift at the Corvallis Public Library. Chapter 2 says to try out Blogger.com, so here I am -- trying it out. Let's hope this dummy can figure out how to make a snappy, snazzy blog that folks will want to read. I feel such pressure to come up with some amazing, life-changing ideas, but really, all I am is a MLIS graduate student trying this out. It seems like many library and information science professionals are blogging. Maybe I have something to contribute? Blogging is new to me; I do enjoy writing and thinking out loud... I'd like to use this place as a chance to record my ah-ha moments from graduate school, volunteering at the public library or with the IPL. I might share a note or two about my wonderful LP collection or my the daily shenanigans of my 9 month old Newfoundland puppy, Casper.

So, for all you out that that might come across this blog, please take it easy on this sista. I'm learning how this whole thing works and how to make what I write exciting and not listless blather. Please be patient and give me a chance. Feel free to share your comments (but do so oh so nicely and constructively) and I will try my best to become a better blogger.

Alas, and so it begins...