...but not the end of the learning, am I right?
Right!
Seriously, after finishing our journey through 23 Things I honestly do feel more motivated to pursue further learning about library and information utilities that I don't have a whole lot of experience with. Although I've spent a lot of time over the past few months simply enjoying being finished with library school, I really do love learning about new resources. Especially outside of a traditional classroom setting. And 23 Things has helped me to remember that I also like taking a little time to reflect on my experiences with new tools in writing. (Kind of makes me think that I should resurrect my original library blog - hmm!)
So. I enjoyed the 23 Things experience overall, but I especially liked having the opportunity to revisit resources I already knew something about and reconsider them in terms of their usefulness both to patrons and to library staff. Working in a public library setting (as opposed to my previous academic experience) has really driven home the point that the public is all over the map in terms of information- and tech-literacy.
By starting at square one, the explanations provided in our weekly activities encouraged me to think about how I would present and explain these resources to a patron who was completely unfamiliar with them. Our exercises also filled in some gaps in my knowledge about resources I'm comfortable with - for example, the explanations of the mechanics of RSS and wikis were helpful because without them, I would only have been able to explain either of these utilities to someone in my own very vague terms. There is a huge difference between knowing how to use something and truly understanding how it works, and our work with 23 Things provided a lot of useful insights into the latter.
So, yes - I do feel more comfortable with these resources now. And I definitely think that this was time well spent. In fact, I find myself wishing that this was an ongoing project (though perhaps that would require slower pacing or less frequent participation).
Finally, I absolutely think that patrons would benefit from a similar program, particularly given the format of our 23 Things experience. The passive, on-your-own-tome approach would be accessible and workable for so many patrons who might not be able to attend a class in person, and the inclusion of video, audio, and interactive elements is so important given the wide range of learning styles in any group of learners. There are many, many ways we can work to carry out the Library's mission, and traditional patron assistance is only the beginning of that. A program like 23 Things is a great example of a way to guide patrons toward becoming more technologically-savvy and information literate.
Sounds great to me!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
More Week 9: NoveList
I have never really experimented with NoveList, although I've heard it mentioned many times. So!
I love that there is a "Canadian Fiction" category, and simply had to choose that as the first area to explore for this exercise. I looked around at the "Historical Fiction set in Canada," and then checked out some other genres and categories available. One of the first things that I noticed while exploring on NoveList is that the reviews here are certainly not short on spoilers! This is something I might mention to patrons while demonstrating this tool - not knowing the ending in advance is important to many readers, and a utility like NoveList is at least partly designed to enhance a reader's experience, I would want to make sure it was not getting in the way of readers' ability to enjoy the suspense in a given work.
But I digress! The ability to focus on an appealing category and then branch out into finding books with similar qualities is very helpful. This ability to browse by branching off on an initial search is lovely, and it pretty nicely mimics one of the ways many people prefer to find information off-line.
I would need to spend more time with each and speak to more patrons before being able to decide whether Goodreads or NoveList has more to offer in the library context, but I think that the style of organization that NoveList provides might be especially helpful for readers seeking a more official, authoritative-seeming resource for obtaining book recommendations. An added bonus is the fact that its layout is relatively simple and fairly non-threatening.
NoveList, I'm sorry for ignoring you in the past! As it turns out, you're pretty cool.
I love that there is a "Canadian Fiction" category, and simply had to choose that as the first area to explore for this exercise. I looked around at the "Historical Fiction set in Canada," and then checked out some other genres and categories available. One of the first things that I noticed while exploring on NoveList is that the reviews here are certainly not short on spoilers! This is something I might mention to patrons while demonstrating this tool - not knowing the ending in advance is important to many readers, and a utility like NoveList is at least partly designed to enhance a reader's experience, I would want to make sure it was not getting in the way of readers' ability to enjoy the suspense in a given work.
But I digress! The ability to focus on an appealing category and then branch out into finding books with similar qualities is very helpful. This ability to browse by branching off on an initial search is lovely, and it pretty nicely mimics one of the ways many people prefer to find information off-line.
I would need to spend more time with each and speak to more patrons before being able to decide whether Goodreads or NoveList has more to offer in the library context, but I think that the style of organization that NoveList provides might be especially helpful for readers seeking a more official, authoritative-seeming resource for obtaining book recommendations. An added bonus is the fact that its layout is relatively simple and fairly non-threatening.
NoveList, I'm sorry for ignoring you in the past! As it turns out, you're pretty cool.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Week 9 Continued: BookLetters
The BookLetters service was a new one on me - I signed up to receive updates about nonfiction bestsellers via RSS, and I think that this would be one more great resource to share with patrons who were interested in keeping up with the newest and/or most popular books in a particular genre.
BookLetters also provide a quick, easy-to-digest way for librarians to stay updated with regard to new books - this could be one more way to ensure that we are giving patrons the best possible service when it comes to reader's advisory. Neat!
BookLetters also provide a quick, easy-to-digest way for librarians to stay updated with regard to new books - this could be one more way to ensure that we are giving patrons the best possible service when it comes to reader's advisory. Neat!
23 Things Week 9: Recommending a Book Using Goodreads
I used the 23 Things practice account at Goodreads for this exercise, but I actually have my own account. I was surprised to login and find that I've had it since 2007! However, I must admit to being a very infrequent and extremely passive user of the site. But I do appreciate being able to view others' reviews of books and keep track of the books I have read, am reading, and want to read. This feature in particular is a great aspect of Goodreads, and actually, upon logging into my account during this week's "Thing" I was happy to see my "to-read" list and be reminded of some books I otherwise would have completely forgotten about.
In the library setting, Goodreads makes a lot of sense, and I think it would be a great way for reading groups to communicate about what they're reading.
(Of course, it's also a good way to recommend epic fantasy novels, like Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind, to friends like Joe Patron!)
In the library setting, Goodreads makes a lot of sense, and I think it would be a great way for reading groups to communicate about what they're reading.
(Of course, it's also a good way to recommend epic fantasy novels, like Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind, to friends like Joe Patron!)
Monday, April 11, 2011
Week 8 Continued: More Thoughts on Wikis
I liked exploring some non-Wikipedia wikis for Thing 19. It's good to be reminded of just how many subect- and interest-specific wikis there are, and how useful (or enjoyable!) some of them can be.
While browsing library- and non-library-related wikis as a part of Week 8's activities, I looked primarily at the index of library-blogs compiled in the Blogging Libraries Wiki and at the Library Success wiki.
I also found (rediscovered, really) a resource that I am hoping to be able to put to use this spring and summer: Wikitravel. I think that a wiki is an especially good way to record many contributors' insights on travel destinations and concerns, and I like the idea of being able to draw on the wisdom of a group when making decisions about traveling to new places.
Although I didn't really need to be convinced of the usefulness of wikis, this activity was a good opportunity to do some thinking about the specific value of wikis in the LFPL context.
I like the wiki format both for internal use among library staff, and as a resource that we can share with patrons. Exchanging information about the library's behind-the-scenes operations in a wiki format would give library employees an accessible way to communicate about their work and learn from each other's experiences. This could augment the "official" training material and information and be quickly edited and updated to include vital information.
Sharing information about wikis with patrons is one more way to empower the public to use technologies in ways that benefit them. Whether patrons use wikis in an active or a passive way, it's important that they be aware of and understand the basics about this type of resource, including its benefits and its limitations. While a wiki may not always be the appropriate resource for a given project or question, there is an enormous amount of information contained in wikis that can be useful to our patrons, and they may even find themselves inspired to share their own knowledge with the world in wiki form.
These two applications of wikis would advance the Library's mission on more than one front, by allowing LFPL staff members to be better able to find the information they needed to do their jobs, and by providing patrons with yet another way to access information.
While browsing library- and non-library-related wikis as a part of Week 8's activities, I looked primarily at the index of library-blogs compiled in the Blogging Libraries Wiki and at the Library Success wiki.
I also found (rediscovered, really) a resource that I am hoping to be able to put to use this spring and summer: Wikitravel. I think that a wiki is an especially good way to record many contributors' insights on travel destinations and concerns, and I like the idea of being able to draw on the wisdom of a group when making decisions about traveling to new places.
Although I didn't really need to be convinced of the usefulness of wikis, this activity was a good opportunity to do some thinking about the specific value of wikis in the LFPL context.
I like the wiki format both for internal use among library staff, and as a resource that we can share with patrons. Exchanging information about the library's behind-the-scenes operations in a wiki format would give library employees an accessible way to communicate about their work and learn from each other's experiences. This could augment the "official" training material and information and be quickly edited and updated to include vital information.
Sharing information about wikis with patrons is one more way to empower the public to use technologies in ways that benefit them. Whether patrons use wikis in an active or a passive way, it's important that they be aware of and understand the basics about this type of resource, including its benefits and its limitations. While a wiki may not always be the appropriate resource for a given project or question, there is an enormous amount of information contained in wikis that can be useful to our patrons, and they may even find themselves inspired to share their own knowledge with the world in wiki form.
These two applications of wikis would advance the Library's mission on more than one front, by allowing LFPL staff members to be better able to find the information they needed to do their jobs, and by providing patrons with yet another way to access information.
23 Things Week 8: Wikis
Because my goal is to work in academic library reference and instruction, I've done quite a bit of thinking about wikis - their value and role in scholarship and research, and their place in the landscape of resources that patrons draw on to find the information they need. So I was glad that Week 8 gave me a chance to focus on wikis and what they might mean to LFPL patrons and staff.
I edited the "favorite restaurants" and "favorite actor or actress" pages in the LFPL Sandbox wiki, and enjoyed seeing what some of the other staff members' picks were. But I have to say that my slightly OCD nature made it very hard for me to just add my favorites without formatting the items on the rest of the page. I think that wikis are a fantastic tool for assembling a group's collective knowledge, but to me our experimentation is a great demonstration of the way that this info can get out of control, fast, if it isn't well organized. But that's not what we were there to do! So I just added my faves and moved on.
I edited the "favorite restaurants" and "favorite actor or actress" pages in the LFPL Sandbox wiki, and enjoyed seeing what some of the other staff members' picks were. But I have to say that my slightly OCD nature made it very hard for me to just add my favorites without formatting the items on the rest of the page. I think that wikis are a fantastic tool for assembling a group's collective knowledge, but to me our experimentation is a great demonstration of the way that this info can get out of control, fast, if it isn't well organized. But that's not what we were there to do! So I just added my faves and moved on.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Week 7, the Conclusion: Podcasts
Thing 17, which involves learning about podcasts, was a good opportunity for me to revisit these and think about ways I could make use of some of the information being put online in podcast form, and help patrons to do the same.
I have listened to a few podcasts in the past, but for one reason or another, I have never really incorporated listening to podcasts into my day-to-day life. I think that I generally prefer to get my information by reading. But there is some content that simply isn't in print, and there are many circumstances in which audio would be preferable. So it was nice to see links to a variety of different directories that users can browse.
Browsing the sites were were given links to was enjoyable. But the browsing and search formats on some sites seem a little more user-friendly than others' - I found that searches on some sites returned outdated or unranked podcasts, and, frankly, if I'm going to spend time listening to a podcast I want quality content and (generally, thought not always) I want it to be fairly recent. I had fun listening to some BBC casts, though, and I think I'll spend some time browsing one or more of the directories for things to enjoy in the future.
I still don't know if podcasts are a good fit for my everyday life, but I like knowing a little more about what's out there, and now I'd feel much more comfortable recommending them to friends and library users.
I have listened to a few podcasts in the past, but for one reason or another, I have never really incorporated listening to podcasts into my day-to-day life. I think that I generally prefer to get my information by reading. But there is some content that simply isn't in print, and there are many circumstances in which audio would be preferable. So it was nice to see links to a variety of different directories that users can browse.
Browsing the sites were were given links to was enjoyable. But the browsing and search formats on some sites seem a little more user-friendly than others' - I found that searches on some sites returned outdated or unranked podcasts, and, frankly, if I'm going to spend time listening to a podcast I want quality content and (generally, thought not always) I want it to be fairly recent. I had fun listening to some BBC casts, though, and I think I'll spend some time browsing one or more of the directories for things to enjoy in the future.
I still don't know if podcasts are a good fit for my everyday life, but I like knowing a little more about what's out there, and now I'd feel much more comfortable recommending them to friends and library users.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)