Thing #16

If only I had this when I was in college! This is a great resource for students and teachers. I would definitely recommend it. As a matter of fact, I'm going to try to adapt the Research Project Calculator for a work project myself. We're redesigning some of the spaces and the workflow at my library, but it's a rather daunting task. There are many elements, phases and considerations to take into account. So I'm going to attempt to create a timeline and step by step process for completing the project. I'm very excited about this tool. If only I had more students ask me for help with research projects....

Thing #15

I think it's great that there are free online games, especially for kids who don't have a Nintendo or Wii at home. I know there's been a lot of controversy surrounding gaming in the library, which I won't get into here. But I will say that, even though some adult patrons may get annoyed watching kids playing games on the Internet computers, I feel good knowing that the library allows kids, who may not otherwise have the opportunity, to use the computer. I played around with the Pirate games briefly and had a good time. I'm not very good with puzzles so it might be a good idea for me to play around with this some more. If I had time, I might take advantage of more online games. I don't really have much more to say on the subject.

Thing #14

I can't believe it! I actually did it! Sweet. Now I really wanna play with this blog thing. No time though...gotta go home and trick or treat with Beelzebub and a Spider Witch (don't ask). I think I need to play around with LibraryThing a little more. I really like the idea of getting recommendations. And being able to read other peoples reviews. This Thing has a lot of potential...

Thing #13

Being an organizing junkie, I had a little fun with this one. I liked playing around with Google Calendars. It's very clean and easy to use. I'd like to do more with it when I have time. However, I don't know if I could use this all the time, as I need to have my calendar with me at all times. I already used iGoogle, but I did some more customization on my homepage. As far as the lists go...well, I happen to be a list-freak and have about three little notebooks on my person at all times. (It's sort of scary really. I knew it was getting to be a problem when my 9-year old made a numbered list on our white-board at home...for her Slumber Party...detailing what events would occur in what order. ) Anyways, I don't really feel that I've got the time or inclination to make an online list as well, esp. when I can just whip the notepad out of my back pocket. Just to try it (and because I liked the name), I did create an account on 'Don't forget the milk', but it just can't beat my old-fashioned way of doing things...

Thing #12 - Social Media

I like the idea of the Social Media sites. It seems very democratic somehow. In that, your average every day citizen can note what is important to them, as opposed to the media determining what is important. Personally, I can see using one of them for a quick news blip. If you're really busy, but want to know what 'people' are talking about or what they think is important, this would be a way to do it. I'm curious if a certain type or group of people tend to use certain Social Media sites though. I wonder if there would be a way to use the same idea for recommending books, movies and music on the library's website? As my dad always says...'people are sheep'...they want to read and watch what other people are reading and watching. So, I guess there's two ways to look at it: democratic or sheep-ish. I think I liked Digg the best. It was the most straightforward. I sent an article from the New York Times, which had already been sent. So I 'dugg' it. Apparently, a lot of people dugg it before me, so I guess I'm one of the flock....

Thing #11

Well, I can see the appeal of Del.icio.us, but who has the time? It could be a useful tool for students that are working at different locations, but I can't imagine creating another account just to manage and share my favorite websites. I kind of had fun looking through the boookmarked pages and tags; It would be an interesting sociological study... I searched for ramsey county library in Del.icio.us thinking I would get other librarian's favorite/bookmarked sites. I got a few hits, but they looked more like patron accounts. I guess it's a good sign that people are bookmarking our site.

Thing #10

Wikis are one of the few things I've already had some experience with. I have to admit that I use Wikipedia quite frequently. It comes in handy at the reference desk when there is a concept or person I am completely unfamilar with. I can do a quick scan of the Wikipedia article and usually get enough information to proceed with the answering the question. I thought the idea of using a Wiki for planning a camping trip was a great idea. In fact, I would have liked to have used it for my Boundary Waters trip planning this summer. I can see how Wikis could become very useful, but so far, it doesn't seem like our Reference Wiki has gotten much use.