Polly Mae and I tried to explore the world of podcasts. We were trying to figure out the benefits of using podcasts over YouTube. For instructional purposes, it seems that videos would be much more helpful for patrons. I guess the fact that podcasts use RSS feeds is part of why they are so popular, but I'm not sure how many of our patrons would subscribe to our feed if we even had one.
We searched for sports stuff and library stuff on most of the search engines:
Podcast.net
We found a series about the library and listened to part of an episode called "Understanding The Libraries Brand: The OCLC Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources Report" The search engine seems simple enough to use and I like the way the display the results of the episodes.
Podcastalley.com
I did not like the search features of this one at all. I tried to search by genre at least and the results were a huge list of titles; I think it would be much more helpful if it at least displayed a description of each podcast or the tags used by it. Also, when I tried to play one it told me I have to download the "Podcast Aggregator" I thought we didn't have to download anything through these sites...
Yahoo Podcasts
Now this one I liked! I found ILL student Kot Hordynski on it! By the way, he was on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman this morning if you guys want to check it out. Also, here is the link to the podcast I found for him while he as at the 2006 ACLU Conference:http://www.aclu.org/multimedia/2006conference/oct16_kot.mp3
I checked out the "Library Channel" from Arizona State University and found out about their downtown campus library.
Library Success - A Best Practices Wiki: Podcasts
I peeped some of the public library podcasts and they had things like the teen poetry slam, guests talks with authors, book club stuff, etc. Let me tell you though, Washington State University is using podcasts the way that I can picture us using them. Listen to some of these titles of episodes: Help Searching: Choosing Search Terms; Narrowing your search using the AND command; Expanding your search; How to Use Databases....etc. While I still think that videos would be more helpful, I can see us using podcasts as a tool for our patrons like WSU does.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Thing #19: You Tube
I've never really dabbled in YouTube. I've seen a few videos my brother or friends have emailed me, but I've never really sat down and searched for anything. I feel like I should....I feel like I'm missing out on this cultural phenomenon. I searched for UCSC and I found some stuff on Practical Activism, the "police brutality" video, some biking videos, and the naked run. I think YouTube would be a good tool---tours of the library, how to do basic searches.....and maybe (someday) how to use our self-check machines? I remember watching the SJSU Second Life presentation on a YouTube video too. I think this tool has potential, but again it is up to us to use it and make it available to our patrons.
Thing #18: Firefox Add-ons and Extensions
I really like Firefox and the nifty extensions it offers. I've been using LibX for months now and I can't live without it. It drives me nuts when I'm working on a computer that doesn't have it. It was especially helpful before we could search by ISSN/ISBN in Cruzcat. Incidentally, if you click "New Search" from cruzcat, or if you are navigating within search results, the ISSN/ISBN search criterion is not there (When the URL root is http://cruzcat.ucsc.edu/search/......)
I think the Cruzcat search engine was extremely easy to install and I'm sure our patrons can find it useful. Personally, I'll probably us LibX more especially for the right-click, xisbn, and UC-eLinks features. However for simple searching I think the search engine is perfect for patrons.
I think we should have some type of link to download both Libx and the Cruzcat search engine on the library homepage. The only way I knew about LibX was by word of mouth and the Cruzcat search engine from this exercise. These are awesome tools and we should make them more available to our patrons.
I think the Cruzcat search engine was extremely easy to install and I'm sure our patrons can find it useful. Personally, I'll probably us LibX more especially for the right-click, xisbn, and UC-eLinks features. However for simple searching I think the search engine is perfect for patrons.
I think we should have some type of link to download both Libx and the Cruzcat search engine on the library homepage. The only way I knew about LibX was by word of mouth and the Cruzcat search engine from this exercise. These are awesome tools and we should make them more available to our patrons.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
I'm so cool.
By the way, did anyone notice that a famous guy commented on my blog?
I know you all check your bloglines on the hour to see if I've updated my page and all, but serioulsy, one of the guys who wrote an article on Thing 14 commented on my blog.
Do I get extra credit for that??
I know you all check your bloglines on the hour to see if I've updated my page and all, but serioulsy, one of the guys who wrote an article on Thing 14 commented on my blog.
Do I get extra credit for that??
Thing #17: Online Applications & Tools
I really like the idea of online documents. ILL uses libsnap to store the majority of our important documents which works ok, but what if it ever crashes? (oh lord, just had to go knock on wood) Or if someone accidentally saves an excel sheet incorrectly it will make a copy instead of rewriting the original document. Also, I cannot access some of my process maps from the computer at the desk since I used a more recent version of Visio to create them.
Sarah and I have already been working on a shared Google spreadsheet--the ILL timeline. I just created another document and I am now sharing it with Sarah and Polly Mae. I really like that we can all edit it online and then save it in many different formats (pdf, text, rtf, html etc)
I think Access Services could use Google docs to better organize things we have on libsnap. (Stats, shipping sheet, process maps, etc.)
Sarah and I have already been working on a shared Google spreadsheet--the ILL timeline. I just created another document and I am now sharing it with Sarah and Polly Mae. I really like that we can all edit it online and then save it in many different formats (pdf, text, rtf, html etc)
I think Access Services could use Google docs to better organize things we have on libsnap. (Stats, shipping sheet, process maps, etc.)
Thing #16: Library 2.0
Away from Icebergs
Iceberg #1: I don't think I know enough about libraries and collection planning to form an opinion about this. All I know is that it scares me to think of a library that has more of a digital collection than print collection...but at the same time I can see his argument that it is wasteful to collect items that are never used. Hmmmm...
Iceberg#2:What IS our patron to staff ratio?? ....I think this "iceberg" is a very real concern for our library. I don't really see how this is a NEW concern though... if anything new technology is making it easier to connect with our patrons.
Iceberg#3: Wow. I totally agree with this. I think Anderson put it well when he wrote we need to be humble. Before UCSC I did not have access to a decent library. In fact, the 'library' at my high school was on the San Diego news for having a ridiculously outdated collection. (Yeah, we still had books calling for the Berlin wall to be torn down.) I couldn't imagine anyone NOT wanting to come to a library...I sometimes mistake patron's attitude of "I want it now" for taking the library for granted; I have to remember that in today's research world, patrons are used to getting things instantly delivered TO them. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Why shouldn't we adapt to this need?
To better bibliographic services
Man. Sometimes it has been difficult for me to think of library uses for all this new technology I'm using. I like the idea of tagging-- like in the LibraryThing. I also like the author's idea of using RSS feeds to help streamline bibliographic data. Some of this stuff is over my head though...but I'm glad someone is thinking
To a temporary place in time
This article was quite interesting. From the previous SL lesson, it seems like the author's visions of Library 2.0 and 3.0 are happening simultaneously in some cases. I think it will take some time fore most libriaries to move into the 2.0 phase....simply doing these 23 things does not make me a Library 2.0 expert. I am just more aware of these tools. The idea of a virtual librarian appearing to help you when you log on to Amazon seems cool, but I don't know if people will start collecting them. It's also strange to think of librarians competing over user reviews....maybe I'm just thinking of my crazy aunt in Texas who obsesses over her ebay stars. I'm not sure I understood all of 4.0 either....
My thoughts on Library 2.0...
I like this vision of a new and technologically integrated library. I kinda wish that these 23 things were mandatory for libstaff; I think we all need to be aware of the new tools technology brings us and how we can use them to provide better service to our patrons.
Iceberg #1: I don't think I know enough about libraries and collection planning to form an opinion about this. All I know is that it scares me to think of a library that has more of a digital collection than print collection...but at the same time I can see his argument that it is wasteful to collect items that are never used. Hmmmm...
Iceberg#2:What IS our patron to staff ratio?? ....I think this "iceberg" is a very real concern for our library. I don't really see how this is a NEW concern though... if anything new technology is making it easier to connect with our patrons.
Iceberg#3: Wow. I totally agree with this. I think Anderson put it well when he wrote we need to be humble. Before UCSC I did not have access to a decent library. In fact, the 'library' at my high school was on the San Diego news for having a ridiculously outdated collection. (Yeah, we still had books calling for the Berlin wall to be torn down.) I couldn't imagine anyone NOT wanting to come to a library...I sometimes mistake patron's attitude of "I want it now" for taking the library for granted; I have to remember that in today's research world, patrons are used to getting things instantly delivered TO them. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Why shouldn't we adapt to this need?
To better bibliographic services
Man. Sometimes it has been difficult for me to think of library uses for all this new technology I'm using. I like the idea of tagging-- like in the LibraryThing. I also like the author's idea of using RSS feeds to help streamline bibliographic data. Some of this stuff is over my head though...but I'm glad someone is thinking
To a temporary place in time
This article was quite interesting. From the previous SL lesson, it seems like the author's visions of Library 2.0 and 3.0 are happening simultaneously in some cases. I think it will take some time fore most libriaries to move into the 2.0 phase....simply doing these 23 things does not make me a Library 2.0 expert. I am just more aware of these tools. The idea of a virtual librarian appearing to help you when you log on to Amazon seems cool, but I don't know if people will start collecting them. It's also strange to think of librarians competing over user reviews....maybe I'm just thinking of my crazy aunt in Texas who obsesses over her ebay stars. I'm not sure I understood all of 4.0 either....
My thoughts on Library 2.0...
I like this vision of a new and technologically integrated library. I kinda wish that these 23 things were mandatory for libstaff; I think we all need to be aware of the new tools technology brings us and how we can use them to provide better service to our patrons.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Thing #15: CSE's...Google!
I tried first messing with my iGoogle page. (Which sounds reminds me of iMacs and iPods.) Many of the features I can add remind me of what is on my Google Desktop-which by the way, everyone should get. It'll change your life.
I'm trying to create a CSE through Google.... I want to have a search that will only go through the ucsc.edu pages....but I know there are the www2 and the www ones... do I use it as a whole site or is it a domain? I don't know the difference....and what about sites like http://kresge.ucsc.edu would that be included if under the plain old www one? Well I did www.ucsc.edu/*, www2.ucsc.edu/*, and ucsc.edu/*
I do like that they have a preview feature before you finish making your CSE......success! I've added it to my iGoogle homepage but I'm not sure it worked; I did a search for library and the first few sites were ucsc related but a bunch came up that were not.....did these come up because on some page that ends in ucsc.edu there is a link to these other pages? The same thing happened when I typed in "Interlibrary Loan" When I typed in "College Ten" all the results were UCSC related.
Personally, I can't think of any other custom sites I would like to search. While I agree that results on the second or third pages may be more relevant to whatever my current search may be, I look for so many random things everyday I can't think of a group of sites I would want to specifically search on a regular basis and I'm too lazy to look on the second and third pages.
However I can see the potential to search library pages; I know I've seen such Google CSE choices on other organization's homepages. You can choose "search the web" or "search ucsc" I think it's awesome...now I only have to figure out what to use it for.
I'm trying to create a CSE through Google.... I want to have a search that will only go through the ucsc.edu pages....but I know there are the www2 and the www ones... do I use it as a whole site or is it a domain? I don't know the difference....and what about sites like http://kresge.ucsc.edu would that be included if under the plain old www one? Well I did www.ucsc.edu/*, www2.ucsc.edu/*, and ucsc.edu/*
I do like that they have a preview feature before you finish making your CSE......success! I've added it to my iGoogle homepage but I'm not sure it worked; I did a search for library and the first few sites were ucsc related but a bunch came up that were not.....did these come up because on some page that ends in ucsc.edu there is a link to these other pages? The same thing happened when I typed in "Interlibrary Loan" When I typed in "College Ten" all the results were UCSC related.
Personally, I can't think of any other custom sites I would like to search. While I agree that results on the second or third pages may be more relevant to whatever my current search may be, I look for so many random things everyday I can't think of a group of sites I would want to specifically search on a regular basis and I'm too lazy to look on the second and third pages.
However I can see the potential to search library pages; I know I've seen such Google CSE choices on other organization's homepages. You can choose "search the web" or "search ucsc" I think it's awesome...now I only have to figure out what to use it for.
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