I think some of our customers would love being able to rate answers given to online questions they ask of us. Also, they would love to see the sorts of questions other people have asked, and the sorts of answers they have received. Moreover, this would build public confidence in the ability of library staff to find answers, or sources for answering these questions, to obscure and unusual questions.
I loved the way the Answer Board Librarians wiki linked the American public to their local library website by selecting region, then state, and then local area. It would be great to have something like this in Australia, so that people who wouldn't normally visit a public library can search for their local library and its services online from home.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Technorati
I got quite a surprise when I tested the keyword search for "bookmobile" as opposed to the Advanced Search feature. I actually found MORE results using the Advanced Search "EXACT phrase" button, which I thought would cut down the number of hits. (513 compared to 396!)
There were lot and lots of photos linked to the nswpln2008 search!
There were lot and lots of photos linked to the nswpln2008 search!
My initial thoughts about using del.icio.us
The library I work at has recently added a link to de.icio.us from its home page, but I hadn't realised, until playing around with the Sutherland Shire Library site as part of the Library 2.0 training, that you could change the way the tags are listed.
My preferred way of viewing the tags is by list and showing bundles. This makes finding related tags easier than without bundling them. Also, viewing by list rather than by cloud means that you can quickly scan down to see the sub-topics and how many links there are to them.
Linking del.icio.us to a library's website has the potential to be a way of linking library users with sites considered helpful by library staff on a range of topics without library users needing to come into the library for reference assistance with online resources. Moreover, it can give library patrons confidence that the sites linked through del.icio.us are worth looking at, because they have been chosen by the library as links worth establishing.
On the question of using del.icio.us as a research tool, I think it has great potential for academics to set up links useful for their students. It can also be used for colleagues working in the same field who wish to share useful sources with each other.
My preferred way of viewing the tags is by list and showing bundles. This makes finding related tags easier than without bundling them. Also, viewing by list rather than by cloud means that you can quickly scan down to see the sub-topics and how many links there are to them.
Linking del.icio.us to a library's website has the potential to be a way of linking library users with sites considered helpful by library staff on a range of topics without library users needing to come into the library for reference assistance with online resources. Moreover, it can give library patrons confidence that the sites linked through del.icio.us are worth looking at, because they have been chosen by the library as links worth establishing.
On the question of using del.icio.us as a research tool, I think it has great potential for academics to set up links useful for their students. It can also be used for colleagues working in the same field who wish to share useful sources with each other.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Exploring YouTube and Google Video
Exploring video sites on the internet was a lot of fun! Especially the lego sites and also some Harry Potter puppet sited a colleague showed me.
I thought Mosman Library's use of video online for author talks was a great idea. Of course, the authors concerned would have to give their permission, but then it would be good publicity for them too!
The CSULB video "Library Reference and Research Assistance" demonstrated how any library can provide an introduction to what reference services it offers through its website. This is a great way of reaching clientele at a time that suits the individual and wherever there is a computer to view.
I thought Mosman Library's use of video online for author talks was a great idea. Of course, the authors concerned would have to give their permission, but then it would be good publicity for them too!
The CSULB video "Library Reference and Research Assistance" demonstrated how any library can provide an introduction to what reference services it offers through its website. This is a great way of reaching clientele at a time that suits the individual and wherever there is a computer to view.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Investigating wikis
I found looking at different wikis and seeing the different purposes of various wikis a lot of fun.
Wookieepedia was an extremely informative site for Star Wars fans to hone their knowledge of the Star Wars universe and to contribute their insights. It is a highly developed wiki with a welcome and Manual of Style, a list of the last 50 changes to the site and many more features.
I am not a devotee of Star Wars myself (although I have seen all the movies) but it was obvious that this site is definitely an in-depth resource for those who are true fanatics!
Another feature of this site I like is the link to sites that might interest Star Wars fans, eg. an entertainment link to Wikia, which in turn has a link to a Doctor Who wiki and others.
Another wiki I found to be of interest was Book Lovers Wiki (an initiative of Princeton Public Library). It was created to be a means for adults participating in a Summer Reading Club to share book reviews with other participants. This was a fantastic way for participants to
recommend books they enjoyed, not necessarily those that would be reviewed elsewhere. The reviews were listed under different headings such as Classics, Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Mystery etc, as well as a separate list for those which received a five star rating. This is definitely a great idea for public libraries to take hold of.
Library Success : A Best Practices Wiki was worth visiting because it provides a forum for sharing of ideas on a wide range of areas concerning the library world and librarians. There are fourteen main areas, such as "Training and Development for Librarians", "Readers' Advisory" and "Services to Specific Groups" such as "Services for the Housebound" and "Services to the Poor and Homeless". This means there is material here of benefit to most library staff wanting to share ideas and learn from others.
Wookieepedia was an extremely informative site for Star Wars fans to hone their knowledge of the Star Wars universe and to contribute their insights. It is a highly developed wiki with a welcome and Manual of Style, a list of the last 50 changes to the site and many more features.
I am not a devotee of Star Wars myself (although I have seen all the movies) but it was obvious that this site is definitely an in-depth resource for those who are true fanatics!
Another feature of this site I like is the link to sites that might interest Star Wars fans, eg. an entertainment link to Wikia, which in turn has a link to a Doctor Who wiki and others.
Another wiki I found to be of interest was Book Lovers Wiki (an initiative of Princeton Public Library). It was created to be a means for adults participating in a Summer Reading Club to share book reviews with other participants. This was a fantastic way for participants to
recommend books they enjoyed, not necessarily those that would be reviewed elsewhere. The reviews were listed under different headings such as Classics, Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Mystery etc, as well as a separate list for those which received a five star rating. This is definitely a great idea for public libraries to take hold of.
Library Success : A Best Practices Wiki was worth visiting because it provides a forum for sharing of ideas on a wide range of areas concerning the library world and librarians. There are fourteen main areas, such as "Training and Development for Librarians", "Readers' Advisory" and "Services to Specific Groups" such as "Services for the Housebound" and "Services to the Poor and Homeless". This means there is material here of benefit to most library staff wanting to share ideas and learn from others.
RSS and Bloglines
Signing up to Bloglines and subscribing to RSS feeds has opened up a whole new aspect of internet use. It makes finding information on given interests so much easier as it comes to you without even looking for it!
I subscribed to the BBC World News site as I like to keep up with what's happening in the world and I think highly of BBC World News.
I clicked on a button labelled "Environmentalist" in a Bloglines list and ended up with a link to different types of alternative energy sources (I'm not quite sure why this is!)
Then I chose two library-related sites from professional interest. These were "NSW Readers Advisory" as these will provide insights from the experience of other library staff, and "Whatever Club" which is the initiative of the Youth Librarian of Manly Library, and gives ideas and feedback from the staff and teens involved at Manly Library in their services for young people.
Finally, as part of the requirements, I added the link to the Powerhouse Museum picture of the day site.
Somewhere along the way there was an instruction how to add "Sub with Bloglines" to my favourites, which made subscribing to subsequent sites really quick and easy.
Another suggestion which I found really helpful was advice on how to find blogs to subscribe to using a google search including the word "blogs" and the topic of interest.
Searching for library-related sites made me see how using RSS could be really beneficial ro libraries. By subscribing to sites related to different aspects of library work, library staff will gain insights and ideas from many others in the same field.
I subscribed to the BBC World News site as I like to keep up with what's happening in the world and I think highly of BBC World News.
I clicked on a button labelled "Environmentalist" in a Bloglines list and ended up with a link to different types of alternative energy sources (I'm not quite sure why this is!)
Then I chose two library-related sites from professional interest. These were "NSW Readers Advisory" as these will provide insights from the experience of other library staff, and "Whatever Club" which is the initiative of the Youth Librarian of Manly Library, and gives ideas and feedback from the staff and teens involved at Manly Library in their services for young people.
Finally, as part of the requirements, I added the link to the Powerhouse Museum picture of the day site.
Somewhere along the way there was an instruction how to add "Sub with Bloglines" to my favourites, which made subscribing to subsequent sites really quick and easy.
Another suggestion which I found really helpful was advice on how to find blogs to subscribe to using a google search including the word "blogs" and the topic of interest.
Searching for library-related sites made me see how using RSS could be really beneficial ro libraries. By subscribing to sites related to different aspects of library work, library staff will gain insights and ideas from many others in the same field.
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