Friday, May 30, 2008

Wk 7 views - Del.ico.us

Note: Link to 'collaborative online reference' was not working when I tried.

Wk 6 views - YouTube

This was fun. Nice change to be watching something rather than reading. There are a lot of interesting ways one could use online videos to showcase the library, aren't there?. However, when I tried to embed my chosen YouTube selection (from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA2J0H12prQ) to this blog, it wasn't quite so simple. I found the embedding code but there didn't seem to be a next step to go from there. Anyone have further ideas? - Just found out today (17/6/08) how to embed - copy and then paste the embedding code from YouTube into a new post on your blog (use the HTML tag) and publish. Should work.

Note: Please ignore the 'Click here to take survey' under the Feedback section. You can feedback on your blog if you like. Thanks.

Wk 5 views - Wikis

Wow, I've just found wiki library Subject Guides (Uni of Ohio). Anybody else thinks this is a good idea? New & innovative, but maybe students and other staff will start taking over. On the other hand, maybe that will save consultation with the academic staff ...

Managed to get side-tracked a few times doing Wk 5 as there are quite a few interesting library links in this week's learning program. Maybe one can bookmark them and come back later.

Note: I don't think we can do the PBWiki exercise under the Explore section here, not under the PLNSW site anyway. Sounds fascinating though.

Question1: Does the UC wiki use installed software at the uni or does it use an outside service?

Question2: Does this mean a pbwiki can replace CMS?

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Wk 4 views - RSS

Well ... this was interesting. Created an account with Bloglines and then waited for the validation by email. Took half an hour and I thought this was a bit much! However, I suddenly realised after half an hour that checking Outlook for my expected email was not going to yield anything since I had used my new Gmail email address! Beware, says the little frog.

Managed to get a subscription to the RSS feed from BBC News in a couple of different ways, available very helpfully by the little feed icon mentioned in the Week 4 instructions as well as validation link that signed me in. Not so successful with ABC weather. Am still looking for other worthy feeds to subscribe to. I found the feed from BBC News harder to focus on than actually going to the BBB frontpage and glancing at the contents (colour, images and format make it more appealing).

Wk 3 views - Flickr pic





My Flickr link is http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=conan+librarian&m=text. I'm looking at the picture of Conan the Librarian with the axe heading for the Dewey manual. I actually think just brandishing it around to keep the students in line might be a better idea ... I'm still very fond of my Dewey.

For this exercise, I found it easy to get distracted by the huge amount of possible searches and possible pictures to choose from to get a picture to comment on. Let this be a warning from Frodo Frog!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Wk 2 views - Blogs for us

I think the Learning 2.0 program will be fun and I hope to learn everything that would appeal to people like my teenage daughter and her ilk compatriots. That means, I guess, looking for the "fun" part in the things we encounter .

I've voluntarily engaged in lifelong learning before, doing a number of Continuing education courses (patchwork, fantasy & science fiction, Indonesian, piano playing). However, in those courses it was reassuring to have a trainer/teacher up in front. This program will be more an individual cum group effort/help-each-other thing, so ... folk, support each other!

Other blogs I have been reading recently include those for various illnesses. They are really helpful places for people who think they are all by themselve suffering from whatever it is they are suffering from. Other people contribute their different experiences and support.

For blogging inside the library purposes though, perhaps we can use it for discussions on various issues. I know we do that via email and personally I prefer everything to come to one mailbox, but perhaps we can get RSSS notification in our emailbox (can we get that?) and then get on to the blogspot to post a reply if we want to.

Blogging for the clients seem to be a better idea since they probably like to do that already. Maybe the library can promote the databases, or advertise current going-ons like when the new lounge was set up or thin clients finally came, or maybe self-checkers or mfd's not working. Check out the library blogs at UQ http://www.library.uq.edu.au/about/contact_us.html.