23 Things on a Stick Assignment #3

One of the major drawbacks to a 23 Things program is you have to create passwords and log-ins for so many different web programs. When I first saw assignment #3, I thought: "I'll just do perfunctory work on this one. I already use Bloglines, I am quite happy with it and I don't really want to change feeders nor do I want another password or log-in to remember." But then I started thinking (which is sometimes a dangerous thing to do): What are the differences between Bloglines and Google Reader? Is there anyway to rate them and their features (or other RSS feeders) like Consumer Reports rates cars or washing machines? How do I know I have good RSS feeder if Bloglines is the only one I ever tried? So, I decided to take a "look-see".

To my surprise I discovered that I didn't need another password or log-in. I already have a Google account (because I use Google docs). So, then I started to think again (I told you thinking can be dangerous!): Is there a way to easily transfer my RSS feed from Bloglines to Google Reader so I can eliminate my Bloglines account and have one less password and log-in to remember? But wait, if I eliminate Bloglines, then how will I show the work I did in assignment 11 of my previous 23 Things/SPPL program? (Not that anybody but me ever reads Chronicles of the Library Slayer.) But hey! Maybe I should put all the library-related feeds (that I read most frequently) on Google Reader and leave the other miscellaneous feeds (which I don't read very often) on Bloglines.

I'll let you see what I did just as soon as can figure out how to use the sharing feature on both of my RSS feeders. (ugh!)

23 Things on a Stick -- Assignment #2

A long time ago in a city not so far away, I worked as a document delivery manager in a corporate library. In addition to retrieving books, my job was to coordinate the copying of journal articles, book chapters, thesis papers, etc from the coporate library's collections and send them via inter-company mail (or by "snail mail") to the researchers and business professionals who had requested them. We also had "runners" who traveled to the U of MN, James J. Hill and other public (and sometimes corporate) libraries to retrieve documents. The internet was in its infancy. "The corporation" frequently held classes for its employees on how to use the internet (and some great new online databases) to do research or to communicate (via email!) with other researchers or business professionals, both within and outside of the corporation. (This was new, totally cutting edge technology!)

I remember thinking at that time "Won't it be cool when we finally have the technology to copy or scan documents into a format we can then email to people's desk top computers?! Won't it be equally cool when they can send us their urgent requests 'out in the field' via pager or cell phone and we can just copy or scan those items and send them back within a matter of minutes or hours?!"


Unfortunately, I didn't stick around to see that day. I left the corporation to work in a "real" public library, doing storytimes and summer reading programs and checking books in and out. (I was sooo naive about the whole gamut of library services at that time!)


Now it seems as if everyone has a computer and a cell phone (or, at least has access to one). Online databases have grown by leaps and bounds (with some people asking: Is print dead?). Google (an unknown search engine ten years ago) is digitizing books and library patrons are using Instant Messaging, Facebook, and MySpace to communicate with and send pictures or videos to friends family, and coworkers both near and far.

So what does all this mean for libraries (and library staff)? We need to know which library services (and what forms of communication) our patrons are using and find a way to help them travel on the new, more advanced Information Highway as well as find new ways to reach them when they are "traveling". This could be anything from sending emails to patrons about new books to creating a blog with RSS feeds that lets patrons know what is happening in our libraries. Libraries can also post photos, videos or podcasts on Flickr, YouTube or their own web pages to show patrons (and potential patrons) the fun they can have or the interesting things they can learn when they visit the library.

From my own experiences of working in a library, I am helping patrons access and search databases from their homes, teaching patrons how to use Google docs to write their resumes, and showing them how to download photos and videos (which they send by email to family, friends or coworkers or post to a website). I am also watching podcasts, attending webinars, and trying to figure out how to play Runescape (Why does my computer always seem to freeze during critical battles?!!!).

It has been interesting to watch (over the past ten years) how the internet and library services have evolved. It has also been, at times, complicated and frustrating. It will also be interesting to see what the next ten years bring!

23 Things on a Stick Assignment #1--part 2

Creating the blog, naming the blog, selecting the template and registering it with 23 Things on a Stick were easy. (This blog was actually created in February 2006 as a way to record my learning experiences for MN Voluntary Library Certification, but I never posted anything on it--until now.)
Creating the avatar and placing it on the blog were also relatively easy. I did that in September 2006 when I tried to do the California Libray School Learning 2.0/23 Things program (which I didn't complete, by the way.) I remember it took me a bit of time as I had problems figuring out the codes, but I eventually did it.
Trying to do the challenge parts of Assignment #1 were difficult and, at times, a royal pain. But I thought I better do a couple of them, since I did the "easy" parts of this assignment months ago. Adding a blog roll and a visitor counter were my initial goals, but those goals changed once I started to dig into the work involved.
When I tried to add a blog roll, I couldn't find any info in the layouts or settings part of Blogger, so I clicked on "help". The definition of a blog roll was different from what I thought it was and I decided I didn't want that on my blog. So I moved on to visitor counts. Feedburner looked incredibly complicated (at least their web page made it look that way). So, I tried Sitemeter. It had all these features I didn't want and I didn't know what I would do with all that information. So, I decided I didn't want a vistor counter either.
I went back to the settings and layout of Blogger, thinking there has to be any easier way to list the blogs I read and count the number of visitors to my site. Well, I did find a way to list the blogs I read (which is what I thought I blog roll did) and added that feature to the blog. While in the process of doing that, I discovered I could add Adsense (and maybe make a few cents), so I added that feature. Then I thought maybe I should know where my future or potantial customers are coming from or how often they are visiting my blog, so I went back to Sitemetter and added that on, too.
Over all, I did learn some things I didn't know before (such as how to add various features to my blog). But, assignment #1 took me way longer than I thought it would (almost 3 hours) and it was a more complex than I thought it would be (or perhaps should be).

23 Things on a Stick -- Intro

When I registered for 23 Things on a Stick back in February, I thought" This will be easy! I've already done a 23 Things program. I can do this one, too." Little did I know that this program is a bit more technical and that I would be challenged to make more time for the 23 Things assigenments. Every time I looked the Challenge options for assignment #1, for example, I felt overwhelmed and would think "I'll work on this later when it is quiet and I'll have more time to think." But, alas, something else always seemed to take priority over the assignment.

So, here I am, 21 days before the April 16th deadline, trying to catch up. To paraphrase Margo Channing (aka Bette Davis) in the movie All About Eve, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy [ride]!"