tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77910934355506200802024-03-05T22:14:48.030+13:00Dream Home MusingsWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-83634238942927771202009-10-11T20:54:00.003+13:002009-10-11T21:08:29.006+13:00Journeys End - 23 things doneWell this journey has ended. What an introduction to so many new technologies and ways of communicating for personal use or library use. Although some of the modules have only been done once over lightly I am now aware of the possibilities avail to everyone and much more confident in helping others find their way.<br /><br />A very worthwhile journey and I have had positive feedback from staff - who have said that although they didn't find the tasks easy at first - they are pleased they persevered.<br /><br />My personal favourites have been learning about RSS feed - quite a hard one to get to grips with, and although I have set up feeds, I must admit to not checking these regularly.<br />Other favourites have been: exploring the ebooks sites, Skype and Waxmail (can see possibilities in these), Google docs and Wikis, Google's Picasa(wonderful) and Library thing for future community collaborative initiatives.<br /><br />Thanks to the NSL suport team for their help in completing this journeyWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-89787256242712292862009-10-11T20:24:00.003+13:002009-10-11T20:53:59.119+13:00#22 - Libraries and SNS ( social networking sites)The furore over allowing access to the social networking sites from libraries seems to have died down. 2-3 years ago - with concerns expressed over Internet safety - the call was to filter these sites. I am pleased to see that common sense prevailed. Students are now much more aware of Internet dangers, personal security et al. Parents also seem to to have relaxed -perhaps they have investigated the sites and now guide their children in accessing these sites safely.<br /><br />I do feel that SNS are only one tool in the library communication suite of options. SNS seems to be mainly used by the younger people and these are the difficult patrons to forge a library link with. So Yes lets get with it and have a presence in these sites. However it seems that maintaining this presence is quite time intensive - this being the case future staff funding for these services should be a priority.<br /><br />But lets not forget all the other library patrons - the traditional methods of communication are important also. A profile in the local newspaper, school visits, community outreach, signage, events...... are just as valid and probably reach more users than a SNS.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-54918183794897015172009-10-05T21:08:00.008+13:002009-10-10T21:00:30.476+13:00Exercise 17 - Explore 1000 sites!!Well I came - I saw 1000 entries. I was overwhelmed so didn't conquer - couldn't find anything of interest. Will come back to this.<br /><br />2 Nights later - have decided to explore Skype and Waxmail.<br /><br /><strong>Skype:</strong> I have heard this term for a couple of years and understood it was a cheap way of connecting people via the computers. The site tells me <em>"Free skype to skype calls and low cost calls to phones or mobiles"</em> Just a download away. Skype also offers community forums and I found out that many people are using skype to learn other languages. What a wonderful idea. The best way to learn another language is always to converse so this offers oportunitues to converse for free. I had a read thru the forum guidelines or etiquette. I wonder if most of the participants follow the rules.. Another feature is the Heartbeat. Just a click tells you the status of the Skype connections.<br />A Library story to tell - A proud Library patron introduced me to his grand-daughter - aged 2years. He hadn't seen her since she was 6 days old as she lives in England. However this little treasure walked out of the immigration at the airport - spottted her grandad and ran and gave him a big kiss. All this because she knew him so well as he spoke with her once a week on Skype. Products like these have made the world so small and the price of communicaton so affordable for everybody if they have access. Is this something we should be offering in our libraries - a community Skype access room. I wonder esp as we have so many people from all over the world in our community.<br /><br /><strong>Waxmail:</strong> There were 3 sites that advertise the ability to add voice to your emails. Only Waxmail is still operating. I was drawn to this product as I have elderly parents with arthritis in their hands. The typing of emails takes so long and can be quite frustrating for them. From the site " Waxmail lets you talk instead of type. Your voice messages are attached to Outlook emails as MP3s ready to send to any email address. Recipients do not need Waxmail in order to hear the message. " It is free of charge but an advert tag line is displayed. If wanted you can purchase and this removes the tag line. I will remember this site for future investiagation<br /><br />ALSO Found Jumpclaimer:<br />"<em>This website enables a traveller to stick digital pins on a world map. Friends and family can then follow the progress. We do this by accepting a simple SMS containing the nearest town to you. We do some analysis to find the latitude/longitude coordinate of the nearest town with that name using your previous location. This is then plotted on a Google map.Short Message Service (SMS) is the ability to send and receive short alphanumeric messages (maximum 160 characters) to and from mobile telephones. There are lots of features coming, as you can see below. We are working hard to fix a few 'misfeatures' and add some extra groovy stuff. Check back soon when we will hopefully have the subscriptions working</em>! "<br />However they were experiencing problems with overload. May monitor this one - could be a good tool to track the sons overseas. I had tried Map maker from previous exercises <a href="http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php">http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php</a> - but just didn't cut the mustard as they say.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-52027370756781072812009-10-05T20:51:00.002+13:002009-10-10T21:30:41.119+13:00Exercise 21 - My space and FacebookI created a facebook account last year. Haven't used it. Have received invites from OTHERS to also join their facebooks - wouldn't know them from Martha. Social networking I guess is just not my scene. I have since been invited to join my son's facebook - probably because I was always asking where the photos are as he is travelling. I do feel uncomfortable about reading his entries as he probably doesn't want his MUM knowing everything he is up to. At his stage will probably withdraw from his site to respect his personal space. I presume I can withdraw my Friendship!!<br /><br />Having looked at the 3 sites - Bebo, My space and facebook my impression is it is all about FRIENDS - is the world so obsessed with being friends - sound like teenage angst. Can all this be sustained in the future. So many of the participants are self centred. I noted that Facebook has an age policy of 13 years - so many of our library children are on facebook so there are ways of bypassing the security.<br />I investigated the Auckland and Rotorua Library Bebo sites. The comments on the Auckland site were all at least 50 days old - Not too current - wondered if they were just doing the 23 things exercises. Rotorua's was more vibrant but I got a sense of the trivial from both sites.<br /><br />Interestingly when I found the home page for Facebook There is very little information on the page. You have to sign in first. FREE in big letters but you have to give your details first in order to proceed within the site.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-32729819595589408732009-10-05T20:20:00.004+13:002009-10-05T21:01:44.355+13:00Exercise 20 - ebooks - The future of Libraries?<em>The word free in the English language does not distinguish between free of charge and freedom.<br />Free of charge means that you don't have to pay for the book you received.<br />Freedom denotes that you may do as you like with the book you received.<br />This distinction is immaterial if you just want to read a book privately, but it becomes of utmost importance if you want to work with the book:<br />you are a teacher and want to use the book in class,<br />you wrote a thesis about the book and want to distribute the book along with your thesis,<br />you have a literary web site and want to distribute the book to your audience,<br />or you are a writer and want to adapt the book for the stage.<br />If the book you got is just free of charge, you may do none of the above things. You may not even make a copy of the book and give it to your best friend. But if the book you got is free as in freedom you may do anything you like with that book. Clearly free as in freedom beats free of charge.<br />Fortunately almost all Project Gutenberg ebooks are free of charge and free as in freedom. </em><br /><em></em><br />I found this a good clear explanation on the Gutenberg site.<br /><br />I then discovered the Baldwin Online Children's Project. Bringing yesterdays classics to today's children. What a wonderful mission statement. WOW - 540 of the old classics. Yes I found a copy of the Aesops fables - I remember those illustrations and those fables are just as wonderful now as when I first read them. The next title was Andrew Langs - the blue fairy book - I had all these books in my childhood. I note that NSL copy in the Junior stack is missing - just as well there is now an on line copy for free. I used Gizmo's freeware - 100+ places for free books on line. A clear and easy to use list. Great sites to explore.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-50656867185991271392009-10-05T19:51:00.006+13:002009-10-05T20:15:03.859+13:00Execise 19 - Those podcasts<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Podcasts</span></span> - I thought I knew what they were. <em>The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet.</em> I looked at some of the sites given - Most were of no interest to me. Yahoo audio search is now all full of music. I have used podcasts from our local radio stations - Newstalk and National radio when I know I have missed an interesting discussion, recipe, book review or the last episode of the book reading. I have not subscribed to them as an RSS feed. Probably wouldn't as nothing is that important I feel. I am a person who turns on my mobile when I want to ring out not for others to contact me.<br /><br />On <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Podcastalley</span></span>.com I did find some interesting Library <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">podcasts</span></span>. Mostly from University or large American public libraries. The topics covered a wide range of interests - coming events - author talks, how to tutorials. I must admit I found the swirling graphics on the page quite off putting. I think I would prefer watching a video presentation rather than just listening esp on a PC. However I can see <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">possibilities</span> for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">RSS</span></span> feeds to just phones or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ipods</span></span>.<br /><br />I found searching quite <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">frustrating</span>. I chose my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">genre</span> then tried to narrow the search. Nope - not able to do this. Had to hunt for keywords or by <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">genre</span>.<br /><br />Couldn't get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Podnova</span> to work - unable to download was the message - As I am not willing to load my computer up with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">unnecessary</span> files I didn't proceed.<br /><br />Sorry not going to set up another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">RSS</span> feed as per exercise - not using the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Bloglines</span> now for all the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">other</span> feeds I have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">subscribed</span> to so unwilling to add more.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-76349267672660895152009-10-03T19:30:00.005+13:002009-10-03T19:51:51.998+13:00Exercise 18 - YouTubeWhat a wonderful invention this is. Everyone knows about YouTube now, even my elderly father. Most people use it for a comedy fix.<br />However this weekend I used it for uploads on the Samoa <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tragedy</span>. Wondering if the actual waves were caught on video - answer is NO. However pictures of the destruction bring home the scale of the tragedy. These videos will be there for all to see for many many years - an archive of a moment in history.<br /><br />Last year I also used this tool for an unusual library query. A patron came in with a very unusual query. He wanted to know what the flight deck of a certain aircraft looked like. YouTube had a video on that was just what the patron wanted. I have also used the site for how to videos. Knitting <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">stitches</span>, artists singing a particular song....<br /><br />From another library <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">perspective</span> - yes we should be using this technology on our websites. Library tours, how do use library resources, how to use the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">OPACs</span>,....... It's uses are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">seemingly</span> endless - only the will to implement is missing from our library. I did find one video showing the turning of the sod for the new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Bhead</span> library.<br /><br />I will be continuing to use this site for many years.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-81354820930473636232009-10-03T19:00:00.005+13:002009-10-03T19:08:58.815+13:00PUMPKIN & CHILLI BEAN CASSEROLE<span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><br /><br /><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><br />PUMPKIN & CHILLI BEAN CASSEROLE</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"> </p><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"></h2><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">1 Onion chopped<br />½ capsicum – diced<br />4 tomatoes chopped or 1 tin savoury tomatoes<br />½ celery chopped<br />1 tsp wholegrain mustard<br />425gms red kidney beans or 1 tin chilli beans drained<br />½ tsp chilli pwdr (not used if chilli beans used)<br />½ tsp paprika (not used if chilli beans used)<br />4 slices of pumpkin chopped into bite size pieces<br />1 cup cheese grated<br /><br />Put all in casserole. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cook 40 -60 mins @ 200 C </span></h2><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">If you don’t like chilli – use baked beans instead and leave out the chilli powder and paprika.<br />I find that if I have drained the chilli beans and left out the powders then it is not too hot.<br />Still Kev’s favourite.<br /></h2></span></span></span></span><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"></h2></span></span><h2 class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><br /></h2><h2 align="left"><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></h2></span></span>Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-38797170222764861492009-10-03T17:44:00.004+13:002009-10-03T19:53:16.300+13:00Exercise 16 - Zoho writer and Google documentsWell I have heard of these tools and now I have explored them - Great. Another way to manage documents collabrately.<br /><br />Didn't want to create a Zoho account so worked with Google docs. Since I use Google for many things I would probably continue to use the Google tools rather than seting up new accounts.<br /><br />I have a friend who has discovered Google docs. It has changed the whole family life. As all the kids have left home they keep in touch via the internet. Recently she was asked for the family favourite recipe. Rather than just retyping the whole recipe and sending via the email - she created a google doc - Word. Then she sent it to all the family around the world. They now all have access to a lot of the recipes as she had to keep adding with the kids requests. An on-line recipe book was created and everyone is adding to it. A family collaboration so to speak<br /><br />I used google docs to create a link to my google docs recipe for pumpkin chilli casserole. Was disapointed in how it loaded to the Blog. Very limtied editing of the style avail in the blog editing. Hope it sent alright to the email recipients. Will check and review this entry later.<br /><br />From watching the Zoho video - it seems that Zoho would have given a better end product.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-404594587693426482009-10-03T16:34:00.004+13:002009-10-03T17:31:25.614+13:00Rollyo - Exercise 15Rollyo - sounds like those yummy chocolates<br /><br />Well - this seems a very good idea - so how to put it into practice.<br /><br />I tried to open the sites given in the exercises to check it out - it seems that my son has used up all my broadband for the month - very very slow to load. The free photos example came back with the following message <em>The link you came here on appears to be from a 'link spammer' trying to promote their site through Rollyo. </em>OOPS<br /><br />Not to be put off I launched straight into exploring the Rollyo site.<br /><br />I created a roll New Book & Reviews. I entered 5 sites. I then went back and looked for the keywords girl dragon tattoo. A list of the reviews on the sites came up - Great. It brought up the reviews from all my sites. I then noticed that at the bottom of my list the whole web was also searched. Went into edit to see if I could remove that option. NOPE. However when I scrolled through to the end of my results only my sites were shown and then the option to open up to the web is available. Good - wasn't wanting all the web in my directed searches. Then went back and added shorelibraries and ChCh libraries to the list.<br /><br /><br /><br />Yes I can see that this tool would be very useful for directed searching. I didn't create another username - so I guess my searchroll is just under the everyman code number. I did manage to put it into my blog though.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-31376209005935038242009-09-12T18:24:00.005+12:002009-09-12T19:54:38.711+12:00Library Thing Exercise 14Well I created a list of 5 titles. Very easy to use. 2 of my titles were books published in the 1960's. All details were found. Very easy to edit and tag.<br /><br />Can think this would be of value in many ways. If I wanted to catalogue my library, but why I ask. Of greater value I should think would be to share a resource. I have been in many groups - playcentres, church groups that have small libraries. Using Library Thing would capture all the titles available to members and also enable the organiser to track just what is in the library. A lot easier than writing them down in the little black book.<br /><br />Would also be useful to track the titles read over time, put reviews or impressions. Not a good sorter though. Would have to rely on the tags to refind the entries. Would want to be able to sort by date placed or author/title. OOPS - just found the up and down arrows that do sort the entries. Can sort by a wide range of options.<br />Overall most impressed. See gadget at bottom of blogWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-72957315789312115192009-09-12T17:44:00.004+12:002009-09-12T17:52:23.151+12:00Image generators - exercise 13<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nAJdQcPEVx4anz_clVdY4n7k72dbuUMH7yMUbFW6Q8W9lIm763ufSMcHoNWBG2mgvRU-5NPOUCL2YDpNv7k3HkfsY4-J_usxOO5NMQUNuLpmyXzRz3VgUpwFxYyoj_8vdVdqc_Jir_k/s1600-h/blog+picture.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380453957633113170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nAJdQcPEVx4anz_clVdY4n7k72dbuUMH7yMUbFW6Q8W9lIm763ufSMcHoNWBG2mgvRU-5NPOUCL2YDpNv7k3HkfsY4-J_usxOO5NMQUNuLpmyXzRz3VgUpwFxYyoj_8vdVdqc_Jir_k/s200/blog+picture.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvml6c4FmRj1uyKZpyMELlbbkzHZ6a1qNMKvP6KTPVLHEuodjEZHrXT7b4S38NaOpZT3R2IkQyR_NC1uEZnow7VFIrXOaeWPmAsoGVgdv0t00flDj5FN0XR2bRrEjuMVV76MLXfju2D4/s1600-h/eXERCISE+13+HOMEWORK.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380452963495506066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvml6c4FmRj1uyKZpyMELlbbkzHZ6a1qNMKvP6KTPVLHEuodjEZHrXT7b4S38NaOpZT3R2IkQyR_NC1uEZnow7VFIrXOaeWPmAsoGVgdv0t00flDj5FN0XR2bRrEjuMVV76MLXfju2D4/s200/eXERCISE+13+HOMEWORK.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>ЦTTЗЯ ШДSTЭ ФF TIMЗ</div><div></div><div>Interesting but not for me folks</div><div> </div><div> Can't see me using - too much of a time waster me thinks but good to know about</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-32674241012013601852009-09-12T17:15:00.002+12:002009-09-12T17:19:16.820+12:00Wet paint - don't touch Exercise 12A very easy form of wiki. Liked <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">the</span> clear instructions on the video but I still did need the hint in the exercises to find the cursor to start. Added a favourite book and holiday <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">spot</span>. Couldn't find where to put my name so am probably <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">anonymous. </span>Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-43513269433197122512009-08-17T07:22:00.003+12:002009-09-12T16:50:14.728+12:00The WikisAm on my way to understanding the wikis - more investigation needed before finishing this blog.<br /><br />Wikis - the collabrative way of working. I guess I have been using the Wikipedia for some years now to find information- just reading but not wanting to update or correct the information found. In the last month I have come across more examples of Wikis in libraries. The latest one being the eLGAR sharepoint. As a member of a working party in eLGAR we now have access to sharepoint and will be using this site for communication, filing of our minutes and more importantly - discussion/threads of future work. Any change control requests will be done thru this medium. No more emails going back and forth. Just a record of discussions, thoughts and points of view before we make a decision. Then once the decision is made - this record of the discussion will always be found.<br /><br />A wiki would also be very useful in managing staff communications at work. Imagine the senario of Xmas dinner for the staff. Where, when, who could all be online. All staff to have input. At present it seems only those at the staff meeting get a say - no-one replies to an email with suggestions and very few have their say on the noticeboard... The staff meeting minutes could all be accessed thru the Wiki so could be accessible from anywhere not just at work on the G drive.<br /><br />New best practice procedures could be done this way also - put the document up for discussion and comment. Work any changes into it. Publish and file for future reference<br /><br />However I don't have the time to set this up so status quo continues.Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-83241896656113321612009-08-17T06:36:00.003+12:002009-08-17T06:50:19.365+12:00On the road againYes - I am on the road again with this technology catch up. For the last few weeks I have been looking at what I achieved last year and revising and remembering.<br /><br />I am still liking the look of my blog and wouldn't change it. Still proud of the features I managed to insert last year. Interestingly though - I haven't used it since finishing last year. I guess I am not a person who keeps a diary. Of all the techonology I visited and explored last year only the RSS feeds module is one that I use on a regular basis. My images preference is Picasa and I share web albums with the family all over the world but searching for images I first go to Google images before Flickr.<br /><br />The Delicious/Technoratii module - I note that I had set up delicious account - to keep a record of recipes. Still only 3 recipes in it - lack of time and motivation I guess.<br /><br />So onward I travelWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-7152132605003312942008-10-27T20:18:00.004+13:002008-10-29T06:49:09.900+13:00Web 2.0 perspectives"but if our own services can't be used without training then it is the services that need to be fixed - not our patrons"<br />I found this quote very thought provoking. How often have we sat beside our patrons and guided them in the correct way to search our catalogue, or find answers in resources that need set ways of searching. If there is one thing Google has shown is that people can search for information the way they know how - they are not concerned about author first, don't put the, spelling etc. They give it their best shot and expect to land somewhere close to the mark. Intuitive searching is the way of the future. "We need to focus our efforts not on teaching research skills but on eliminating the barriers that exist between patrons and the information they need, so they can spend as little time as possible wrestling with lousy search interfaces and as much time as possible actually reading and learning"<br /><br />The “just in case” collection comments were also very interesting. I still have a tendency to be reluctant to withdraw some items - books that I have found invaluable over the years in answering those tricky questions. But I am finding that I am not using these books anymore - patrons are finding the answers on the web themselves, or I am using the web to find the answers and then comments /bloggs on the relevance of that answer are also found.<br /><br />The librarian skills for librarianship in a web 2.0 environment make interesting reading. Just how many of these traits have I embraced - how many have we at NSL embraced. Do we make good but fast decisions? Are we a trendspotter? Are we learning from the successes and also the failures of our services. The future library will be an exciting environment in which to work - working, listening to our people to create their LIBRARYWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-11921020919466575012008-09-21T17:55:00.004+12:002008-09-21T18:26:21.642+12:00Delicious stuffSocial networking & tagging- I find myself not a very social person as I can't be bothered looking at others bookmarks. Not <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">enough</span> time I think to be nosey. However I went exploring on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Technorati</span> and Delicious. I spent an hour just looking, not finding much of interest I must say. I then left it for a day to mull over how I could use Delicious in a personal sense and also at work.<br />I had found a post on Delicious on how someone had decided to use Delicious as their on-line recipe book. Accessible from any computer at any time, all your favourite recipes gathered together. I could see this as a good option. I then signed up for Delicious. I used another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">username</span>!! How will I keep a track of all these. I think at the end of this journey I will <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">consolidate</span> all the learning and decide which tools I will continue to use. It was easy and straightforward. Buttons are now on my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">login</span>. I then went searching for pumpkin recipes. I bookmarked 3 and added relevant tags. (Pumpkin and potato curry sounded great).<br /><br />I think I will be able to use this tool - the ready access from any computer beats just having all your favourite sites on the home computer. Tagging the entries makes the searching and sorting of bookmarks very easy to find.<br /><br />I can see myself using it also at work - we all have the favourite sites that we have bookmarked - how great to be able to access these from a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">login</span> anywhere rather than trying to find the site again on a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">google</span> search.<br /><br />Now off to try the pumpkin curry recipe I think<br /><br />NB: I also tagged this entryWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-67968512740812127312008-09-17T20:59:00.003+12:002008-09-17T21:28:26.425+12:00RSS and all that Really Simple StuffRSS has been a term that we have all bandied about for a few years. I thought I knew what it meant and thought this exercise wouldn't take long. Well was I wrong!! I did have the basic concept correct but it was in the doing that I stumbled. Really Simple Indeed!!<br /><br />Firstly I hadn't realised that you needed to create an account to get a RSS feed. So following the instructions I created a Bloglines account no trouble. Then I set about finding some RSS feeds that I wanted to load. I used the Bloglines search tool, Topix.net and Technorati to find feeds on my topics of library, libraries, tramping, hiking. Having done this I thought I was done and dusted so to speak. For the next week I eagerly went into my email searching for all these FEEDS I was expecting. No sign of them but everyday my Bloglines was getting feeds. Why wasn't I getting notification of these I wondered on my emails like I do with my professional reading on my library email. This is when I discovered the difference between an email newsletter subscription and and RSS feed! Thanks to my Web 2.0 support person.<br /><br />I still couldn't see why the feeds didn't go straight to my email until I started to read all the feeds. Then I was very grateful that the feeds were not all coming into my IN box and that an off site storage facility like Bloglines was the only means to keeping my head above water.<br /><br />I also discovered that most of the feeds were worthless. Technorati even send me a feed on acne - apparently the blogger had researched the condition in a LIBRARY. So I culled my list - it now contains some of my fellow bloggers on this journey, a few library news sites, and eLGAR blog. Haven't managed our Fitch yet.<br /><br />The best thing was though - 2 weeks into this long exercise I was with a patron showing them how to find articles using Proquest. Most entries on this now have the ability to set up an RSS feed. I was able to explain this concept and sound as if I knew all about it - the patron was delighted. Thanks Web 20. team - onto the next learning experienceWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-85649918086814010572008-08-15T21:13:00.002+12:002008-08-15T21:30:24.692+12:00Technology and everyday livingThe impact of technology and the new web environment has been brought home to me in the last week or so. The web has been an important tool in keeping family informed.<br />My elderly parents have bought a new home - yes a smaller no maintenance unit. We have family in Invercargill and family in England and Ireland it was so easy to keep them all informed of the changes ahead. I was able to direct everyone to the real estate agents web site and they all took the tour. I downloaded the photos so that I could print them out for the parents to help them visualise the placement of their furniture in the new home. I emailed the cousins in England with the photos so that they could show them to my father's sister - 90yrs old. I went on line to the NSCC and asked for the property files. We researched current properties for sale and then the last years sales in the area before we started negotiations. I found a supply of moving boxes on Trade me for a BARGAIN of course. I have taken photos of the old home before we started the packing process and will continue to document the journey for prosperity.<br />I will also be using the tool on the Post office site to notify agencies of the new address.<br />It has been so effortless to manage. The speed and ease with which information is available has astounded my father (85). So much so he is now thinking of getting a laptop to explore new frontiers in his no maintenance home. Mother (89) will continue to read!Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-51898305717983548212008-08-15T20:55:00.003+12:002008-08-15T21:08:21.135+12:00Playing with the toolsI had a good look around the Flickr tools - I couldn't see the point of creating a Librarian trading card, I guess I'm not into playing around for fun. I did discover a good tool to create a jigsaw puzzle from your photos - you can even order to buy a real one created from your photos. I have created one from our holiday in Nelson Lakes late May.<br /><a href="http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/jigsaw.php">http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/jigsaw.php</a>. However the link didn't save for you all to see it.<br /><br />The other tool I was interested in was the Map maker <a href="http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php">http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php</a> - a good tool to plot the son's overseas trip while I am at home looking at photos and dreaming.<br /><br />The trip planner <a href="http://travel.yahoo.com/trip">http://travel.yahoo.com/trip</a> would be the tool I would use to plan a trip and then post my photosWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-37097277694809727902008-08-15T20:11:00.004+12:002008-08-15T22:06:34.320+12:00Flickr explorationsI found this photo to illustrate the Whirinaki Forest . My thanks to geozilla for capturing the essence of this wonderful forest.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/geographics/269506284/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/geographics/269506284/</a><br /><br />I chose to only place a link here. I didn't wish to create yet another email account. I am managing three already.<br />The amount of photos avail on Flickr is amazing - great that so many people wish to share these rather than keep them private.<br /><br />I use Google's Picasa to edit, organise and publish my pictures. I haven't created any albums yet to share on line.<br />The major benefit I can see is the off site storage for photos - having had 2 computer crashes in the last year I guess to store precious photos in the ether may be a safer optionWhiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-47253106555888504782008-07-30T19:43:00.003+12:002008-07-30T19:59:04.908+12:00Why I chose Whio<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Whio</span> - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NZ's</span> Blue duck.<br /><br />I first saw and heard this duck on a trip to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Whirinaki</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">back country. I had been told that it was rare to see or hear these ducks. I was sitting beside the river after a days tramping - soaking my feet in the freezing water. Suddenly 2 ducks flew up the river with a rushing of wings. They didn't land but I thought myself lucky to have seen them albeit in a flash. </span><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">The next day following the river I heard a whistle - sounding like the whistle on a life jacket - Yes this was the Whio I was told. </span><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Watching the river banks carefully it still was very hard to see these birds. I first saw their light coloured beaks and then was able to distinguish them from the riverbank foliage. Over the next 2 days I was lucky enough to see 4 pairs on the river.</span><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Magical</span>Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-90844898305567666352008-07-30T19:21:00.000+12:002008-07-30T19:24:55.426+12:00<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjG4TA8YFN2vWLV8xesSvn_c-tFYl5249qJBDugKZNc388LJF_-xHqW6uvTGmgfnG0b7iMxPDtWqZNTn9DvKG8emXElvJpS4uhb45IsaOoVGA5gUJFJvin_jOWX6Yh-HKw7ZX3TuPWn80/s1600-h/IMG_0815.jpg">And so another journey starts. A journey of new experiences, meeting new people and the sharing of knowledge. The backpacks are full of tools and the necessary items to get through this journey. I only have to shoulder it and start!! One step at a time<img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjG4TA8YFN2vWLV8xesSvn_c-tFYl5249qJBDugKZNc388LJF_-xHqW6uvTGmgfnG0b7iMxPDtWqZNTn9DvKG8emXElvJpS4uhb45IsaOoVGA5gUJFJvin_jOWX6Yh-HKw7ZX3TuPWn80/s320/IMG_0815.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7791093435550620080.post-4861098829408866732008-07-30T10:08:00.000+12:002008-07-30T10:13:34.429+12:00The first blog nervesWell I've managed to create a profile. Choosing names, and deciding what information to share took sometime. I am a beginner to blogging - not comfortable with putting myself out there in cyberspace.<br /><br />I thought I would share my journey in building a new home and also my forays into the outdoors.<br /><br />I am missing the spellchecker tool, will have to be careful before I press publish!Whiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13782125545219602187noreply@blogger.com3