Mitchell Library, Sydney

Mitchell Library, Sydney
Originally uploaded by Christopher Chan

Tracking to the end

From the beginning I didn't think I'd make it to this final blog. Can I keep in touch and use the information I have covered? Or realistically will time be the issue? I would have liked to have tracked along at my own pace but then I may never have finished! My appreciation for the help and jolling along from the team who at times were wisely totally deaf to my verbal outbreaks. I admire their total commitment from the first introductory seminars for the nswpl network and SL staff to where we are now - a mighty demonstration of enthusiasm and patience by them all. Apart from keeping us on track they also had their "other lives". So what's next?

Tracking Along with Social Networking

While MySpace and Facebook are great for those who have the time, I find I don't want to spend 24/7 online. Bad enough that I only read my home emails at best, once a week and sometimes forget to check my answering machine - always getting into strife for the latter. I think the picture is coming through loud and clear. I enjoy a pretty good ‘information network’ which has been operating very effectively for years. I don’t know whether I’d want that online for everybody to see. I'm sure I wouldn't get the ‘quality’ input I receive now!
All that aside, I can certainly see the potential for libraries to use this medium - Opera House My Space is friendly and newsy but a bit home spun on the production side. Bebo MySpace at Rotorua Public Library was a great example of how libraries can reach out and involve their clients. An excellent way to navigate through the library and for our clients to interact with us and each other off site. The potential is there for clients in regional areas in particular to connect with us and other public libraries - so many opportunities to reach out. A possible down side could be freeing up staff to keep it current and if facebook and myspace prove to be popular that will have a big impact.

Tracking Online applications & tools

How useful is this! It would have been really handy for me to have done Lesson 13 a few weeks back as I was working from home and emailed it back to myself only to find when I opened the document all the work I’d done was not there. Forgot didn’t I to do a ‘save as’. Not only did I do this once but managed to do it again last week – doesn’t pay to have flashy fingers – the fingers engage before the brain kicks in! Now I have a Google docs account I can use my Internet connection off site to do all the work I want and be confident my changes are there and I’m not going to loose a thing, fantastic. The biggest plus is when working with colleagues only having one copy we all add to.
I think/hope I have shared via Google Docs part of the Public Library News Index.

Tracking Mashups

Hot potato, hot potato (apologies to the Wiggles) - again, great fun looking for 'that picture' which demonstrates our values. Although I think I'd rather share the victory not the defeat, looks just a tad too fatal. Mashups have great potential because they are in a format that draws your eye. They can be a good promotional tool for publicising library services rather than just a picture and a whole lot more economical and faster too than using design professionals when budgets are limited.

Team Work??
I can see posters and flyers for special library events and their use for attracting kids to the library for school holiday activities. Asking clients to find a special image that can tie in with their favourite books and the winning entry could be displayed on the library's noticeboard. All great free publicity for any library.

World Youth Day

A tad late posting this photo but I just couldn't resist it - either a hard day's night or youth just ain't what it used to be!!

Tracking Podcasts and audio

Podcasts would be a great way to get information out to the community and to let people know about books and other materials that are worth checking out in our collection. The potential for using podcasts on site could be marvellous and have the ability to encourage new clients. The majority of people now are so technology aware, and for those who would rather not be in an organised group, iPods could be booked out (security coded of course!) from the Information Desk and used for discovery tours throughout the library. They could also be used for walking around the galleries and exhibitions – imagine having access to a full verbal description of what is on display. They could also be used for what is happening at the library, alerting of new and interesting materials, movies at the Metcalfe, how to navigate in the reading rooms, author talks, in-house seminar proceedings – their use is endless. Keeping the podcasts, concise, current and interesting would be crucial to their success. We could publicise via our website this great fun, self-help service.

Tracking with answer boards

Same old story - a few weeks away from the course and I'm in mad catch up mode yet once again - what do I remember? Hopefully it will all come flooding back. Will I ever reach the end of the track before the body and shoes wear out? Keep reading and find out the "answer".
Back to the "boards" - this could be a great way of promoting libraries in general by "slamming the boards". It’s another way of going outside our four walls to connect with users and provide the information needed.
Very interesting to read some of the "answers" and at times the responses are questionable and that's where librarians can jump in. It’s also a useful mechanism in finding out just how users rate the information supplied - did it hit the spot? fully? partially? would we have done better? To add our voices to the boards and find out where the information needs are can act as a powerful reminder to use libraries as a “trusted resource".

Tracking Yahoo7 answers

Is my dog suicidal? He tries to chase after cars when i take him for walks....he almost got hit yesterday.?

yea maybe...haha my dog used to do that and one day he got hit by a car

No, just an idiot, keep him on a leash

Dogs do that cause they're dumb

Just be careful

Some very unkind answers, hope the dog doesn't read.

In defence of the dog I posted...

I suspect your dog could be a "working dog", either pure bred or a heinz variety which could include the working trait characteristics. These dogs are highly intelligent with high energy levels and are easily bored. To answer your question, he isn't suicidal just needs to "round up" anything moving and cars fit the bill.

Tracking Tagging, folksonomies, del.icio.us & LibraryThing

The word Del.icio.us brought back memories of the monsterio delicio growing outside my mum's back door and the race with the possums to get the ripe fruit. Somehow the little midnight raiders always won.

What a convenient way to store and to have my favs on any computer that is connected to the Internet anywhere. I can see this really useful for those who use the Internet frequently. I loved looking at the CIA site and noting their info re Australia - very up to date except for the now defunct Dems. What a bonus for librarians at the reference desk to pool knowledge and link for others to share via their account - great way to save time and find not thought of new sources of information.

Technorati - The millions of blogs that are tracked by Technorati is mind blowing. The search I did with bookmobile was successful in getting hundreds of searches. I didn't have much success with nswpln2008.

LibraryThing is more my speed. This is a fantastic tool to share your best books and see how many others share your taste in reading. Interesting to read comments of what others think, sort of an online book club. I had to control myself and only select a few of the thousands I wanted to add. Beaut way to also quickly find the books you have missed reading.

Tracking with an Old Style Wiki

Couldn't resist adding - oh why oh why didn't I find this picture when I was doing Week 4? And why can't I add it to that week's entry - tried but with no success. Obviously it doesn't pay to have after thoughts.

Tracking the video

Hope you enjoy "the reading". I found myself helping them along with the words. Have a look at Librarians at Work (could have almost been our foyer) - don't think the trolleys have had such a workout in a long time - great fun! Not everything about libraries is serious. I also checked out virtual tours of libraries and what an interesting way to visit libraries large and small, and dare I say, compare. On the downside, some videos take so long to view because they keep stopping while others have really poor sound production. Once addressed this medium could have such an impact as a training tool for clients who visit our library.

Tracking Along with RSS

Love the potential of having the all the news I need in the one place, especially the ABC. Apart from the main news I can easily see what is happening in regional areas throughout Australia. What a powerful tool for the library to access websites for the latest articles in journals and innovative services in other libraries here and overseas. Keeping an eye on customer blogs can only help improve our services and be aware their needs and grumbles. Better than any old suggestion box! For my Learning RSS I’ve chosen ABC News, SMH (as well as the latest headlines, a good and varied read is assured with the blogs), "blooming marvellous" Gardening Australia, Photographers, Local History and Powerhouse photo of the day. I really like viewing their black & white photos as the light and shade is far more detailed and interesting than colour shots - all this talent waaay before digital photography.

Just a couple more steps a bit further along the track

Progressing slowly and running way behind schedule. Not out of puff, just too many distractions. Still if I keep my eyes to the ground I won’t stumble and I’ve got a solid stick to beat off anybody who interferes with trying to lead me astray. I’ve made it to “Catch Up Week” and I’ve reviewed the past 5 weeks - amazing I’ve made it this far! I’ve enjoyed exploring Flickr and trying to find that “exact” photograph. Even when you do a search its interesting what you end up with – nothing like you really wanted but it is fun along the way. I’ve dabbled with Wikipedia and wikis before in a very limited way and its a great way to find out obscure terminology and acronyms.

Further along the track

I do like the potential of Wiki, such fun to co-work with others and not be overrun with emails! What a great way to pull everything together and get to the final product without sweat on your brow.

No more printing out of emails, finding misplaced pieces of paper (I only just put it down and now its gone walkabout) and storing papers in a pile until you can create the finished product. Keeping people who are out of the building in the loop for meeting dates and input to documents at the blink of an eye – waaaay to go.

Along the track

Just feeling my way - I don't operate very well in total confusion. I want to see in front of me behind me, to the left and right - I approached my first step with such confidence, ha ha, I couldn't get in the door, window or keyhole. Called for help and that was given gracefully. Hooray, with a change of password I was IN again. (I think the trick is never to get out!) OK along I go, following the track, played with Flickr. Very impressed with some of the photos of the SL, particularly the ones that you would never recognise as the SL! Wow, the photographers are so creative. I'll try to put my favourite shot in my blog.

Success, with a bit of hit and miss I've attached one of my favourites. Must be the palm trees and coloured banners which give our SL a lovely tropical feel.

For reasonably familiar users 15 minutes a day might be a target but when you are unfamiliar 15 minutes is an under statement.

Before I start

Read, read, read. Read everything - trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.~ William Faulkner

Hey, what a better place to “read” although to indulge, a public library can throw open its doors and I can actually take books home and they are mine all mine for 3 weeks.

I don’t think I could exist without a book to lose myself in. I can travel the world, sit in on a murder, be privileged to the most inner thoughts of the characters, shed a tear and laugh myself silly in a quite corner or on the train. The latter guarantees a seat all by yourself! Unless of course, there is another avid reader who just wants to connect with your private world – and chatter. Then one has to drag oneself up to a conscious state to answer questions like “have you read...”? Don’t ever think I’ll cuddle up in bed or in a comfy chair with a “good computer”.

But enough ...

Now let’s see how I connect with Learning 2.0 – no wa hoos or yahoos yet.