The Virtual Library Branch

I have finished the 10th and final thing and am pretty happy about that. With help from Toby and Ricki, I downloaded Bob Dylan's CHRONICLES and listened to the first part on the computer and then on the mp3 player.

I then tooled around on the Library website, after looking at "the best library websites," on the provided wiki. Ours is certainly one of the most attractive. The menu on the left side is awfully "thick," to quote one of our patrons, who went on to say how long it usually takes him to find what he wants. I wish we could find a way to get across what we want to get across with fewer and less lengthy lists. Something to work on. I liked the Bedford Public Library's site the best, for its cleanliness and the fact that the lists were, to my mind, better broken up and less formidable. SkokieNet and Skokie Talk are undergoing a design change and from what I've seen, will emerge as usable as ever and even better looking. I very much enjoyed the SPL Flickr page. My compliments to the photographers. Right now, I'm not finding the new toolbar that useful, probably because I'm so used to the old way of navigating, my assumptions keep tripping me up. I need to take some time and devote myself to learning the advantages.

For improvements to our website, I think we can make almost all our pages more interactive by doing a lot more with blogs. We already do a good job announcing new services on our well-designed and attractive pages, but I think we can employ more lively ways of engaging and informing our users, through RSS and with blogs like lifehacker. I also think patrons would enjoy being part of a Library conversation, through wikis, as well as through bogging.

In conclusion, I want to express my admiration to the 10 Things Team for their inventiveness and patience in dealing with skill sets that must have been all over the map. You made it fun and for that you have my thanks.

Google Tools

I found Google Docs easier to use, in some ways, than Microsoft Word. It was more obvious how to change fonts and colors. I did have trouble editing my document, that wasn't as intuitive for me as using the other functions.

Of the tools I explored, I liked the ones on Lifehacker the best. Putting myself in the mind of a patron, I enjoyed looking through the Top 10 Free Windows File Wranglers. I was particularly interested in Stranded Holiday Traveler Helpline, and would consider making use of that. I believe patrons would enjoy receiving this kind of information regularly, informing them of new Library pages or databases, or changes in existing ones.

Wikis

It was fun adding things to the 10 Things wiki.

My thoughts on "radical trust:" First of all, the phrase itself is a little pretentious to my mind. It's referring to the way people have lived in communities since always. So why the "radical"? To live with others -- and do we have a choice? -- is to trust that most of the time "participation will work." Not a new idea.

I do use Wikipedia and I like it, but it also makes me nervous. It's a quick way to get information but how to know the accuracy? I tend to trust it if the article is well written, but that's really no guarantee. When answering a reference question, I may use Wikipedia to get me started, but I would not use it as my only source. It sure is fun and easy though.

I would think patrons would enjoy editing a Library wiki, as we did -- adding info about movies they enjoy or places they have visited. In a more professional way, a departmental wiki could provide a forum for sharing, adding to and building on information needed by staff.

Podcasting

Tonight I listened to two podcasts and have subscribed to one other I did not have time to listen to, but I promise I will. With the help of Richard, Julie Marks, and her husband -- who happened to drop by the desk and knew how I could adjust the volume on my earphones -- I listened to President Bush musing about the White House laundry chute on The Onion and part of the Shoemaker and the Elves being read by a librarian at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library. The latter is the library in Western Springs, where I grew up.

As to applications for libraries, I think the idea of librarians reading stories to children is a nice one. There were also podcasts of children reading their own stories. I would imagine that this feature would be popular. For SPL, a possible marketing feature would be to have a staff person, with a very nice voice, talking about upcoming programs at the Library or one of us giving a preview of new books or talking about "books you might have missed."

Social Networking

I was more than unusually stupid in my experience with social networking. First, instead of simply clicking on the Common Craft video, I went into Common Craft and watched the video on zombies at Halloween. I kept looking for an analogy between zombies and bookmarking but none was apparent. Jennifer enlightened me about my initial mistake. Then, in trying to login to del.icio.us, I read the SPL login as "theskeleton" rather than "theskokieten." Obviously influenced by the Halloween video. After that, everything has gone smoothly.

Tags I believe would be useful for the Library are 'reference," "reader," "books" and how about "spooky"?

Flickr

Puerto Rican iguana by Christin
Originally uploaded by theskokieten

Today, with much help from Richard, I conquered Flickr. (ha!)

This is a photo taken by my daughter-in-law Christin, while celebrating her first wedding anniversary. With my son. The photo is not my son.

This experience was fun and easy, but I hardly did it myself.

Social Networking

I now have a presence on Facebook. Not an exciting presence but ..... I found out, in a search for possible "friends" from my high school and college graduating classes, that someone from my college is a Facebooker. However, I don't really want to connect with him. But it's interesting he's there, nonetheless.

On to Thing 5.

Instant Messaging

This afternoon, Laura Hammond and I threw many aconyms at each other via IM. Jenn got us started. GR8 fun!

RSS

I have, with Ruth's help, subscribed to 5 RSS feeds.
I'm especially looking forward to seeing Trib headlines and new DVD reviews.
I think it will be both useful and enjoyable for patrons to receive feeds about our programs, new DVDs, etc.

My blog experience

As many staff will tell you, I'm not good with directions. I forgot that my first post was supposed to be, not about my traveling self, but about my first blogging experience. Which was ok. I did get interrupted and ended up with a template I didn't like. Ruth helped me find again the one I did like. Then in YS, where I went so that Ruth could help me without herself having to travel, I sat next to her colleague, Dave, who assisted me in navigating my newly created blog, even though he is not on the 10 Things team. Which I appreciated and thought was very kind. So, now I have one. A blog, that is. (Wasn't this fascinating to read?)

First trips

Until I was 15, the only traveling I did was to southern Indiana to visit relatives. My parents were the only ones in either of their families to leave Indiana, thus there was no one else to visit anywhere else. And far be it from my father to take a trip requiring us to stay in a motel. I liked Indiana ok. Both my grandparents lived on farms; so there were eggs to gather and creeks to wade in. Water was available by pumping -- which was exotic. And there were outhouses, which were not exotic.

When I was 10, my teacher read to us from Richard Haliburton's BOOK OF MARVELS, where the author describes his travel adventures through the world. I was enchanted and vowed to visit every place he did and became frustrated at my parents's unwillingness to go even to the Wisconsin Dells. Forget about Spain and India.

However, when I turned 15, I hit pay dirt. A colleague of my father's offered our family the use of his summer cottage on Dolphin Island, off the coast of Alabama. At last, I was underway.