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.