Well...I've arrived! 23 Things is now a thing of the past. It certainly feels good to accomplish everything. And with two weeks to spare! (Too bad finishing early doesn't increase your prize-winning potential. :o) )
As for my reflections... My general impression of 23 Things is fairly high. I think the tasks were, for the most part, useful and relevant. I've had several patrons ask me questions about Flickr or YouTube, and it's nice to feel more confident in my answers. I will not be surprised if patrons ask about quite a few of the things we've journeyed through. However, some of the activities were more tedious and less likely, I think, to be a source of patron inquiry. Perhaps my least favorite thing was the RSS feeds. Maybe it came more naturally to others, but frankly, I find RSS feeds a pain. I did what I had to do for the Thing, but I didn't enjoy myself. Nor do I see myself returning to RSS on my own time. Ever. But that's just me.
More practically than my thoughts on the individual tasks, I am not sure the program of 23 Things was structured as well as it could have been. I happen to be full-time, and have a generous amount of off-desk time. It was easy for me to donate an hour here and there of my precious off-desk time to completing these 23 Things, but I don't think there is a single other person in my entire branch who would feel the same way. 23 Things is very, very time consuming. Unless you have earned your own personal WIZ award in technological savvy, you simply cannot get through these things quickly. Even those who aren't completely helpless on computers want and need more time to complete Things. The tasks are interesting and important, and I think we all want to understand them well...not just slide by with completing the task just enough to qualify for a prize. I'll admit, I did that several times, but it is not my ideal. No, I'm not asking for 23 Hours per Thing, but I do know some people struggled to even complete one Thing in the one hour during the week they have allotted to spend.
I don't know how it could have been different, really. Though one coworker did say she thinks it unfair that 40 hour employees are competing for the same prize as 20 or less hour employees. This is a valid point. I am able to spend the time to get the tasks done, but my 15 hour coworker is not. Is it fair that I am now in the running for the laptop, but my coworker may not be simply because her hours are less? Or, perhaps my coworker will choose to do 23 Things at home. But therein, again, lies the question of fairness. I get paid to do 23 Things, and I'm in the running for a prize. My coworker may be eligible for the prize after completing 23 Things at home, but she has used personal time to do so and has not gotten paid for it.
These are just some practical concerns on the project. Like I said before, though, overall I think the experience was valuable and useful. I am not one to "surf the net" in my spare time, so this program introduced me to a wide variety of things I would never have otherwise known about. I think it's a wonderful idea, and I appreciate the hard work of those behind it. If PPLD were to repeat the program, I'm sure there would be some tweaking. The tweaking is necessary, I think, but it should be fairly simple. (I hope...obviously I'm not the one coordinating these things!) So yes...should PPLD offer this again, I would probably go through it all and attempt to learn as much as possible!
So thank you to those of you who've worked so hard to make 23 Things possible! It has been a good and informative experience for me!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Two Peas in a Podcast
I actually discovered the joys of podcasts during my internship in Seattle. I spent many hours alone in a little, ant-infested office behind the house. Online radio is a nice way to jazz up an afternoon, but sometimes you just need a little more substance. I love that podcasting allows you to access speeches, sermons, lectures, radio shows and countless other forms of communication. I learned a great deal during my days in the ant-office.
My favorite podcast is, and I say this shamelessly, GRAMMAR GIRL! If you have not heard the hilarious grammar lessons of Grammar Girl, you are truly missing out on life. They are pertinent to libraries as well. Who knows when a patron will want to know if "Saddam Hanged" or "Saddam Hung." (Sorry...perhaps a grotesque example. But that is Grammar Girl for you! She uses current events, pop culture...you name it!...as examples.)
So, there is my shameless plug. Revel in your Grammar Girl podcasts, if you dare!
My favorite podcast is, and I say this shamelessly, GRAMMAR GIRL! If you have not heard the hilarious grammar lessons of Grammar Girl, you are truly missing out on life. They are pertinent to libraries as well. Who knows when a patron will want to know if "Saddam Hanged" or "Saddam Hung." (Sorry...perhaps a grotesque example. But that is Grammar Girl for you! She uses current events, pop culture...you name it!...as examples.)
So, there is my shameless plug. Revel in your Grammar Girl podcasts, if you dare!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
YouTube, You Lose
I find whenever I dare to venture into the world of YouTube, I lose hours of my life watching (usually) mindless videos of stupid science experiments or crazy house pets. I've started limiting myself to clips of my favorite singers...Renee Fleming, Audra MacDonald, and the occasional Billy Joel. ;o) It is a good time. I do have a friend in Slovenia who watches YouTube to get away from the world. She'll watch TV shows, etc. I'm not there yet...but I totally understand. ;o)
Fuzzy recollections
For Thing 20, I played with Fuzzmail. It was quite strange and not as exciting as I had hoped. Maybe I just didn't get it. But it basically records (sort of like a video) the way you type a letter. Then when you send it, it plays for you. They way, everyone can see what sentences you typed quickly, which words you languished over, and how many typos you made. It is quite strange. I don't know what the point of it would be, really, other than bizarre curiosity. I don't think I'd want anyone to know how long typing something takes me. It would make me self-conscious. Anyway...check to 20!
Zoho the heck do you do this??
I attempted to "publish" the following through the Zoho site, but to no avail. Apparently I am not so hot at this one. Ah well.
Hello, world Zoho. Here I am, creating my online document in my continuing quest for a new computer. (Or Mp3 player.) (Or nothing.)
Gosh, Think 19. SO close! A new computer really would be nice. I have no money, but I realize I am very computer-oriented in my writing. Perhaps I would do more writing if I had a decent computer to work on. It's just frustrating how quickly they become "old school" these days.
I have been thinking about my writing more. Mostly because people keep asking me about it. How serious are you? they seem to chant. Not very, I'm afraid. I've become totally consumed with my job and my personal funk. I have not expressed myself creatively in a long time, nor have I sought out a group, a community, of creative friends. I continually find myself ambling down the paths of my memories of Seattle, casting it, I'm sure, into a much more idyllic light than it ever truly exuded. Alas. Writing does not live in the past. It may allow me to journey there occasionally, but it does not live there. I must learn to move on.
Hmm... Not the tangent I expected for the day. But there it is, my Zoho document. On to #20!!
Hello, world Zoho. Here I am, creating my online document in my continuing quest for a new computer. (Or Mp3 player.) (Or nothing.)
Gosh, Think 19. SO close! A new computer really would be nice. I have no money, but I realize I am very computer-oriented in my writing. Perhaps I would do more writing if I had a decent computer to work on. It's just frustrating how quickly they become "old school" these days.
I have been thinking about my writing more. Mostly because people keep asking me about it. How serious are you? they seem to chant. Not very, I'm afraid. I've become totally consumed with my job and my personal funk. I have not expressed myself creatively in a long time, nor have I sought out a group, a community, of creative friends. I continually find myself ambling down the paths of my memories of Seattle, casting it, I'm sure, into a much more idyllic light than it ever truly exuded. Alas. Writing does not live in the past. It may allow me to journey there occasionally, but it does not live there. I must learn to move on.
Hmm... Not the tangent I expected for the day. But there it is, my Zoho document. On to #20!!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Just Labbing Around
Well, put me in a white jacket, slap on some goofy eye wear, and call me a Labster. I have officially cruised Google Labs. At first, I was not so thrilled. Yet another page of things to click, words to read. (Apparently I'm not in the mood to read...Very un-librarian like.) But then I saw the link to "Create a Page" and thought I'd have some fun. I've noticed a trend in PPLD web pages...there are lots of sites for general patrons and staff, but there isn't anything exclusively for Children's staff. SO, I am in the process of creating a ppldkids page! I don't think it will be a big deal...just a site for Children's staff to post pictures and other fun news. We'll see. Anyway...that's all for Thing 18!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
To the Library...And Beyond! (Library 2.0)
It is interesting to read the various articles relating to Library 2.0. I often claim to be a visionary person, always seeing things in a long-range sort of way; but when it comes to technology and future trends, I am boxed in by shortsightedness. Not only that, I have trouble comprehending the ideas of others in ways that are practical and directly relate to my life. (In other words, science fiction is no bother...space ships and robots are much too abstract to be a problem for me. But give me articles about what libraries will look like in 20-100 years, and I am completely stumped.)
What is this phenomenon of incomprehension from which I suffer? I don't know. I guess it's just hard to imagine such drastic changes in something that is so familiar. It's sort of like playing the "what if" game. "What if you break both of your arms...how will you feed yourself?" "What if Pikes Peak were to become an active volcano, what would you do?" "What if libraries become entirely computerized, forever removing the need for actual, human librarians?"
It just isn't a game I play well. (Maybe that's why I work with kids. They are very much "here and now" type people!)
But, all that aside, I did find the articles compelling. It is obvious, no matter how I feel about it :), that libraries are changing. In a recent tour of several libraries, I noticed that many areas, especially those for teens and children, have a "Barnes and Noble" type set up. Things are very visually friendly and consumer-centric. The world as a whole is much more visual and designed to be instantly gratifying. Everything is "easy" and independant. People just want to be left alone to do what they need to do. They'd rather not interact with another human at all if they can help it. To me, these individualist trends foreshadow a time when everything about libraries will become so computerized that human librarians will be entirely unnecessary. Sounds convenient...and yet heartbreaking.
Who wants to live in a world that doesn't need people? It's what I call "Ipod Syndrome." People use technology to completely block out the rest of the world. They are in their own zone. Places that used to be hotbeds for interpersonal interaction (ie. cafes, street corners, long bus rides) are now segregated by technology, such as Ipods, that allows us to withdraw into our own universe. Perhaps this frightening trend will invade even our libraries, shutting us (the librarians) out forever. Who knows.
I like what Dr. Shultz said about libraries: "they are communities." I think this is true...as of today, anyway. I only hope will will continue to hold on to our identity as a community of people and resist becoming an entirely virtual community.
What is this phenomenon of incomprehension from which I suffer? I don't know. I guess it's just hard to imagine such drastic changes in something that is so familiar. It's sort of like playing the "what if" game. "What if you break both of your arms...how will you feed yourself?" "What if Pikes Peak were to become an active volcano, what would you do?" "What if libraries become entirely computerized, forever removing the need for actual, human librarians?"
It just isn't a game I play well. (Maybe that's why I work with kids. They are very much "here and now" type people!)
But, all that aside, I did find the articles compelling. It is obvious, no matter how I feel about it :), that libraries are changing. In a recent tour of several libraries, I noticed that many areas, especially those for teens and children, have a "Barnes and Noble" type set up. Things are very visually friendly and consumer-centric. The world as a whole is much more visual and designed to be instantly gratifying. Everything is "easy" and independant. People just want to be left alone to do what they need to do. They'd rather not interact with another human at all if they can help it. To me, these individualist trends foreshadow a time when everything about libraries will become so computerized that human librarians will be entirely unnecessary. Sounds convenient...and yet heartbreaking.
Who wants to live in a world that doesn't need people? It's what I call "Ipod Syndrome." People use technology to completely block out the rest of the world. They are in their own zone. Places that used to be hotbeds for interpersonal interaction (ie. cafes, street corners, long bus rides) are now segregated by technology, such as Ipods, that allows us to withdraw into our own universe. Perhaps this frightening trend will invade even our libraries, shutting us (the librarians) out forever. Who knows.
I like what Dr. Shultz said about libraries: "they are communities." I think this is true...as of today, anyway. I only hope will will continue to hold on to our identity as a community of people and resist becoming an entirely virtual community.
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