De.licio.us Tagging

I like the idea of a more free-form method of organization- tagging feels very organic for to me. The tag swarms on de.licio.us crack me up, because that's pretty much how my apartment is organized- nothing looks like it's in order, but I know where everything is. Most of the time. It's nice to see a links system online that's non-linear and organic. I see websites like de.licio.us working very well for research purposes, like http://www.refworks.com/.

Library Wikis

I am insanely jealous of Albany County Public Library's staff wiki. The thing that I really like about wikis vs blogs is that each user contributes to a coherent document, instead of posting stand-alone blurbs with strings of comments attached to them. Wikis are much more readable, in my opinion. I also like the idea of library procedures being documented as a work in progress. Wikis provide a much more democratic form of knowledge than a traditional encyclopedia or manual.

I made changes to the Minnewiki post on The Kitty Cat Klub, the comfiest bar in town. You can read it at http://minnewiki.publicradio.org/index.php/Kitty_Cat_Klub.

Google Docs & Zoho Writer

I think that these programs are long overdue, especially for collaborative projects, both at work and at school. Sometimes meeting up to work on a document isn't feasible, and forwarding a file around via e-mail gets messy. I like that Zoho Writer lets you select who you share your work with, and they can edit it only if you give them permission. I see this working well for both virtual and face-to-face writers groups, not to mention long-distance learning programs.

my database doesn't even pretend to be comprehensive

Those of you who live in Minneapolis are probably familiar with the coffeeshop chain Dunn Bros. I'm thoroughly addicted to their lattes (half-caf, because I'm a caffeine wimp). And so my little baby database, http://lazybase.com/dunnbrosfreak/ , is devoted to reviewing the various Dunn Bros outposts. More Dunn Bros reviews coming soon.

I found lazybase.com to be very easy to use- and a nice tool, even if it's just for your own personal use. Given that I can be organizationally challenged, having a database that can be accessed from anywhere might be helpful. As far as use in libraries goes, I think this would work really well for book recommendations, research topics, and the like. It would be fun to have one of these set up for my library that patrons could access to recommend books to each other.

Library 2.0 Tools

1. E-mail. Definitely a time drain. The 5 Fast E-mail Productivity Tips were all things that I practice- except for the 5th one, which addresses that silent nagging guilt that comes from facing ancient e-mails from distant acquaintances. Hm. I'm a little two german protestant to let go of guilt that easily, but I'll consider it.

2 & 3. IM and SMS. I don't use IM anymore, and text only rarely. After a bout of serious tendonitis in my forearms during college, I'm careful to not type all day every day. I only get one set of hands!! :) As for IM at work, I can see how it would be useful in a larger library, but I work in a very small neighborhood branch with a staff of 3, so if I need to talk with a colleague I just turn around.

4. Webinars. I think that OPAL is a great way to expand the reach of the public library to those who are housebound, don't live close to a branch, are at home with small children, etc. Since a lot of people spend a lot of their waking lives on the internet these days, I'm all for offering people an alternative to World of Warcraft.

Image Generators Galore

I don't have a car, but if I did, this is how I'd display my ex-new yorker pride on it. If I could fit "New York is too expensive, but Minneapolis is just right" on a license plate, I would.

The trading cards are pretty great, but I think they would work better as something aimed at ironic hipsters than kids. I am more familiar with the former than the latter, however, so I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's used trading cards for any kind of kids promotions!

Spell With Flickr!

I would be dying to tell my graphic designer friends about this site, except that I'm sure they've already heard about it. Strikes me as a great way to put together a ransom note?...

Vassar College Library on Flickr

Photo by Dalboz17
















Photo by nyc_babytiger







Wow, I was spoiled. This is my alma mater's library- where I shelved, worked the circulation desk, studied, researched, and, um, flirted for four years. The first picture is a view of the lobby across from the circ desk, and the second photo with the stain glass window shows the wing where I usually studied- the first table on the left. You can see Library 2.0 at work here- the first year I was in college, 1999, the lower level of this wing held the reference section. By 2000 or so the wing was renovated, the reference books shifted to an adjacent addition, and the entire lower level was filled with computers. The reference librarian's desks remained in the wing, as they increasingly fielded computer and database related questions.

Flickr is a great resource- I'll probably use it eventually to post photos online, but I'm still stubbornly dedicated to my 35mm SLR camera. Tres analog, I know. For now, I'll keep using it to fuel the occasional trip down memory lane.

RSS Feeds Rock My World

Oh, my. Where have RSS feeds been all my life? Every morning I visit the same half dozen or so websites to look at news, comics, blogs, etc, and now I can just look at one! Since I like to read news from all over the world, and I'm extremely research-oriented, Google Reader is going to be my new best friend.

Library 2.0

My knowledge of Web 2.0 tools is probably more advanced than I think, since I grew up using computers and am quite proficient at using the internet. However, I do find that more and more customers at my library are asking questions about internet-related tasks and problems, and neither I nor the other staff there have any idea what they are talking about. I'm hoping that participating in 23 Things on a Stick will give me more tools to help my customers, and to help me keep up with the ever evolving model of the library (or Library 2.0).

I am curious as to how we can keep up the traditional library services and atmosphere that older patrons have come to expect, and keep the interest of younger people who are more and more computer-oriented.

Blog Post on a Stick

Well, I've finally grown up and moved my blog off of MySpace! I'm 27 and a new Hennepin County Library employee, living & working in Minneapolis, MN. My previous library experience includes 3 years doing work-study at the circulation desk of my undergrad college library, and two summers volunteering in a medical library in high school. I left frigid Upstate New York for frigid Minneapolis in 2003, and I've been happily freezing here ever since. More posts to follow!