And finally...number 23!!

Well, after way more than 12 weeks, I've finally reached the end! I signed up for the 23 things with a sense of dread, knowing that it would be good for me, but hating the thoughts of blogging, social networking and twitter, among other things! In a lot of cases I was pleasantly surprised. The blog was relatively easy to maintain and I enjoyed many of the tasks, even if I was always a little bit behind! I did think that some weeks it took a lot longer than an hour to get a proper handle on what we had to do - but maybe that was just me!! I also learned that I like self learning programmes - you can focus on the parts you like and skim over the other bits.

I had used some of the tools before, which gave me a great headstart, and my favourite bits were flikr, mylibrarything, delicious, podcasts and of course the youtube videos from Common Craft - thank you Lee and Sachi!! Tagging is interesting too - but I hated technorati. It was also good for me to go on facebook and twitter, even though I probably won't use either again.

I can see how libraries could benefit from using some of the Web 2.0 tools - googlereader, delicious, podcasts, youtube, ebooks, among others, have been used already - but I do think getting involved with social networking sites is a stretch too far for libraries, and in my opinion it's trying too hard.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I only managed to get to 1 lunchtime talk, which was a pity as they did sound very useful, and the one I got to was great, but it was hard to fit them in. Thanks to Lindsay, Helena and Karen for all your hard work!

Google Maps, Google Docs, Zoho Writer

I've fallen a bit behind with the last 2 weeks of the 23 things, so I decided I'd tackle one of them today!! I've used Google Maps before for directions but had never looked at it in as much detail as I did today! It is very useful, especially as you can see the route as well as getting the directions, so I get pictures as well as words!!

 When I first tried to load both Google Docs and Zoho Writer, it took ages and almost put me off, but I think there might have been something wrong with the internet connection. I'm now trying again and, if everything goes to plan , I'll be able to publish this Zoho entry in my blog! Now I just have to find out how  

Week 10 - Gaming

I have a bit of an additive personality, so I tend to get addicted to any games I start playing! I used to play tetris obsessively and more recently, I've started using my sister's Nintendo DS and Wii, which are both great fun. I tried out a few games in the exercise and found them easy to use, but there's no threat to the serious gamer here!! I read the article about gaming in the library context, and I'm not at all convinced that there's any place for gaming in a library context, unless you have loads of money! To do a proper job, you'd have to get an expert to design the game and, while it might spice up the traditional library tour, would the expense be justified?

A funny description of twitter in real life!

Week 9 part 2 - Instant Messaging & Twitter

I've used IM quite a bit between Skype, MSN Chat and now Facebook and it's a great way of communicating in real time (as they say!). I have also seen how libraries can use it quite effectively to get the whole 24/7 thing going. The only problem with IM is that people want an instant answer which meant that somebody has to be on hand to answer the questions immediately, which could prove difficult in some libraries.

Twitter, on the other hand, I don't get at all. Why would people be interested in the minute details of my (or anyone elses) life? Although, people must be with it's popularity. I have to say the Common Craft video did a great job explaining it and, it did make me want to look at it again! When I was looking at Youtube last week, I found a brilliant video that shows twitter in real life, which I'm going to try to attach and it sums up twitter for me!!

Week 9 - facebook

I've managed to stay away from social networking sites up until now and I suppose this exercise was a good way to force me to have a look at them! I'm just not sure if I'm that social! I decided to try Facebook, as I knew some people on it already, and I just set up my profile and I have one friend so far!! I can see how it could be addictive for socialising (if you're in to that type of thing!) but I'm not sure if a library has a place on it. I suppose it's a marketing tool, and looking at the UCD Library site, it does have fans, but I'm not convinced of the effectiveness. Anyway, it must take a lot of time to keep it updated!

Last part of week 8 - Ebooks and Audio Books

I've been a fan of audio books since they were on audio cassette, and it's even better that they can be downloaded now. They are a great idea and have a huge place in libraries, particularly for people with sight difficulties. Now that I've found AudiobooksForFree.com, I'll have to start doing some more downloading!
Electronic books also have a place in Libraries, especially for Academic Libraries where a student might only need a couple of chapters - it will mean that the books won't go missing, or they won't be able to rip the pages out anymore - how great!! I couldn't imagine using a sony reader or laptop myself though to read a novel, it somehow takes the fun out of it.