Thing 23 Final Thoughts

Well, it is a good feeling to be able to accomplish the 23 things that were set before us. Prior to "23 things on a stick" I had previously either heard or used some of the web tools we learned about. After delving into each of the 23 things, I think the most useful to me professionally would be the RSS feeds and personally, the photo (flickr), graphic editors & the organizers. Thank you all for coordinating such an effort!

Thing 22 Ways to keep up

It is easier to "make" a resolution than to actually "carry out" the resolution. I will definitely be using many of the web tools we learned about. I think if you keep in mind to set aside 15 minutes per day, then one could keep up with all the technological tools available to us!
Then, every day, we could ask ourselves, "What did I learn today?"
Today I learned about a Ning, signed up, customized and utilized my very own ning!
The RSS feeds I signed up for are:
ALA techsource, Library stuff, Shifted Librarian, and Webjunction. Since it's inception, my goal has been to take classes from Webjunction. I always think I will "when I have time". After participating in "23 things" I know I just have to set time aside each day to accomplish this goal!

Thing 21 Other Social Networks

Visit 23thingamajigs

Thing 20 Libraries & Social Networks

I realize that social networking is heavily used by young people but personally I would never use either Facebook or Myspace. Although for the library that may be a different story. It looks like creating a social website has far more advantages compared to creating a blog. Being in a smaller library, there isn't a demand for creating one at this time especially since there is so much to do already with the other applicable web tools! I don't anticipate utilizing such a tool. Although I am impressed by the HCO & Denver's Library MySpace sites. If I did create a social page for our library I would choose Facebook. I think it would be fun to "connect" with teens and young adults on their level!

Thing 19 Podcasts

Podcasts are a great resource that should be utilized and promoted more in libraries. There are many ways a library could implement the use of podcasts. One could offer Seniors to come in and listen to specific area of interest, etc. I doubt I would ever have the time to make my own podcast. I did enjoy learning about this web tool. I had never taken the time to look into it. I listened to Backcountry music for kids & MPR savvytraveler. I really liked the itunes technology software capabilities! We already use the Endnote software for specialized collections we have locally. Since our society is "on the go", podcasts are an alternate source for audio materials readily available through the web!

Thing 18 You tube & other online video

I think both google and youtube are set so similar, it was harder to distinguish which site may be better. Youtube seems to be more popular even though its owned bu Google. Videos online is perfect for people to view or tour places and events never possible before. Determining the best way to utilize this tool without offending or worrying about privacy issues in a library may be a challenge. I chose an avalanche video because capturing such phenomenons are incredible!

Thing 17 ELM Productivity Tools

ELM is a very effective tool in our library. I often teach people about the various databases so they can use it on their own. ELM has so much to offer. Although most of the databases are efficient tools in accessing the information sught, I often am disappointed in Netlibrary. Netlibrary is difficult for library customers to access and whe I do search for materials, I often find nothing to satisfy the customer. I was unable to set up the RSS feed from ELM.