THING 23!

I've done it! What a great experience. I've learned so much. There are so many things for libraries to consider beyond the basics. If we are to continue to serve the needs of our patrons, we have to grow and stay current with the new technologies. This is one way even small libraries can open doors to the world.

I was able to connect with my daughter and my librarian by sharing learning experiences. That added a fun element, and kept me working and exploring the things. When "Boss of the Library" completed a thing I had to get busy and finish another one too. Sue at the library helped me several times when I got stuck!

Happy that I was able to finish! I would participate again, but not for a while!

Keeping Current

I will keep my blog online, hopefully continue learning new things. I checked out the Library 2.1 site and found many new things to learn about. There are so many new things popping up every day, it's important to pick and choose the ones that are useful to you. I would like the 23Things website to stay up indefinitely, so I could go back and explore some of the things in more depth. I'll try to bookmark the ones that i find most useful.

Thing 21, Other Social Networks

For this thing I read the two recommended articles, Can Gather.com get Book Lovers Online, and Building a Social Networking Environment at the Library. I also visited with my librarian about the social networking aspects of Library 2.0 and possible implications for our regional system and school libraries. I joined the 23 things Ning, uploaded my photo and added a comment. I loved the Good Reads site and added it to my favorites.

Back tracking just a bit, I'm getting quite a few friends on Facebook, but only one is my generation. The rest are nieces, and a daughter! What a fun way to keep up.

My Space, Facebook

I already had a page on MySpace and have used MySpace to keep up with my niece in California, so I decided to join Facebook and see what the difference is. I viewed the Common Craft video-I like those! Then I registered for Facebook, exported my address book so Facebook could search for friends. I asked 4 people to be my friend. I filled out my profile and added a photo. Then I joined the Library 2.0 interest group. I can see where Facebook and MySpace could be fun, but don't see using social networking sites available in public or school libraries. I guess I'm still a bit behind the curve!

Podcasts

I have subscribed to several podcasts. I have listened to Garrison Keeler's "News From Lake Wobegon" when I walk. I added "Your Money" to my Google Reader... easy! I like the MPR and NPR podcast directory. I use iTunes for Garrison.

You Tube

I've played around on You Tube, finding videos about favorite vacation spots, politicians, Harry Potter and other fun things. I liked the videos that were published about several of the library "Things." I added a library video to my blog. I'm excited to learn about podcasting next.