Week 9: Downloadable Audiobooks

I’m familiar with NetLibrary and Overdrive simply by working in a library. I’m so use to going to those resources that I forget about Project Gutenberg. NetLibrary and Overdrive are great but there are little quirks that can drive me nuts. I know iTunes runs their brand like it is their own person fiefdom, but why can we have some compatibility between the software. The iPod is the dominant format. We are losing a large segment of the patrons due to the fact they don’t have mp3 players. Who wants to sit at the computer for 8 hours and listen to a book?

The audio titles on Project Gutenberg on the other hand offer a download for the iTunes format. I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet so I don’t know if it’s legit. Project Gutenberg is great for those students who waited to the last minute to finish their reading assignments and realized all of the copies are checkout. There might not be contemporary items in the database, but young adults are more accustom to reading material off a computer then older patrons.

Week 9: Podcast Directories

I checked out three of the podcast directories and I think I liked Podcast.net and Yahoo Podcasts the best. Podcastalley seemed to be geared more toward amateur podcasters. I’ve got my own life over here, why do I need to watch someone else’s. I was more interested in the sites that broadcasted general information and topics of interest. Yahoo and Podcast had good interfaces that helped break down the sites into easy to search categories. I’m going out of town for a long weekend next month and I was able to find a podcast over my destination.

I did find several library related podcasts that I would like to explore further. It seems that libraries are starting to podcast their programs. Author talk, book discussions, and lecture series are all candidates for podcasting.

Week 9: YouTube

I don’t know about the rest of you but I find very little to dislike about YouTube. I know some of the video is of poor quality and there is tons of mindless stuff, but come-on, this site is entertaining. The one thing I don’t really care for is all the goofballs doing commentary or lip-syncing videos. I have wade through that stuff to view old outtakes of my favorite SNL skits.

I picked this skit because we were talking about it the other day and I just wanted to see if it was available on YouTube. Of course the fact that I think it is hilarious also figured into the selection.

Week 8: Web 2.0 Award Winner

I love playing with Google maps. It really doesn’t have any redeeming qualities that I see as far as using it for library purposes. Of course it can be used as a ready reference source if a patron needs directions. I like the fact that you could switch between map and satellite images. There is even a feature that lets you track gas prices around your area.

I’m sure there are ways you could incorporate Google maps into library services. I just don’t see the need. Like I said, it is a great source for directions and a few other oddities but patron participation would be negligible.

Week 8: Google Docs

Hey, this thing works pretty good for editing documents. I use to work in a system where there were a limited number of computers that had Microsoft Word. If I had know that this service was available, I could have referred patrons to this site. I can see why it won the Web 2.0 award. There are a lot of patrons out there that may not be able to afford to purchase the various Microsoft Office programs. These things are not cheap. The fact that many employers now request that you attach a resume in Word only compounds the problems.

I have to admit I was a little skeptical when I first started to explore this program. I was afraid this was some cheap imitation that wouldn't have the same quality as a Word document. The fact that it lets you save your document into any format amazes me. I don't know how many times I've had a patron come in with a document that was done in Works instead of Word and we would have a terrible time trying to open the document. I'm going to have to explore it a little more and checkout all the bells and whistles.

Week 7: Learning 2.0 Sandbox

Well, I did my duty and added my blog’s link to the Maryland Libraries Sandbox. I didn’t add anything to the sandbox itself, but I had fun reading what other people posted. Since we are in this thing together, I was interested to see what other participant had to say. Outside of the program, unless I have a connection with the individual or group, I wouldn’t spend time reading other people’s wikis.

The fact that anyone can edit the web page in a wiki bothers me. Just like Wikipedia. I don’t know who wrote these articles. Anytime a student comes into the library quoting an article from Wikipedia, it bothers me. I need cold hard facts backed up by documentation…not Joe Blow’s personal take on the Civil War. Basically, I like wikis for entertainment but for everything else I am a little skeptical.

Week: 7 Wiki's

Wiki’s are a great tool as long as you can keep people interested in maintaining them. A Wiki would be an invaluable source for Reader’s Advisories. It would be great to have staff and patrons review books online. I like the way Princeton Public Library developed a wiki for book lovers. In a larger system, it seems it would be very beneficial to have a site where staff and patrons could interact and recommend titles.