Last Thing! (23)  

Posted by Larissa in ,


•What do you think about social media in libraries?


I think social media in libraries is vital for libraries! Social media is the new way of sharing information and it doesn't look like it's slowing down at all. If librarians are trying to keep in the spirit of freedom of access to information to all, then they must be able to properly communicate information to the general public.



•What do you wish FPL was (or wasn’t) doing?


I can't wait for FPL to have a twitter. I also look forward to the day where we are sharing pictures on picasa and videos on youtube (which will be soon!).


•Have you learned anything from the program?


Yes!


•If so, what?


I learned more about delicious and have been using it to bookmark sites. I also learned about social media I haven't utilized yet like linked-in. I look forward to browsing all the different kinds of social media posted on the Thing 23 entry of our library wide training blog. I also learned about a couple of features on google docs I haven't utilized before.


•If not, what could we do better?


You did great! Thanks! :)


By the way, I filled out the 23 Things Training Survey as well!

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Thing 22: AddtoAny  

Posted by Larissa in ,



I discovered a great little button for wordpress blog entries. Wordpress Online is sometimes difficult for me to work with (it's not always very user friendly and slow at times), but it's pretty sleek and reliable and it offers a lot of options if you know how to utilize them.

Anyways, I've been looking for a way to implement a share button into Un-Shushed! entries, and I discovered one that uses AddToAny.

I love this little button. It was so easy to install in my "favorites" or bookmarks in my browser, and when I do a blog post all I have to do is click the button in my favorites and it pops it right in. I also love it because it makes each and every blog post "shareable" on myriad social media sites! This is a great way to make our blog more web 2.0 and social media friendly.

I am currently using this one on the wordpress blog Un-Shushed! Although, I created a smaller version of the button and so before I install the bookmarklet, I change the button using the one here.

Please check out Un-Shushed! and try the little button on one of the blog posts for yourself! You will heart it.

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Thing 21: Wikis  

Posted by Larissa in ,

Wikis are fairly easy to understand, and they strike me as a dynamic ever changing forum of sharing information.

Here is the wiki page I edited.

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Thing 20: Podcasting  

Posted by Larissa in ,


I absolutely loved browsing the Sunnyvale Public Library's podcasts. I think a library can do great things with RSS and audio technology. Libraries already provide programs and services for children and adults. Why not have a recorder on during a lecture or workshop? Why not have a recorder on during a book talk?

However, I currently don't have an interest in subscribing to them, because I'm still getting used to the idea of having a blog reader to compile all of my rss feeds in one place. I still need to consolodate my web entertainment, resources, etc. into one place.

We already do the hard part. Why not just document what we already do so patrons can come back to the information again if they attended the event, or make it available to patrons who weren't able to attend the program in person?

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Thing 19: Hulu  

Posted by Larissa in ,


I heart Hulu so much. I do because it has all sorts of shows. Old shows. New shows. And even movies!

I belong to a group of people who have said "good bye" to cable. And I don't feel like I'm missing out at all. In fact, since I got married over 3 years ago, our household has never purchased cable! We watch netflix, hulu, youtube, and utilize many other online entertainment sites.

You don't have to watch very many commercials. And in fact, some television shows on Hulu will air uninterrupted once it starts. You can choose to watch a longer commercial or movie trailer before starting the latest episode of LOST. Some sponsors will even sponsor entire episodes without putting you through a 30 second commercial.

Another thing that is GREAT about Hulu is that you can share movies, shows, clips, etc. with your friends on Facebook! I have done this before and it easy and fun.

The internet is a beautiful thing. Why would I waste money on cable? No thank you to the hours of mindless commercials. No thank you to having to watch shows at a certain time or being concerned about recording them. I can view what I want, when I want it.

Thanks to the internet! Woot.

Libraries need to take note, and consider how such trends and developments will impact collection development of dvds and tv shows. However, dvds remain a really popular check out item in libraries today. Maybe one day we could show movies via online movie streaming in the teen room? Who knows?

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You-Tube, I-Tube, We all Tube for You-Tube!  

Posted by Larissa in , ,



Youtube is my friend. I visit it when I want to learn some guitar chords, and my husband checks it out when he wants to learn about permaculture gardening. And when I want my two year old to enjoy some fun edutainment, I am sure to pull up They Might Be Giant's vids for kids (see above).

Want to see how sea horses give birth? Why read about it when watching it is so much more enlightening?!

I really think our library could utilize such a cool resource such as youtube. Providing a youtube channel for patrons where they would be able to participate, view, and see what the library offers are just one of many reasons why we should get a youtube account! I liked how the Allen County Public Library made a channel. It really shows the people behind the service patrons receive.

I'm currently working on a teen film contest, and I really hope we can share the teen videos that get submitted on a channel we create on youtube. What better way to showcase the creativity of our teens then broadcasting it on youtube?!

It is possible to get good quality and authoritative videos. Just like books, we need to see who are the authors and producers of the content. For example, doing a school project on gorillas? Why not check out national geographic's channel on youtube?

BTW- I have no idea why I have animals on the brain.

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Thing 17: Music Streaming  

Posted by Larissa in ,

I really enjoyed doing this thing because I became aware of all sorts of music streaming sites I hadn't heard of before like musicovery and last.fm.

One way libraries can take advantage of music streaming sites is allowing patrons to enjoy them as well! So one thing we started doing in the teen room is play music off of slacker, or last.fm out of the sound system.

It has worked great! I had two different teens say they liked the music that was playing when I had slacker on the other day.

I have a feeling that as librarians, we should become aware of the way young people listen to music. CDs are certainly moving in the direction of becoming obsolete, especially with mp3 players on online radios stronger than ever.

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