Joliet Library Discovers

Wrap Up

2009-10-21T23:44:00.000-05:00

Congratulations! You've reached the last thing. Be sure to give yourself a pat on the back for completing the program. Before we sign off for the last time, I ask for one last post.

For your last and final exercise of this program please reflect on your learning journey and post a few thoughts. Here are some questions to prompt you if you're drawing a blank...

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
What could we do differently to improve upon this program's format or concept?
If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again choose to participate?

Thank you all for participating and I hope you felt this experience was valuable for you. Maybe we'll see you again!

Exploring 2.0 Tools

2009-10-19T21:27:00.002-05:00

Throughout the course of this Learning 2.0 program we’ve explored just a small sampling of these new internet technologies and websites that are empowering users with the ability to create and share content. But given time there are so many more we could explore. There are hundreds if not thousands of Web 2.0 tools but only a handful emerging as market dominators. And although only time will tell which of these new collaborative, social networking and information tools will remain on top, one thing is for sure, they're not going to go away (at least anytime soon).

For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to select any site from this list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees and explore it. With so many to choose from, it might be handy to first select a category that interests you (like Books or Organization) and then simply select a tool/site to explore. Be careful to select a tool that is Free and that doesn't require a plug-in or download. The majority of these are free, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

Discovery Exercise:

Select any site/tool from the list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees. (If you prefer to select from just the winners, here’s a link to the short list.)

Explore the site you selected.

Create a post about your discovery. What did you like or dislike about the tool? What were the site’s useful features? Could you see any applications for its use in a library setting?

Web 2.0 – with so much to explore, just start with ONE. :)

Online Productivity

2009-10-14T22:04:00.003-05:00

The availability and use of online productivity web-based applications (think word processing and spreadsheets) has exploded in recent years and for good reasons! These powerful applications provide users with the ability to create and share documents over the internet without the need of installed desktop applications. Some experts speculate that this emerging trend may mean the death to Microsoft Office and other software-based productivity tools, while others think web-based applications have their place, but not in the office. But no matter which side of the office suite platform you side with, on this both sides seem to agree; web-based apps have their place.

One large benefit to web-based applications it that they eliminate the need to worry about different software versions or file types as you email documents or move from PC to PC. Another bonus is that they easily accommodate collaboration by allowing multiple users to edit the same file (with versioning) and provide users the ability to easily save and convert documents as multiple file types (including HTML and pdf). And, you can even use many of these tools, such as Zoho Writer and Google Docs to author and publish posts to your blog. It’s this type of integration with other web 2.0 tools that also makes web-based apps so appealing.

For this discovery exercise, participants are asked to take a look at a web-based word processing tool, create a simple document and then document your discoveries in your blog.

With Zoho and web-based applications, the possibilities are endless.

Discovery Resources:

Explore the different web-based applications including:

Zoho

Google Docs

Thinkfree

Discovery Exercise:

1. Create a free account for yourself in Zoho or google docs.
2. Explore the site and create a few test documents.
3. Try out the features and create a blog post about your discoveries.

Online Book Communities

2009-10-12T21:26:00.004-05:00

Are you a book lover? Do you wish you could conveniently keep track of what you've read? Are you constantly searching for new things to read? Then online book communities may be just the thing for you.

Developed for book lovers these tools not only allow you to easily create an online catalog of your own, they also connect you to other readers' who've created libraries and perhaps share similar reading tastes. You can connect not only with individual readers but join groups as well. Many of these services have librarian groups too!

One aspect that makes these communities useful is that they allow you rate and review the books you add. In addition, you can maintain lists of books that you want to read, not just a list of what you've already read.

There are other sites not only for book lovers but for those who are writers or aspiring writers. Take Authonomy for instance. This is a site that exists not only for book lovers but also to discover new, talented writers.

Discovery Resources:

Discovery Exercise:

Take a look at one of the online books communities and create an account
Add at least 5 books to your library
Blog about your findings and be sure to link to your account.

Social Bookmarking

2009-10-07T21:08:00.005-05:00

Many of you are likely familiar with the concept of bookmarking webpages in your web browser so that you can revisit them later. While it's convenient to keep a record of a page that you'd like to visit again, we often find ourselves away from the computer where we've saved those web pages. It would be even better if we could take our bookmarks with us; so wherever we happen to be using the internet, we could access them. This week we're going to be exploring social bookmarking tools that allow us to do just that. Del.icio.us is one of the most well known social bookmarking tools, although there are others out there including:

StumbleUpon

Diigo

Tagging is an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content (webpages, pictures & posts). Unlike library subject cataloging, which follows a strict set of guidelines (i.e.Library of Congress subject headings), tagging is completely unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data anyway they want.

In the past few weeks, we’ve already explored a few sites that allow users to take advantage of tagging and in week 3 many even used a common tag (JPL) to create an association between photos that we individually uploaded. This week we want to also take a popular social bookmarking site called Del.icio.us (typed in as http://del.icio.us/).

Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking manager which allows you to bookmark a web page and add tags to categorize your bookmarks.

Many users find that the real power of Del.icio.us is in the social network aspect, which allows you to see how other users have tagged similar links and also discover other websites that may be of interest to you. You can think of it as peering into another users’ filing cabinet, but with this powerful bookmarking tool each user's filing cabinet helps to build an expansive knowledge network.

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at Del.icio.us and learn about this popular bookmarking tool.

Discovery Resources:

Discovery Exercise:

1. Take a look around Del.icio.us using the JPL account.
2. Explore the site options and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by a lot of other users. Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags that they used to categorize this reference?
3. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool.
Can you see the potential of this tool for research assistance? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?

OPTIONAL: If you’re up to the challenge, create a Del.icio.us account for yourself and discover how this useful bookmarking tool can replace your traditional browser bookmark list.

Podcasts

2009-10-05T20:55:00.002-05:00

The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. What differentiates a podcast from regular streaming audio or video is that the delivery method for podcasts is often done automatically through RSS.

In 2005, "podcast" was named the "word of the year" by New Oxford American Dictionary and with the growth of podcasting since then, it's easy to see why.

Podcasts take many forms, from short 1-10 minutes commentaries (like the ones used in this Learning 2.0 program) to much longer in person interviews or panel group discussions. There’s a podcast out there for just about every interest area and the best part about this technology is that you don’t have to have an iPod or a MP3 player to access them. Since podcasts use the MP3 file format, a popular compressed format for audio files, you really just need a PC (or portal device) with headphones or a speaker.

iTunes, the free downloadable application created by Apple is the directory finding service most associated with podcasts, but if you don’t have iTunes installed there are still plenty of options.

For this discovery exercise participants are asked to take a look at some popular podcast directory tools. Do some exploring on your own and locate a podcast that is of interest to you. Once found, you can easily pull the RSS feed into your Google Reader account as well, so that when new casts become available you’ll be automatically notified of their existence.

Discovery Resources:

* There are many, many podcast directories and finding tools out there. Here are just a few of the more popular ones that, unlike iTunes, don't require a software download:

NPR Podcast directory

Discovery Exercise:

1. Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories listed or search iTunes and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. See if you can find some library related podcasts like book review podcasts or library news.
2. Add the RSS feed for a podcast to your Google Reader account
3. Create a blog post about your discovery process. Did you find anything useful here?

RSS

2009-09-30T21:45:00.004-05:00

You’ve heard of RSS? You’ve seen those small funny tags on websites? You’ve heard co-workers and acquaintances swear by it, but still have no idea what RSS is. Well don’t worry, you're not alone. In the information world, RSS is not only revolutionalizing the way news, media and content creators share information, but it also is swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information.

RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web.

Just think about the websites and news information sources you visit every day. It takes time to visit those sites and scour the ad-filled and image-heavy pages for just the text you want to read, doesn’t it? Now imagine if you could visit all those information sources and web pages in just one place and all at the same time … without being bombarded with advertising… without having to search for new information on the page you’d already seen or read before… and without having to consume a lot of time visiting each site individually. Would that be valuable to you? Well, it’s available now through a newsreader and RSS.

This week’s discovery exercises focus on learning about RSS news feeds and setting up a Google Reader account (a free online newsreader) for yourself to bring your feeds together.

Discovery Resources:

* Feed Me: A gentle introduction to Internet feeds - a good tutorial from Palinet, a library cooperative
* Google Reader Getting Started - about 10 minutes and covers all aspects of working with Google Reader

Exercise:

1. Follow the resources above to learn more about RSS and newsreaders.
2. Create a free Google Reader account for yourself and subscribe to at least 10 newsfeeds to your reader.
3. Create a post in your blog about this exercise.

PS: Once you tackle this discovery exercise, you've tackled the most difficult one. :)

Blog About Technology

2009-09-29T07:56:00.002-05:00

For this exercise, we're simply asking you to blog about anything technology related. You just need to share a few thoughts. Also, be sure to add at least one comment to another participants blog. That's what online communities are all about - connecting and communication. :)

Video Sharing

2009-09-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

Online video hosting sites have exploded allowing users to easily upload and share videos on the web. Among all the web 2.0 players in this area, YouTube is currently top dog serving up over 1 million video views a day and allowing users not only to upload their own video content easily, but also embed clips into their own sites easily.

Do some searching around YouTube yourself and see what the site has to offer. You'll find everything from 1970s TV commercials and 80s music videos to library dominos and how the library can save your life. Of course, like any free site you’ll also find a lot of stuff not worth watching too. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore and see for yourself what the site has too offer. :)

Discovery Exercise:

1. Explore YouTube & find a video worth adding as an entry in your blog.
2. Create a blog post about your experience. What did you like or dislike about the site and why did you choose the video that you did? Can you see any features or componets of the site that might be interesting if they were applied to library websites?

OPTIONAL: Try placing the video inside your blog using the copy and paste code for the for "Embeddable Player.” Note: you'll need to use Blogger's Edit HTML tab when pasting this code.

Other popular video hosting sites:
* Yahoo Videos
* Google videos

NOTE: Videos, like music downloads, are bandwidth hogs. It is recommended that you complete this exercise during light internet usage times.

Photo Sharing

2009-09-21T22:38:00.000-05:00

Photo sharing websites have been around for many years, but it took a small startup site called Flickr to catapult the idea of “sharing” into a full blown online community. Flickr has become the fastest growing photo sharing site on the web and is known as one of the first websites to use keyword “tags” to create associations and connections between photos and users of the site. Recently, Flickr added the ability to share videos as well.

Discovery Resources:

Flickr Learn More tour

Mediamazine Flickr Tutorials

Popular tags

Interesting- Last 7 days

Flickr Services (3rd party applications & mashups)

and let’s not forget to look at some other libraries on Flickr

Like many web 2.0 sites, Flickr has encouraged other people to build their own online applications using images found on the site. Through the use of APIs (application programming interfaces), many people have created third party tools and mashups* that use Flickr images. Here are just a sampling of a few …

Mappr - allows you to take Flickr images and paste them on a map

Flickr Color Pickr - lets you find public photos in Flickr that match a specific color.

Montagr – create a photo mosaic from photos found on Flickr.

Discover more mashups, web apps, and Flickr tools.

A particularly fun tool is FD Toys’ Trading Card Maker. There are a ton of librarians out there that have created their own Librarian Trading Card.

Exercise:

In this exercise, you have two options…

Take a good look around Flickr and discover an interesting image that you want to blog about. Be sure to include either a link to the image or, if you create a Flickr account, you can use Flickr's blogging tool to add the image in your post. Another option you have for including images in your post is to use Blogger's photo upload tool.-- OR --

If you're up to an easy challenge ... create a Free account in Flickr and use a digital camera to capture a few pictures of something. Upload these to your Flickr account and tag at least one of the images JPL and mark it public. Then create a post in your blog about your photo and experience. Be sure to include the image in your post. Once you have a Flickr account, you have two options for doing this: through Flickr's blogging tool or using Blogger's photo upload feature.

So go ahead, explore the site and have some Flickr photo fun and if you're interested in looking at some photo hosting sites, then why not check out Jamie's recommendations & this Wired story. Also, If you have made a Twitter account, Twitpic is a fun and useful site to explore and use.

PS: A quick word about photo posting etiquette - When posting identifiable photos of other people (especially minors) is it advisable to get the person's permission before posting their photo in a publicly accessible place like Flickr. Never upload pictures that weren't taken by you (unless you have the photographer's consent) and always give credit when you include photos taken by someone else in your blog.

Microblogging

2009-09-16T23:55:00.001-05:00

Now that you've spent some time blogging, it's time to introduce you to a new way to blog called microblogging. Like regular blogging, microblogging allows you to share your thoughts, reactions, and ideas with others.What makes it unique is that you are forced to share these ideas in a limited number of characters.

Twitter, a popular microblogging tool limits posts (called tweets) to 140 characters. This restriction actually makes microblogging a perfect alternative for people who don't like to blog. A few words are often easier to come up with than a long reflective post. And for those who do enjoy blogging, microblogging is a way to fill in the spaces between longer blog posts.

Discovery Resources:

Microblogging services include:

There are similar services that are devoted to employees of businesses or organizations such as"

Watch the following video on Twitter:

Discovery Exercise:

Select one of the above services and create an account
Make certain you are signed up for the library's Yammer account.
Create a blog post about your experiences and be sure to include your account username in your post.

Wikis

2009-09-14T23:23:00.001-05:00

A wiki is a collaborative website and authoring tool that allows users to easily add, remove, and edit content. Wikipedia, the online open-community encyclopedia, is one of the largest and most well-known of these knowledge sharing tools. With the benefits that wikis provide the use and popularity of these tools has exploded.

Some of the benefits that make wikis so attractive are:

Anyone (registered or unregistered, if unrestricted) can add, edit, or delete content
Tracking tools within wikis allow you to easily keep up on what's been changed and by whom
Earlier versions of a page can be viewed and reinstated when needed
Users do not need to know HTML in order to apply styles to text or add and edit content. In most cases simple syntax structure is used.

As the use of wikis has grown over the years, libraries and library systems all over the country have begun to use them to collaborate and share knowledge. Among their applications are pathfinder or subject guide wikis, book review wikis, ALA conference wikis and even library best practices wikis.

Discovery Resources:

Use these resources to learn more about wikis:

Wiki's a Beginner's Look -- an excellent short slide presentation that offers a short introduction and examples.
What is a Wiki? -- Library Success wiki presentation
Using Wikis to Create Online Communities -- a good overview of what a wiki is and how it can be used in libraries.

Discovery Exercise:

For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at some library wikis and blog about your findings.

Here are a few examples to get you started:

SJCPL Subject Guides- a pathfinder wiki developed by the St. Joseph County Public Library System
Book Lovers Wiki - developed by the Princeton Public Library
Nancy Pearl's Book Lust - Readers Advisory guru meets wiki
Library Success - a best practices wiki
Bull Run Public Library Wiki - a public library wiki
Other library wiki examples
Not all wikis are library related :) check out wiki.com and search for a topic you're interested in.

Create a blog post about your findings.

What did you find interesting?
What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?

Technorati

2009-09-10T00:03:00.001-05:00

So, now that you're going to be blogging, you might be wondering just how many blogs are out there. Well, Technorati, the leading search tool and authority for blogs, tracks millions of them. Read the most recent "State of the Blogosphere" to get an idea.

Yes, the numbers are astounding, but you'll see first hand that these tools are being taken advantage of by almost every industry, including libraries, because blogging is so easy.

So, how does a person get their blog listed as part of the blogosphere? Well, Technorati may already be capturing your blog because you're using Blogger, perhaps the most popular blogging tool. But, if you want to join the party and have your blog officially listed on Technorati, and also take advantage of the watchlist among other features, you'll need to claim your blog yourself.

Technorati is fully searchable including the ability to search for keywords in blog posts, search by tags for blog posts or search for blogs on certain subjects.

Discovery Resources:

Take a look at the most recent State of the blogosphere
Take a tour of Technorati
Take a look at What's Popular.

Discovery Exercise:

Try searching Technorati for terms like libraries, Web 2.0, or any other topic you find interesting. Make sure to try an advanced search in blog posts, and in tags. Are the results different?
Explore popular blogs, searches and tags. Is anything interesting or surprising in your results?
Create a blog post about what you've encountered on this site

Optional: If you're up for a challenge, learn how to tag your posts with Technorati tags so they can join tag searches. Create a post about anything you want and add the HTML code to the bottom to tag it as JPL. Also claim your blog and create a watchlist.

Blogs

2009-09-07T22:44:00.003-05:00

Weblogs, more commonly referred to as blogs, are journal like web pages where you can write your feelings, thoughts, observations, comments -- whatever you want. They are often created for personal use but are also created by businesses or other entities to provide commentary on a particular subject. Users add entries (aka posts), which are displayed in reverse chronological order.

While blogs are like journals, they are unique because they can contain not just text, but URLs, graphics, audio, video, or any combination of these elements.

They are important because they provide a way for people to share information.

Discovery Resources:

Discovery Exercise:

Create a blog of your own and register it with the program administrator. **Your blog must be registered with the administrator to confirm your progress and completion of the program.

Step 1: Create your account at Blogger.

Hint: If you have a Gmail or Google account you can log into Blogger with your account information which will essentially allow you to skip Step 1 and go directly to Step 2.

Step 2: Name your blog.

Remember: Record your Blog address (URL). You will need this information to register with the program administrator.

Step 3: Choose a template.

Hint: This is one way to customize the look of your blog. It can be changed at any time.

Once you've created your blog remember:
To add posts: Access the URL http://www.blogger.com. Login using the login and password that you created in step 1 above or using the google/gmail account login that you had previously. Once you are logged in, you can create posts and edit your blog setup.

To view your blog: Your blog address (that you created in Step 2 above) is http://(xxx).blogspot.com Hint: (xxx)= the unique identifier you entered in Step 2 above. And write down your blog address!

To register your blog: Email the URL of your blog (http://(xxx).blogspot.com) to jpbb1903@yahoo.com

Lifelong Learning

2009-09-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

Lifelong learning is one of the public libraries' core values. So it makes sense that before we embark on this new online learning and discovery journey that we should take a few minutes to review a few habits that can assist in creating lifelong learners.

Discovery Exercise:

Take 15 minutes to review the original 7&1/2 Habits of Highly Effective Lifelong Learnersfrom Lori Reed, Training and Learning Coordinator at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County.
Review 15 Steps to Cultivate Lifelong Learning from Lifehack.org

Have fun! If you haven't jumped on board yet, it's never too late to become a lifelong learner.

Week 2 Preview: You'll be creating a blog to record your progress in this program. We encourage you to take a look at Blogger, which you'll be using. If you've already created a blog using another blogging tool and would prefer to use that, send an email to jpbb1903@yahoo.com

Welcome

2009-08-31T22:23:00.001-05:00

This blog has been set up as part of Joliet Public Library’s training initiative that encourages all staff members to learn more about and experiment with emerging technologies on the web. In the following weeks you’ll learn about several "Web 2.0″ tools, many of which you’ve already heard about, including blogs, wikis, RSS, and social bookmarking to name a few. These tools are changing the way people work, live and communicate with one another. Our customers are using these tools and we should be familiar with them as well.

Over the course of the next several weeks, we will be posting lessons for you to complete. Each lesson will consist of an explanation or description and will be paired with an exercise. You will be able to complete each lesson at your own pace. Our goal for you is very simple, explore and have fun.

We would like to extend a sincere thanks to Helene Blowers of the Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg for allowing us to borrow from the content of the training program that she pioneered.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How does this online learning program work?

This is a self-discovery program, which encourages Joliet Public Library employees to take control of their own learning and to utilize their lifelong learning skills through exploration and play. Employees are encouraged to work together and share with each other their discoveries, techniques and “how to’s” both in person and through their blogs.

Is this program open to all Joliet Public Library employees or just some?

This program is open to ALL library employees regardless of position and status (full and part time).

How long do I have to complete the program?

The program kicks off September 2009. Posts will continue approximately twice per week for about 8 weeks. You should work on the exercises each week to keep the concepts fresh. You may work on this from home if you want since this course is web based and not tied to your computer at work. You may take longer than the 8 weeks to complete the program; however if you complete the program by November 15th you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 or $50 gift card.

How do I track my progress for each of the 23 Things?

Each employee that chooses to participate in this program will be required to keep a blog to track his or her progress.

Will there be any training classes offered to show staff how to do this?

No, this is a self-directed learning program however; you can contact the program administrator for assistance. You are also encouraged to be resourceful and to find a co-worker or another staff member who can help. And be sure to share your knowledge and expertise too.

I would like to participate but don’t feel comfortable with my co-workers reading my blog, can I participate anonymously?

Since you control all the information that you share on your blog, you can choose to use a screen name to identify yourself that will keep you anonymous to other staff participants. However, in order to qualify for prizes, you will need to identify yourself by sending an email to jpbb1903@yahoo.com -- We will not share your identity with anyone.

Who do we contact for help?

Mary Golden or send an email to jpbb1903@yahoo.com