bkmnblog

Thing 25 Bloggers Toolkit

2009-07-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

I read through all of the material on thing 25, bloggers toolkit. The only thing I added to my Blog was a weather gadget. This gadget is something that I will actually use and I wanted to try adding another gadget since I had forgotten how to add them. I am only doing a blog so I can help patrons set up a blog. Since I am not trying to increase traffic to my blog and most of the widgets and tools had to deal with social networking features, sitemeters, quizzes, etc, I chose not to add any of these features. If I didn't have a Mac at home I probably would have added and edited more photos on my blog. All of my photos are on my Mac at home and I am currently working on editing the photos so I can create more digital and traditional scrapbooks.

Thing 36. Comic Relief-Generate Some Fun

2009-03-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

I had a horrible time with this Thing. I did go to ToonDoo and found a couple of library-related comics. You are right, they aren't that funny! I tried to share the comic on my blog, but not all of the frames appeared. I tried it a couple of times with the same results. I did look at a couple of the other generators but I didn't find anything that I like. Since I have never, ever liked comics I am done with comics and will not post anymore.

Thing 43. Online TV & video.

2009-03-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

I checked out Hulu. I watched an episode of Bones that I had missed on network TV. Although I prefer a regular television it was a good way of keeping up with the series. I also created a login and selected a couple episodes of Monk to view at a later date. Since this could be addicting and I am very busy at work and at home, I am going to watch these episodes at a much later date! I also recommended a video to a Friend.

Thing 34. Is it competition? Online Answer sites.

2009-03-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

I read all of the articles. Librarian 2.0--Interviews of the future of librarians was my favorite article. Jenna Freedmans interview spoke to my heart and head. I agree with her that librarians and libraries need to prioritize service to patrons and learn to value public service as much as shiny new tech toys! I also agree with the conclusion reached by Stephen Abram, the author of "Evolution to Revolution in Chaos". We(librarians) should start working today on a new world balance of personal service-virtual, in-person, and computer mediated. I also looked at the Mahalo and AskMetafilter answer sites. I can now understand why the public likes these sites. The answers to the questions I looked at were spot on. I also checked out the Slam the Boards wiki. I think that it is a good idea. Hopefully, the slam the Boards wiki will make the general public more aware of the tradition of public service provided by librarians.

Thing 27. Twitter

2009-03-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

I visited Twitter and signed up for a free account. I chose to keep my tweets private. I did try a few tweets to see what it was like to send them. I did look at the Youtube videos for How to Use Twitter and How to Use Twitter for Business. If I was interested in marketing and had 4-5 hours to spend on Twitter I could see where Twitter could be useful. I did enjoy looking at the Hibbing and Luria Library Twitter sites. Current library programs, info on tax help, new library hours and recommended books all on 1 page. For people living in these areas I could see where these sites would be helpful. I am following two sites, an Obama site and a co-worker site. I doubt that I will look at these much since I prefer to IM work colleagues and I like sites with a lot more information but I will probably check out the Obama site every couple of weeks. Basically, I don't really want to know what celebrities or friends are doing every minute of the day and I have other ways of finding out important information but at least I know how to Twitter. I also don't have hours to check out these sites or keep mine updated!

Thing 26. Join the 23 things on a stick Ning

2009-03-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

I joined the 23 things on a stick Ning. I also joined the Ramsey county Librarians working on Things on a stick and added a comment to the comment wall. I also added two friends. I posted a Ning badge to my Facebook Page. Ning isn't something that I will use in the future since I prefer to imail my Ramsey county colelagues and I don't have time to check other NING groups or to chat and leave comments.

Thing 24. Refresh your blog

2009-03-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

After a hectic few months I finally found some time to refresh my blog and by blog so I can work on more things. I rearranged and updated some of my my blog postings. After a few attempts I added a new gadget and added new information to my profile. I also deleted my old avatar and created a new avatar complete with a spring/summer background. I am not at all into avatars, gadgets and blogging but I am trying to learn more about blogging and everything that you can add to your blog.

2009-03-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

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Thing 23. Final Thoughts

2008-09-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

First I wish to thank everyone who put together the 23 Things on a Stick Program. Next, I wish to thank all of my co-workers who kindly offered me assistance. Without their help I would never have finished. I especially want to thank Carol, Heidi, and Adele. Although I did learn about new technological advances all in all this was a very frustrating experience that took up way too much of my time. I will continue to Blog but I will pick and choose what I work on and when. Thanks again.

Thinig 21. Part 2

2008-09-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

I read the articles on Gather and Web Junction. I am not convinced that Gather will become the new MySpace for books but I will keep checking it out in the future. As a result of reading these two articles I do plan on looking at social sites for genealogy and crafts. I also joined NING and uploaded two videos. I really like the video "The First Help Desk ", about a befuddled monk who needs a co-worker to help him understand the "new technology" of a book, as opposed to a scroll. Sometimes I feel like the monk. It took a long time to finally get a NING badge to upload on my Blog. After I copied and pasted the URL it would look okay on the preview but refuse to load because the tag wasn't closed. After repeated attempts and I finally clicked on the button that says don't show this message again and somehow it worked! Very Very frustrating for myself and my coworkers.!

Thing 22. Staying Current

2008-09-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

I resolve to spend at least 30 minutes a week keeping up with new technology tools and trying to apply these tools at work and home. I plan on using Web Junction-Minnesota and Webinars from Minitex to help me reach my goal. I will blog once a week about my new tools and insights.

Thing 21. Beyond MySpace: Other Social Networks

2008-09-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

2008-09-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Thing 20. Libraries and Social Networks

2008-09-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

I registered for Facebook and added two friends. Currently I have five friends. I completed a profile and joined the Librarian and Librarians group. I also visited MySpace and checked out the Denver Public Library and Hennepin County Library MySpace pages but chose not to create my own. It is good to know about Facebook and MySpace but I spend most of my working hours in front of a computer and prefer to spend my non-working hours exercising, reading, playing games, crafting or actually talking or meeting with friends.

Thing 19. Podcasts

2008-08-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

I watched the On the Road with MINITEX Podcast with Beth Kelly, the former director of the Duluth Public Library. I found the interview fascinating, especially her discussion of working in a newly integrated library facility. Since I was born in Duluth I enjoyed her brief history of the Duluth Public Library, particularly the part about the library being a women's supported library (after originally being a subscription library for men). She also spoke about current topics in the library world today, such as the library being a place of civility where respectful discussions and self directed learning can take place, the importance of readers advisory, the cooperative nature of libraries, and who will libraries be serving in the next few years when senior citizens outnumber young children in our communities. Trying to add a RSS feed for this podcast was challenging but with the assistance of my colleague Karen we were able to add the RSS feed to my Google Reader. More detailed istructions would have been helpful. I do plan on listening to the other On the Road MINITEX podcasts.

2008-08-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

2008-08-15T09:40:00.001-07:00

Thing 18. YouTube & Other Online Video

2008-08-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

I watched the 1970's TV commerial, Conan the Librarian,and Grand March of the Librarians. I don't enjoy watching videos on computer screens and I needed to turn the sound down and watch the videos at a time when it would be the least distracting to my co-workers. Watching YouTube is at the bottom of my list of things I like to do. I chose to post a Beijing Opening Ceremonies Video so one of my friends can watch it on my blog while she is waiting for me to drop off my VHS copy. After I located the embed HTML box (which was not highlighted) it didn't take long to post the video.

Thing 13. Online productivity tools

2008-08-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

I added a google gadget, a Youtube video on the Beijing 2008 olympics, to my blog. My first two attemps at adding a gadget in July failed. Thanks to a new interface that allowed for easy integration into my layout the third attempt worked like a charm. Earlier in the summer I also tried adding a calendar but I couldn't get that to work either. After I finish the 23 things I will go back and see if I can add the calendar too.

Thing 17. ELM Productivity Tools

2008-08-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

I am familiar with ELM Productivity tools because I use them on a daily basis at work, either showing patrons how to do searches or doing searches myself. I have also helped patrons set up e-book accounts and I do have one myself. Personally, I don't like using e-books but if you need the information right now I could see where students would welcome the chance to read a book online. Setting up a RSS Search Alert was a nightmare. After many futile attemps my colleague Adele helped me set up my alert. I now have a RSS search alert from EBSCO for Irish Dance. I don't think that I will ever need to or want to set up another search alert but I may have to help patrons setting up RSS alerts.

Thing 16 Assignment Calculator & Research Calculator

2008-08-12T18:06:00.001-07:00

I think that both the assignment calculator and the research calculator are wonderful tools for students and teachers. The assignment calculator should be a big help to students who have time management issues. I was especially fond of the sample thesis statements, designing a research strategy information and the section on looking up articles in an appropriate index. I know that library patrons who are working on research papers will find this information helpful. The research project calculator would be especially helpful to teachers looking for information on helping students with research papers. The timelines for each step should help keep both students and teachers on track!

Thing 15 Libraries and games

2008-08-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

I played Puzzle Pirates and really enjoyed myself. I learned two different roles and I Bilged and I Learned to Sail. Jacueline and Victoria , my characters had a great time too! I didn't do much interacting with the other sailors (since I was concentrating on mycharacters in the games) but I am working on it. This could get addictive but it does help with hand eye coordination.

Thing 14. LibraryThing

2008-08-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

I took the LibraryThing tour and created an account. I added 5 books to my library and added a couple of tags. I will continue to add books to my LibraryThing list. This is one of the 23 Things on a stick that I will continue to use. It is a handy list for titles and authors that I would like to read!

THING 11. Tagging and Del.icio.us

2008-07-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

I learned about tagging and del.icio.us. I tagged my blog post for Thing 12 . I also looked around del.icio.us using the Minn23 account. I will continue tagging in the future and eventhough I probably won't be using del.icio.us it is good to know how to use it so I can show library patrons if the need arises!

2008-07-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Thing 12 Social Media Sites

I explored Digg, Reddit, Newsvine, and Mixx. Personally I don't care how many people are reading a certain article. I don't enjoy reading entertainment type articles. I prefer reading hard news stories. I might glance through Newsvine and Digg every couple of weeks to see what the public is reading (for work puposes) or to look for more articles on a "Hot Topic" buy I have neither the time nor inclination to spend much time on social media sites. Although I did read articles from the New York Times and BBC News, I don't want to link any articles from major newsites to one of the social media sites..

2008-06-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Thing 8. Picture Trail & Rotating Cube

I had a difficult time using picture trail. Thanks to my friend Carol I was able to complete thing 8. I will be adding and sorting photos at home on our new computer sometime next winter I hope. Hopefully, I will have a more positive experience!

Check out my rotating picture cube at the bottom of the page.

Thing 9. Collaborative Tools

I did practice editing the Declaration of Independence using Goggle Docs. The editing was not difficult and kind of fun. I don't know when I will every use it but at least I will know how!

Thing 10. Wikis

I looked a few wikis and practiced adding an entry to the Wiki Sandbox. My favorite wiki was the Minnesota Historical Society wiki for MN150. I enjoyed reading the comments of the citizens who nominated their favorites to be included in the exhibit. It was easy to manuever through their wiki and it was well arranged.

I don't think that students should be banned from using wiki's but I do think that they should be required to use other sources as well. The library system that I work for does have a reference wiki. Instead of sending and remembering what was in each email there is now a central place to look for information. I do find it helpful and a time saver.

2008-04-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Pond in the Fall by me

2008-04-03T06:39:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by bkuure

Picture from Flickr

View from my cabin.

Thing 6 Online Image Generator Trading Card

2008-03-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

I will never use this but children and young adults might think that it is a cool feature. This photo is from Flickr, unfortunately I forgot to get the photographer's name to credit it.

Thing 7 Web 2.0 Communication Tools

2008-03-05T12:25:00.002-08:00

The library uses email for communication between librarians and for communication between librarians and patrons (Ask a librarian). When a librarian can quickly and completely respond to a patrons question in one response, email can improve productivity. If the librarian needs to email the patron more then once for the same quesiton or ends up calling the patron email is a time waster. Email between librarians works well if the librarians don't work the same shifts and can't use IM.

Usually IM is the quickest way to contact another librarian in our system. I have found it to be very useful and I actively use it.

I have have attended 5 MINITEX webinars in the past year with mixed results. I learn more with a hands on approach but the webinars are more cost effective. I tend to get more out of the webinars that have printable online handouts.

2008-03-05T12:25:00.001-08:00

Thing 5

2008-03-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

Here are my Flickr photos. For me using Flickr was very time consuming and not intuitive. I hope that is easier to download pictures from my camera.

Blue Hills

2008-03-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

2008-02-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

Photosharing and Editing

Thing 4 Explore Flicker Thing 5 More Fun with Flicker

I loved Playing around with the photos on Flicker. Although I have looked atmany photos on Flicker I have never photoshared or edited photos before. I can't wait to share and edit more of my home photos!

2008-02-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

Thing 3 RSS

I have completed Thing 3. The RSS feed could be useful since I will not have to keep checking the web site for new stories now. I added the RSS feed for CNN. If I think that it is a timesaver to have the CNN RSS I will add additional sites later. I don't spend a lot of time checking web sites but I do like to keep up with the national news stories.

2008-02-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

Thing 1 Set up your own blog

A good learning experience. The best news is that my computer is now set up so I can listen to video clips!

Thing 2 What is Web 2.0 and why sould I care

I do see the need to keep up with new technology to keep up with library patrons. Finding the time for all of this will be challenging. I am going to try to set aside at least 15 minutes a day to work on the rest of the "things on a stick".

So far so good

2008-02-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to finally have my own blog. So far so good!