Podcasts

I took a look around the NPR site for podcasts that interested me but the choices are so overwhelming. In keeping with the topic of libraries, I did find one called "Carry-on books to take you up, up and away". The clip can be heard here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91364064

The concept of podcasts can be useful but the only problem I found was that some of these podcasts are difficult to hear even with the sound turned up all the way. Even so, I enjoyed listening to them.

Some parting words...

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

YouTube and Wikis were probably my favorite exercises. This is may be due to the fact that I tend to be a "visual learner" so watching videos and/or seeing a list posted somewhere helps me absorb the information more effectively.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

This program has opened up my eyes to a world of new technology that is only continuing to grow.


Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I learned more than I thought I would. I was familiar with some of the programs but I wasn't aware of all the little tricks they had. For example, I knew that I could download a photo off of my camera but I didn't know I could turn it into a puzzle, etc.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

Some of the instructions were hard to understand at times. Also, certain "things" like the RSS feeds were a little tricky.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?

Yes.

Overdrive

I played around a lit bit with Overdrive and was surprised at how easy it was to search for audiobooks. I decided to choose a clip from one of my favorite books, "The Secret Life of Bees". Here is a portion of the review posted on Overdrive:

Fourteen-year-old Lily Owens lost her beloved mother when she was only four—under tragic circumstances clouded by time and secrecy. She later found a fiercely protective "stand-in," her abusive father's outspoken housekeeper, Rosaleen. Ignoring differences in age and color—and the fact that racial hatred seethed during the summer of 1964 in rural South Carolina—these two unlikely companions set off on a seemingly aimless pilgrimage that ends at the home of a trio of eccentric bee-keeping black sisters.
Lily tells her remarkable tale of longing and love in an idiom and accent heard far south of the Mason-Dixon Line, but the lessons learned during her odyssey into the world of bees and their "secret life" are universal and everlasting...

Youtube

Long before the 23 things project began, I had already begun to explore this popular site. I think what makes it appealing is most of the videos on this site are entertaining in some way and you are able to view and as well as post your own absolutely free!
As for the video I chose, there really is no meaning behind it except I was looking for something that provided a little nostalgia for me and maybe for some of you too.

Web 2.0 Awards List

The Web 2.0 Awards List was interesting enough to look at but at the moment I can' t think of the contribution it would make to PBCLS. I thought these tools were really interesting mostly because they were catagorized in a way that made it easy to choose your interests. For example, I chose the category Retail and picked the 1st place winner called Threadless. I entered the site and found out that is consisted of a T-shirt company. It was neat to see the various shirts displayed on actual human bodies. There was some really nice ones too and best of all the site offers a way for those creative minds out there to submit your own design and possibly win $2,500! Hey if I don't win that laptop or the MP3 player, I'll still have a chance with the T-shirts...

zoho

I think writing with Zoho writer is cool .The possibilities are endless !YOu can customize a document just as you would in a program like Microsoft Word, but others will be able to see it as well.Not only that, you can also access the document from any computer without worrying about what program it has. As for the library, this could be helpful if say you are a member of a committee.All the members will be able to access the list, agenda, etc. and edit if they so desire .

PBCLS Sandbox

J's Sandbox
Originally uploaded by gildorluthien

I looked around at the PBCLS sandbox and I have to say I read some interesting facts. I think it was easier to find out people's "favorites" this way rather than go to each individual blog. Even though some blogs are somewhat anonymous, I was still able to get good ideas on favorite vacation spots, restaurants, and books.

Wikis are wonderful

Before completing the Wiki assignment, the only thing I knew about Wikis was through Wikipedia. When I had to write research papers I was always warned never to use this site because of its unreliability. I had heard that a person can go in and edit an entry, either to correct or add something, but I didn't realize the benefits until I watched the Wiki video. It really is a great concept when you think about it and it is so easy to do. Even people with little computer skills can add their thoughts, suggestions, or expertise.
I clicked on "Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki" to gain some insight as to how Wikis can help the library. I was surprised at how much information was available and how organized it was. The categories are in alphabetical order which makes finding what you need so much easier. I can see how this would work with the PBCLS since we have 15 locations (including the Annex) that could add their own information. We could even extend this to the city libraries. This way we would have an up to date list of programs that patrons could use in addition to the ones offered within our library system.

Web 2.0 & me

The articles regarding web 2.0 and libraries were really interesting. I especially thought the Iceberg article provided insight on what we (as library staff) should consider when we think of the future of the library. For me personally, web 2.0 has provided additional tools that could prove useful in the future. There is no such thing as knowing too much. Do I think the future of the libraries are threatened by technology? Nahhh, I think we do our best to keep up even if our machines decide to rest now and then.

Technorati

I have to admit Technorati was more fun for me than del.icio.us. The site itself is easy to navigate and understand. I did the discovery exercise with our library's URL and it came back with 73 blog reactions. I'm not sure if that it a lot or a little by Technorati standards but it was still interesting to look at. The posts covered topics like the computer classes, downloadable audiobooks, and book clubs. When I entered "Web 2.0" in the tag search, it came back with 39,748 posts. I have to say I didn't have time to go through them all. An interesting thing that happened was when I tried to open one of those thousands of blogs, I got this message
"Doh! The Technorati Monster escaped again.
We're scouring the blogosphere attempting to find it. Back in a flash!"

del.icio.us

Ok, so I didn't do so well on this weeks projects because they all seem confusing to me. It took me a little while just to write out the word "delicious" with all those periods in it. Anyway, I think I got the gist of it thanks to the "Social Bookmarking in Plain English" video. I wish they would teach all this technology in that manner. I tried clicking on different bookmarks and noticed some tags that people used but not too many notes. I do see how del.icio.us could be helpful as a research tool in libraries as it allows you to narrow down topics quckly and undoubtedly saves time in the long run. The faster the information gets to the patron, the happier they will be. As for myself, I think I will stick to the old style bookmarking because I personally do not visit too many different sites...

LA VIRGEN DE LOS ANGELES

LA VIRGEN DE LOS ANGELES
Originally uploaded by maluz2122

This is an article I found on Webfeat. I entered a search for "Costa Rica" and scrolled through several articles until I settled on this one. I have personally visited "La Virgen De Los Angeles" several times. Natives often recommend that visitors go there as it is an impressive and beautiful church regardless of your religion. I found the picture on Flickr...

Article:

The Virgin of Los Angeles has been venerated by Costa Ricans for over three centuries as their nation's patron and female role model. The Virgin's legend began in 1635, when she appeared to a peasant woman as a small statuette. In the centuries following, her image has been manipulated for political and social ends. The Virgin remains the single native icon in a nation of diverse and often disparate people.

Source Citation:Mullenax, Nancy A. "Native of her land: Costa Rica's Virgin of Los Angeles." Journal of Latin American Lore 18.n1-2 (Summer-Winter 1992): 3(11). General OneFile. Gale. Palm Beach County Library System. 5 June 2008
.
Gale Document Number:A18749840

RSS & Feeds

This had to be the most challenging of all the "things" so far. It was very frustrating and eventually I had to request help from a fellow co-worker or else I would go crazy. I did manage to add a link to my bloglines on the blog and I even added some feeds too. From now on, I think I will stick to reading news from the direct website or relying on the good old paper version that lacks the technological hurdles.

Fingerprints are unique

On a recent trip to the Statue of Liberty in New York, I was amazed by some new technology that I witnessed there. As it turns out, in order to enter the statue itself all personal items like shopping bags and purses have to be stored in a locker area. I was really surprised to learn that there were no keys to carry or combinations to remember, rather the locker was locked using a single fingerprint. It is scanned in the computer and you are assigned a locker number and scanned again in the end when you are ready to leave. It seemed strange that in order to retrieve our belongings (which only consisted of my daughter's treasured Hannah Montana purse) all we had to do was hang on to my husband's finger. That proved difficult,however, after I threatened to chew it off when he left me alone and rushed off to the top to see the view...

red sunset on Jaco Beach

red sunset on Jaco Beach
Originally uploaded by Marlis1

Wow, I can't believe I managed to add this picture to my blog. It took some patience but I am glad I got it on here. Now, about the picture...

This is a picture I found on flickr.com of a place that I visited last year. Jaco is a city in Costa Rica (where I was born) and Jaco beach is one of the country's most popular beaches. I have to say that while I was there I saw a sunset on this same beach and it is even more beautiful in person. This picture signifies the beauty of the country as a whole and makes me miss the family I have there even more.

Blogs and libraries

In my opinion, the best way for blogging to benefit libraries is by using it as a tool to communicate between coworkers and even among other departments. Regular emails can be a bit boring and formal and blogging offers a new and fun way to share our thoughts, opinons, and gripes.

7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners: What do I think?

Lifelong learning, as explained in the tutorial, is a term used to describe the idea that "it is never too soon nor too late for learning". I find this concept to be very true and constantly find myself using the phrase "you learn something new everyday". After all, nobody knows Everything. In particular, this tutorial was informative and thoroughly defined and described what lifelong learning is all about.

Among the 7 1/2 habits, the hardest for me would have to be Habit 3: View problems as challenges. It is difficult for me to view problems, especially as they occur, as anything but obstacles. Once the problem is resolved or at least I had time to deal with it I do try to tell myself "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger" but this strategy is not always easy to follow.