Snap! Thing 15

Thing #15: Find a Similar Reader on LibraryThing

I added some recent reads to Librarything as 'yootwoot', and also used their widget thingy to add the covers to my blog, which I like a lot....... can you add 'friends' in librarything? I think that is what i'd like to use it for most, to see what people i know are reading, rather than strangers.

I read and enjoy a lot of picture books as well as a few grown up books, which tends to skew the results a bit - finding a similar reader tends to hook me up with lots of childrens librarians all reading the same kind of picture books rather than the grown-up side of things, which is where I'd like to discover recommendations the most. (added later - but you can get round that by using tags, and searching for suggestions using a particular tag!)

I'd love to see something along the lines of the covers widget, integrated into our library catalog, either for individuals to chart their own library reading, or for our reading recommendations. It's an ideal way of browsing, rather than scrolling a catalog list and having to keep clicking for the next page.....

Zip! Thing Fourteen

Thing # 14: Help Someone Else do One of the 23 Things

At Sackville branch we've set up Wednesday and Friday mornings for staff to have a 30 minute session using laptops with a mentor available, sometimes myself, either in person, or just available to answer questions when they arise - it's working out really well, with rewarding results for all taking part.

Lots of staff have been giving valuable informal support too, but I think that for those not quite as used to using computers in a "2.0' way, the time set aside from the rest of their work is extremely valuable.

...... and I get to chat and blog about potato chips with Mrs. J and Dickens with Maggie, so it makes for a varied learning session!

Swoosh! Thing 10

Thing # 10: Add an RSS feed to your Blog

I've added the feed for my favorite radio show 'This American Life', which is about, well - I'll let them explain.....

"usually we just say what we're not. We're not a news show or a talk show or a call-in show. We're not really formatted like other radio shows at all. Instead, we do these stories that are like movies for radio. There are people in dramatic situations. Things happen to them. There are funny moments and emotional moments and—hopefully—moments where the people in the story say interesting, surprising things about it all. It has to be surprising. It has to be fun."

and it is........if you like people and their stories and life's twists and turns. My favorite episode would be the show where they taped for 24 hours in an all-night restaurant. The shows are very varied and subject based, and frequently they have authors on, but not plugging their books, just talking about interesting topics or presenting a story........

Wheeeeee! Thing 12

Thing # 12: Subscribe to a Podcast

I subscribe to This American Life via podcast, as well as some from The Guardian, Fader Magazine and the Tate Gallery.

Thump! Thing 13

Thing #13: Embed a video onto your blog




Here you go, simple library pleasures.....

Sing! Thing #11

Thing #11: Watch a Video on YouTube

Reading on a dream

after watching this, i may incorporate spontaneous singing and dancing into my information desk work.....

Kerching! Feeling fine with thing number nine

Thing #9: Capture the Learning 2.0's RSS feed for easy reading

It's done.

I

created

this

on

google

docs

Grrrrrrrreat!. Thing 8

Thing #8: Try Out Either Google Documents or Zoho

Done! See the above post. It's great to publish straight from the document - just wish they had more fonts and drawing/scribbling facilities too.

Jynweythek!* Thing 7

Thing #7: Read an article in Wikipedia on any pet subject and assess it in your blog.

I read this article on the musician Richard James, who records as Aphex Twin.

I chose this for assesment because I am extremely familiar with his work, but also thought it would be revealing due to the number of aliases that this artist works under, large number of releases and also the number of different legends and versions of the truth that surround him. Add to this a high number of obsessive fans and collectors who may contribute to a Wiki entry and you have a number of ingredients for a possible somewhat scrambled article, which I found to be the case....

I would say the article is useful overall in providing a wide introduction, but it definately reads more like a clumsy assembelage of facts rather than a flowing article with a strong narrative focus. The editorial voice and a sense of cohesion is definately absent in tying together the many strands.

The article lacks an introductory summary, beyond a brief

Aphex Twin (born Richard David James on August 18, 1971 in Limerick, Ireland) is an electronic music artist, credited with pushing forward the genres of techno, ambient, acid and drum and bass

which has little contextual meaning to it. (Credited by who? Pushing how?) After this the reader has to wade through "History: early life", in order to get to anything about his music.

There are organisational issues - the section on "Aphex Twin's Press" has very little relevance to the heading.

The entry also contains a strong contradiction and confusion within it's own contents. ......

"Local legend has it that James lived on the roundabout in Elephant and Castle, South London during his early years in the capital.[12][13]"

and yet ....

"Contrary to popular opinion, however, he does not own the silver structure in the centre of the roundabout at Elephant and Castle. This is, in fact, the Michael Faraday Memorial, containing a power transformer for the Northern Line, which James jokingly claimed to be buying in an interview with The Face magazine in 2001 [38].

The citation links given for 12 and 13 given for this do not at all refer to this first assertion - citations should provide a source to an opinion.

It also contains untrue statements - "James usually creates his own photography for his releases' artwork".

Some details are just plain dull..... "James was very meticulous about the whole process of recording, mastering and pressing. However, label co-owner Grant Wilson-Claridge convinced James to release a digital CD, Chosen Lords, which included a selection from the Analord series, with some tracks slightly altered to improve the flow of the album."

A strong plus of the article has to be that music samples are included on the page, which makes up for the lack of good description of the compositions.

However, while this search revealed the many problems in Wikipedia entries, it should be said that there is a lack of alternative authorative sources for encyclopaedic type information on contemporary musicians. The best examples would be the entries in the All Music guide to Electronica, or the Rough Guide to Techno, yet the immediacy of Wikipedia wins hands down, unless you happen to have those handy.

A particular strength of Wikipedia as oposed to print based entries could be said to be it's currency, yet the Wikipedia article isn't even particularly strong on the latest releases.

However the essential point is that it is correctable! If I had the necessary time and effort, I could make the required corrections myself.

Aphex Twin - Nannou


Aphex Twin - Avril 14th

I am a stong believer in the usefulness of Wikipedia, and can recommend The Wisdom of Crowds for extra context on the usefulness of a collective approach to information, but in looking at this entry, it certainly highlights a gap of information design - how to provide an editiorial aproach in a free space. (While Wikipedia has it's moderators, this doesn't necessarily provide a solution) .

A web equivalent of Edward Tufte's amazing books focussing on informational graphics maybe required...... yet part of the beauty of Wiki's is the lack of perfection, the room for factual manoevre. After all, the factually near-perfect Brittanica wouldn't even have an entry on the post-rave braindance delights of Aphex :)

* Cornish for metal machine (music)

Brrring! Thing 6

Thing #6: Change the Learning 2.0 "top ten titles" Wiki

I went along to add my favourites to the wikipage for the top ten books ever.

I put in Our Mutual Friend, The Book of Job, Atonement, and The Great Gatsby.

I will change my mind about 500 times about these choices. I will also fall out with anyone who takes The Great Gatsby out, as the last page contains the most beautiful few paragraphs ever written.

I dumped Watership Down (I just don't do rabbit books - nobody said you had to have a good reason), On Cheshil Beach (which was for the most part absolutely fantastic but I felt it was let down by it's ending), The Buddha of Suburbia (I feel Our Mutual Friend has ten times the humour, substance and excitement and grit of London and I'm not 15 anymore) and Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance (because i'm not 20 anymore). It's a strange feeling when you no longer feel the same way about books etc. that once thrilled you and changed you.......

While I've written up things in a wiki space before, I have never used the collaboratively - it feels very free to be able to edit it, which I imagine is very useful for group creativity.

Woof!

CBC Information Morning: Reading a tale, to a friend with a tail: Why the Halifax Public Libraries are encouraging children to read to dogs. Listen.

Starring Youth Services Librarian, Matthew McCarthy, and Komet the dog!

Zing! Go the strings of thing five

Thing #5: Write a 50-100 word Post (on your blog) About Your Article from Thing #2

The title of the article I read as part of Thing Two was 'Tech Trends in Libraries: the Good News and the Bad News and why library 2.0 is no big deal'
The article was by Jessamyn West, and I found it by typing in Library 2.0 and following a few links. Seeing as it seems to be a golden rule that discussion of library 2.0 must discuss jw, one which I am happy to have adhered to, I was glad to have stumbled across someone I knew of. This bloggy world can be quite small as well as quite big.....

I already commented a little on her straightforward approach and how I approve of it, and I was delighted to see that she even commented that she was glad I liked her talk and the article. The presentation/article summed up how to apply Library 2.0 tools to libraries, and to user education.Each application was summed up and included discussion of the good and bad points.

Now I wonder.......

• if she reads all articles on blogs on t'internet and came across mine. wow.
  
• is stalking me. eek.
• or is it just some fancy interwebthingy that lets you know when people are talking about you?

Is that fifty words? I do hope so.......

Yippee!: Thing Four

Thing #4: Write a comment on the Learning 2.0 campaign blog or any other blog

I did it already by chatting about chocolate here! It was a very important comment that may well have a lasting effect on the library blogging community, perhaps leading to further discussion on laptops made of chocolate....... Mmmmmmmmmm.

Shhh! Thing fun......

Cookies in the Library

Wheeeeeee! Thing three

Set Up My Own Blog and Add My First Post

You are now reading this blog about me writing this blog..............

Done!

Dong! Thing two

Read a Web Post that Pertains to Web 2.0 or Library 2.0

Ooh that's an easy one!

I like this presentation by Jessamyn West.
'Tech Trends in Libraries: the Good News and the Bad News and why library 2.0 is no big deal'
After her talk in Halifax, I appreciate even more that she deals in common sense, not just tech talk.On the other hand, this post by Meredith Farkas seems to say "Grrr, i hate that library 2.0 thing" while actually wearing a t-shirt that says "The nuts an bolts of Library 2.0 are actually really useful."

I shall look around for the most un-2.0 post I can find..... Ah, I believe it could be this one, from someone who definately opened up the wrong side of the laptop this morning...... My favourite quote is "It embodies and enables the prevelance of a shallow mind and a shallow soul all to prevelent today. The type of person who has no value in themselves and instead seeks validation through others." So that's us told then!

Perhaps a good old fashioned librarian "Shhhhh" is required on the topic, but not the practice. :)

Ding! It's thing one.

I'm doing the Learning 2.0 challenge which sets out 23 things.
So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, here's thing 1.

"Learn about the campaign by visiting the blog. Read the guidelines, posts and the timeline for the '23 things'. "

1) What is the technology?
It's a blog innit!
2) What did you think of it?
Lovely
3) How might this be useful [or not] to you personally?
As an existing reader of blogs - loads of ways - getting information, noseying around, sharing info in different formats, socially.
4) How might the library use this [or not] to serve patrons better?
Blog technology could be used to promote programs and communicate more fluidly with patrons in a format more open to interaction..... Also it would be a major resource and long term timesaver if programming staff from accross the system shared resources on a blog.