librarydoodling

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

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!

Monday, November 26, 2007

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........