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!