"Things"

I have been playing around with my blog today. This "Things" stuff has been a lot of fun for me and I plan to finish even though I've missed the deadline both times. I've done it on my own, too. My co-workers and I planned to work on the 23 Things at the same time so we could help each other if necessary, but I ended up being the only one to do it. Everyone else got their blog and avatar and stopped. Same thing with More Things, but I am glad I kept on going. Frankly, I don't know that I'll use much of this stuff at the library or even just for me, but at least I learned some things I'll use and I became familiar with things I had heard about and, until this program, had no clue what they were. And who knows, maybe the experience I've gained will help me in the future in ways I can't forsee now.

Thing 22, Thing 23

I have glanced through the suggested sites for continuing my quest to learn more about the internet and all that it offers. I have found these 23 Things to be overwhelming at times, there is SO MUCH information out there, it is difficult to sort it all out. Thanks for guiding me through some of it. But I have enjoyed exploring some of it. I feel I should be writing in depth about how to use what I've learned here in the library. I'm still figuring it out. For now I will continue to visit my favorites of these sites, share what I've learned with patrons and co-workers, and decide if I really need all the networking accounts I have accumulated. It's been fun.
I would do this again, in fact, I signed up for More Things On A Stick but wanted to finish the first 23 things before I go on. I only started this because several of my co-workers said this would be really good training. I lost them somewhere along the way and I've taken far longer than I planned but I finally finished and I will go on. Amidst the frustration of some much information and so little time, I enjoyed the experience (most of the time) but I am still a Luddite at heart.

Thing 21

I have checked out some of the social websites that were suggested. I joined the 23 Things on a Stick on Ning. I posted a comment on someone's page. I added my Ning badge and I explored a group called Knitting in the Library. I even poked a friend. I can see how this kind of networking would be attractive to people and useful to connect people with similar interests. I imagine this would also be a great place for librarians to share tips on how to stimulate interest in libraries and how to better serve our patrons.

Thing 17

I have spent the afternoon searching the EBSCO databases. I have created my own folders and played around with designing web pages. I can see how this would help anyone doing research. I plan to recommend this to my college-bound son. I've already shown him the websites that can help him prepare for papers with a time-line. These sites are compatible. I can put research into different folders and pull them up whenever I want. I did have some previous knowledge of these databases from some library training.

Thing 16

WOW! I like these sites. I could have used them when I was in school, although I probably would have done all the work the night before the assignment was due anyway. These would be helpful to suggest to students who come in to do research for their various school projects. I like to suggest websites and other resources that they may not have thought about when I help them and I like these and plan to use them.

Thng 15

I have played computer games in the past. I do not have my own computer so I did not play the suggested ones, but I have played at my kids' homes. I find them addicting and prefer to do other things although I know they are popular with younger kids, many of them use our library.

Thing 14

I have been browsing the LibraryThing site. I could spend a lot of time on this one, checking out the different groups. There is so much information here and I think I'll find the site useful. I loved the library stories. Libraries are definitely interesting places to work. I also signed up for one of the groups. There is much more exploring to do on this site, but later. I am at work now and I get to go home now.

Thing 13

I set myself up with a google calendar. I am lost without my daily planner. My life is in that book. I will try putting everything on the new calendar but I still plan to use my little book. I can see the advantage of the net calendar however, as my contacts can add to my calendar if they wish. Now I have to remember to check this calendar. My little book is almost always with me, the computer is not.

Thing 11, Thing 12

I am still plugging away at these 23 things. I created a delicious.com file and added all my favorite sites for easy reference. I'm not sure I'll use it however. By doing the 23 Things I have found websites of all kinds in addition to the sites I already frequent. It is a help to sort the ones I find useful but sometimes I just want to skip it all and go home to knit.

I also checked out the social media sites. I signed up for Mixx as it seemed to fit me best. Some of the postings on these sites could have benefited from a little polishing. I like the fact that the news isn't censored and I can get different view points. Maybe I'll even contribute something myself.

No Time

I am still trying to get to these dang "23 Things" but time is a problem. We are so busy all the time at our library that I don't get a chance to work on anything not involving our patrons. We are busier than ever since the economy has slowed and people are discovering that everything is free at the library! It is a challenge, however, to meet the growing needs of our patrons and have time for to learn new things. I am enjoying searching Facebook and MySpace for old friends. I wish there was more time.

Thing 18, Thing 20

I have been exploring YouTube and enjoying the videos. I have watched friends with amusement. I have done research for my kids and I have even learned how to read a book. Check out those videos.

I also have both a MySpace page and a Facebook page. On my MySpace page I even have friends! I have been contacted by a few people that I had lost track of and it is good to find them again. My kids use these sites nearly daily to contact friends and family but I only check them sporadically. I like looking at the photos but I don't yet think of the computer first when I want to contact someone. This kind of communication is fun and quick. We can easily express frustration or excitement in a couple of sentences but it is the kind of communication we have when we pass an aquaintance on the street. I don't see these sites as tools for communication on a deeper level. Maybe I'm old-fashioned. My kids tell me I am.

Thing 9

I finally got around to playing with document editing. I had fun playing with the sample document. One of the comments asked if this is what it would be like if librarians ran the world. If the document is an indication of librarian rule, I hope it never happens. I added a comment and edited the document. I can see how document editing could be useful, but I can also see potential for chaos. Sometimes, the original works best.

Thing 10

I have moved on to Thing 10. Okay, I'm still working on Things 8 and 9 too. It is difficult to find the time to do the "things" and to do them carefully so that I really understand what they are about. I added a comment to the 23Things Wiki and I will keep slogging along on the rest of my 23. I can't wait to see what's in store now as I move on to Thing 11, and, of course, finish up on 8 and 9.

Thing 7

I moved on to Thing 7. The first 6 things appeared to be more challenging than they turned out to be. I appreciated the encouraging comments and I think I will use some of them in the future but primarily for my own use at this point. I scheduled a mock meeting for my co-workers and included a poll so that I could try out scheduling a meeting. I can't see myself needing Thing 7 any time in the near future but I didn't want to skip anything. They have not yet responded. I am anxious to hear their comments.

I am finally moving on to the next "thing". I edited my trading card and posted it although I still may tweak it a bit. I am having fun with the photo activities and I will probably use them for my personal photos.

RUN JEREMY RUN

My creation
Originally uploaded by sharver2000

THE SUMMER GAMES ARE UPON US AND THE TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS ARE THE HEART OF THE GAMES. THE 400M AND 4X400M RELAY ARE OUR FAVORITE EVENTS. WE PICK JEREMY WARINER TO TAKE THE GOLD.

I am having trouble finding the time to work on my 23 things. I am losing my intial enthusiam for this project, but today I made a trading card. I chose a sports figure and message about Olympic success because I thought it would amuse my jock son. I am not displaying it on my blog as I want to polish it up a bit, maybe find a better photo, but the point is that I did it! I don't know how this will help me in my job but I am learning how to do things I never thought about doing before. My kids are amazed that I now can do things on the computer that they can't. They are happy to play video games and download music. But I am still a Luddite at heart.

I am not having fun. These 23 things on a stick are really 53 things on a stick (or more) and each step takes me a long time. I wanted to know more about what the internet and the new technologies have to offer so that I can better help our patrons, but at this point I don't know if I can help them at all. In step 2 I read about Library 2.0. I think the author feels that we should be humoring the elderly and the aging baby-boomers (of which I am one) until we can dump all the old ways of doing things and go completely high-tech. I want to learn the new but I like the old ways and don't want to lose them completely. Maybe there is co-existence.

GO TIGERS!

Today I added a photo. Wow!