Beyond Method #12

This was a great course. Along with all of the new things I learned, I was able to learn more about the stuff I already knew. Several of the web tools, like the Texas Career Skills, have already made it into some of our current operations (i.e., job hunting online pathfinder). Stuff like the screencasting and digital storytelling offer a lot of fun ways to get people interested in the library. Though I already blog a lot anyway, now I can maximize its true potential.

Beyond Method #11

We've actually been using polls and surveys for quite a while here with our Computer classes, asking patrons in attendance to fill out a Knowledge Skills assessment survey prior to each class and then, when it's over, asking them fill out another survey for feedback from the class itself (what did your learn that you didn't know before, was the teacher satisfactory, etc.). Previously for these surveys we just used a modified lykert scale for the end of class one and more of a questionnaire at the start. This Summer for our adult programs, we held weekly First-lines quizzes testing patrons on how well-read they were. Each quiz was composed of ten multiple choice questions with the first line of a novel as the question. Patrons were asked to select from the choices below what novel it was from. For this I used a program called ProProfs Quiz Maker which wasn't one of the tools discussed but was still a great tool, easy to set up, easy to customize and easy to print. It also allowed for each quiz to be embedded into our own adult Reader's advisory blog, Moore Musings. All in all quizzes, polling and surveys are kind of a big deal at our library (statistics=budget/funding modifications) and we will definitely be rigorous with our continued use of all of the tools described.

Beyond Methody #10

So I've skype before at my home computer but once again, since i don't have administrative priveleges with our network, I couldn't get all of the applications to work right. I think it's frankly really cool how something I watched in Back to the Future part 1 so far back in the 1980's is now for real for real. This past May my sister married a Russian guy whose parents weren't able to make the trip to Florida. So the groom and his friends Skyped the whole thing for them. Amazing! We use skype some here at the library for conference calls and webinars and for an "author visit" during our Texas City Reads program next month. We will definitely be using it more and more in the future and I'm looking forward to it.

Beyond Method #9

Fortunately myself and our other librarians have already had some 'digital stories' we've told because of our community's heritage project of which we were apart of. Links to those sites, by the way, can be seen here, here and here. But I still had fun with animoto constructing another digital story, this one based on some random photos and a few creative ideas. Voiceover was still a no go but I think people can still get the gist of what I was trying to say. Animoto was fairly good on the usability with not a lot of complicated wording or techie jargon. Digital storytelling may be the most fun beyond activity thus far and one of the most well-developed.

Beyond Method #8

So even though I couldn't use any of the Desktop or Mac-based screencasting softwares--didn't have time to get our IT guy to go through the administrative stuff--I was able to use the cloud-based software (a great tool and where I think software is really headed). Screenr I found to be the easiest as well as the most reliable and I was able to upload some photos from our Summer programs to use as material. I was going to try and record something but that was a no-no as well with our IT stuff. Ironically, we've been using screencasting for a while now. Several of our computer classes have been converted to screencasts and at one time we developed a tool for people who needed help with overdrive. I could see us using this in the future for more and more technical applications regarding library services, especially as technology starts replacing analog resources and many patrons will need help with it. And although I don't know to what extent we will be using it, I can see it definitely serving a purpose.

Beyond Method #7

After reviewing the various presentation applications, all them good by the way, I decided to go with Google Docs because even though I'm most familiar with it I haven't tried to format a presentation from it. Oddly enough, Google Docs isn't much different from MS PowerPoint in both layout and slideshow presentation. You can even convert existing powerpoint presentations you may already have. The presentation I did consisted of bits and pieces of our pathfinders which I've done in the past, showcasing resources the library has to offer. After looking over the other options, I think I should have gone with Prezi which seemed more accessible via various other portable devices. However, having not heard about it before, I'm not so sure how our staff and patrons would take to it. Obviously we use presentations a lot here at the library. And not just for computer classes, adult programming or webpage stuff. What I do think is that, as a reference librarian I'll refer patrons more to Google Docs (I already do, but not previously as a presentation tool), SlideShare and Prezi. When I looked at 280 Slides and SlideRocket, I had too many problems getting the software to work on my own computer.

Beyond Method #6

Ebooks have been a hot topic at our library recently--hot and controversial. About a year ago we installed Overdrive and had very few users. At the same time we would get users who wanted us, the reference librarians, to help them set up their Nooks & Kindles. Of course we'd do everything we could to direct them to our Overdrive station and subscription, but it never really caught on, one specifically critical reason for this being that so many of Overdrive's ebooks and audio downloads were checked out and needed to "place a hold" on a book. With the budget cuts and lack of patron use, our Overdrive subscription has been steadily phased out and will cease our membership as of next month. Fortunately with the rise of ebook awareness has come several more thrifty options in regards to lending and downloading ebooks. Recently we did a couple of pathfinders highlighting ebooks and ebook lenders as well as websites providing free or cheaper services for the e-reading public. Those can be found here and here. Project Gutenberg, which has been around probably the longest of all ereader services, is still a great site for anyone who wants to read the classics, especially those which are hard to find. And it's fairly easy to use, locating and accessing said items not as difficult as some other ereader sites which want you to jump through hoops. Of course your new bestsellers and contemporary classics aren't so readily available. But I was still able to locate and download a copy of Confessions by Jean Jacques Rousseau in its complete, unabridged form.

Beyond Method #5

I like how the author of the article "Online Collections & Libraries" put it when she said "If you’re looking for a vast community of other book-nerds (a good portion of them probably academics) then LibraryThing is the obvious choice. But, if you’re like me and enjoy books on a more recreational level, and simply want to be able to catalog your books to keep track of them and display them on your site…I’m going to have to say that Shelfari or Goodreads are much better services." That was the same way I felt. LibraryThing seems to carry a much larger domain of information relating to books, all kinds of books. Their scope is technically aimed at anyone and everyone but how can you tell? Their site is still "horrid" looking and few library patrons (as well as a few librarians) may find it difficult to begin and then navigate. Goodreads provides a much better format. Not only does it offer the basics of what a website should, it promotes interaction within its site. In the true objective scope of a social networking tool, it offers readers a chance to say what they want about certain books and get the gist of what others think. If usability is key within social cataloging and readers advisory then what is required is accessibility and appeal, an online community which invites commentary but maintains a structure of organization. A few months back I actually posted on my other blog a bit about Goodreads and I usually include it in reference interviews and conversations about readers advisory when speaking with patrons about books they like and books they might like. Shelfari was good, the graphics and javascript issues I found frustrating (I had to jump through a few hoops to get certain apps working). Overally my allegiance is still with Goodreads. Although LibraryThing and Shelfari aren't that bad, they're just not as mainstream savvy as Goodreads.

Beyond Method #4

The Texas Work Skills Development page wasn't bad even though the graphics on the page don't lend the site a lot of credibility. Some of the links are a little outdated and users, especially those seeking employment through job search engines might do better, to simply go to the Texas Workforce Commission's home page. In our library, we've actually been keen to the need for job seeking tools for a while now. And knowing that many users don't have a whole lot of knowledge as to where to look, we've developed an Online Job Searching pathfinder specifically catered to this are as well as to Texas residents. This resource actually has many of the same sites listed as the Work Skills Development (i.e. Indeed, CareerBuilder, Hound, Monster, TexasJobs, etc.) page as well as some which it doesn't. In regards to computer literacy and compatibility with user capacity, I think the Work Skills Development page showcases a simple enough interface so that most computer novices could find their way around relatively easily and many of the links like Mouserobics, Learn To Type and the Job Resume links are sites we actually recommend to our patrons. I think the Goodwill Community Foundation's computer skills and resources page is Great!. It can help a lot of people needing an all-in-one tool for basic computer education learn the fundamentals of what they may need to know. However, some users may get frustrated with how long the graphics will take to load. I noticed that some of the video links had trouble loading. This may be a problem which could put some people off. All in all though, these were some good ideas which will definitely be incorporated further in myself and the other librarians interaction with our patrons.

Beyond Method #3

The steps listed on the website definitely were not in line with iGoogle's map feature, most particularly because the "My Maps" feature was "My places". I spent a while tooling around trying to nail that down. I still feel like Google maps is by far and away a better map tool than Mapquest, Yahoo or Bing Maps. And again it's the simplicity. With the iGoogle maps option, there's very little 'extra' stuff detracting your attention away from what you should be looking for--the correlation between the address/place and its physical location. Furthermore, Google maps makes a strong case for being the best simply by locating its Map/Satellite/Traffic/Labels tool at the top right-hand corner of the map opposite the address & directions info. Bing has everything sort of clustered together. I still wish there could be away to work the zoom function more swiftly without a lot of transition hiccups though. As far as mashup capabilities and the potential to incorporate web tools, especially Google Earth which we haven't even mentioned. The next step in the map techie thing might be to physically denote aspects physical aspects of a building's arrangement (i.e., outdoor bookdrop, ADA functions, first & second story aspects, etc.).

Beyond Method #2

While NetVibes is a good web tool for marketing personal profiles, I feel like myself and most people would do better by starting an iGoogle. I did and I enjoy it's simple, minimalistic approach which still offers a great deal of options and widgets but doesn't necessarily confuse you with various moveable tabs. NetVibes is very fast to load however and may spark some patrons creativity levels with its variety of video sampling and sharing tools. I guess I just like iGoogle better because of its conventionality. While it may be a little less sparkly and not as interchangeable with it's tabs and options, it's interface is less confrontational and it's layout is refreshingly familiar. For patrons, iGoogle may be the best bet however for librarians, there is a strong argument which could be made for NetVibes or even Pageflakes which has some interesting techie-friendly stuff as well.

Beyond Method #1

Blog Post #1: So I've just added this as a separate blog which I've set up for the State Library's Beyond Two Steppin program. I've included it on my profile which is used to manage another blog which the Texas City-Moore Memorial Public Library hosts and encourages subscription and contribution. While Moore Musings is more concentrated on Readers Advisory with reviews of all library items and different media, it has been upgraded recently with some fancy new widgets, layout digs and other web thingies.  The layout, design and profile data of this "Information Scientist" blog has been tailored to best represent my job as a reference librarian and the profession of librarianship.