Learning 2.0 wrap-up

I found working through the 23 things a bit challenging. I think the interactivity of Web 2,0 is a good thing for libraries to draw on to create a community of users and to reach out to those who have given up on libraries as a source of information and learning. In my presentation on ideas for updating research guides I am suggesting using De.lic.ious tagging, podcasts on using the guides, and Libguides, which combines the features of wikis and blogs in software created specifically for libraries (it's not open source, but it is reasonably priced.) I would not have understood the latest research on creating library pathfinders and research guides without Learning 2.0.

YouTube as a teaching tool

I watched some videos of Brazilian "capoeira," a dance/martial art form of African origin. There is one video called "Capoeira Girl" that is very artfully done. YouTube is a great resource for teachers wanting short video clips to show to classes. I could have used it when I was teaching Portuguese--there are videos on many Brazilian topics. There is also a lot of junk on You Tube and you can spend a lot of time hunting for something good. The "favorites" tag is a little helpful in that regard. When I am doing research I usually check YouTube to see if there are any interviews on a topic and have found it useful for that purpose. It's a good way to get different people's perspectives on a topic.

Zoho and LAST.fm

Zho offers every kind of application one could need for accomplishing work at the office. It's pretty amazing that this is all free. I like that you can collaborate on docs in real time and that audience members can chat with the presenter Zoho Show. I tried LAST.fm and like it as a way to listen to all kinds of music, find information about musicians, network with others interested in your kind of music, and buy music (through Amazon). It's well-designed, easy to navigate, and fun to explore. I could sit here for days listening and learning and could easily get involved in networking. But alas I am too busy. Which is what I wonder about Web 2.0-where do people who are really into it find the time for all that networking and communicating? It is fun and worth doing, but there's so much going on in my life in the real world that demands attention.

Wiki research guides

At the academic library where I am interning I am investigating how technology can be used to create library research guides that are more relevant to students and faculty, so I was happy to find information on and examples of research guide wikis. Most of the research wikis I looked at are just personal wikis of the subject librarians and students can't edit them. I found oneat Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts-Boston where faculty and students can update the guides. This seems a good model for research guides because subject librarians often have a hard time finding time to update the guides. This seems an ideal instance when drawing on the "hive mind" is very useful. I also like wikis because they make web editing so much easier (no markup language to learn!) I am also supposed to edit the research guides for the modern languages and I would love to do so on a wiki rather than using Contribute which is a frustrating web editing software that this library uses. I liked the Princeton Public Library's Book Lover's Wiki of the wikis I looked at. I will be visiting it to discover new reads for my pleasure reading.

Delicious

Delicious is awesome! I am very happy with being about to access my bookmarks online. I can use it for responding to reference questions. I found their tour of delicious very informative. It is easy to use. I already started going crazy adding bookmarks.

I have started reading the Castro book on html and css. My head is swimming. It seems more like a technical manual that you can look things up in as you need to know rather than a book to read cover-to-cover.

Your own private catalog

Library Thing seems like De li cious except that it is for books. If you had a large home library it could be the catalog to your library. It would also remind you of books you have read on a subject or that you want to read. The social bookmarking aspect of it might be a good way to meet people with your taste in books and to start a discussion with them. It seems like a good resource for book lovers.

RSS Feeds

I actually found finding and subscribing to RSS feeds on Bloglines easy to do. But Feedster seems to be defunct. I found some interesting websites on Brazil (where I lived for two years) and on Latin American news in general (I used to be a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Kansas). I also found a blog on cats. I mostly subscribed to news and book review feeds. I doubt if I will have time to read from all these blogs but I see the value in it as it is a good way to keep up on the news.