Library Thing

I really enjoyed doing this exercise. I am an avid book reader and belong to a book discussion group and quite often find myself remembering a book and not quite remembering the full title or author, and lamenting the fact that I don't have all the books I have read recorded in one easy to find place. ( Recording in the back of old diaries and on scraps of paper is not a very efficient way of keeping track of all those volumes!)
I found Library Thing such an easy way of recording books. So simple to just search for a title, click on it and have it go into "Your Library". It was simple to add tags, either at time of title search or once title is added to your library. The bonus of this site is that there are plenty of reviews and recommendations and shared social data. I am sure that this online tool would be very beneficial for readers advisory and for getting ideas for the next great read.

http://www.librarything.com/home/aliceminwonderland

Image Generators

I enjoyed looking at many of the different image generators and found it quite hard to decide what to include in my blog. So much to choose from....so little time. Definitely a fun activity.

NSL Learning 2.0 Wiki Sandbox

Well I must say that this exercise was highjacked for awhile by my son when I found a lot of blogs on "LOST" (one of his favourite TV programmes) in the Discovery Resource WetPaint........all those theories of what it all means.......I'm still none the wiser.
I initially was unsure of how to add my blog to the favourite blogs and in the end I "phoned a friend" who pointed me in the right direction and Hey Presto it was really easy. I think that this particular exercise was in fact relatively easy once I was talked through the "Easy Edit" steps.
When adding my current fav movies in the favourite movie site I initially tried going through the threads link and again was helped by my "phone a friend", and of course typing into a page and saving is very staight forward.
I'm still not sure what the WYSIWYG editor is!!!

Wikis

I enjoyed this exercise and found the links very interesting. As an avid reader I was very impressed with the Princeton Public Library Book Lovers Wiki. I think that many of our patrons would be happy to add their opinion to book reviews. The Library Foundation book discussion groups have many groups of avid readers who get together on a monthly basis to talk about a book that may or may not have been to the readers taste. A library book review wiki which also incorporated the Library Foundation book groups would be a great way of getting a wider social network of keen readers sharing their opinions.
A second beneficial use of a wiki for libraries is as a public "notice board". The St. Joseph County Public Library's arts and entertainment page had an inspiring list of links and public notices. The ability of individuals to add, edit and delete information on the wiki would ensure our local community is informed of up to date events and attractions. It would mean that community groups would have the bonus of on-line promotion as well as their traditional posters and paper based notices.

Perspectives on Web 2.0 and Library 2.0

The articles that I read were interesting and thought provoking.
I agree with the ideas expressed in the "Away from icebergs" article. We do need to think about our collections, and why we keep what we do in our limited building space.
There are many advantages of using web 2.0 and library 2.0 for the accessing and storing of information.....These way outweigh the odd sore wrist and tingly fingers that results from too much time spent at a key board!!
We also need to remember that we are here first and foremost to meet the needs of our local community. Public libraries must offer services to ALL their patrons from the very young to the very old and meet the needs of a diverse range of people.
In "To a temporary place in time" Dr Wendy Schultz comments that "libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities".
This week I visited the library at Puhoi. This community library is housed in a single room. The walls are lined with neatly arranged, donated books. The books are recorded manually and there was not a computer in sight. The library is well loved and used by the small community and is proof that small community libraries can exist without the use of current technology.
Personally I like the idea of a library that offers a good collection of reading material in conjunction with web based services, and an in house cafe for that steamy cup of coffee and food fix, after all we are still seen as, and used as community sitting rooms.