libraricious

Dewey

2009-01-14T14:44:00.001-05:00

Kelly's Dewey Decimal Section:
177 Ethics of social relations
Kelly = 15225 = 152+25 = 177

Class:
100 Philosophy & Psychology

Contains:
Books on metaphysics, logic, ethics and philosophy.

What it says about you:
You're a careful thinker, but your life can be complicated and hard for others to understand at times. You try to explain things and strive to express yourself.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Update

2009-01-14T14:21:00.002-05:00

I Wish I Still Got Snow Days

The roads are terrible and schools and businesses are closing down all over the Columbus area. I have my fingers crossed CML will close early... so that I can sit at home and do nothing tonight. Not that I am not dong anything important now.

My beautiful fiance offered to drive me to work with his four-wheel drive automobile - the only problem is I have to sit at the Business Library at OSU while he is in class. I brought my stuff to work on Ready to Read, considering we just had an important meeting earlier today and my "to do" list quadrupled. But I simply do not want to. Instead I started glancing though my bookmarks finding something to do besides Ready to Read and I stumbled across the link to my blog. And I thought "I haven't even blogged I believe since I got the Ready to Read position!"

The Ohio Library Council, along with the State Library of Ohio, recently received an LSTA grant to fund a state wide initiative in libraries to get Ohio children better prepared for kindergarten. This wonderful program is called Ready To Read. I have been hired by the Ohio Library Council (where I did my undergraduate internship and have done random jobs with since) as the Project Administrator. Basically I help Lynda Murray make sure the grant is implemented. So far it has kept me very busy - every hour I am awake and not at Linden Library I am working or at least thinking about Ready to Read. Although the work is time consuming and sometimes stressful, I am meeting children's librarians all over the state as well as learning all kinds of stuff that will help me in my library future. I am truly blessed to have this great opportunity - if only I had a little motivation right now!

On top of all this I have to start thinking of some ideas for a bridal shower for my best friend, not to mention start thinking about my own wedding. Basically, I may have put too much on my plate - but I am very happy.

Thing #23: Learn and Play Final Thoughts

2008-11-29T11:24:00.003-05:00

Finally, I am done with Learn and Play! Since the program was already full underway when I was employed, I am very excited to be finish!

This was a very good program and provided an interesting way to introduce people to new technologies. I thought I was down with all the new exciting things, but I found out I am not. I also did not know as much about some of the different topics as I thought I did. For example, I have never heard about online productivity tools or MOLDI. I also learned more about Flickr and RSS feeds through my Learn and Play travels.

I am very glad I took the time to experience this program and explore new web technologies. I also appreciate the libraries efforts to help us stay on top of budding technologies to better help our customers. Yay Learn and Play!

I am going to try to continue to add posts to my blog. I have some very exciting things in my future. First of all, next week I am going to New York City for my first time! I also will have wedding plans to blog about, even though Clay and I won't be getting married till summer 2010. Clay is already tired of hearing about it and my mom, I am sure, is well on her way of being wedding-out too.

Right now though I am going to do a happy dance and cross my fingers for the laptop computer. Or any of the prizes for that matter.

Thing #22: Moldi Books

2008-11-29T11:13:00.003-05:00

With initiatives like MOLDI, moldy books may be a thing of the past. So will late fees.

I like the idea of electronic books, as I mentioned in my post about the Kindle. However, I still know I prefer books. However, when I get a minute at home to really browse the collection, I may experiment more with this format.

What I thought was most interesting about this format for lending books is that limited books are distributed and only available to users for a limited time. Millions of copies of the books could easily be made available so everyone can have a copy the minute they request it, but in an effort to keep the publishers happy (I assume) there are limited copies. Even more interesting was the fact that when the loan period is up, the book is no longer available.

One thing I was a little disappointed in was the selection of books. I didn't really find any that I really wanted to read. I wonder if the program would be more successful if the bestsellers were made a available.

Thing #19: CML Tooling Around

2008-11-29T10:58:00.002-05:00

I looked at all the things the CML toolbar can offer and I am excited to download it at home and play with it later! However, I am currently at work and determined to finish my Learn and Play today, so I am going to talk about an article I found on the Tooling Around Blog.

As I was glancing through the blog, I appreciated the short, but interesting blog entries. There were some topics I had not heard about discussed. One that caught my eye was the Google Lively article.

I seldom play video games, but when I do they kind of have the same vibe as Google Lively. Create a person, create a home, and then run around and interact with others. I watched the posted video and decided that I was going to create an avatar when I got home today. Unfortunately when I clicked on the link to the site, I found out they were shutting the site down December 31. Guess I am too late. I probably would have gotten addicted anyways.

This is not a new concept by any means, but just a demonstration of how people are using the Internet. Look at all the people who pay crazy amounts of money to play Second Life. Also while I was shopping I couldn't help but notice the continued popularity of WebKinz. Not to mention all the similar games kids play in the library. The web is no longer seen as a place for finding information, but instead becoming more of an avenue for socializing. Wonder where it will go next.

Thing #21: Podcasts

2008-11-21T14:19:00.002-05:00

I am familiar with podcast, but I have never actually watched/listened to one. However, I can see how they would be useful in some aspects. I know some of my friends download podcasts to listen to while they are working out, driving, etc.

I used the www.podfeed.net site and glanced through some of the different categories featured on the site. I can definitely see how some may benefit libraries. There were a couple of podcasts focused on what teens were interested in which may be helpful when ordering books or developing programs. There were also book review podcasts. Unfortunately there were tons more movie reviews podcasts than books though.

I also have heard of libraries doing book talk type podcasts. I do not know how successful they were though.

Thing #20: YouTube

2008-11-20T17:46:00.004-05:00

Oh the many hours I have wasted on YouTube. I can't get enough of wacky animals, laughing babies, and British accents.

I cannot figure out how to actually put the videos in my blog, but here are the urls of some of my favorite youtube videos of all time! The first one is long, but sooo worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQLOFcD0Kj8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

I am sure there are a bunch more if I stopped and thought about it. However, I am not sure what the library users would think if they saw me on YouTube for hours while on the desk.

Thing #18: Tools

2008-11-20T16:40:00.003-05:00

And the winner is....

I found a lot of interesting sites on the Best Web 2.0 Awards list.

Two that a library may find helpful are http://upcoming.yahoo.com/ and http://columbus.going.com/. These two sites allow users to see what is going on in different communities. I was just talking to my fiance about how I wanted to go to more "things" in town, but didn't know how to find out about them. This could be my answer! It also allows librarys to see what the community is doing so they may correlate some of their programing.

I also loved the cocktail builder... which probably wouldn't work in a library setting well. But it would be helpful after a long day at work!

Step back! Thing #16: Sandbox

2008-11-20T16:35:00.003-05:00

Building castles in the sand.

I had fun with this application, I am glad I waited till I had a little time to play before I did it. It was also very fun to see everyone else's favorite things. We have quite a diverse staff at CML -which is a good thing ;).

Thing #17: Online Productivity Tools

2008-11-19T18:43:00.002-05:00

I know I skipped Thing #16. I am not familiar with the application and need to spend more time with it. I will get to it later... I promise.

I also was not familiar with Online Productivity Tools either. I guess I don't really understand the point of them. I can appreciate the dummied down version for less experienced document creators and appreciate the compatibility with other computers in creates. Will I ever use it. No. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

Thing #15: Wikis

2008-11-19T15:56:00.002-05:00

Wiki here, Wiki there, everywhere a Wiki.

I had a friend at Kent State who had her user name blocked from Wikipedia for posting incorrect information. Apparently, there is some sort of regulation for the site. Of course the information she was posting was clearly incorrect too.

I also heard at a OLC Conference that Wikipedia is the best source for information about comic books. Apparently their are so many avid comic book lovers who look at the entries that incorrect information is almost immediately corrected.

I think wikis are very cool. I have a group of friends who keep a private wiki (you have to be approved before you can view it) where they review local restaurants. I have also seen where book groups use wikis to have book discussions. Remarks and comments can be posted whenever and location is no longer an issue.

I think libraries can do a lot of cool things with wikis and some are. I look forward to seeing how this kind of communication and format changes other aspects of the library. But there are so many other technologies to play around with! Which ones do we choose!

SIDENOTE:

I did two cool things today:

I saw a presentation done by Director Patrick Losinski about his European Library Tour. It is so cool to see what other libraries are doing "outside of the box." I can't wait to see what cool stuff we are going to do in the future.

Second, I went to the Brown Bag Lunch with Chris Taylor. This was very cool. It was a small group of staff members from different branches just talking about CML stuff. Floating collections, check out procedures, and Discovery Place were a few of the topics we discussed. If you ever want to know more about something the system is doing or why, this is a great format to talk about it with someone involved in the decision making processes. Very cool.

Thing # 14: Library 2.0

2008-11-18T10:51:00.002-05:00

I was introduced to the concept of Web 2.0 as a Public Relations undergrad at Kent State - however, I had been using some Web 2.0 applications long before I was made aware of the "official" term. In PR we would spend hours talking about how blogs and social interaction sites can help organizations create a positive image. Then when I got to the Library and Information Science master program, the talk of Web 2.0 continued. Especially in the classes focused on Young Adults. There is no denying the awesome things library can do with these concepts and how we can further serve our communities implementing them.

One concern I have with implementing these, however, is the time needed to keep them updated. Some application are time consuming (this coming from a girl who spends hours changing her MySpace background) and need to be updated to maintain interest. Also another frustration that may occur is once you have invested time into one Web 2.0 application - there is already a better, more popular alternative.

Don't let my concerns fool ya, I am all for Library 2.0 though!

Thing #13: del.icio.us

2008-11-12T16:03:00.003-05:00

I developed a del.icio.us account while in college so that no matter what computer I was on, I could have my favorite bookmarks. I haven't used it since. I couldn't even remember my user name! Thank goodness for the "Forget your user name?" and "Forget your password?" links below the sign in!

I can see how this application could be helpful to reference librarians so that they have access to their bookmarked web sites where ever they are too, similar to what I did in college. It also helps them narrow down their list of sites by tagging. So if a librarian finds a particular web site to be very helpful, they can save it and tag it under a type of question it would be helpful answering. Then when someone different, a week later, asks a similar question the librarian does not have to rack their brain trying to figure out what the web site they used before was. However, with so many great databases available through the CML web site, I imagine that these would be the first stop for reference librarians.

Another interesting use for this application could be for developing path finders or providing library users with lists of useful websites. However, the library would have to provide the log in information and run the chance of library-haters getting on there and adding some of their own web sites they enjoy.

Thing # 12: Twitter

2008-11-07T14:10:00.002-05:00

I am not sure if Twitter is a good thing for me.

When I was in college I was an obsessive AIM Away Message checker. For those of you who don't know what that it is: AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) is a program that allows you to chat with you friends on the computer. When you are away from your computer, you can put up an away message so that others can see that you are not available to chat- and what you are doing instead. For example, one of my frequently used away messages during college was "I am at class, yuck!"

Anyways, I am on Twitter, but I need more friends! Search for me - KellyRae42!

Thing #11: LibraryThing

2008-11-07T13:40:00.002-05:00

I had an account at LibraryThing awhile ago, but one of my friends turned me on to Goodreads.

Goodreads is very, very similar to LibraryThing. You can tag books, or in Goodreads, put them on shelves. You can write reviews about books, rate them, and keep a good log of what you have read. I cannot think of anything I particularly liked more about either systems, except that on Goodreads you can have an unlimited amount of books without paying. I love free things.

So click on my Goodreads box on the right and check out what I have been reading recently. I dare ya! And click on where it says "Goodreads" to look at my profile.

Thing # 10: Image Generators

2008-11-07T12:56:00.007-05:00

When I was looking at a list of image generators I knew I immediately wanted to play with the one that allows you to put caption bubbles on pictures.

In honor of the recent holiday, Halloween, I posted pictures of the last two years. The first one is of Clay (my boyfriend) and I as Forest Gump and Jenny. The other one is of us as Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World.

This year we didn't dress up, but if we did I was going to make Clay wear a dress and go as Sonny and Cher. Maybe next time!

I plan on playing with some of the others later when I don't have as many "things" to complete. I am sure I will post some more pictures then.

Thing # 8 and #9: RSS FEEDS

2008-11-07T11:33:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time when I was still in my Public Relations undergrad, I had an RSS Feeds account set up. At the time I was doing my senior seminar project where I was on a team that had to develop a year long PR campaign to celebrate the opening of the new University Hospital's Ireland Cancer Center building in Cleveland. I had the account set up to let me know if any articles about cancer, University Hospitals or any of their competition were featured in any newspaper articles. When I finished the class/project it was very ceremonious to delete the account.

I have been meaning to set one up focusing on libraries since I began Library School in 2007. I have started and finished library school and no RSS feed to show for it, so I am grateful that Learn & Play is getting my booty into gear.

Some library blogs I added to my feed are:
http://stephenslighthouse.sirsi.com/
http://www.lisnews.org/
http://www.librarian.net/
http://scanblog.blogspot.com/

I have not read these blogs for a long time, I found them on my old del.icio.us account. At one point I found information on them that was interesting or humorous. Take a look and see what you think.

Also if you enjoy celebrity gossip, I get a kick out of http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/. It is one of my guilty pleasure web sites. Along with http://www.dailypuppy.com/.

Oprah's Favorite New Technology

2008-10-29T11:08:00.000-04:00

I am not a huge Oprah fan, but every once in awhile she will do a show that catches my attention. Last week, one of her shows' descriptions said she was going to talk about a new tech toy that changed her life. I was intrigued and wanted to know what it was. (At first I thought it was one of those robot vacuums, I wouldn't mind one of those.)

Oprah then gave everyone in the audience an Amazon Kindle. For all of you who haven't heard, this is the newest attempt at electronic books. Oprah went on an on about how it saves paper, is lighter than carrying a bunch of books on vacation and that books are cheaper (never mind that the Kindle itself costs 300 some dollars).

When Oprah gave everyone in the crowd a Kindle, at first I was jealous and then I thought "Crap if Oprah is supporting this that means that this electronic book may just survive the hype." What will this mean for libraries? What does this mean for my future in libraries?

First of all, if the Kindle gets adults reading, I am all for that. I also do not think it will destroy libraries because even though electronic books are cheaper, they are still free at the library. Some will prefer the "old fashion" books. People will still need help finding the perfect book for enjoyment or research no matter what format it comes in. And finally, the library is so much more than building full of books. Can a Kindle provide storytimes? Homework help? Or all the other sweet stuff libraries do for the community?

I rest my case.

With that being said , I do not think libraries should just ignore the Kindles. Perhaps we should consider renting Kindles out? Or making electronic books available online to download? What would be the copyright on that though? Would there be a time limit on how long library users could have a book downloaded? Would publishers even allow us to hand electronic copies of books like trick or treat candy? It will be interesting to see what happens in the library world because of these Kindles.

Flickr #2

2008-10-24T13:30:00.000-04:00

More experimenting on Flickr!

I really enjoyed the color application. I love colors (especially pink) and this was a fun application to play around on. I am not sure what I would specifically use it for, but I liked it.

I would blog longer but it is almost my shift on the circ desk.

Flickr

2008-10-24T13:05:00.000-04:00

2nd post in one day! I am rolling right along!

The "assignment" I am working on now is exploring Flickr. I have used this site several times before - a few of my college friends post pictures on here. However, most of my friends prefer to use Facebook or MySpace for posting pictures. I find pictures on Flickr tend to be more artsy. However when I do come across "party pics" or more personal photos, I find myself a little uncomfortable. I dread the day when an unflattering picture of me will come up for the world to see on one of these sites. I guess I am a lot more private than a lot of people.

The picture I uploaded on my post this week is of the Rockefeller Tree in NYC (Uploaded on May 27, 2008 by newyorkese ). I did a search for a picture like this because during the first week of December, my mom, sister and I are going on a bus tour to the Big Apple. This will be all of ours' first time in the city! So I will be glad to hear any suggestions of sites or places to visit!

Lifelong Learning

2008-10-24T12:18:00.001-04:00

I am finally starting Learn and Play! I am a new CML staff member and anxious to catch up with everyone else on this adventure of learning new Internet features!

Last week I viewed the 7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners video and considered what Habits I found easiest and hardest.

I think the easiest habit for me is do is to accept responsibility. I naturally find every opportunity as a learning opportunity and take responsibility for my continued learning. I am always asking questions about why things are done and what the overall goals of activities are. Some would say I am curious, others may say I am slightly annoying. I was one of those children who asked "Why" all the time and drove my mother crazy.

The hardest habit was obvious to me during the video. It is the teaching or mentoring habit. Sure I can help children in the Homework Help center (as long as it is not some crazy math problem), but when asked to teach my peers something I instantly feel inadequate. I am not sure if it is my young age, limited experience, or lack of confidence. Hopefully as I am in the system longer, my confidence will grow and I will be better at this part of lifelong learning.

Until Next Time...

Test

2008-10-24T11:10:00.000-04:00

Testing, 1, 2, 3.
Testing 1, 2, 3.