To One and All

Got My MP3!

We were given our MP3 players recently for successfully completing Tech Trek 2.0 at CCPL. Sweet! We received Creative Zen Stone players. I'm very pleased with the Zen Stone--very cool. Now I have to find and buy accessories...!

Tech Trek 2.0 is Over!

I'm really glad that I had a chance to participate in CCPL's Tech Trek 2.0. I worked with a great committee to help plan and carry out the program, and I watched as my coworkers worked through the program and learned that they were not as "techno-challenged" as they thought! Congrats to everyone who participated and I hope we all continue to learn new things and take the concept of lifelong learning to heart.

Modern Art

Check out my modern art creation! Just click here. Thanks to art.com artPad!

Quest 12: Sights and Sounds

I found this 1980s library exercise video really funny! It transported me back to my undergraduate days...we've come a long way, baby!


I can see YouTube becoming addictive very fast! I found it easy to lose all track of time while I was searching for videos on all kinds of topics. I can see libraries using this technology to promote programs and draw the "techno generation" into our facilities. I am a little concerned about privacy. I wouldn't want anyone to post a video of me on YouTube without my permission.

I love podcasts and subscribe to many of them at iTunes. I decided to try out Podcast Alley. I found a podcast all about Harry Potter called Sword of Gryffindor. It references a podcast available through iTunes called, Hog's Head PubCast. The current hot topic (of course) deals with the recent revelation that Dumbledore was gay.

I'm a big fan of Podcasts--audio and video ones. I've been working on producing an audio podcast, but first I have to get over not liking the sound of my recorded voice!

More About Quest 11

Just wanted to say that I was able to type my entry for Quest 11 below with Zoho Writer and then publish it to my blog from Zoho Writer! Yea! I'll have to read more about Zoho Writer, but I did see in the FAQ that when it goes out of beta it may no longer be free.

Quest 11: Online Apps

Online Apps--to use or not to use, that is the ?

This is my first experience with an online application, so I'm still learning what it's all about. I like the idea of being able to access my documents from any Internet computer, but I'm worried about access--can I keep my work to myself or must it be shared?

Online applications would be wonderful for the teens who visit our library and don't have a diskette or flash drive to save their work.

I wonder if Bill Gates is worried about free online apps running Microsoft out of business. Somehow I don't think so.... I cannot imagine Bill Gates worrying about anything!

Technorati Tags Zoho,Quest11,onlineapps

Quest 10: Hanging Out and Having Fun

I'm beginning to like Shelfari. If you haven't heard of it, click here to check it out. I've had an account with LibraryThing for many months, but for some reason, I just can't warm up to the site. Here's my current shelf on Shelfari. Just remember...I've only just begun!

Here's a Dylan Message for You!

Quest 9: Wikis

I must admit that I used to fear wikis...I think it was because I was able to change something in on the Web that I hadn't created. I was afraid I would "mess it up" or sound stupid. Once I realized that I could always go back in and make changes, I was OK with wikis. As I worked my way through the wikis listed in the Discovery Exercise, I found a couple I will definitely be spending more time exploring. I like the Princeton Public Library's Book Lovers Wiki--it would be great to get our patrons to start posting their book reviews and suggestions on a wiki. I was blown away by all the information available on the Library Success: Best Practices Wiki. I'm starting a book club for adults at our branch and I'll be checking this wiki for ideas on how to make the new club a success.

I would love to see a wiki with key websites around popular reference questions: legal, reader's advisory, SC history, government, etc. that would be available to staff at all branches. I am also going to explore the possibility of using a wiki to help celebrate Teen Tech Week in 2008--perhaps have the teens help by listing their favorite websites.

I went to the TechTrek2.0 Playhouse wiki and added a few of my favorites--very cool and tons of fun! And not scary at all--I'm definitely over my fear of wikis!

Quest 8: Can We All Be Friends?

Social networking seems to be everywhere these days. Now, you can have friends across the world that you've never seen face-to-face or even talked to on the telephone. Gone are the days of selecting your friends just from the people you meet in your life--at work, at church, at school, at parties.... But really, do dogs and cats need social networks? I did find surfing Dogster and Catster fun, but I don't think I could list my cats on Catster (I asked them and they didn't seem interested in making new cat friends).
I didn't realize there were so many social networking sites. Wikipedia lists close to 100 sites (I stopped counting at 75!), so I guess there must be site for just about anyone. While checking out some of the more popular ones (Bebo, Friendster, MySpace, etc.), I couldn't help wondering how my life would have been different if social networks were around 30 years ago when I was in high school. Perhaps I would have kept in touch with more of my school friends if we could have all become "friends" in cyberspace!
After seeing most of our teen patrons on the Internet after school checking out MySpace and wanting help with changing their MySpace pages, I created a MySpace page for myself to play around with so I could learn how to do things the "MySpace way." My MySpace page is pretty lame as a result. But if you're curious what lame looks like, click here.

Quest 6: Tagging

I like Del.icio.us and have created my own account--click here to see it. I can see so many advantages to using Del.icio.us over my "Favorites" list. The biggest advantage is accessibility. Being able to access my favorite links from any Internet equipped computer is a big plus--I share a computer in my cube at work, usually work at one of two computers at the Reference Desk, and have a laptop computer at home. So now, I need to only sign in to my Del.icio.us account, and then in the words of Emeril, BAM!--I have access to my favorites--it is just so...well, delicious.

In the world of reference services, it would be quite handy to have a Del.icio.us account that is accessible by reference staff at all the branches. We could all share the best sites we have found to assist our patrons; it's like creating one big clearinghouse for the best of the best websites to do our job.

Until this exercise, I hadn't played with Technorati at all. I had heard the term, but I didn't really know what it meant. I see it now as a pretty powerful way to search for blogs. The Advanced Search feature is full of ways to search for what interests you--and the results do vary depending on if you're searching by keyword (got the most hits here as I would expect), tags, or in the blog directory. I took the time to claim my blog (look in the sidebar for the Technorati button to add my blog to your faves) and I like the idea of a watchlist. I haven't created a watchlist yet, but I'm all for making my favorite searches easier. After browsing Technorati for just a few minutes, I was struck by how international it is--there are blogs from all over the world! Technorati...another tool I will have to spend more time exploring. It's easy to get hooked.

I haven't always remembered to add tags to my posts in the past, but after this exercise, I'm going to make a real effort to be sure I do!

Quest 7 Photos! Photos! Everywhere!

Their Eyes Wall Hanging
Originally uploaded by nlw29407

Okay, I love Flickr. I was lucky to take the SCSL course at the Main Library earlier this year and have been playing around with it ever since. I've just uploaded a picture I took at our branch of the quilted wall hanging by Nora R. Williams. It shows Janie, from Their Eyes Were Watching God, looking up to the sky and watching God. Janie's hair leaps off the wall hanging--it's a wonderful piece of art. The wall hanging will be leaving our library to go to Main and be part of an exhibit in the Saul Alexander Gallery during October. So, if you want to view it in person, be sure to stop by the gallery next month.

I think Flickr would be wonderful for new parents who have family members scattered around the world. Just upload all those cute baby snap shots, and all the family (with Internet access) would be able to enjoy them!

To see all my Flickr photos, click here.

Quest 5: What Fun!

This quest has been a blast! I'm not a big fan of the Simpsons, but I still enjoyed being Simpsonized. I've already created a couple of images using Image Chef and can't wait to make more! I can spend hours on CraigsList--it's amazing to see what people are giving away for free. I recently got a new laptop (I'm sitting on my sofa now watching TV while creating this entry--I LOVE wireless) so perhaps I'll use CraigsList to sell my old desktop computer.

After a week of play, I'm ready for Quest 6!

Turtles on the Town

I had the opportunity this weekend to go to the SC Aquarium to see the art exhibit, Turtles on the Town. These decorated turtles previously were scattered all around the town, but I decided to wait until they traveled back to the aquarium for final display. They will be auctioned off next weekend at the SC Aquarium to raise money for their turtle hospital. Here's a picture of the turtle who greets you at the entrance to the aquarium--he is called "Lowcountry Cooking":

Here's the link for the exhibit information: http://www.turtlesonthetown.com/default.html

If you want to see my other pictures of the turtles, click here.

Ways to Celebrate Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week will be from September 29-October 6, 2007. Are you celebrating your freedom to read? How?

AP Poll: 1 in 4 Read No Books in Past Year!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_on_re_us/reading_habits_ap_poll_6

Here's the link to the AP story from Yahoo! News. Can this be true? Sad to say, but I can believe it. While I find myself in a panic if I'm not reading at least one book at all times (and numerous magazines, too), I know many Americans don't feel the same way I do. I must have 50 or more books at home (mostly paperbacks that I've bought at FOL sales, yard sales or the Book Exchange) just waiting for me to find the time to read them. It brings me comfort to know that I'll always have a selection of books nearby to browse when I'm finished with one.

It's no wonder I love working at the library! Books, books, everywhere!

The AP Poll consisted of telephone interviews with 1,003 adults and has a margin of sampling error of + or - 3 % points.

From the AP Poll article:

"People from the West and Midwest are more likely to have read at least one book in the past year. Southerners who do read, however, tend to read more books, mostly religious books and romance novels, than people from other regions. Whites read more than blacks and Hispanics, and those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many as those who attend frequently."

Quest 4: RSS and Newsreaders

Even though I have attended the SCSL Tech Tracks program which included RSS and newsreaders, I was hesitant to take Quest 4 on. I set up a Bloglines account during the SCSL training and then returned to it only on about two occasions over the past several months. I was surprised Bloglines had not forgotten me, but this demonstrates what I find hard about newsreaders--finding the time to check them on a regular basis. I really like the idea of being able to subscribe to feeds and then loging in to Bloglines to see them all in one convenient place, but I just can't seem to find the time to check them. As of today, I'm subscribing to 16 feeds. My hope is to get into a routine of checking my Bloglines account each day and keeping informed. I've got my fingers crossed. Wish me luck!

By subscribing to library-related or professional feeds, I can try to keep on top of what's happening in the world of libraries and librarians. When I find time for a hobby, I can look for related feeds--I already subscribe to a few "fun" ones--Joke of the Day and New Urban Legends. I've made my Bloglines account public and here's the URL if you want to check out what I've subscribed to so far: http://www.bloglines.com/public/BookLoverLady

Back to School

I'm already learning from other CCPL blogs...saw someone recommend http://www.imagechef.com/ on a Tech Trek 2.0 blog and I was able to quickly personalize the animation above--AWESOME! I'm definitely going to play some more at this site!

Quest 3: I'M IMing

I started Instant Messaging earlier this year after attending the State Library's workshop in the TLC and fell in love with Meebo.com. My friends outside the library do not IM. I have a few close friends who live "long distance" from me and I would love to get them all on meebo to IM. I'm a fair typist, so I don't become too frustrated trying to keep an IM conversation going, but I do see where it could become an issue for the inexperienced or non-typist.
I find it easy to talk with one or two people via IM, but groups of more than a few people can get tricky. It easy to "talk over" someone else and several conversations to be going on at once between different group members.
Regardless of these difficulties, I still find IM fun and so much better than waiting for an email reply!

Quest 2: To Blog or Not to Blog...that is the ?

I wasn't sure that I would like blogging at first. I tend to keep my inner most thoughts to myself--I've never kept a diary. So "opening up" in an open medium like a blog is new to me. I find it kind of exciting but also somewhat scary! I don't expect I'll disclose my deep, dark secrets here, but I might just throw out an opinion or thought...or two!
I recently went to Beaufort, SC to visit some close friends and to see the Beaufort Big Swim. The Big Swim is 31 mermaids scattered around the town and decorated in a wide variety of ways. If you want to learn more, check out this website: http://www.beaufortcountyarts.com/mermaidsplash.html
Here's one of my favorite mermaids, Miss LaTina Princess of Tides:

She is holding a mirror and looking at herself--This mermaid is covered in mirrors and cool blue tiles.

Quest 1: I've Blasted Off with Tech Trek 2.0!

Well, I've just finished Quest 1 and watched the 7 1/2 habits of highly successful lifelong learners. I am a believer in lifelong learning...which is obvious to anyone who knows me. I went to Graduate School almost 20 years after completing my Bachelor's degree! I love to learn new things.

The hardest of the 7 1/2 habits for me is Habit 3: View Problems as Challenges. I don't always see problems as learning opportunities. It's more normal for me to see problems as obstacles--at least at first. After the initial panic subsides and I can think more clearly, I can see the challenges in the problems.

The easiest of the 7 1/2 habits for me is Habit 7 1/2! PLAY! But finding time to play is sometimes a problem...or do I mean a challenge?! Habit 4: Have Confidence in Yourself as a Competent, Effective Learner is also fairly easy for me. I was a good student and enjoyed learning from a young age.

I'm really excited about learning more fun skills during Tech Trek 2.0!