Thing 23: Summary

First off, I am frightfully ashamed that a program that was designed to take 9 weeks took me nearly two and a half years to complete!  However, I have worked in three different libraries during that time, completed many other trainings, and gathered enough CEUs to renew my librarian's certificate last June, so I guess I can claim to have been a bit busy.  Really though, it's just been difficult to concentrate on this.  When I'm on the desk I do my best to help customers and give them my full attention, and when I'm off the desk I tend to weed, keep up the new books collections, do displays, and other, more physically active library maintenance types of projects.  Despite all that, it has really been worthwhile overall, and I will try to answer the summary questions as best I can:

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?

I am very glad to have learned how easy it is to set up a blog, and to now have insight into how many of the blogs I look at are made.  Although I haven't used it much since completing thing 5, I also like the possibilities of Flickr.  Some of the news feed services I learned about, like bloglines and RSS feeds, could be very useful for me to keep up on professional issues. 

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?

It has made me aware that I really do need to think in terms of lifelong learning.  The many dead links I encountered along the way make it clear that even in the relatively short time since this program was conceived, a lot has changed, and it will keep changing at a dizzying pace.  No one can keep up with every development in technology, but I could try a lot harder to keep abreast of key innovations. 

Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I didn't expect for it to take so long, and analyzing why it has has given me some insights into my work habits and ways that I might improve them. 

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?

It might be helpful to organize small groups to work on something like this with a timeline.  Say, do three things and meet up in two weeks to discuss and share findings.  Even if there weren't time to meet in person, maybe an online discussion group with deadlines that break the project down into smaller pieces might help people like me keep to a more consistent schedule.  I also then wouldn't feel guilty about devoting time to something like this when there are other things that need to be done in the library because it would be an assignment that needed to be completed and that others were aware of.  When I'm off the desk I always feel like it looks like I'm not working if I spend much time at a PC, and having assigned deadlines, etc. woul make me feel less like I should squeeze this in at home or at some other time.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?

Yes, definitely!

How would you describe your learning experience in a few words or a few sentences, so we can share our successes and promote this program?

I think that most librarians today are fairly technologically literate and are aware of the need to keep up on emerging technologies.  Knowing that and actually taking action to do that are two different things, though.  A program like 23 Things creates a space in the work week for devoting time to keeping up on technology, and constitutes an acknowledgment by administration that this is a vital and important part of our jobs.

Thing 22: Learn About Audiobooks

Since doing the e-book training and actually looking into it on my own even before that, I am quite familiar with Overdrive and how to download ebooks.  Getting an audiobook from Overdrive onto my iPod was a little trickier, but I have done it, and am looking forward to using this alternative to books on cd since my car cd player is cranky at best!  Project Gutenberg is something I've know about forever it seems, but I did not realize that they offered audio books as well as print.  I am intrigued by the possibility of becoming a volunteer reader through their partnership with Librivox, and plan to look into that further.  The World eBook Fair was a little more confusing, and after examining their site I'm still not quite sure whether I understand what they are offering:  are their titles all public domain ones or are they offering  a very inexpensive way to access more recent titles?  Charging a yearly fee, rather than a per-book cost is an attractive idea, but its attractiveness would depend a lot on a person's interests and how well their selection could meet them. 

Thing 21: Podcasts

So, Podcasts . . . This is another case where my procrastination on finishing 23 Things has tripped me up a bit.  Only podcastalley.com, of the three recommended podcast directories still seems to be functional, but every podcast I tried to access was quite out of date.  So, I think that podcasting may have faded a bit as an interest for people since 23 Things was conceived.  I had listened to podcasts before, mostly downloaded via iTunes, but have never been really into them, because I don't generally enjoy talk radio and found a lot of them too chatty and amateurishly produced.  Nonetheless, I wanted to try to fulfill the assignment to add a podcast feed to my bloglines account, so went to National Public Radio's website to see what they have available.  Fresh Air is a show I've always enjoyed on NPR, but rarely am listening to the radio at the right time to hear it, so decided that would be a good one.  Adding it to my bloglines account was a simple matter of cutting and pasting the feed URL.  Here is a screenshot of my bloglines dashboard, to show the Fresh Air podcast has been added (upper left corner).

Going back to bloglines, which I hadn't used in quite awhile until trying to complete Thing 21, reminded me that there is a lot of good stuff here that I would otherwise miss, so I will try to remember to check it more often from now on!

Thing 20: YouTube

Thing 20 is kind of a freebie for me, because I am well-acquainted with YouTube already. I don't see many downsides to YouTube. It's fun, and often informative, and provides a pretty good platform for people to get their quirky, interesting stuff out there. Until recently, I had mostly only been familiar with YouTube as a place to view funny videos friends sent me, but since my ten-year-old son started playing guitar I have learned that there is quite a bit more to it than that. He does actually take guitar lessons in person, but thanks to YouTube, he's been able to get video instructions on how to play many songs on his guitar. It's really a great resource.

Similarly, I could see a great potential for libaries to use YouTube to teach customers how to use some of our more complicated services like e-books. It is often very difficult for people to wade through a lot of printed instructions when dealing with a new technology, and I think that video instructions, with screen shots, etc. might prove very helpful.

Below I've embedded a video recently sent to me by a fellow librarian friend in upstate New York, but which features librarians from nearby Virginia. YouTube in particular, and the internet in general, can make the world seem very small indeed!

Thing 19: Zillow

Winning first place in the Web 2.0 Award's Real Estate category, Zillow http://www.zillow.com/  is a really useful tool that I could see sharing with customers looking to buy or sell a home.  First off, Zillow allows  you to enter an address and see the sales history for that property, ie:  if you are buying, you can find out what the current owner paid and when.  Zillow also gives buyers and sellers context by listing what have homes sold for in a given area, using a map-based format.  If you're buying, you can also enter detailed search criteria:  number of bathrooms and bedrooms, price range, zip code, type of dwelling, etc.  Zillow could potentially affect the real estate profession the way sites like expedia and travelocity have affected travel agents, rendering them nearly obsolete.  Thanks to Zillow, and sites like it, any potential buyer and seller can do a lot of research on his or her own to yield very useful information about how to approach a real estate purchase or sale.  And you can also pull up information that would be useful when just starting to think about buying a home, like where open houses are in a given neighborhood, etc.

On the downside, just as most of us find Mapquest to be lacking something in terms of suggested routes in areas that we know well, it is easy to find that Zillow has quite a few errors.  All I had to do was look up my own house to know that I shouldn't take what I see on Zillow as gospel.  In addition to not listing the number of bedrooms at all, it showed an incorrect number of bathrooms, and couldn't account for things like our installation of central air conditioning.  They do have a feature where you can send in information about your home, but I probably wouldn't do this unless we were putting it up for sale.  Zillow's value estimates are probably affected by missing and incorrect information like this though, which compromises its value to a degree.  Also, when I clicked on the "view listing website," (which normally takes you to the realtor's write up) for one home that caught my eye, it turned out that it was no longer for sale.  So, unless or until Zillow can resolve some of these problems, I suppose realtors will be remain in business for at least awhile!

Thing 18: Zoho writer

Okay, so Zoho Writer was a mixed bag.  It was easy enough to create my document and to make it look pretty good, but I could not get the "post to blog" feature to work.  In the end, under "share" I chose "publish" and "make public," and it assigned my document its own URL (linked below).  I can't quite figure out what I did wrong, but so be it.  I am happy enough with what I have learned so far. 

http://writer.zoho.com/public/caitlin.mccarthy/untitled

Thing 17: Sandbox Wiki

Woops!  The sandbox wiki seems to be one of the things on 23 Things that has disappeared.  I can't seem to find a way to create an account, and the links from Maryland Libraries Learning 2 are all dead, except for the PB Wiki Tips one.  Okay, well, in an effort to at least somewhat do this assignment, I will link here to my favorite Twilight-related blogs:
http://twicrackaddict.blogspot.com/
http://www.robsessedpattinson.com/
They are indeed most silly and fan-girlish, but what can I say?  Even 42-year-olds need brain candy sometimes!

Thing 16: Wikis

Having mostly only been exposed to Wikipedia as an example of a Wiki before this assignment, it was interesting to see how many wikis there are out there and all the different uses to which they're being put.  Even though I am as guilty of falling back on Wikipedia as anyone else for my personal research, I still bristle at the concept of wikis for trying to find information that needs to be accurate.  I got my MLS in 1997, when the internet was still relatively unformed and we studied print reference sources in class and took the issue of their accuracy and authoritativeness quite seriously.  It's hard to even begin to explain these concepts to today's wired teens. 

So, of the wikis that I looked at, I thought that Princeton Public Library's Books Lovers one http://booklovers.pbworks.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library was a good use for the wiki format and that it was well done.  Book reviews and other sorts of discussion-oriented topics seem like a good use for wikis.  For subject matter that needs to be authoratative though, I am still mistrustful that wikis are the way to go.  Perhaps there are limited-access, moderated, or peer-reviewed wikis out there too?  A wiki produced only by subject experts within a field would be a different story from what I've seen so far.  I thought that the Library Success wiki about wikis http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=What_is_a_Wiki presented a very helpful overview of the topic.

Thing 15--Web 2.0 and Library 2.0

First off, I have to say that the terms Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 seem just plain silly.  The very terminology belies the idea that this is a conversation taking place among technology innovators.  Instead, the concepts sound like the invention of non-techie, technology-awe-inspired people--which describes (or has described) many librarians.  I don't think that people truly involved in the world of innovation and technology would use terms that seem so imitative of programmer jargon.  So, there's that.

Now to the specific perspective included in the Next Space newlsetter and how they compare with my experience as a librarian.  I think the perspectives I read are relevant on a big-picture, long-term planning level.  In my time at MCPL I've seen great examples that MCPL administrators are thinking about these issues and improving the ways we reach customers beyond bricks and mortar and books on shelves--our virutal services department, our excellent website, the efforts to implement a books-by-mail program, innovative integration of and linking to outside information.  All of these are absolutely necessary for a library system that plans to stay relevant into the future.

BUT, the experience of working in a small branch library is an entirely different thing, and one that convinces me that concepts like Web and Library 2.0 are far from my daily customers' minds. 

Aspen Hill Library has two very identifiable core customer groups--young families and senior citizens.  Although children enjoy the games on our Early Literacy Station and our seniors are sometimes pleasantly surprised when something they want can be acquired for them electronically, neither of these are why they come to the library.  When their children are young is a time that many adults rediscover the library after staying away for years after high school or college.  They want to sit on our colorful rugs and read to their children.  They want their kids to come to storytime, to be able to do puzzles and play games, to explore our dizzying array of attractive children's books, and to build up the courage to learn how to ask the librarian a question.  And even better, once their kids go off to school, many of these parents keep coming back to the library, having become reacquainted with what a wonderful place it is! 

Our senior citizens want books: old books, new books, bestseller books, book club books, large type books, books on cd, all kinds of books.  They want to look at the Consumer Reports buying guides and investment information, and many of them, though by no means all, do NOT want to learn how to use computers.  With their years of life experience they realize that there are very few books they actually need to own, but they still want to read, and recognize the library for the amazingly valuable, staple-of-democracy resource that it is.  They also want to talk to a person, a person who listens, a person who genuinely wants to help them find the resources that they seek.  Sometimes they don't really need anything in particular and just want a familiar-looking place to go and some brief, pleasant contact with another human being.

It will be a long while (30 years? 40 years?) between now and when the people who were raised primarily with books and not technology pass on.  I am 41, and although pretty tech-literate and not at all technology-shy, I fall quite definitely into that cohort.  What libraries will be like--or if they will be physically at all--when the generation that has been familiar with computers since infancy hits its prime, I cannot say.  But until then, I think that Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 enthusiasts may be getting a bit carried away.  We have a vital customer base, people who, yes, want to use our computers and want all the bells and whistles that technology has to offer, but who also want a  place--a sort of "third place," to use Starbucks terminology.  Some only want the place and the books, some only want the technology, and most, perhaps, want a mix.  But it is way too soon to toss out the place concept and the physical books model in favor of a vaguely defined futuristic model of which we don't yet know how to accurately conceive.

Thing 14 substitution--Google Books

After not getting anywhere for too long with the links on Technorati, I started looking for a substitute thing to do for thing 14.  Although I originally went looking for Google Labs, which was listed on the 43 things list, I stumbled upon Google Books, which looks really exciting, and especially relevant for libraries.   Here is a link explaining a lot of it in more detail than I can here http://books.google.com/googlebooks/agreement/.  In essence, out-of-print, out-of-copyright books are searchable and sometimes readable in full on Google books, an invaluable resource for people whose interests go beyond the current bestseller lists.  Also, with library funding dwindling, which is making it more and more difficult to replace damaged, worn copies of older books, this could prove to be very, very useful.  It sounds like they are expanding access to other sorts of books too, which, if handled properly with respect for intellectual property rights, would certainly be a boon to libraries.  For high school students, who are very comfortable with reading online, this could be great when they need to read a classic at the last minute and all the library's copies are checked out.  Another use for works they have access to, such as Shakespeare's, is to search for a line of part of a line that you remember but can't remember which play, or part of the play it's from.  They also have access to back issues of all kinds of magazines, which makes physical preservation of these fragile media something libraries will have to sweat out less.  In addition, you can use "my library" on Google Books to build a list of books you've read and/or liked, post reviews, etc.  I don't have time at the moment to delve more deeply into Google Books, but I'd say it's a promising resource for libraries, librarians, and book-lovers of all stripes.

Del.icio.us--Thing 13

Hmmm . . . I am feeling more and more like doing 23 Things is like following a web road map of an area where many of the roads have changed.  Del.icio.us seems like something that seemed exciting several years ago but since has been supplanted by other, better services.  For example, most of the links about del.icio.us on www.marylandlibrarieslearning2.blogspot.com/, including the one to the tutorial video were dead.  Also, at one point I selected "show freshest" instead of "view all" on del.icio.us and the first link was from 2007!  I did eventually find newer bookmarks, but find the layout to be kind of uninviting and techie-looking.  I went to the sites of a couple of libraries that were listed as using del.icio.us, and their links and bookmarks appeared to be 3-4 years old as well.  I hate to make this the negativity blog, but do not see del.icio.us as a useful library tool.  In terms of serving customers, a well-designed, diligently maintained library website with well-organized links (which I'd say that MCPL has) is a far better resource 

On this quiet, snowy day at my library, I will try to do one more "thing" today before we close.

Rollyo--Thing 12

Well, Rollyo . . . what can I say?  I wanted to like this tool, but I just don't.  I can't see how creating a search roll serves any useful purpose, that wouldn't be served just as well or better by a favorites list or Google.  I have also found it, on multiple different occasions that I tried to use it, to be a very slow website, often timing out because it was overloaded with "too many connections."  So, after stalling at Thing 12 for far too long, I am going to move on to the next thing.  Here is the link to my Rollyo profile: www.rollyo.com/twibrarian/

Library Thing--Thing 11

Library Thing is pretty cool.  I don't really feel the need to catalog my personal library, so just threw in a few titles I've mentioned here to fulfill the assignment.  Click here: www.librarything.com/catalog/CaitlinMc to see them.  It was easy to find what I was looking for and easy to add the items to my collection.  Two flaws I noted though, were: (1) that there was no obvious 'return to results list,' option which is handy when entering multiple titles by the same author, and (2) it didn't alert me when I added the same title twice by accident.  Overall though, I'd say it's user friendly and a handy way to connect with likeminded readers, probably especially for people with more off-the-beaten-path selections in their collections.  I had already joined goodreads.com awhile back, which is similar in terms of social networking about books.

The "groups" and "talk" tabs on Library Thing are good and well-organized, especially "librarians who Library Thing."  I immediately saw discussions of topics related to my work that would interest me there, and found the responses came from all over the world.  It seems like a good networking tool, and a free peek into other librarians' experiences from places as far flung as New Zealand.

Image Generator--Thing 10

This image about accurately sums up how I felt about the image generator step of 23 Things: frustrated and annoyed and clutching my pencil in defense of old technology. The image generators I tried seemed like diverting toys, but not of any particular use, plus many did not work as advertised. So, that, in a nutshell is thing 10.

Texting & Twitter

I think that texting is the modern technology about which I feel most out of the loop. Truthfully, I'm just not a chatter, so don't feel much need to text. The "older people" (ie: my age or older) I know who text usually start as a way to communicate with their teenagers. Since my son is only 9, I haven't felt that need yet. Maybe when he starts middle school?

Twitter, of course, seems like texting writ large, with people needing to broadcast what they're doing moment to moment. This too is something I can't imagine needing to do myself or wanting to read others do, but who knows? The Washington Post's John Kelly had a good column about just this on Thursday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/02/AR2009090203664.html

Okay, now that I'm feeling a bit like Andy Rooney, I think I'll sign off. Enough blogging for one day!

Flickr Maps

Okay, this one was hard to figure out, and I'm still not sure that it's going to show up right, but here goes. A flickr map of my favorite place, with photo inset:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mclarabee/map?&fLat=51.4705&fLon=-9.7263&zl=5&order_by=recent

Twibrarian circa 1973

Future Librarian
Originally uploaded by poiuy99

I'm exploring Flickr today, and decided to upload this photo of myself just for a laugh. From what I've read so far, I can't really see a use for Flickr in my work, but MCPL does have its library photos on their website using Flickr. Here's a link to the ones of my library:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/montgomerycountypubliclibrariesmd/sets/72157601281293387/

Perhaps after exploring some more I will see a library-related use for Flickr!

7 1/2 Habits

I guess that of the "7 1/2 Habits of Lifelong Learners" the hardest for me would be 2 (accept responsibility) and 5 (create learning toolbox), since I often have trouble with the follow-through required to reach a goal. Nonetheless, I do "have confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner" (#4), so I guess I usually get there somehow!

The habit that struck me most in this tutorial though, was 7 1/2: "Play!" That habit is part of how I came to call my blog "twibrarian" and how, at 40 years old--well out of its target demographic of teens and tweens--I found myself swept up in the Twilight phenomenon this winter. Out of what I told myself was purely professional interest in a publishing tsunami, and after recommendations from a few unlikely suspects, I picked up Twilight in February. Ever since then I have been on a roller coaster ride of enjoying fiction like I hadn't in years! In the past five months I've read and loved not only all the Twilight books, but the entire Diana Gabaldon Outlander series (6 volumes and many thousands of pages--new one coming out next month, yippee!), and most recently, Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series.

Stephenie Meyer, Diana Gabaldon, and Charlaine Harris are unlikely to be nominated for National Book Awards (Gabaldon possibly?), but their books sure are a pleasure to read. Like John Irving and Barbara Kingsolver, two of my favorite authors in my twenties, these authors know how to tell a great story, and that is something I'd forgotten how much I loved. While I wouldn't want to banish more literary fiction from my life forever, reading these books has put me back in touch with why I love reading. I'd wager that it's why so many of us who always had our "nose(s) buried in a book" as children became librarians to begin with: jumping right into someone else's gripping story is just plain fun. Even grown-ups want to play!

So, although I've been sheepish at times about how captivated I became by Twilight and its successors, I'm outing myself here. I may not be reading things that would impress the editors of The New Yorker, but I can tell you that my television is gathering dust and that I practically feel like the kid who stayed up all night with a flashlight under the covers again. I'm not getting much sleep, and my sink is often full of dishes, but I sure am enjoying myself. That, I think, is a good thing. So, let's hear it for play!

First Post

This is it. Off to the races now!