Thingy 10: Wiki Wonderland

We changed our internal library Intranet into a wiki about a year ago. The wiki format makes it easier for anyone to add information and edit, kind of like an electronic bulletin board. I was really impressed with some of the library wikis out there and the creative uses librarians found for promoting new books/materials information, subject guides, community resources, directories, patron feedback, and more. I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog for a virtual bookgroup, but perhaps a wiki would be the way to go. I have to admit that I've found Wikipedia extremely helpful as a starting point for finding information on some pretty obscure topics--it often includes maps, timelines, and bibliographies of resources for further research. And it can be an ego booster when you find something that is blatantly wrong (or ego deflater depending on which side of the screen you're on). I wouldn't promote the practice of limiting information by format but would urge students/patrons to consider the source. I also take into consideration that by the time patrons approach me at the reference desk they have already seen the Wikipedia and other googled information; it's my job to go beyond. I'll be heading over to visit the 23 Things wiki shortly.

Thingy 9: Online collaboration tools

We have Google Docs on our Internet menu for our patrons to use because we don't have a full word-processing program on our public Internet stations. I think that tools like Google Docs or Zoho Writer are most helpful in a situation like that or if you are traveling or collaborating with people in different locations or workplaces. Otherwise I would normally say I prefer a full program like Microsoft Word and using shared folders for collaboration. However, I recently lost a rather important document in Word because I did not save it correctly (talk about a senior blonde moment!) so maybe I'm not so sure. We also use a wiki here at my library, but I see that's another thingy...

Chicago Cube 2

Thingy 8: Sharing creations

Here is my new improved cube. As you can see, I tried Picture Trail and made a cube using some photos I took on a short trip to Chicago a couple months ago. I also tried some of the slide show formats--very cool. I found this tool relatively easy to navigate and understand, even for a trailing edge baby boomer like me. A friend of mine from my library school days who is now exiled to the bad lands of western North Dakota recently talked me into registering on something called Plaxo. I've created a few photo albums there. It's been a fun way to keep in touch.

Thingy 7: Communication Tools

Oops, I was having way, way too much fun with the Flickr toys and got a little mixed up on my numbering. Of course our library uses email for just about everything from internal and external communication to managing interlibrary loan requests. We also receive and answer reference questions via email. We started doing IM reference about a year ago. It can be a little frustrating trying to juggle IM questions with library users standing in front of you at the reference desk. The IM users seem to be always in a hurry and the patrons in front of you think you are ignoring them or surfing the net when they see you typing away...especially frustrating when the IM questions are inappropriate, e.g., "Are u a boy or a girl?" (and worse). For awhile we did virtual reference with libraries across the country and soon we will start doing virtual reference with some other libraries in Minnesota.

I watched the "Basic VDX Workflow Training" Minitex Webinar and picked up a few tips on handling the VDX work queue.

Thingy 7 Way, way too much fun

Library Flickr

I just found out our library has its own Flickr page!