Week 6: Google tools

Google Docs

The features I like about this product are the ability to share editing of the document across the Internet, and not just within a restricted LAN environment
within one organisation. For material that isn't sensitive, it would be a good option for collaboration between different organisations, and has real potential for outreach.

Google Maps
Google Maps is brilliant, I've used it a lot for creating easy to access maps for friends when visiting my house for the first time. It would also be useful for giving directions to the library to people, such as presenters giving talks here or other outsourced activities.

Google Book Search

I've used Google Books before, and I'm always amazed at the diverse books that they have available. I use the net a lot to look for things that I can't get in Tasmania, or even Australia, and when looking for books I can invariably find them on Google books or Amazon to preview.

Being able to click on the Find this book in a library link is really useful as well, and I can see how this could be of benefit to libraries.

Week 5: Get Social

MySpace
I've looked at a few different libraries on MySpace, and there seem to be a few different categories of the way that they use it. At the simplest level, its just a page with the libraries contact details and website info on it, as well as their list of friends.
Others use the MySpace as an extension of what would be on their site, and include such things as a link to their catalogue/site with a canned search that shows the latest DVDs, links to their catalogues, teen activities and their what's on pages. I think the big advantage for using MySpace is that it has the potential to reach audiences who may not go looking for a library website through Google, but may come across it in MySpace.

Facebook

I've also been using Facebook for a while, and I've added some friends. I don't use it very often, as I find I also get bombarded with a lot of junky type stuff. Most of the work or hobby things I do, I find quicker and easier to do with Forums based around the topic. This might change as I play more with Facebook.

Week 4: RSS feeds and feedreaders

I've been using RSS feeds for a couple of years, mostly for my hobbies and interests. They are a really useful way of keeping up to date with news and information from a variety of sources within one integrated package, without having to navigate to different areas of the web. I think the hardest thing with them is to only subscribe to the ones that are really relevant to your needs, as otherwise you can be bombarded with too much information.
The Library one's that I have subscribed to at the moment are:

Read Alert
Unshelved (we all need a reminder about the funny things that happen in our jobs at times)\
Librarian.net
LibraryBytes and
LISnews
Love the liberry

Week 3: Play Week - Online Generators and Library Thing

I had a lot of fun with the image generator at www.pichacks.com.
Who has the biggest facial hair problem, man or dog?

LibraryThing

I've looked at LibraryThing before, but haven't really had a lot of time to check it out properly. This time round, what I really like about it is the ability to check out what other everyday people (instead of professional critics and publishers) have to say about the books that I'm reading recreationally and using for Storytime. In my current role as a young person's librarian, I can see this as a great tool for cataloguing books into different storytime collections. That way I could have a readymade list of books on different topics that I can draw on when preparing activities and programs.
By using LibraryThing, and it's connection through Talisplus, I could keep track of particular books easily without having to take them out of circulation and into a storytime collection. The link to my catalog is:

Anthony's catalog

2: Flickr and photo sharing

Hi everyone,

I don't have any library photo's at the moment, only being new in the position, but I'll add some as soon as I get them. With NSS coming up, I should have some good ones soon. For the time being though, here is the image that I've put on Flickr for the activity:

Ready to begin

Hi Everyone,

Well, I'm all ready to begin learning about Web 2.0 technologies. I've mucked about with bits and pieces of it before, if it wasn't for YouTube I'd have already killed myself with my mountain board and kite!

It'll be nice to have some kind of informal framework around my explorations in web 2.0, and people to learn alongside with.

Anthony