#23 > Is this really the end, or just the beginning?

I think that (mostly) it is just the end of the beginning. I enjoyed doing this training - although when I think back to my learning contract I realise that I didn't take the path that I hoped I would. But then I have always been a bit of a last minute person - deadlines often provide a very good way of focusing ones wandering mind. And lets face it, it's done and in on time. Some of the web 2.0 technology I was already familiar with - but this was a good way of recognising that many of the things I 'play' with in my spare time have library implications. My favourite new things are flikr and bloglines.

Thanks and adios!

#22 > audiobooks or the end is in sight

Let me start by saying that I love audiobooks. I have been listening to them for years, through varying technology - the walkman, the discman and now the iPOD. Currently most of what I 'read' is on audiobook as I am able to do other things whilst I listen. So I am very excited about being able to have library subscriptions to talking books via the web!
One of the really fabulous things I learnt about eBooks is the Adobe eReader that will allow your computer to read to you - this is a really fabulous service for those people who can no longer read themselves and have difficulty with handling tapes and cassettes. Libraries could be creating their own Large print site with a selection of items for members to use!

#21 > Podcasts, smodcasts

I have been subscribing to podcasts (mainly music and radio programs) for awhile. I really like the way that they are access when you are ready, rather than having to be listening at a certain time. The automatic updates make it very easy to keep up to date as well. I wasn't aware of these directories though, so it's great to have an index of what is out there. I know that our library service has plans to use podcasting via our website and in the library in the very near future, so it will be good to play around with audacity.

#20 > You too can YouTube

I've been using YouTube for some time now. Not sure if I want to admit this, but I watch series 2 of the BBC's Robin Hood which is very fastidiously uploaded by a 19 year old girl who thinks that living abroad should not restrict viewing. Apart from this questionable copyright breach (to be fair she does credit the BBC and the quality is certainly nothing to write home about) I think it is really great to find a tool that can make sharing film so easy. it's also nice to step back in time with clips from ones childhood!

Here's a couple I like:

#19 > Discovering web 2.0 tools

I chose picnik which is a free online photo editor. I was interested to explore a free photo editor. Whilst picnik does not have all the features of a product like photoshop, it does some interesting stuff. One downside is that the really good stuff is 'premium' and you have to pay for that. I would use this to edit quick pics for web posting.
This is what I did with a holiday snap taken at the famous Elephant Gate at the Carlsburg Brewery in Copenhagen, Denmark.

#18 > Web-based Apps: They're not just for desktops

I've begun playing with web based applications, I can certainly see how useful they could be in being able to access documents anywhere and share them. This is another example of how we are ahead of our larger organisations - currently with our IT constraints we would not be able to use these tools!

#17 > Playing around with PBWiki

Playing around in the sandbox is fun...creating the wiki is quite similar to our website updating software. I decided to create the link with a heading covering the URL...just thought it looked a bit cleaner....I am very taken with the idea of using this technology at work!

#16 > What's in a Wiki?

Wiki's are a REALLY great tool. The sceptic in me had misgivings about 'abusing' the privilege of being able to add information - but I don't think this happens as much as it might. I think wikis would be well worth developing for subject guides - particularly for fiction which often has no cataloguing or genre associated with it. It would be great for readers to add their own comments, genre, and further reading ideas which saves us some time, provides 'real' insight, and interaction or conversation between readers (even if it is in cyber-space!).
I think wikis would also be good in creating 'quick pick' policy manuals. Often policy documents are very formal with swathe of often irrelevant information to wade through to find a particular point. A 'policy at a glance' wiki would allow for subject headings that could easily summarise each point. Wikis enable up to date information to be available instantly, which can then by used to back up the more formal documentation that can take some time to update.

#15 >on library 2.0 & web 2.0

There are many good reasons for libraries to support the web 2.0 ideals. Ease of access - be it online, in a comfortable friendly space, as a sancutary, as a place to encourage creativity is essential. Providing appropriate training and resources that aren't constrained by time or money and are in a format that is relevant to the user, having a mix of tradition (there are plenty of people out there who still want to physically come and browse a shelf and take an actual book home) and cutting edge technology is also vital. Essentially we need to know what's out there and it's potential, and make sure that we use it to provide our users and potential users, with what they want.
Increasingly my workplace has become more bureaucratic as we have developed a closer relationship with our funders. It is hard to maintain that friendly, edgy 'vibe' when decisions about future direction down to policy are so far behind what is happening out there now. Libraries shouldn't be this way. We need to educate those who fund us on some of these principles. Encourage them to trust that we know what we are doing and give us the ability to act rather than react. Until we are able to keep up with what's happening out there and deliver what our members want, when they want it, we can not deliver a Library 2.0 service.

#14 > technorati (schmecnorati???)

Yeah I get it. We should tag things to make it easier to find later or so that like minded people can also find like minded interests. Personally I think that the majority of blogs out there are probably not worth the time they take to read - there's a lot of navel gazing going on, but I can see how if one is looking for particular information, tags are very handy in weeding out the crud.

#13 > Del.icio.us

I think that Del.icio.us is quite a good tool for both research assistance and easily accessible bookmarks. I can see that in a public domain, a library reference desk or website it could be good, but personally I don't always want to share all my personal obsessions with everyone!

I've added the network badge, but I am yet to share my very personal booklist with anyone...

#12 > Rollyo

I think that Rollyo has great application in a library setting. Using Rollyo to create 'databases' for some frequently asked questions at a reference desk or on a library website would be great.

I played around a bit looking at celebrity gossip, medical information and then created a knitting rollyo

#11> all about LibraryThing

I think there are some obvious uses for LibraryThing in a library context - and it doesn't surprise me in the least that librarians make up such a large percentage of it's total membership. It is afterall a cataloguing tool.
I love being able to keep a record of what I have read (have done it since I was a wee girl, I think I was heavily influenced by readathons as a child). It is also good to be able to make suggestions or unsuggestions. I also use iRead in my facebook account and I really like being able to add books I want to read, highlight what I am currently reading and then 'tick' them off my list by saying Read it!

#10 - back to the fun stuff....

A lot of fun. After creating my own emo, putting on some scary makeup on the blyth dolls and creating a snowdome of glenelg at Xmas I decided to do a bit of image editing. I work a lot with graphics for our website and promotions. I can see how some of these tools could be used to make some great promotional images.

#9

Newsfeeds are another good tool for having information streamed straight to you. The only limitation it seems is the overwhelming and infinate subjects out there. I was really interested in using Feedster because I am a bit of a podcast fan. Unfortunately it was continually unavailable, so I will have to keep trying.

Added another RSS for the Australian Library Journal. This is a tool I already use to do media searches on articles about our Library service.

#8

RSS is one of those tools for the laz.. ehm, time challenged among us who would prefer to have information pushed toward us rather than having to remember to find it. All jokes aside I think that it is a good tool as there is sooo much stuff out there it is hard to keep abreast of everything. I think that RSS feeds from library websites to alert members of events, new items or calamities (the library has flooded, don't bother to come in unless you have a dinghy...) is a great use of this technology. And it's a bit fun too.

If I can make the link work, have a look at what I'm being fed...

#7 - tech·nol·o·gy

1.	the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.

2.	the terminology of an art, science, etc.; technical nomenclature.

3.	a technological process, invention, method, or the like.

4.	the sum of the ways in which social groups provide themselves with the material objects of their civilization.

I thought I would start at the very beginning, a very good place to start - with a definition. On the way to the bookshelf to dust of my mother's Pocket Oxford English Dictionary (sorry mum, hope you weren't wondering where it had got to!) I remembered that I was connected to this inter-webby thing that might provide me with the answer. I was right, not only did I find a very good (and broad) definition of what technology is, I also managed to find an RSS feed to the OED's word of the day (which is jumping ahead to the next exercise), and alert my mum to her dictionary's where abouts. See technology really is very amazing. With the click of a couple of buttons I am both informed and entertained and my mum knows where her dictionary is!

#6

Hmm, it's been awhile...would you believe I feel into the Flickr dimension and it has taken me 2 months to come out the other side?
Flikr is a most delightful tool. Hours upon hours of procrastination, ehm, I mean exploration. I started by uploading some holiday snaps, and well nearly 2 months later I am still finding, organising, categorising, wishing and remembering. If only there were more hours in the day. I love being able to upload my images, track my journey with the maps, add tags with the colourful local detail, how I was feeling - my most deepest thoughts that inspires us to continue travelling....but beware, this can be addictive to the obsessive. I began to find myself swamped with doubts. Was hotel on the corner of Rue Clauzel? Which streets did our bike tour ride through? Where was that fabulous patisserie? Did Picasso really live behind that gate, or did I just make that up? Of course I can't go public until I have it all in order. Wouldn't want to get people lost.
So I decided it might be just as easy to start a new travel plan with http://travel.yahoo.com/trip where I can upload the information as I go. This helps quell the rising panic. Now all I have to do is to decide exactly where I am going...meanwhile I have managed to create beautiful artwork with my nearest and dearest as popart subjects. Andy would be so proud.