Gone, but not forever

-Hello Again-

Now that I am settling into my position as Business Librarian at the Prince George's County Memorial Library System in Maryland I am going to update information to this blog on a more timely manner. I am also going to be adding features, such as the CNN RSS feed that you will see to the right side of this entry.

Things to be looking forward to include BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure ACT) establishing itself down the road, hopefully more nonprofits get established in the county and more people use the library for business services, or whatever services they need.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen... goodbye!

The end of the Blog!

Yes, 23 things did teach me a great deal about working with new technologies, keeping UTD on terminology (RSS, blog, Wiki, etc.) and really making myself keep up with the learning that I had set out to do.
I liked the format, but it would have been nice to have a staff program explaining what 23 things is and perhaps going into some of the "things" beforehand so that it would be easy to replicate the task when it was time. Also, because of the time crunch most PGCMLS staff deal with, it might have been great to block off even just 1/2 hour a week for all participating staff to complete their tasks for the week. Just 5ish hours would have really helped to get more people on board. Also, if we had the technology to extend to all staff members, than it would have been easier for everyone to complete.
A big thank you should go out to Albert who set this up. Even if you did not have the time to complete, you learned a great deal. And that is what this project was about. Thanks to 23 Things I will keep on blogging, develop a Wiki for work and keep UTD on trends.

Gutenberg: Nevermore

I looked up "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe on Project Gutenberg. I do find this site to be a mixed blessing, although mostly a blessing. If PGCMLS does not have a title (or in most cases, it is a Classic that is not available and the customer needs it ASAP) and it is available here, than I am always eager to recommend this. However, the idea that books are being read online does not always sit well with me. Sure, I like my PC (and Mac) as much as the next person, but how harmful is it to read a whole book online. And if you printed it up for reading, how wasteful is that in terms of paper. Like I said, a mixed blessing.

Keep on Bloggin'

I was able to check out the Chris Crutcher blog:
http://blogs.ala.org/oif.php?cat=296
I had the chance to actually play with podcasting at ALA. A friend had recieved the unit to record reactions to presentations. To be honest, we had a blast recording our ideas and playing with it. I am not sure if any of our work ever hit the www, but it was fun and easy to do. I could see PGCMLS investing in this technology (which I believe is not much over 200.00) and using it at events, to record customer comments, to relay information to staff and to provide a easy source for communication.

Get up and GO with the Spree!

Love the YouTube! It is one of the first places I go for videos. I am quite envious of the creators of this since it is both fun and useful, not to mention that it has made them very, very wealthy. I decided to go with the Polyphonic Spree clip of a live performance. This is what YT is all about...spur of the moment videos that capture something that was not scripted. It also helps that the band is in favor of this sort of exchange. So watch and enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=czIhnO9vs3A&mode=related&search=

Wild Wikis!

I have been a fan of Wikis for a while now. I use the Wikipedia to get a general overview of a subject, keeping in mind that you always must take what you see on this site with a grain of salt.

I found this exercise to be interesting because of the variety of sites that I visited. I normally don't look at library sites so heavily, but this was a great introduction. I can see projects that are currently being worked on benefiting from using wiki. Also, if you are in a group it can be a nice place to stop for information before you have a meeting to attend. If you define a wiki as a electronic communication tool that assists users with updating information that all can see and react to, that is what you get. A wiki is only as good as you make it.

Delish...but is it healthy?

I can see much potential using Del.icio.us for bookmarks, and it is easy to access, but that is not the normal way I do my searching. However, if you are looking at the site for "social" activity, than yes, this is up your ally. I find there are sites that I always have bookmarked, such as cnn.com, washingtonpost.com and freep.com (Yes, I am a news junkie!) and I do like to keep UTD on certain issues, but I don't see adding the D to that mix. I am not that enthralled with what others are looking at to invest adding it, but it was interesting to learn about.

Avatar for warmth

My Avatar is representative of my taste for coats and warm clothes. This was a simple and fun experiment. It is nice to see art sneak into this project and it was fun. Can't wait for the next big challenge!

Say YES to RSS!

Having a blast looking at blogs and feeds of friends, co-workers, MD libraries and other things that interest me. Using these feeds makes me realize that it is connections that really make the world go around. By having access to this tool, I was able to connect easily with what is going on with the above mentioned entities. This is good for learning and good for 23 things.

My Friend Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9092976@N02/571302353/

Discovery Post June 11, 2007

Week One:

Discovered that maintaining a post can be done! I am learning that slow and sure does win the race and that setting aside time to work on the Blog is a good thing!

The Road less taken

Right now, I am reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. It is really intense, devastating and dense reading to get through due to the subject matter, but I like to read alternating types of fiction to give myself some breathing room. I had just finished "Under the Tuscan Sun" and I wanted to read a title that would take me to another place. "The Road" is dark, but rest assured, my next title will be fluffy and sweet. Which in turn will be followed by some macabre and scary tome. I find that I read a greater variety of titles following this formula.

23 Things to Go

That is Lilly on the top and Claire on the bottom. My nieces! I can't wait to see what they will do with blogs when they grow up!


First Blog? Not really, but the first one that I will be working on. I abandoned my last blog when I moved from Charlottesville, VA to Takoma Park, MD. However, I am confident that with a little help from my "23 Things" training, I will keep up this good habit. Habits and accessibility are the cornerstones that I would like to build my technology training on. If you work with a new database or technology on a daily or weekly basis, you will develop skills and learn how to use it to the best of its ability. However, if you are limited to your access or don't find the time to practice, you will never learn how to truly get the most out of that product. I am hoping to hone my skills and propel my learning into high gear. I am also looking forward to making learning a bigger part of my life. Well, that and visiting Detroit to see the cute nieces!