I have heard/looked at LibraryThing before. I read the articles, and looked at the libraries using GoodReads. My problem with these sites is the same as my take on Amazon reviews: there is too much discrepancy in the reviews. Some are superficially accurate: using the jargon to nail the writer, talking about "being up all night reading it". But the responses are all over the place. One person "loves" the way the writer used one person's perspective to tell the story, another "hated" that device and felt distanced by it. Too me, they are just a waste of time. A lot of ego gratification. To me, if I have forgotten a book I read, that book deserved to be forgotten. I think small group discussions which grow and blossom because of the people getting to know each other are an important vehicle for every public library, but I don't think cyberspace can provide the equivalent. If someone wants to keep their bookshelf online for organizational purposes, that seems fine. But note - these "bookshelves" are what someone has read, and it doesn't mean they have them at home. So how much do we "own" these books we read, if we pick them up and read them and then move on? To me, the books I actually take home have value because they "remind" me of what they contain and why they were important to me - just by their physical presence. I guess my point is that I don't see the value of social bookmarking, just individual bookmarking.
For "Library Thing for Libraries" - I don't know how much it costs, but I did like their attempt to make the catalog more user friendly. I like the virtual shelf browsing.
It's interesting about being paid by Amazon for certain widgets of displaying your books. I do a lot of shopping on Amazon, but I am aware of its way of edging out bookstores. I wonder if the libraries are getting some revenue through this avenue.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Beyond Method #4: Employment 2.0
This was a very informative lesson. I looked at the websites for creating an online resume. Visual CV looked intriguing - with the opportunity to include samples and showcase projects that the patron has worked on. Moving on to the TWDL (Texas Workskills Development in Libraries)...I had seen this before, but my library is not a participant. I really liked the video explaining TWDL. It was very heartfelt, addressing a problem we do see in our Texas library. We have a Texas Workforce in our city, which is a good thing for our patrons. We have computer classes throughout the fall winter and spring, although they are in the daytime so not everyone can utilize them. We certainly assist people day to day in various aspects of their jobsearch; helping them use the Word resume templates, using email, accessing the Workforce page, and making their way through the maze of job websites. One patron brought to my attention how now there are these "companies" or websites that offer a "one size fits all" job application, so the poor patron thinks they can fill this out for Wendy's, Walmart, McDonald's, etc. We have to redirect them to go through the company websites for the best results. And of course so many websites are set up for the customer, not the job seeker....and when you try to navigate the employment page, it's easy to get bogged down and lost. One retailer has on their job seekers page, a link for the actual application, but the title of the link includes "pharmacy position" so you can miss it if you just want to apply for regular clerk positions.
Because Workforce is just down the road, our 1 hour computer time still holds, although we direct patrons filling out applications to see if they can save it and then resume it with a second time session. And we spend a fair amount of time helping people create a web email. (interestingly, gmail was easy except now gmail requires the person to have a cell phone to verify setting up the account - another example of technology moving on and leaving some behind.) I found the links on TWDL excellent - good guidelines (on the Riley Guide) about being careful when you use social networking and resume websites to job search - how you can spread out too much and hinder your chances, plus all the sites that just want to market your information...... I was interested to read their advice to not attach your resume, but insert it in the email itself so as to be more accessible! (unless the job notice directs you to use a Word attachment) That actually doesn't seem that professional, but the author may have a point.
I looked at the LinkedIn information. I am not convinced of the helpfulness of this site. I don't see why strangers will be willing to forward your emails to their managers to be introduced. But I may be mistaken! I like the idea of keeping an online resume confidential by disguising even the names of places you worked....the writer argues that the confidentiality should not hurt your chances and even make you look more desirable....
Since I am a librarian, I looked at the jobsites for librarian positions. This brought up a weakness that many of such sites do NOT have all career choices listed (like librarians or archivists, or even information professionals) and they also usually hinder the search by insisting you select a state (when the person may want to see country-wide).
I had not seen the Goodwill Federation computer classes before. I looked at a few of the beginning videos and one on using Powerpoint 2010. They seemed good, very straightforward.
Again, I found this information informative. The biggest hurdle is that so many patrons are not computer savvy, and just having skills to navigate does not mean that you can use these sites to your advantage. My boss pointed out that although we can assist patrons to a certain degree, we are not human resource professionals, and can not really fill those shoes. It's a good thing to remember - just seeing how I myself have gaps in my knowledge of what is out there and the best way to go about it.
Because Workforce is just down the road, our 1 hour computer time still holds, although we direct patrons filling out applications to see if they can save it and then resume it with a second time session. And we spend a fair amount of time helping people create a web email. (interestingly, gmail was easy except now gmail requires the person to have a cell phone to verify setting up the account - another example of technology moving on and leaving some behind.) I found the links on TWDL excellent - good guidelines (on the Riley Guide) about being careful when you use social networking and resume websites to job search - how you can spread out too much and hinder your chances, plus all the sites that just want to market your information...... I was interested to read their advice to not attach your resume, but insert it in the email itself so as to be more accessible! (unless the job notice directs you to use a Word attachment) That actually doesn't seem that professional, but the author may have a point.
I looked at the LinkedIn information. I am not convinced of the helpfulness of this site. I don't see why strangers will be willing to forward your emails to their managers to be introduced. But I may be mistaken! I like the idea of keeping an online resume confidential by disguising even the names of places you worked....the writer argues that the confidentiality should not hurt your chances and even make you look more desirable....
Since I am a librarian, I looked at the jobsites for librarian positions. This brought up a weakness that many of such sites do NOT have all career choices listed (like librarians or archivists, or even information professionals) and they also usually hinder the search by insisting you select a state (when the person may want to see country-wide).
I had not seen the Goodwill Federation computer classes before. I looked at a few of the beginning videos and one on using Powerpoint 2010. They seemed good, very straightforward.
Again, I found this information informative. The biggest hurdle is that so many patrons are not computer savvy, and just having skills to navigate does not mean that you can use these sites to your advantage. My boss pointed out that although we can assist patrons to a certain degree, we are not human resource professionals, and can not really fill those shoes. It's a good thing to remember - just seeing how I myself have gaps in my knowledge of what is out there and the best way to go about it.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Beyond Method #3: Where in the World
I already use Google maps quite a bit...and Google Earth. On MapMyRun.com I will use the satellite view of Google to help me plot my course more accurately (since MapMyRun free subscribers don't get a very good map...its visibility is not as good as Google's. ) I like the street-view perspective, taking screenshots with that.
I created a map at:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=212521631901758431747.0004a831465d57ffb471c&hl=en&ie=UTF8&z=13
(actually just began to create) a map of historical markers in our city. Some websites already have these, but not one just for our city. Not sure how to utilize the marker photos, the url of those on the web are not mine, so I have to get permission to use them or take my own photos and submit them to these historical sites? Also interestingly, my boss would like a link to the state historical commission's website which has all the historical marker listings - the trouble is, the pages are contained in a search "atlas", so that finding a page listing does not give you an individual url, the url still just reflects the search site. So I'm in touch with them to see if there is a solution. Other historical websites have these listings too, they are not official and I would have to get permission probably to link them. And then those listings have a small map on their page, making my map redundant? You can see what I mean by clicking on the "First Aero Squadron" marker, which I linked to such a website. Very interesting I think. I looked at our library's identification, but didn't have the authority to change it. (Also noticed that on Google maps, one of the historical sites in our city already has a "marker" on Google...but it's across the street from the location. So I called the organization and they will check it. ) I'd like to practice embedding a map onto my blog.....but that will have to happen later.
I created a map at:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=212521631901758431747.0004a831465d57ffb471c&hl=en&ie=UTF8&z=13
(actually just began to create) a map of historical markers in our city. Some websites already have these, but not one just for our city. Not sure how to utilize the marker photos, the url of those on the web are not mine, so I have to get permission to use them or take my own photos and submit them to these historical sites? Also interestingly, my boss would like a link to the state historical commission's website which has all the historical marker listings - the trouble is, the pages are contained in a search "atlas", so that finding a page listing does not give you an individual url, the url still just reflects the search site. So I'm in touch with them to see if there is a solution. Other historical websites have these listings too, they are not official and I would have to get permission probably to link them. And then those listings have a small map on their page, making my map redundant? You can see what I mean by clicking on the "First Aero Squadron" marker, which I linked to such a website. Very interesting I think. I looked at our library's identification, but didn't have the authority to change it. (Also noticed that on Google maps, one of the historical sites in our city already has a "marker" on Google...but it's across the street from the location. So I called the organization and they will check it. ) I'd like to practice embedding a map onto my blog.....but that will have to happen later.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
“Beyond Method #2″
Netvibes seems a lot more versatile than iGoogle. I created a Netvibes page and it's still in progress. I gather from our Web Admin that these applications, because they are free, can have glitches. (For instance, I wanted to access my Yahoo mail from the page, and Netvibes said at this time I couldn't, but suddenly it worked.) I noticed that one of the libraries using Netvibes had a regular homepage too, which seemed like it could be a bit much for some patrons.
I like how the Dublin City public library used Netvibes to create instant access to things like the News. We could access our local newpaper - with its blogs - and community happenings - and catch a little more attention to our community. We have local museums as well, and it seems that it would be great to have that kind of content available, along with local happenings.
I like how the Dublin City public library used Netvibes to create instant access to things like the News. We could access our local newpaper - with its blogs - and community happenings - and catch a little more attention to our community. We have local museums as well, and it seems that it would be great to have that kind of content available, along with local happenings.
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