Web 2.0, thing 2

"Remember, L2 is about being relevant."

I think the whole idea of Library 2.0 is really exciting. Computers and technology are now an essential part of learning and education in a way they have never been in the past. And it's so important that libraries incorporate this change into their mission.

Of course a balance is necessary between the traditional library and library 2.0. I don't think the demand for physical copies of books and movies will disappear in the next five, or maybe even 10, years. As our increasing circulation demonstrates there will always be patrons ready to embrace our (FREE) services. But in order to stay relevant we will need to evolve along with the rest of the world. Library 2.o will allow us to connect with all types of library patrons. Maybe we will eventually offer movie and music downloads, instead of physical dvds and cds, to patrons who are just looking for entertainment. And for patrons seeking information the possibilities are even greater. I love the idea of librarians being able to connect with patrons via google chat from their home.

Basically, technology is awesome and libraries are awesome. So of course they can be awesome together. But it's going to require lots of training and major decisions on funding and resources. I think this 23 things initiative at MCPL is a great way to start the process toward embracing Library 2.0.

Flickr, or Thing 4

I admit, I am addicted to Flickr. It's so easy to find pictures about anything and everything. The organizational features of tags, sets and collections allow you to sort your images as finely as you'd like. The community aspect of Flickr is awesome, there are tons of groups you can join to share your pictures with people who share your interests. The photo editing application attached to Flickr, Picnik, is pretty good for quick and dirty editing of images. It's quite easy to use but can be slow to load even on the fast internet connections.

I have two Flickr accounts. One thing I don't like about Yahoo/Flickr is that you can't have two Flickr usernames registered under one Yahoo account. Because I didn't want to add my work pictures to my personal Flickr, I had to create a whole new Yahoo account to keep my pictures separate. This is actually one of the things I like best about Blogger, you can have multiple blogs under one Google username. So I don't have to log out and back in to manage all of my posts and settings. And I made a LOLcat at BigHugeLabs for everyone to enjoy ;) Featuring my darlings, Lizzie and Mr. Darcy.

We visited in October to check out their RFID system. The trip was actually super informative. It's always interesting to see how other libraries work. It turns out a lot of the things I do in my position are actually handled by their Collection Services department. The most intersting thing about the trip, for me, was to discover that their library actually used Gmail as their email client. If only we could use Gmail! Document sharing, labels, easy searching, and it's free! Anyway, I've created a special set from this visit and added tags to all of the pictures. You can also see a slideshow of some of these images without even leaving this blog, just check out the gadget to the right.

Oh hello,

Welcome to my brand new 23 Things Blog. I will keep anyone who happens to find the time to read this up to date on my progress.

This is my second Blog using Blogger/Blogspot/Google. So far so good. I've used Livejournal in the past and like it a lot, especially for all of the available layout options. And the community aspect is great. But lately the new advertising is driving me crazy, it's all over! So I like that Blogger doesn't force you into ads.

P.S. How long do I have to keep my silly avatar up?