Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Am I done? Really?

I loved this learning exercise! I know that I will use what I learned from this experience. I feel a lot more computer savvy than I did 9 weeks ago. The only thing I would change about this whole program is add more time. I felt rushed. And I know that if I felt rushed some other people who are not as computer literate as I am just gave up. It was a lot to process in a little amount of time. I would definitely participate in something like this again. I just think that more time would mean more people actually completing the series of exercises.

Overdrive is overused.

I have used Overdrive to download books many times. I don't like it, but that is just my personal opinion. I preferred Recorded Books, but I understand why we had to change. I like that Overdrive has best sellers, but you have to put them on hold. The hold doesn't become available for months. I guess I am just like the patrons in that respect. I want when I want it...now! The program is easy to use, and I had no problems downloading books. I am excited though that we may be able to use this with IPods soon.

Podcasts....hhuuuummmmmm. I'm not sure.

Well, I like the idea of podcasts. I just don't know how much I would use them personally. I listened to a few of the author podcats from the Library of Congress website. I did enjoy listening, but I don't see myself doing that often unless it was for a library presentation or lecture. I tried to add the RSS to my bloglines account, but the site was busy. I'll have to come back at a later date and do that.

I love YouTube!

I have been getting video clips in emails from friends for the last few years. I have seen some hilarious things happen in these clips. My favorite ones would have to be the "talking cats" and the "talking cats translations." Please watch the clips in the order posted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3U0udLH974

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JynBEX_kg8

As far as using YouTube in the library, It could be done. It would certainly be a way for staff to watch a presentation or a lecture on a certain subject without all having to be in the same place at the same time...kind of like a podcast with video.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

One Sentence

I thought this was one of the funniest sites I have been to in a long time. It is one the awards page under "fun stuff" as an honorable mention. The idea is that you sum up an experience in your life in one sentence. They do filter what you write and decide if it is acceptable or not, but I didn't mind that. I wouldn't want to read about someone's intimate experiences. I don't think this would apply to any library functions other than to add some laughs when needed. Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.onesentence.org/

Zoho writer

I had this same week to do during our training session. I thought it was cool then and I still do now. The idea of having a free word processor available n the internet is a terrific idea. I am about 99.9% sure that people don't know this is available. We have had people come into the library that need to use a word processor, but don't have one on their computers at home. Since the training, I have been telling patrons about this site. I can definitely see how this site can help libraries. I wish I had known about it when we only had one computer with word processing.