Playing with del.icio.us is addictive. I instantly found all sorts of titles that are most intriguing. I will work on refining tags so I can "cut to the chase" on some searches.
A friend collected some really useful travel sites using this tool. I've used that one to plan actual trips (esp. with the dog - which isn't always easy).
I especially love that it's a portable tool, useable on any computer. I have too many files that are tied to one pc and it's inconvenient. I do have a flash drive to save 'em on, but that's not always the best choice either.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Worldcat
Well, I was able to find a title I wanted and its location (TR of course). The attached terms were interesting - for example the "citation" option. I would have given a body part for that back in high school......or college for that matter. Pre-computer college that was. Eek !
I did find part of the search frustrating. I located a title then lost it and somehow couldn't get back to the original listing again. Much better luck with the second title. Now this is a dumbish observation......but where you play around with the parameters and then tell it to search, I didn't pick up right away on the fact that you don't just hit enter on the keyboard. You have to hit the Go button on top line. ah well.
I could see where this could be a valuable tool for Materials Requests, giving specifics and locations in a concise way.
I did find part of the search frustrating. I located a title then lost it and somehow couldn't get back to the original listing again. Much better luck with the second title. Now this is a dumbish observation......but where you play around with the parameters and then tell it to search, I didn't pick up right away on the fact that you don't just hit enter on the keyboard. You have to hit the Go button on top line. ah well.
I could see where this could be a valuable tool for Materials Requests, giving specifics and locations in a concise way.
Netlibrary
Actually I've had an account for a long time. I established it so I knew how to tell customers how to register and to use it.
I just opened another account (since my password etc for other is probably at the old branch). Anyway, I think it's pretty self-explanatory except ! "Create log in" at the top is really too small and easy to miss when you first register. Also, when you get into the body of the title you need to know to hit the + sign to get further into your book - and that isn't obvious. I think it could be a little frustrating to a user.
I just opened another account (since my password etc for other is probably at the old branch). Anyway, I think it's pretty self-explanatory except ! "Create log in" at the top is really too small and easy to miss when you first register. Also, when you get into the body of the title you need to know to hit the + sign to get further into your book - and that isn't obvious. I think it could be a little frustrating to a user.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
I really like this tool ! Just working with it for a little while brought up hundreds of interesting titles, of the type I like best (outdoor adventure, survival stories etc.). One of my favorite books, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson was a common favorite with other members too. I tried to track down a discussion and I know it's in there but I couldn't connect yet. Another time....
ok- this is for Thing #10.....
I tried a bit of Methodshop and that was an eye-opener. Before now, I knew just a few acronyms used in chat. Now I know a few more than I wanted to. O well ! And in product reviews I read about some earbuds from Shure that sound good. One of the less favorable aspects, though, was that they have wires that go behind your head and "make you look like a horse." I do enjoy humor, wherever it crops up.....
Here's a thought on technology that's related to my current work. At our recent Friends exchange we asked attendees to bring pictures of their groups to scan onto a cd. Two or three groups did, and a couple others sent theirs digitally. We're doing this so that the Friends page on our OCL public site can be updated. I'm working with our Webmaster so we can accomplish this in a fairly simple and straightforward way. One thing I like a lot is that we plan to re-route programming information . In the past, the plan was for the Friends to update their program info on a regular basis. Groups started well, but most fell by the wayside. This resulted in really outdated info on the site - and we know folks won't likely revisit a site that isn't up to date.
The new page, when it's pulled together, will link directly to our "engaged patrons" sign-up site for programs. Most likely a Friends listing will be added to the ways to break the list down.
This is a great example of the way traditional approaches and Tech can work together. Woo hoo
I tried a bit of Methodshop and that was an eye-opener. Before now, I knew just a few acronyms used in chat. Now I know a few more than I wanted to. O well ! And in product reviews I read about some earbuds from Shure that sound good. One of the less favorable aspects, though, was that they have wires that go behind your head and "make you look like a horse." I do enjoy humor, wherever it crops up.....
Here's a thought on technology that's related to my current work. At our recent Friends exchange we asked attendees to bring pictures of their groups to scan onto a cd. Two or three groups did, and a couple others sent theirs digitally. We're doing this so that the Friends page on our OCL public site can be updated. I'm working with our Webmaster so we can accomplish this in a fairly simple and straightforward way. One thing I like a lot is that we plan to re-route programming information . In the past, the plan was for the Friends to update their program info on a regular basis. Groups started well, but most fell by the wayside. This resulted in really outdated info on the site - and we know folks won't likely revisit a site that isn't up to date.
The new page, when it's pulled together, will link directly to our "engaged patrons" sign-up site for programs. Most likely a Friends listing will be added to the ways to break the list down.
This is a great example of the way traditional approaches and Tech can work together. Woo hoo
Friday, May 23, 2008
Bloglines.......Logbines.....Sinegols....Slogineb
Can you tell I've been at this a little tooooo long !
Actually I set up a bloglines account last year for the cjrlc tech challenge. but ! I really didn't check it much after that, so it wasn't very useful.
my goal is to trim my bloglines list down to a manageable few entries, so I might have a prayer of scanning a few each week. I'd like to get familiar with sites that relate to what I'm exploring with branches -- Friends issues, better communication techniques, etc. plus some fun sites too.
Actually I set up a bloglines account last year for the cjrlc tech challenge. but ! I really didn't check it much after that, so it wasn't very useful.
my goal is to trim my bloglines list down to a manageable few entries, so I might have a prayer of scanning a few each week. I'd like to get familiar with sites that relate to what I'm exploring with branches -- Friends issues, better communication techniques, etc. plus some fun sites too.
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