Videos online: well I knew about youtube pretty quickly from having teenagers, and my favourite video from youtube is a morphing video which features the faces of lovely women in art.
And of course a lot of the short training videos for this course came from youtube. The commoncraft videos were very simple but effective.
Given a video camera, library staff could also record simple instructional videos or tours of our libraries and services. Longer multimedia presentations could be uploaded to slideshow. Now to wish for a camera and time to do these things.
Our local history cemetry tour which was so popular could become in time a webbased tour that anyone could do from their internet or use Iphone for commentary while actually walking the cemetry.
Monday, December 7, 2009
google there's more
So now I've covered google applications which help with language translation, perhaps this will come in handy with clients at the library or to add greetings in other languages in my online store.
Then I created a personal i-google homepage with daily updates of my favourite topics and a themed leunig banner.
I added a staff meeting to my google calendar and sent a reminder email to myself at work. We could remind clients with their permission of course by sending them emails about events they have booked into, so that they don't forget to come along.
So far we use software to send a reminder email when their books are nearly due back, but as this is part of the Sirsi software, it is easier to administer.
I've located an online copy of Dante's Inferno for my son through google books. And reminded him where his nearest library is to borrow a copy.
I've made a tourists and residents places to see and go google map of Rockhampton. I think the map is already here embedded in an earlier post, but on revisiting the map I found some details needed updating so I've added and deleted some details.
Then I created a personal i-google homepage with daily updates of my favourite topics and a themed leunig banner.
I added a staff meeting to my google calendar and sent a reminder email to myself at work. We could remind clients with their permission of course by sending them emails about events they have booked into, so that they don't forget to come along.
So far we use software to send a reminder email when their books are nearly due back, but as this is part of the Sirsi software, it is easier to administer.
I've located an online copy of Dante's Inferno for my son through google books. And reminded him where his nearest library is to borrow a copy.
I've made a tourists and residents places to see and go google map of Rockhampton. I think the map is already here embedded in an earlier post, but on revisiting the map I found some details needed updating so I've added and deleted some details.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Kavanagh's Queensland
I'm just home from a literary lunch featuring Courier Mail journalist Lawrie Kavanagh.As my dad Peter Stephenson also worked for the Courier Mail in the art room starting in the 50s,they would have crossed paths there for some years. Interesting too that they both were born in Rockhampton. So I bought dad "Outback", Lawrie's Book which has illustrations by Hugh Sawrey in the same quick messy illustrator style that my dad used to do to go with articles in the Courier Mail all those years ago before computers and photographs came to dominate newspapers.
In those days being a press artist involved illustrations, some in color but most in ink line drawing, touch up work for photos and maps, and page layout - gluing the articles in place on a paper page not on a computer - before it was sent to the setup room for the presses.
Dad has fond memories of the Courier Mail, and it was nice to meet one of the men he talked a lot about.
For anyone else who remembers' "Kavanagh's Queensland" columns, he also has been persuaded to start up a blog for his memories and musings
In those days being a press artist involved illustrations, some in color but most in ink line drawing, touch up work for photos and maps, and page layout - gluing the articles in place on a paper page not on a computer - before it was sent to the setup room for the presses.
Dad has fond memories of the Courier Mail, and it was nice to meet one of the men he talked a lot about.
For anyone else who remembers' "Kavanagh's Queensland" columns, he also has been persuaded to start up a blog for his memories and musings
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Podcasts
Some interesting podcasts I found among the many thousands available include those ABC National Book Reviews that are on the radio while I am at work, and the Powerhouse Museum podcasts on design of new products and ideas that spark them.
I found the hardest part even with search engines for podcasts was narrowing the many offerings down to something I would be tempted to subscribe to. There are just too many out there on any topic. Tag clouds and ways to search by subject and other parameters are most useful and badly needed in some cases.
Question: what do podcasters get out of their work other than the hope someone sees the podcast? Any way they can make money from this activity?
On libraries in an internet age I've been able to embed and so promote further to you the following offering from Christine Mackenzie (Yarra Plenty Regional Library) at the 'Broadband, libraries and the creation of Australia’s digital culture' seminar at NLA, 18 Nov 2008. Public libraries are reinventing themselves to ensure their relevance in a digital world. This presentation will describe how libraries in Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands are strategically positioning themselves as places with content for information, learning, culture and as meeting places. It will also describe how Yarra Plenty Regional Library is integrating web 2.0 tools to encourage content creation as well as introducing training programs for staff, the profession and the community. such as A Taste of Web 2.0
This example shows how a conference speech or Uni lecture saved as a podcast could be shared with more than the immediate audience and opens up added online learning opportunities in a very democratic way for internet users.
I found the hardest part even with search engines for podcasts was narrowing the many offerings down to something I would be tempted to subscribe to. There are just too many out there on any topic. Tag clouds and ways to search by subject and other parameters are most useful and badly needed in some cases.
Question: what do podcasters get out of their work other than the hope someone sees the podcast? Any way they can make money from this activity?
On libraries in an internet age I've been able to embed and so promote further to you the following offering from Christine Mackenzie (Yarra Plenty Regional Library) at the 'Broadband, libraries and the creation of Australia’s digital culture' seminar at NLA, 18 Nov 2008. Public libraries are reinventing themselves to ensure their relevance in a digital world. This presentation will describe how libraries in Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands are strategically positioning themselves as places with content for information, learning, culture and as meeting places. It will also describe how Yarra Plenty Regional Library is integrating web 2.0 tools to encourage content creation as well as introducing training programs for staff, the profession and the community. such as A Taste of Web 2.0
This example shows how a conference speech or Uni lecture saved as a podcast could be shared with more than the immediate audience and opens up added online learning opportunities in a very democratic way for internet users.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Google maps
Ok, so I made this local map for tourists some time back, which could have photos added, but not at this stage.
Rockhampton recently became a finalist in the "Most liveable place in the world" awards, so check the map out to see why tourists would like it here.
View Larger Map
Rockhampton recently became a finalist in the "Most liveable place in the world" awards, so check the map out to see why tourists would like it here.
View Larger Map
Mashups
Browsing the Mashups awards, which gives a quick overview of some popular mashyups, I am tempted by search options Triplify and search-cube. I have not used bing before, and it is interesting to use an engine other than google.
Question - which is the top metasearch engine at this time?
Search cube requires a (free download) flashplayer to work. Where most search engines provide a list onscreen and you need to scroll down, maybe only seeing 10 at a time, Searchcube gives 16 at a glance, on 6 sides of the cube, 96 results across all media including individual images and slideshows.The results are quickly browsed using a mouseover to see popup details.
Some of the older mashups sites seem to have already become dead sites, which is perhaps the way of the internet world - something either gets traffic or not.
I wanted a site to find mp3 songs by obscure artists such as Railroad Gin or Jeannie Lewis, but have not found a great mashup to do this so far, as many seem to focus on the more recent and popular artists. I wanted to find a track of "Les blouses blanc" by Jeannie Lewis to add it to a slide animation. Still searching on that project.
On the other hand, zoomii.com seems a great way to browse Amazon books, just like shelves in a real bookstore, sorted by category.I like looking at the covers of books I buy, and there is a shelf look option or a thumbnail cover picture with details of the books listed beside them , which avoids the need to click to a further screen to view title details.
I really liked suburbview.com and will use it to check realestate prices, value of our house, and rental figures by suburb.
SearchBay could save some site hopping when online shopping. I would use this combined with biblioz and alibris to search for out of print titles, but use the latter to get a more sure idea of the valuation price of such titles. Alibris now allows private sellers to sell books online. Maybe there could be a mashup which combines the two, showing you what a title is worth at online booksellers and then including the SearchBay sites.
Hmm, this is turning into a 'where would I buy books' discussion. Despite the fact the Australian dollar is catching up to the US dollar, I would still try Fishpond which guarantees to beat Amazon's price every time, or TheNile which says it is Australia's largest bookstore to find current titles.
Not sure if it is a mashup - I think so because it is an application that I created online- but I have also created a store for my zazzle products (and some other zazzle artists I like) at my facebook site, so linking the two functions and making it easier for people to find the products and so build customers using the principle of the more links, the better chance people will find you.
Question - which is the top metasearch engine at this time?
Search cube requires a (free download) flashplayer to work. Where most search engines provide a list onscreen and you need to scroll down, maybe only seeing 10 at a time, Searchcube gives 16 at a glance, on 6 sides of the cube, 96 results across all media including individual images and slideshows.The results are quickly browsed using a mouseover to see popup details.
Some of the older mashups sites seem to have already become dead sites, which is perhaps the way of the internet world - something either gets traffic or not.
I wanted a site to find mp3 songs by obscure artists such as Railroad Gin or Jeannie Lewis, but have not found a great mashup to do this so far, as many seem to focus on the more recent and popular artists. I wanted to find a track of "Les blouses blanc" by Jeannie Lewis to add it to a slide animation. Still searching on that project.
On the other hand, zoomii.com seems a great way to browse Amazon books, just like shelves in a real bookstore, sorted by category.I like looking at the covers of books I buy, and there is a shelf look option or a thumbnail cover picture with details of the books listed beside them , which avoids the need to click to a further screen to view title details.
I really liked suburbview.com and will use it to check realestate prices, value of our house, and rental figures by suburb.
SearchBay could save some site hopping when online shopping. I would use this combined with biblioz and alibris to search for out of print titles, but use the latter to get a more sure idea of the valuation price of such titles. Alibris now allows private sellers to sell books online. Maybe there could be a mashup which combines the two, showing you what a title is worth at online booksellers and then including the SearchBay sites.
Hmm, this is turning into a 'where would I buy books' discussion. Despite the fact the Australian dollar is catching up to the US dollar, I would still try Fishpond which guarantees to beat Amazon's price every time, or TheNile which says it is Australia's largest bookstore to find current titles.
Not sure if it is a mashup - I think so because it is an application that I created online- but I have also created a store for my zazzle products (and some other zazzle artists I like) at my facebook site, so linking the two functions and making it easier for people to find the products and so build customers using the principle of the more links, the better chance people will find you.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Promotional panel previews and link to my zazzle art products
make custom gifts at Zazzle
Just a few of my library promotional images available for sale internationally.
Including bookmark templates, library bags, stickers, Dewey guide and Tshirts for book lovers
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Promotion And Presentation Of The Arts Through Public libraries
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
The Art of Last Resort
Check out this SlideShare Presentation: it shows young aspiring artists how to draw a chibi!
The Art of Last Resort
View more presentations from lastres0rt.
Peter Stephenson artist and illustrator
Even better, I find that I can embed this presentation right here or on my facebook page!
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Google docs
Google docs is like using word collaboratively.
Working on a library brochure or newsletter together would save a lot of email drafts going back and forward.
I typed up a document on the site and sent a sharing link to the course trainers.
They can then add comments and so on.
This is good for teamwork especially when there is not time to meet and librarians are working across large amalgamated council areas.
There is a size limit on files uploaded eg.
So I'm going to take another look as slideshare:
Check out some popular content at http://www.slideshare.net/most-favorited.
You can upload your own presentations and documents. SlideShare hosts them for free. You can make it private or make it public and get lots of traffic.
Yes, it uploaded my powerpoint about my dad! I can share this or further develop it using uploaded mp3 Music as a background, to make a slidecast. I think I'll stick with no music for now.
So, how to share a Powerpoint presentation - as I'm fairly new at all this, I use one of slideshare's own explanations to learn how. http://www.slideshare.net/dswaters/how-to-share-a-powerpoint-presentation-using-slideshare
Now to sit back and learn.
Hmm, i made an animation some years ago, that I'd love to add music to - that will be my next learning experience.
PS. And my dad? Well I'll post the link as soon as slideshare has processed it for public viewing.
PPS. And here's the link all ready to view - how quick was that?http://www.slideshare.net/goannagoanna08/peter-stephenson-artist-and-illustrator-2160732
Working on a library brochure or newsletter together would save a lot of email drafts going back and forward.
I typed up a document on the site and sent a sharing link to the course trainers.
They can then add comments and so on.
This is good for teamwork especially when there is not time to meet and librarians are working across large amalgamated council areas.
There is a size limit on files uploaded eg.
Presentations
- Presentations in both .ppt and .pps file formats from your local computer can be up to 10MB in size or 200 slides.
- By entering the URL of a file on the Web, you can upload presentations up to 2MB.
- By emailing in your files, you can upload presentations up to 500K.
- You have a combined limit of 5000 documents and presentations and 5000 images.
So I'm going to take another look as slideshare:
Check out some popular content at http://www.slideshare.net/most-favorited.
You can upload your own presentations and documents. SlideShare hosts them for free. You can make it private or make it public and get lots of traffic.
Yes, it uploaded my powerpoint about my dad! I can share this or further develop it using uploaded mp3 Music as a background, to make a slidecast. I think I'll stick with no music for now.
So, how to share a Powerpoint presentation - as I'm fairly new at all this, I use one of slideshare's own explanations to learn how. http://www.slideshare.net/dswaters/how-to-share-a-powerpoint-presentation-using-slideshare
Now to sit back and learn.
Hmm, i made an animation some years ago, that I'd love to add music to - that will be my next learning experience.
PS. And my dad? Well I'll post the link as soon as slideshare has processed it for public viewing.
PPS. And here's the link all ready to view - how quick was that?http://www.slideshare.net/goannagoanna08/peter-stephenson-artist-and-illustrator-2160732
File conversion and online tools
Recently I made a slideshow for my father's 80th birthday, celebrating his life as an artist working for the Courier Mail in the days when press artists did page composition, retouched photos and maps, did pen and ink illustration and colour illustrations for the cover of the Sunday Mail colour magazine. This was just before the days of digital photography and Photoshop. My dad retired as computers began to make inroads into the work of a commercial artist.
Anyway, on the day of the party, my brother brought his laptop along, but he had a different program for slideshows, he uses Ubuntu software as an alternative to Microsoft. My slideshow wouldn't work on the day.
Uploading it to Google Docs also seems to need a change of format, so I apply my SLQ Licence 2 Testdrive part B lesson one - I use Zamzar, an online tool to change a file format. It's a big file, but Zamzar will take up to a 1Gb file so stay tuned for the result, which will be emailed to me - stay tuned.
PS. I'm doing this at nearly midnight, showing how people can learn with this sort of online training, at their own pace, and in the timeslot that suits them best.
PPS.
Anyway, on the day of the party, my brother brought his laptop along, but he had a different program for slideshows, he uses Ubuntu software as an alternative to Microsoft. My slideshow wouldn't work on the day.
Uploading it to Google Docs also seems to need a change of format, so I apply my SLQ Licence 2 Testdrive part B lesson one - I use Zamzar, an online tool to change a file format. It's a big file, but Zamzar will take up to a 1Gb file so stay tuned for the result, which will be emailed to me - stay tuned.
PS. I'm doing this at nearly midnight, showing how people can learn with this sort of online training, at their own pace, and in the timeslot that suits them best.
PPS.
- Success- I had a 79 MbPowerpoint presentation changed from pptx to ppt promptly and accurately. The zamzar site only stores and allows downloading/sharing of the file for 24 hours, so you need to pay for their advanced service, but for what I want it is an excellent service. McAfee siteadviser doesn't like the popup ads but I can live with them just fine.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Library Thing
LibraryThing sounds interesting but it would take me ages to add all the books in my house, and I wonder what real use it would be in the long run.
Would it be proof for insurance purposes in the event that my house burnt down??
Could I use it as a sort of informal list of rare or out of print books I have that others might like to buy?
Can anyone tell me what they use this site for?
Would it be proof for insurance purposes in the event that my house burnt down??
Could I use it as a sort of informal list of rare or out of print books I have that others might like to buy?
Can anyone tell me what they use this site for?
delicious links
Well, this final lesson of the Licence 2 Test Drive series is the most familiar to me, having done a course in social bookmarking through OPAL a year ago.
- The immediate advantage came from the fact I could access my bookmarks on any computer. At work and home I use several different computers and it would take ages to save the same set of favourite and useful sites on all of them.
- The second advantage came when I was doing research for library policy and procedures, and on workplace health and safety in libraries. I could store the links on my delicious account, and share these with colleagues by directing them to my bookmarking page. If you click on the title of this blog post, "delicious links", you will find the link to my delicious bookmarks embedded in it.
- The tags are a handy way of organising the growing list of sites bookmarked
- Others can benefit from my research which saves them time
- Rather than printing out a list of links, or several copies of the articles found, the others who would like to read these researched articles can do so by following the bookmarked links
- I can benefit from the links saved on similar subjects by others. When following the links and seeing what others have bookmarked, I came across a link to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and this reminded me that having seen the recent exhibition from the Met at the Qld Art Gallery, I should add this link to my own bookmarks, which is quickly and easily done.
- The ability to add a button to my Firefox page means I can quickly add bookmarks from my internet browser as I discover new sites.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
RSS feeds yay
RSS feeds? Now this I can see an immediate use for. When I think of all the sites I bookmark and regularly visit, this takes up a lot of time to check them all.
If I can add the RSS feeds to my google homepage or to my Gmail, then I need only check them to find recent updates that I may then choose to read or ignore. In fact, I've decided to add my gmail inbox to my google homepage. I also ask for google alerts from blogs or other places when researching a topic, and google sends me the results.
It's like having a personal research secretary collect new information in my interest areas. So I've added feeds to book review sites, art sites and the like to gather it all quickly in one place.
Now say I was covering Religion, Literature and the Arts as subject areas for collection development and library programming, I could subscribe to relevant RSS feeds and collect data easily to support my area of work. This would save me a lot of time at work.
While our library does some programming, it is mostly not promoted online at this stage.
As our library doesn't have a blog or an online newsletter,
I wonder can library related feeds be added to a library site webpage dedicated to RSS feeds?
Of course, not all useful sites offer feeds - it seems they are from blogs and news sites mostly. So when I checked for RSS feeds from Flying Arts and Dept of Creative Industries, neither site currently offer RSS feeds and not all blogs offer feeds - I decided not to offer feeds from my own blog for instance until I am committed to updating it past the SLQ Licence to Test Drive program.
My google homepage now recieves feeds from our local paper with emphasis on local news, entertainment and the arts, and the ABC's blog Articulate which sends out a daily take on arts news and events. This is information I may not have seen in the past, or missed checking for lack of time.
Thanks, RSS!
If I can add the RSS feeds to my google homepage or to my Gmail, then I need only check them to find recent updates that I may then choose to read or ignore. In fact, I've decided to add my gmail inbox to my google homepage. I also ask for google alerts from blogs or other places when researching a topic, and google sends me the results.
It's like having a personal research secretary collect new information in my interest areas. So I've added feeds to book review sites, art sites and the like to gather it all quickly in one place.
Now say I was covering Religion, Literature and the Arts as subject areas for collection development and library programming, I could subscribe to relevant RSS feeds and collect data easily to support my area of work. This would save me a lot of time at work.
While our library does some programming, it is mostly not promoted online at this stage.
As our library doesn't have a blog or an online newsletter,
I wonder can library related feeds be added to a library site webpage dedicated to RSS feeds?
Of course, not all useful sites offer feeds - it seems they are from blogs and news sites mostly. So when I checked for RSS feeds from Flying Arts and Dept of Creative Industries, neither site currently offer RSS feeds and not all blogs offer feeds - I decided not to offer feeds from my own blog for instance until I am committed to updating it past the SLQ Licence to Test Drive program.
My google homepage now recieves feeds from our local paper with emphasis on local news, entertainment and the arts, and the ABC's blog Articulate which sends out a daily take on arts news and events. This is information I may not have seen in the past, or missed checking for lack of time.
Thanks, RSS!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Twittering
I read in the Courier Mail recently that the retention rate for Twitter is low - I imagine that Twittering would be quick but also require persistence on the part of both writer and reader.
Do people who follow blogs lose interest?
How do libraries ensure that where they post is useful and followed?
I guess promotion of the blog itself as well as the library service.
And time for the staff to develop great informative content.
Programs that are already being developed can be marketed in a number of ways - word of mouth, paper flyers, newspaper and internet site. Once you have one flyer, the content is easily transferable to another media. So the work done is spread in several directions to make sure the public get to know what is being offered.
I found an interesting blog on colour print production recently and left a question about a problem I have printing digital art. I am eagerly hoping the blog owner will be kind enough to help me.......Hmm, a live reference service that is available over the internet - have any of us got one up and running and how is it best run?
Do people who follow blogs lose interest?
How do libraries ensure that where they post is useful and followed?
I guess promotion of the blog itself as well as the library service.
And time for the staff to develop great informative content.
Programs that are already being developed can be marketed in a number of ways - word of mouth, paper flyers, newspaper and internet site. Once you have one flyer, the content is easily transferable to another media. So the work done is spread in several directions to make sure the public get to know what is being offered.
I found an interesting blog on colour print production recently and left a question about a problem I have printing digital art. I am eagerly hoping the blog owner will be kind enough to help me.......Hmm, a live reference service that is available over the internet - have any of us got one up and running and how is it best run?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Social networking
Ok, so we could all use some more friends, but I must admit now to a bit of site overload.
How many different sorts of sites can a library keep up given limited time for staff to spend on these tasks?
And which is the most effective tool to spread publicity? Say if you put out an online email opt-in newsletter? And one on paper. Then this same content could be added to the library blog as well.
So as I said how many ways should we spread ourselves out the on the web?
We have to decide which is the best way to share digital resources?
And which is the best way to allow client reviews of books and other interactions?
Are there any privacy concerns of putting information out there even from a corporate point of view? What should you make sure you don't say online? It looks safe enough for Libraries to share on an impersonal library social networking site whereas many library staff would not share their own personal details on Facebook or anywhere else online. I remember being shocked once googling my own name (as you do) and finding that my home phone number popped up from a school online newsletter.
Also there is that little problem that some library filters filter out access to social networking sites from its staff and public internet computers...
Sorry to confused ....the main keywords here are myriad choices and time poor... I'm very open to the best way to embrace new technology but which one? I'm open to comments on this one... Come on, convince me with your preferences!
I know that Gen Y can be socialising with friends and interacting on their Iphone on the internet at the same time, sharing photos and videos and games on them with their friends around the restaurant table.
Whereas I am a bit zen in that being in the moment sense and a bit time poor at work due to real life enquiries from the public and public on the phone. The reference enquiry can be 'virtual' or 'in person' but during that time that one person is the most important person to be listening to and finding the information for. I cannot have a cuppa with one friend and be texting another at the same time. I must admit to being the sort of person who often deliberately leaves the mobile phone at home. :-))
How many different sorts of sites can a library keep up given limited time for staff to spend on these tasks?
And which is the most effective tool to spread publicity? Say if you put out an online email opt-in newsletter? And one on paper. Then this same content could be added to the library blog as well.
So as I said how many ways should we spread ourselves out the on the web?
We have to decide which is the best way to share digital resources?
And which is the best way to allow client reviews of books and other interactions?
Are there any privacy concerns of putting information out there even from a corporate point of view? What should you make sure you don't say online? It looks safe enough for Libraries to share on an impersonal library social networking site whereas many library staff would not share their own personal details on Facebook or anywhere else online. I remember being shocked once googling my own name (as you do) and finding that my home phone number popped up from a school online newsletter.
Also there is that little problem that some library filters filter out access to social networking sites from its staff and public internet computers...
Sorry to confused ....the main keywords here are myriad choices and time poor... I'm very open to the best way to embrace new technology but which one? I'm open to comments on this one... Come on, convince me with your preferences!
I know that Gen Y can be socialising with friends and interacting on their Iphone on the internet at the same time, sharing photos and videos and games on them with their friends around the restaurant table.
Whereas I am a bit zen in that being in the moment sense and a bit time poor at work due to real life enquiries from the public and public on the phone. The reference enquiry can be 'virtual' or 'in person' but during that time that one person is the most important person to be listening to and finding the information for. I cannot have a cuppa with one friend and be texting another at the same time. I must admit to being the sort of person who often deliberately leaves the mobile phone at home. :-))
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wikis
After the video explanation I thought yes wikis are useful for collaboration when you cannot physically meet. Email traffic with "reply all" is the current norm but can become a bit tedious if there is a lot to discuss.
I imagine wikis very work well with factual entries rather than opinions.
Question 1. Are wiki entries trackable or given the same legal staus as emails?
Question 2. Do organisations allow their staff to use wikis as an alternative to email?
Question 3. How do you ensure that content that you want to stay 'as is' is not edited away by someone else?
I would be happy to hear your answers to these.
After looking at the wikis, I chose to bookmark Library Success and Book Lovers and Blogging Libraries Wikis for a closer look later.
Say if a librarian was interested in finding out what works and doesn't work with layout floor plan when a library is in a shopping centre, I guess that a wiki of librarians would be very helpful to garner feedback on their own experiences with layout successes and failures. This might forestall some otherwise unforeseen problems.
Informal friendly professional sharing is always welcome, and tapping into a large wiki community may be very helpful when needing advice.
I imagine wikis very work well with factual entries rather than opinions.
Question 1. Are wiki entries trackable or given the same legal staus as emails?
Question 2. Do organisations allow their staff to use wikis as an alternative to email?
Question 3. How do you ensure that content that you want to stay 'as is' is not edited away by someone else?
I would be happy to hear your answers to these.
After looking at the wikis, I chose to bookmark Library Success and Book Lovers and Blogging Libraries Wikis for a closer look later.
Say if a librarian was interested in finding out what works and doesn't work with layout floor plan when a library is in a shopping centre, I guess that a wiki of librarians would be very helpful to garner feedback on their own experiences with layout successes and failures. This might forestall some otherwise unforeseen problems.
Informal friendly professional sharing is always welcome, and tapping into a large wiki community may be very helpful when needing advice.
Blogging
Hmm, so who reads other people's blogs?
And more specifically, now that there are so many bloggers, how do you find blogs that would interest you?
This is where a specialist search engine such as technorati comes in.
I know google also have an advanced blog search, but using technorati I quickly came across a blog of interest to me as an artist. After submitting the rather general term 'art', technorati suggested I try the Lifestyle channel tab in the top bar for better results.
Using the keyword 'artist' I came across a blog called booooooom which serves up a daily dose of creativity. (I guess the 7 Os are for 7 days a week?)
I also found lines and colors, a blog about drawing, sketching, painting, comics, cartoons, webcomics, illustration, digital art, concept art, gallery art, artist tools and techniques, motion graphics, animation, sci-fi and fantasy illustration, paleo art, storyboards, matte painting, and 3d graphics.
Using the term 'digital painting', I then found at the top of the results list a bar of suggested tags that others use, and zeroed in on 'Photoshop painting'. The listed included videos about digital painting as well as blogs. The "Authority" rating helped sort out the more professional blogs, which led me to graphicmania's blog, featuring stunning digital paintings and links to walkthrough tutorials and free resources for digital artists.
Tip: Bookmark your discoveries, or subscribe to the blog, as the internet is truly a huge place to navigate, and it took a while to find these gems.
At this stage my teenagers are dancing around behind the computer desk in a vain effort to attract attention back onto them, so it must be time to sign off and cook.
While I think a library blog would be useful, and attract a lot of library customers wanting to keep up with library offerings, I wonder would a personal blog suit me for long. As a mother I suspect I'm not even going to be a Twitterer. ;-))
And more specifically, now that there are so many bloggers, how do you find blogs that would interest you?
This is where a specialist search engine such as technorati comes in.
I know google also have an advanced blog search, but using technorati I quickly came across a blog of interest to me as an artist. After submitting the rather general term 'art', technorati suggested I try the Lifestyle channel tab in the top bar for better results.
Using the keyword 'artist' I came across a blog called booooooom which serves up a daily dose of creativity. (I guess the 7 Os are for 7 days a week?)
I also found lines and colors, a blog about drawing, sketching, painting, comics, cartoons, webcomics, illustration, digital art, concept art, gallery art, artist tools and techniques, motion graphics, animation, sci-fi and fantasy illustration, paleo art, storyboards, matte painting, and 3d graphics.
Using the term 'digital painting', I then found at the top of the results list a bar of suggested tags that others use, and zeroed in on 'Photoshop painting'. The listed included videos about digital painting as well as blogs. The "Authority" rating helped sort out the more professional blogs, which led me to graphicmania's blog, featuring stunning digital paintings and links to walkthrough tutorials and free resources for digital artists.
Tip: Bookmark your discoveries, or subscribe to the blog, as the internet is truly a huge place to navigate, and it took a while to find these gems.
At this stage my teenagers are dancing around behind the computer desk in a vain effort to attract attention back onto them, so it must be time to sign off and cook.
While I think a library blog would be useful, and attract a lot of library customers wanting to keep up with library offerings, I wonder would a personal blog suit me for long. As a mother I suspect I'm not even going to be a Twitterer. ;-))
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Past and present - computers, internet, libraries
Ok, a little reminescing:
And most of it in the last 10 years.
Thankyou computers and internet!
I miss the thrill of handling the books before buying them though....even the smell of the new paper ... an online bookseller's catalogue is not quite the same.
- Typing up each catalogue entry according to a careful format and layout
- Filing catalogue cards above the rod for someone else to doublecheck before the drawer is put back into the card catalogue
- First job as a librarian
- Having no computer on my desk, just the Dewey numbers in my brain and the catalogue folders of computer printout paper updated each month
- Slideshows were produced by taping a cassette with music and commentary, making own slides, and feeding them into a circular dispenser on top of a carousel slide projector.
- Computers were for the circulation staff and the program was verry simple - little more than a flashing cursor and a blank screen to which you would type in data
- Book orders written up in carbon paper order books
- The booksellers showed you boxes of books in the back room or even better took you to the warehouse and out to lunch as well.
- Photocopiers arrive and out goes the old inky press
- Son longs for a home computer
- We discover the Internet
- We get one, 2, 3, laptop
- Library catalogue online
- Librarians use computers to fetch online content as well as books
- Learn how to write a website and publish it to the internet
- Digital cameras and scanners expand ways to use photos
- Computers make library tasks easier, such as copy cataloguing and ordering books online
- Web 2.0 expands the things individuals can share online
- Libraries catch on, using scanning and publishing tools to share via the official library blog their local studies or genealogy research information, historical photos, online library newsletters, book reviews, and publicity for coming events
- Library sites allow customers to add content such as feedback, book reviews, and comments on what they like about the library
- Displays and presentations can be recorded for viewing on the internet
- Staff can be trained using online training presentations and produce their own slideshows or film to share the same way
And most of it in the last 10 years.
Thankyou computers and internet!
I miss the thrill of handling the books before buying them though....even the smell of the new paper ... an online bookseller's catalogue is not quite the same.
Image uploading
I'ts easy to share your images on blogs and photo sharing sites. But what about a little dabble in online business?It's possible to sell your photos and art online, by uploading it to sites like deviantart, cafepress, Redbubble and zazzle. Your art can be sold as prints or appear on greeting cards, Tshirts, mugs, stickers, magnets, buttons, mousepads, aprons, bags, caps and even US stamps.
The site owners collect the money, print the product and mail it out to customers anywhere in the world, and then send you an agreed percentage of the sale price as your earnings using money services such as Paypal.
Instead of trying to sell locally and make a living, with the help of these sites anyone online becomes your potential customer. You also have a lot of fun being part of an online community of artists who can comment, follow, favourite your work, and share the joys of being an artist.
That really good photo you took with your digital camera could end up making you money. Worth a try....
Web 2.0
So, what is this Web 2.0?
A fancy new term for the latest internet fad?
Well, yes and no....like all terms the definition has grown from practical usage.
My understanding is that it is web-based program sites that allow anyone to interact with others over the internet. You don't have to buy or download the program for the delicious link sharing site, and flickr similarly allows you to share photos quickly and easily with others. You can upload to the site, and view what others have contributed and then add your comments to their contributions, and save your favourites to a place where you can view them again later.
So, in essence, it provides web-based social networking and sharing for members and viewers of those sites, with viewing privacy/permissions set by the authors of the content or by the moderators of the site.
The purpose of the site may be dating or informal training, advertising coming events for an organisation or sharing history and photos. It may be sharing of films or Powerpoint slideshows or photos or opinions. You may find that the comments shared do not agree and sometimes have to be deleted as inflammatory, but in essence it is democracy at work.
I found another coverage of 2.0 at Wikipedia (another instance of user - supplied shared information) and at http://www.paulgraham.com/web20.html which makes the points
that Web 2.0 began as a vague term about web-based applications but has become defined in practice also by
Tip 1. : when faced with slow download speed (blame the teenagers who have used up our broadband for the month) I opted to see the text version(look for the icon under the film window) of Stephen Fry's explanation of web 2.0
Of course, http://www.videojug.com/ the site this film is on, is itself a web 2.0 site like Youtube in that anyone can upload short films to explain anything from 'how to make a lemon tart' to 'what is respiratory failure'.
Tip 2. : It took me a while to find out how to add hyperlinks to this blog, but if you look to the top of the window when typing a post, you will see the icon to the right of the text colouring option. Just highlight the words you want to add a link to, then click on the link icon, and a new pop-up window will allow you to add the website address.
Tip3. : When adding text to your blog, the icons at the top of the creation window also contain options which allow you to add images, video and very importantly, spellcheck before you publish your post.
Tip 4 : Edit means just that, and if you open your blog in a new window, you can view and proofread the result and then change, fix typos, add more words, or even hit delete post!
A fancy new term for the latest internet fad?
Well, yes and no....like all terms the definition has grown from practical usage.
My understanding is that it is web-based program sites that allow anyone to interact with others over the internet. You don't have to buy or download the program for the delicious link sharing site, and flickr similarly allows you to share photos quickly and easily with others. You can upload to the site, and view what others have contributed and then add your comments to their contributions, and save your favourites to a place where you can view them again later.
So, in essence, it provides web-based social networking and sharing for members and viewers of those sites, with viewing privacy/permissions set by the authors of the content or by the moderators of the site.
The purpose of the site may be dating or informal training, advertising coming events for an organisation or sharing history and photos. It may be sharing of films or Powerpoint slideshows or photos or opinions. You may find that the comments shared do not agree and sometimes have to be deleted as inflammatory, but in essence it is democracy at work.
I found another coverage of 2.0 at Wikipedia (another instance of user - supplied shared information) and at http://www.paulgraham.com/web20.html which makes the points
that Web 2.0 began as a vague term about web-based applications but has become defined in practice also by
- web based software applications all can use without needing to be an IT guru eg. Javascript
- democracy
- all can view for free, uploaders need to register but usually it is still free of charges
- people can describe and find content using tags which can be searched for by the users interested in a subject, much as they can google (try looking for library on Youtube)
- sites can offer business options such as printing your photos in a variety of formats or selling them to others
Tip 1. : when faced with slow download speed (blame the teenagers who have used up our broadband for the month) I opted to see the text version(look for the icon under the film window) of Stephen Fry's explanation of web 2.0
Of course, http://www.videojug.com/ the site this film is on, is itself a web 2.0 site like Youtube in that anyone can upload short films to explain anything from 'how to make a lemon tart' to 'what is respiratory failure'.
Tip 2. : It took me a while to find out how to add hyperlinks to this blog, but if you look to the top of the window when typing a post, you will see the icon to the right of the text colouring option. Just highlight the words you want to add a link to, then click on the link icon, and a new pop-up window will allow you to add the website address.
Tip3. : When adding text to your blog, the icons at the top of the creation window also contain options which allow you to add images, video and very importantly, spellcheck before you publish your post.
Tip 4 : Edit means just that, and if you open your blog in a new window, you can view and proofread the result and then change, fix typos, add more words, or even hit delete post!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sharing a photo
It's great to be able to share photos on email.
I remember the first photos people sent me tended to be huge, and took forever to download. In one I could see every fleck on the baby's nappy!
An easy way to share photos with friends and family, colleagues or even the whole internet world is to use a photosharing site such as flickr.com
When our new library was about to open, I used this site to share a sneak peek with colleagues.
I can share family photos privately with other family members who join this site.
I can share an interesting fantasy holiday location photo with the world.
The first 200 photos are free with a standard membership, but you can upload more for $2 a month.
It's worth checking this site out if you like sharing photos but don't want to have fiddle with them to resize them for email.
Here's a recent snap which I took of our new library to give you an idea of what you can find about libraries on this site.
There are library photo sharing groups on the site worth a look.
Why not try looking up your town and see what you can find?
You can also upload photos and film to this blog, as I have done above.
Linking in for lifelong learning
So many websites, so little time!
Getting around the internet can be a case of information overload.
Remembering where you have been can lead to a swagload of bookmarks which are only stored on one computer.
Thanks to a SLQ Social Bookmarks training course in Gladstone last year, I was introduced to a tool that has come in very handy for me as a librarian. -http ://delicious.com/ - a site which will store my bookmarks online so that I can access them from home or work or any other computer as needed.
Any research I do can be linked to from there, and the useful links I gather can also be shared with others.
If you would like to check my links, try this link http://delicious.com/goannagoanna
Never keen to have my brain stagnate, I am now embarking on an online training package Licence 2 Test Drive which is great for librarians to upgrade their skills in their own time and at their own pace. Great idea, SLQ!
Getting around the internet can be a case of information overload.
Remembering where you have been can lead to a swagload of bookmarks which are only stored on one computer.
Thanks to a SLQ Social Bookmarks training course in Gladstone last year, I was introduced to a tool that has come in very handy for me as a librarian. -http ://delicious.com/ - a site which will store my bookmarks online so that I can access them from home or work or any other computer as needed.
Any research I do can be linked to from there, and the useful links I gather can also be shared with others.
If you would like to check my links, try this link http://delicious.com/goannagoanna
Never keen to have my brain stagnate, I am now embarking on an online training package Licence 2 Test Drive which is great for librarians to upgrade their skills in their own time and at their own pace. Great idea, SLQ!
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