10 Random things about me

10 random things about me:
1. I collect stamps (cf. my blog title!)
2. I was born between the founding of the Peace Corps and the construction of the Berlin Wall.
3. I joined the Peace Corps in 1996.
4. I visited the Berlin Wall in 1982.
5. My sports hero was Kareem Abdul-Jabaar (I like the name).
6. I have two twin sisters, both(!) older than me.
7. I lowered Linden's flag on September 12, 2001 for the library.
8. I washed dishes professionally my first 3 years after graduating w/a bachelor's degree, and learned a lot!
9. I just had the most gustatorially enjoyable but stressful Thanksgiving of my life.
10. I like my job.

The end or beginning?

Topic: "Reflect upon your learning journey."

Learn & Play taught me about many internet sites I would otherwise never have used, and generally enlarged my perspective of internet services. I can apply this knowledge both personally and professionally.

My favorite discoveries of Learn & Play are Flickr, Youtube and podcasts. I use Flickr now to share digital photos with other people. I use Youtube for entertainment and news. I may begin to listen to podcasts to programs I would otherwise only listen to live or miss.

Learn & Play reinforces my understanding that working in a library requires ongoing learning from sources I might have previously ignored.

One impression I take away is that the internet offers much to people who don't mind leaving electronic footprints. The number of accounts and passwords I agreed to in these exercises leaves me a little uneasy. I prefer accessing media in a way leaving the least trace possible. However, I understand the call of marketing and in a few cases, accountability. In each case, the user can decide if using the site warrants the compromise.

I find format and concept for this program on target.

I would chose to participate in similar discovery programs in the future.

Digital Media!

Topic:"Login to MOLDI... and explore some of the many titles."

I accessed MOLDI through the CML web site and viewed the 16-part tutorial. I did not load the software that alters Windows Media Player described in the tutorial. The tutorial stated MOLDI requires this software to play MOLDI conent. Consequently, I did not download any files. I did log in to MOLDI and load items into a check-out cart to familiarize myself with that process of browsing and checking out.

For now, I prefer traditional formats of content. Howver, I found some titles I might want to download for leisure reading or viewing.

Furthermore, knowing how to use MOLDI provides confidence in assisting library patrons' inquiries.

Podcasts

Topic: "Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories...Add the RSS feed for a podcast to your Bloglines account."


I examined the cited podcast directories. I found fewer podcasts on topics both specialized (philately) and on popular topics (Britney Spears) than I expected, but did find a podcast of interest on Chicago theater.

I found and listened to part of some podcasts on libraries: the Sirsi Dynix series. I saw that some libraries (e.g., in Michigan), made podcasts.

The age of most hits in my several podcast hits surprised and disappointed me. Virtually none of the links I examined contained podcasts within the past month or that formed part of a series with episodes at least once a month. While access to such archives has its merits, one must watch out if looking for news or ongoing feeds. I would find the podcast search engines more helpful if they had a feature to sort by age, number of episodes, or both. (If they do, I did not find it.)

I had difficulty subscribing to podcasts in bloglines. I gave up using the podcast search engines and instead surfed to a site of a content provider I know provides podcasts, NPR. I found a show that podcasts five times weekly, Fresh Air, but could not figure out how to subscribe from the NPR site since its options were links to software I don't use (e.g. itunes) or the URL to past in my podcast software (I don't think my computer has podcast software; I could be wrong).

Success came when I logged into bloglines, used its search engine to find NPR's Fresh Air, and found a link in Bloglines to subscribe. I verified my success by listening to part of a podcast.

I can see that CML might want to podcast, e.g. to promote library events, changes in policies, and other public alerts.

You too can YouTube!

Topic: "Explore YouTube and find a video worth adding as an entry in your blog."

I explored Youtube. I have investigated this site for entertainment since last summer, when I stumbled upon it while searching for song lyrics.

My video worth adding is a 10-minute political speech:


I like Youtube. Its search box sits prominently on the page and functions in straight forward manner. The hits it returns contain relevant content.

I chose the above video to exemplify how Web 2.0 provides access to serious political content that most broadcast media ignore.

Brief instructional videos that demonstrate routine library functions such as signing up for a library card and checking out items might be useful on their respective dedicated pcs. Videos that tour CML facilities might be interesting on the library's internet site, since many patrons probably have not seen all CML locations. Videos on the library site that model the library's code of conduct might assist staff in maintaining an environment conducive the the library's mission.

Explore CML’s own Tool Box of great Web 2.0 tools

Topic: "try out some of the links in the Tool Box... try downloading the Library Toolbar or the Catalog Plugin... or read the blog, Tooling Around, and leave a comment."

I looked at all of the links in the Toll Box. I already used some prior to Learn & Play (Firefox, Gmail, Worldcat). I learned others already for Learn & Play (Technorati, Delicious, Library Thing, Twitter). That left half to discover:

Boingboing strikes me as entertainment leisure reading, much like alternative news weekly magazines.

Digg presents a current greatest hits of the world wide web that is up to the minute, for practical or entertainment value.

Stumbleupon appears largely similar to Digg in intention and content.

I see Make as a hobby forum, of mixed practical and entertainment value.

The Book Burro site provides an installable free tool described as serving a specialized need for finding books via library and online book seller sites. I limited my explorations of this for the same reason that I did not install the library tool bar or catalog plug-in - I work on shared computers at the library that either prevent such configurations or serve users that might not want them.

Techcrunch provides a weblog about internet 2.0 businesses. I may someday reach the sophistication level to optimally benefit from this site.

Creative Commons targets online publishers who seek to assert some intellectual property rights.

In addition to exploring the CML Tool Box, I read the CML Tooling Around weblog. I added the comment that it appears to have stopped posting two months ago, whereas Learn & Play reveals that plenty of potential content warrants resumed content.

Discovering Web 2.0 tools

Topic: "Select any site/tool from the list of Web 2.0 Awards nominees... Explore the site you selected."

I selected the three top "music" sites, Last, Pandora, and Mog. Prior to this exercise, I had not used any of these.

I had different experiences with each of these.

I spent the least time with Mog, because I did not find a way to do much without creating a Mog account, and I didn't want to do that. Also, I did not find a Bugmenot account to use for Mog (as I did for Pandora). Mog failed to display much content for Lawrence Welk - my test for versatility & usefulness to the non-rock audience.

I spent an hour or more exploring Last, the Web 2.0 Award winner. I didn't need to register for anything I wanted to do. I found it pretty well organized. However, the content that appeared for my first test, singer Laura Love (a modern folk singer) puzzled and disappointed me. It contained under "videos" 7 videos, only one of which featured Laura Love. Some of them seemed to be random misses.

I spent the most time with Pandora, the Web 2.0 runner-up. It allowed me to "create a radio station" and explore this option for a while, though at some point it required me to register to do much more. Perhaps I had crossed a threshold of free clicks and searches. I found a login for Pandora at bugmenot.com that worked, so I used it to continue exploring.

In Pandora, I had trouble finding the list of songs played, which figures high among my requirements for a music site. I later hypothesized that my trouble was having multiple pandora widows open simultaneously and losing track.

I have mixed feelings about the basic premise of main features of both Pandora and Last (possibly mog also), playing a stream of music similar to a given seed artist or song. Like browsing a specialized genre collection in a library instead of a fully interfiled collection of mixed genres, using these tools prevents the listener from discovering anything outside the restrictions. I generally do not like this. I have voiced my support for fully interfiled adult fiction collections, for example. However, I understand the usefulness of screening out some styles of music in some situations.

I would consider later registering for these sites to fully exploit them.

The library setting applications I see are office background music and music in a listening station in a part of the library that would not interfere with quiet reading. However, I suspect that these sites uses target leisure time more than work applications.

Web-based apps: break free from your desktop!

Topic: "Explore Google Docs and create a test document or two..."

I had already collaborated on a colleague's Learn & Play google presentation, so I knew something about this.

I created my own google spreadsheet and document. I published (http://docs.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wo&pli=1#owned-by-me) my google document and invited colleagues to collaborate.

I encoutered trouble with the share feature. My having not yet closed the document may have been the problem. However, another problem, this time with the display of the confirmation message when the invitation went through, also occured. In any case, I separately e-mailed my own notification to the collaborators.

I foresee testing google docs's suitability for my day-to-day work outside of the library, specifically newsletter editing. If google's functionality falls to much short of Word, I won't use it for this. However, I can see how our library could use it, e.g. for publishing a list of staff responsibilities within a branch. With regular staff turnover, this list changes, making a single updated list useful.

Similarly, groups of people, such as library staff across branches or systems, could use google docs. I explored the "revision history" feature, which addresses the main issue I foresee in its actual use.

Playing around with wikis

Topic: "Add an entry or two to the Learn & Play @CML wiki."

After viewing the discovery resources, I created an PBWiki account for myself to access the Learn & Play wiki.

I logged in. I added a link to my blog in the Favorite Blogs page. I also contributed to the Favorite Vacation Spots, Favorite Leisure Time Activity, Favorite Books, and Favorite Album pages.

From the Favorite Vacation Spots, I created a new page, "Beach." On that page, I wrote some text and attached a link to a Flickr video of a nice beach similar to one I visited a decade ago.

Interesting point: whereas the default view of a wiki page allows contributions (edits) to appear anonymous, the "page history" allows the user to identify the changes of each contributor. One need not log in to the wiki to track the page history.

I found the on-screen instructions for adding a new page or linking to an existing page confusing, but I eventually figured enough out to do what I wanted.

I envision testing the usefulness of wikis when I next work on a newsletter for a community organization to which I belong.

Wikis

Topic: “Take a look at some library wikis and blog about your findings. What did you find interesting? What types of applications within libraries might work well with a wiki?”

I looked at the suggested wikis. The requirement of most or all of them to log in with a username and password interested me. One indicated that previous protocol did not require this. Greater accountability presumably leads to better content, but may deter some people from editing or adding content.

I believe that library applications that do not require an authoritative source, such as sharing book reviews, work best on public web sites. For internal library internet use, wikis that track authorship of edits also serve their audience.

The implied justification for wiki vs. traditional interested me also. I did not understand the justification for some wikis, such as the Bull Run Library wiki. Much of the factual library information there seemed to belong on the official website of the library system to which Bull Run belongs, Prince William County of Virginia libraries. I did not find links between the official and wiki sites. I believe they should link to each other.

I understand that one justification for wikis is to allow sites to grow with respect to direction and focus according to user interest. However, much of the content on the Bull Run wiki falls into categories that any library’s website should cover. I would be interested to know why the official site has so little information, assuming I found the right site.

Inviting user input for programming ideas, book purchases, and library patron concerns benefit from implementation as wikis most obviously to me. As with many internet tools, once I see them work, I better understand. Perhaps to fully understand a wiki's value, one must visit it over a period of time and observe its changes.

Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Topic: "What does Library 2.0 mean to you?"

Library 2.0 means to me a changing model of library services that incorporates new technologies, emphasizing the public’s shaping of the product.

Library 2.0 orients library staff and users to the affluent and the future, in particular to a patron base with a majority of internet-savvy patrons with access to computers and the internet. Such a patron base already exists in more affluent societies.

Library 2.0 requires continuing education of library staff. Library workers should be able to converse with their patrons about the patrons’ preferred internet tools for information gathering and sharing.

Library 2.0 uses willing contributors of information who do not fit traditional qualifications of authority.

Library 2.0 implicitly identifies a decreasing role for books. In my experience, a decreasing value on quiet spaces to read and work accompanies this change.

Motivation for espousing Library 2.0 philosophies and implementing their practices derives from desire to assist patrons who prefer interactive internet activity to traditional library use, and from a self-preservation need to stay relevant to one’s community.

I read the perspectives cited in the OCLC Next Space Newsletter about Web 2.0, and the Wikipedia article. I note that Wikipedia is itself a result of Web 2.0 software and activity.

I find the Library 2.0 model easier to understand when concretely exemplified. The Learn and Play exercises have largely filled this need.

Almost all the software applications explored in Learn and Play so far provide diversion, if not education, for someone who is regularly online and does not mind leaving an electronic footprint in many places. However, they differ in the degree to which I understand their filling my public library's needs.

Tagging... & social bookmarking in delicious

Topic: "Can you see the potential of [tagging, folksonomies and social bookmarking in delicious] for research assistance? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?"

I surfed around the delicious web site.

I created my own delicious account: http://delicious.com/Jim_Corva

I found the delicious accounts for two CML colleagues, and added one to my network.

I added several bookmarks to my delicious account, tagging all of them with the suggested tags and some other tags.

I can see the potential of this tool for networking or research. After bookmarking one of my sites on philately, I looked at the bookmarks of other people who bookmarked the same site I did with the same "philately" tag. I recognized some of the bookmarks. I can see that having this list could be useful, in particular because is is a dynamic list that grows as other bookmarkers find and mark other sites.

I don't know yet whether delicious can indicate the origin (delicious username) of imported bookmarks. It doesn't appear to, though I would find this useful.

Explore Twitter

Topic: "Visit Twitter and sign up... tweet..."

My twitter username: Jim_Corva.

I tweeted twice; first on a professional topic, then on a personal one.

I visited the CML Learn and Play account and and added it to my "following" list. Its "followers" list led me to several colleagues' accounts, which I signed up to follow. One account has locked access to its following list, but another added me automatically.

The search function for adding new followers returned this message: "This feature is temporarily disabled." This prevented me from finding other conversations, but I will revisit this tool later.

I viewed the names of followers of learnandplay, and found colleagues I recognized. I invited via e-mail 3 colleagues to follow me.

I recognize some of micro-blogging's uses. Libraries can use it to announce and promote new library resources, facilities, policies, procedures, and events. Libraries' web sites and blogs serve a similar function, except that by design tweets often serve a more immediate and hence temporary function.

I like twitter moderately well. Regarding outgoing messages, the malfunctioning search function made finding users to follow very problematic. Regarding incoming messages, I can use timely messages in proportion to the amount of time I have Internet access to my own twitter account. Without a user-dedicated staff PC, this runs a few hours per week. I'm sure I will find it helpful in many ways, both professionally and personally.

Library Thing

Topic: "Take a look around LibraryThing and create an account. Add a least 5 books to your library."

Here are my library's first five books:

Image Generators

Topic: "Play around with some image generators and find one that you like."

I experimented with the ALA Mini READ Poster Generator, Generator Blog, Letter James, and FD Toys.

Here is one I created with www.letterjames.com.

Finding Feeds

Topic: "Now that you have a newsreader, you can begin adding other newsfeeds that interest you. When visiting your favorite websites... Use Blogline's search tool... Topix.net... Syndic8.com, Technorati.com..."

Q: Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use?

A: Searching for feeds with Bloglines was the easiest, since one necessarily has already logged in to Bloglines to use it; one doesn't have to remember to do this. Using the others requires logging in to Bloglines to set up the feed, then visiting the tool's site. This leads to keeping track of multiple windows. I am generally comfortable with this. However, by default, Bloglines keeps one logged in to Bloglines after one closes the Bloglines window. I have not found how to change this in the account settings. This leads me to favor any tool that facilitates managing multiple windows, such as minimizing the need for them. My Bloglines account's remaining open to the next user of the computer I may be using presents problems.

Q: Which Search tool was the easiest for you?

A: Syndic8 benefits from displaying helpful site information for the user prominently, featuring a prominent search box, and and presenting a static display. Its table of feeds with feed status appears to be very useful. However, none of its hits had "approved" status w/recent feeds.

Q: Which was more confusing?

A: Topix and Technorati screens are busy and distracting with news stories, including the trivial. Each also shows video or animation and advertisements which all distract.

Q: What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels? Or what kind of unusual ones did you find?

A: I searched for the same subject, philately, in each case and found a mix sites. After a quick glance at the quantity and titles, I find both tools useful. Some of the hits from each appeared useful for leisure reading. The range of topics for my search term predictably returned some unusual feeds, such as Latvian stamps.

Q: What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?

A: None yet, but I suspect that I will stumble upon some.

Make life "really simple" with RSS feeds!

Topic: "Create a free online Bloglines account for yourself and subscribe to at least 10 newsfeeds to your reader."

Q: What do you like about RSS and newsreaders?

A: Really Simple Syndication and newsreaders for RSS feeds can save effort when one would otherwise repeatedly seek the same news sources out individually.

Q: How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life?

A: In either case I can set up RSS feeds to content sources that interest me, and read them when Internet access and time allow. For work, content sources could include feeds from colleagues and industry authorities for professional development. For personal life, content sources would include providers of recreational content.

Q: How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

A: CML exemplifies using RSS to provide catalog updates to users of newsreaders. CML could add similar content feeds regarding library programs. The staff of a library can take advantage of newsreaders for professional development.

My public blogroll address is http://www.bloglines.com/public/JimCorva. There, you can see the updates I have requested from various content providers.

Blog about Technology

Topic: "blog about anything related to technology."

Technology, time and wealth: what relationships exist among these concepts?

The practical application of knowledge – a definition of technology – presupposes acquisition of knowledge. This requires time and wealth.

In this context, time means discretionary time. People everywhere have the same basic needs, but differ largely in the degree of their needs’ fulfillment. Fulfillment of needs determines discretionary time.

The acquisition of new knowledge – education – requires discretionary time. The person caught up in trying to meet his most basic needs has less time to learn new technologies that to do not immediately compensate his time investment.

Applying technology thus requires knowledge and discretionary time. Knowledge and time are really alternate forms of wealth. Furthermore, membership in a society that provides access to technology is itself a form of wealth, regardless of one’s individual fortune. Public libraries which provide access to technology exemplify this form of wealth.

In summary, time, knowledge, and wealth form a necessary foundation for technology.

Other relationships exist among technology, wealth and time. For example, to apply technology is to allocation resources, and wealth and time are fundamental resources. Thus, technology not only depends on time and wealth, it redistributes them.

The resource allocation decisions one makes may follow existing decision-making guidelines but raise new challenges. For example, can one allocate one’s times largely to electronic communication and not lose essential social skills? How much investment in infrastructure suffices for a family or a city? Are forms of wealth unrelated to technology undervalued in a technologically advanced society?

Technology can seem like a hurricane, feeding on time and wealth and at the same time radically redistributing them in unplanned ways. As with hurricanes, the better society understands technology, the more society can prepare for the transformations it brings.

More Flickr Fun

Topic: "Explore some of the fun Flickr mashups and 3rd-party tools that are out there. Create a blog post about one that intrigues you."

I used the Librarian Trading Card mash-up to create this image.

I found the software straight-forward and easy to use.

I first needed to convert a .TIFF file created by an Epson scanner and Phtotoshop Elements to a .JPG file. I used Paint.

The image originated as an Ektochrome slide.

Flickr

CML Hilltop Branch Roach
Originally uploaded by Jim Corva

Topic: "create a post in your blog about your photo and your experience with Flickr. Be sure to include the image in your post."

My photo shows a metal cockroach that watches over patrons of the Hilltop Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. She sits atop a new adult non-fiction book display tower.

Flickr provides a functional and friendly means to post image files. This is one of three photographs I took at the Hilltop Branch last week which are posted on Flickr.

7.5 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners

Topic: "Use one of your test posts to create an entry about the habits among the 7 and 1/2 lifelong learning habits that is easiest and hardest for you and why. "

Easiest: Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning.
Why: Because claiming control over one's own life empowers, and I choose empowerment.

Hardest: Habit 5: Create your own learning toolbox.
Why: Because acquiring new tools, especially unknown tools, takes more effort than using those with which one is comfortable.

USA-C3a: Motivation

Motivation for this weblog:
Professional development exercise at Columbus Metropolitan Library;
"Learn & Play" item #3: Create a Blog in 3 easy steps.