Just one click away

Wow! I agree with a posting on the Semls 2.0 discussion board on Facebook this week – we have certainly gotten a lot of great information over the last 6 weeks in this class.  First, I owe a big thank you to Kathy for the tremendous job she has done in presenting and teaching this fantastic class!  When I signed up for the class, I did so with reservations.  This was primarily because I felt so unsure of my capabilities when it comes to all of this new uncharted territory (for me anyway) called 2.0  However, that was really the most important reason to, in fact, participate in the class and I’m so glad I didn’t let that initial nervousness stop me from signing up. 

When the class began, I thought wikis was the thing I would find most useful in applying to my own workplace but I have found so many more technologies that I would like to try to use as well.  I would like to try to add a wiki component to our summer reading program this year(which was my initial thought after seeing the great one the Seekonk library added last summer) , but also think it could be useful to have a wiki for parents to go to find out more family resources available to them in our community.   I can definitely see the usefulness of Flickr on library websites (although as will so much of this technology there are privacy concerns and policy decisions to be made in conjunction with usage)  Blogging is another area which perhaps could be used for bookgroups to further discussions we have when we meet face to face each month or perhaps for book reviews.  Finally,  although I knew a bit about Librarything before we began this class, Goodreads was new to me.  I have already used these tools to help with readers advisory for patrons.

This class has not only broadened my horizons, but has made me more comfortable with getting out there and exploring all of this new technology that so many of our patrons are already using.  I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the class and would be very interested in participating in additional/follow-up classes if they were ever offered.  I think I can honestly say this is the best SEMLS workshop I’ve ever participated in.

YouTube is a lot of fun.  I searched using the term “library” and found a bunch of videos I really liked.  This first one just cracked me up, and shows how much fun you can make a potentially very boring  ”welcome to our library – here’s what we have to offer” video using YouTube.

O.k. since you can’t have just one,  here are two  more “library” videos I loved.  This first one is from the Saint Joe County Public Library system in South Bend Indiana where my husband grew up, and where numerous nieces and nephews have held part time jobs.  This next one is from a Seinfeld episode called library detective and is very funny!  Who knew “homework” could be this much fun?

I have enjoyed this week very much and found wiki’s very interesting.  Also, as with many of the new areas in technology (at least to me) that we have explored, once again it was easier to use than I thought it would be.  I can see possibilities for use in my own library, including using a wiki similar to the way a wiki was used in conjunction with the summer reading program by the Seekonk public library this past summer.   Also, I think a link to a wiki on a public library’s webpage (simliar to some of the ones we  looked at in this week’s coursework) could be quite a beneficial service for our patrons as long as it is made relevant to their lives.  As I mentioned in my comments on our wiki this week, I think a wiki about available town resources (my focus would be for parents about daycare, preschools, town sports sign-ups and contacts etc…) for new members of a community or even for long time residents who might like an update regarding  what’s new in their community could be a great thing.