Stuck on 23 things

Created reading list in ProQuest

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Sharing 23 Things

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:55:00 +0000

I've launched a blog for my campus faculty. Our first topic: What are blogs and how can they be used in academia?

Check it out at Bismarck Faculty Blog.

first ILL outside my college system

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:50:00 +0000

This afternoon, I sent out my first interlibrary loan (ILL) to a library outside of our college system, and even outside of our consortia. I sent a book from our small collection (1000 items) to the University of Iowa. It feels quite good to know...

My library collection is large enough now that I can lend to other libraries and not only borrow from them

My collaboration with faculty members resulted in our collection having something people need

With support of coworkers, I was able to figure out how to use FirstSearch to lend an item (Thanks for the help, Amy!)

Let me talk at you for a second...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:00:00 +0000

I've always struggled with knowing the best way to introduce adjunct instructors to the physical library resources, let alone the databases and classroom workshop opportunities. A very large percentage of our instructors are adjuncts, most of whom are unable to attend professional development sessions. I think I've finally stumbled upon a good method. I talk.

The first three days of this quarter have yielded great opportunities. One adjunct instructor stopped in the library to show me vacation pictures and ended up scheduling her very first workshop. Another came in to visit and ended up checking out five books, having a database lesson on using folders for suggested read lists, and scheduling two workshops. An adjunct instructor I've barely met stopped to ask me something because the door was open, and she ended up finding DVDs she wants to show and books she wants to show to her students, and she scheduled her very first workshop.

When I was a kid, my parents teased me that I talked too much. Who would have guessed that my talkative nature would have professional benefits!

Orientation Day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:14:00 +0000

Today was new student orientation. Usually, I use a laptop & projector to show students the portal, their e-mail, etc. However, today the students had done an online learning styles assessment, so they were already logged into the computers. I took advantage of that and led them through a hands-on orientation session where we explored the portal, opened the e-mail window, etc. I've done the hands-on orientation before for a mid-quarter start with 3-5 students, but today we had about 16 students at each session. It went well enough in the morning that we decided to do it the same way in the evening session.

My hope is that students will feel a bit more comfortable about where to go to see schedules, to check e-mail, to access the library, etc., because they've already been there.

Confessions of a Librarian

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:55:00 +0000

1. Last week, I checked out materials from the public library, only to find that I had a $0.40 fine. This is my 2nd or 3rd time with a fine in the 2+ years that I've been a librarian. In the 10 years I had that library account before I became a librarian, I don't think I ever had a fine. How embarrassing to have fines now that I should know better!

2. Since I'm admitting things I should not admit as a library professional, I'll just keep going... I checked out the DVD Persuasion, based on the novel by Jane Austen. I've never read the book--I decided it was just easier to watch the movie! I also watched Clouds of Witnesses, based on the book by Dorothy Sayers. I checked out the book by the same title at the same time, fully knowing that I had no intention of reading the book. Shame on me!

3. I sometimes take home materials from my campus library without checking them out.

I made a student cry today

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:03:00 +0000

Graduation will be held later this evening. One of the two student speakers was a student in the class I taught during the first half of this quarter. She asked me if I'd revise her speech for tonight, and I agreed. Well, she e-mailed it to me this morning, and I fixed her wording, etc., to add clarity. This afternoon she called me and told me I had made her cry. (Uh-oh. Was I too harsh? Did I change too much of her speech?) She said she loved what I had done with her speech and that I really seemed to get what she was trying to say, that I expressed exactly what was on her heart.

The main point of her speech is that we should never let anyone else's low expectations for us or poor impressions of us color our own views of who we are. Each one of us is unique and has our own dreams and abilities. Throw off the negative thoughts that entangle us and run with perseverence the race before us and claim the prize. Success awaits.

I think I was able to express what was on the student's heart because it's a theme I think of every single day.

For most of the 2+ years I've held this postion in the library, I've let myself feel inadequate because the degrees I hold are not library-related. When other librarians have voiced generalities about people without MLIS degrees not being real librarians, I not only have been hurt but also have let the comments color how I view my value as a librarian. The student's speech reminded me that I know who I am no matter what others say, and how others label me does not change the fact that I am unique and have much to offer. I am a skilled librarian with excellent research and customer service skills. I am a patient instructor who builds confidence while building skill. I am a librarian.

computer withdrawl

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:42:00 +0000

The computer on my desk has officially died. I think a fan died and the computer overheated. And of course we don't have an IT person on campus, so who knows when I'll have a functioning computer again.

I knew I was too reliant on computers, but I didn't realize how reliant I was on my computer. I've been able to get some work done by using other computers in the library, but I haven't been able to check books in/out or to visit websites saved in my favorites. Plus, I feel that I'm in the way when I'm using a computer elsewhere in the library.

Grumble, grumble. Complain, complain. And I'm sunburned. Grumble....

National Poetry Month, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:39:00 +0000

With our poetry contest winding down, I'm still encouraging students and employees to submit poems. Here's my latest attempt to inspire participaton...

Do I Have To?
by Chandra H.

I have to write a poem.
(Chandra said I should.)
I’ll give it my best try,
but it won’t do any good.

My brain is starting to ache
as I stare at this blank paper.
Why is she making me do this?
I’m really starting to hate her!

Maybe if I write one,
Chandra will stop nagging.
And if I win the contest,
I’ll be able to do some bragging.

Guess I should stop whining
and just begin to write.
After all, I am creative
and my mind is very bright.

So I’ll write a poem right now;
I still have a little time.
And when people choose a favorite
Perhaps they’ll all decide on mine.

National Poetry Month

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:33:00 +0000

As part of National Poetry Month, my campus library is sponsoring a poetry contest. To get the ball rolling, I introduced the contest with a poem.

National Poetry Month

To celebrate poems
And display them for show
Use your talent and skills
To show what you know.

Create a sonnet,
A poem, or a rhyme.
It can be ordinary,
Wonderful, or sublime.

Type it out neatly
Prepared for display.
Include your name
And you’re on your way.

Give it to Chandra
And she’ll do her part
By displaying your poem,
Your work of the heart.

Thing 23: Final Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:20:00 +0000

Has anything changed as a result of this experience?
I am no longer afraid of Library 2.0. I CAN maintain a blog, I CAN create items with photos, and I CAN communicate online!

What were your favorite Things and discoveries?
I loved, loved, loved the image generators and fun with Flickr. A coworker sends me updated photos of her baby, and I turn them into movie posters, motivational posters, and so on. I also made my campus director a poster for his birthday.

How did you connect with others doing the 23 Things On a Stick?
During the early stages, I found a participant who was working about the same pace as I was. I often commented on her page, and she commented on mine. She had a Meebo widget on her page, so once when she was online I IMed her. After we chatted a bit about where we were from, we discovered that her husband attended school with the mother of some kids I used to teach. Such a small world!

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? Libraries and librarians must stay current with technology in order to meet their patrons at their level of need and interest.

Thing 22: What did I learn today?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:11:00 +0000

I'm fortunate to have a library director who's very up-to-date with the latest 2.0 tools. I think working with her will force me to keep learning and applying 2.0 tools. If I don't, I'll be left in her dust!

There are quite a few Things that I'd like to revisit at a more leasurely pace. For example, I explored Digg and Newsvine. But because I haven't used them in a while, I don't remember clearly what they offer.

I did learn that 2.0 tools get easier the more I use them. During Thing 1, adding my avatar to my blog about did me in. But today I was easily able to add widgets, etc. Plus, I've learned that if I say "installed the RSS widget on my blog" my dean will look at me like I'm the smartest person she knows. Well, it's either that or she's looking at me like she has no idea what I just said.

Thing 21: Beyond MySpace

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:03:00 +0000

Are you a member of any online communities?
I am a member of WebJunction. I hadn't considered it a social networking site. However, I can understand why it might be considered to be one. It's a place to share information with like-minded people. I suspect that it has lots of features I haven't explored yet.

I joined Ning. I was able to locate another librarian I knew, so that was fun. One of the campuses in my system has Ning group for its campus, and another for its online faculty. I think that Ning is a great place for online faculty (or people who work for a common goal but rarely or never get to meet.) It's a way to limit the feeling of isolation which might happen for people who work online.

I like Ning much better than MySpace. It's less personal, so I feel like I'm a bit more protected and anonymous.

I haven't explored in Gather yet. Until I read this Thing, I hadn't heard of Gather.

I like that Shelfari is an entire social networking site devoted to books!

Thing 20: Libraries and Social Networks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:29:00 +0000

I took a look at a couple library pages in MySpace.

The library MySpace pages I visited were geared for teens. The pages featured links to library databases (patron account required) or catalog searches. Blogs served as a way to distribute/share information about library events, latest books, and so on.

I'm having a hard time thinking of how my library could use MySpace. I guess I'm struggling to see how MySpace has any benefit to an organization, other than as a marketing tool. There is value in that, I suppose, but a library webpage could do the same things as what I've seen on MySpace. The only MySpace advantage is the social networking. ("Hmmm... My friend Spot has a friend called LibrariansRock. I'll check out their page.")

Last question was: If you created your own MySpace page, how do you plan to use it? Well, I used to have a MySpace page, but I canceled it. I liked using MySpace to see what my friends were up to, but I didn't feel interesting enough to add much to my own page.

I'm starting to feel realy old. I swear I do like computers and new technology even if my blog posts don't sound that way!

Thing 19: Podcasts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:38:00 +0000

This is a topic I definitely want to explore more. I had no idea that I could subscribe to a podcast through an RSS feed. That really helped me grasp how a podcast is different from other AV content online.

I listend to a podcast from The Library Channel. (I found it through Podcast.com.) I didn't subscribe to it, though, because I was feeling just plain tired of setting up accounts.

The navigation of Podcast Alley seemed much easier to use. I like that the podcasts are grouped by genres.

Gcast makes it sound pretty simple to create a podcast and link to it. I'm sure there are many would-be-bloggers who have lots to say but hate to write. Creating a podcast would be a way for them to express/share their ideas.

If I had a longer commute (longer than my 4-7 minute drive to work) and an MP3 player, I think I would subscribe to podcasts. I enjoy listening to Prairie Home Companion, call-in shows, etc., while I'm driving, so I think I'd like podcasts. Are there podcasts of audio books which a person would listen to a chapter a day?

Thing 18: YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:14:00 +0000

Somehow, I can see a bit of myself in that librarian!

I've explored YouTube. The number and variety of videos available caught me off guard. I had expected lots of videos of bands, pranks, stupid human tricks, etc. I didn't expect documentaries on serious topics, instructional videos on many topics, and anything pertaining to libraries.

I remember hearing a while back that YouTube was looking into the problem of copyright infringement. (I think that was back when I used YouTube to watch clips of the tv show Lost.)

I chose the video clip about Cookie Monster in the library because, well, it's about a library. And I just got my boxes of Girl Scout cookies yesterday and have been eating them in the library, so the video is quite fitting.

My library team is creating an information literacy online course. For the module my partner and I created, we recommended including a video (screen cast?) of how to use NoodleTools to create citations. User guides for databases, how to check out a books, etc., could be imbedded into library websites.

Thing 17: ELM Productivity Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:06:00 +0000

For about a year, I've been receiving bi-weekly e-mails from Academic Search Complete to alert me of new articles which fit my search criteria. (I use e-mail rather than RSS because I rarely remember to check my GoogleReader account.) Through the search alterts, I've been able to stay current with the latest events, articles, etc., on topics of interest.

Next month, I will be holding a professional development session for faculty members. I think they'd like to learn about journal alerts and search alerts. They could use them as I do to stay current on topics of interest.

I've taught many, many patrons how to use EBSCO databases and NetLibrary. Many patrons appreciate that the articls and e-books can be read from anywhere. When I've demonstrated the method for searching e-content of an e-book for a specific term, patrons look relieved that they will not have to read the entire book, page by page, in order to find the few times a certain topic is mentioned in the e-book.

Thing 16: Student 2.0 Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:54:00 +0000

I love the graphic organizers in the RPC. I used to teach English, and I wish I had had those graphic organizers at the time.

I noticed that the RPC and the calculator parallel The Big 6, a system for teaching information literacy skills. They also coordinate well with what my library team uses in our presentations.... understand the assignment, find an appropriate focus or research questions, etc.

Our team is currently designed in information literacy online course. Maybe we could imbed these calculators, or at very least the graphic organizers from the teacher's guides.

Thing 15: Online Gaming in Libraries

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:40:00 +0000

My single-room library has six computers for students to use. At times of peak demand, I'd hate to think that students had to work in other areas of the building in order to access our online library merely because other students were using the computers to play games as a way of killing time between classes. Call me old fashioned if you must.

Last week, my library director introduced me to Second Life. I had heard of it before, but I had never seen it. We visited a library island, which was empty. If I were online and wanted to find out information, I'd go to an online encyclopedia or an online library and do the searching myself. I wouldn't think of asking another online persona for the information.

With that said, I realize I'm quite different than a typical user of my library. I'm comfortable wit research, I'm easily distracted by computer graphics, and I don't like it when "work" and "play" seem to mesh.

Before I completely dismiss online games and Second Life and potential library applicatoins, I guess I should try them out more thoroughly. Maybe.

Thing 14: Library Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:32:00 +0000

I created a LibraryThing account, and I added a widget to my shelf list. (It should be over on the right side of this blog.)

My library team has already batted around the idea of having a "Readers Recommend" section or something similar on our library page. We could use LibraryThing to set up the recommendation list.

I do distribute lists of new acquisitions. I think that using LibraryThing, especially with book photos, would add more flare than a table in Word.

Isn't the cover art of books copyrighted? Are you sure we can display covers in this format?

Thing 13, Online Productivity Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:08:00 +0000

For my start page, I chose iGoogle because I already had a Google account. I don't think I'll make it my permanent homepage, but I will add it to my list of homepages. Just from what I experienced today, I tend to get distracted by what's on the iGoogle home page and wonder off to news stories, etc., instead of doing whatever work I went online to do.

I used the calendar in Outlook. If I actually had a life outside of work, I might use a different online calendar. My coworkers and I use a calendar in a shared Google account so that we can collaboratively sign up for virtual reference shifts. We would not be able to do that so easily without a shared online calendar.

Although the to-do lists were cute and might be helpful for many people, I still prefer the traditional Post-It notes, etc., that I use. I can take them with me, cross off completed tasks, lose them when I want to ignore what's looming over me...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:02:00 +0000

Last summer, I visited the International Peace Garden. This photo shows me sitting on the border between the US and Canada. If you look in the distant background, you'll see that there's a clear path where the trees have been cleared. That's the actual border.

Thing 12, Digg It

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:42:00 +0000

The appearance of the sites varied so much. The layout of Newsvine reminded me of MSNBC. If I hadn't known it was a social site, I wouldn't have guessed it. Digg and Mixx had similar layouts, but I preferred the clean look of Mixx. I spent about five seconds on Reddit. It looked cramped, and it resembled del.icio.us too closely for my taste.

I hadn't ever used sites like this before. I did find myself reading a couple blogs and news stories. I even go so caught up in one blog that I had to post to it.

I guess I'd vote that sites like this can be productivity detractors. If I hadn't been checking them out, I wouldn't still be sitting at my desk at 9:48 pm on a Friday. However, at the same time sites like this can be information enhancers. I know a little more about current events and hot topics than I did an hour ago.

When I tried to add a news article, the service said it was already on Newsvine, and one click took me right to the discussion. Now I understand why sites like these are considered social and not just places to vote for favorite stories.

Thing 11, Tagging and Del.icio.us

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 01:21:00 +0000

My library uses Ma.gnolia for sharing recommended websites. We tag sites with program areas, and our library webpage has links to the our Ma.gnolia page, broken down by program area. By using one account, this social bookmarking allows our team of librarians to pool our favorite sites. Take a look at our tags and bookmarks.

I noticed that San Mateo Public Library tages its del.icio.us entries by Dewey range. That's a very structured approach which I preferred to some of the apparently haphazard tagging structures I saw elsewhere.

I prefer the look of ma.gnolia. It allows for annotations/descriptions of the sites, and the comments are visible without having to click here, click there like you do in del.icio.us.

Thing 10, Wikis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:53:00 +0000

I've viewed the wikis listed in Thing 10, and I'm quite impressed. Previously, I had thought of library wikis as a place where coworkers could post ideas, resources, and comments. I didn't see the what a wiki offers that a group blog does not.

After looking at several wikis, I see that they can be used in a variety of ways. I saw one which seemed to serve as a portal for library resources. Some links in it took viewers outside of the wiki and right into the library catalog. For a library without an IT staff (or with an uncooperative one) a wiki could function as a simple library homepage.

On the 23 Things wiki, I added a page called Librarians on the Road. I'm attempting to add a link to it to the sidebar or the frontpage, but we'll see how that turns out.

The front page of the 23 Things wiki is a mess! It's nearly impossible to find pages within the wiki.