hnscils598f08

Are you a 598er?

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:20:00 +0000

For those following the tweets this week you probably saw some of us discussing a class meet-up on SL. Well a few of us managed to get together. Gabber Delicioso (GC), Isobel Jinx (JH), Mira Delicioso (TK), Oracle Rothmanay (RR) and me, Himawari Yuhara.

The final verdict--- Wandering around dazed and confused as a group is a lot more fun then wandering dazed and confused by yourself.

We met up and figured out how to teleport to Info Island where we marveled at the Mystery Manor. After a brief stop at the Christie Cottage, Gabber and Oracle asked me to show them where the Santa was I had talked about in a previous post. We tromped on over to the winter wonderland display, sat on Santa's lap and took pictures.

Gabbers and Oracle take turns on Santa's lap.

About this time is when Mira and Isobel joined us. We talked for a bit, tried to figure out some technical problems and I learned how to stop flying without landing in a tangled heap.

Another pic:

We decided to look at the Banned Books area of the Info Island. Once of us had been there previous and she wanted to show us.

While waiting for the teleport invitation we were approached by a male avatar. However, before we received an answer to that all important question that would determine if we would be willing to speak with him or not --"Are you a 598er?"--It was time to teleport.

Once the area rendered it was indeed worth looking around. After a brief rendition of Romeo and Juliet, however, it was time for us to part ways.

Johnson redux

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:11:00 +0000

As I stated in my last post on "Everything Bad is Good For You", I think Johnson makes a very convincing argument. I have in the past argued the benefits of table top RPGs but I had never thought about this in the context of video games, movies and TV. There is much more to all of these then their content. That said, I don't believe the content can be completely ignored. There is some content that simply is not appropriate for certain ages/players. As librarians, we are called to provide information and materials without judgment or bias and I believe in that very strongly. On the other hand, we have separate sections for children, YAs and adults for a reason.

So what can we learn-

We now have more ammunition for defending programs like video game nights and movie nights. (Its about more then just pulling kids into the library)
If we don't offer such programs, then it would be a good idea to start
This is one more way libraries can help bridge the digital divide, by making video games available to kids who can't play at home and thus are missing the benefits
It could be worthwhile to create some information literacy games (as some libraries have already done)
We shouldn't make assumptions at least until we have tried something ourselves
We can use pop culture to spark interest in delving deeper into a subject (Like Ninja Gaiden? Take a look at these books/programs/web resources about Japanese weapons!)

Class suggestions

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:26:00 +0000

I have really enjoyed this class. The subject matter works very well in an online form, using the technologies as part of the class really reinforces what we are learning.

As for what changes I would make, here are a few suggestions.

I would keep the ‘monkeys with typewriters’ reading, it makes for a great discussion starter.

The Social Life on Information, however, I really did not benefit from as much. I would replace this, perhaps in favor of specific blog posts of professionals using this technology.

Several people have mentioned moving social networking to an earlier point in the class. I agree. That would give us more time to explore how these can be used and would be helpful in connecting with classmates.

As I mentioned in my previous post, a SL class met up would be fun and helpful.

Second Life

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 21:26:00 +0000

After reading some of the other blog posts I'm not sure if i should be relived or disappointed that my time in SL was so ... quiet.

The first time I logged on, I spent some time in the learning area just trying to figure things out. I spent some time working on my appearance but was rather disappointed that I could change so many tiny details like lip thickness but could not change my clothes. I talked to one girl(?) what was even more lost and confused then I was. (She had somehow gotten stuck as a glowing cloud) She eventually decided to try logging out and back in again and at this point my computer was running so slow that I logged out as well.

The second time, I tried changing my hair so at least that would be different from everyone else, however the 'hair' my avatar came with was apparently attached to her hat and the hair I could change was an entirely different entity. After creating a truly bizarre look, I scrapped it all and went out to explore. I landed in this Japanese garden/pavilion area that was quite pretty (though I felt a bit jealous of the several avatars in very pretty dresses that I saw).

I wondered about the burning Christmas tree, played with a ball and then moved on to Info Island.

By this time my computer was running really slow, to the point where my avatar was walking in slow motion when she was moving at all. I eventually managed to sit on Santa's lap and got a snapshot after my camera angle stopped freaking out.

I wandered around info island a little bit, there were only a few people there and no one talked to me. I explored the library and then found a nice couch to curl up on in the manga section.

Overall SL is a lot to take in all at once. I think as I became more comfortable with the world it would be a lot more fun. If possible I thing a class meetup in SL would be a lot of fun, giving us a social interaction without having to deal with some of the stranger strangers.

In Which I Fail at Kicking a Soccer Ball

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:11:00 +0000

I checked out the miniclip games website because it looked like it had a lot of games with multiple players rather then trying to find a certain friend on the web and challenging them.

I found a penguin game that looked cute and attempted to play that.

Warning: The following screencast contains much confused wanderings.

You can see me play here.

Chosing a console

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:19:00 +0000

These are the questions that would help inform my decision--

What is popular at the moment? While I don't want to follow every fad, I do want a system that will draw people in.

Does it tend to have more multi-player games or single player games?

Pricing, how much extras you need to buy?

Range of appeal

Who is my target audience? Will I only be running teen game nights, or is there interest in family game nights as well?
What kind of space do I have?
Are there certain games that my teen group (or other patrons) have expressed interest in?

Most of my decision will be based on community profiling and seeing where my patron's interest lies. Once I have a sense of that, I would check out the official web pages for each system, which should also give me an overview of the games they offer. I would check out Wired for reviews of the major systems.

http://www.wired.com/reviews/productlisting/gaming_gear

Jenny Levine's presentation also gave some links that would be helpful for researching staring a gaming program in the library. I would also look at what other libraries have and how those systems are working for them.

For information of what games would be a good choice for the library, Gamespot has some good reviews.

http://www.gamespot.com/reviews.html

I would choose to buy a Wii for the library. It has a wide range of multi-player games and can appeal to a wider range of audience and experience levels. The motion sensing aspect also have a large 'cool' factor.

Depending on my budget, I would also like to get an xBox 360 for variety, the excellent graphics and to appeal to the more serious gamers.

Screencasting

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:10:00 +0000

I have found the following to be helpful:

Always do a test run to make sure everything is working properly
At the same time check where/how new windows appear so that they will be inside your recording area
If possible try to avoid having to resize windows during the screencast
I haven't tried reading from a script, but mentally going over what I want to say is very helpful
The more I screencast the easier it is

Video games are good for you

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:30:00 +0000

Is pop culture just stupidity in a brightly colored package?

I admit I don't watch a lot of TV or play a lot of video games. Mainly because I don't have the time too. I do play table top D&D and have since I was 12 so I'm fairly aware of the gaming community, even if I'm not 'up' on the video game end of things. I'm used to defending the benefits of RPG games, but I've never really put to much though into the benefits of video/computer games before.

I have to say, Johnson makes a pretty convincing argument. The fact that his argument is used along with several other very good sources to make a convincing argument for games in the library reinforces this argument in my mind.

So no, I do not think that popular culture is simply delivering stupidity. I admit, I'm not particularly trilled with the content of some TV shows or video games (particularly compared to some of the really excellent shows that have been cancelled *coughfireflycough*), but I agree that the plot of the show or game is not all there is to it.

Johnson articulates this very well. A lot of the benefits that I would list off to defend my playing "that evil D&D game" also apply to video games and TV/movies. There is a large social factor. Many of the games can be played together, and even the single player games become social when your friends also play. The same goes for movies and TV shows. People like to talk about what they are watching and playing. There are countless online communities dedicated to fans of TV shows, movies, games and books. There are even communities dedicated to certain romantic pairings within a TV show. And through these communities, people can meet others who share their tastes and speculate what will happen next or who will end up with who.

For me playing D&D made me use math skills and gave me an understanding of probability. Decision making and problem solving are a large part of the game, and this transfers to video games as well.

I would also say that a certain amount of escapism is good. There are times when I've had a bad day, or I'm tired or I have something on my mind and I need to lay all that down and focus on someone completely unrelated for a while. Watch TV or playing games as a way to give us a break can be a very good thing.

Ning rhymes with Jing

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:57:00 +0000

The major benefit of Ning is also its greatest drawback. The reason why Myspace and Facebook are so popular is because so many people are on them. In order for social networks to work there needs to be a large group of people using the sites, adding friends and creating content. While there are several reasons why I personally prefer Facebook to Myspace for my private (though can I really say its private?) life, the main one and the reason I decided to create a Facebook profile is--my friends are on Facebook. If none of your friends are on a SNS then it isn't really worth joining.

Ning allows you to create and customize your own, selective, social network. Getting enough people to join your network and contribute, especially when competing with the big boys of SNSs is very difficult. If your purpose is to create a social network of your library users, you are better off creating profiles on Myspace and Facebook and trying to connect to your users there. Frankly, there isn't that much to draw them to yet another social network service.

However, if your have a specific purpose in mind, targeted to a specific group and want to be able to control the setting (especially privacy) then Ning is a great tool to use. For example, you may want to use Ning to add dimension to your book groups at the library. You can post reminders of the next meeting date and book to be read, host discussions before and after the group meets, post about upcoming library events of potential interest, and share reviews and discussions of others books members enjoy and recommend. "The book we are reading this month reminds me of this other book I read..." or if the novel is set in a certain location, like London, a member could post pictures of places mentioned in the book from the trip they took to London. There is a lot of possibility for Ning to enhance your library programs and connections with your patrons, if used correctly.

Ultimately, you need to assess what you what to accomplish and what your needs are before you can determine if Ning is the right tool for the job.

Because all the cool kids are doing it

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:31:00 +0000

heather's Dewey Decimal Section:

944 France & Monaco

heather = 8510858 = 851+085+8 = 944

Class:
900 History & Geography

Contains:
Travel, biographies, ancient history, and histories of continents.

What it says about you:
You're connected to your past and value the things that have happened to you. You've had some conflicted times in your life, but they've brought you to where you are today and you don't ignore it.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Boyd's library lessons

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:27:00 +0000

What lessons can libraries take from Boyd observations?

I think Gabrielle stated it the best in her post here:

http://gcscils598f08.blogspot.com/2008/11/danah-boyd-library-infolessons-1.html

Libraries have committed themselves to reaching out to diverse groups. A major part of being a librarian is finding out who our patrons are, what they need and meeting those needs. Preschool story time, employment information, ESL help, LGBTQ collections and many, many more all come out of the commitment to serve all our patrons. So if our patrons use a diverse range of social network sites (be it for reasons of class, ethnicity, economic standing or simply personal preference) we need to be prepared to bring our services to where they are, rather then expecting them to conform to one website of our choosing.

Sticky? Y/Y?

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:27:00 +0000

Why are places like Facebook and Myspace so 'sticky'?

I decided visual aids would help answer this question, so have another screencast.

http://screencast.com/t/w32PmVKJhI

Facebook how to

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:03:00 +0000

Click the link below to view a screencast of how to add photos to your Facebook profile.

http://screencast.com/t/ZwJCfcrxI

Favorite Videos

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:38:00 +0000

There were a lot of cute, fun and educational videos, but two stood out as my favorites.

I love dressing up, my closet is full of RenFaire garb and I've done some anime 'cosplay' as well. Steam punk as a genre intrigues me, and I love Steve's outfit and the creativeness of this idea.

The second video I really enjoyed was the "Do you want a treat video?" seen here. I love cats and this video shows just one of the reasons why.

Place a hold on a book in less then 5 min!

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:24:00 +0000

This short and easy tutorial shows you how to place a hold on a book using the Morris County Inter Library Loan system. You can do this from your home computer, then, like magic, the book will be sent to your home library to be picked up at your convenience!

View it here.

Flickr photots

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:50:00 +0000

We have a lot in common. As someone else pointed out, we all seem to have a caffeine addiction (tea, coffee, or other). We are all extremely busy trying to juggle school, work and life. Many of us posted pictures of the important people and pets in our lives.

Getting to campus appears to be an obstacle course for many of us. We have established places where we eat or grab a snack. At home we have routines as well. We all have a space where we do our work (sometimes shared with others). Many of us like to have a snack or something to drink while working. Most of us like books and surround ourselves with them.

While the people, places and food that are an important part of our life differ, we can each say that there is a person, a place and a certain kind of tea/coffee/snack that is important to us.

It is in the details that we differ. Some of us take the train, some of us drive. We have different hobbies. Some people like to travel, some like to ski. JC has a favorite pair of socks, SC likes mushrooms and has a cool pair of goggles.

The photographs we take give an insight into who we are and what is important to us. We get to see an aspect of our classmates that we would never have seen in a classroom.

Educational vs. Entertainment

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:30:00 +0000

Do educational videos stand a chance against videos made for entertainment?

I feel it depends on the video. Common Craft makes some very entertaining short videos that are very educational. However, many people would rather watch a video of a dog chasing its tail then an hour long video of someone lecturing at a chalkboard. The great thing about videos and the Internet now is the possibilities. It is possible to create a video that includes recorded footage (for example- of a lecture), then cuts to images that support and enhance the point (like charts and graphs) or to photographs (a historical lecture could make great use of this). Music, and sound effects can also be added in.

Image a lecture given by a history professor that is recorded and placed on the web exactly as is. Unless the professor is a phenomenal public speaker, the video will probably only be watched by students who are assigned to watch it. Now image the professor is creating this lecture/video for the web. He may include the best clips of his live lecture, but then he cuts to a photograph of FDR and plays a clip of FDR's "Nothing to fear" speech. Then he cuts to video clip of a news broadcast about race riots. Then a slide is displayed with the major points he is trying to make while audio plays of him discussing these points. Instead of one 2 hour video, the Professor decides to break it up (by time period, by major point) and posts a series of 20 min videos. Done well, this could attract the attention of people who are interested in the topic, not just students who are forced to watch the video (and who are probably skimming it).

I believe educational videos have a place on the web and can be a great way to supplement in-class learning and written material. However, the creator of the video has to have their audience in mind and put effort into creating a video that is lively and stimulating and will increase the audience's interest in the topic, not make them zone out. It requires more work on the producers end, but the end result is far more valuable.

Entertainment videos will always be more popular, because they are, well, entertaining. However, educational does not have to mean dull. Educational videos can be entertaining and are indeed far more likely to get their point across and stick with the audience if they are entertaining.

After all, I still remember how much I enjoyed "Donald Duck in Mathematics Land" when I was a kid.

Rochester Children's Book Festival

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:01:00 +0000

This weekend I attended the Rochester Children's Book Festival. The following video is a sort of travelogue of the experience. It combines video and still pictures. I took some other videos of the trip, but they did not come out well.

The trip itself was a lot of fun, even though I had to wake up at 4:30 am Saturday to drive to Rochester, stayed over at a hotel and didn't get home till this evening.

or view it here on YouTube.

Note: There is a mistake in the audio. I am not actually in the picture with Paul Zelinsky.

Strong Female Characters for Girls

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 02:49:00 +0000

This little video was inspired by a presentation I did for my materials for children class. I believe that for girls to be 'strong' (however you want to define that) they need to see, read and hear stories with active, witty and strong female characters. I love fairy tales, but sometimes I need stories where the Princess rescues the Prince from the dragon.

Click to play

Or see it here.

Chasing our tail....?

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:37:00 +0000

Warning: Contains questions and no answers.

The question I'm interested in is not so much can we utilize the long tail, but how far down it should librarians/libraries go?

Imagine for a moment that the limits between the library and the end of the long tail are removed. We have a consortium of libraries that can each rival the shelf space of the Strand bookstore. We have a crack team of digital archivists, unlimited digital storage space for all media formats and ebook reader technology has evolved to the point where skimming, searching and reading digital books is as easy or even more so then reading the print version. Say we can chase the long tail to the very end and collect within the library all the infinite niche markets.

Should we?

Should we collect every book, magazine, video, audio recording, blog, podcast, and picture ever created? After all just about everything could potentially be important to someone. Does anyone care what Jane's cousin is feeding her baby for breakfast. Probably not. But you never know, years down the line a sociologist may do a study on what people in the early 21st Century were blogging about. So should we collect as much quantity as possible?

Or should we as librarians focus on quality? Should we continue evaluating what we add to our collection and only select the 'best' and 'highest quality' sources? Who determines what is considered a 'quality' or 'worthwhile' source. Which is more important, the opinion of a learned/self-important (choose you adjective) scholar or the rating on Digg?

On the one hand 'one man's trash is another man's treasure', on the other hand we have an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters. Are we serving all our niche markets no matter how obscure, or are we chasing our own tail?

Text Blog vs. Podcast

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:27:00 +0000

Podcasts

Pro-

Can use special effects, add music
Vocal emphasis that is lacking in written format (ie sarcasm)
Listening can be more interesting then reading a long text
Saves eyestrain from staring at computer screen
A good format to reach people with poor eyesight or who are blind
Gives a human element
Good for audio learners

Con-

Difficult to search the content without a transcription
poor audio quality can make it difficult to hear
Quality of speaker becomes more important, a dull monotone speaker will lose the audience
Uhhh, Ummmmm, You know
Some people are embarrassed to have their voice recorded
Some places it's not possible to listen to a podcast where it is possible to read (ie work)
Recording, rerecording, editing, uploading and then posting can take a long time

Text-based Blogging

Pro-

text is searchable
Just type and hit post. ~Spellcheck optional but encouraged ;D
Better for visual learners
Can read a blog places where you might not be able to listen to one
Easier for second language speakers (who can often understand written better then spoken)
eliminates difficultly understanding accents/dialects or speech problems
(See podcasting cons)

Con-

Potential misunderstandings due to lack of vocal cues
Difficult for those with spelling/writing disabilities
For some people it is easier to say something then to write it
(see podcasting pros)

Jamal and the Forty Thieves

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:12:00 +0000

This is one of the stories that I told last semester in my Storytelling class. It comes from Persia.

MP3 is here.

Libraries the new (?) tastemakers

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:41:00 +0000

One of the major reasons niche markets are expanding is not only because they are easier to access, but because of bit torrent, YouTube, media fire and all of the ways for people to share files for free. This makes people far more willing to try something new and outside of their established tastes. This is an area libraries have been excelling at long before the invention of the Internet. As Steven Colbert recently pointed out, at libraries, everything is free (unless you don't return those books).

Libraries already have systems in place for introduction people to new ideas, authors and tastes. Readers' advisory is a great way to introduce patrons to new books (music, videos ect.), authors and genres. It is also a good way to match books to patrons' interests. Recently I was helping a high school student find a book to read. While he was looking for an author he had read before, I asked his mother about his interests. Finding out the boy liked chess, I recommended a book about a teenage boy on a chase through Europe looking for a grand chess master. The boy was interested and took out the book. It is unlikely that without the recommendation he would have asked for a fiction book about chess.

Bibliographies are another way librarians match people with books. Fliers and bookmarks with recommended reading lists can be created for just about any interest. Many libraries have also been posting these types of lists on their web pages. BCCLS's teen page is a great example of what can be done with this. http://www.bccls.org/teens/bookBonanza/

Programing and guest speakers also help people develop new tastes and explore new interests in a familiar environment. People who don't want to travel to a museum may attend a lecture of a local artist at the library (or wander past the program and get 'sucked in' while looking for the newest People magazine).

Because libraries are still primarily physical places that have limited staff and budgets, they can not reach people the same way Amazon and eBay do (yet). However, with expanded inter library loan, collaboration between libraries and librarians to create content to help people find new niches, downloadable audio books and other digital services, libraries can expand the materials and services that they offer and reach greater numbers of people.

Will libraries ever go all the way down the long tail? Probably not, but we already have many of the necessary tools to help our patrons navigate increasing larger areas of this new territory.

I got Stats

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:00:00 +0000

I checked out my Google Analytics stats and found that IE was the top browser and that cable was the top speed of all the people viewing my blog. All of the times I visit my blog are obviously affecting the results, still its fun to see the statistics.

Most Used Browsers:

Most Used Connection Speed:

My kingdom for a good cup of tea

hnscils598f08@gmail.com (Heather N) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:55:00 +0000

I almost always have a cup of tea in hand. I come from a family that, if at a restaurant the tea selection is not up to par, someone will pull out a couple spare teabags and ask for hot water instead. I spent time in China, where you can get hot water for free just about anywhere, and in Japan where there are usually about 3 vending machines on every street corner, each carrying a wide selection of canned hot tea and coffee (real brewed tea), with sugar and milk or without it.

After that, this is a disappointment.

The hot chocolate is passable, but the tea tastes like weak coffee.

I can (and do) run to the cafe (I forget the name of it) by the Student Center and they have always been happy to fill my travel mug with hot water (some other places on campus have charged me 50 cents for hot water). However, lugging my laptop, purse, lunch bag, books and anything else I happen to be carrying with me from the SCILS building there and back every time I want a cup of tea gets tiring fast.

Mostly, I've ended up buying the green tea citrus thing from the soda vending machine. It's not bad, but its not really tea either.

For the positives of my SCILS experience (except for the hair-eating chair) check out my Flickr set. And here is the 598's group SCILS experience.