Out of order again...Collaboration Thing #9

I did not know before reading through Thing #9, that Google Docs could be used to collaborate on a documents. I have used it in the past so I could open and edit assignments from anywhere, especially on campus. As convenient as flash drives are, there is that chance that I will leave it in the computer lab and losing all my important documents could be a disaster.



I looked at both Google Docs and Zoho writer. I thought Google Docs was less intimidating. It is simple and straightforward. The Zoho writer had everything option on a tool bar which was a bit overwhelming, but I'm sure it would be easy to use if I practiced. I think I prefer Google Docs for now. I was able to edit the document easily. The only problem I can forsee is that it may be good to have a copy of the original document. If someone makes changes that weren't necessary or right it would be nice to be able to go back to the original. There may be a way of doing this through Google Docs that I am not familar with however.


In circulation, as well as the library, these tools would be great if we were working on drafts of procedures, policy or the informational brochures/bookmarks that get revised from time to time. Committees could also use these tools. Instead of sending files through e-mail and spending the time to download them, it would be easy to log in to these tools and edit.

#4 Fun w/ Flickr

As always Flickr is a lot of fun. I use it to view places I've been or want to travel too. It's also a good place to keep up with friends and family as they post new pictures. I think Flickr can be very useful for libraries to post pictures of past events and programs for the public to see. Changes such as renovations or inside library changes could be documented to keep the community updated or for historical purposes. Remember when there were holds at the Kirkwood Level for instance or how did the library look during this decade? We could use photos to advertise new materials or services too. It would be another simple way to promote the library without costing a lot of money. Digital photos are much easier to store than their print counterparts and take up less space, which is another benefit. I have print photos in a box that I never got around to getting in an album but all my new photos are conveniently organized online.

As always having pictures in the public eye can be a bit scary, but they can always be set to private. Sharing library photos shouldn't be a problem as long as when taking photos of people, they are aware.

Keeping with the Hawaiian theme, a picture of the sign of my favorite bakery in Honolulu. Look up malasada on flickr. The pictures will make you hungry.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellochris/393793816/
photo from hellochris' photo stream.

#3 RSS

To be honest, I've been meaning to see what RSS was all about. I understood the basic idea, but never fully explored the capabilities. I decided to start by signing up for Bloglines. It was simple to sign up and even easier to add subscriptions and feeds. The idea of going to one place to get the information I want, is what I like about RSS. There are many websites and blogs that I find and try to remember to check for updates, but most of the time I forget or run out of time. RSS solves that problem. I will definitely be using this more to keep up with different library websites/blogs. Personally, I can add newspapers from different places I have lived and visited to keep track of what is happening in that locality...I already signed up for the Honolulu Advertiser news feed.

At our library, I think RSS feeds could be useful in keeping track of community information, events and news/weather. As a library we could have patrons subscribe to our feed to keep track of library events, changes, closings and new services or materials offered.

Adding feeds was easy by URL if I knew it or by finding the website and using the icon. It's very easy to get quite a collection of feeds and as the warning said very addictive!

Thing 6

I've jumped from thing 2 to 6! I'll go back to the others at a later time. Circulation has selected 9 "things" that are most important for the department. Communications tools are of great importance. E-mail is definitely the dominant communication tool used by the library. In circ. we use e-mail to get important information to the entire department. It has been very important recently keeping track of the changes with holds. E-mail is also the way committees communicate and they way we get library-wide messages.

I haven't actively used IM for a several years now. When IM first became popular, I used it a lot during college to communicate with my friends and family in different cities.
The previous library I worked at, used IM for reference and circulation services. In circulation, it was easy to leave unattended when we got busy. IM might be useful in certain libraries, but every library situation is different so it would depend on if there was a need or demand. Also in the case of virtual reference, I would think that off desk time might need to be given in order to dedicate time to questions and the service. I have used online reference on a few occasions through the IU libraries and found it easy to use and convenient to get information from home.
Within the library, I can see it being useful to get messages between departments or between the different areas of circulation. Sometimes it's difficult to answer the phone, while helping a patron. An IM wouldn't be so distracting and I wouldn't feel like I was interupting the patron to answer the phone.