Sharing your creations...#8.

I can honestly say, I've never made a slide show before to post on the web. I've thought about it but never got around to it. I also never realized there were so many options to accomplish this task. I decided to try Picture Trail to create a slide show because I have never used it before. I found it easy to use and save pictures to. I was not quite sure if I should insert the code in my blog post or add it as a gadget. I decided to embed the code in my post and it worked fine. I would like to experiment with some of the other providers of this service to make comparisons. Myself I would use these tools more on a personal level. On the other hand, there may be occasions where these tools could be used at work. Certain presentations and meetings might find these sharing tools useful or they could be a way to advertise certain promotions or events on the library website or show pictures of past events. Enjoy pictures of my garden from this past summer.

Generating Images...#5.

Creating a trading card was a simple step by step process and fun. We could use these as a fun way to match names with the faces of our co-workers. This would be helpful to new hires and would be great to go on LINT. They could also be useful to advertise different library services, policy, for reminders and programs in a fun and creative way. There are more options besides just the trading card, so the possibilities are endless!

Meebo, Twitter....#7

When I think of Web 2.0. I think of it as a way to make things easier and as a way to simplify processes are a must. I don't have a problem with chat reference. I've used it a few times myself, including once when I was in the dark depths of the IU library searching for a book...I got on a computer and asked for directions. True story. I think implementing Meebo is a great idea due to it's ease of use. With earlier IM/chat programs, I found it frustrating trying to download the different programs (AIM, Yahoo, MSN etc.) in order to chat with different people. A way to unite all these chat programs was needed. I think Meebo would be of great use for reference, in particular for patrons with questions that are not so complex. However there are questions that we need to ask. How would staff be scheduled for this duty? Would we have special designated hours for chat reference or it be available all open hours? Would this be done off the public desk? Woudl are patrons use this service? For our patrons we could answer simple circulation related questions on Meebo as well, but someone would most likely have to combine this duty with doing another job in my dept. such as drive up. Using Meebo at MCPL might take some training and development of procedures, but if used appropriately it might be an option for the future.

I haven't done a lot with Twitter. At this point, I really don't have a need for the application. I can see how it could be useful in a library, most helpful when trying to figure out where a staff member is. We could let our department know when we are on lunch or at a committee meeting.

We have so many options when it comes to technology, it can be overwelming. When selecting them for use in MCPL, we should look at those that will work the best for us and our patrons. We should pick and choose technologies that can simplify a process or better the services we provide.