The End.....or just The Beginning

Wow! What a journey. I have enjoyed the experience immensely. When I began I wondered if I could really get my head around all these different aspects of the web, but as I have taken each step I have gained confidence.....to try, to explore, to experiment and to learn more. I have been excited with each new 'thing' we had to explore....and frustrated at times because I had difficulty grasping the whole lesson. But I persevered each time and managed to achieve the desired goal.
Some sites I loved......like flickr, del.icio.us, YouTube and the LibraryThing. Others were not quite so appealing. Some I felt were useful to our job, others not quite so. And in playing around I found other sites that also interested me. There is so much yet to be learnt.
What was my favourite discovery? Tagging, I think.
At the start I was challenged to make time to do this course. Well, I did....and that is probably the thing that has affected my learning the most....I CAN find time if I WANT to learn. So my next challenge is to KEEP making time to KEEP learning because there is so much more I want to investigate, steps I want to go over again, other programs I want to learn. And it has all been FUN....wonderful fun. Oh the joy of learning! So it isn't the end.....just a pause before I continue on the great journey.

The Wonderful Things You Can Hear

I enjoyed searching for downloadable audio books and was amazed at the variety. I had fun with some children's books and was intrigued to find some young borrowers hovering near the desk while I was listening to one of these stories I had downloaded. The power of a story!

The concept of libraries downloading audios instead of having to purchase them would help to meet the growing demand for this type of book. So often we don't have just what the borrower wants but a downloadable version may be available and would fill the need without the cost of purchasing an audio.

As I love listening to audios while I sew I thought this was a great site and a great idea!

I heard Bertie met Father Christmas

I found Podcast.net the easiest of the directories to use and found some great podcasts for children's stories....like Bertie meets Father Christmas. http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs

Podcasts could be used on the library webpage to introduce our services to the public.

What a laugh!

I loved the library domino video. Would love to be able to do that here at my library....just to watch the faces of my borrowers!

So many great clips it would be easy to forget there is work to be done!
As a quilter I also loved this one of the Amish:




I found the site quite easy to search.
I can see a use for YouTube in connection with our webpage...we could introduce our prospective borrowers to the library and our resources by video, giving them a more personal introduction to the library before they set foot in the door.
I thought this was another great site to visit.

Wow, the things you find!

I found Biblio a great site with lots of uses to anyone interested in books. As I love old books this is a great place to start my hunting. An easy to use site I will be visiting often.
There is so much out there to explore I'm sure to have fun for a long time yet.
I also had fun with YourMinis. How many days till my vacation???

Documents, Spreadsheets and more

I found the idea of online document creation impressive. This makes it easier if the computer I am working on doesn't have the right programs loaded. I thought the google docs was a bit easier to use for word processing. I had fun making up a meeting plan in Zoho.
I had a bit of trouble using the To Do list.....need more time to play with this one but loved the idea of it being so readily available.

Playing in the Sandbox

PBWiki was fun...once I was able to log in! I added my blog to the favourites page and also added my favourite book. There are so many 'favourites' it was fun to check them out. A fun site....as yummy as a peanut butter sandwich!

Wikis, Wikis everywhere.

It would seem there is a wiki for everything! What fun. I thought the Book lovers wiki was a great idea....I will keep watching for new reviews. It would be interesting to set up a book lovers wiki for our library so borrowers can share their comments on what they are reading.

I also thought the Library instruction wiki and the subject guides wiki will be very useful. Look out wikis here I come!

Where WILL we go next??

Library 2.0....a new age in libraries....changing, adapting, rethinking, embracing the advances of technology, the web. Exciting times ahead.
I found Rick Anderson's "Away from the Icebergs" very thought provoking. Working in a small country town library it is hard to imagine my elderly borrowers embracing the advances on the web. Yet the younger generation are growing up with computers and modern technology just like we grew up with the printed book. THEY are the borrowers we will have to serve for the future and they WILL want online ordering, renewals, the latest data....and want it quick and easy. We have to move into the fast lane, keep up with what they are doing and anticipate their next needs so we won't be found wanting. It will require many changes...to our thinking, the way we do things, the ways we offer our services...the list goes on. Exciting times. Where will we go next???

I'm not-so-technical!

I found Technorati quite interesting with different result generally appearing depending on how I searched.

There were some intriguing blogs. I especially like the "tips and downloads for getting things done"....like how go get rid of stinky shoes with dryer sheets. I will make a point of checking out more of the tips when I have more time.

While I found it interesting I am not sure it is one of my favourite sites....I will keep exploring.

Oh, it's Del.icio.us!

I have enjoyed playing with Del.icio.us and can see it will be a great benefit. I have created an account and tagged some favourite sites. Will enjoy adding more as time permits. A great idea, especially as I often use different computers...now I can have all my sites at hand where ever I am. Delicious indeed!!!

Rollyo on

Another very interesting and useful tool. I like the idea of having all those favourite and often used sites all together. And of being able to search other people's searchrolls for the same subject. I would like to create a searchroll of the oft-used sites for library queries. (I have just had fun with my genealogy so far!) And I'm sure there's lots there to investigate still.
It is fun to play, play, play.

I Can Catalogue!

What an easy "thing" to use! I have started to catalogue my vast library of quilting books and just love the ease and speed. It will be a great way to keep track of what I have. When I am done with the quilting books I can do my familly history library, then my favourite fiction, then....I think I need some time off work, boss! You can see my library at:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/megsmoments

The power of Generators

What a fabulous toy! I have had so much fun making street signs, Irish buttons, comics and more.
I really loved the FD Toys and had fun with my husband's beloved train photo. I am looking forward to playing around with more of my photos. I would like to make some comic cards with this great tool. You can find it at:http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/
Have fun!

The Wonder of Feeds

What an interesting time I have had learning about RSS and Newsreaders. I have found quite a few of my favourite sites have feeds and have been able to add them to my list. You can see my list at: http://www.bloglines.com/public/Meg
I am excited at the possibility of having the latest blogs arrive on my doorstep regularly. And I will be able to share these sites with friends who have similar interests. Wow!
The fun goes on!

Oh How I am learning.

Can you remember the old Brown's system? Did we ever imagine we would have such wonderful technology back then?
Oh how I love my computer...and what fun I have had since I learnt to surf the net...the information I have discovered.
And yet there is more! Emails, Blogs, Photo sharing, Mailing lists.....the list just goes on.
I didn't think my old brain could absorb it all but it is such fun and such a challenge....I can't wait for the next week to start....or the next chance to trawl around the net.

The world has become so much smaller because of technology. We can reach each other in almost an instant. And make contact with people we haven't even met.

And everything is getting even smaller. Mobile phones are held in the palm....AND they double as a camera. Laptops are light and very portable. MP3 players can be tucked into a little pocket. What will the future hold for us? I can't begin to imagine the wonderful things yet to come.

Oh the Fun I'm having

Oh the fun of making a trading card! What a wonderful idea.....and such FUN.
Perhaps we can all make one and trade at the next staff meeting!
I love the idea of creating a whole pack of cards with family and friends.
Wouldn't it be fun playing snap!!! Or happy families!!!

I could have a 'library staff' pack as well as a 'family' pack.

I'm going to start taking snaps of everyone (when they aren't looking, or course) so I can make my very own personalised pack of cards.
So my good friends....BEWARE!

The Excitement of Learning

Oh, the excitement of learning! What fun I have had exploring Flickr. And all the lovely quilts I discovered...like this wonderful one. This is the sort of thing I would like to be able to create....just give me the time!

I am eager to learn more about my digital camera so I can play with uploading photos to Flickr. And now Bob will be able to upload all those train photos he has.....so he won't lose them again when the computer crashes!!!

Learning certainly is fun. What comes next???

The Joy of Learning

Oh the joy of learning. How easy it is to learn if it's play. Or if you WANT to learn.
Believing that you CAN is surely one of the biggest steps. And once I believe I can then it becomes FUN.....so here goes!