That's me! I have now uploaded a few of my own photos, taken in 2004 at the Nedlands Lavender Farm in Tuerong. Added tags, a note, a description. I had marked them all as private, but decided that if I wanted to share one with you now, it may not be very helpful!
The thing that is really great though, is that it recognises the camera used to take the photo (a Kodak EasyShare by the way) and the date the photo was taken (which I had forgotten).
During our 21 Lunges Program, I hope to be able to take some photos of the Library I work in - this is one of the exercises suggested in 23 Things, but I just wanted to see what it's all about first, and I'm not back at work yet either!
I hope to have more fun with Flickr in the next few days, investigating mashups and API's (Application Programming Interface).
Happy New Year.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Thing #5 again
I thought I would upload another "photo", this time using Blogger itself, which was a bit more difficult than I thought, and I still haven't got it quite right. When I posted the Christmas image on the 23rd, I had trouble. I had the compose element turned off (wysiwyg or what you see is what you get), so was having to enter html manually, which can be frustrating if you get just one thing wrong.
It is not exactly a photo. I wanted to bring your attention to a 'set' of responses from people who attended the 2007 LIANZA Conference, to the statement 'In 2017 libraries will be...'. I became aware of it through an e-list I'm subscribed to and thought it was a great idea. The responses range from, whatever we want them to be, just exactly as they are today, virtual, digitised, downloadable, run by visionary, well-trained staff, run by avatars, run by robots.
ALIA used the same idea for its Library and Information Technicians Conference. Click here.
For the record, in 2017 I think libraries will be physical spaces, virtual places, community hubs, for recreation and to find varied forms of information. Librarians will be agreggators, facilitators, helpers, advisers. This might be true to some extent already, but I don't think the full picture has been realised yet. In 2017, libraries will still exist, but be bigger (I don't necessarily mean larger spaces, rather in the role they play as information providers) and better.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Trying to make sense of Web 2.0
The 4th thing to do of the 23 things was to register your blog on the program’s tracking log. Because we are just doing this to help prepare us for our own program later, we are not PLCMC staff, and the site is now just used as a resource, I’ll have to keep track of myself!
I wasn’t sure whether to do a replacement post on something, but saw that my fellow champion, roguedubb had, (some data on when Web 2.0/Library 2.0 first appeared on the radar) so I thought why don’t try to write a post about what I think Web 2.0 is. Which is hard. I understand some of the terminology that is associated with it, “participatory web”, “collective intelligence’, “social”, “value-added applications”, “read-write web..”, but to be able to articulate it clearly in a couple of paragraphs, well… here goes.
It seems that Web 2.0 is about people taking more control over what the web can do for them, the web is a powerful medium that connects us to a vast community and has great potential for how we choose to do this and use it for our own needs. In some early reading about Web 2.0 (I now forget the source) an author wrote that the early web (Web 1.0) was just about people gaining access to information, whereas it is now about encouraging participation, building tools that allow us to communicate, collaborate and share in ways that were unthinkable before
I really like the video on YouTube by Michael Wesch, called The Machine is Us/ing us, which I had seen before it was recommended as a background resource to understand Web 2.0. It shows how the creation/communication of information has changed due to Web 2.0 tools. From the written word on paper, to the typed word, to having more control over how content is represented and integrated into valuable applications for our use. No longer are we just consumers of the Web, we are its creators.
Web 2.0 offers many possibilities for libraries to exploit, because the tools are based on “community participation”. Libraries have always had a strong connection with the communities they serve and have always been interested in finding new ways to serve them/reach out to them/gain feedback. Tools such as blogs, rss feeds, tagging and applets allow us to try new ways to do this. Book group blogs, ways to deliver library news, advertising new materials, providing more valuable catalogue records...
The last thing to do is to let the other champions know that my blog is up, via the 21 Lunges blog.
Merry Christmas all.
P.S. If you like the image above go to icondrawer.com to find some more.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Thoughts about lifelong learning, and making a commitment
I've set up my blog, and listened to the 7 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners tutorial. It is amazing how obvious these habits are when faced with them - maybe it is the term "lifelong learning" that makes us think it is too hard or it requires an extra-special commitment. A tutorial like the above shows that it doesn't. People may be already exhibiting some of these habits and not realise that they are. Yes, they have to be nurtured, and of course some would be easier to grasp than others, but they can be taught, and this is a role that libraries play and encourage.
The 71/2 Habits outlined were: Begin with an end in mind, accept responsibility your own learning, view problems as challenges, have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner, create your own learning toolbox, use technology to your advantage, teach/mentor others, and most importantly when undertaking 23 things, PLAY.
The "easiest" habit for me is probably the first two, begin with an end in mind, and, accept responsibility for your own learning. I have always been a goal-setter, perhaps it has something to do with overcoming obstacles to do with my disability. Accepting responsibility for my own learning meanwhile was probably helped by the fact that my undergraduate degree was a Bachelor of Arts, as I had to do a lot of independent learning to get the most out of it. I think taking responsibility for your learning at the core of LL in general. If you don't take responsibility for it, you won't actively learn. Viewing problems as challenges is the "hardest" for me, as I like things to go smoothly, and get stressed if they don't! I do have confidence in myself as a learner, but am hard on myself, a perfectionist, so some doubt always creeps in! Creating a learning toolbox, using technology to your advantage and playing are things I would like to explore more during this process. I don't always see playing as learning and feel guilty! Teaching and mentoring others is a good way to reinforce our own learning, and I definitely find this is the case for me. If I can clearly explain a concept to someone, I am well on my way to understanding it.
A particularly good idea that the tutorial encouraged was to create a learning contract, to encourage commitment and buy-in when undertaking a worktask.
My Learning 2.0 Contract is (with names and my signature omitted):
Goal – To play with these 2.0 tools, gaining a deeper understanding/appreciation of how they might be used to benefit/enhance my life, more particularly my work and the people my Library serves. I want to be able to feel confident in the use of these tools and technology, so that I can contribute more to discussions about the direction of the Library now and where we need to be if we are going to continue to be a key information node to users in the future. These tools could play an important part in making this decision.
Obstacles – Time, Priorities (motivation), difficulties with some of the tools.
Toolbox – I will need a:
Computer,
Internet connection,
Speakers,
Microphone,
Books/articles on Web 2.0.
Resources for Help -
The Staff Development Co-ordinator and Web 2.0 champions at my library site and other sites.
PLCMC 23 Things website.
Books/articles on Web 2.0.
My commitment -
I will commit to doing at least one “thing” of the 23 Things program every week from this day, to help prepare me to be a champion of [my] Library’s 21 Lunges program at [site] Library, beginning in March 2008.
I will blog about my experiences and encourage and engage with the other champions.
I will enjoy the experiences most of all and do my best.
I will carry this commitment over into the 21 Lunges program.
Signed by me
20 December 2007
_____________
It might undergo some tweaking over time, but I will keep to my word.
The 71/2 Habits outlined were: Begin with an end in mind, accept responsibility your own learning, view problems as challenges, have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner, create your own learning toolbox, use technology to your advantage, teach/mentor others, and most importantly when undertaking 23 things, PLAY.
The "easiest" habit for me is probably the first two, begin with an end in mind, and, accept responsibility for your own learning. I have always been a goal-setter, perhaps it has something to do with overcoming obstacles to do with my disability. Accepting responsibility for my own learning meanwhile was probably helped by the fact that my undergraduate degree was a Bachelor of Arts, as I had to do a lot of independent learning to get the most out of it. I think taking responsibility for your learning at the core of LL in general. If you don't take responsibility for it, you won't actively learn. Viewing problems as challenges is the "hardest" for me, as I like things to go smoothly, and get stressed if they don't! I do have confidence in myself as a learner, but am hard on myself, a perfectionist, so some doubt always creeps in! Creating a learning toolbox, using technology to your advantage and playing are things I would like to explore more during this process. I don't always see playing as learning and feel guilty! Teaching and mentoring others is a good way to reinforce our own learning, and I definitely find this is the case for me. If I can clearly explain a concept to someone, I am well on my way to understanding it.
A particularly good idea that the tutorial encouraged was to create a learning contract, to encourage commitment and buy-in when undertaking a worktask.
My Learning 2.0 Contract is (with names and my signature omitted):
Goal – To play with these 2.0 tools, gaining a deeper understanding/appreciation of how they might be used to benefit/enhance my life, more particularly my work and the people my Library serves. I want to be able to feel confident in the use of these tools and technology, so that I can contribute more to discussions about the direction of the Library now and where we need to be if we are going to continue to be a key information node to users in the future. These tools could play an important part in making this decision.
Obstacles – Time, Priorities (motivation), difficulties with some of the tools.
Toolbox – I will need a:
Computer,
Internet connection,
Speakers,
Microphone,
Books/articles on Web 2.0.
Resources for Help -
The Staff Development Co-ordinator and Web 2.0 champions at my library site and other sites.
PLCMC 23 Things website.
Books/articles on Web 2.0.
My commitment -
I will commit to doing at least one “thing” of the 23 Things program every week from this day, to help prepare me to be a champion of [my] Library’s 21 Lunges program at [site] Library, beginning in March 2008.
I will blog about my experiences and encourage and engage with the other champions.
I will enjoy the experiences most of all and do my best.
I will carry this commitment over into the 21 Lunges program.
Signed by me
20 December 2007
_____________
It might undergo some tweaking over time, but I will keep to my word.
Preparing to become a champion
How easy is it to create a blog!
Now the journey really begins, as I prepare for my Library's 21 Lunges program, due to begin in March next year. It is based based on the original 23 things program originally developed for The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, by Helene Blowers. As one of the "champions" for my site, I will be working through the 23 things, so I am equipped to provide assistance, encouragement and some knowledge of the Web 2.0 tools we will be playing with in our program, to staff at my site. I first heard about 23 things, through the Yarra Plenty Regional Library experience of it, and thought if the opportunity to participate in a similar program came up, I would definitely like to.
I am really looking forward to the experience, it will be fun and give me a chance to understand more about the terms Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 that I have heard and read about, and the tools that come under the Web 2.0 umbrella, and how they might used in an academic library setting in particular. Although, if some of the tools have personal benefits too, all the better! :> I already have a Facebook account, and the bare bones of a LibraryThing account, but what other possibilities are there?!
I also see the experience as a way to build my confidence and the chance to get involved in a larger Library "project", to show more of what I am capable of, the contribution I can make, now that I am more settled in my work role, after starting as a new grad earlier this year.
So with great enthusiasm, onward I go!
Now the journey really begins, as I prepare for my Library's 21 Lunges program, due to begin in March next year. It is based based on the original 23 things program originally developed for The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, by Helene Blowers. As one of the "champions" for my site, I will be working through the 23 things, so I am equipped to provide assistance, encouragement and some knowledge of the Web 2.0 tools we will be playing with in our program, to staff at my site. I first heard about 23 things, through the Yarra Plenty Regional Library experience of it, and thought if the opportunity to participate in a similar program came up, I would definitely like to.
I am really looking forward to the experience, it will be fun and give me a chance to understand more about the terms Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 that I have heard and read about, and the tools that come under the Web 2.0 umbrella, and how they might used in an academic library setting in particular. Although, if some of the tools have personal benefits too, all the better! :> I already have a Facebook account, and the bare bones of a LibraryThing account, but what other possibilities are there?!
I also see the experience as a way to build my confidence and the chance to get involved in a larger Library "project", to show more of what I am capable of, the contribution I can make, now that I am more settled in my work role, after starting as a new grad earlier this year.
So with great enthusiasm, onward I go!
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