Mana's Blogger Blog

SharePoint Branch Toolbox Notes.

2007-10-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Tabs across the top part of the navigation pane are STATIC and merely link out to other web pages.

Local Links = this should be a "Tracking / Links".

Schedules = this should be a "Document Library".

Procedures =

To add text or HTML content, you must add a Content Editor Web Part to the page.

Cool WPA posters Flickr group.

2007-07-26T12:20:00.001-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marklarson/sets/72157600988703548/

Links to ponder...

2007-06-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

A profile of a homeless library customer; great article:
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/08/Floridian/Jackie_s_story.shtml.

The once internal Google Public Policy Blog is now open to the public.

Librarians rock! "The Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2006", at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/19/163430/488 .

New SJPL blogs...

2007-05-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

MPOE has been busy creating blogs for internal use. Check out these blogs:

- http://sjplcolldev.blogspot.com
- http://sjplstaffdevelopmentandtrainingteam.blogspot.com/
- http://nedsnotesblog.blogspot.com

Thing 23: Summary.

2007-03-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yahoo, I'm done! The weeks just flew by what with all the fun I was having. I discovered that I am a motivated self-starter who can stay on task and that I can find time to learn new things. I learned about a number of new tools such as Zoho and rediscovered some tools, such as technorati. I learned that Blogger's grown up quite a bit since I last used it - I can even post easily in Japanese, as in my post below! Moreover, thanks to the program, I got to know more about a lot of people in the organization, too through messages on my blog and posting messages to other blogs. I'm now feeling inspired to blog again. I would definitely participate in a similar program and enjoyed this opportunity. I'm happy that the organization gave us the time and supported this endeavor.

One annoyance was all the different log-ins and accounts involved. Also, many people at my branch started the exercises but didn't get a chance to finish. Perhaps more time can be allocated for the beginning exercises, or less 'things' can be required, or more exercises that simply getting used to Blogger may be added.

Also, I wrote about this in earlier posts, but one frustration I had with both de.licio.us and technorati at my work computer is that I can't download the browser tools that make it truly easy to use both services. Perhaps IT can be persuaded to allow these tools to be downloaded if such exercises are ever repeated.

I hope we all keep blogging and having fun with the 2.0 technologies. I remember when I first got involved with the Web, I had to learn Unix file structures, ssh and sftp, vi or emacs (I chose vi) - all just to get a "hello world" page online. It's wonderful that it's so much easier these days to get content on the Web, and hopefully will keep getting easier.

日本語でもブログできます。

2007-03-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

ごく簡単に日本語でもブログできます。これなら誰にも理解できないコンテント作成が可能かしら。。。

Thing 22: EBooks.

2007-03-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

I often refer people to our EBooks collection, and I've even taught a few classes for patrons on how to search for and access EBooks. No, I don't think that a digital book will never replace the experience of handling a paper copy of a book! However, I do think that the searchability of the text really does help for certain types of materials, such as reference and legal books. And the fast time to market (paper books take forever to move from the author through various publishing phases) means that EBooks will often contain the most current information available. I often encourage patrons who are looking for technology-related titles to use the Safari Tech EBooks collection for that reason. I do appreciate the redesigned search interface for SJPL's EBooks collection; it's much easier to find titles and get to content now.

Thing 21: Podcasts.

2007-03-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

I love the combination of RSS with podcasts! I set up a number of KPFA podcasts on my bloglines account. KPFA airs a booktalk/author interview program every weekday from 3 to 3:30 PM entitled "Cover to Cover". I love the engaging author interviews and insights into world literature that this show offers.

I also tried searching for a number of library-related podcasts. Although some won't play on my work computer, I can see adding these to my itunes podcasts lists at home!

Thing 20: YouTube.

2007-03-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

YouTube is an amazing site, and one can spend hours surfing various videos. My friend G likes to search for "laughing babies" now and then just to keep herself sane. I use YouTube to view Japanese comedy bits and TV shows; it's cheap, fast, and you can search for content in Japanese too!

I was at CLA this year and saw the Library Cheer. I was happy to find it on YouTube so that everyone can learn it!

Thing 19: LibraryThing.

2007-03-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

I heart LibraryThing! I've been using it for about half a year now to keep track of books I've read. I also try to work on annotations and reviews by writing short reviews, but I haven't had time. I'd love it if there could be a closer link with SJPL's catalog - how nice would it be if I specify my library system, and then whenever I click on a book from someone else's bookshelf, I could see if SJPL owns a copy and then request it? I also love the recommendation feature; it's been more effective and reflective of my own reading interests than Amazon. It's interesting to note what kinds of books are popular in the community and which aren't. For example, I thought that the Glamour book of "Dos and Don'ts" would have more of a following but only 5 other members have added this title. Maybe the more 'serious' books have more entries.

My catalog is at this link: http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=mana_tominaga, but you can see a selection of random books from my library on my sidebar with covers!

Thing 18: Online productivity tools.

2007-03-20T14:10:00.001-07:00

I set up a Zoho account and I tried out Zoho Writer and used my existing Google account to play with Google Docs. (Keeping track of all my various logins and usernames and passwords are getting to be painful!) Surprisingly, I had less problems with Zoho actually, in terms of getting my documents on this blog.

I was able to post this below using Zoho's blog publishing tool:

This is a test document I'm creating using Zoho Writer as part of my review of various online productivity tools. I'm posting this using the Publish feature. I wish there were more font options. I do like the various export options, especially the PDF option. If only I could download the tools that allow you work off-line!

Thing 17: Wikis, again.

2007-03-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

I just added my blog to the Favorite Blogs page for http://sjlibrarylearning2.pbwiki.com/. I thought the list used to be longer though - was there an accidental deletion of a few blog listings?

I think wikis are useful for sharing information quickly, and all staff can participate because you're using only a browser. Perhaps a staff wiki would be useful for each branch, even. You could also host training tutorials on wikis, and ask everyone to help contribute to it by reading and editing entries. You could also use wikis to document local histories - the library could even host a class on wikis and then invite community members to help create a library or community wiki.

Thing 16: Wikis.

2007-03-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

This WebJunction article from 2005 is an excellent explanation of how wikis matter to libraries.

I think that wikis have the most potential for enabling really quick, fast, fact-sharing. The first area I considered wikis for was for other librarians, such as for "best practices" sites. With a wiki, everyone can participate in content-authoring, making it truly collaborative for team-based projects. I've often visited our own system's youth services wiki for storytime ideas and tips from colleauges. Albany County Public Library staff wiki, at http://albystaff.pbwiki.com/, is a good example of using wikis for internal training and support.

I also think wikis are useful as subject guides, as with the St. Joseph County Public Library's Subject Guides at http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page, an example of a controlled wiki, where only librarians can edit and post. This gives the site a high degree of credibility, and users can get a sense of the currency of the information with the "last updated" information. This site clearly demonstrates how librarians are still key for evaluating and selecting information.

As this article articulated, another hope for wikis is that they help foster a sense of community, and "create a community wiki that would be a one-stop-shop for community information". Frankly, anything like that will have to be as good and more imporantly, as well known as Craigslist! I think the other two possibilities for wikis have been more promising.

Thing 15: Libraries 2.0.

2007-03-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Reading the article "Away from the 'icebergs'" by Rick Anderson, at http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/2.htm, made me realize that our library system is actually quite ahead of the curve with regards to the library 2.0 pitfalls he warns about. By responding to patron demands for popular materials and media, our system has enjoyed increased circulation. We already offer a variety of other content, such as ebooks, with some limitations. We've made all levels of staff participate in training patrons, which I know helps to improve customer service. I do agree that we have to come up with creative solutions to offer virtual services, and "find new ways to bring our services to patrons rather than insisting that they come to us".

For me, one key aspect of Library 2.0 is the emphasis on user-centered web services, focusing on how users actually use our site and developing services around actual user needs. So for example, if our users are getting information using RSS feeds, our news and events page or our new books page should offer RSS feed options. Offering a myriad of online self-service features as our system does, however, is a great start; libraries have always been creative at using cutting-edge technology, after all!

Thing 14: Technorati.

2007-03-01T08:21:00.000-08:00

It's really easy to spend a lot of time just surfing related blogs, blogs that link to specific blogs, and on and on. It's a great way to look at blog content in an organic way, I think. I also added a few watchlists to keep track of popular search terms. I think I'll keep using it!

(One frustrating thing I'm running into with both de.licio.us and technorati at my work computer is that I can't download the browser tools that make it truly easy to use both services. For example, you can just click on a "post to de.licio.us" widget to add an interesting site, or when you're on a page you can click on a "technorati this" widget to see who's linked to that page. I'm just very lucky that I have a computer at home and can download browser tools to my heart's content and also take full advantage of these 2.0 tools.)

Some thoughts on tags - I think that tags are an interesting way to categorize content. My mentor shared with me her frustration that tags are so flat - no hierarchy, no concept of contextualized categorization. There's also no concept of a controlled vocabulary - so you see all sorts of variants on a particular concept. For librarians, who are used to MARC records and controlled vocabulary for subject headings, it all can be a tad frustrating. But it does give some sort of order to the massive world of blogged content and moreover, anyone can add tags! It's all very messy but democratic, and I think it's all very exciting.

Thing 13: Social bookmarking with del.icio.us.

2007-02-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with del.icio.us a bit. I use it mainly to keep track of bookmarks on different computers, for things I read on a regular basis. I can definitely see the potential of this tool for research assistance by allowing you to combine specific tags to keep track of new content. The key feature of social bookmarking is not just the easy sharing of bookmarks with different users or different computers; it's the network-aspect of it, where you can join a trusted community of people with similar interests and get relevant sites suggested to you by that community.

It just takes a bit of time, though, to add all of these tags. And of course the more tags you can add the more meaningful your actual experience using this service. I think it also helps to bundle up tags into groups for some form of hierarchical structure. You can even organize these links even using the DDC as a framework, as with the example of San Mateo Public Library's del.icio.us page. Librarians are also more used to the concept of using a controlled vocabulary because that's what works for our catalogs. Perhaps with more librarians using tags, tags can become more hierarchical, and standardized.

One thing about all of these 2.0 things is that they slow down pages quite a bit! Please be patient as my tags display; the tags still need a lot of edits and additions but here is the cloud:

Thing 12: Roll my own search engine!

2007-02-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

I decided to create a custom search engine for information on traveling to Tanzania, using only sites from my friend who lives there now and runs a successful safari company. It was a pretty easy process using Rollyo, although when I tried to add a differently styled search interface, I kept getting errors from Blogger. I finally switched to the plain style and it worked just fine.

So, if you have any questions about visiting Tanzania, try out the search engine below, and leave me a comment if you have any questions!

Thing 11: Explore Web 2.0 Award winners.

2007-02-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

One of the most useful sites for living in this area, Craigslist makes it ridiculously easy to post classified ads on the web. Although some of the forums and post categories can be quite odd, if you're looking for a place to live or someone to buy your old bike, this site is the first place you should check out. I think it's an effective site because it has a strict policy against commercialization, the community tends to effectively police itself and maintains a high level of trust. Also, it has a huge potential to be monetized -= but so far hasn't. Posts are free except for job postings in certain markets - which makes sense when trying to scan for quality postings. As this post succinctly summarizes:

[Craigslist] focused on service, were patient and, most of all, not greedy. They gained users’ trust and built a huge brand over a decade. In fact, they’re one of the only brands on the Internet. (from http://gesterling.wordpress.com/2006/12/19/why-craigslist-makes-analysts-crazy/)

Craigslist is a perfect example of how a strong sense of community matters on the Web, how it can work to create a culture of trust, and how good sites must help foster a sense of community to develop a long-term brand.

Another excellent Web 2.0 tool is Meebo, an excellent replacement for IM-ing for those of us who can't download any chat clients on our work computers. It's sort of like a web-based version of Adium without the cute duck; you can aggregate various chat clients in one web browser instance.

Thing 10: Online image generators for instant fun!

2007-02-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

Oh boy what fun! Thanks to http://www.imagechef.com.

Thing 9: Librarian and library-related blogs.

2007-01-31T17:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorite librarian and library-related blogs:

http://www.librarian.net/: Jessamyn West.
http://www.walkingpaper.org/: Aaron Schmidt.
http://ddc.typepad.com/025431/: The Dewey Blog.
http://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/index.html: Michael Golrick.
http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/: Karen A. Coombs.

I dutifully tried out all of these RSS search engine tools. With Feedster you can save searches and subscribe to them with your RSS reader. I like Feedster's simple interface and clean results page. Topix reminds me of a news portal, and for searching larger news outfits, I think this search engine may be useful. Syndic8 is the most open about its processes and policies, and its results are usually very relevant when I've used it. I like Technorati, too, particularly its tag cloud for popular tags, and the advanced search interface, which is the easiest to understand.

There are a lot more different RSS search engines; I found this list at http://allrss.com/rsssearch.html.

Thing 8: Keeping up with blogs using Bloglines.

2007-01-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Here's the link to my public links:
http://www.bloglines.com/public/manatominaga.

Bloglines is a great way to keep track of all my RSS feeds, but I must admit I miss seeing the actual layout and design of each blog to some extent. I have so many feeds though, and Bloglines does make it faster to read and keep up with all the different feeds.
I think that libraries can use RSS feeds effectively to market events and keep patrons up to date with new titles. Wouldn't it be great if patrons could choose from various RSS feeds for new books based on genre? There could be a feed for new non-fiction books, new movies, new titles just for a specific branch, and so on.

Thing 7: My post about technology

2007-01-25T12:58:00.000-08:00

Open Source Products I Use and Recommend

One application I consistently use and miss dearly in my work computing environment is the open source image editing product, the GIMP. (I know, the name sounds odd, but it stands for the GNU Image Manipulation Program.) It is a feature-rich image editor that competes with the commercial and quite expensive Adobe Photoshop, with its current MSRP of $649. I can use the GIMP for simple image editing tasks, but it also works for more complex image editing jobs for print. The interface is intuitive and easy to use, it doesn't take up a load of processing power like Photoshop always seems to, and there is a wealth of resources available on the Web for extending it or customizing its features. It is available for Windows and Mac platforms, as well as for Linux and other Unix based platforms.

A remarkable feature about this product is that it is free, as in free beer. You get to download it and use it for free, never having to pay a company or to register your user information for updates. Why? GIMP is an open source project, in which a dedicated distributed group of volunteer coders work on a project collaboratively, without direct financial benefit.

I also use an open source suite called OpenOffice.org, which means I don't have to pay and, most importantly, I don't have to use the rather frustrating and bloated Microsoft Office; Microsoft Office for the Mac retails for $349 whereas OpenOffice.org gives me bloat for free! If you're a Mac user, check out NeoOffice.org, an OpenOffice.org variant with a Mac look-and-feel.

OpenOffice.org includes replacements for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, as well as a drawing program, form template, and a formula editor. In my personal experience, OpenOffice.org handles multilingual documents more elegantly than Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org also allows me to save my documents as PDF files, which is a very useful feature that is lacking in Microsoft Office. As with the GIMP, this product is also available for the Windows and Mac platforms, as well as for Linux and other Unix based platforms.

During library school, I wrote extensively about how the key concepts and values behind open source software. These include freedom to share, access, and social values, and are closely aligned to those of public libraries. Open source software also offers a myriad of financial and technological advantages. Existing open source projects for libraries enjoy vibrant development efforts, and successful implementations are promising, with significant ROI. To learn more, visit http://www.oss4lib.org.

I think that although in most large library organizations, IT decisions are quite centrally dictated (and with good reason to do so!!), librarians should be aware that other computing choices exist outside of Microsoft-land. We can also consider offering open source applications on existing Windows machines, or lending multi-platform open source applications as part of our collection.

The power of Flickr...

2007-01-18T21:27:00.000-08:00

So, what can we do with flickr?? Also includes links to great tutorials.

My Librarian trading card.

2007-01-18T13:36:00.000-08:00

Ah, a movie poster about my doggie!

2007-01-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

Thing 6: A Flickr mosaic - Almaden Branch Library photos before we opened in May.

2007-01-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

These photos of Almaden Branch Library shelves were taken the week before opening day, in May 2006.

Thing 5: A flickr photo of myself, on safari, in Tanzania.

2007-01-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

DSC_1105.JPG
Originally uploaded by mtominaga.

It's very easy to post photos to your blog using Flickr!

Thing 3 and Thing 4

2007-01-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

Set up and register my blog - done!
Blogger is great for getting up and running quickly with your blog, although I'd like to see categories added as a feature...

Thing 2: Lifelong learning.

2007-01-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

One challenge for me is the second habit, to accept responsibility for my own learning. I seem to have an easier time learning in structured environments, such as a formal class; otherwise the experience feels less serious. Perhaps this is a reflection of my unwillingness to accept total responsibility for my own educational experiences. On reflection, though, I have learned all about using Linux, desktop publishing, and web design from actual practice. I should feel more confident about my learning abilities (4th habit) and engage others to reinforce my learning (7th habit).

In summary, the habits are:

1. Be goal-oriented.
2. Accept responsibility for your own learning.
3. Problems as challenges.
4. Have confidence.
5. Create your own learning toolbox.
6. Use tech to your advantage.
7. Teach and mentor others.
7.5 PLAY!

First post.

2007-01-11T13:04:00.000-08:00

This blog is designed for me to complete the exercises outlined at http://sjlibrary23.blogspot.com/index.html.

My employer's initiative is a wonderful one, and I'm glad to see that the organization is so strongly committed to training. My immediate supervisor encouraged everyone in the branch to participate, and we even get a free USB drive for the course! The energy and enthusiasm the administration have for this project is exciting to see.