It's been a while...

So, 23 Things is over and I can now this blog for what I intended; discussion of libraries I have visited and library things of interest.

In May this year I started a new job, which involved moving a library collection from one building to another. I took loads of photographs but then lost them. Hopefully there is a recovery tool out there somewhere that can help...

Thing 23

The beginning of 23 Things is now a bit of a blur and, to be honest, it took me a while to get the hang of what it was all about - I had felt somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information in the emails sent before it began.

As you can see from my first entry I thought the blog was just a blog - not a way to communicate my progress through the 23 Things.

It started to make sense and I was able to add the fact that I had created an iGoogle page and then I set off...

I have enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It has been interesting to explore Web 2.0 technologies that I have shyed away from (Linkedin and Twitter) and things of which I had no real understanding (Delicious and RSS Feeds). Creating a Google Document - a survey - was entertaining and learning that I can create PDFs easily with ThinkFree was a revelation.

Flickr, YouTube, Wikipedia and Facebook were familiar, but it has been useful to reflect on them and their application to the library world, and also to consider some of the functions I had not known about.

Some of the purposes of the technologies will unfold over time (I hope), such as my membership of the Humsbox Wiki, as well as Delicious and Linkedin. Some I will be pleased to leave behind - Twitter, for example! - but above all it has inspired me to keep this blog. I have had encouraging comments (received privately) from those who have looked at it and it will be an interesting forum for writing about the libraries I visit, as well as, perhaps, the books I read and the thoughts I have about all things library-ish.

Thing 22

I have added My del.icio.us to my iGoogle page. It is great because it means I don't have to sign in on a different page and try to remember the password!

There was a fantastic YouTube video - a Lego version of The Matrix - which I watched and I have added Epicurious (for people who like eating) and Library and Information Science News. I like having one place to go for things I am interested in and, unlike Facebook, where I can control how much is there so that I don't feel overwhelmed.

Thing 21

There is now a Flickr photostream at the bottom of this blog with some rather woolly pictures of Oxford in the snow!

Please also note the Poll gadget, which asks you to vote about your reading position/environment preferences.

Thing 20

I found ThinkFree rather unsatisfactory to use - it was very wobbly and slow, and it was no different to word. The one great thing is the fact that you can save documents as PDFs however, and that is useful.

Thing 19

I have created a Google Document - a short survey about escaping - and I have sent it to a number of people. In the four minutes since I sent it I have had three responses. It is an extremely quick and easy way to canvass opinion.




The other functions would also be useful in the work situation - sharing documents and allowing others to contribute, edit and update them would be helpful with documents like the Standard Responses we use at the Main Enquiry Desk.

Thing 18

I have used Wikipedia on many occasions and even cited it in an essay. It was on natural versus controlled vocabulary for the Principles of Information Retrieval module of my library qualification. Wikipedia had the best, basic definitions of what the two things were.




I have also, in the past, been interested bt the debates that can occur - one where a contributor was accused of anti-semitism in a biography they wrote (I couldn't see it myself, but I wasn't all that familiar with the subject) and versions were changed on a daily basis. That became more fascinating than any of the entries!

It is great to have so much information available but it is important to ensure that the facts are correct.

Thing 17

I have joined Humsbox - a wiki for staff dealing with humanities subjects in Oxford. My initial thoughts are that it is a bit difficult to navigate but, as explained in the email inviting me to join, it is a work in progress. My brain doesn't always work in the way that these things are set up! I do not yet feel competent to contribute...

Thing 16

I've started a conversation but I will have to wait and see what happens...

Thing 15

Help! I am no longer living in the 1930s! I am now firmly in the 21st Century because I have a Twitter account.

So, I've signed up, I've asked "what IS happening?" and I've clicked on 'Follow' for The Tate, Penguin Books and Grey Thinking.

I guess it is a way of rapidly exchanging comments but I can't yet see what effect it will have and how it relates to libraries.

'Twittering women' never had good connotations...