This stuff is awesome!!! Why aren't I already using it!? It would be excellent in conjunction with the online presentation tools or just standalone to help users understand our webpage and catalog! It makes every step of showing steps easy and intuitive.
I didn't save my presentation because I don't have amicrophone, so I was 'practicing' the dialogue for the video. it would still work for a video I used during a live presentation, instead of being forced to be stuck at a pc.
I used Screencast-o-matic for my tutorial. I used it to show how to:
Find our catalog
Do a title, subject, and author search
See if a book is available
Find the Call Number
all these steps were as easy as slowly mousing over each step, typing slowly, and pointing to the appropriate links and slowly pointing to them. The end result was a soundless step-by-step guide to the basics of our catalog.
I hope to mic up and get started making actual tutorials for our website soon!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Beyond Method # 7
I chose to use sliderocket and wooowee is it F A N C Y! It was also pretty darned intuitive. I really enjoyed playing around with it using the fake presentation. I have used Google Docs and played with their online rpesentation tool, so i skipped on reviewing it. I wasn't crazy about it and I'm not super sold on Google Docs either. Sadly, my brain is trained on Office software. Free stuff always annoys me when i'm trying to do seriosu work. I do know how to use it and know how to show patrons where to find free office software.
I don't know when I'd use online presentations, but I want to keep an open mind. We may find a place for it on our library page and make reader's advisory tools that are presentations instead of just lists. Or we could use it to advertise for an upcoming program or to answer common queries. Honestly, most of the ones i looked at in this module are primarily PPT online, which isn't very next gen to me. But PPT isn't bad just poorly utilized.
I don't know when I'd use online presentations, but I want to keep an open mind. We may find a place for it on our library page and make reader's advisory tools that are presentations instead of just lists. Or we could use it to advertise for an upcoming program or to answer common queries. Honestly, most of the ones i looked at in this module are primarily PPT online, which isn't very next gen to me. But PPT isn't bad just poorly utilized.
Beyond Method # 6
I may be starting to sound like a Luddite, but I've yet to join the ebook revolution. I do like having a physical book in my hands. Also, I a late adopter to most technologies, as I usually deem them non-essential and want them cheap cheap cheap. That being said, i see their value and understand their popularity. our library currently uses Overdrive for downloading books. I won't detail what i think about their specific service, because I want to be professional.
I will say I see the publishing industry making a lot of the same mistakes as the music industry did with downloadable music. Loads of DRM and not letting people use what they buy as freely as they'd like.
So I grabbed Gulliver's Travels by Swift on Gutenberg. It was easy to find and super easy to spot the kindle edition (it was the one that said kindle!) I do think patrons may like gutenberg's public domain books, but i don't think they will like the site. Amazon is easier to use and flashier and has less options and clicks between you and your download. But free always costs something, so extra time and effort may be worth it for people looking for classics. I know I can use Gutenberg and help patrons use Gutenberg. Hopefully they'll want to!
I will say I see the publishing industry making a lot of the same mistakes as the music industry did with downloadable music. Loads of DRM and not letting people use what they buy as freely as they'd like.
So I grabbed Gulliver's Travels by Swift on Gutenberg. It was easy to find and super easy to spot the kindle edition (it was the one that said kindle!) I do think patrons may like gutenberg's public domain books, but i don't think they will like the site. Amazon is easier to use and flashier and has less options and clicks between you and your download. But free always costs something, so extra time and effort may be worth it for people looking for classics. I know I can use Gutenberg and help patrons use Gutenberg. Hopefully they'll want to!
Beyond Method # 5
I read the articles. I browsed the websites. I looked at the libraries on Goodreads. i was underwhelmed about tagging. I have been hearing that tagging is the future of building a semantic web for about a decade or more without seeing any real move in that direction for the vast majority of users. People are still using the same catalogs, search engines, and databases and largely ignoring the tagging revolution that is coming any day now. Maybe it's the high cost of abandoning learned techniques in favor of new ones, maybe it's because no one website has become the next Big Thing in book tagging. Whatever the reason, the Web 2.0 experience has seemed to mainly catch on with a small group of people that create a great deal of content read by a small but slightly larger group of people.
I must admit that I am not very good to goodreads. I only use it for read-a-like suggestions for reader's advisory and never participate myself. Even then, I find readers often suggest authors that are terrible matches for each other and the wisdom of crowds is not very wise indeed. I browsed the libraries on good reads and didn't find much activity there. Most had well less than 50 members and almost no patron activity. I think Goodreads is good for Librarians but not very popular with users of libraries.
I am much more optimistic about Librarything. Having tagging and reviews in catalog is an excellent resource and I'd like to see it in my own library. I am not crazy about the mini bookshelf but love having tags and reviews within a catalog. i just wonder how I'd train my users to understand and use it and the value of an enterprise that needs training.
I must admit that I am not very good to goodreads. I only use it for read-a-like suggestions for reader's advisory and never participate myself. Even then, I find readers often suggest authors that are terrible matches for each other and the wisdom of crowds is not very wise indeed. I browsed the libraries on good reads and didn't find much activity there. Most had well less than 50 members and almost no patron activity. I think Goodreads is good for Librarians but not very popular with users of libraries.
I am much more optimistic about Librarything. Having tagging and reviews in catalog is an excellent resource and I'd like to see it in my own library. I am not crazy about the mini bookshelf but love having tags and reviews within a catalog. i just wonder how I'd train my users to understand and use it and the value of an enterprise that needs training.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Beyond Method # 4
Job seeking! Why we NEVER have to help with that at the library. END SARCASM. Of course we always are helping with it and now more than ever, so this is a very relevant exercise.
I was not insanely impressed with any of the job sites I searched. I looked at http://texas.jobing.com and texasjobs.com. Both were very complex in the amount of skills an average user would need. I was able to use them very easily, but also found that you have to search A lot of our patrons don't have email, so they can't really apply for jobs online. They have to set up an email first and this ends up happening after they are well into their search process and their allotted computer time is ending. Ideally we could have unlimited time for job searchers, but our resources are limited and demand for them high.
I wasn't singularly impressed with Goodwill Community Foundation’s Computer Basics page. It didn't show the basic mouse skills, Windows skills, and other basics needed to get started.
What we do at our library to help patrons job hunt is provide pamphlets for job hunt skills, hand on assistance in searching and applying for jobs, resume and cover letter books and templates, computer classes that cover computer basics, and email assistance. I personally have heard from several people I have helped through this process find work and it is one of my proudest achievements as a librarian.
I was not insanely impressed with any of the job sites I searched. I looked at http://texas.jobing.com and texasjobs.com. Both were very complex in the amount of skills an average user would need. I was able to use them very easily, but also found that you have to search A lot of our patrons don't have email, so they can't really apply for jobs online. They have to set up an email first and this ends up happening after they are well into their search process and their allotted computer time is ending. Ideally we could have unlimited time for job searchers, but our resources are limited and demand for them high.
I wasn't singularly impressed with Goodwill Community Foundation’s Computer Basics page. It didn't show the basic mouse skills, Windows skills, and other basics needed to get started.
What we do at our library to help patrons job hunt is provide pamphlets for job hunt skills, hand on assistance in searching and applying for jobs, resume and cover letter books and templates, computer classes that cover computer basics, and email assistance. I personally have heard from several people I have helped through this process find work and it is one of my proudest achievements as a librarian.
Beyond Method # 3
We actually do have this tool as of very recently! You can check it out yourself right here. It is easy to understand and to get personalized directions for every patron.
I made a map of my own just for the practice. I found Google Maps simple as pie to use and play with. I didn't have as much as a hiccup.
My Map!
I made a map of my own just for the practice. I found Google Maps simple as pie to use and play with. I didn't have as much as a hiccup.
My Map!
Beyond Method # 2
I am going to be seen as a Negative Ned. Two blogs in a row about the consarned technology and how I hate it so! But I don't hate blogs or blogging! I love those! I did say in Method # 1 that I worry that blogs don't get read often and may be a waning communication method, but I still believe in blogs as a concept. However, I am not a huge fan of the current spate of customizable windows.
Of the two we reviewed I would choose neither for my library. I find them far and away too busy for my personal design tastes and the needs of my library community. My community has a good amount of people on the far side of the digital divide. We are trying our hardest to bridge that gap and these current tools with their myriad of windows and tabs would alienate most of our base. Now that's not to say that our website has no links and is without complexity, but a frontpage that is totally filled with different boxes (several of which have streaming text) is totally at odds with our design needs.
As an information consumer myself, i was livid with igoogle being defaulted in Firefox and quickly reverted to classic. I don't like everything in one single place on one screen for my search engine needs. That's why I shy away from yahoo in the first place. Also, I don't need the constant reminder of how intrusive Google is into my personal life with their updating content based on my searches and purchases.
So for this method I'd say that if I were to use one of these tools I'd have to strip them very pared down for my personal tastes and also for my library's tastes*.
*I should point out that we field test all our tech changes with multiple patrons of different ages and tech skills before we implement major changes, so this isn't just my bias that would make this decision.
Of the two we reviewed I would choose neither for my library. I find them far and away too busy for my personal design tastes and the needs of my library community. My community has a good amount of people on the far side of the digital divide. We are trying our hardest to bridge that gap and these current tools with their myriad of windows and tabs would alienate most of our base. Now that's not to say that our website has no links and is without complexity, but a frontpage that is totally filled with different boxes (several of which have streaming text) is totally at odds with our design needs.
As an information consumer myself, i was livid with igoogle being defaulted in Firefox and quickly reverted to classic. I don't like everything in one single place on one screen for my search engine needs. That's why I shy away from yahoo in the first place. Also, I don't need the constant reminder of how intrusive Google is into my personal life with their updating content based on my searches and purchases.
So for this method I'd say that if I were to use one of these tools I'd have to strip them very pared down for my personal tastes and also for my library's tastes*.
*I should point out that we field test all our tech changes with multiple patrons of different ages and tech skills before we implement major changes, so this isn't just my bias that would make this decision.
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