Thing 17. ELM Productivity Tools

I never saw this ELM Portal before. I chose the MasterFile Premier and used the research term Library 2.0. Here's one of the articles I found. When I read the sentence "Every Minnesotan is entitled access to these resources" -- I thought about how many library patrons have no idea that those resources are there. So very many times I have helped people looking for information and they have asked how to find articles on their topic and they had no clue about these databases. Seems like almost a one-to-one description and introduction is necessary to make this resources real to patrons.

Thing 16 Student 2.0 Tools

If there is one thing I know about students that come into the library with work to do it is this : They are in a hurry! Usually the parents are in a hurry too. Or we see the parent or grandparent here to get materials for the child's project. How can we best help? We can ask the right questions, understand the scope of the assignment and put the right materials in the patron's hand. Understanding how assignments are structured, what research is expected, and the given timeline is very helpful to guide us to filling the patron's request. This assignment calculator is amazing in its depth and helpfulness but it is definately a planning tool for planners. This isn't going to help a second grader with two days left to do a report on an insect found only in the Belize rainforest. Hmmm. When I worked as a K-8 Media Specialist I had a special place in my heart for the Big Six. It has K-2, 3-6 and 7-12 strategies for almost any kind of a task -- from how to buy a present for someone to doing a research paper. It asks questions that all ages of student understand -- parents too, it can really be helpful to ask questions in such a way that we assist in the process of learning. These planners empower the learner and organize the process and the materials. Do not underestimate the empathy and helpfulness we exhibit to students simply by understanding their questions and giving them materials that will be most helpful to them. In this way we encourage and support learning. In this way we will give patron's satisfactory service.

Thing 15.3 Online Games and Libraries

See how the monkey's mouth is closed? Nothing more to say about Online Games and Libraries. OK, here's the plan. This weekend I'll ask the youngest son, age 15, to help me on Second Life and Pirate Puzzle. What else can I do? Now the monkey is thinking about GAMES and the Library. HMMMM. When television was new, did all the libraries put in TV lounges? Or when PONG hit the culture did all the libraries put in machines for playing PONG? GameBoys in the children's room? Something to think about...

Thing 15.2 Online Games and Libraries

"The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it." - James M. Barrie

Here is Library Journal's review of Second Life: The Official Guide

Although not a game in the strictest sense of the word, the increasingly popular virtual world of Second Life shares many commonalities with online gaming environments. Libraries interested in Second Life Library 2.0 (http://infoisland.org/) and those serving populations active in virtual environments should pick up a copy of this official, thorough full-color guide. The book walks beginners through getting started in Second Life and customizing their avatars; tells them where to go, what to see, and how to define their virtual existence; and ends with a discussion of the future and impact of Second Life. Its CD contains textures, templates, Avimator animation software, sample animations, videos, and a code for exclusive in-world content. Recommended. (Library Journal, January 15, 2007)

Thing 15.1 Online Games and Libraries

This morning I am thinking, again, of the richness community offers -- in this instance -- the "classroom" of learners along for the Things. I am reading and pondering others' musings about Second Life. I do not personally (in This Life) know anyone who plays/lives in Second Life so I am asking online. There are many blogs and articles to read. Speaking of the community/classroom of learners working on 23 Things -- the small group at my workplace, Northtown Library, Anoka County, are enthusiastic about our assignments and sharing questions and discoveries daily. We read each other's blogs and discuss our frustrations as well as the many possible applications for our particular system. We are finding that we all have strenghs and weaknesses as we tackle each Thing -- some Things are easier than others, some are inspirational for all, others are confusing.

Thing 15 Online Games and Libraries

Big Zero for me here. Both Puzzle Pirates and Second Life were completely baffling to me. I did not comprehend anything beyond starting the downloads and then refusing to shut everything down for Pirates and signing up and choosing a name and an avatar (you can change it later!!) for Second Life. I struggled along for about 2 hours and decided to write this post admitting my failure. There goes my grade in 23 Things on a Stick...... I suspected it might be like this. Even though I have four children I have never comprehended games on the computer. I do have a helicopter (CRASHING !) game that I can do for a few seconds and there have been a few others that I've had very limited success plus those avatars are creepy! I mean it. Creepy.

All Things....

Here are two of my favorite patrons, Jessica and Brandon, at home. No, they are not my grandchildren but I do love them as if they were...

Thing 14.1 LibraryThing Blog Prompts

LibraryThing is basic, like bread and books. Stay alive and read. And connect. If you have access to the internet and are a reader -- this is a fit. Simple and grand. This is the booklist we've all tried to share forever. LibraryThing makes it easy. Invite patrons to join. Share the wealth. Bon Appetit!!

Thing 14 LibraryThing

I signed up for LibraryThing /LibraryThing/Quick Start almost a year ago, February 24, 2007. Jim Hendricks, our head reference librarian at Northtown Library, suggested staff check it out. I've listed many of the ourstanding books I've read/reread since then. For me, it is a wonderful tool to aid my memory. I use it for my own Reader's Advisory and find it invaluable. I use for patron Reader's Advisory when I feel I have a stronger feel for my own tags (folksonomy) than our catalog tags or subject headings. Beyond the listing of books the site is deep and rich and invites exploration. There is also a Early Reviewer's sign-up and I have snagged an Early Review copy. My name in Library Thing is nanhoekstra, just as it is here in 23 Things. I am in the Librarians Who Library Thing group forum as well. Today I finished reading Sonja Harnett's Thursday's Child and added it to my books. LibraryThing has unique and powerful ideas for uses by public libraries. This site is familiar to me now and I am always finding something new. The innovations are worthwhile and widely applicable. See Common Knowledge for wikitype application. I find new books to read and often connect with fellow LibraryThingers. I believe that the personal tags and LibraryThing's list are among the finest sources available for readers. See sidebar for one of several available widgets.

Thing 13.3 Online Productivity Tools What is the Intent of a Tool User?

After many hours with Thing 13, I am thinking and focusing on the meaning of productivity and tools. Both are outcomes of chosen actions toward a purpose. For me it is essential to move intentionally forward in these Things.
The dictionary (phrasing mine) helps again:
Tool: a device used to carry out a particular function, a thing used in an occupation or pursuit, software that creates...anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose,
machinery designed for performing a particular job
So as I finish Thing 13 I have two library 2.0 applications alongside me on the desk -- ways that I can personally contribute to the mission and daily routine of the successful 2.0 library. At home I am enjoying the change of my homepage from the MSN default to my own iGoogle.

Thing 13.2 Online Productivity Tools

"To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else."
Emily Dickinson

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."
Annie Dillard

Thing 13.1 Online Productivity Tools

The immediate task of investigating the productivity tools seemed - at moments - to be the opposite of productivity. The monkey mind thrives on this kind of exploration! I remind myself that this is the reading portion of the syllabus -- the textbook for the course as it were. The assignment is the blog -- the readings and research are these guided/unguided forays.... The meaning for today and tomorrow at the job site with the community is what is chosen for its practical use and planning possibilities. So far I am using Bloglines, Del.icio.us, iGoogle, Flickr (inspiration!) StumbleUpon -- just to mention a few. I have three blogs going on Blogger. I have two definite applications in mind for my home library. I had philosophical issues with the Countdown tool/gadget. I used a countdown gadget I found on iGoogle -- I could only bear to countdown to tomorrow, yesterday and today -- that is my capacity now. The now. The intentional now. I told you it was philosophical... Not that I don't keep a calendar. I have TWO, at home. On paper. The online possibilities are excellent but not for me right now. I made a Ta da list. There's another list on my iGoogle. I made an account in Backpack too.

Thing 13 Online Productivity Tools

productivity
I looked it up from my new iGoogle home page where I placed a gadget from Dictionary.com. Edited blips follow -- these words and phrases made cogent the 2 hours --so far -- that I have invested in Thing 13. Italics indicate Dictionary.com. Bold is my emphasis for Thing 13.
pro·duc·tive
-- having the power of producing; generative; creative: a productive effort.
-- producing readily or abundantly; fertile.
-- Economics. producing or tending to produce goods and services having exchange value.
pro·duc·tiv·i·ty
—Synonyms 2. fecund. Productive, fertile, fruitful, prolific apply to the generative aspect of something. Productive refers to a generative source of continuing activity: productive soil; a productive influence. Fertile applies to that in which seeds, literal or figurative, take root: fertile soil; a fertile imagination. Fruitful refers to that which has already produced and is capable of further production: fruitful soil, discovery, theory. Prolific means highly productive: a prolific farm, writer.
—Antonyms 2. sterile.

Thing 12.3 Do You Digg? StumbleUpon

For the Challenge I created an account in StumbleUpon and -- oops, gotta go
--- wabi sabi (had to take the 15 year-old to his performance thing)
Home again I downloaded a toolbar and then -- finally -- up came the glory of StumbleUpon and this is the first page it brought me! My heart was won. I took a breath and went on.
How about this one?
Now this StumbleUpon has amazing soothing and stimulating power. Yeah for Library 2.0 !

Thing 12.2 Do You Digg? Blog Prompts

I joined Digg and Mixx. And spent a couple of hours checking both out. The 23 Things instructions for this Thing suggests that libraries might be affected by this kind of social media site in the areas of reference questions and requests for further information. That doesn't ring true in my thinking. Just my opinion. These are browsing places. As for these type of site assisting us in "being in the know"? Again, I don't think so. This is all so broad, wide not deep. 23 Things asks "Do these tools seem to be a productivity enhancer or a productivity detractor?" I have a headache like I've been in the waiting room with a stack of magazines that had little content and less substance. For me. I'd love to hear something more positive about this Thing. Just my window -- let me know what I missed.

Thing 12.1 Do You Digg?

So it seems like a internet version -- user driven -- of USA Today? Social media - the popular stuff -- common to many of us -- the front page (sorted by sections - if you want) of papers everywhere. Sort of the way the strip mall is common to almost all American towns? Am I getting a better understanding of it? Following are their definitions of what they do.

Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users

Reddit: User-generated news links. Votes promote stories to the front page.

Updated continuously by citizens like you, Newsvine is an instant reflection of what the world is talking about at any given moment.

Mixx is your link to the web content that really matters. You find it; we'll Mixx it.

Use YourMixx to tailor the content categories, tags, specific users and groups, and we'll deliver the top-rated content as chosen by you and people who share your passions. So go ahead and whip up your own version of the web. Just tell us how you like it Mixxed and we'll deliver the best the web has to offer.

Thing 12 Do You Digg?

I remember this toy -- it was installed in the sand pit at several of the parks I went to when I had three little boys. It always looked like fun but in fact it was clumsier and less satisfying than it first appeared. You had to push and pull and manuever at the same time. I felt this way at the Digg site. I wondered what are these stories and headlines and what I am doing here when I didn't select them and I'm really not interested in just looking around? You know, like the stack of magazines at a waiting room? Pick, shuffle shuffle, put down, pick up another, flip, shuffle page shuffle page... It made more sense (not much more -- just personal opinion here -- when I went to Slate and browsed and got the connection that I could Digg something. Hmmmm. I am not sure what is the point. Yet. Remember the wabi-sabi unfinished thing? That's where I am now. Back to reading and clicking...

All Things....

View Upload your own

This is an incredible review and overview. I thought about saving it for the next Review and Reflect but I appreciated its value to me so much that I stuck it in right here where I could watch it and invite others to take a moment with it. I know there are quite a few slides but it is amazing. Thank You, Meredith Farkas!

Thing 11.2 Tagging and Del.icio.us Blog Prompts

I added Minn23 to my network on Del.icio.us. There are good resources on that list. More to explore as time goes on. Connecting from my blog to my favorites in Del.icio.us is useful and time-saving. If we had a library blog or some individual staff blog for the public to browse this would be a way to deepen that as a resource. It is genuinely a relief to not have to duplicate favorites on every computer. Or try to carry some of them around in my head just in case... This was a very informative and stimulating Thing.

Thing 11.1 Tagging and Del.icio.us

The THING is the connecting! Everything is connected and everyone. From one subject and tag to another, one person to another and another. All these perspectives and contributions! Shared writing, shared questions and answers -- inviting community and comment. The invitation to enter and respond is boggling. Or is that blog-ling?

Thing 11. Tagging and Del.icio.us

This is great. It is so folk-ier than keywords and cataloguing! I tagged with the first description that came to mind and then went back later to refine and clean it up. My tag clouds helped me see the ways I see and think about the topic or thing. I did tag a few photos in Flickr, but not very confidently. I tagged a few of my posts, I'll go back and pick up the rest later. I finally figured out the genius of Del.icio.us -- first to have many of my favorites, for now, mostly the ones attached to L2, online for me -- anytime. And then to be able to CONNECT with others with the same tags and glean more from their resources. Bloglines finally made sense too. Beyond HOW it works, WHY it is so cool. I am comfortable in ThingMonkey now and at ease with what I've used so far. Ready to go deeper and check out more possibilities.

Review and Reflect

Ten Things done. Relecting on those three words is a tension. Here's what I mean. They are most definately NOT done. I've worked through the assignments, yes. I've kicked at the templates and searched for the buttons. I've started projects. Here's the THING - it's that wabi-sabi thing.

"Wabi-sabi is a Japanese expression that roughly translates to the "beauty of
things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete". It is the beauty of
things modest and humble. It is the beauty of things unconventional.
Observe a ceramic cup for a tea ceremony, for example. It might have rough
edges, an irregular shape, and glazing that covers only half of the cup."
Woods and Thoeny in Wikis for Dummies

As I review especially Things 5-10 as am thinking about my efforts and responses as imperfect and imcomplete. And I am thankful for the continuing truth of impermanence. The "public-ness" of this learning is daunting. Here are my blog posts, my "creations", by attempts to execute applications -- out here for all to see. There is support and guidance from the community in the building. Comments and questions fly. I want to raise my hand sometimes and ask the teacher, or feel a stronger sense of mastery of each thing. When I go back to an application I do have a familiar "I've been here before" sense. I take that as progress. The monkey mind buzzes and whirls but I am seeing obvious possibilities and potential for use in the library of everything we've studied so far. On to Thing 11.

Thing 10.1 Wikis

Things are clearer now that I've visited some library wikis. All the fumbling and striving makes what I am seeing on these wikis more understandable. For instance, the Library Bloggers Wiki and the pathfinder wiki from the St. Joseph County Public Library systems shows APPLICATION of this tool. Aha! That's the key. How does this tool work AND what are some applications for the public library? The more tools I understand, the more able I am to think of them as solutions for a library situation. YES! I accessed the 23 Things on a Stick PBwiki and added a comment.

Thing 10 Wikis

Thing 10 is the most confusing one so far. Have I said that about things before this? Maybe. I think this is why. I have never edited a wiki or even thought about editing a wiki so that whole process was in the mystery realm. Not unsolvable -- I just hadn't tried it. I read, of course, and clicked and experimented...a lot. The little Common Craft video on wikis made it look very easy. Hmmmm. The first blip was being unable to access 23 Things on a Stick wiki because I didn't have the invite key. I logged in to Google Groups and asked that question and got an affirming reply with the key -- multitype -- and a "thanks" from our fearless leaders for finding an omission. (You are welcome. SmileyFace.) I explored around the lesson a little more and got so excited that I decided to jump right in. Turns out that jumping right in is actually the CHALLENGE part of Thing 10. Hours later I came up for air. I did open a wiki on PB Wiki and I am going to make another one on Wikispaces just to compare the two.

Thing 9.2 Online Collaboration Tools

This photo appeared in one of my favorite blogs 37 Days.
Taming the Monkey Mind
It's been called the monkey mind - the endless chattering in your head as you jump in your mind from thought to thought while you daydream, analyze your relationships, work on 23 Things on a Stick (nan's editorial addition...), or worry over the future. Eventually, you start to feel like your thoughts are spinning in circles and you're left totally confused. One way to tame this wild creature in your head is through meditation - although the paradox is that when you clear your mind for meditation you actually invite the monkey in your mind to play. This is when you are given the opportunity to tame this mental beast by moving beyond thought - to become aware of a thought rather than thinking a thought. The difference is subtle, but significant. When you are aware of your thoughts, you can let your thoughts rise and float away without letting them pull you in different directions. Being able to concentrate is one of the tools that allows you to slow down your thought process and focus on observing your thoughts. To develop your concentration, you may want to start by focusing on the breath while you meditate. Whenever your monkey mind starts acting up, observe your thoughts and then return your focus to your breath.

Thing 9.1 Online Collaboration Tools

The invitation in the previous post is an attempt to experiment with online instant collaboration as offered at ZOHO Writer. The project document with be a compilation of quotes of interest to the participants in 23 Things. I am hoping to discover the ease of use and usefulness of a document collaborated on in this way. The word processing capabilities of ZHW certainly are more sophisficated than the simple posting entry on blogger. I have lots of questions at this point. I was able to investigate the site but not able to collaborate without a project and a group. I appreciated how it could send it on over to my blog although I had to clean it up. The tables, templates and other abilities make it an alternative to many of the ways we do things now (email attachments etc.).

Thing 9. Online Collaboration Tools

Invitation to Collaborate

Are you interested in collaborating

on an easy project using ZOHO Writer?

The project will be a compilation of quotes about Library 2.0.

Email me at nancy.hoekstra@anoka.lib.mn.us
with your email address.

Please write ZOHO in the subject line.

I will add your email to the list of collaborators at ZOHO Writer and we will see if we can make this thing work.

Thing 8.3 Share Your Creations. End of Thing 8.

Thing 8 was challenging and worthwhile. The "monkey mind" was overstimulated by the options. After exploration and investigation I just picked several and worked the assignment. The results are in the previous posts. I used Picture Trail, Zoho Show, Big Huge Lab, Mosaic Maker and Flickr. The Lazybase link did not function at work or at home. eFolio Minnesota looks great for resumes. I put the 50 Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story on my Favorites for resource. I was disappointed that Lazybase was nonfunctioning, I would like to find a free online database builder. This would be useful for booklists. I will check out LibraryThing as a database builder possibility. All the tools were user-friendly and time-consuming. For me, it is important to keep the goals of this project clearly in mind so that the "monkey mind" does not get out of control. These tools would definately enliven a library home page and youth pages! Summer reading activities would make wonderful slideshows. I will be using the presentation tools regularly.

All Things...Objections and Comments

Thing 8.2 Library Limbo

Take a break and enjoy this YouTube video!