Thing # 23 - Summary

Overall, I enjoyed doing the 23 Things learning exercises. Some of my favorites were: creating a blog, flickr, mashups, image generators, and RSS Feeds. Part of my lifelong learning goals are to learn more about technology and to keep updated on the latest technology. The 23 Things definitely helped with those goals. I learned about many things that I had only read about before. I feel much better informed after completing the 23 Things.
I would be interested in completing another set of 23 Things that would perhaps be more library-oriented. It would be nice to become more knowledgeable about KDL's new technological offerings for our patrons so that I can help them when they have questions.

Thing # 22 - Podcasts

I looked through the Podcast.net and Podcastalley.com directories but I did not find anything that was current enough to subscribe to. I checked Bloglines and they suggested Indiepodder.org and PodcastingNews.com. I finally found a podcast feed to suscribe to on PodcastingNews.com called Ritmo Latino. It's commercial free latin music featuring Salsa, bachata, cumbia, samba, merengue, electronica, alternative, and disco-funk that is broadcast from Guam and Saipan. I added it to my Bloglines account and am looking forward to some fun Latin music.
As podcasts pertain to the Library I think that they could be used for a number of things. You could do Library news and events, book reviews, book talks, read a book or a chapter of a book and promote the Library. I think it's a great way to reach an increasingly mobile populace.

Thing # 21 - Online Video

I checked out YouTube and looked for a funny video. Searching for something specific was quite difficult because their search engine isn't very good. Also, people can put whatever title they want on their videos so some have the same title and others don't have one at all! This could be useful on a library website to show videos of programs and promotional videos about the library.
I chose a Crazy Cats! video on YouTube:

Thing # 20 - Special Treat

I watched the video: "The Machine is Us/ing Us", a crash course in Web2.0 created by a Digital Ethnography group of Kansas State University students. I was a bit surprised by the video. It was not what I had expected! They certainly made their point that technology changes the way we do things. Before personal computers digitization was just a dream for the average American. Now many people have access to the world as never before.
I especially liked the end when they state that digitization will make us rethink the way we govern, interact, and relate to others. It has already begun to turn the judicial system on its head with copyright, security, and privacy issues. The fact that these issues often cross national boundaries is yet another quandary we are finding ourselves in.
It reminded me of a book that I have read recently: Revolutionary Wealth by Alvin and Heidi Toffler. The Tofflers are futurists and in the book they give an overview what may happen in the years to come. Some of it is exciting and some of it is frightening. It's a good book to read if you are interested in where the world is headed next.

Thing # 19 - Digital Music

I have already used digital music quite a bit. I like to listen to my favorite radio stations online sometimes. The only problem is if you don't have a strong connection the music will sometimes stop while it is "buffering,' whatever that means. I also have an iPod Shuffle so I have downloaded some music from iTunes. When Napster first came out I downloaded a lot of music for free but have since lost it when my old computer died.
I really like being able to access music online or directly from my computer. At home I have some free software from Yahoo! that has some nice Internet stations called the Yahoo! Music Jukebox. You have to download it onto your computer but there are lots of different genres of music to choose from. You can also organize your music from there or even buy songs. I love music and will continue to use it digitally or otherwise.

Thing # 18 - Social Networking

I think that social networks are having an impact on the distribution of information. A recent example is an incident with the Muskegon police where someone released their home video on YouTube and now the police are releasing their own video of the incident. This may not have happened except for the home video release.
Social networking does have the potential to be a significant influence on our culture, for good or ill. A positive aspect it that it can increase visibility and accountability. A negative aspect is that it can increase sensationalism. At this point only time will tell...

Thing # 17 - Wikis

I particularly liked the:

• SJCPL Subject Guides – a pathfinder wiki developed by the St. Joseph County Public Library system; and the
• Book Lovers Wiki - developed by the Princeton Public Library.

Both wikis offered a lot of relevant information. The SJCPL Subject Guides wiki is a great way to provide information for your patrons in an easy to use format. I liked the way they included information about the subjects, resources available at their library, bestsellers, award winners, and classics, staff recommendations, and stuff that you can do on your own. It is also easy to navigate.

The Book Lovers Wiki is valuable because you could have different staff members doing book reviews and have them categorized by subject and a link to the library catalog. It's a great way to do staff recommendations. Overall, I think that wikis offer a valuable way for people to collaborate and I am glad that Librarians are starting to use them.