It’s been an eye-opening experience!
I have found this class to be such a great learning experience! I am a “boomer,” so I did not grow up with a mouse in one hand and a cell phone in the other! it takes me a little while to catch on to some things; I really have to practice, make notes, etc. (Some of that is from being a cataloger, I think. 
I appreciate Kathy’s help and patience when I just couldn’t make things work. But I also surprised myself sometimes when I found how easy some tools were to use!
The most useful tool? That is so hard to say! Learning to add RSS and YouTube videos and flickr pix to my blog were great learning experiences!
I have so much I want to review! I can’t say that there was a “least useful tool.” Some seem more relevant for personal use, my own professional use, my library’s use–and my husband’s business use.
I am very interested in seeing how other academic libraries are using these tools. I am going to explore that some more.
My library has just built a blog, a wiki, a forum, and a photo collection tool for our staff intranet.
We have recently added a twitter account to announce library programs. I’m not sure how many followers it has.
Colleges have a rather “captive audience”–even in this tech age. Our students use the library extensively to study because we do not have dorms or a good student center. However, they do access a lot of our resources electronically, and faculty and researchers use the library almost exclusively electronically.
We do put a lot of emphasis on “library as place” in face of the remote access usage. We sponsor speakers, co-sponsor a student writing contest, host art exhibits. They have been well-received. We have used school-wide e-mail to announce many of these, but we have to be cautious to not over-burden students and staff with e-mail. As I noted above, we have just recently begun to announce these via twitter.
Web 2.0 tools certainly offer many opportunities that we should consider.
Thanks again!
Barb
Add comment June 14, 2009 moocow56
Wiki Week!
I have been introduced to wikis in the past, but this week’s lessons were so helpful!
Our library recently added tools to its staff intranet: wiki, blog, forum, photo collection. I am still getting the hang of them, and this week’s lessons were very informative.
We are training staff to train others. Right now, it seems that Circ and Ref staff will be using the wiki and blog alot on a daily basis. Cataloging documentation has already been added. I am going to add the staff handbook, disaster plan, and promotion plan.
Add comment May 22, 2009 moocow56
I now have an RSS feed symbol
Thanks for your help, Kathy. I think the only difference was using a different “link address.” I had used a28 png and Kathy suggested b28 png
Add comment May 17, 2009 moocow56
My experience with the RSS exercise
As you can see, I have the title “Subscribe to RSS feed” in my right sidebar. But it doesn’t seem to work. Or maybe it just won’t work for me becasue I’m already in the blog? I do see that I can RSS link to the comments. Maybe that’s what I should do?
2 comments May 14, 2009 moocow56
Wow! More memories
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnron1/453355472/
Yes, this is what my college library looked like in the 1970’s. But, libraries I’ve worked in have looked like this–until recently.
We closed the card catalog maybe 15 years ago–and then eventually we all felt comfortable with seeing it “disappear.”
But we kept the shelf list–for security and safety. What if the online system went down? Or lost info? How would we get along? If we saved the shelf list, at least we would have something to “fall back on.” (Catalogers would save the day; they knew the call letter area for various subjects!)
But eventually, the shelf list went away too. Actually, we were renovating the library and needed that spot for something else.
That seems like “light years” ago, but it isn’t so long in “calendar years.” But in “technology years,” it’s forever.
We’re on our 3rd or 4th ILS, and as we move to WorldCat Local, our OPAC may be hidden from the public–vut we’ll still have the ILS “behind the scenes.”
Maybe times haven’t changed all that much….
1 comment May 7, 2009 moocow56
Greetings!
I am a librarian at UMass Medical School in Worcester. I have worked in Tech Services for most of that time. Prior to that, I worked at the Goddard Library of Clark University, also in Worcester.
I am always pleased to have the opportunity to participate in classes about web tools; I always learn something new and useful.
There are so many wonderful resources on the Internet; I have been able to find all sorts of helpful info. When you own a house, you need all the help you can get to avoid big service bills!
In December, I thought I was accessing an up-to-date anti-virus tool. Instead I caught a virus which cost several hundred dollars to clean up. 
So I have had great times and not-so-great times with the Internet. But I couldn’t get along without it!
5 comments April 27, 2009 moocow56
