THING #23 : Conclusion

In a word- "YAY"... I have finally completed all "23 Things". Although I was a little nervous and apprehensive about starting the program, it has been a fun and exciting journey. I have learnt a lot, and now have a better understanding of social networking and the new Web 2.0 technologies.

Tools like Facebook, You Tube and MSN I had used extensively prior to starting the '23 Things' program, though the applications offered by Google fascinated me the most. When I think Google, I think of general searching and images. I never knew Google offered so much more (ie. Docs, Books, Scholar and Talk), and that it's maps application was as sophisticated and 'detailed' as it was. I do think Google should promote these more.

Another thing I enjoyed about "23 Things" was that the program allowed us to show our 'creative sides', by using image generators and creating our own iGoogle page and a slideshow for some of our favourite photos. The fun element encourages you to stay on track for the completion of the whole project.

I believe the Library could use some of these technologies to improve it's services to our clients. Ideas that came to mind include:

• an online "Ask the Librarian" reference service, modelled on the MSN / Google Talk concept. If successful, it could replace InfoQuest.
• the use of VODs for delivering some of the User Education session- ie. campus based introduction sessions on use of the library, use of particular databases, EndNote and / or other online and electronic products.

I am not sure how the program could be improved, as I didn't really have any major problems. Each week's activity had clear instructions to follow, and support staff to guide you, should you need help.

Whilst the "23 Things" program has now finished, I would like to see it continue, as I am sure there are other new technologies that we will need to learn about as time goes on.
The idea that it's a professional development activity we've ALL had to be part of was a fantastic idea. Even if we don't continue to use all of the applications learnt, we would all have a similar level of understanding of how these products work, and the confidence to assist clients who may need help in using them.

I definitely won't continue blogging though. Blogging has never interested me, nor do I have anything worth blogging about!
Facebook, You Tube, MSN and Google Maps are applications I will continue to use. Exposure to Flickr has given me inspiration though to do something with the bus photos I have taken. Now I can upload them to a Flickr site (or similar) for others to see- instead of having them stuck on my camera's memory card.

Finally... I must thank Dianna of "23 Things Support" for the help she gave me on one of my 'Things', and a bigger thanks to "Bye Bye Bibliotecaria" for her ongoing encouragement and support. She was right- it wasn't that hard after all!

THING #18 : The Library 2.0 movement

WOW- lots of reading to do this week and lots to take in!

After reading about Library 2.0, Encore and Ebsochost 2.0, and listening to the "Library 2.0 Gang" with Talis, I definitely believe that this is a really exciting time for libraries, and more so for library users, with all the new technologies and products that are becoming available for them to use.

For this part of the "23 Things" project, I decided to do some searching on Encore. Having never used it before, I wanted to get more of a 'feel' about how it works and what it offers.

One such search I did was locating resources on "beauty therapy"... and I have to say that I was quite impressed with the type of results Encore provides. Apart from displaying information on the physical items held by VU, it also presents a number of features to refine or extend your search further. Of those, the 'tag cloud' was my favourite, as it offers a myriad of search terms (all Library of Congress subject heading based- minus the sub-divisions), that searchers may have never thought about using to aid the refining process.

I can see the image library proving to be a hit- especially with our students when it comes to doing the ever popular skin diseases assignment. They always need photos of the skin conditions they are investigating.

The "Did You Mean" feature is fantastic, especially if you have misspelt your initial search terms. By offering the correct spelling of your search terms, it saves you from having to re-enter it all over again. It is no doubt based on Google's principle of searching.

My only criticism towards Encore is that as a library user, I would like to see the full holdings records displayed (ie. location, call numbers and status) of each individual physical item held by the library when an initial search is performed. It would just make the interface look more like a library catalogue.

Still... I do like Encore, and hope it can be fully implemented soon.

THING #15B : Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a great starting point for those doing research, who don't belong to a university or TAFE library, where access to databases and electronic journals would normally be available.

Information provided is more scholarly than a normal google search, presenting a range of peer-reviewed articles and papers, theses, abstracts and scholarly literature on a chosen topic.

Some of these articles / papers are presented in abstract format, although full-text material is available.

If VU holds the desired material you are after, Google Scholar will take you direct to the database or journal, saving you having to search for it through the library catalogue, which is a great time-saving idea.

THING #15A : Google Book Search

Google Book Scholar reminds me of of the electronic books that we have access to via the library catalogue.

I did a search for books about massage and was surprised to see that of the first 30 books listed, our library had at least half of these- the majority of which are popular titles that our students use. In the event the popular titles were out on loan, our students could refer to these Google Books instead.

The downside to using Google books however, are the copyright limits imposed by authors and publishers. Many titles had "limited preview", showing you the first 20 or so pages (sometimes more), where others had a chapter or a page or 2 "randomly" omitted, which I would fine really annoying- especially if that particular chapter was of importance to me. Few did offer full-view access.

Whilst I can understand why safeguards like this are put into place, the fact that you can't download, cut and paste, or print any sections of these books should be enough to prevent users breaching copyright.

THING #17 : Delicious

Delicious is a useful tool if you want to access your bookmarks (favourites) from multiple locations.

For this task I created a Delicious account and added bookmarks of some of my favourite sites- mainly to do with buses. I explored other people's trails and added a couple of their favourites to my account, and tagged each.

Apart from the convenience factor, I am not into social bookmarking, as I don't feel the need to share my bookmarks with others.

THING #16 : iGoogle

I have created my own iGoogle page, which was a lot of fun to do.
Choosing a theme was a little difficult, as there was such a large variety of these to choose from. The artist themes were my favourite, as they were more creative than some of the general ones. The artist theme pictures also change at various times throughout the day to make your iGoogle page a little more interesting. The theme I chose was Astro Boy, as I use to watch and idolise him when I was little.

Adding gadgets can be really addictive!
I wanted to add all the funny and interesting ones, but had to control myself in the end, wondering how many of them I was really going to use.
Gadgets that I added (amongst others) include: the Herald Sun and Google New Feeds, weather, Google Map Search, You Tube, Facebook and a currency converter, which will come in handy- especially at the moment as the dollar continues to fall during this global credit crisis.
Many of these gadgets I would use on a daily basis, so having page where they are all grouped together is real time saver.

Would I like to work for Google?... Well, I've seen various stories on Today Tonight (Channel 7) and on You Tube about what Google is like to work for... and if the staff have as much fun as they claim they do- ABSOLUTELY!

THING #14 : Google Docs

Applications in Google Docs (documents, spreadsheets and presentations) are easy to use and are very similar to Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point. The only main differences I could see were the aesthetics of the page layouts, which looked quite 'simple', as they didn't have the extra toolbars for advanced formatting and design like the said Microsoft products offer. Also, the number of fonts available for use are limited.

On the plus side, Google Docs has a larger range of templates than Microsoft have for creating resumes, cover letters, business plans, labels, photo albums, expense sheets and more. Each includes a sample image of what the templates will look like, a description about it, and it's intended audience.

I had a play around with Google Docs, but because I couldn't think up a document to produce, I have nothing to share or post to my blog... although I did learn how to do both.

The whole idea of being able to access documents from any computer, anywhere is a great idea, and is quite similar to the concept of the Library's Y-Drive. Being able to share documents is also really convenient- especially if a number of people are working on a group assignment / project and can't get together at the one time to contribute thoughts, ideas and suggestions on the issue being researched into.

Initially, I was worried about the sharing process, but learnt that as the author, it's up to you who you allow to view your work, or let collaborate with you.
Though in saying that, as the Google Docs program is stored on a server somewhere in cyberspace, so is your work... and it would be awful if for some reason your work was somehow made available in the public domain-- especially if it is of confidential nature!

As for whether Google Docs poses any competition to desktop office suits like Microsoft Office... I really don't think so! I believe users of products like Microsoft Word / Excel etc. are happy with it's functionality and offerings... and how many people would want their work (documents) stored on a cyberspace server?
I also wonder how many people know that Google Docs exist and what is offers? I had never heard of it myself until I had started the 23 Things program... so maybe Google need to promote this application more to alert computer users of it's existence.