old dogs learn new tricks (kicking and screaming)

BIRD BRAIN

2008-02-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

Twitter is really stupid. I tried SATURDAY and it was not functioning. I guess all those birds on the wire were overloading the circuits!
Even my electronically savvy much younger co-worker doesn't like tweetie.
It's a looney tune type of audience.(Don't take offense - cartoons aren't my entertainment of choice.)
I'll have to ask the youngest occupant of my nest what she thinks...

Sites 4 Students

2008-02-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

Do they make it easier to be a student these days?! There are tons of sites out there so no excuses for not being organized, the dog ate my homework, ect.
I looked over Z0h0 and it looks like a great resource for a small business owner.
J0b$TER wasn't as impressive. The positions I asked for didn't match up with what or where I wanted for available jobs. I might point my teenager here for her future job searches. The Facebook applications are wonderful for college students.

Wikis 2

2008-02-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

The only Wiki I had experienced before this was the Hawaiian version. Doesn't that sound great about now. Hawaii... 80 degrees, toes in the sand, a refreshing tropical beverage...
Wiki means quick and since I was absent from this 2.0 program I am trying to finish -wiki-wiki!!
I edited in a couple sites and it was easy.

Wikis

2008-02-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

Why Wiki? Need I say more. I suppose so. I was curious about a presidential candidate's wife so I googled her and decided to look at what Wikipedia had to say about her. Then I wondered if it was true?
I know that teachers don't accept Wikipedia as a source and I can see why. If anyone can contribute incorrect or damaging information...
Say, for example one of our library branch wikis. If a disgruntled patron decided to add something naughty.

Facebook

2008-02-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

It must be my generation because I looked around Facebook and pulled up my high school graduating class and found one account! A much younger co-worker who has an account let me look at some of her contacts so I got a better idea. My teenager of course has a MySpace so I asked her about Facebook. I also warned her again about cleaning up her MySpace since she's about to graduate from high school and be looking for employment.
I see the good, the bad, and the ugly about social networking. It sure keeps the computers busy here, especially after school gets out.
I checked out the Port Orchard and Sylvan libraries accounts. It's a good thing to keep up to date with what the younger patrons interests are. I can't ever image that libraries would disappear and we are trying to insure our place in the future.

YouTube

2008-02-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this video from YouTube and I couldn't believe my eyes. I have seen this doggie dancing before but never this good! What an impressive team they make.
Many hours could be spent gazing in horror, wonder, and laughing at the crazy world we live in. You only hope that something you've done doesn't make it on YouTube for the whole world to see. You can be a star whether you want to or not!
The library book cart drills are nuts. We are famous for our rotting salmon that just happened to swim upstream in the men's bathroom. I was in a meeting before the discovery was made so I know firsthand what a stench that was. Too bad the smell couldn't come thru the computer screen!!
I'm tempted to put some of my corgi's crazy behavior on YouTube so stay posted....

Library Thing

2008-02-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

Now we're talking! Finally something that I enjoyed and found useful. And, the best thing of all is that is so easy. This is a great tool to suggest to our patrons that want to keep track of what they've read. It's also fun to see what other people have read and who else has the same interests as you.
It would have come in handy the last couple of months when I was searching for information on cancer and amputation from someone who had been thru what I experienced after my dog was diagnosed with a tumor in his right front leg. So, if anyone needs help.....
Library Thing is a fun tool . I don't purchase many books because I read so fast . I would be not only broke but run out of my home by mountains of books.

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY DON'T IT

2007-12-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

I looked around Flickr as well as Photobucket. I probably won't use either but from talking to others they prefer Photobucket. I don't have a digital camera . I see the pros and cons of a film vs. digital cameras. Photo albums taking up space. On a recent trip I needed more film and it was really expensive. The film processor ruins the pictures. I really like holding my photos rather than viewing them on a screen. There is also the privacy issue.... I don't understand why people think they won't get caught using computers in an illegal way.

I wanted my daughter to take some pictures of my short dog in the deep snow but she refused to use my old fashioned camera! I know when I pick-up her camera I automatically put it up to my eye. It's a matter of re-training. Kind of what's going on in our branch with the express pick-up of holds. Some patrons aren't quite getting it. Maybe we can play the A B C song....
And yet another change ($$$) for us all to deal with , the fines and fees ! Stock up on the chocolate folks I have a feeling we will need it!!!

RSS AND RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

2007-11-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

I have fed the beast and completed this assignment. I'm not sure I'll ever use this function but I am aware it exists. The rage against the machine follows along with the song theme I started with but also is a realistic situation that occurs many millions of times a day all over the world as people vent their frustrations with the electronics in their lives.

Here at our library branch this week we have yet another change to introduce to our patrons. Express pick-up of holds. This being our first day, reactions from the patrons has been good. We all know that everyone has a valid opinion and you can't please everyone. The last big change was the end of stamping the books with the due date. Again, some people love the lists and others hate them. It is a nice relief to the wrists not to stamp all those books. You give patrons options , such as checking the due dates online but believe it or not - not all people have computers. I don't know how they get along without one !

I book came across the desk today that made me laugh. I don't remember the exact title but it was about Republicans and 2.0 - revenge of the blog!

Lists, Goals, and Library 2.0

2007-11-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

"43 Things I might want to do this year" is a good idea but then so are New Year resolutions. Remember me ? The memory challenged one who forgets if she has applied her deodorant? Notes and lists are great so long as you can remember where you put them. How many times have a made a grocery list only to get to the store without it!

Back in my past working life as a salesperson/management part of my job was to make sales goals and have my employees also make goals. I considered the word GOAL to be a four-letter word! It was difficult to forecast where people would travel and I had to also help prepare a budget (another ugly word).
It is a great tool to see how far you've come and what you've accomplished.

The Wikipedia article about Library 2.0 was informative and short. I picked it because of it's length. I didn't want to fall asleep at work! They should offer another foreign language class and it would be Computer Jargon. I cringe when the incredible I.T. people call. Please speak my language! And then there are the patrons who come in and speak the dreaded phrase "I am computer illiterate." Have you heard of the blind leading the blind? HAHAHA - not kidding here! Above all - keep your sense of humor!

del.ic.ious = NOT

2007-10-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

This old dog doesn't see herself using this! I found it very cumbersome and the only thing it did was make me want CHOCOLATE! Why wouldn't I want to just go to Google ? If I can't remember that exact web name then Google will serve the purpose. I'm all for less clicking and typing. Not to mention trying to keep all the names and passwords straight. Come on, I'm just trying to remember if I've put on my deodorant this morning!
The articles I tagged that interested me made this exercise worthwhile. Understanding teens and their MySpace preoccupation. If they spent less time online and more time doing things the old fashioned way. One example is the kids that come in for library cards that don't know how to address an envelope! Not to mention that they don't know their address either!
The privacy issue article was also interesting in this age of stolen identities and fraud. The internet is a great tool but we all know it's darkside. I do not like to do business online. It's either my ineptness or bad luck that my order doesn't get to me. I prefer to actually talk to a human being.

Dazed and confused

2007-10-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

O.K...................
I've already dated myself with the title of this BLOG!? My 17 year old daughter will be amazed that her gadget-free mother is participating in this program. She is always disgusted when I ask for computer help. She has been using computers and all those electronic gadgets for her entire existence whereas I have been trying to avoid them.
A young and talented co-worker talked me into doing this so we will see if this old dog can learn some new tricks!
My first job was at the Poulsbo library back in my high school days. This was prior to computers and the typewriter was one of my tools. I typed thousands of overdue letters by the time I left the library to see the world. So things have changed and so must I.
Libraries are wonderful places and could never be replaced. Books are like the air I breathe and a basic staple in my life. What excitement when a favorite author releases a new book.
With all the information available online, I still feel libraries are a very valuable resource to our communities. I would much rather talk to a person face to face then instant message or email. I know that self checkout might please some but there will hopefully always be people like me that want to interact with a human being not a machine.