Thing 23 Wrapping up

This is your last required blog post, so make it a good one. What was your favorite thing you learned about? Conversely, what did you like least about Web 2.0? What areas of Web 2.0 do you think the library should get more involved in? What Web 2.0 services have you shared with your friends and family?

Sounds ominous... last required blog post...where to start? My favorite thing I learned from this challenge was the challenge itself. Since I am a member of this committee and have helped guide and shape the challenge itself, it's really hard to choose a favorite. I have enjoyed teaming up and editting the things. I enjoyed bonding and team building with staff members who needed guidance along the way. Tagging, RSS, and the other terms are now being overheard a lot more here in the library. I like that I helped make that happen. Think of the possibilities and the overall professional development that has occurred. Friendships and skill sets were broadened... That says a lot for 23 things.

I loved seeing some people blossom with certain tasks. I felt empathy for others as I could see the frustation with some of the technical tasks. I encountered some of the same frustation... I most likely will never be a fan of some of the current versions of these web applications, but I will continue to try to keep up with new technologies and tasks.

I have shared some of my new found techie knowledge with customers and my family. That's neat, like the old Fabrege shampoo commercials you tell two friends and so on and so on. It takes on a life of its own. Long live web 2.0, web 3.0 and even the future 4.0!

Thing 22 ListenNJ

Multitasking sounds like a great idea. It doesn't always work though.... So, here is a confession.....I posted about NetLibrary and then afterward realized that I should be in ListenNJ. So my Netlibrary post has been erased and now I'm back in business. I downloaded Co-Leaders The Powers of Great Partnerships by David Henson and Warren Bennis. The narrator was Jeff Riggenbach. I was searching in business for information on transformational leadership. Not a lot on the topic, that was actaully able to be checked out. I could be waitlisted on several titles.

Thing 21 Finding and Listening to podcasts

I signed up for odeo. A brief search didn't yield anything I'd want to listen to... maybe I have to be more in a travelling mindset. Something to listen to for a long car ride to NC. I also sent an invitation to have someone else join the service. They are really into listening to audio.

I also signed up for podcast.com.

I have an mp3 player and not an Ipod. I have set up an itunes account on my laptop. I understand and frequently use it. I wonder if most people know that you can use Itunes successfully without an IPOD. It works for me.

Thing 20 Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9xnpSeMWw4

Of course, I had to choose this video. Watch and see why.

thing 19 awards

Well, who doesn't love awards and choosing winners. There are so many tools here to explore. First, let's dive into a couple that I am familiar with. Zillow is a great site since I just ventured into the housing market. Tracking my investment with pictures and finances. Another great site is Meebo. How neat is it to be able to connect to others on AOL even if you aren't on your home computer. Now, that's convenient. Travel sites like kayak and farecast are almost a daily habit.

Ok, exploring something new, I looked at Ning. Looks interesting. Can't wait to play with it. I have created an Ocean County Library account on Ning

Thing 18 web apps

My name has been added to the Google docs document. I love google docs and have been using it for more than a year. I have used both Docs and Spreadsheets to keep track of events like Women's History Month guest lists and other documents where I needed to access information in many places. How convenient!

I love being abole to collaborate and can't wait to experiment with ZOHO. Sounds even better than Google. Since I am on the OCL Web challenge committee we are actively using these tools to track progress.

Thing 17 Playing in the sandbox

I have played in the sandbox. I created a new catagory. My favorite activity .. Starting off the list... with one my mom knitting.

Thing 16 Learn about Wikis

Wikis are a fabulous tool that are quite handy. I have used Wikis on several occassions. One caveat though since anyone can edit...the reader must take items with a grain of salt. Who is editting and why ar etwo questions that pop into my mind.

I have kept an eye on OCL's article on Wikipedia. I know a few of the people who have made some of the edits. I see where I can make an editorail change myself. If the word Internet is supposed to be capitilized which it is... we then use it in lower case just a few words later. Maybe I'll attempt to fix it.

Thing 15 On Library Web2.0

http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/6.htm

To a temporary place in time and Into a new world of librarianship are two articles about libraries and their futures. Libraries today may exist in a virtual world or a brick and mortar world however they will need to change and evolve to be sure....

Librarians and information professionals should be honing new skills and having new strategies in thier toolkit to help users find the services or books that will be needed in the future. Although the libraries may change....the ability to quickly sort through the information and gather the golden informational nugget is still a desirable and employable trait. I won't be a dinosaur in web 3.0 or web 4.0 or whatever shape the library world takes.

Thing 14 Technorati

Ok, My blog has been claimed. Plus, I have added the technorati script so that other people can claim my blog as a favorite. I even added some bio. information.

Thing 13 Tagging Folksonomies and Social Bookmarking

Tagging seems like a very handy Web2.0 tool. Being able to quickly access websites that I have stowed away and then be able to share them with others definitely has its merits. I can see how favorites can be easily shared. I really like the feature of the tag clouds because it gives me options. I have seen library catalogs and demonstations where tag clouds help in the research like a spring board. For example, one presentation that i witnessed at ALA used Reeses' Peanut Butter cups as the starting point and then deviated into legumes, and then the more scientific latin terms which then led to agriculture and farming. Visually very interesting!

Thing 12 Net Library and WorldCat

Signed up for NetLibrary. Probably already had an account, but since our email changed, I have a new account. Searching the name Glynis in Netlibrary yields 10 results. Not bad! Everything from baby names to a book called Milk It!: Collected Musings On the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90s. This is an easy to use tool. I show customers how to use it frequently.

I already use Worldcat on a daily basis. I searched for an Ocean County title. Sheriffs of Ocean County 1850-2000 by Jeff Thompson. The furthest library that owns this title is Rutgers at about 60 miles away. Pretty neat.

Thing 11 Library Thing

Library Thing, ok a selection of my books are listed on Library Thing. I included several books, including the Heart of the Community, the Libraries We Love, ( OCL is one of the 80 libraries listed). I also included a book my sister wrote. Shout out to Kim and Connie. I rated you 5 stars! WOO HOO!

My mom's opinion of the site, if she had the time to catalog all of her books, then she'd have the time to actually read the books and therefore would have less to catalog. I tend to agree. If I want a catalog of books, I can use Horizon, If I need readers advisory, I can try novelist.

Personally, I know I read geechy books. I don't need a website to connect me to other people reading the same type of books that I do. Geechy is word someone close to me uses to describe my girly tv watching and reading. Since, he likes documentaries and the History channel and I read YA titles like Gossip Girl and mysteries from Stuart Woods. There is a definite clash over titles.

My link to Library Thing http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php

Update: I just successfully added a Library Thing search box to my blog.

Thing 10 Technology Blog Random Thoughts

I have been checking out different technology blogs. In particular, I like David Pogue's New York Times blog. Pogue's Posts The Latest in Technology from David Pogue gives a delightful mix of techie ideas. I like that he offers links that cater to the low tech readers as well as more advanced links. Just scanning his pages, I found I could download free political ring tones. Having just learned how to do this in Verizon for free intrigues me. Personally, I have now shared a train whistle, Ode to Joy and birds chirpping with others for FREE!
David's post about the friendly skies deals with gps and our congested airways. Definitly a higher brow article, but still interesting!

Thing 9 Technorati

Exploring Technorati among others to find feeds. Well, I looked around technorati and saw their catagories of what they offer. Interesting, but still I wonder does anyone care? Who has time to read all of these posts? I saw green solar feeds, technology and even celebrity gossip that I could subscribe to. I seriously don't have the time to give it more than a one over glance. I think it might be nice to keep them all in one place, but like filing... do we ever really go back to it? Any answers?

Thing 8 Google Reader vs Bloglines

I have signed up for both Bloglines and Google Reader. Most likely, I'll never look at Bloglines for my RSS feeds. Google again has made a better product and I'm happy with Google Reader. Not only, did it give me my selections that I chose, but it suggested news from NC, which I presume it took from my newsfeeder requests. Nice touch... maybe a little big brother like, but still nice.

Tribute to Jeff Monroe Long

Jeffery Monroe Long

HIGH POINT — High Point resident Jeffery Monroe Long, 48, died suddenly Thursday night, March 27, 2008, at High Point Regional Hospital.

A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, March 30, in First Presbyterian Church by the Reverend Dr. Kenneth Broman-Fulks.

He was a self-employed freelance photographer who often covered High Point Market events and whose work was most recently featured in American Profiles in a feature story about High Point. He also worked part-time for Tru-Colors.

Son of Arless Long of Greensboro, N.C., and Lee Jeremias of Newberry, S.C., Jeff was born September 23, 1959, in Mount Airy, N.C., and lived and worked in Winston-Salem before moving to High Point in 1996.

Formerly, Jeff worked as an electronics technician for a number of companies, including Arrington Police Distributors. For more than a decade, he was an active volunteer for the Winston-Salem Air Classic, where he led ground operations for the air show year after year. He also frequently volunteered for the boat races on Oak Hollow Lake.

Jeff was an avid boater and radio-controlled airplane enthusiast. When he wasn't skimming across local lakes, he loved to decorate the home at 501 Montlieu Avenue to celebrate the holidays. His whiz-bang, over-the-top presentations are known throughout High Point, and last Halloween drew more than 600 trick-or-treaters. That night, he photographed many of the children and parents and presented them with his wonderful shots as gifts to parents and children in the neighborhood, many of whom he'd never met.

His love of the outdoors and the lake was celebrated when he and his wife, Kimberley Wray were married one summer morning surrounded by friends and family in a hot air balloon over Oak Hollow Lake.

Jeff is survived by his loving wife, Kimberley and their house full of beloved pets; a loving mother-in-law, Barbara Wray; his parents, Arless Long and Lee Jeremias; Margaret Jones, long-time companion to his father; as well as a daughter, Renea Long. A great aunt, Elizabeth Ramey of Kernersville; and his aunt and uncle, Carol and Richard Hoover, also of Kernersville also survive.

He was preceded in death last year by his younger brother, John Darren Long of Newberry, S.C. The family will receive friends in the church parlor following the service.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Jeffrey Long Memorial Fund, c/o High Point Bank, P.O. Box 2270, High Point, NC 27261.

Sechrest Funeral Service is serving the family. Please share your condolences and memories with the family at www.mem.com


Here is his eulogy posted below:
Jeff loved the simple things in life…a cold Coke-cola, a good hotdog, Saturday morning breakfast with his wife at Carolina’s diner, two eggs over, country ham, toast, grits, and always a small box to put the leftovers in to take home as treats for the animals he loved and who worshiped him. Such a weekend breakfast was usually followed by a trip to Lowe’s for one thing or another that Jeff needed for whatever project he happened to be “puttering” with that day.

Over the years, his “citi-fied” wife would try to expand his tastes to what she thought were some of the finer things in life, but he rarely came to appreciate them. To Jeff, a fresh shrimp cocktail was really just wasted “bait.”

Jeff was truly of the earth and uncannily in tune with it. Kim always suspected the Cherokee blood of his ancestors running through his veins, when he would look up at the sky and read the coming weather more accurately the local newscaster. “Rain is coming,” he’d say. And it would. Or, “it’s going to be a boomer,” and the thunder would begin to crash. Often out on the lake, long before the whiz-bang weather systems would begin to issue warnings, Jeff would read the clouds and say it was time to pack up. Then, when headed back to dock, he’d stop long enough along the way to alert each boater he passed that trouble was on the way, and from which direction it was going to come.

Kim’s Mom used to refer to him as the “Indian,” because he always moved so quietly. “Where did you come from?” she’d exclaim. And he’s say something, like, “I heard you needed something moved, or Kim told me you’re having trouble with the lights in the kitchen,” or ‘We’ve been calling you and you’re not answering again. Dinner’s on the table.” From the day they met, the day after Kim’s Dad died, Jeff began looking after Barbara, and whether it was carrying over-size bags of dog-food, or driving all night from North Carolina to Pennsylvania or New York dragging trailers full of family belongings, or standing on ladders installing motion detectors to light up the house when Barbara came home alone, or crawling through second-story windows when her house keys were no where to be found, Jeff was the family hero. In fact, one of the first times Barbara watched Jeff directing jets and flight crews out on the tarmac at an air show, bent down, one knee on the ground, headphones slung around his neck arms raise over head signaling props, completely in control and in his element, Barbara exclaimed, “My God, he looks like John Wayne!”

Kim’s sister Glynis said Jeff was the most “amazing, brother-in-law. He was our Macgyver, always there to fix what nobody else could and to help me move (even in the middle of the night when that was once necessary). He was my long distance technical support, whether it was computer problems, or teaching me about what to do with water-lines and leaking refrigerators. He taught me how to drive his boat and let me go as fast as I wanted, even when Kim was screaming for us to slow down.. He took my friends out on the boat and made them feel right at home, and when I went for a swim, and my arms weren’t strong enough to pull myself back in, he would quietly nudge the boat into the shallows and help me up the ladder without making it obvious to everybody else. My brother-in-law was quiet, but he was always caring and in tune with you. When I had gastric bypass surgery and couldn’t eat much, he brought me a cheese platter for Christmas. It was the best gift. And I can hardly remember a time in their living room when Jeff didn’t have the fire blazing for us. He thought roasting marshmallows in the fireplace was a little silly, but he’d do with me anyway, especially if I bribed him with his favorite peanut butter kiss cookies. Even when I didn’t make the cookies, I’d wake in the middle of the night, and the fire would still be blazing. He showed love by what he did, and he took care of all of us.

Mostly, though, he loved and took care of Kimberley. One very late night, early on in their relationship, he found her in home office, you might say vibrating a bit fast than normal (as well all know Kim can do). She had a major story due in the morning and was trying to transcribe a taped interview of a French executive with a very heavy accent. The only problem was that the micro-cassette tape was defective and the heavy French accent was nothing more than unintelligible whisper. Kim was really shook up and Jeff simply said, “Hold on.” And then he went to work. Stripping and splicing wires, dragging in the stereo speakers from the living room, re-wiring computer speakers, and less than 10 minutes later the Frenchman’s words were emanating in surround sound, loud and clear all around the room. Kim says she’ll never forget the way he looked in the doorway at 3 a.m. that morning, in nothing by his underpants, unshaved, hair sticking out every which way, and grinning like a little kid because he knew he’d saved the day. She said, “He never looked more beautiful to me then.”

Even if you weren’t lucky enough to be there that July morning, most of you have heard the story about their wedding. At dawn in a hot air balloon, out at Oak Hollow Lake surrounded by people they loved. What you might not know is that rather romantic venue and theme was all Jeffery’s idea. And thanks to the many friends he’d made over the years working the Winston-Salem Air Classic, much to Kim’s surprise, he not only booked the balloon and pilot, has asked the captain of the civil air patrol to marry them. He also marshaled the science project that ensued when Kim ordered butterfly cocoons from California that had to hatch just in time for the event. With just days left to go, one night Jeff appeared at Kim’s side with a triangle-shaped cardboard box that housed a single cocoon. “Look,” he said, and gently pulled back the corner. Kim peered inside and two little black eyes and a pair of moving antennae looked back. For the rest of the evening, the three of them (Barbara had to be alerted to this little miracle), gently peeked inside 200 little boxes of butterflies, quietly appreciating the miracle and wonder of life. One year later, on their first anniversary, he asked her how she thought they should celebrate. “I don’t know,” Kim said. “Well,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about this. How about we plant a tree?”

When you drive past the house today, you’ll see the enormous flowering Bradford Pear that Jeff spent hours digging in to ensure its roots would take. 10 years later, Kim sees its blossoms from her kitchen window on a spring morning and remembers the man she loved and who loved her dearly back.

Thing 7 the scanner

Thing seven has been completed and emailed to oclwebthings. I helped Cheryl, Kathy and Jo-Ann. We scanned multiple images. Task completed and then some!

thing 6

Ok, 24 hours have passed since I have uploaded the photos that I took with the digital camera. Some of my team mates have actually seen the tags that I added. The assignment calls for us to tag a photo oclthings. Flickr still hasn't acknowledged that I have completed this task. Time will tell.

thing 5

http://www.flickr.com/photos/njla/135080498/

I examined Flickr and found a photo of myself that someone posted from NJLA last year. Looking forward to the exhibits this year.

Flickr

Well, I'm a picasa fan, but I went ahead and signed up for Flickr for the challenge. I uploaded about 4 pictures and explored the site. As I was exploring, I found myself in several pictures already posted there. So people might want to try to search their names, and or locations. I like Picasa better for several reasons. Although, I can really see the value in Flickr. I just don't like signing intoYahoo, so now I have to remember another set of passwords and logins.

Free and Legal Classical Mp3 downloads

ClassicCat

Classic Cat is a directory with links to over 5000 free to download classical performances on the Internet, sorted by composer and work. The site is specialized in audio files, but video, sheetmusic, lyrics and midi links are also available.

The site is divided into composers by name, country, gender and other catagories.

Try this website: http://freebies.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=freebies&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.classiccat.net%2F

A bee's & C's

Well, we know that bees are dying off. What we don't know is why. Possible causes include pestides and pollution. I am now on the waitlist for a class at Rutgers in Beekeeping. Hopefully I will get in. The APP had a tiny news article about it yesterday. Here is the press release from the state website. Wish me luck in getting in the class.
http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/news/press/2008/approved/press080305.html

Week Two

Glad to see people playing. I'm helping staff set up their blogs and accounts. So if you need help just give me a shout-out.