Wikis

There are many pros and cons to Wikis. St. Joseph County Public Library had a remarkable Wiki site. They have everything from books to local family history. What an easy way to look up and find quick information about the town, library and more right there on this page. The con side to this is that anyone can change the information to what they consider (or may not) is correct. I realize Wikis require anyone who wants to share information to log in, which in turn may tone down any malicious intent added to a page; but I still look at it as a buyer beware site. A friend of mine recently told me her professors will not accept Wikis as a source on research papers. As a whole I do like the purpose of Wikis as an easy way of sharing knowledge.

Tagging and Social Bookmarking

Del.icio.us is an incredibly powerful site. I set up my own account and bookmarked mtlib20. Now instead of having to be on my own computer to view favorites sites I can log onto my account anywhere. Del.icio.us is as amazing as is endless. I could spend hours on this site. I found tutorials on software, music, recipes... the list goes on. This site can also be useful for research assistance. When I type in a subject I get not only the bookmarks but also tags. The subject area then has a continual link to other sources and quickly gets you to the place your looking for.

YouTube

Out of all the lessons so far this has not been my favorite. Anyone can have their 15 minutes of fame/shame. Originally I found library videos where staff give viewers a virtual youtube tour. Denver public library had quite a bit out there on youtube. Begrudgingly, I have to admit that youtube can be useful. Youtube can be a tool for informational purposes as well. As you can see I added a fluff video from youtube on my blog. I decided to stray from library related links and added a song from a group I enjoy listening to.

Podcasts

Learning about podcasts is fun. I put into my blogline account Wait Wait Don't Tell Me... from National Public Radio. Naturally I was challenged, but I watched A Beginner's Guide to Podcasting by Greg Schwartz and that helped out tremendously. I also found library related podcasts that are now in my bloglines. Another subscription I subscribed to is LibVibe. This podcast subscription is all news related to libraries around the country and Canada. I think that podcasts can be useful to the library for many reasons. Staff can use it to listen to a seminar on library related topics such as the use of new technology (exactly what I have used it for). Patrons can use podcast for their own learning or leisure activities.