Thing 16

We have the research project calculator on our library website page near the research help. I do incorporate the calculator during my library instructions and demonstrate the helpful links that guide the student through the various steps. I was not aware of the teachers guide before this exercise and will bring it up to instructors when the opportunity arises. When I introduce this feature to students I seem to always get good reactions. I encourage it as a organizational tool and a tool to use if they feel overwhelmed at the beginning of a big project because it may help to see the process as individual steps rather than one large deadline.

Thing 15

I loved t' pirate puzzle. Anythin' pirate be number one in me book. International talk like a pirate day be September 19th. It be much better t' talk like a pirate in real life, rather than second life.

http://talklikeapirate.com/translator.html

Thing 14

I enjoy using my library thing page. I mostly use it to keep track of my own reading, I don't do much with the tagging options or reviews. Although when I started I did envision myself using those features more. I like seeing the numbers for other readers of my books. Our library has a library thing account, we have a link for it on our website. It is a good promotional tool. We are in the process of re-designing the website and are considering a library thing widget on the site, but are also concerned about widget overload. Library Thing also seems to be a great marketing tool for new authors.

Thing 13

I created a igoogle. I like the ease of adding in new widgets and changing the layout. Pageflakes is very similar to igoogle, but I will use igoogle because I also use the calendar in google. I have not often used a calendar or an organizer, I mostly keep appointments in my head or on notes. I still like the ease of using paper. To do list and remember the milk will be helpful because of the reminders. The google calendar seems to have a nice feature of sharing you calendar with friends. Plus the reminders are a nice benefit. I like it because I can keep track of personal events as well as work, outside of work applications.

Thing 12

I like digg, I wasn't aware of reddit.com and I think I will go to reddit first from now on. There are less adds and the content seemed a little more unique.

Are these sites helpful? Well up until now I was not aware that Tim Burton is doing his take on Alice In Wonderland, and this is terrific news! Even better news, Johny Depp may be playing the Mad Hatter. I really don't think this makes me a more productive librarian, but I will have some good news for a few friends of mine next time we go out for drinks. I joke, but it is a good way to stay in touch of what people find most relevant, most interesting, or most important, as well as entertaining.

Thing 11

I have been using my del.ic.ious. account for a while now. I also set up a Furl account, but only use the del. account. Firefox has great plug-ins for del. so you can have have your tags at the left of your screen in an different pane so while you scroll through your tags the page your are on is not disturbed. It is very helpful with reference because I can access many different tags, websites, without a bunch of clicking and windows popping up everywhere. And of course it is helpful in keeping track of useful websites on any topic. We have two accounts for our school, but they are not used by everyone, it seems to work best for individual use.

Thing 10

Wiki is not really new to me, I have added to wikis before. In fact, at my current employment we have a private wiki for the librarians. We share fun facts, websites, discuss and post news. It is easy to set up, easy to use, and a good way to stay up-to-date. I think people should be open to use them, not afraid of losing control over content.

That said, no wiki should be considered an academic source, it is more of an open source than a peer reviewed source, and it should not be used in an academic setting to gather information. No instructor will allow a wiki as a source at the school I work at. Most students know this as well. The MN150 Wiki was a pleasure to read.