RSS

EDIT:

http://www.bloglines.com/public/amandawel

I already use the RSS function of my personal blog as a feedreader. I like getting everything in one click rather than having to visit a bunch of different websites to see if anybody's updated since I last checked.

I use RSS feeds mostly for fun, to keep up with webcomics and news sites I'm interested in. I could use it as a professional tool but I know from experience that I have friends who are completely overwhelmed by the number of feeds they subscribe to. I think it's smarter to keep the number of professional feeds you read small and really keep on top with them, rather than feeling like you have to read everything.

If libraries had blogs with RSS capability this could be helpful to patrons. I think this feature would be used much more in academic and special libraries, however. I can see students wanting to get updated when new databases were available, etc.

I added a feed from slowwave.com--it's a site where an artist turns people's dreams into comic strips. He has done three of mine over the years:

Everlost

Back in December, our teen advisory group picked Neal Shusterman's "Everlost" as our book discussion book. What we didn't know was that the author's uncle lives in the area, had seen the publicity for the program in the paper, and called him to tell him so. To our surprise, Neal called during our discussion and answered questions about the book and its upcoming sequels!

Just the other day Neal emailed me to let me know he had put the discussion questions Mimi and I had created on his website. Here they are if anybody's curious:

http://storyman.com/guides/EVERLOST.pdf

He is also sending us signed copies of his books to say thank you! I love my job.

Technology

The new technology which interests me the most is nanotechnology. When I first read Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age" years ago I became fascinated. I think the medical aspect of nanotech fascinates me the most--the idea that microscopic machines could be created to, say, be released in the body and destroy cancer cells. Of course there is a huge margin of error and potential for problems but if the technology can be perfected, it could be revolutionary.

Flickr

I created a flickr account (username: amandaatwel) and uploaded two photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26693888@N04/2502235704/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26693888@N04/2501407683/

Goodreads

Goodreads is one of the best book-related web 2.0 sites I have found. I started using it in early 2007 to keep track of the books I read. I read so much that I forget what I've read and don't usually hold on to important plot points, like the endings of books! Through the magic of Goodreads I was able to track all the books I read in 2007 alone (70) and pick my favorites and least favorites of the year.

I even had a brush with stardom through Goodreads! Diana Tixier Herald read a blog entry I wrote about Cory Doctorow's new book "Little Brother," browsed my profile and added me as a friend in Goodreads. She commented that we have very similar taste in books! (Diana Tixier Herald is the author of books such as "Genreflecting" and "Teen Genreflecting.") When I got her message and friend request you could have knocked me over with a feather.

Anyway, here is my Goodreads page:

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/32652

Here today . . .

It has been fun poking around and finding various coworkers' blogs . . . which may or may not disappear and then be reinstated.

This is the last week of story times, then we get a break until the second week of June. Over the past 8 years I have gotten used to the rhythm of story times and the craziness that is summer. I always actively look forward to and actively dread summer at the same time. This will be the first year I only look forward to summer. If Spring Break was any indication, summer will be busy but pleasant. During the school year we play host to about 15-20 4th and 5th graders who come here after school every day from about 2:10 p.m. to 5 or onward. Dealing with these kids every day is hands-down the most draining, punishing part of my job. Even if summer completely slams us, the reward of not having to deal with these unsupervised troublemakers every day will seem blissful in comparison!

Butterfly gardening

I had 57 at my butterfly gardening program this afternoon. I love it when everything comes together. I caught the butterfly gardening bug from a co-worker a few years ago and have had great success with it at home. I made a powerpoint presentation showing photos of butterflies at all stages, from egg to adult. I bought a few plants to show the kids and was happy to find three monarch butterfly eggs on the leaves of the milkweed plant I bought. I took the plant around and made sure every child in the room saw the tiny eggs.

A few weeks ago I saw two co-workers do a presentation on what they learned at PLA. One of them stressed how important it is to do science programming at the library. The children today seemed so excited to learn about caterpillars and butterflies. Several parents said they would definitely be interested in creating butterfly gardens at home after learning about them today.

Blogs in libraries

For your second post share your ideas on how blogging can be used in libraries.

I already talked about this a little bit in my first post. I use my own blog to keep track of programs I've done, recording my impressions. I've referred to old entries several times when planning new programs. I also like the "portability" of a blog--it's a good place to "store" impressions, facts, and photos if I need to move them around or share them with people, rather than having them stuck on my home or work computer.

Public blogs for libraries can be used either as a staff communication/development tool, or as a way to keep the public abreast of happenings. I like to read the blogs of other librarians for program ideas and perspective on my own job. I don't think the public cares about library staff's personal feelings and observations, but they would like to subscribe to blogs that let them track, say, the children's programs at RPB or the adult programs at SWC, and maybe a general branch blog that would post alerts about holiday closings, schedules for tax help or early voting, and so on.

7 1/2 Habits

Whoops, I didn't read the directions before I wrote my first post.

Your first post should be on how you feel about the Seven and 1/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners from week 1; discuss what you feel will be the most difficult part for you and why?

I don't think I have a problem embracing lifelong learning. I'm still in school and I already spend a lot of my free time learning stuff on my own. What will be the most difficult part? I don't know. I guess time will tell as we are encouraged to set goals? Doing a podcast might be a bit difficult if that is one of the 23 things we will be doing.

Me and the internets, the internets and me

Pretty neat that the library is actively embracing 2.0. I have the library to thank for my initial internet exposure: SEFLIN actually enabled me to get my first taste when I was still in high school. I used the SEFLIN Freenet to get online, email and participate in local and worldwide forums. I also used it for IRC (internet relay chat, the precursor to instant messaging). I started my first blog in 2001 and haven't stopped. I use my personal blogs to record details about my life, keep in touch with friends who are far away, network with other children's library folk, network with aspiring and published authors, and more. I also write private entries where I record details of teen programs I have presented so I can keep track of what worked, what didn't, etc. I have them all categorized together so it's easy for me to see at a glance all the programs we've done since WEL re-opened last summer. Personal enjoyment aside, blogging has been a great organizational tool for me.

My fellow teen program coordinator and I know that web 2.0 tools are not merely important or innovative or exciting for the teens we work with, they simply are. Communicating online in a multitude of ways is second nature to them. We are hoping with the system-wide excitement of 2.0 we will be allowed to start a Wellington Teen myspace page so we can publicize our programs and send myspace email reminders to our attendees.