Streaming Video

During my time on You Tube, I found a video created by academic librarians, encouraging students to ask the "L-Team" for research help. This was a humorous take off on the A-Team. I also watched a video about no food in the library. One of my favorite library related You Tube videos is "March of the Librarians." I had never visited Hulu or Fancast before. I think I would use both. They're great tools to catch up on missed TV shows or to watch a movie without making a $4 trip to Blockbuster. Fancast might be useful to libraries because the factual information could be referenced at the Information Desk.

Social Networking

I've had a Facebook account for the past several months. My joining was prompted by an upcoming ten year high school reunion. The planning committee is using Facebook's group feature to inform everyone of event details. I have enjoyed reconnecting with classmates from high school and college. I like how easy it is to set up a profile page and make comments on some one's "wall." I also like that I am emailed when my status has changed (i.e. someone has posted to my page or invited me to be a friend). I visited MySpace and found it more difficult to navigate. It appeared busy and not as streamlined as Facebook. I think these sites are popular for the very reason I have been drawn to them. They allow someone to get in touch with people from different seasons of life. It's also fun to see pictures of how people have changed, or not. :)

Photosharing

This was a fun exercise! I chose to sign up for a Flickr account and upload photos. Below is a picture of me in front of New York Public Library in December (taken by my husband, Andy). I wish I had been standing in front of the lions with their Christmas wreaths. Uploading the photos and then tagging and describing them was a fairly simple process. I can see how it would become addicting. The librarian and English major parts of me really enjoyed thinking of words to label the photos. Plus, how great to be able to find other people's pictures of libraries or New York City!

Streaming Music

I love this tool! In the past, I have listened to the radio online via streaming music, but have never created my own personalized station. I chose Pandora and entered one of my favorite groups, Point of Grace. I was amazed by how similar the other groups and songs were to my preferences. Some I was already familiar with, but others were completely new to me. I can already think of another way to use this tool... I need a play list of faster pace "workout" music. This would be a great way to find it without having to search song after song myself. :) This would also be a useful way to compile music for children's story times and programs.

Hooray for RSS

I became familiar with RSS a few years ago, but had yet to experience it myself. I like the ease with which I was able to sign up on Bloglines and add feeds from my favorite sites. Like a lot of people, I spend time visiting each site every couple of days to see what's new. Not anymore... this is a great time saver! I also like how the feeds are formatted on the reader. It's clear and understandable. I plan to subscribe to feeds on professional websites (which directly affects my work life) and friends' blogs and other fun websites that I read at home. Perhaps libraries could have access to feeds from various research databases. Whenever a database is updated, the reference desk would immediately be notified. This would allow for more proficient customer service. This is a wonderful tool, I'm glad to have finally gotten on board!