"The hardest to learn is the least complicated..." (Week 18)

My favourite library

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I looked at Slide Share and created a very short presentation on "My Favourite Library: Narellan Library, Camden Council Library Services". It works as an e-brochure for services and opening hours. As I work at the State Library I thought I would choose another library to promote and I chose Narellan because I have such fond memories of working there.

My skills in graphic design are very rudimentary. I would have liked a soundtrack to the presentation but I had no clue how to set music to the Power Point slides. I like Slide Share as it lets you search for other slide shows on your topic of interest. As I am planning an Autumn visit to Canberra I chose to search slideshows of Canberra. Below is an example:

Canberra - Australian Capital Territory

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I would like to learn more about creating and publishing slideshows, particularly as I have an interest in photography and music.

"Everybody get together..." (Week 17)

I completed the activity exploring the use of nings in social networking. I liked the Mosman Readers ning now www.mosmanreaders.net.au as it connects members of a reading community. It allows them to share profiles, identify common reading interests and get to know each other in a digital environment.

I also looked at the Library 2.0 ning which seemed a good way to facilitate ideas among the academic library community. It would be particularly useful for library students as a type of online learning forum.

I tried to find an Australian fashion ning to further my interest in fashion and vintage fashion. The closest I found was MrsPam - Vintage fashion:

http://iantiqueonline.ning.com/profile/vintagefashionaustralia

This might be because ning is an older social networking fad.

"Every inch of time and space..." (Week 16)

I joined Feedburner and set up a google alert for where I live as well as for where I used to live and for the State Library of NSW. At this point I feel I am seeking alerts for information simply for the sake of completing this program and I am not able to organise or synthesise them properly.

This said, I (re)discovered Camden Council Library's "Camden Reads" blog. http://camdenreads.blogspot.com/

Through this I found "365 days of a library" a Flickr photostream of events and happenings at Narellan Library. I thought this was a great idea and reflects Narellan Library as a vibrant, happy and creative community space.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/camdencouncillibraryservices/sets/72157625617402619/

I am still not sure how to make the Google alert system work for me and my blog, though. I like the idea of having one information centre, like a blog, in which to collect, disperse and store information as opposed to a more diffuse system where information is collected and stored in a number of different places, each with their own space and password and demand for digital time.

"The crashed cars of driver education..." (Week 15)

This morning I re-acquainted myself with the marvels of Delicious. This has taught me a lot about my learning styles. I am an impatient learner who wants to use all that she knows at once. I have little time for the process of learning, I like to get in there and get results. It's like driver education and sometimes ends in crashed cars and bruised egos.

My learning style has hampered me in attempts to insert a tagroll into my blog. It meant I got frustrated with adding new bookmarks too. I am giving the tagroll another try below:



I chose to bookmark the Virginia Woolf Society for its escapist value, the Canberra Times for general news and political commentary, the Black Dog Institute for a mood lift, Lady Gaga: News for entainment fantastic and the National Library of Australia because their website is so...delicious.

"If you ain't got nothing good to say..." (Week 14)

This week I posted my first tweet on Twitter. I have been an aspiring Twitter user since 2009. Learning 2.1 has encouraged me to open an account and I am a little pleased with myself for finally taking up the challenge!

I am following a number of feminist tweets as well as Mosman Library and Camden Council. I think the idea of Councils posting tweets to ratepayers has put the fun into local government :) I also like the readers suggestions at Mosman Library. It opens up the public library to a more divergent community.

Here is a link to me @AMoodiLibrarian below:

http://twitter.com/#!/AMoodiLibrarian

As I don't have an iphone nor internet access at home I don't imagine I will use Twitter for anything other than posting tweets about the Family History desk :) I promise to keep you updated on our historical happenings...

"Second Time Around..." (Week 13)

I have changed the background of this blog to reflect a new set of ideas and a new beginning. This year I am completing the State Library of NSW Learning 2.1 program.

I named this blog after a character from one of my favourite books,The Hours. I am re-learning that literature is still among the reasons I love libraries in a professional as well as a recreational sense. Libraries save us money. They entertainment and delight us. They are people spaces;green-thinking, recyclable information outlets.

When I travel I like to visit libraries & museums. I have just returned from a shoppping tour of Wellington, New zealand. Here is a picture of the menu at The Library Bar on Courtenay Place, Wellington. I recommend the Lime Mousse and Gin Semifreddo with pistachio sponge & limoncello syrup. Worth a try :)

Social Networking: Final Thoughts

I like the notion of using social networking to promote library profiles. At the public library where I used to work we had a MySpace page and used blogs to invite feedback from clients, particularly those in the youth client group. I think this enhances the idea that libraries are for everyone. They are a welcoming cultural institution and can be like a "friend" in that they cheer us up and provide us with entertainment!

At the State Library social networking tools might be important as many of our clients are remote users and may not be able to visit the library "in person" very often. Having a MySpace or Facebook profile would mean clients could "keep in touch" with the State Library even when they are not visiting the physical space frequently. It might also encourage new clients to join via online advertising.

Completing the Learning 2.0 program has shown me there are many opportunities for interacting with clients online. I think social networking is useful for appealing to a younger demographic and for making remote clients feel they are part of the library in virtual space, even though they may not visit the physical space on a regular basis.