gudrun's blog

podcasts

2007-11-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

I've downloaded podcasts to my ipod for a while, I subscribe to some fun NPR programs it's a great change of pace when I don't feel like listening to music.
I checked out some library podcasts, Denver Public Library's kids page has some story podcasts, kind of like tumble book for your ipod.
I think there is great potential for us to use it in Skokie, maybe a self-guided library tour? Also, it would be fun to do something like our very own "story corps" (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4516989).

virtual library

2007-11-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

I looked at some of the other public library websites, we really should be in the hall of fame. It's easy to navigate and has some great features. While I don't really have one favorite, I like the movie listings and the easy access to booklists for reader's advisory.
The hardest thing is to make our patrons even more aware of what we have on our site. I've used tumble books in a storytime and a school visit during the past 2 weeks and not one teacher or parent had known about it.

google docs

2007-11-20T13:55:00.001-08:00

I love google docs. I've been using it for a while now when I need to work on a document from different computers. It's much easier than emailing a word document, I always forget which one was the last version.
There are probably some things you can't do that you could do with Word, but I haven't had any problems, I can even insert special characters for German and Spanish. When pasting it into word it doesn't change the formatting.

wikis

2007-11-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

I have used wikipedia and have found it really useful. Usually there are links to more info at the end of the entry. I know some teachers don't let the students use it, or at least only as a supplemental source.
I find the idea of radical trust intriguing, it sort of goes against what librarians have been taught, but it makes a lot of sense with the analogy that Darlene Fichter uses. I guess it's wikipedia is great for getting some information fast (it's usually among the first few entries on google), but it's probably not the best idea to to base your master's thesis exclusively on information from it.

delicious

2007-10-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

this exercise really was fun and useful. I'll definitely set up my own account to keep track of favorite sites for preschool storytimes etc.
Some tags for spl might be information, fun, books, skokie, kids, teens

mac 2

2007-10-31T14:19:00.001-07:00

mac 2
Originally uploaded by theskokieten

ok, with Mr Dave's help I finally got thing 5 done. I'm ready for #6.

flickr

2007-10-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

so I finally uploaded a picture (without my cat's approval). It took a while, too many error messages. Don't really like the idea of sharing my photos with the world. It's great to share with your friends and I admit I enjoy looking at other people's photos.

facebook and myspace

2007-10-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

I had set up a facebook page a while back to see what this social networking thing was all about and to try to understand why my son was spending so much time on it. He actually agreed to be friends with me and so did some of his friends. Those wall-to-wall posts are quite interesting...
It's a great way to communicate with my coworkers at the Y, a lot of them are Loyola students and they are quicker to respond to a facebook post than a voicemail.
Otherwise it's quite a time waster, especially with applications such as the aquarium or the furry friend. I'm up to over 30 friends, not too bad for a grown-up.
I also have a myspace page, but it's just too busy and crazy. After not being on it for quite a while, I had so many weird messages, I'm glad I put next to no personal info in there. Facebooks privacy settings are so much better.

google talk

2007-10-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

I love google talk, it's a great way to take a little break without disturbing anyone else. My son uses it all the time, sometimes he forgets to log off and when I get on the computer his friends think I'm him... could make for some really interesting chats

rss feeds

2007-10-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

I set up my rss feeds today, have to make sure to be up to date on people.com. It was really easy, but honestly I like my personalized google page better. I can get the same info in a nicer format. Also, I accidentally set yes to the questions where they asked you if you wanted an article to go away after you had read it.
My favorite part was browsing the subscription options, whether or not I'll actually read any of it is another question.

getting started with the 10 things

2007-09-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

since I already had a gmail account, that part was simple. Setting up the blog part was kind of fun, but I couldn't really think of a good title. I guess it really doesn't matter, I don't really have anything to say.