Testing out Survey Monkey

I created a test survey from a template on Survey Monkey (I didn't make up the questions). It is easy to use and UMKC uses the service to collect and analyze reference statistics and other information.

Click here to take survey

Week Sixteen: Wrap-up

I enjoyed learning about all of the free tools available online that can be used to improve library services. My favorite project was making the video. I used the library’s Flip camcorder and learned how to use Windows Movie Maker. It was easier to make than I thought it would be (after dealing with some technical issues). Not only can the videos be posted online, but now I can help library users create videos at the library (something that teens have expressed an interest in).

23 Things Kansas was an empowering experience. Thanks to all of the people who created 23 Things Kansas! It was a great idea and I hope that the
program is continued in the future.

Week Fifteen: Wikis

I edited the library success wiki. It was fairly simple to edit the page once I created an account.

Using the wet paint wiki for 23 Things Kansas was interesting. Wet Paint allows users to create pages with videos and links very easily. Here is my page on the wiki. I greatly enjoyed 23 Things Kansas. Thanks to everyone who spent time creating the program!

Week Thirteen: Slideshare

Here is the link for my slideshare video made using animoto:
Create Yourself. Animoto is very easy to use and I am very happy with the result. The video could be a great addition to the library website.

Week Twelve: Screencasting

I wasn’t able to download Jing because of the settings on my computer, so I tried out screencast-o-matic. I was able to navigate the site easily. Using the screencast software seemed to slow down my computer, making my narration a little awkward at times, but other than that I found that everything worked well. I did a screencast showcasing the Novelist features in our catalog. I uploaded the video to youtube and embedded it below.

Week Fourteen: LibraryThing Etc.

I am posting my 23 Things out of order again! Hopefully I will catch up soon. I have used social cataloging sites for several years now. I started with LibraryThing and now use Goodreads. I started a Shelfari account, but didn’t want to catalog my books for a third time (though I might give it another try in the future). I think that LibraryThing has the best features; I like the tag clouds, suggested reading lists and access to readers with similar catalogs. I like the social side of Goodreads- I like getting email updates to see what friends are reading. For 23 Things I tried out the never-ending book quiz. I did OK, but definitely have room to learn!

Week Ten: Video

Here is my embedded video (a tribute to the late Alex Chilton of Big Star- what a pretty song!).


Creating a video was an involved process, but I am very glad that I now know how to make one. I collaborated with our Teen Librarian, Rebecca Power, to make a video about the Teen Zone remodeling project. We used a little Flip videocamera. Then I used Windows Movie Maker to edit the video. After some compatibility issues (and other technology problems) were smoothed out, things were fairly simple.

Here is the video:

Week Nine: Instant Messaging

I have used instant messaging at work to answer reference questions. Also, I've chatted on Facebook and in gmail, but just a little bit. Like Twitter, IM is another way to reach library patrons (like Liz mentioned, especially millennials). I would answer a question through IM every shift or every other shift when I worked at Washburn's Mabee Library. Sometimes I would get a handful of questions. IM was not ideal for bulky reference questions, but for quick ready reference it was great.

I tried google talk for this week- jennifer.p.cook@gmail.com. The buddies I tried to connect with were offline, so I will try to chat with them again soon. Using IM to discuss work ideas seems like a good substitute if people can't meet in person.

Week Seven: Microblogging

Twitter is very easy to use. I like the intimacy of the site. I like that I can follow writers and institutions that I am interested in, along with people I know. I found it easy to find people to follow- I was getting a little worried that I was choosing to follow too many people… we’ll see.

I chose to follow Timothy McSweeny because I think the publication is clever. I checked the tweets and had a laugh. I am following librarybeat and see that they post many useful links to podcasts and websites. New York Public Library has a great set of tweets; quotes are mixed into their messages adding some substance to checking their posts.

Lawrence Public Library uses Twitter to post about events and library resources. Also, the library encourages feedback for users. Making library resources available to the public in another form seems like an ideal professional use of Twitter.

Here is my very dull page. Maybe I will make it more interesting at some point.

Week Eight: Cloud Computing

I am posting out of order this week- I got started on the cloud computing exercise before the microblogging one- oops!

For this week I experimented with Wikispaces. I started a wiki that could serve as a place to share resources for those who work in children's departments. If anyone would like to contribute or take a look please do. My wiki is Storytime-Sharespace ; I created pages for favorite books, storytime themes, craft ideas and program plans.

I also plan to experiment with Weebly because I would like to be able to create a simple, free webpage. Cloud computing is a definite strength of the Internet.

Week Six: Social Bookmarking

I enjoyed using delicious this week. I signed up for an account a couple years ago, but only used it a few times. The tutorial helped me to become more familiar with the site and make use of some features I haven't used before. I will use the tag bundle to organize websites that have storytime resources and sites that deal with reader's advisory. Here is my account.

Week Five: RSS and Feed Readers

I chose to use Google Reader because I have a gmail account. I chose to subscribe to Abby (the) Librarian's feed because I work in the children's department at my library. I also chose to subscribe to a toddler storytime -Storytime Snapshot- feed because I am new to the storytime world and like getting all the details I can.

Week Four: Photo Sharing

I looked around on Flickr and found some beautiful pictures of cherry blossoms by manyfires. I started an account and will add pictures when I am on my home computer. Flickr seems to be a very user-friendly system.

Week Three: Online Meetings

I watched the archived webinar “Getting a Grip on Social Networking- Flickr, Del.icio.us, and Twitter” by Shelly Drumm at BCR. It was very well done. I enjoyed Shelly as an instructor and heard about some neat ways to use social networking in libraries. San Mateo Library tags del.icio.us entries using the Dewey Decimal System. A participant in the webinar mentioned a museum using Twitter or another technology to post updates about the museum on an electronic board that visitors see as they enter the building. Other interesting ideas are mentioned, so people who are interested should give it a look.

While going to library school at ESU I used Wimba during at least four courses. The meetings were a nice compromise between posting on an online discussion forum and having class in person. I was able to see my instructor via webcam for some of the meetings, which made the sessions less sterile. It was great to be able to view powerpoint presentations as the teacher presented. One teacher posted questions to the class, then she publicly displayed the answers we submitted; everyone was able to get a word in and we could compare what everyone thought pretty effectively.

Perhaps access to webinars will grow as the technology becomes more familiar. Webinars may be something that people stumble on as they look for information on Google, in the same way that people are linked to blogs now. The collaborative aspect of the tool may catch on and allow greater numbers of people to work together online.

Week Two: Online Communities

I have been a member of Facebook for a few years. It can be a great tool to connect and collaborate with people. I have joined a number of library groups and like how quickly everyone can be updated through mass messaging. I am a fan of some library pages also, so libraries can gain some visibility from creating a page. Lawrence Public Library uses Facebook to post about events and news; the library has a lot of friends, so it seems to be reaching a lot of people. Finding an effective way to promote a library group or fan page does take some energy; LPL has a link to Facebook on their homepage, so that seems to be a good way to connect to the community.

I also gave Ning a try. I have created a site, but am not very far along. Connecting people based on interests is a great idea and hopefully I can use it. I'll put in a link to it if I get the site developed a bit more.

Week One: Blogging

I am Jenny Cook and recently began working as a Youth Services Library Assistant for Lawrence Public Library. Last May I graduated from Emporia State with my MLS degree. Overall I feel comfortable with technology, but think I have a lot of room to grow. I am looking forward to learning about many new tools through 23 Things.

I think that blogs can be a wonderful tool for sharing information. Blogs help level the playing field for those who have knowledge of technology and those who don’t (and between those who have money to pay for website creation and those who don’t). I like that blogs are user-friendly and can create online dialogues and communities. On the flipside, it can be overwhelming to search through blogs for useful, reliable information.