#21 Podcasting

Well, no surprise here, but I found a few interesting math podcasts. The Math Factor Podcast regularly posts simple math and logic puzzles for entertainment. I also found Travels in a Mathematical World, which makes episodes about math history, current theory, and applied mathematics.

As for library-related podcasts, I found This Week @ Your Library. It is Mitchell Memorial Library's way of keeping patrons informed of current events and happenings at their libraries. It might be an idea that TCCL could look into. In fact, most (or at least many) of the podcasts that are listed under "library" are libraries informing their patrons of their events. While I do think the idea is innovative, I do not really think it is an efficient way of conveying news. Mostly I think the TCCL website is more striaght-forward and practical for such a thing.

#20 Youtube

Well, even I have been using Youtube for quite some time now. I've already developed a taste for a few particular channels. One of them would be the infamous TimeLordfromHell.
A Doctor Who fan living in England, this guy often posts his own episodes and parodies of said TV show. He also hosts numerous original skits and video blogs. Here is one of my favorites:



As for library applications, we could always use it to embed instructional videos. Not exactly sure what we would be needing to instruct patrons online for, but if we did we could use Youtube.

#19 Web 2.0

Well, how can I possibly post about just one of these sites. I have found a plethora of websites which I will probably visit again, all conveniently stored by Delicious. However, I will try to limit my self to one. Although I always see people listening to radio online, I never really looked into it. Now, I have Pandora. The ease with which I was able to build up a list of favorite artists was unbelievable. This is incredibly convenient as I am constantly going back and forth between different computers. Not only that, but now I have a constant stream of suggestions for new music. Since I have no friends, I have no inspiration for new material, so I often wind up listening to the same thing over and over again. Now I get some fresh music to throw in. How bad could it be?

#18 Google Docs

So far, I'm off to a great start with Google Docs. I solved a simple yet annoying differential equation with a Google's spreadsheet, a la Euler's Method. Simple, yet effective. I've also toyed around with the idea of using google's slideshow tool as a convenient way to make online photo albums, but I think I'll just stick to Facebook for that. Overall, while google's tools do seem a little limited, they are pretty darn convenient. I'll have to use the spreadsheet thing more often.

#17 Wiki-ing

Well, me first wiki experience was simple 'n yet enlightenin'. I saw th' ease wit' which one can edit said pages 'n post new information. Fer example, I 'ave posted a challenge t' all fellow chessplayers/Facebook users t' play chess wit' me. Hopefully, th' higher ups don't mind. I also challenge all Facebook users t' go t' thar language preferences 'n switch thar main language t' Pirate. Arghh!

Wikis

Well, quite honestly, I could easily see a library wiki being exactly the type of thing I described in my last post. Take Princeton Public Libraries' wiki for instance. While it does seem a little bare around the edges, it does have an ongoing series of reviews of books, apparantly by customers who had taken part in their Summer Reading Program. This would be a great vehicle for people to peruse their libraries materials and see what is worthwhile reading. It would also give librarians the chance to see what is liked by customers. Another interesting wiki is that of St. Joseph County Public Library. Edited solely by librarians, it has an easily understandable format that provides pertinent information to customers. From the most current biographies, to genealogical data, to local scholarships, this wiki has a lot of information neatly organized for quick access.

In my opinion, TCCL could easily benefit from a wiki or two. While our current way of conveying information to public is pretty good, I must admit that the latter of the above wikis was a whole lot easier to understand and wade through than ours. While I suppose that is partially due to the fact that we have a whole lot more information, i.e., we are a larger system, I think is mostly due to the innate convenience of the "Wikipedia"-esque layout. Personally, I think it would be convenient, and a little cool, to take advantage of both of the above wiki designs. Having one wiki where librarians edit info about their library, its events, and other news and another where customers write reviews, recommend titles, and discuss ideas would be a major improvement on OPAC.

Library 2.0

Overall, the best and clearest definition of Library 2.0 that I found was located here. This article greatly raises the necessity of using the successes of certain user-centered Web technologies as a way to restructure libraries. Not only did it raise the possibility of a radical paradigm change, it also brought simple ideas to the table, such as renting ipods to people.


Among the several definitions tossed about, I think that the clearest would be that the concept Library 2.0 denotes a restructuring of libraries to take full advantage of current technologies and people's ideas. Using OPAC in ways similar to Amazon, where people can leave reviews, rate books, or constuct recommendations for others would be a prime example. Such a user-centered system would allow people to wade through the library catalog with a better idea of what they are looking at without forcing librarians to construct every tedious detail. It would also give librarians a good indication of what is truly popular without necessarily having to look at raw data, such as number of total checkouts of a particular item. Such two-way communication between users and librarians would facilitate better service. Most likely, such a system could also be adapted to provide better feedback on library events and classes.