Thing 21: Mashups

The site FD Flickr toys is blocked here at John Tyler. So instead I explored Wheel of Lunch and Instantwatcher.
I had fun with Infinite Comic. I may have to try creating my trading card at home.

Thing 20: Tagging and Social Bookmarking.

Delicious reminds me of establishing a folder in the Ebsco Databases. And like that folder you can access it from any computer--a big leap from bookmarks. On the negative side you have another user name a password to remember (when will it end?). This is another of the 23 Things that works for both home and library.

John Tyler has Delicious on the library web page. These are the web resources that library staff have found useful and think could be useful for students. By using Delicious the links remain current.

Thing 19: Multimedia

In honor of Valentines Day coming up next week, I found this on YouTube:


I am amazed by the tutorials found on Youtube. Last fall I learned how to make tutu for John Tyler's Full Moon Madness. But I'm also amazed by the amount of time-wasting I can do.

I liked the Library Minute clips from ASU. Just the right amount of time!

Thing 18: Audiobooks

I have been a long time audiobook enthusiast. When Net Library became available in a neighboring county I hurried to get myself a card in order to start downloading. Now my own county offers OverDrive. I agree with Beth Farrell's article, "The Lowdown on Audio Downloads" that downloads have become simpler. From her I learned that audiobooks are expensive--not too surprising however I was surprised to learn that electronic formats are no cheaper that CDs.
 I listened to "Tyger" by William Blake on LibriVox. The sound quality was good, but the interface doesn't have the pizzazz that OverDrive does.

Thing 17: Social Cataloging

I am currently on Goodreads. I like keeping up with my reader friends. I can connect with friends that I don't see very often but value their reading recommendations. I have recently started making my own shelves and I find that I like that feature. With LibraryThing I would really have to think hard about whether I want to add a title if I want to keep under the 200 book limit.

Thing 16: E-Books

I have been desiring a Nook for a few months now. After seeing/borrowing/using a relatives I was impressed by the both its size and readibilty. Also, I loved being able to look up a definition while actually holding the book I was reading. But I don't want to buy a book that I cannot later loan or give to someone else. For me that is where the e-book issue gets sticky. When libraries hold ebooks do they really own them? As with other digital content how much control will the library have--determing the check-out periods, for example.
I have heard some students say they would like all textbooks in the e-format ( lower cost, easier to transport) some say they want nothing to do with e-format textbooks (can't write in them, can't re-sell to the bookstore).
Finally, there are issues with privacy--will Barnes and Noble know and remember all the titles I have read?
I think/hope there will be a place for both print and digital books in the future.

Thing 15: Creative Commons

As with the previous exercises I find myself musing on ways to put Creative Commons to use. Most obvious to me would be using images in presentations. And that could be a useful for students. So yes, an explanation of Creative Commons licensing could benefit students. But students are often overwhelmed by the volume of information presented to them. An explanation on the library site rather than part of a library orientation would be best.  I would have to come up with something share-worthy before putting it out on Creative Commons.