Thing 19

I browsed several award-winning sites from the Web 2.0 awards list. Of those I am most likely to use, I chose Google Maps. I generally have used Mapquest for directions, but now that I have had some experience with Google Maps, I think I will consult it instead (Mapquest wasn't even on the Shortlist.) I did some of the basic searches I had done on Mapquest, had fun with satellite views and compared the route I take to work vs. the route recommended just for fun. The site is easy to use and I will definitely take time to investigate its many possibilities later, as time permits. Did not download GoogleEarth, but am definitely intrigued and will investigate soon.

Thing 18

My Zoho document is below. In trying to edit it, I lost the image, so now that I have retrieved it, I am not going to attempt another edit. Therefore, here is my blog about online productivity. Basically, I like it. There are many options which will require a lot of experimentation, but this is one of the 23 things I am most likely to use again. Of course I like that these tools are free and using Zoho as an editor for blog posts is definitely a feature I will use. The possibilities are endless ...and the names are cute, too - Zoho Show - haha! This was fun and LateBloom feels better now.

Who plants a seed...

Who plants a seed

Beneath the sod

And waits to see

Believes in God

Things 16 and 17

Wikis sounded interesting and I had a brief experience in LATI. I have visited Wikipedia and have cautiously considered its content. I looked at St. Joseph County's subject guide and was very impressed. The varied information provided, including community resources, appeared to be fairly comprehensive for the subjects I chose. The wedding planning entry, for example, looked to be an excellent (free!) planning tool - at least for preliminary information. I also appreciated the tutorials in the "Library 2.0 in 15 minutes a day," although that title is a laugh. The Sandbox, however, has been a nightmare! I added an entry to an existing topic and visited several of interest, and created a "favorite," but adding my blog to the list is a challenge I have not yet mastered. Many library systems are listed, but HCPL is not to be found. I have sent out an SOS to a coworker and will revisit this post later. Today is Saturday and I am sacrificing my free time to work on this - LateBloom is not happy today!!

With help from a very patient coworker, and the re-appearance of the HCPL group on the Sandbox page, I was able to add my blog to the list. I was even able to help others in my department, which reinforced the process. So, I have finally completed this activity, but I would have to say this was not a favorite "thing."

Thing 15

The future of libraries - this is important to me! My LATI experience included a look at this topic, and working on my "23 Things" has provided an opportunity to revisit it. While I often cling to the old, I was interested in the "Away from Icebergs" article, and did agreed with a lot of what it stated. As a cerified pack rat, I lean toward saving "just in case," but do understand that updated information online can be superior to dated, print material. An acception, in my opinion, is illustrations which have a much different look and feel in hand. I particularly agreed with the point about eliminating barriers between patrons and the information. I think it is critical to make finding information through the library's resources user friendly. Placing library services in the users' preferred environment, which I presume means on their laptops, makes sense in many cases for reference purposes, but I hope children's services continue to serve the youngest patrons IN the library to encourage the joy of sharing books in person.

Things 13 and 14

I am grouping these 2 things together, because my feelings about them are similar. I have explored Technorati and Del.licio.us and read about tagging. For me, these methods of grouping or organizing online information are not useful, easy or necessary. I think I understand the value of them to people who spend MUCH more time online than I do, but my needs are met more than adequately with simpler methods of organization. I do not expect to use these any time soon.

Thing 10 final part

Actually, after several attempts and with the help of a coworker, I have deleted my too-big Meez and replaced her with this more petite version.