Web 2.0 Awards List

I chose Craigslist as my site to explore, because I had heard quite a bit about it, and had never used it. I was surprised at the breadth of offerings - even job postings. It was also interesting to see how many different cities have Craigslist - I even found it for my hometown of Erie, PA. Craigslist seems to be a very useful online want-ads tool.

Zoho Writer and Google Docs.

This is an application I could get really excited about - I think it would be wonderful to recommend to patrons in the library - students who are working together on projects, and patrons who are working on resumes, and have lost or broken the CD to save it to. This may be a keeper!

Untitled

This is a sample document - to see how web based applications really work.  What is interesting is the tool bars - I think this will take some getting used to.

MD Sandbox Wiki

This was an interesting exercise - I actually got some book ideas from someone's favorite books. Adding my blog to the list didn't go entirely smoothly - I hope I really am in there.

Wiki, wiki, wiki

It's just fun to say. I do think that wikis are the way of the future in terms of workplace collaboration. Each group needs to work out their own rules for ownership and ultimate decision making as to the final product, however I think wikis are a very valuable tool at work. I don't necessarily envision using them for any other purpose, however.

Library 2.0

I read all of the suggested articles, and many of the blog comments, with a great deal of interest. That is not to say that I agree with many of the assertions - however, I recognize in myself a certain scepticism and reluctance to jump into new things (especially only because they are new). I wholeheartedly agree that as librarians we need to be conversant in popular culture - however I think the immersion in the tech world has been overstated by those who gleefully embrace the new for it's own sake. One article argued that as their circulation had dropped by 55% over the past several years, the whole model of libraries (and owning of books and reference sources) should be changed. I do not believe HCPL has experienced such a drop in circulation, and from my own (admittedly unscientific) vantage point on the reference desk, I see that many patrons want what we are offering (books and access to subscription reference materials). That is not to say that we cannot continue to improve and "keep up" with technology - we absolutely should. I just do not see the clamoring for collaborative collections that Library 2.0 presupposes. As the parent of 2 college-aged children (son and daughter) I also do not observe among them or their friends the intense obsession with using the web for continuous self expression. They know how to use, but it is a tool for schoolwork, or a toy to spend a bit (not huge chunks) of time. They do assume that nearly anything should be online in some form.

I guess the viewpoint closest to my own is the article by Dr. Wendy Schultz "To a Temporary Place in Time". As in my earlier posting, I believe people are looking for community, a connection, and the "experience" of a library. I don't believe I am unique in enjoying the experience of actually holding a book in my hand - and I also don't think that is entirely a function of my age, although it may certainly be a factor. There is a blog posting under the article "11 Reasons Why Library 2.0 Exists and Matters" by tangognat which perfectly sums up my thoughts thus far. Essentially, it states that the average library patron is more concerned with mundane matters like library hours and book collections (and alas, DVDs) than with social software.

Technorati

When learning about the vast (unknown to me until now) world of blogging, and those who care passionately about it, I am mostly struck by one thing. People are LONGING to connect with others, to form a community, as their parents generation did with bowling leagues, social organizations like the Elks, and Church affiliations. To me it seems a shame, however, that face-to-face contact, and community involvement, have been cast aside for the lure of sitting alone in front of a computer screen, and reading the very often boring and banal opinions of others. I know I am, by far, not the first to observe this - but I can sense the very real desire for personal connection in many people I know, including myself. I do not denigrate the possibilities of Technorati and other sources for good, useful applications - and I do not intend to be negative - but a whole lot of wading through "stuff" is necessary to find anything useful. People long to matter, and to see their names and opinions in print, and certainly Web 2.0 at least gives them the latter.