Well the end is here and how sad it is. I have really enjoyed this exploration of Web 2.0 and have learned many new, wonderful, and useful things, and a few things that not useful, but super fun! Thanks for all the hard work Katherine!!!!
Now as for podcast, I am a big fan. I don't get to listen to them as much as I'd like, but that is my fault. I keep forgetting to put some on my ipod. However, I do like to listen to them from my computer. My favorite new one is BackStory http://www.backstoryradio.org/, which features one of our trustees, Ed Ayers. It is a very laid back group of historians who take a current topic and plumb its historical depths. The Thanksgiving one was great. I would encourage everyone to check it out. If podcast are not for you, you can also catch the show on public radio. Also you can add it to your RSS feed. I have added it to my iGoogle page, and it tagged in my Delicious account (see how I am using all the stuff we have learned over the past few weeks!).
I also really enjoy Grammar Girl (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/), which is a podcast that Katherine introduced me to. It is very short and provides lots of great information about proper grammar. Actually I need to check that one out again, it has been awhile. I need all the help with grammar that I can get!
Podcasts are a wonderful tool and which the VHS should embrace. I think it is wonderful that we have audios of our lectures and it would be great to add all those gallery tours too. Perhaps we could even add podcasts to our on-line exhibits to give our Internet patrons a more enriching experience.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Goggle Docs
Wow, where was this when I was in grad school! I really think this is a super application and I think the use of it is only limited by your imagination. I think we can certainly use this within the institution. I know we have the server, but it is limited by who has access by department. If I wanted help from across departments, I could simply put my doc on Google docs and give access to the people I want to use it.
Also I could put something I am working on on Google Docs and work on it at home. I know, what you are thinking, "work at home?" Sometimes my brain is still going on a certain subject when I go home and I will do some more research at home. This way I can update my note right away instead of having to remember it for the next day.
Any who, I think this is an awesome idea and cannot wait to make use of it.
Also I could put something I am working on on Google Docs and work on it at home. I know, what you are thinking, "work at home?" Sometimes my brain is still going on a certain subject when I go home and I will do some more research at home. This way I can update my note right away instead of having to remember it for the next day.
Any who, I think this is an awesome idea and cannot wait to make use of it.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wiki, wiki, wah
Ok, the title of the blog is suppose to be my imitation of the sound of a record being scratched, you know, like you hear in rap and hip hop songs. That is the sound that pops in my head when I hear the word wiki, but I digress...
I really like the idea of a wiki for the VHS. I think for internal use, it could be most helpful in keeping everyone informed about policies, procedures, etc. It can also be a way for us to communicate and learn about all the various departments. For instance, I made a page called "collections in process," so that those of us in archives can let everyone one know what we are working on. This might not be of interest or value to everyone, but who knows. I think it could be very useful for the library staff. Sometimes a patron will come in looking for information and if the collection they need is not yet processed, they might miss some valuable information. By listing collections that we are working on, the reference staff could quickly view this page to see if there is anything relevant.
For external use, it might be another way to attract and interact with out patrons. Using wikis in connection with our on-line exhibits could draw people into discussions and in turn help us learn more about our patrons and what they are interested in. The drawback to a public wiki though is something we would have to deal with. Open source formats need to be monitored to make sure that all the content is appropriate.
At any rate, I am very excited about the wiki. I will be checking back this week to see how other people like it and what they have added or edited.
Back to the crypt lots of work to do...
I really like the idea of a wiki for the VHS. I think for internal use, it could be most helpful in keeping everyone informed about policies, procedures, etc. It can also be a way for us to communicate and learn about all the various departments. For instance, I made a page called "collections in process," so that those of us in archives can let everyone one know what we are working on. This might not be of interest or value to everyone, but who knows. I think it could be very useful for the library staff. Sometimes a patron will come in looking for information and if the collection they need is not yet processed, they might miss some valuable information. By listing collections that we are working on, the reference staff could quickly view this page to see if there is anything relevant.
For external use, it might be another way to attract and interact with out patrons. Using wikis in connection with our on-line exhibits could draw people into discussions and in turn help us learn more about our patrons and what they are interested in. The drawback to a public wiki though is something we would have to deal with. Open source formats need to be monitored to make sure that all the content is appropriate.
At any rate, I am very excited about the wiki. I will be checking back this week to see how other people like it and what they have added or edited.
Back to the crypt lots of work to do...
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
MyFace
Ok, I cannot take credit for the "MyFace" name, that came from the fearless leader of the crypt and I thought it was very funny. On the outside, Facebook and Myspace may appear to be very similar, but I like Facebook much better. I cannot really put my finger on why, but maybe it is because in the Myspace world I would be a "friend" of the VHS, whereas in Facebook, I can be a fan of the VHS. I guess being a fan makes more sense to me. I have to admit also that I am quite addicted to FB. I like being able to check on my friends and basically see what is going on in everyone's life in about 5 minutes. It is a nice way to keep up with people and to find out things about them you might not have known. During the election is was really something to find out people's politcal leanings.
I quickly scanned LinkedIn and I think it might be useful were I searching for a job (which I am not).
I also checked out Meebo. I am not much of an IM'er, nor do I text message that much either, but I can see the usefulness of this application for those who do. It would be nice to have one single application to go to and remember a password for and to be able to access it from anywhere. It could also be helpful for intitutuions like our to have live chats with patrons who have reference questions, but then that leads to other problems such as who has to monitor this and how much will it take away from you time.
At MARAC, I met someone who works at a University and we talked about the IM feature being used to help students with library reference questions. In one the IM ended up being nine pages long if printed. This is too much! This tool needs to be used for short conversations not for epistles! In this case, the librarian should have had the student call or come in for a face-to-face chat. This is the danger of relying too much on technology. So much can be lost in translation.
Another archivist and I were discussing whether or not we would become dinasours later in our careers; as in would our technical skills become obsolete. My first reaction to this was no, because I feel as long as we keep augmenting our current skill sets with new information I think we will be ok. But as we kept talking, I thought this might not necessarily be the case. I am from an in between generation. I grew up with computers, but the internet did not come along until I was in college. I have know the pre and post internet world, so as much as I love the internet I could get along without it. The current generation of college students cannot contemplate a world without the internet, cell phones, text messaging, etc. I am not all that fond of text messaging. I still prefer complete sentences. I get mad at my nephew for sending me e-mails where he abbreviates words like he would if he were sending a text. So in some ways I am already falling behind the cutting edge. I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that I am doing the 23 things and that I use email and have a Facebook page...but I still am not big on faceless, voiceless chats, or text messages.
L8tr,
Devo
I quickly scanned LinkedIn and I think it might be useful were I searching for a job (which I am not).
I also checked out Meebo. I am not much of an IM'er, nor do I text message that much either, but I can see the usefulness of this application for those who do. It would be nice to have one single application to go to and remember a password for and to be able to access it from anywhere. It could also be helpful for intitutuions like our to have live chats with patrons who have reference questions, but then that leads to other problems such as who has to monitor this and how much will it take away from you time.
At MARAC, I met someone who works at a University and we talked about the IM feature being used to help students with library reference questions. In one the IM ended up being nine pages long if printed. This is too much! This tool needs to be used for short conversations not for epistles! In this case, the librarian should have had the student call or come in for a face-to-face chat. This is the danger of relying too much on technology. So much can be lost in translation.
Another archivist and I were discussing whether or not we would become dinasours later in our careers; as in would our technical skills become obsolete. My first reaction to this was no, because I feel as long as we keep augmenting our current skill sets with new information I think we will be ok. But as we kept talking, I thought this might not necessarily be the case. I am from an in between generation. I grew up with computers, but the internet did not come along until I was in college. I have know the pre and post internet world, so as much as I love the internet I could get along without it. The current generation of college students cannot contemplate a world without the internet, cell phones, text messaging, etc. I am not all that fond of text messaging. I still prefer complete sentences. I get mad at my nephew for sending me e-mails where he abbreviates words like he would if he were sending a text. So in some ways I am already falling behind the cutting edge. I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that I am doing the 23 things and that I use email and have a Facebook page...but I still am not big on faceless, voiceless chats, or text messages.
L8tr,
Devo
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Scrumptious!
Well here we are at week 5 and I am still amazed at how little I really know about the web and all its many applications even though I spend so much time using it. I did not really expect to care much about Delicious, but as it turns out it is a very good tool for me. I bookmark quite a few sites that help me with my everyday research in the archives. I have found it increasingly difficult to manage them in my folders. Delicious seems to answer my dilemma with the use of tags. That way a site that is helpful for multiple topics (i.e. Virginia, genealogy) does not have to go in just one folder. I can instead add both tags and it will show up in both places. I also like the ability to bundle tags.
Technorati was also very interesting. I was confused at first why the Cato institute video of Alan Pell Crawford came up, but then realized that there was some info about him using sources from the VHS. I also like the pictures that I found. Most of them were by one person. People really do like the horse! Also, a comment left on one of the pictures was very favorable to the VHS. It certainly is good to know what is being said about us, both good and bad. That way we know what we are doing well and also what we can improve.
Technorati was also very interesting. I was confused at first why the Cato institute video of Alan Pell Crawford came up, but then realized that there was some info about him using sources from the VHS. I also like the pictures that I found. Most of them were by one person. People really do like the horse! Also, a comment left on one of the pictures was very favorable to the VHS. It certainly is good to know what is being said about us, both good and bad. That way we know what we are doing well and also what we can improve.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Peru es un pais...
I did my first lesson on LiveMocha today and it rocked! I talked to a miner from Peru. His English is way better than my Spanish! I hope to be able to talk to him more in his native tongue real soon. If anyone else is interested in taking Spanish lessons using LiveMocha, let me know. We can be friends and help each other out.
Adios
Adios
Friday, October 31, 2008
Mashup Mixup
I went back and reread the directions for week 2 and now see that I did in fact misread the directions. I have now gone and looked up mashups and tried spelling my name with "spell with flickr."
The flickr color picker was really cool, just to see the variety of color and images. Not necessarily a practical application, but fun!
Obviously mashups have some practical applications i.e. google maps, but I'd have to think on it a bit to figure out how we could use this technology here. I did read Erik's blog post on mashups and I like the idea of using it to create VHS scavenger hunts.
The flickr color picker was really cool, just to see the variety of color and images. Not necessarily a practical application, but fun!
Obviously mashups have some practical applications i.e. google maps, but I'd have to think on it a bit to figure out how we could use this technology here. I did read Erik's blog post on mashups and I like the idea of using it to create VHS scavenger hunts.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Ok more on week 4...
So I am cruising around Generator Blog and found the Random Fact Generator. That could actually be a neat thing for us to use on our Facebook page or website. We could gather interesting and strange facts about the VHS, VA history, items in our collection and use it to entertain and inform. Just a thought.
Then I hopped on over to Letter James and made an e-card, which I sent to myself and have not received...
Then I went on LibraryThing. I did not think I would spend much time on it, but I got sucked in. It is a very neat tool and I am very pleased that we are using it. I might use it for my home library.
Than I went to Jott (see a pattern here) and fell in love with it. I can be very forgetful at times, so I signed up for this and am going to try it out to see if it helps me remember things. What a great idea, why did I not come up with this?
Then...just when I though life could not get any better...I went to Livemocha! I have been wanting to dust off my Spanish language skills for some time now. Now I can do it on line at my own pace and it is free! This may be just what I need to haul my sorry self out of bed in the morning. I could make it a part of my routine. Perhaps it can help me break my FB additicion to useless applications that are fun but huge time wasters!
The 2.0 awards have the potential to be useful for me. I am running out of time, so I quickly skimmed the list. I saw some winners that looked useful especially in the realm of languages.
Overall, some of these things look like potential time-wasters, but all in all, I was very interested in what I found. I certainly think LibrayThing is a valuable tool for us. Jott could just be plain helpful for me personally. Livemocha is what I am most excited about though. I really do think that could be useful for me personally as well as professionally. I have already translated (albeit poorly) some Spanish letters while I have worked in the archives. I also think it is good to have a working knowledge of at least one other language other than your own!
Then I hopped on over to Letter James and made an e-card, which I sent to myself and have not received...
Then I went on LibraryThing. I did not think I would spend much time on it, but I got sucked in. It is a very neat tool and I am very pleased that we are using it. I might use it for my home library.
Than I went to Jott (see a pattern here) and fell in love with it. I can be very forgetful at times, so I signed up for this and am going to try it out to see if it helps me remember things. What a great idea, why did I not come up with this?
Then...just when I though life could not get any better...I went to Livemocha! I have been wanting to dust off my Spanish language skills for some time now. Now I can do it on line at my own pace and it is free! This may be just what I need to haul my sorry self out of bed in the morning. I could make it a part of my routine. Perhaps it can help me break my FB additicion to useless applications that are fun but huge time wasters!
The 2.0 awards have the potential to be useful for me. I am running out of time, so I quickly skimmed the list. I saw some winners that looked useful especially in the realm of languages.
Overall, some of these things look like potential time-wasters, but all in all, I was very interested in what I found. I certainly think LibrayThing is a valuable tool for us. Jott could just be plain helpful for me personally. Livemocha is what I am most excited about though. I really do think that could be useful for me personally as well as professionally. I have already translated (albeit poorly) some Spanish letters while I have worked in the archives. I also think it is good to have a working knowledge of at least one other language other than your own!
Hello my name is Parkarette Brindie-Jade
Well so far on Generator Blog I have found out my Mormon name:
My Mormon name is Parkarette Brindie-Jade!
What's yours?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The onslaught of TMI...
Ok, so I am a total news junkie and as such I set up an RSS aggregator a while back. There is just too much out there for me, so I ended up abandoning the thing. It is a very neat tool and could be very effective if only I took the time to manage it properly.
So this time since we have this exercise I decided to use Google Reader. I looked at topix.net and syndic8, but alas I had that TMI feeling all over again. So I went back to Google Reader and clicked on "Discover," and chose some pre-packaged bundles: News, Fun, and Thinkers. This was much less stressful and I picked up the AP, Reuters, BBC, etc., which I like to check out. I also like that it is set up so after I scroll over it, it is marked as read. I can move through quickly, star the items I want to read, and go back to them later. I think I will customize the bundles I subscribed to and maybe subscribe to a few more items. I am glad to try this again and hopefully instead of the onslaught of TMI, it will the be nice steady flow that I am looking for.
So this time since we have this exercise I decided to use Google Reader. I looked at topix.net and syndic8, but alas I had that TMI feeling all over again. So I went back to Google Reader and clicked on "Discover," and chose some pre-packaged bundles: News, Fun, and Thinkers. This was much less stressful and I picked up the AP, Reuters, BBC, etc., which I like to check out. I also like that it is set up so after I scroll over it, it is marked as read. I can move through quickly, star the items I want to read, and go back to them later. I think I will customize the bundles I subscribed to and maybe subscribe to a few more items. I am glad to try this again and hopefully instead of the onslaught of TMI, it will the be nice steady flow that I am looking for.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Playing with fire...I mean Flickr!
Ok, first a small rant about technology...I hate passwords!!! I try to use the same one with maybe a slight variation, but I have such a terrible time remembering things. If people were honest the cyber world would be a much better place. End rant.
I took a quick pass through Flickr as I have been on it before to look at friends photos and also to help Paige and Laura with arranging and labeling photos for the Archives Fair next week. We are using a loop of photos at our table to help show what we do all day.
I decided to search for LVA on Flickr instead of using Katherine's link. I found it interesting that they were listed under "People" instead of "Groups" so it took me a couple of tries before I found them. I did find what I was looking for though. Yesterday a group of us went to LVA for a lecture and Frances mentioned their Rice photo exhibit and that they had put them on Flickr. I found them. That is a neat idea and maybe something the VHS could explore. At the very least I think it is a useful tool for personal photos and could also be of value to us as an institution.
We will have to report back on how the use of Flickr at our table at the Archives Fair works out, but I expect it will be positive. I also found in my few minutes of exploration a group of photos from UVA Law which I quickly forwarded to my husband and a group of photos of presidential graves. Of course, the presidential graves photos also had one of Jeb Stuart's grave, which I thought was hilarious! I can see Flickr being helpful to me as I do my work here in archives.
I took a quick pass through Flickr as I have been on it before to look at friends photos and also to help Paige and Laura with arranging and labeling photos for the Archives Fair next week. We are using a loop of photos at our table to help show what we do all day.
I decided to search for LVA on Flickr instead of using Katherine's link. I found it interesting that they were listed under "People" instead of "Groups" so it took me a couple of tries before I found them. I did find what I was looking for though. Yesterday a group of us went to LVA for a lecture and Frances mentioned their Rice photo exhibit and that they had put them on Flickr. I found them. That is a neat idea and maybe something the VHS could explore. At the very least I think it is a useful tool for personal photos and could also be of value to us as an institution.
We will have to report back on how the use of Flickr at our table at the Archives Fair works out, but I expect it will be positive. I also found in my few minutes of exploration a group of photos from UVA Law which I quickly forwarded to my husband and a group of photos of presidential graves. Of course, the presidential graves photos also had one of Jeb Stuart's grave, which I thought was hilarious! I can see Flickr being helpful to me as I do my work here in archives.
Friday, October 10, 2008
News about Flickr
I heard on ABC news this morning that some companies have used photos from Flickr accounts in their ad campaigns without permission or compensation. If you do not want anyone to use your photos without your knowledge, you should make sure your privacy settings reflect this. Something to remember when you post things on-line; be it your blog, or Flickr, or whatever. If you don't want it seen/read, the either do not post it or take the proper security measures.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Tales from the Crypt...the beginning
Hello all!
My first blog post. Not much to report other than it is time to work on those lovely MARC records. Here in the crypt an archivist's work is never done...
Cheers!
My first blog post. Not much to report other than it is time to work on those lovely MARC records. Here in the crypt an archivist's work is never done...
Cheers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
