It is easy to be overwhelmed reading about Library 2.0 and all the technology everyone would like us to use. Technology itself is mind boggling when you even google something and get 1,369,235 possibilities. I have to remember that the internet, technology, and all the other ideas are tools in a huge toolbox. I don't have to use all 0f them...but I do need to be aware of them and at least familiar with them in order to better select and use those that are appropriate for our library and our patrons.

As I read the comments I was struck by the apparent polarization of technology vs. the human touch. Libraries will always have the human factor. It is the responsibility of the librarian to provide for patrons those books, technology, resources that they need and want. We, too, have patrons who will never be interested in technology...they come in to read the paper, check out a book, or simply to greet us. However, we also have those patrons who need and want more technology to help them get information. We need to stay up-to-date on technology so we don't have to do major catch-up later on.

I am proud of our library that we changed to a computerized system when we built our new library in 2001. When my director and I would do book talks at our local public schools we were very aware that we were ahead of them in this area. It is only now that the public school library in a new building has computerized! That was major catch-up!

As hard as Nebraska 2.0 is at times I appreciate learning about all the new sites and possibilites that are out there. I already know I won't even use a fraction of them....but am aware of them and ready to use them as we constantly re-evaluate our library programs, technology, and goals.

who..hoo!!!!! I did it! I posted a slideshare to my blog. I did it a little differently than I thought. But I did it! Now on to Thing #16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kathysbookshelf

Start Your Family Tree

From: cclibrary,
1 week ago

Start Your Family Tree

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: genealogy courses)

Begin at the beginning. This is a very basic class on how to start tracing your family history. This class is made for anyone who would like to start working on their genealogy. Also for anyone would like to get the work that they have already done organized in order to continue their research.

SlideShare Link

Tried to embed a presentation....the screen with the embed went away from the page before I could click on it. Will maybe try again when I have more time. Right now I have to get ready to go to work at the library!

Really enjoyed the slideshare site. Found several genealogy presentations...not the least of which were the ones on Nebraskaccess! I help a lot of patrons with their family histories and one presentation that I will suggest will be "Starting Your Family Tree". I have saved that as one of my favorites at www.slideshare.net/knelson1945.

Found the delicious.com site interesting. Checked out music...and liked pandora radio...selected a tag and was good to go for an hour! Also liked the food tag....especially cookstr...found some neat thanksgiving recipes. I did look at Hastings library site....good resources for community and regional interests. For NeAccess I would use genealogy, book reviews, NE history, magazines...those are the areas I use the most. Not sure I would take the time to get this organized. But it certainly is an option.

Completed #13 to my satisfaction. Looked around the twitter site...signed up...some of the links were not functioning. Not sure I will make use of this...but I can see for libraries that want to make direct connections with their patrons this might provide a tool for them.

My link to librarything is librarything.com/home/knelson1945. This has been the most fun thing for me to do so far in nebraska learns 2.0. It speaks to my love of reading, books, and list making!!!! Thanks NE Learns 2.0!!!!

#12 is a KEEPER!!! Love the Librarything site.....I have a book that I try to keep a list of the books I've read...don't always remember to write them down. Now I can have my list right on my computer!!! It was quick. It was easy. It was fun!!!!!!! I even marked the website as a favorite!

#11....blog about technology. It's on a need to know basis. You can do as much as you want or as little. I first used a computer back in 1990...It was frustrating and fascinating, awful and awesome. Over the years I have become more dependent upon it for personal uses and work at the library. It's great for cataloging, check outs, e-mailing, etc. But when we have trouble with the computers and they go down it is very frustrating. The more I know, the more I don't know. I am glad I am doing these 23 "things"....most I probably will never use....but then it has been informative to know what's out there and one never knows when I will "need to know" one of these things!

Spent some time catching up and posting comments on the nebraska learns 2.0 blogsite. It wasn't really hard to do...just trying to remember what I had done for the "things." I'm still not sure how to actually make a "link" that people can click on and go directly to the site. I have noticed others simply stating the url..hope I did them right. Anyway. Now I have caught up. Better now than item #23!!!!!

Found out I have to go back and blog for each item that I have completed on that "thing's" blog. So will attempt to catch up with that this weekend! It's just a matter of remembering what my impressions were and what I thought at the time. That's ok. No problem.

This was an animation for a Halloween Party at the Stromsburg Public Library. It's supposed to be animated and the carving is supposed to say Halloween Fun at the Stromsburg Library.

So then, I have just created a Halloween Pumpkin animation. It says Halloween Fun at the Stromsburg Library. It could be used to advertise a teen event at the library for Halloween. I have it saved on my computer...now can I save it to my blog???? Not sure how to do that. Might have to ask Allana for some help. I think I used Generator Blog for the basic animation and then simply had to type in my own words.

Had some fun with #9...in fact had my husband on Flickrvision. Of course I told him to just go on Flickr.com....but of course he was not familiar with the site and typed in Flicker.com.....that's a porn site!!!! He wondered what I was doing in my Nebraska Learns 2.0!!!!!!

It was amazing to watch Flickrvision and imagine all these people uploading their pictures in the last minute around the world. WOW!!!! The Color Pickr was cool. And I experimented with my name and the library's name on Spell with Flickr. I can see that a library website might use some of these applications for interesting news and events.

Now my husband is really into Flickr....he looked up Stromsburg Nebraska and lo and behold found some people we know, a picture possibly taken from our street of the watertower in our backyard, Swedish Festival, etc. Pretty Cool!!!!!

I can see libraries using Flickr and its applications for posting their events etc, on their websites.

Okay...so I haven't posted for a few days! What a time I had even getting into my blog!!!! I've been busy with life what can I say! Had to go in through another door this time. Now it's time for me to take a look at things 8,9, and 10....Flickr stuff. Will do that and then try to post.

Okay! Not sure how to do links to flickr...but have a couple of really cool pictures. Nebraska Mothership by goldenstatephoto is a great weather shot from the panhandle. He has a series from his stormchasing vacation this summer. Another NE weather shot is Thunderstorm to the northeast of Kearney, NE by nebraskasc....again NE weather makes for great photos. Then a picture for nostalgia's sake....Downtown Aurora, IL second largest city by jmazich...it shows the Paramount Theater....where I saw my first movie and the Leland Tower which was a hotel which my grandfather, a brick mason, helped build. Both buildings are on the National Historic Registry. Flikr is a fun place to simply search for pictures of interest.

Took a look at Flickr the other day and was fascinated by all the pictures! Looked at pictures of MN and NE. I noted that some are marked "pro" and they gave some nice reviews of the amateurs. Neat way for amateurs to be recognized for their work. Will be looking at it again so I can include a link to some of the more interesting pictures.

Today I completed #7....adding 5 new feeds...library of congress, us news, hickory daily record, cnn and genealogy. Some of them still look mostly like jibberish to me. Headlines read ok but can't get into the article. Not sure what's going on. I can't imagine me trying to check these sites everyday. Waaaay toooo muuuuch information! Even tho I know it's trying to filter all the info that's out there. Bloglines was the easiest for me to search.

It's been a few days since I've blogged. Today I am following 3 bloggers who are doing NE learns 2.0. And I have subscribed to a few feeds...library stuff and cnn.com. In looking at them in bloglines some of them look like jibberish. Not sure why???? I might ask Allana. But the bloggers did appear here on the blog site. So that will be interesting to see how they are doing...if they are as new to this as I am. Anyway....I think I have completed #6...let's see. Yep, I have subscribed to 3 participants blogs...added the Lincoln Journal Star, cnn.com, and unshelved as well as the NLC. And I have created a post in my blog about this assignment. Not really sure if our computer users here at the library will be into this or not. I do know of one lady who does blog. That's about it. I think she does it mostly at her personal computer at home. She just does it here if her computer is down.

Read the instructions again for #5. For our library we will have to change the policy. Right now we do not allow instant messaging or chat rooms. It is certainly something the board is going to have to discuss. I can certainly see where it is great to have an on-going conversation with someone without have to go thru e-mail. We'll have to see what the board says. The times, they are a-changin!

OKAY!!!! Today I made contact with Allana with IM!!! Yipee!!!!!That's another thing I can cross off the list! This is like keeping a journal....something I haven't done in a number of years. Writing has always come easy though, so trying to make a note of my progress shouldn't be a problem. It's getting through the item # that's the hard part!!!!

Made it through librarian convention. I think my presentation on George Flippin was well received.
Now it's back to blogging and #5 on the list of 23! Yesterday I helped Diana create a blog. Learned a couple of things from that....so maybe I did learn a thing or two on #'s 3 and 4.

October 15, 2008
Finally I got into my blog from my work computer! What a mess! But somehow I came, I saw, I conquered!!!! Not sure how I did it. Try, Try, Try again!

OKAY...I have figured out how to post these to my blog and read them. As I make my way through this course hopefully I will see progress in my blogging. We'll see in a few weeks as I look back on the entries. Now I wonder if I can do this on my computer at work. I'll check today when I go in. It's tough to be an immigrant to the world of technology!

October 15, 2008 This is crazy. Yesterday I couldn't sign in to my account on my computer at the library. I was so frustrated! It kept saying my user name and password did not match. Now here I am at home....5AM and I can get on here! I'll have to ask Allana tomorrow at convention what I am doing wrong.

Again it's 5am and I think I have figured out my blog URL. Geesh this is hard for an old lady!

Okay...so it's early morning and I have made a blog. Now what do I do with it?

I think I am confused to put it mildly. How do I leave a post?

How do I connect with Nebraska Learning 2.0? All these questions

and so little time!

I can't believe I've just created a blog. Not sure how I did it. But here goes.