Reread my blog from the beginning....great way to see how much I have grown, learned, and stretched myself! There was great merit in having to keep a blog. You never know how far you've come until you take a look back to where you started! I am proud of myself for sticking with this class! I also remember saying one of my weaknesses would be wanting to skip ahead and take short cuts....saw that in my blog when I had to go back and create posts for the items I had done but had not posted a comment. That was good for me. Again, as frustrating as it was at times, it was a growing experience for me!

#23 I am amazed that I have completed all 23 things! When I first started there was so much I didn't know..I felt awkward, confused, and frustrated at times...but the accountability to complete each item by a deadline was motivating. I have always said computers are on a need to know basis. I didn't know at the beginning how much I needed to know. Will I use most of these tools...probably not. But there are definitely many that I will. Thanks to the staff for providing this experience for us. My favorite discoveries are the LibraryThing...I continue to use that to record my books...and the apps with MyHeritage.com....for my personal family history. As far as my work at the library is concerned I have learned about 1)the current technology that will help in assisting our patrons find and use resources, 2)other libraries and the ways that they are using the web and 3) my ability to have confidence in myself to explore and discover the larger world beyond Stromsburg, NE...and that's good for everyone!

#22 Podcasts are cool! From Bess and Harry Houdini to Nebraska's own Pat Leach on the Lincoln City Library podcasts! I have been attending her Notable Books session at Convention each year and now I can listen again, and again, and again!!! I added the LCL podcast site to my blogline favorites. It took me awhile...but I finally got it! I also explored the Lansing, IL teen poetry cafe podcast. I can definitely see how podcasts can generate interest in everything library! It is so important that libraries see themselves as more than what is contained inside their walls. There is a whole new world out there and libraries need to be thinking outside the box!

#21 Found a great genealogy video by the Birmingham Library...title....genealogy or looking for one's own peeps. It is cool! Right up there with the library dominos. It's done in silent movie script and black and white. A little yellow peeps duck is searching for his family history...it shows all the resources in the library....and even found where the peeps hooked up with the Cadbury's! LOL! I can see where these kinds of videos are entertaining yet informative at the same time. Libraries are changing with the age of technology and this is a great resource for libraries! I had trouble again trying to embed this video into my blog. I'll retry and see what I can do.

#20 will be something I continue with long after this class is done! I explored, downloaded, and am working on MyHeritage.com. I have been doing genealogy for 40 years and this site is a keeper! I already am a part of Geni.com for my husband's side of the family. My Heritage will be my family's history. Last night at the library when exploring this site, a friend and patron came in and had his paperwork for his family tree through MyHeritage.com! I am going to show our genealogy club this site for sure. It's as good as any software you can purchase...and better in that you can invite family members to be a part!!!!

Thing #19 Explored both sites and found Google Docs very user friendly. Appreciated all the samples and used one to enter a basic genealogy presentation I put together. It was a lot like using a powerpoint template. I can see how useful this would be in collaborating a presentation. It would save on time and energy. Would like to post it to this blog but not sure how to do that.
Maybe I'll figure that out later...but for now thing #19 is done.

Finished #18....joining the NeLearns Wiki was a lot easier than I anticipated. Enjoyed looking at others' favorites!!!! It must have been easy if I can do it while keeping an eye on the Gator Bowl. Huskers need to get with it....Castille just made a 58 yard run! anyway...can see the advantages for wikis. Will definitely be checking out the Library Success wiki for good library ideas. Thanks to NELearns 2.0.

Enjoyed looking at the wikis. For someone like me from a very small rural library I was really impressed with the larger libraries' wikis. They truly do become community hubs. Their links and resources were amazing. It broadens the role of the library in a community. I really loved reading all the reviews in the Book Lovers Wiki...will certainly be checking that out for future reads. I was really impressed with Library Success....I found the note about vandalism interesting...that now e-mail confirmation was required. Who would want to vandalize a library wiki??? I looked at weeding....good resources and policies; programming for adults; services for the disabled; and staff training. There is a ton of information but it was well organized with lots of links. Seemed very user friendly to me.