Pollak Library 10 things

Welcome

2009-02-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Pollak Library 10 Things blog. Please read the 10 Things Explained post before you get started. Follow the directions that accompany each "Thing" and at the end of 10 weeks you will know how to use some of that latest technologies. Everyone who completes the program will be entered into a drawing for fabulous incentives.

Thing 1 - Become Acquainted with Web 2.0 (Week 1)

Thing 2 - Blogging (Week 2)

Thing 3 - What is RSS anyway? (Week 3)

Thing 4 - Sharing Photos (Week 4)

Thing 5 - Do you Jing? (Week 5)

Thing 6 - Beyond Internet Explorer (Week 6)

Thing 7 - Social Bookmarking and Tagging (Week 7)

Thing 8 - Cloud Computing (Week 8)

Thing 9 - Wiki Wiki! (Week 9)

Thing 10 - Open URL (Week 10)

10 Things Explained

2009-01-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

The Pollak Library 10 things program is designed to help you explore emerging Internet technologies. We have chosen 10 technologies that we believe you will be immediately useful in our work at the Pollak Library. We are also hoping that everyone has a bit of fun. Many of these technologies are having a dramatic impact on the information world. Most are considered Web 2.0 technologies.

The goals of the program are to get people to start thinking about how we might use some of these technologies in our work both behind the scenes and in public service. Moreover, participating in the program will give you the confidence to explore new technologies on your own.

Library administration has expressed full support for the program. None of the "Things" should take more than one hour. To participate in the program, complete one Thing a week. We will track your progress through the posts you make to your own blog. Instructions for each task will accompany the lesson, but if you have any trouble, IM , call, or send one of us an email. Or if you are feeling really 2.0, post a comment on the blog asking for help. That way, the entire learning community can benefit from your question.

Thing #10 -Open URL Technology

2009-01-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

Thing # 10 will teach you about OpenURL and its significance in the world of information retrieval.

Objectives:

Understand the structure of an openURL.
Learn to construct an openURL with the Pollak Library “Citation Finder”
Better understand the complexities related to openURL linking success (or failure).

Learning Activities:

a) Search for a journal article about global warming on Google Scholar. Look for the “Pollak Library Find It!” link and click on it (If you don’t see this link, check your scholar preferences are set to show links from CSUF.) Write down or print out the full citation for this article as it appears on the Pollak Library Find It! menu.

b) On the Library web site, go to “Find Journals”, click on “Citation Finder” in the upper right hand corner. Enter the information from your Google Scholar citation in the Citation Finder form and press go. Compare the Find It! menu results to the results from the Google Scholar Find It! menu. Go back to Citation Finder and change one of the pieces of information in the citation (e.g. pages, volume.) When you click on the Go button with this altered information, what happens? Make sure to note any differences and your thoughts on the causes and ramifications of these differences in your blog entry.

c) Next, using the Find It! menu from above, click on the “Advanced” in the Find It! menu. Choose to “Create a link for this item.” Copy and paste the information (the citation and the OpenURL) in the text box into a MS Word document. Examine the elements of the article citations (the metadata) and locate the corresponding metadata within the OpenURL. Each citation element will be embedded in the OpenURL created by the Citation Finder.

There are many sources for citation metadata such as Google Scholar, library databases (e.g. EBSCO Academic Search Premier, ABI Inform, Wilson Omnifile) from which OpenURLs can be formulated to create a Find It! button. You can explore the different sources on your own by doing sample searches within the library databases mentioned above.

On your blog, share your thoughts about this activity in a blog entry. What are the implications of having many different sources for citation metadata/OpenURLs? Can you think of possible uses for the OpenURL to improve library services/tools?

Post an OpenURL link to an interesting or fun article you like in the blog entry. Make sure you test it.

Heather

Thing #9 -Wiki Wiki!

2009-01-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

The Wikipedia is probably the most well-known wiki due to the controversy it has engendered in the media and within the library community. Controversy is not inherent to wikis, though. They can be used for sharing institutional information, collaborating on shared projects, documentation, etc.

Objectives:

Learn about wikis.
Consider the implications of the Wikipedia and how its existence changes the way we think about information.

Learning Activities:

Edit a page in the Wikipedia (you can always change it back.) Wikipedia editing instructions.
Read the following articles about wikis:

Check out the Library Success Wiki
Optional: create your own wiki using pbwiki (it’s free!)

In a blog entry, discuss how you think a wiki could be successfully implemented in the workplace. What impact do you think the Wikipedia has had on libraries and/or information seeking in general? Is that impact positive, negative or a bit of both? Why?

Heather

Thing #8 -Cloud Computing

2009-01-30T11:33:00.002-08:00

By now you might have encountered the term "cloud computing." But what is cloud computing? Is it working on your PC while on a flight from Seattle to L.A.? Is it web surfing while climbing Mt. Whitney?
Thankfully, no. And don't worry, there will not be any travel or outdoor activity associated with thing #8.
Cloud computing refers to working with web-based programs rather than programs that are on your PC. All of your cloud computing documents that you create live in a server, not on your machine. Sound complicated? A little scary? Don't worry, complete this "thing" and you will be up in the clouds in no time.
One of the most popular cloud computing applications is Google Docs. This is a suite of applications that is very similar to Microsoft Office. There is a spreadsheet tool, a presentation tool, and a word processor. There is no software to download because it is all Internet based. The program and the documents you create with the program all live somewhere on Google's server farm.
We are going to be using the Google Docs word processor for this thing. The folks at Common Craft provide an excellent over view of the Google Docs word processing program. Check it out:

Objectives:

Understand cloud computing
Learn how to contribute to a community document

Activities:

Contribute to a Google Doc! Here is the URL for the document. Add your reflection on the potential usefulness of this technology to the Google Doc. Think about how we might use this thing here in the library.
On your blog, post a link to the document to let us know about your contributions.

-Mike

Thing #7 - Social Bookmarking & Tagging

2009-01-30T11:33:00.001-08:00

Thing # 7 will help you manage, share, and discover new web pages that you would normally bookmark or save as a “favorite” in your Internet browser. You’ll also learn about tagging and its advantages.

Objectives:

Learn a new way to manage bookmarks.
Open a delicious account.
Learn about tagging and social bookmarking.
Think about how tagging and social bookmarking might play a role in the future of library services and tools.

Learning Activities:

Watch this videoand create a delicious account.

Install the delicious plug-in for your browser.

Add at least 2 bookmarked web pages to your delicious account (assign tags, too!)

Read more about tagging here.

Explore the Pollak Library delicious account.

In a blog entry, discuss how tagging could apply in the future of library tools/services. Also provide a link to your delicious account in the post.

Heather

Thing #6 -Beyond Internet Explorer

2009-01-30T11:32:00.001-08:00

Chances are you are reading this post using Microsoft's Internet Explorer. IE is the undisputed king of the browser market. Our statistics show that 70% of the visitors to the Pollak Library website were using IE. One reason for the ubiquity of this browser is that it comes preinstalled on all Windows machines, meaning that 90% of the computers in the world already have the program installed. With gaudy stats like these, it seems as if IE will always rule online access.
But wait, there is a new kid in town.... Enter the Mozilla Foundation and their IE-beater, Firefox. This browser came on the scene only four years ago, but it is already making a run for IE's crown. Its market share has increased every year since it's inception.
One of the reason's for Firefox's success is that it is an open source project. This means that independent developers have access to the source code -the guts- of the browser. Developers are free to make applications, add-ons, and toolbars that work with the browser to provide a more rich internet experience.
There are lots of Firefox add-ons that provide benefits for libraries. I have listed some of these below and have added links to their websites.

Note: If you want to install Firefox plugins/add-ons, make sure you use Firefox when you select application you want. Otherwise the add-on may not install properly.

Libx download - video showing how to use it (don't worry it is not another common craft video :)
Book Burro
Google toolbar
Worldcat toolbar
Email This
delicious plugin

Objective:

Discover and use an alternative browser
Learn about plugins and how they can benefit the library

Activities:

Download and install a toolbar! If you don't have Firefox on your computer, you can get it here.
Take a look at the toolbars and plugins listed above and find one that interests you (you can find more here). Install one of these and play around with it.
Write a reflection on your blog. Is the tool useful? Is it something that would make your job easier?

-Mike

Thing #5 -Do You Jing?

2009-01-30T11:30:00.002-08:00

Online communication is one dimensional and sometimes makes you feel like words are simply not enough to communicate what you need to say. It does not have to be that way. Jing can help you turn email or IM communication into a multimedia experience. It can save you a great deal of time and typing too.
Objectives:

Think about ways you might use multimedia tools like Jing in your work

Download Jing

Create a video using Jing

Learning Activities:

Watch this video to give you a quick demo showing how to use JIng

Download Jing
Make a short video demonstrating how to use your favorite database or take some other screen capture of your choice.

Create a blog post with some suggestions on how we could use this software or other multimedia tools to better serve patrons, train staff, or communicate with one another.

Paste the video link in your blog post.

Will

Thing #4 -Sharing Photos

2009-01-30T11:30:00.001-08:00

Thing #4 will help you navigate the world of online photosharing

Objectives :

Learn about photo sharing
See what other libraries are doing with photos on the Internet
Open a Flikr account

Learning Activities:

Watch this video.

Visit Flickr and search for photos that interest you. Also, look around and see what other libraries are doing with Flickr. The Library of Congress has an interesting Flickr sit e you may want to take a look at too. And last but not least check out the Pollak Library Flikr site.
Post a reflection on your blog responding to the following: Can you think of any way that we might use Flickr at the Pollak Library? More generally, perhaps there is some way we could use images to communicate important information about us or our collection to our community. What are your thoughts?

Add a Flickr photo to your blog entry (either one of your own or someone else's). Don't forget to give credit if you use another's photo.

Will

Thing # 3 -What is RSS anyway?

2009-01-30T11:28:00.002-08:00

Rss, feeds, readers, aggregator. It seems that every page in the web 2.0 world is filled with these words. But what do they mean, and how can knowing more about them benefit you?

Simply put, RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a way for a site to deliver current information to subscribers without having to use more traditional methods like email. Another way of thinking about it is that by using RSS, you don't have to go to all of your favorite sites to find the latest information, rather the information comes to you. It is like having a subscription to a web page.

The best explanation of RSS is put together by the fine folks at Common Craft. Watch their video:

Now, lets start making RSS work for you.

Objectives:

Learn what RSS is and how it works
Learn about feed readers

Activities:

The first thing you will need to do is sign up for a feed reader. Google Reader,
Bloglines, My Yahoo, and NewsGator, all make great readers. Google Reader is the one that we will use for this exercise.
The next step is to find some RSS feeds to subscribe to. Go visit your favorite blogs or news sites and look for the RSS icon (that is the little icon pictured on the newspaper at the top of this post). If you can't think of anything, try subscribing to this blog and to the Pollak Library blog. Following the example outlined in the above video, add the feeds to your reader. You may want to visit this database of RSS feeds and look for your favorite journal. If you are having trouble with Google reader, check out this video
Lastly, post a reflection on your blog responding to the following: Can you think of any way that using RSS feeds might help the Pollak Library communicate with our community? Is there some way that we can use RSS feeds collectively to help us serve our patrons better? What are your thoughts? Was this useful?

-Mike

Thing #2 Blogging

2009-01-30T11:28:00.001-08:00

Thing #2 will help you get your feet wet with blogging. Don't worry you will not be expected to become a prolific blogger. The blog will be where you show progress toward completion of your 10 things. On the other hand, you may find you have a great deal to say. If that is the case, you can start a personal blog or become a regular contributor to our official Pollak Library blog.

Objectives:

Learn what blogs are

Discover interesting blogs

Post a blog entry

Respond to a blog

Learning Activities:

Watch this video to learn about blogs

Use a blog search engine to discover blogs related to your personal interests, your job, or the information world generally just to get an idea of what people are doing with blogs. I recommend using Google's Blog search but Technotrati has a good one too. Alternatively, you could visit some of the library related blogs linked from the 10 Things Blog List.

Open your own blogging account (use a pseudonym if you are concerned about privacy and remember you can always delete your blog later). You may want to use Google's Blogger as we will be doing other activities that will necessitate using a Google account. Use this video to help you get started with Blogger.

Create your first blog post on your personal blog responding to the following prompt: What are your initial thoughts about using "Library 2.0" technology? At this point, can you think of anything new or different we might do either behind the scenes or in public service?

Respond to the Thing #2 post of the 10things blog. As your response to this blog, simply paste the main blog url or your personal blog. This will gives us the URL of your blog, allowing us to track your progress and other participants to see your upcoming creations.

Will

Thing #1 Become acquainted with Web 2.0 technology

2009-01-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

Objectives:

Learn about Web 2.0 and start thinking about how we might use some of these technologies

Learning Activities :

Read the following article and reflect - Testing the web 2.0 waters. American libraries, 40(1/2), 48-51.
Read the following article and reflect - What is Web 2.0
Watch this video and reflect - The Machine is Using Us

Set up a Google account and send Will your email address via email.

Will