Task #10 - New Website

The new website is clean, modern, easy to use, easy to navigate. It makes more of our services more visible. It allows patrons to contact and interact with us better. It's great that folks don't need to know which menu will take them to what they're looking for. It uses natural language people can relate to and understand. I might, a tiny bit, miss a webslide-esque feature that highlights the newest goings-on, but understand why they had to go. I like that all the blogs will feed into the same...I like that folks will be able to register for classes/events directly from the events calendar, evantually. I like a constant "You Are Here" guide across the top, and the consistent info/links on the right-side panel. It just looks like we're part of this century now...hurrah! This brings our website up-to-speed with our new catalog, and now they both seem modern and effecient, more what people expect. Job well done!

Task #9 Universal Class

I really enjoy Universal Class and think it will be incredibly helfpul to a lot of our patrons, or groups in the community. It's easy to sign up and the class list is very extensive. I found applicable topics for mostly all my LibGuides - so things that we used to only have magazines, books, DVD's for - like cooking, nutrition, home repair - now we have really strong online resources for, also. Not only does this take us above and beyond all of our computer class offerings in a single bound, but there are a lot of people who might be intimidated by in-person instuction, but willing to participate in something like this. One day, I will sign on to take something personally fun...(baking pies?)...but for now I have signed up for Project Management. It is not as fun as baking pies...::sigh::. While the topic admittedly makes me sleepy, the format is intuitive. Read the lesson, write a little essay, take a quick quiz, take the next lesson. There's also options for those who want to be more involved - discussion boards, sending messages to other "students." This gives us a lot of great options.

Task #8 - Espanol

I did pretty well on the quiz (an 8...because I can't count, I think.) This is really helpful - I find it pretty easy to follow, even in Spanish, most of the time...but Google translate is helpful, too. I do show this to Spanish-speaking patrons when I have a chance, and they're happy to see it - they often point out which page I should click on so they can review the information there. I also enjoy that Google translate is available on all our LibGuides to transform them into Spanish, meaning a lot of our resources and their availability can be found/understood, which is what we all want.

Task #7 - Cloud Computing

Everything is "in the cloud" these days. It does indeed seem like the future, and of course, it's pretty handy, too. Dropbox seems very useful, though I am not a current user. I have used Google docs/spreadsheets for all types of things. It came most in handy in library school when collaborating with folks from across the nation on group projects. I'm not really a multiple-device-carrying kind of person, but if I WAS...I would probably make more use of this. I would suggest these to patrons, sure. It would be much easier for them to access their things on our computers and their home computers...they could work on a Google doc from either place and keep it saved in the same spot. I'm sure I use the cloud more often than I realize.

Task 6 - Helping Patrons

I passed! Phew. This was a good task though, directly related to Shawna's training meant to remind us of just how much we have to offer. None of the answers "surprised me" per say. I'm glad I am not supposed to offer a patron my salad for lunch, because then I would be hungry.

A patron is dissappointed in our Spanish-learning materials available for checkout at the moment. We could:
a) put something else on hold through the catalog
b) explain Rosetta Stone is available at the library, and Mango Languages is available at home
c) show them that audio materials are available for download through Overdrive
d) all of the above

Google a Day

I like Google a Day. It's fun! It's probably ultra nerdy to think it's fun, but I guess that's okay. I did the Google a Day on 8/3 - the question was about a self-sanitizing cooper and zinc alloy, and how long it takes to disinfect itself. So I found the alloy is brass, and that brass takes up to about 8 hours to self-sanitize. It wasn't a super tough challenge...I guess the kicker is that it requires two searches, one to determine what the alloy is and another to determine the length of time. I like that the purpose is to get you to think about your query, and how much you trust the results...because if you get the wrong answer to your first question, you will get the wrong answer to the second, etc. I'm still aiming for the gift certificate.

Task 5: Chilton Library

I use Chilton's very frequently. Most of the guys looking through the print manuals seem skeptical when I first suggest it, but then they're into it. (I like saying "You know, we have these electronically, too, and sometimes it's just easier to find it there. Let's take a look." Then they're hooked.) Admittedly, I am car inept. So then I ask them to tell me the categories, etc., to navigate. I chuckle inside when they are explaining to me what is wrong and what they need because it's Greek to me. Handing them the mouse works - but in those cases, where their first immediate few guesses don't lead us to what they need - I only wish that the actual search function worked better. I hardly ever have luck with that. The results are messy. But using their "document tree" as suggested is wildly easy and intuitive. Overall, with 1 being not-at-all-helpful and 5 being its-a-lifesaver, I'd give this resource a 4.5.

Task #4: Consumer Reports and E-books

The most recent CR article on E-book readers that I found was December 2010 - just in time for Christmas! - and "They've never been better or cheaper." They probably ARE cheaper now than they were in December, but I digress. Mark tried his darndest to sell us on the Sony's, and they're not even rated here...which is strange. What I've worked with the most and probably due solely to the familiarity like the most is the Barnes and Noble Nook. I like the color, I like the wi-fi - it's readable, I like the adjustable settings - I like that I don't need a stylus to interact with it and it's not loaded up with features I don't need/would never use. (I've never...ever...taken notes in a book...::shrugs::) The contender, not rated here, for me, would be an iPad, because it does all that and more. And the commercials are so dreamy. Does anyone have one? Meanwhile, I currently read ebooks on my phone and am perfectly content.

First three steps: have your card handy, download Adobe Digital Editions (acquire adobe user id), and browse OverDrive for a title you fancy.

Task #3 Master the File

I enjoy and use both MasterFile and Consumer Reports frequently. I hope I'm not getting tricked up by over-analyzing.
'Best' was indicated in the task clue...the most recent I see with Best in the title is Best Phones & Plans, January 2011. But there are more recent reviews than that - "Hot new smart phones" was in the March 2011 issue.
As for the Rolling Stones extra credit answer: Izzy quits Guns n' Roses.
I'd like the gift card please and thank you.

Tasks 1 & 2 - Webolution Returns

Hurrah! Webolutionizing again. It feels good. I think the first task really - REALLY - is about whether or not you can remember your original blog username and password. We should get extra credit for that alone. Task 1: complete. Task 2: I received 90%! This is because I absent-mindedly left one of the questions blank. (I debated lying and saying I received 100%, because I DID know the answer and where to find it, but that felt wrong.) This is always a good task to include, because we have so much information on our website and we should more or less know it inside out, and the information is always changing. As for my wished-for prize - I am in the webolution race for for gift card. I am perfectly happy reading ebooks on my smartphone, no disrespect to Sony. Looking forward to Task #3!

Cloud Computing

The video did help make sense of this. The only gist of it I had previously was that you could access "your stuff" from any computer any time...like Google docs, etc. The commercials ("to the cloud!") also kind of drove home the point that it makes your things uber-accessible. I think the only way I've used this before are the Google applications. Things in the video were questionable to me though, when it comes to using this alone for business purposes, etc. How much faith can you have in systems managed entirely elsewhere? It made it seem philosophical, and like a good philosophy, but what if your stuff is lost or damaged or errors occur? It seems like a hard sell to me to rely on the cloud and the cloud alone. Libraries are always on the cutting edge of technology when it comes to sharing information, and there may be library services we use now that are cloud-like and I don't even realize it. (Are there?) I'm sure this will be in our futures. We're all for accessibility. I just hope we don't go around saying "to the cloud!" all the time.