Week 11-12: Conclusion

Project Play 2007-2008 has officially come to an end. This will be my last post...
In reference to the Godin video, I like to think of myself as I curious person. I love to travel and try new foods. I love learning about nature and different cultures. However, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the flux of information in our daily lives. I need to re-engergize my curiosity on a daily basis, which I do by getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep. This is not an easy task for most, but I do not have many responsibilities or worries going on in my life right now.

In reference to Project Play, I love learning about new technologies and how they can be used to interact with others and store information. I learned so much with Project Play and hope that I will be able to use what I have learned in my own work environment.

Week 10: Mashups

Libraries could use Mashups to create literary walking tours of their city and also include a podcast to go with them. Mashups could also be produced documenting the fictional/actual locations of popular videos, documentaries, and books in the collection. Mashups could also be used to highlight popular attractions and conveniences in the area surrounding the library.

Week 9: YouTube

YouTube has really taken over the internet. It is a great tool for sharing videos of all kinds: drama, documentary, comedy, etc. I can't really imagine a topic that YouTube wouldn't have some kind of insight into. On another note, I really can't stand all of the fan remakes of popular movies and t.v. specials--but you have to take the good with the bad!

Libraries are using libraries in many unexpected ways. Community outreach is enhanced by YouTube announcements of upcoming events and videos of recent opportunities/gatherings at the library. Librarians are also using YouTube to broadcast everything from their twisted sense of humor to storytimes.

I especially like Browser, the library cat.

I think that YouTube is a great tool for sharing and posting videos, but not many libraries are using them. Video production is very labor intensive, and many librarians do not have the time available to them to produce polished, interesting uploads. But any effort is appreciated by library users, so librarians must carry on!

Week 8: Screencasts

I love screencasting! It is a fantastic way to engage library users while emphasizing important topics. One way that libraries could use this technology is to illustrate basic bibliographic instruction (i.e. using the OPAC, placing holds, etc.). As a catalog librarian, it saddens me to think that so many library users may be intimidated by the library catalog. The catalog is created to be very user-friendly and can be a very powerful tool for so many library users. Another great way to use screencasting would be to promote upcoming library events and even present a brief overview of the library and its services. Screencasting is much more than simple slide shows--imagine the possibilities!

Week 6: Podcasts

I really love that libraries are using podcasts to reach out to their communities. Podcasts are a great way to keep in touch with patrons and enhance library services. They are an essential learning tool, and can be used to share book discussions, lectures, and lessons.
Podcasts are a wonderful way to familiarize patrons with the library facilities and its holdings, as well as the services available to them. Many patrons may feel too intimidated by beginning their research in the library, so a helpful podcast would make them feel more welcome and confident. Podcasts can be used to outline basic library skills and bibliographic instruction, such as finding a book, searching a database, etc.
Podcasts are relatively inexpensive to produce and upload to the internet. They are a great way to promote library services and events while providing feedback to the community.
Podcasting also brings many wonderful opportunities for professional development among librarians.

Week 5: Social Networking

Social networking provides many unique opportunities for libraries to extend their public outreach. However, I don't feel that MySpace and Facebook profiles are the best ways to do so. For a start, the amount of effort that goes into updating and these profiles will most likely go unnoticed after a few months while audiences migrate to the next most-popular social networking service. Social networking fads move from site to site as one becomes more annoying/ad-dense than the other. Spam and offensive messages are also a big issue.

For the most part, social networking maniacs will spend much of their time compulsively checking other people's profiles, prowling through picture galleries, and updating their own. It seems more of a vanity than a communication tool, as Demetri Martin (hilariously!) describes:

Week 3: Productivity Tools

For this week's Project Play, we were asked to examine Remember the Milk and Jott. These applications may be useful for coordinating on a group project, but I cannot really see myself using either of them. I really love productivity tools, yet anything involving a computer tends to draw me away from the tasks I should be accomplishing to unorganized web-surfing. So anything this interactive would be too much of a distraction for me. I prefer to either rely on my own memory or keep a handwritten to-do-list, which can easily fit into my pocket/wallet or strategically positioned near my desk.
I do really appreciate one online productivity tool: Monkey on Your Back. With this application, you can email whatever tasks you would like someone else to accomplish directly to their inbox. Its more of an annoyance than a convenience, but it may generate a few laughs. I'm sure that you could also email yourself your own tasks for added fun.