my 10 random things… 2008 December 2

in order to fulfill the goal for helene’s bonus “thing” in Learn & Play @CML, here are 10 random things about me:

1. i am a classically-trained pianist.
2. i am ambidextrous. i eat with my left hand but do everything else with my right hand. but i can do everything with my left hand that i can do with the right, even writing. i’m mixed up, i think.
3. these things freak me out: dolls, puppets, and clowns.
4. my creative outlet is card-making. i have a whole studio devoted to making art, burning things and soldering.
5. i <3 dogs and have two of my own, along with 2 cats. i like to give my pets people names ’cause i think it’s funny. my pets are rudy, miss esther, lucy and beatrice.
6. i want to be a yoga instructor someday.
7. i started playing the banjo this past april and have done pretty well for a beginner. i’m in a band called The Hawaii 63 and sometimes i’ve been known to “sing” (if you can call it that) about my cat (esther) that hides a lot. oh, and she’s a kitty-ninja.
8. i love to garden and i like to make outdoor sculptures and art from rusty metal things, especially old farm implements.
9. yes… i know how to western square dance. it’s not a talent i’m especially fond of, but i might as well come clean about it now before the rumors start.
10. i love movies that have ray harryhausen’s special effects. stop-motion animation rocks my world. i was raised on rankin-bass christmas specials! i also love godzilla movies.

there you go! all done!

Thing #23 it’s the end! 2008 December 2

so i did the majority of my 23 Things in two days. i didn’t want to have to do it like that, but i was busy with program details during the largest part of the program, so i guess i take what time i can get, you know? let me run through the questions we are supposed to answer:

• my favorite discoveries from this learning journey have to be my awesome coworkers here at CML! i’ve discovered PEOPLE! i’ve discovered that i work with an amazing array of talented people and i feel incredibly fortunate. the connections i’ve made as a result of learn and play will stay with me forever. it was also really great to see the excitement from staff as we went through the program
• this program has assisted me lifelong-learning goals by solidifying how important it is to never stop learning.
• the biggest take-away and unexpected outcome was how i made new friendships from this program. i didn’t realize everyone would take to twitter so well, or that everyone would like the learn and play videos and actually want to do them with gerald and i. it’s just an incredible feeling of happiness.
• i’m not sure what could have been done differently… i know it took a LOT of time on my part to get things ready and maybe i didn’t anticipate all the work that would be involved, but it was highly rewarding work!
• of course i would participate again! i’ve been trying to spread the Web 2.0 gospel for years now, so it was right up my alley to participate in learn and play.

i think, hands down, this was the most fun i’ve had at the library in the 18 years i’ve worked here. thank you to CML, from admin to staff to the Friends, thank you for letting us Learn & Play!!!!!!!

Thing #22 oh, so MOLDI… 2008 December 2

i’m a fan of audio books! i mean, at heart, i’m a reader and i like to hold and read my books, but not always. i love to listen to audio books when i’m taking a road trip or working on a long project. i’m glad that we have MOLDI so that our customers are able to download audio books, but i wish they would get a bigger collection. i know that publishing rights and things like that probably interfere with them having popular movies and music (can’t make money off them), so i’ll just focus on the books.

to me, it’s a strange collection. many odd titles (A Date with Judy–Oogie Pringle and His High School Hot Licks wtf?), some variety (Revolution by Margaret Cho), and stuff for the masses (Kidz Bop 11). so when i say “strange,” i mean more like ecclectic, i guess. i have tried to download an ebook to a device and the hardest part for me was getting the Mobipocket eBook reader installed on the device. after that, it’s not so hard. now that it works with ipods, i’m sure i’ll try again and see if it really is compatible. as i mentioned before, i do prefer a real book to an eBook, but the audio books are excellent.

Thing #21 podcasting 2008 December 2

yeah, maybe another one i’m not so hot about. here’s why: podcasts aren’t very glamorous to me. there’s no pictures or shiny objects flashing to hold my attention, so i really think that podcasts aren’t always as effective as videos. i kind of feel they’ve gone by the wayside, except in those cases where maybe all someone wants is audio. but i want more than audio! Podcasting reminds me of when people would gather ’round the wireless to hear the latest episode of “The Shadow” or something. why does it seem so archaic to me now in these days of instant videos?

i can see libraries using podcasts for things like driving directions, tours of facilities, and storytimes, even though i think more interaction and engagement happens with video. i’m not all down on podcasting. when The Wizard and i went to Internet Librarian ‘08, we met Greg Schwartz. he has a regular podcast called Uncontrolled Vocabulary, which is excellent for professional development in the world of libraries. in this aspect, i can see where podcasting is beneficial. it’s cheap and easy and quick. no need for video cameras or proper lighting or anything like that, just record and go. for libraries, i could see where a regular podcast from the director might be a neat thing.

Thing #20 youtube AKA, “think about your dad…” 2008 December 2

ahhh, who doesn’t like youtube? where else can i see retro commercials and TV shows from the 70s, music videos from the 80s, and current mashups from today? video killed the radio star, and youtube lets you be that video star. while i enjoy youtube for current affairs (the recent election is a great example), i also enjoy it for those flashback moments.

i get a lot of laughs from the tim and eric awesome show: great job! on adult swim and one of the bits they do makes me and maggie just laugh and laugh and laugh:

Thing #19 the power tools page! 2008 December 2

i <3 the power tools page! not just because i helped create it, but because it finally gives some recognition to Web 2.0 stuff on our site, and because the tools here are so awesome. the toolbar i’m especially proud of because it really promotes CML’s services in one easy-to-access spot. it was shockingly easy to find and create!

of the links in the “tool box,” i know we covered some of them, but i’ll talk about book burro. i like book burro because you can find out other libraries’ holdings for books that you are browsing on the interwebs. book burro automatically recognizes ISBNs and will pop a small box with the libraries listed. you can add and delete the list of libraries that appear in the box. CML is available; they have us listed as “Columbus Public Library,” but at least we’re there. I like using book burro with firefox, of course, as you can modify it right from the “tools” settings in the browser. you can add book stores and libraries in book burro.

so here’s how it works: i’m searching amazon and i find a title i like. i’m on the page for the item and here comes book burro. it pops up and automatically starts searching whatever book stores and libraries i have designated and then the availability for the item is displayed in the popup box. the box sort of floats over the page and you can close it in case it’s annoying you. so it kind of works like out catalog search in the library toolbar, but, with book burro, you don’t even have to enter the title of the book. it knows when you’re looking for a book! i have to disable it when i’m entering titles for featured book on the homepage because, again, it senses an ISBN and it springs into action!

well, that’s my evaluation of book burro. give it a try! use it with firefox because it works best there (duh) and is available as a nifty plugin.