Week 8 MLA Web 2.0

Well I made it to the final week--just under the wire.

The mash-up I took a look at was Health Map--a site that brings together a number of different sources to give you an over view of infectious disease around the world. I think this could be a great site to use it my day to day operations--I am often asked to find information about the global view of a particular disease. It will aften take me days to get to a variety of different sources to pull this information together. What a time saver!

I took a look at rollo and didn't quite get the concept. I think I will need to revist this one at a later date.

Week 7 MLA 2.0

Write a blog entry discussing how you felt about the experience of using YouTube and what you think about this service. Do you see any potential uses for Podcasting in the library? If so what and why?

I think both of these technologies could easliy be used for orientation or for teaching purposes. Currently we have software that allows us to create what we call 5 minutes exercises that taech users some aspect of using the library or other technology that they are required to us. These e-learning pieces are only availbale at work. To be able to offer these sessions no matter where the users were would be a great advantages. The thing that we will need to do in the future will be to convince our IT department to allow access to these technologies which they currently do not.

Week 6 MLA Web 2.0

Well this was a pretty easy week. I have had some experience with Flickr in the past but it was a nice refresher. Thanks.

Week 5 MLA Web 2.0

Week 5: Web Office Tools and respond to the following question: Is this the future of all software products? What do you think?

I think that is an exciting direction for sharing information and the cost of software programs. The idea of being able to share document without all the e-mailing back and forth would be great.

Also the idea of using software programs online rather than having them loaded on your computer would be great. Just think how the costs could go down for the average user. I think that we would have to contemplate how software would be paid for--would it leave others out?? Also what about issues of security--how do we know that others would not be able to hack into our information.

Another opportunity for this type of sharing would be medical records. Just imagine (after we have solved the problem of securing the information) that no matter where you are in the world with a computer and access to the Internet you could have access to all of your medical information. What an exciting possibility!

Another great lesson.

Week 4 MLA Web 2.0

Can you see the potential of this tool for research assistance? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?

I absolutely see ways that this can be used both personally and professionally. I plan to introduce this to some of the researchers that I work with who travel frequently and are not always able to access resources away from their "home computer." I am also planning a trip to Europe this summer and plan to use this to "bring" my online resources with me.

Great lesson.

Week 3 MLA Web 2.0

Social Networking
Well this one is an area that I am almost clueless--my 18 year old daughter has been using it for years but I really didn't have an interest in learning to use it. Even after this week I am not sure it is a tool, either professionally or personally, that I would use. Maybe it is not growing up in the computer age--but it actually feels pretty impersonal to me. Asking to be "friends" with people I have never met face to face seems odd!!! Now to answer a few questions:

• How can social networking be used by MLA to connect members--I think this might be a option--though the listserv I think already meets many of our needs--getting to know members more informally might benefit the organization.
• Are there privacy concerns for individuals when using social networking sites. Absolutely!
  o have used this tool think little about how their posted information may come back to haunt them some day--say when they are applying for that ideal job. It would be a shame to not get a job based on something stupid you posted on Facebook 10 years earlier.
  

Well on to another week.

Week 2 MLA Web 2.0

What is the difference between a blog and a wiki? What sort of things might be better suited for a blog and better suited for a wiki?

I see the wiki as a way to develop collaboration between a larger number of people. The blog seems to be more one person's opinion and others commenting on that opinion.

I think in the environment that I am in neither of these tools would be options. Blogs are blocked in our environment. Wikis may be an option but we have a small staff that already has a shared network space that allows us to work on documents, programs etc. together.

RSS feeds

I can think of a number of ways that RSS feeds could be used--
Personally there are a number of issues that I would like to keep up to date on, politics, fiber arts, movies etc. In addition I have a number of researchers that I work with that I try to scan literature and web sites for items that may be useful to their research--this would be a useful way to complete that activity. I could also see library users utilizing the same technology to keep uptodate on clinical issues that they have an ongoing interest in.

I think the biggest question I have is how this can be integrated into an organization that has ongoing concerns about security and safety with IT systems. Our organization currently blocks all blogs and most of the RSS feed sites. I think it will take some convincing and "homework" to change our current environment.

My first post

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Suess

This how I try to live my life and my relationship with others--it has served me well.