Thing 17: Creating Content

23 Things keeps getting better and better :) I really loved this Thing, it was so much fun and its amazing what great tools there are out there. I had a look at MakeBelieveComix, Xtranormal, Animasher and Storyboard.

I think they all have potential for getting a message across. I've seen Xtranormal used for library conferences and also presentations during Orientation Week at university and I think it has so much potential for helping us engage with students. My old workplace used it for Orientation Week because students hadn't been responding to previous library presentations (not surprising given the amount of new information students have to process during Orientation) so they tried something different and for the first time students really paid attention to what was being said.

I really liked MakeBelieveComix, just because it was so much fun to create something and really simple to use. My partner and I can both see ourselves spending a lot of time on this site. I think for libraries it could be very useful for making a short point but in an interesting, humorous way. You can view one of the Comix my partner and I created here

Thing 16: YouTube

Wow! I knew there would be a lot of library YouTube videos but I didn't expect how fantastic some of them would be! It was hard to chose just one to embed!

I definitely think YouTube is a great way to reach library users, and I think its marketing potential is greater than some of the other tools, like podcasts. The challenge in using YouTube though is finding a way to stand out from every other YouTube video, whilst still providing users with some information about library services. I think YouTube has a lot of potential - it can be a much nicer format than the standard lecture spiel about what the library offers (important information I know, but not retainable for new users) by offering acting, and allowing for props and humour. Plus we know most of our students are familiar with it.

Thing 15: Slideshare and Prezi

Slideshare
Slideshare seems like an easy way to share your slides, and I can see why a lot of libraries already use it. It definitely looks more interesting than the traditional Powerpoint presentation. I seem to prefer the Prezi layout though. This one was my favourite Slideshare:

Flying Librarians of Oz: What's all the fuss about Second Life and what's it got to do with libraries?

View more presentations from sirexkat

Prezi
My first experience with Prezi was at a library conference almost two years ago, listening to UTS library give a really inspiring presentation. Part of the reason their presentation stood out so much was that unlike very other library who used Powerpoint, UTS used Prezi. They embedded some YouTube videos into it, and they made Powerpoint look outdated. Since then I've always really like Prezi, theres so much scope for imagination with it and its a great way to make a presentation different.

I've embedded a Prezi presentation that I think is relevant to 23 Things.

Collaboration with Web 2.0 Tools on Prezi

Thing 14: Exploring Podcasts

I have known about podcasts for sometime, and I've worked at libraries that have incorporated these into their website. I think they are a great idea, it means that libraries can assist people with a different learning style which is important in our efforts to encourage information literacy. I know some students who like to download them onto their MP3 or iPod.

I don't think I would subscribe to podcasts, I think they are just not my learning style (I tend to tune them out). I'd rather read the information, or learn by doing. That said I'm not at all opposed to them, as I can see the value in them. I would create a podcast happily if it happened to be part of my job in the future.

I found an interesting site that looks at podcasting and libraries. The site briefly covers question like 'why podcast?' and lists some libraries doing a great job with podcasting. You can check it out here

Thing 13: Facebook

I've been on Facebook for awhile now personally, and I think its a great social networking tool for those people that you don't keep in regular contact with (although the lack of privacy settings, or the unnotified changes to them can be very annoying). My grandfather used to say that his disappointment in life is that you never get to find out what happened to people you once knew but have lost contact with; unless you chance upon them one day. I think that Facebook goes a little way in filling in some of those blanks.

In terms of libraries, I think Facebook is a great way to target the audience. I know there has been some research suggesting that students don't want libraries in 'their' space. I think though that the students that do choose to 'like' a page are unlikely to have that opinion. It's a great way to get regular library updates delivered to something students check regularly. I've seen large numbers of students using Facebook in the library and I definitely think if we don't join them on Facebook we have lost our audience. There's a fascinating blog post about Facebook and libraries here

For me a good library Facebook page has important library news, but also offers some interesting articles or unusual facts about libraries. As fun as reading about database downtime on the library Facebook page is, I think students also need some interesting posts that make them think, allow for interactivity, offer interesting pictures or links to interesting new stories. Here are 10 Great Library Facebook Fan Pages that show that it is possible to really connect with patrons on Facebook.

Thing 12: Flickr

I've heard lots about Flickr and I have used it for searching before but until Thing 12 I haven't actually joined and uploaded my own photos. For backing up photos online, and sharing them it is a great resource. I love the multitude of pictures on the site, from historical images right through to present day. It's also got a nice collaborative feel to it with the groups and the ability to add contacts. Usually if I'm going to share photos at all I do so on Facebook but I'll definitely keep Flickr in mind for the future.

In the spirit of Flickr I thought I would share a photo from Mayfield Gardens near Oberon NSW.

Thing 11: Productivity and Collaboration Tools

Awwww Thing 11. Part of the reason I have procrastinated this one so far is for the same reason that lifeofalibrarian stated. I too found the list quite daunting, but mostly reading the explanations of what each site does made me think I'd never use it or find it all that helpful. For this task I have chosen these 3 tools to discuss:

Workflowy:
I noticed a trend among 23 Things bloggers that Workflowly was actually helpful. I have to say I do like it and I can see how it would be useful. My partner is currently finishing off a PhD and I can see something like Workflowy being useful for him. If I needed a detailed list for studies, I would consider using Workflowy. Originally I looked at it with chores in mind but rather than having to refer to my laptop frequently (my phone is not very web capable) I think I'll be sticking to a paper list.

Doodle:
I could see this being useful, particularly for anyone trying to organise a group assignment, event or just a group of people. I could see that it could be an asset to avoid a heap of emails trying to organise a date and time.

Hootsuite:
This is something that I have used before in my old job. It was great because it helped organise all the updates into one handy place and it was easy to use and read. I used to love the statistics, it was quite gratifying to see that the posts made by the library were being read. Plus it was interesting to see which posts were being clicked through, and hence what students are interested in reading.

Thing 10: Social Bookmarking

I think that social bookmarking has some great purposes. There's nothing worse than logging onto another computer only to realise that all your links are saved on your computer, so you'll have to find them all again. Delicious and the social bookmarking sites make accessing important sites easy. I love that it also allows for collaboration.

I've seen Delicious used in my previous workplace, as a tool to allow for library staff to tag recent information in their allocated fields and share it on the library website. I think that there is always the danger of inconsistency with tagging, for example people using lots of variations of the same words. My old workplace had to address this issue to make staff consistent so that we were not using an unnecessary amount of tags which could potentially be confusing.

I think social bookmarking has the potential to make collections more accessible for libraries. Some of the tags seen a little more intuitive than the OPAC search terms needed.