True Believer

Dali - The Persistence of Memory - photo by baffled king(Flickr)
Initially- although curious and keen to learn something new- I regarded the 2.0 learning project as an odyssey rather than a pleasant journey.
While I am still developing my skills, the world of blogging has become a pleasurable experience for me- I have a good foundation of 'blogging' memory to work from. I am on the look-out for ways to incorporate blogging into my work at the State Library. An example is that I can see the relevance of our team using google documents. Currently, we throw up ideas at meetings or jot them down on a white board. Google documents would allow our team to develop ideas and projects over a period of time and take into account the different styles within our team e.g. some prefer to verbalise their thoughts, others prefer to write them down.
We will also be discussing ways that blogs can contribute to our teams specialised areas i.e. Family History and Independent Learning.
My learning advocate has sent me Learning 2.1 so I'm intending to start on this course next. It's great though to be able to go back to previous postings to polish, add to and improve them.

The Art of Social Networking

A Sleuth of Bears - bears photo by born in 1945(Flickr)

The addition of social networks to the choices available to our clients opens up a number of options that would enhance the services we provide. For example, it would make it possible for our clients to support and help each other in an informal way - by sharing there experiences such as family history searches. It would provide both encouragement and links to useful resources within the library for clients who are undertaking similar searches.

It would also allow the library to gather information, insights and feedback about our services and collections. Some clients may feel that client interviews and feedback forms are too formal to participate in but a less formal site like a social network connected to the library website may garner responses from a wider range of clients from various age groups. Social networking could also provide opportunities to disseminate information about upcoming events and exhibitions and create avenues for attracting donations and volunteers to the library.

"The last 15 metres were very difficult" - Eric 'The Eel' Moussami.

As far as mashups go, I have a good '50 metres' I can improve on. However, I was pleased that I perservered and, after several attempts, was able to bring a mashup to my post.
Clearly, the use of mashups can enhance the presentation of signs, displays and information at the State Library. And it has the potential to bring a number of library resources together e.g. maps, text, pictures and visions- readily and on one page.
Visual impact can play an important role in drawing people's awareness to our collections, so I think it is exciting that a variety of options can be used to stimulate people's imaginations. For example, I liked the 'beading' option in Big Huge Labs.
Mashup Above - photo originally uploaded by Intocti (Photobucket)

Pods casting a luminous net

Dr Jane Goodall with Gregoire by jguisa (Flicker photo)
"Children can change the world. It’s awfully sad that with our clever brains, capable of taking us to the moon and developing all these sophisticated ways of communicating around the planet, that we seem to have lost wisdom; and that’s the wisdom of the indigenous people who would make a major decision based on how that decision would affect people seven generations ahead...." ( A quote by Dr Jane Goodall from the recent SLNSW Wisdom exhibition)
One of the privileges of working at the State Library of NSW is being able to visit the wonderful exhibitions not just once, but on a number of occasions. It was well worth missing my lunchtime jaunts to the Botanic Gardens to savour, over a few days, the beauty and imaginings of the recent 'Wisdom' exhibition.
So I was delighted to discover during my 2.0 learning this week that the library has made a 'Wisdom' podcast available. This is but one of the entertaining podcasts that can be found at the following link:http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/podcasts/events/index.html
Apart from podcasts relating to the exhibitions and talks given at the library , I think it would be useful for the library to develop podcasts connected to the collections such as the 'History of Our Nation'. Also, given the experience and knowledge that some of the SLNSW staff have acquired through a long association with the library, it would be fascinating listening to podcasts about their personal histories at the library.

Providing some answers

Above : 'Life's questions' by lo_rez_sky (Flickr)
Answer boards - I liked the way one librarian - who responded to a number of questions on the Answer Board Librarians wiki - also included a link to the library he works at; in my opinion, this adds some authority and depth to his responses.

The possibilities for using answer boards at the State Library of NSW are numerous in relation to collections, exhibitions and services. I think it would be useful to have responses from librarians, other library staff and the clients using the State Library - whether in person or through accessing the collections online.

In terms of rating responses, the star or thumbs up or down (or both) seem effective to me but it would be good also to allow for comment e.g. people may think part of a response is useful but the rest of it either unclear or misleading.

D'oh! Where's the link key?

D'oh! Guess who has a new job...
Originally uploaded by pochacco20

After a couple of frustrated attempts at finding a groove with bookmarks and tagging - and then linking them to my blog, I'm now finding my stride.
The benefits of blogs at work in the library are becoming clearer to me. For example, we are involved in ongoing projects within our teams and it is a useful way of keeping team members and collegues up-to-date about various projects. Also, blogs are a way of giving clients greater detail, including visual information, about the various collections and events at the library. The blog- delicious link is a great way for people to peruse related and additional resources.

Observatory Hill and S.H. Ervin Gallery

Observatory Hill
Originally uploaded by nathankaso(Flickr)
Observatory Hill by

stealthflower
The beauty of Sydney, old and new, at Observatory Hill - in my opinion one of the finest views in Sydney. It think it is often overlooked by the many people who gravitate towards The Rocks forgetting or unaware that a short stroll from the Rocks can lead you back in time through the old-world charm of Millers Point. And then the reward for climbing a few steps and a gentle hill, is the spectacular view captured above.

Nestled on the side of Observatory Hill is the wonderful E.H. Ervin Gallery which is housed in the National Trust Centre - currently on display is 'Timeless: The Art of Cressida Campbell' http://www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au/properties/gallery/exhibitions/cressida/

I've been spending part of my flex day - and it's been fun- going back over some of the previous weeks' lessons. It was satisfying to be able to add a flickr image without prompts; I've also explored the functions on the blog post page and added a picture using the 'add image' button.

Tagged but not out!

Tagging and co. has presented some challenges for me - I've needed to go back over the information several times and I'm still getting my head around it. Something I've realised from doing this course is that patience and perserverance eventually bear fruit. It's been great that a few people in our team are around the same stage of progress. So, we've been able to give each other some tips and information e.g. about interesting items from fellow bloggers' pages.
I've been looking at the tags on Sutherland Library's site and it was good to see that they have tagged the State Library's Convict research guide. Another intriguing tag is Sydney Sidetracks which provides a wealth of information from the ABC's Sydney history archives; The National Film and Sound Archive; The State Library and The Museum of Contemporary Art - to name a few.

Louis Wain's 'fanciful imagery of cats' (source You Tube)

Rewinding to yester year and travelling to libraries around the world

This week I've been exploring the wonders of You Tube and I'm amazed at the content and vastness of this site - and that it is something that can be utilised by people of all ages and various stages of video techno know-how.
I've been thinking about the ways You Tube could be of benefit to our library's clients. For example, I clicked onto the You Tube video of the 'Globe' in the reading room of the State Library. I think this use of technology could have various applications at the library, for example - highlights of Family History and the various exhibitions that are continuously happening at the library. And for ongoing viewing once the exhibition has closed e.g. the staff Unclassified' exhibition. Also, this form of information provision takes into account that people have different ways that they like to gather information e.g. brochure versus video clip.
I viewed several You Tube clips including : Library at the British Museum - a glimpse of what it is like but the images weren't very clear and there was no commentary. And it was great to see the range of videos onsite - e.g. being able to travel back to my favourite childhood TV show and see a clip from National Velvet. Also, I was impressed by the Flinders Map video that was written, directed, animated and narrated by seven-year-old.
Another application to the library that I thought about while exploring You Tube was for clients to be able to read something in a book or newspaper article and then link it to items available through You Tube. For example, I recently read an item in the newspaper about British artist Louis Wain and was then able to go into You Tube and get a more graphic view - some paintings and commentaries about him.

Travelling further afield

I've been having a browse at some of the other bloggers' postings from time to time and have found it interesting- re: information on the blogs but also realizing that other people have had similar challenges as they have been making their way through 2.0.
Today, I had a look at the blog titled Cardigans and Sensible Shoes - I was drawn to this by the title. It suggests to me the traditional image of librarians but also as a way of highlighting the changes and leaps that are being made in the way we are providing information and services through technology. It's good to keep a mix of the old and new. And as it says in one of the blogs , cardigans are coming back into fashion!
Also, I was pleasantly surprised to come across a mention of the Time Traveler's Wife as I have just finished reading this book and enjoyed reading about other people's impressions.
The post about the SciTech Library at Sydney University and their use of space there e.g. the funky furniture and unimposing reference desk was informative and got me thinking about changes that could improve clients' experience in my team's area - Family History/Independent Learners. I think it would be great to have some of the soft light lounges that can easily be moved around to make it more comfortable and it would be good if we could do a few things to refresh the FH desk area to make it more appealing to clients researching or browsing in this area.

RSS means Real Simple Syndication

Jane Austen by tartx (Flickr)

Although I can never remember what RSS stands for, I've been enjoying exploring the world of RSS. I've been a bit pressed for time so I haven't been 'blogging' as much as I would like - but at least I'm not procrastinating like I was in the beginning.
I needed to go over the week 6 learning material a couple of times before I was able to start adding feeds to my account. Once I started to get the hang of it , I was marvelling at the information that can be accessed through RSS feeds.
I've added the following to my account:
Powerhouse Museum - Photo of the day. The photo of the day was the Forbidden City of China - an interesting panorama of three different shots that have been stitched together. Blog 2.o has started me thinking more about photos on the web too, rather than primarily sourcing photos through exhibitions and books.
The other RSS feeds I've explored and added to my account are: Library bytes; ABC news; National Library of Australia and Smithsonian Institute.
The State Library could use RSS feeds to broaden the information available to our clients. For example, by having regular feeds available on our website from State Libraries throughout Australia; ABC news highlights and daily news and photos from other institutions with a close association with our library such as the Customs House Library and The Powerhouse Museum.
My google blog search was for Jane Austen and I was amazed that there were in excess of 360,000 blogs relating to this subject. I settled on and was impressed by the Jane Austen's World blog at http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/. This site produces a fountain of information for people interested in Jane Austen's novel's, letters, life and times. Another feature that captured my attention was the list of podcasts available at this site including: Walking Tours e.g. of Bath and Regency lifestyle and cookery.

Is it 2009 yet?

During the Christmas/New Year break my blog learning has become a bit vague but I'm keen to get back in to it and make some progress.
I've just taken the week 4 Wiki tour but will need to listen to it again to go back over the details.
I've been focusing on Discover and Explore each week but would also like to take the time to do a little Adventuring too.
I've started editing my blog and plan to go back to posts from time-to-time to proofread and look at ways of improving them. Also, I just went into the week 4 adventure and looked up Coogee. I knew that Coogee is an aboriginal word but was hoping for something more glamorous than "smelly place''. Still, the smell of seaweed can't subtract from the great beauty and calm you can experience walking along the Coogee coastline with a view to the festive Wedding Cake Island offshore.