Thing #39 -- Digital Storytelling

I knew this one would take a long time, I could edit and tweak my scrapbook forever! But I finally had to stop if I'm going to get the rest of the Things done in time.

I chose to try out Scrapblog for this Thing. It was quite easy to use, even without viewing the video tour or any of the help provided. I had no problem choosing a theme or building pages. There are a lot of options--almost too many. I'd keep browsing around for different backgrounds or objects to add to my book. I chose a similar theme to what I used for Thing #37, my garden.



Since I live at quite a distance from the rest of my family, I keep trying different ways to keep in touch with them by sharing photos. The tools I've learned about here are things I am sure I will use again.

The information about using scrapbooking for education reminded me that when my brother was working on his teaching license he learned about using scrapbooks as a tool. I can definitely see its place in education. In some classes at my college students are required to keep a journal, and e-portfolios are becoming common. Creating an electronic, multimedia scrapbook is an intriguing variation on both these approaches.

Thing #10 -- Wikis

At my library we created a wiki, using PBWiki, that is primarily built and used by our reference assistants. It's a place for information about various aspects of working here and staffing the reference desk. It gives our assistants a way to share what they've learned with those who will follow them--since they're likely to be more aware of passing on information that we may take for granted. Library reference staff can edit it as well, and occasionally do.

The wiki also has a section for "sticky questions," primarily those pesky citation questions that none of us want to have to research twice. (As an academic library, we get lots of requests for citation help.)

I'm involved on a planning group for a regional conference, and we also use PBWiki. It's an easy way for different team members to float ideas, ask for input, and update the rest of us about what they've done or are working on. It's nicer than emails, but email notification of edits ensures we all stay informed of changes.

I wasn't previously aware of the Library Success wiki--it looks like a useful way to share information. I did go in and edit a couple of pages related to online reference.

I was intrigued with the wiki of subject guides that St. Joseph County Public Library created. These look like only librarians edit them. For the subject guides at my library, each one has one person responsible for them, so the collaborative aspect doesn't seem to make that much sense, unless unless we were to open editing up to students, which I don't think we would. However, there is a series of research guides on our web site that aren't assigned to one particular librarian. We use them in our instruction classes, and because they are the responsibility of everyone (or no one) they don't all get edited regularly. Putting them in a wiki and allowing students and faculty to leave comments to let us know when content is out of date or links are broken would be helpful. I think students might also appreciate the search capabilities that a wiki offers. It would allow them to find the guide most useful to them without having to review the entire list.

Thing #9 -- Web 2.0 Collaboration Tools

I've used both Google Docs and Zoho Writer previously and they are a useful way to collaborate, especially for projects involving librarians at multiple institutions. The ability to chat with collaborators from within Zoho is a nice feature, although at one point we ended up switching to the phone to work out a problem because it was easier! In theory, I also like Zoho Notebook, which allows you to build a project that includes multiple types of files--documents, spreadsheets, web sites, etc. However, in practice, we've had problems with it, as the contents of many documents in the notebook aren't appearing. I'll admit, this could be more a problem with us not understanding how to share documents properly rather than with the application itself.

As far as straight word processing goes, Google Docs and Zoho Writer seem equally capable--I didn't have a problem creating and editing a document in either one. Google Docs' autosave feature is a little annoying at times, but its interface is a little clearer. One feature that would be helpful is automatic notification if others have edited the document. I didn't see that this was possible in either application, but perhaps I just missed it.

Thing #4 -- Flickr

I've explored Flickr a bit, primarily for personal reasons (it's one of the ways my brother-in-law shares photos with family), but my library-related experience with Flickr has mostly been limited to seeing it in Library 2.0 presentations I've attended. I confess for the most part I've had a hard time seeing ways to integrate Flickr usefully into my job. But browsing what other libraries have done made me think that maybe there are ways to use it.

I can see applications for it in archives and special collections, such as the Library of Congress site. I was made aware of their Flickr page early this year, and included it on my library's web site as the site of the month for February. Flickr is a way to reach a wider audience of people who can potentially identify and provide background information for photographs in library collections. Right after library school I did an internship in the archives of a summer dance institute. We were trying to identify dancers in old photographs by taking them (the photos, that is) to staff meetings. Having something like Flickr available then would have helped us get broader input.

I liked what the Clemens and Alcuin libraries did with their book displays--it would be easy for us to set up something similar. I was also intrigued by their library tour, but then started asking questions. Is Flickr a better place for a library virtual tour than the library's own web site? Is that where people are more likely to find it? Or is it just a matter of getting the library out into other places, as well as the web site? The rollover map is a nice feature, and I see that Flickr applications are the next Thing. So maybe my future explorations for Thing #5 will allow me to see more uses for Flickr in the library world.

Oh, and here's my image. The warm weather last week had me thinking that maybe spring is here.

(Photo by lapillus)