Thing 5

Ooops; I forgot to reflect on our break week. Obviously I didn't think about the class at all (sorry Polly!). The top picture is old (there are 3 more Grandkids-all girls). Unfortunately, my kids are sending me pictures from their iphones, and I haven't been saving them. The other two photos are of my daughter and her miracle baby; she was born at 29 weeks and only weighed 2.9 lbs. God certainly blessed us!

Thing 7

My last "Thing"; so much information and some great new words: Hoot Suite, Tweet Deck, Zamzar! It is good to know I will have this class saved as a ready reference source.

I signed up for Dropbox since it will be great to retrieve documents at home from something I was working on at work. I thought I would need to ask for help from our Computer Technician to download to my work computer but I just got an email welcoming me to Dropbox. I'll try it at home and see what happens.

I added Readability to my favorites and will definately start using it.

I didn't explore every site on the list but I did look at most of them; it was a real eye opener to see the tools that are free and easy to use.

Thanks for all your hard work putting all the information in such an organized and easy to use format.

Thing 9 eBooks

I am on the OverDrive Collection committee so I have ordered ebooks and I have successfully walked patrons through the process of downloading audiobooks and ebooks. I enthusiastically promote them to patrons and friends. That said, I'm pretty sure that I will never read a book on a Nook, a Kindle or an ipad!

Thing 4: Online Communities

OK; everything on my blog is out of order (just like my desk!). I signed up on Good Reads and I'm looking forward to talking about books I enjoyed and getting recommendations. I miss the co-worker who used to share what she was reading; I wonder if I can find her on Good Reads......

Social Networking is a very powerful tool. You just have to look at what happened in Egypt. A Facebook page about an activist blogger who was killed helped to force President Mubarek out of office. When you think about such power it is a bit frightening but I'd like to believe it is balanced because everyone can have a voice to express themselves. I will admit the online bullying I've been reading about really is a concern.

Thing 10: Future Trends

I don't think libraries will be the centers of learning that they once were; books used to be the only way to furthur intellectual development, but that isn't the case anymore. Libraries are evolving into community centers allowing people to gather for meetings, workshops, tutoring, classes, programs, group study and even playing chess. The library fills a need for the many people can not afford PCs, e-readers or their own books. Meeting room space and free Wi-Fi allow users to utilize the library as a convenient neighborhood meeting spot. I think that Children's Services remain the one constant; the pleasure of bringing a child to the library with a large empty bag and leaving with a wonderful pile of picture books to enjoy until the next visit will continue until 2020!

Thing 8: Video

Take a look at the youtube clip created by the Crandall Public Library Children's Department; they are using it to promote the Summer Reading Program.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DgYGA1bW_3w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Thing 6: Online Meetings

I signed up to view an archived webcast: Video in the Library: Trends and Best Practices One Year Later. Unfortunately, it is one hour long so it is on my to do list for the moment.

Thing 3: Photo Sharing

Boston, MA: Boston Public Library, a photo by pobrecito33 on Flickr.

Who knew the amazing photos that you can find and post on your blog. Thanks Polly for a great learning experience. I can keep all the classes organized and go back and review.

NYC - New York Public Library Main Building - Main Reading Room

NYC - New York Public Library Main Building - Main Reading Room, a photo by wallyg on Flickr.

I guess this photo doesn't match with "Keeping Up with Technology" since there are no computers in sight but it is what I dreamed about when I decided to become a librarian. You can almost feel the hushed reverence of the room.

Thing 2: RSS

I'm always reading things here and there on websites I visit but not in any organized way. Now if I see something I want to follow I know how to subscribe and it is so easy. As in so many things, I feel like I start in the middle and miss seeing the whole picture. I really like this baby step learning method.

Thing 1: Blogging

It is amazing just how easy it is to set up a blog; it could be addictive and full of picture after picture of my adorable grandchildren!