This month we would like for you to learn about online communities and make new connections.
Take a look at the slideshow available on HPL's wiki: http://10.34.145.39/twiki/bin/view/HPL/TechClasses
Explore the Wikipedia list of social networking websites at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites
Write about your experiences! Become a fan of Houston Public Library on Facebook. Can you find other HPL staff in LinkedIn? Take a look at some of the hobby sites such as Ravelry or Bake Space. How is social networking important to you as a public library staff?
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I've heard of a few of the social networking sites listed at Wikipedia and have accounts with a couple of them (flickr, for example). Most I'm not familiar with, so I decided to check one out I thought might be interesting.
I signed up for Passportstamp, a travel social networking site that lets you keep track of where you've gone around the world. You select the countries you've visited and then see them highlighted on a map. You also see what percentage of the globe you've seen (in my case, a mere 3%). There's a forum, a blog, and more for connecting with other travelers. Personally, I don't think I'd use this for socializing. I'd use it to mark the countries I've visited and that's probably all.
I think it's important we know about social networking since that's definitely the in thing right now. People who use our computers at the library are usually doing one of two things: applying for a job/creating a resume or surfing through their myspace page and the pages of their friends and their friends friends and so on. I lost count how often someone has asked me how to upload a picture to his or her account!
I explored the Wikipedia list of social networking websites and found some that I was already familiar with. My knitting buddies are always talking about Ravelry. It’s a place to feature your knitting projects, patterns, organize your knitting needles and yarn stash. I also looked at the website Nabuur. Nabuur is an online volunteering site for people of all different skill sets, who are interested in helping third world countries. The beauty of this site is that you can volunteer to help a village on the other side of the world without leaving your home.
To provide excellent customer service, it's important for me to keep up with the latest trends, and social networking is trend that's here to stay.
I enjoyed reviewing information I had gotten previously about blogs on the HPL's wiki, as well as some of the other slideshows.
It was also interesting to see the variety of social networking websites on the Wikipedia list. I viewed a couple dealing with travel, hotels, etc. and joined LinkedIn, that I hope to use in the future.
Finally I got on Facebook. I do have a Facebook page and enjoy keeping up with friends, especially those I have met through theatre. I have gotten on the HPL page and become a member. I started my page because a coworker at the library, who was on Facebook, encouraged me that it was easy to do.
Social networking is important at work and I would love to have more communication with the other juvenile librarians. A blog where we could share ideas, get help, etc. would be nice. But we are all too busy to start one or sometimes to look at one. (There isn't something like that, is there?) For now, we network at meetings a little and occasionally send emails.
Just testing for someone. Jackie
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1. Who has agreed to run the Mystery Book Club for Central?
Found under HPL Wiki . In shich took me a lot of clicking to come up with Marcia Chapman.
2. Where can you learn information about working with angry customers and filing out incident reports?
Incident Report-Policies and Procedures under the HPL Blog Mangaing Difficult Patrons with Confidence. Also it had Angry Customers and Problem Solving under Wiki
3. When are customers referred to collection agency (UMS)? what is the full company name for UMS?
Found answer on HPL Wiki Collection Unique Management Service. When patrons have fines of 25.00 or more.
4.Where do I find resources highlighted in eStar trainingsHPL Wiki. Type in e-star there was a list of e-star resources.
5.Where can I get a copy of the World Languages Collection plan? I found on wiki under Web Topic List
6. Where in the world id (do I find Mike Van Campen?
Central Chief's Blog
Social Networking sites listed in the Wikipedia were very interesting sites, but they seemed very similar to getting pen pals from other countries, etc. Other sites could be selected by interests or hobbies, etc. For example they had a Gaia Online which would draw attention to young adults with interest with anime and games. When you register it allows you to create your own personal anime character. Another site mentioned was GuildCafe for online games (similar to Dungeons and Dragons).
Special interests that you may have for example Travel, there were websites TravBuddy.com; Travellerspoint;or Passportstamp. Each site can enlighten each individual depending on their needs. The reason as to why we need to know about this websites is that the public will ask about them and how to get to them.
These websites will continue to develope and grow in number as there are interests.
These are the new web 2.0 technologies. One drawback is that one often has to register to beome a member and pay a fee to use the sites.
The social sites are not very helpful to me as a cataloging librarian, but web 2.0 can be useful to communicate through audio/video.
I took a look at the slideshow. It appears that these are PowerPoint slides that should accompany a class/classes. Are there classes in our future?
One problem I had with all the social networking websites is that you have to create a login and password. The last thing I need is more logons and passwords. Also, some of them, like the Ravelry one, you had to be asked to join.
Some were free, some cost money, some required you to be a certain age. How could they police that? (just curious).
I found a genealogy site in the Wikipedia list that said that it was private and no one could access the records except your family. If it is a decent package it might be worth using. However, there are excellent inexpensive genealogy packages, PAF (from the LDS) is even free.
Because I work in special collections, most of these websites would be of use to me only personally.
I did find an article “Social Networking Software” from a site called www.libsuccess.org. It referred to Houston Public as an example of libraries using social networking software. They stated that “social networking software is a new approach in some academic and public libraries today in order to make libraries not only “cool” in the public’s eyes, but also as a third space in which potential library users can participate in an collaborative exchange with their libraries.”
I feel that those areas of the library that deal with the general public have a need to develop skills in these areas.
Elizabeth
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