Final thoughts (wk 9, ex 23)

I really enjoyed doing Summer 2.0, although it was sometimes hard to find time to work on it. I think my favorite exercises were the ones which led me to discover new tools which had lots of potential, particularly these:

• Zoho Writer
• Wikis
• Image generators (perception laboratory, cappuccino and bookend generator, etc.)

I'm definitely interested in trying to use some of these tools in the library/ITS. Wikis and social bookmarking immediately come to mind as possibilities.

I thought this was a really helpful program, and would definitely enjoy doing something similar in the future.

E-books and audiobooks (wk 9, ex 22)

I visited Project Gutenberg, which puts books no longer subject to copyright online. The books are in many cases available as html files, text files, and audio versions. While they tend to be older books, this is a great way to read or cite from a classic, without having to go to the library and get a physical copy. Items such as CIA World Factbooks and some presidential speeches are also available. Some of the interesting books I found:

• Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Baum)
• Metamorphosis (Kafka)
• Iraq Study Group Report
• Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)
• The Natural History of Chocolate: Being a Distinct and Particular Account of the Cocoa-Tree, its Growth and Culture, and the Preparation, Excellent Properties, and Medicinal Vertues of its Fruit (Quelus) (mid-18th century)

I also visited audible.com. This is a commercial site providing audiobooks, through a subscription plan which claims to reduce the prices compared to outright purchase. I was impressed with their selection, which goes far beyond best-sellers. I found a few books I've been planning to read which are available as audiobooks:

• Brother I'm Dying (Danticat)
• Political Brain (Westen)
• Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World (Hiaasen)

Both of these sites struck me as useful largely because they allow users to get an entire book anytime they want one, as long as they have an internet connection.

Podcasts (wk 9, ex 21)

I used both Podcast Alley and Podcast.com to look for interesting podcasts. The ones I located, and liked enough to add to my Bloglines, were:

• LibriVox (books in the public domain read out loud by volunteers)
• LibVibe (assorted library-related news stories)
• Nancy Pearl Book Reviews (of Book Lust and Librarian Action Figure fame)

And a couple of personal favorites:

• The Dead Show
• President's Weekly Radio Address (a parody)

While I like podcasts myself, I wonder how many library users would subscribe to a podcast from their library... Still some are trying it. This one comes from a librarian at St. Petersburg College, I've taken a couple of blogging/2.0 workshops with him:

• St. Petersburg College Library podcast
  

YouTube (wk 9, ex 20)

YouTube has some great possibilities for libraries. A library tour video, or a demonstration of using library resources could be both fun and helpful. For example, my best friend, who works for a coffee company, has made a video demonstrating the use of one of their products:



At the same time, YouTube can be a great excuse to waste a lot of time watching absurd things. For example, I watched the video below, and now I want a goat.

Biblio.com (wk 8, ex 19)

After glancing over the Web 2.0 awards list, I chose to explore Biblio.com. Biblio allows customers to search for out-of-print or rare books, and locates them from one or several booksellers. The customer then buys them through Biblio.

I tried searching for several books that I've recently ordered for the library. Specifically, I searched for several that our 'backup' vendor had difficulty locating, therefore we didn't receive the books for months. The search in Biblio successfully located sellers for the books, and in almost every case listed slightly lower prices. I don't know how this would work for some of our acquisitions, but it's an interesting idea.

Zoho Writer (wk 8, ex 18)

So now I'm trying out Zoho Writer.  I've been using Google Docs for awhile now.  I really find it helpful to leave documents and spreadsheets online.  I can use them on multiple computers with multiple versions of software, and I can share them with other people. 

Google Docs doesn't seem to have quite as many features as Office, but for my needs it's been entirely adequate.  Zoho seems even a little smoother, although I like how nicely Google Docs integrates with my Gmail.

I'm interested to try posting this straight to Catablog.  That is an interesting feature...

Technorati Tags     writing

Sandbox wiki (wk 7, ex 17)

I'm back, and I'm going to try and finish the 2.0 list.

I did add to the Sandbox wiki, adding a link to this blog, a list of favorite books, and a couple of favorite movies...