Ten Random Things about Me

1. I love to sing, even though I cannot sing well. My dream would be to sing like Dolly Parton. Love her.
2. I am allergic to milk.
3. Number 2 reminds me of this: our milk cow got out of the barn during a thunderstorm and hit by lightning when I was little, and she burned up right there in front of us. Good thing I was forced to drink soy milk due to my allergy to cow's milk.
4. I have always felt like an outsider everywhere I've ever lived or worked. Never really belonged anywhere.
5. I am quite shy, and I get embarrassed pretty easily.
6. I am insanely private, something that irritates the fire out of Nils.
7. I keep my car perfectly messy; it's a trash can on wheels to me.
8. As a child, I used to be obsessive about correct grammar and grammar rules.
9. I have an irrational fear of the phone. I just know it's going to be bad, bad news.
10. My precious Lydia is the best thing I have ever done in my entire life, hands-down. She is exquisite.

Thing #23 Learn & Play finale

So here is the end of Learn & Play. I doubt I have anything new to say on the whole experience, but here goes. This is by far the best thing CML has done for staff, besides our CLASS training. Helen Blowers is considered a rock star in library world, so CML is fortunate to have her. As for my own experience with 23 Things, I had already experimented with most of the 23 things, but hadn't mastered many of them. Not to say that I mastered all of them, but this experience forced me to learn more about them, especially Delicious and blogger. I hope CML does another 23 things--advanced version, maybe? Maybe we could practice making our own podcasts, videos, etc. and uploading them. That would be useful, I think. One of the best parts of L&P is getting to know my friends at CML better via their blogs. I didn't venture out to read other non-friend blogs (who has the time for that?), but I loved having a glimpse into my friends' lives via their blogs. Now a pic of my favorite way to learn and play: my dearest Lydia, taken by former CML staffer, Jessi . Check out her blog, too.

Thing #22: MOLDI or digital books

MOLDI is not a service I've used personally before now. I like to listen to books on CD or books on tape in my car, but other than that, I like to have my mind wander or to have silence. So I am not the kind to listen to digital books very often. As for this service, searching was cumbersome, and the downloading of the books was time-consuming--but maybe it was the time of day I did this exercise. Here are the two books I checked out. Customers could use this service for classic titles, esp. when the hard copies are all checked out.

Thing #21 Podcasts

Podcasts are huge; they're advertised on NPR all the time. I have occasionally listened to an NPR show via a podcast when I've missed the original airing on the radio. The technology is so customer-focused; I love the idea behind the name: personal, on-demand, "broad"casting. I found a couple of libraries that use podcasts in basic, but useful and effective ways. Pierce county library uses Podcasts to advertise books and to educate parents and caregivers on Ready to Read skills. So 2.0! I'm surprised that CML doesn't do anything with podcasts. A cheap (read FREE) way to connect to customers.

Thing #20: YouTube, "Lydia the Tattooed Lady"

There's nothing original I can say about YouTube that hasn't already been said. It's revolutionized the way people express themselves, watch movies and tv shows, and entertain themselves. My husband wastes more time on YouTube than I want to admit. I get restless watching YouTube, but I'll occasionally watch something that I hear about spreading in the pop cultural realm. I will say that YouTube gives easy access to a huge archive of media in pop culture. And it comes in handy when I explain where my precious Lydia got her name. Wonder what she'll think of her parents when she's older?

Thing #19: CML Power Tools

Here is the list of power tools on CML's website. The ones I used the most are the Google search box and the CML homepage search box. Handy, handy! Of course, I already use gmail, Twitter, Firefox, and Worldcat. Creative Commons is one I have only recently used, and I really like their teaching videos.

Thing #18: Web 2.0 Awards

So many to choose from this list! I like the idea of Yelp. The reason I like it is because you could possibly find like-minded people via Yelp. My husband and I are always wondering if there are people who are similar to us in my hometown of Elizabethtown, KY, and this website might could give us some connections. I also want to comment on another website from this list---reddit.com. Any time I try to tell Nils something that I have read or heard about, he already knows about it. When I ask him, "How?," his answer is always "reddit." The man lives on that website; he's obsessed with it. One more website from this list; Mango Languages might be a great way to learn some basic phrases in another language. Could use it to help communicate with the Mexican workers on our farm in KY. I'll tell my brothers about it. But now, here's the real award winner: my little Lydia!

Thing #17: Online Productivity tools: Google Docs

You can't beat Google docs. Somehow I discovered them a couple of years ago and began saving copies of work documents that I want for future use, in case I find myself working at a different library system. The portability, the ease of use, the intuitive process for uploading and/or creating a document...you just can't beat Google. No more paper files, pin drives or floppy disks (yes, some people still use them!); my work can live forever online...until they start charging a fee, of course! I also love Zoho. Both of these online tools enable people to create and save documents online without the use of Microsoft or hard drives. Fantastic! Now that is Web 2.0!

Thing #16: Learn & Play Sandbox (wiki)

I joined CML's wiki and added my blog to the favorites list. Also added a couple of other favorites: favorite stores, quotes, etc. But here is my favorite:

Thing #15: Wikis

Things I love about Wikis: the ease of coordinating and sharing information. I hate trying to work on documents or a plan with others using only email. Wikis allow a group of people to work on the same project from their various locations, and the status of the project is always clear. I could see a smaller library using a Wiki as a substitute for their Intranet. Something to think about if I ever worked in a smaller library that is not part of a big system... A wiki that I like and think I will use in the future for keeping on top of "best practices" and other great ideas in librarianship is Library Success.

Thing #14: What does Library 2.0 mean?

I'll just list some of my favorite quotes, ideas, and sections from the articles recommended in this exercise. When the whole Library 2.0 concept came onto the scene, it's as if someone had read my professional diary. THIS is the stuff that I have wanted our public libraries to be. Now, maybe now, we're on the way to being the best that we can be as a profession.

*"if our services can't be used without training, then it's the services that need to be fixed, not our patrons. One-button commands, such as Flickr's "Blog This," and easy to use programs like Google Page Creator, offer promising models for this user-centrick service."

*it's "harder and harder to justify the continued buildup of a large 'just in case' print collection" because with the Internet, customers and staff will have access to everything!

*"What are libraries? Libraries are not just collection of documents and books, but they are conversation, they are convocations of people, ideas, and artifacts in dynamic exchange. Libraries are not merely in communities, they are communities: they preserve and promote community memories; they provide mentors not only for the exploration of stored memory, but also for the creation of new artifacts of memory."

*"...knowledge spa: meditation, relaxation, immersion in a luxury of ideas and thought...a WiFREE space, a retreat from the technohustle, with comfortable chairs, quiet, good light, coffee and single malt. You know, the library."

Thing #13 Delicious

I signed up for a Delicious account a couple of years ago after reading about it in a journal. I gotta admit I was confused on how to tag and organize my websites, so I quickly abandoned it after repeated tries. However, I'm going to figure it out this time, and I hope to keep track of all the websites I use on a regular basis, but more importantly, the websites I use only occasionally. But seriously, if you want to know what it truly Delicious, watch this video.

Thing #12: Twitter and "ambient awareness"

I've been in Cbus for over 13 years now and have often felt lonely, even though I have friends and friendly colleagues. What's missing is that easy and constant physical presence that I used to have being in a big family in a small town. Hard to be lonely when you are rarely alone, although I have to admit that I did feel lonely while in KY, too. So maybe it's me. Anyway, this NY Times article sums it up better than I can. And as the article suggests, I, too, felt closer to my friends through the banal details of their days because of Twitter. THANKS Twitter for bringing my friends closer to me.

Thing #11: LibraryThing

I'm a GoodReads gal, but I still created a LibraryThing account. Granted, I'm way behind in keeping my Goodreads account up to date, but I really like the format.

Thing #10: Image Generator

Lots of websites to choose from on this exercise, but I just stuck to one of the ones suggested.

And of course, I had to feature my little Lydia on this ALA READ poster website!

Thing #9: Finding Library-Related Feeds

Even though I am often pressed for time (especially with a 6-month old at home!), I do like to stay on top of what's going on in the greater library world. I'm really trying to create a thorough list of feeds on my google reader page.

Lydia's serenade

Lydia's serenade from sarah mackey on Vimeo.

Lydia rolls over at 4 months!

This video was taken in August 2008; I'm a little slow in downloading all her pics and videos!

Lydia in her seat

 

Thing #8: Bloglines

Am I the only one who had problems logging into bloglines? It would take too long to login, and eventually the page would time out. Frustrating. Dunno why that happened, day after day, week after week. But I finally created my account and would like to think it helps me keep track of the blogs and other webpages I read, but not if I cannnot ever get onto the page! So for now, I will most likely still use my tabs in Firefox or the RSS feeds in my favorites to keep on top of my web reading. http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs

Learn & Play at CML

Here's the webpage that lists all the "23 things" staff at CML are supposed to do in order to learn about new and emerging technologies. It's a great idea; we'll be better equipped to help customers when they have questions about these things. Some of the things are not new to me, some of them are ones I've dabbled with before, and others are totally new. Lots to learn, but such a great exercise!

Thing #7: Face your manga

Simple way of creating an online image of yourself. I think my cartoon self is more attractive! But anyway, that's not the point of this post. We're supposed to blog about new technologies. This website www.faceyourmanga.com is indicative of a popular trend in creating a second self online. But what is more interesting to me is this desire to connect online via facebook and twitter and www.meebo.com
Just to name a few. I wouldn't have guessed that I would dig all these ways to connect, being a hermit of sorts...but they really do expand your world in a non-intrusive way. But hard to find time to keep up with the world when you have a 5 1/2 month old to care for!

Thing #6: Places I've visited in America

Places I've visited in America

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

I got the idea to use this site from my friend Maggie.

Flickr exploration

For our "Learn & Play," here's a neat little picture I found on Flickr.

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Shall I aspire to be anonymous, or will I announce myself to this blog world like a frog? What's the point of adding to the online noise if I can't share my world with friends and family?