RSS Feeds considerably reduce the amount of Internet searching time because they list website updates in one location. Time is precious in between long working hours, catching up with family and friends etc, any help is welcome! I must admit on a personal level that whilst I believe that I can navigate the Internet effectively I am finding some of the web 2.0 technologies slightly unfamiliar at times.
I have set up an aggregator in Google Reader (is there anything Google CANNOT do?!) and I have subscribed to some sites of interest. I had a little bit of difficulty finding out how to "unsubscribe" to some of the sites I had added initially. I finally discovered a small heading in the blue panel on the left hand side of the page, right down the bottom... "Manage subscriptions"! I will now have to be in the practice of checking Google Reader for my updates rather than acting on autopilot and visiting each individual web page.
Libraries could take advantage of the power of RSS feeds in departments such as Collection Services where feeds from book suppliers' websites can be collected and referred to. The Children's department of any library could also subscribe to other library's web pages to see what's happening both here and overseas. The possibilities are virtually endless!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Do you flickr?
I should have guessed how addictive flickr would be before I started searching this photo sharing website! In my initial searches I looked at places I have recently visited in my holidays overseas in China. A search of "Yu Gardens" (in Shanghai) as a tag produced 403 results. I thought the photographic content was better when I then searched "Yu Gardens, Shanghai". The picture above was one of my favourites, the red and orange of the koi echoes that of the buildings beautifully!
flickr allows searching under the categories of photos, groups or people and one can chose to have results displayed in the order of most interesting or most recent. (I wonder who gets to choose which pictures are most interesting and what is the criteria? How do I apply for this job?).
Under groups I investigated "library" which produced a large number of hits, more than 2000. "Australian library" offered 12 hits including Picture Australia. The images associated with Picture Australia were amazing! I broadened my search to "Australia library" which produced more of a selection. I even found the library I work at! Do you flickr?
flickr allows searching under the categories of photos, groups or people and one can chose to have results displayed in the order of most interesting or most recent. (I wonder who gets to choose which pictures are most interesting and what is the criteria? How do I apply for this job?).
Under groups I investigated "library" which produced a large number of hits, more than 2000. "Australian library" offered 12 hits including Picture Australia. The images associated with Picture Australia were amazing! I broadened my search to "Australia library" which produced more of a selection. I even found the library I work at! Do you flickr?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The impact of digitisation: a personal perspective.
I work in library and information services within the public and academic sectors. The current information environment which libraries are part of is rapidly changing, perhaps more than ever! The new and collaborative technologies of Web 2.0 alters the way a library can serve its community. Libraries must embrace change and provide services based on what users want, in turn keeping up with new technology. A library blog, for example, can alert people to a new online database and provide users with the opportunity to give feedback.
The people around me play an important part in my awareness of social networking technologies. I have friends who have created blogs or spaces on Facebook and MySpace and they ask if I am on there too! I regularly use MSN Messenger to stay in touch with people. When studying I have contributed to online forums to share my thoughts and ideas with other students and academics.
Digitisation plays a huge part particularly in the university library environment where more than eighty percent of journal articles can be accessed online supporting both distance education and offshore students. Students can access their university timetable or lecture notes online and can also participate in online tutorials to teach them the university's referencing system.
In the public library sphere digitisation has made an impact in that school students can now access an online tutoring service either in the library or at home to assist with their studies. With adequate funding injected into libraries we can look forward to a bright future!
The people around me play an important part in my awareness of social networking technologies. I have friends who have created blogs or spaces on Facebook and MySpace and they ask if I am on there too! I regularly use MSN Messenger to stay in touch with people. When studying I have contributed to online forums to share my thoughts and ideas with other students and academics.
Digitisation plays a huge part particularly in the university library environment where more than eighty percent of journal articles can be accessed online supporting both distance education and offshore students. Students can access their university timetable or lecture notes online and can also participate in online tutorials to teach them the university's referencing system.
In the public library sphere digitisation has made an impact in that school students can now access an online tutoring service either in the library or at home to assist with their studies. With adequate funding injected into libraries we can look forward to a bright future!
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