Project Report

Library 2.0

Monday, May 14, 2007

This blog is the starting point for a staff-learning challenge to make us better acquainted with what is happening on the Internet and in libraries of today. Click the link in the left pane to view the list of 23 Things (or tasks) that will help you on your journey to becoming a tech savy staffer. You'll be amazed, you'll be astounded, you'll open new accounts galore ...

Participants in the Library 2.0 project must use a free email account from a commercial service provider such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, or a host of others when registering for the various web services required by this project. As you will be creating several accounts on different websites during this project it will help if you keep track of user names and passwords from the beginning. Click here to download and print a form you can use to keep track of your user names and passwords.

Note: Do not use your PLYMC email account for this learning program.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why are we doing this?
  Think of the program as an Internet self-defense class. The Internet has always been a fluid medium, but today changes seem to happen at the speed of sound. Social networking sites are all the rage and new resources appear online daily for a variety of purposes. Some of our patrons already use many of these tools and expect the library, as the “Valley’s Technology Leader,” to be knowledgeable about such things as digital images, downloadable files, tagging, image generators, blogs, wikis, and other mysterious things. PLYMC Learning 2.0 guides you through a series of tasks, the 23 Things, and is your opportunity to find out what is happening and to think about how technology relates to libraries and vice versa.
• Where did this idea come from?
  This program was originally created by Helene Blowers at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. We will be doing most of the 23 Things that she developed in our program.
• How does this online learning program work?
  This is a self-discovery program that encourages staff members to take control of their own learning and to use their lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY. There will be no classes or workshops offered to support this program. Instead, staff are encouraged to work together and share with each other their discoveries, techniques and tips - both in person and through their blogs.
• Is this required?
  No. This program is a challenge and opportunity for PLYMC staff to learn about new ways to use the Internet and technology.
• Is this program open to all PLYMC staff or just some?
  This program is open to ALL PLYMC staff regardless of position and status (full and part time). If you are not a member of the PLYMC staff, you are welcome to follow along, however the library cannot award you any staff prizes for completion.
• How long do I have to complete the program?
  The program kicks off July 2nd, 2007 and officially wraps up on November 2, 2007. Staff members who complete all 23 Things by ­­­the end of the program will receive an MP3 player and will qualify for a special prize drawing to be conducted on Staff Day (Nov. 12th).
• How do I track my progress for each of the 23 Things?
  Each staff member that chooses to participate in this program will be required to keep a blog to track their progress.
• Will there be any training classes offered to show staff how to do this?
  No, this is a self-directed learning program. If you feel you need assistance with an item, you are encouraged to be resourceful and to find a co-worker or another staff member who can help. Reading other staff members' blogs can help, too. To find out who is participating see the links to participant blogs in the sidebar.
• I've seen the list of 23 Things on the website, but how do I know what to do with them?
  Each post contains details about the discovery exercises for that week.
• Can I work ahead through the list of items on my own?
  Yes, of course. You are encouraged to self-direct your discovery process, especially by working ahead on your own!! However, if you do work ahead on some items, be sure to check back on the exercise details for each item once they are posted so you can be sure to receive full credit for its completion.
• What if I need help - who can I call?
  Since this program is self-directed and is being completed by many staff members throughout the system simultaneously, you are encouraged to work with colleagues along your discovery journey.
• Will I be able to do this on library time?
  Yes and no. The time it takes to complete the learning experience for the individual "things" in this program varies - some things may take less than 15 minutes, others may take half an hour or longer. Staff members will be allowed to work on the Library 2.0 program within their scheduled work time and with the approval of their supervisors for no more than 45 minutes per week. It is likely that you will have to use some “personal time," such as lunch hours, breaks, before and after work on library computers, or even at home. Not to worry, this stuff is fun!
• I would like to earn the MP3 player and qualify for the drawing on Staff Day but don't feel comfortable with my co-workers reading my blog, can I participate anonymously?
  Yes & No. You control the information that you share on your blog, so you can use your real name or a screen name to identify yourself. You can remain anonymous in this way, but you must register your blog by e-mailing your name and blog name to plymcblogcentral@gmail.com in order to receive the MP3 player and qualify for the Staff Day drawing.
• Once I complete all 23 Things, how do I get my prize?
  If you complete the 23 things by the November 2, 2007 your MP3 Player will be given to you at Staff Day. If you complete the 23 Things list after November 2nd, there is NO guarantee that you will receive the incentive.
  

Week 1

Introduction
1. Read this blog & find out about the program.
2. Discover a few pointers from lifelong learners and learn how to nurture your own learning process.

Week 2

Blogging
3. Set up your own blog* & add your first post.
4. Register your blog with PLYMC Blog Central* and begin your Learning 2.0 journey. If you’ve made it this far, you have already completed three items or “things” of the 23 that are required to earn the MP3 player (not to mention qualify for the Staff Day drawing for other prizes.)
Continue recording your progress on each of the 23 things.*

* You will need to have a Google account to create your blog and to make comments on anyone else’s blog. Here is a link to the site where you can establish a Google account if you do not already have one: https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount. When creating a Google account, please note:
- Your Google Account username should be an email address from which you currently send and receive mail.
- Your password must be at least eight characters long and can't be a commonly used word. Please select a unique combination of letters and numbers.
- In the Word Verification section, you'll need to type the wavy characters exactly as they appear in the picture.
- Creating a Google Account does not give you a Gmail account.

*Once you set up your blog send an e-mail with the blog web address (example: http://reubenlearns2blog.blogspot.com/ ) and blog title to plymcblogcentral@gmail.com to "register" with the blog team.

* Make sure that your blog contains an entry or some commentary for each of the 23 Things discussing what you did, your reaction to the exercise, and any additional comments the experience inspires.

Week 3

Photos & Images
5. Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.
6. Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr mashups & 3rd party sites.
7. Create a blog post about anything technology related that interests you this week.

Week 4

RSS & Newsreaders
8. Learn about RSS feeds and setup your own Bloglines newsreader account.
9. Locate a few useful library related blogs and/or news feeds.

Week 5

Play Week
10. Play around with an online image generator.
11. Take a look at LibraryThing and catalog some of your favorite books.
12. Roll your own search tool with Rollyo.

Week 6

Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati
13. Learn about tagging and discover a Del.icio.us (a social bookmarking site)
14. Explore Technorati and learn how tags work with blog posts.
15. Read a few perspectives on Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries and blog your thoughts.

Week 7

Wikis
16. Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.
17. Add an entry to the Learning 2.0 SandBox wiki.

Week 8

Online Applications & Tools
18. Take a look at some online productivity (word processing, spreadsheet) tools.
19. Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards list, play with it and write a blog post about your findings.

Week 9

Podcasts, Video & Downloadable Audio
20. Discover YouTube and a few sites that allow users to upload and share videos.
21. Discover some useful search tools for locating podcasts.
22. The original Learning 2.0 post on e-books discusses downloadable titles from NetLibrary. While PLYMC has access to 2,768 NetLibrary e-books none of the titles are available in audio format. To establish a NetLibrary account, you must first create your account through the PLYMC link. Once you have a NetLibrary user name and password you can access NetLibrary directly and bypass the PLYMC site if you wish.

For downloadable audio titles check out the library’s Digital Books page and see what is available from PLYMC’s audio provider, OverDrive Audio Books.

For this “thing,” you need to familiarize yourself a bit with the structure of both e-book pages and get an idea of the types of titles you can find. Once you earn your MP3 player you'll be able to download and listen to an OverDrive title!

Don't forget to blog about your experience.

Follow-up

Follow-up
23. Summarize your thoughts about this program on your blog.