Week 15: Gaming and Virtual Worlds

I’ve heard so much about Second Life but never signed up for an avatar.

However the process was extremely frustrating. This was my last assignment and I thought everything was going well until the Second Life site caused extreme delays with my system. I could barely move from one screen to the other.  I tried to edit the appearance of my avatar who I named Freesia Trachtenberg but then I started to receive a message from my computer that something wasn’t compatible. I am not sure what it is and so tried saving a snapshot of what my female avatar started to look like. I was going to give her red hair! I would have tried the online games instead but there wasn’t enough time. I only had five minutes to spare.

Here’s a photo of my  virtual self……

I realize that this probably isn’t acceptable but I gave it my best shot to complete the assignment with a proper snapshot this evening. I did publish this last assignment at 11:57 pm on April 30th – I guess I should have taken a copy of that screen before I edited and noted my last comment at the end of this post.

I really wanted a chance at that laptop!

With respect to the importance of gaming and virtual worlds to libraries, they are definitely the medium that has become second nature to the teens and younger patrons. It is important that staff be aware and knowledgeable of the latest forms of entertainment for patrons, especially for the younger generation that often knows no different.  As for whether Second Life should have a role in Second Life or other virtual worlds, I think that it will only benefit the libraries to a certain extent. If one can ensure that the library can use these sites to promote library programs and ideas, it may be a great away to engage the younger set and make them aware of library services geared especially to them.

Update:  I tried again to retrieve a proper avatar but it just didn’t want to work. The Borg would say that “resistance is futile” – I didn’t want to prove them right!

Week 14: Online Applications and Productivity Tools

Google Docs is an excellent resource. It was fun exploring all the options available to the user for creating various documents and employing the various tools. You can find my document here:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddkk24gq_0gbzrcv4b I shared this site with a friend of mine to see if they ahd any trouble accessing it. The only issue they had with it was having to create another account! The only trouble I had was trying to create folders. That is one area I will need to explore further.

 

Week 13: Podcasts & Video

I have been a big fan of You Tube for a couple of years now. I love finding not only interesting videos but its a great site for songs and TV shows and commercial clips, especially for a nostalgia buff like me. I searched for the video Darcy created and his Donald Trump impression is always good for a laugh. I found this other video that was made at Locke Street interesting to say the least: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kC9rfRIbis

I find that podcasts are very useful for a number of reasons but mainly because they are a great information and entertainment tool. The convention I belong to began providing podcasts of new announcements that attendees could download. The Podcast Directory was really great however I found that defining by basic subject was okay but when you had to search through 400 various podcasts in Television shows to find one you might like to listen to. I ended up finding one for the new Battlestar Galactica program. it is a behind the scenes commentary by producer Ronald Moore for the Season Three’s Episode #13. You can listen to it here: http://www.podcast.net/play/30020/56 .

 

 

 

Week 12: E-books and E-Audio Books

OverDrive: Romeo and Julietby William Shakespeare : BBC Radio Collection, starring Douglas Henshall and Sophie Dahl.

NetLibrary: The Penderwicks: A Summer tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boyby Jeanne Birdsall :  Random House

I found the process for downloading e-audio books for both OverDrive and Netlibrary faily easy. I noticed that depending on the size of the files, one took slightly longer than the other ( vs. Romeo and Juliet).

I have to admit that for the OverDrive title, it was fairly easy to find what I wnated to download because I came across the title a few months ago. I am a big fan of Scottish actor Douglas Henshall and when doing a search for his works in the genral catalogue I came across this e-audio book. So when I went to search for it , it came up rather quickly using the SEARCH function.

I must admit that I was disappointed with NetDrive because I found it lacking some decent fiction. So many of the titles are Mystery & Suspense (not a decent Romance title to be found!) and the Popular Fiction contained a large number of Children and teen titles. I would have expected the selection to have been more adult oriented. I ended up just browsing the Subject headings and settled on a children’s title.

Week 11: Introduction to Electronic Database Services at HPL

I chose the Canadian Reference Centre and did a search for Stratford Festival. As I was behind, I only had the opportunity to subscribe a few days ago and as such, only received one update for the following article:

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO LOOK LIKE YOU KNOW ABOUT… LUNCHING WITH SHAKESPEARE  04/26/2008
(AN Q4K304772305108)
Canadian Reference Centre

 For the Gale’s Academic OneFile database, I chose to subscribe to any new articles about Global Warming. I chose to be notified by email about any new updates and received 3 so far.

Library customers might use this Feed service for a number of different reasons. For example, students who might be writing a thesis or researching for an Independent Study topic may find it extremely useful to be notified of any up to date information on current events or aspects of their chosen topic. Patrons might also find it useful for the latest information concerning health issues. When demonstrating to patrons how to use the databases effectively, in person, on the phone or even in one of the computer classes, staff should make it a general practice to mention these forms by which they can continue to receive updates or new articles with respect to their topic.

Week 10: Catch Up – Part Two

Nothing to see here..move along to the next post!

Week 9 – Social Networking

In the process of catching up, I discovered that the Social Networking’s two activities had issues. Jen and Bridie let us know that Facebook had shut the Ima Reader site down. However, when I went to do the second activity – the HPL Learning 2.0 social network, I received the following message:

Maintenance

We apologize for the inconvenience, but Hamilton Public Library Learning 2.0 is currently undergoing maintenance.

So I definitely tried to proceed with Week 9’s assignment but it appears that I won’t be able to detail the steps required. I will try to check back later this evening and see if it is back up.

Does it count if I say that I already have a Facebook account? I am listed under Monique Koevoets, have 142 friends, have added many different applications and even have a couple of photo albums. What I love best about this site is finding friends and former schoolmates that I haven’t seen in years – not to mention the people who have taken the time to locate me!

Week 8 – Social Bookmarking & Tagging

After a few problems with getting de.icio.usto co-operate, I finally managed to save some favourites with accompanying tags!  I still think though that I prefer just regular bookmarks and folders. For me it just makes things a bit easier when searching for a link I need. The Librarything site was quite easy and I am really tempted to note ALL the books I own (which numbers somewhere around 1500 or more). I will have to go back and work with both of these in the future – after I catch up with the lessons for Learning 2.0!

Here are the links for both of my accounts for these two sites:

http://del.icio.us/aslan2667

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/aslan2667

Week 7 – Photos & Images

When I attend the Polaris conventions, I spend the majority of the weekend attached to a radio.  With a committee of over 100, we need radios and cell phones to stay in communication at all times to ensure that the convention runs smoothly. The hotel is quite large and it saves quite a bit of time running from one end to the other.  If you are familiar with the Star Trek universe, you may be familiar with the Borg. If not, the Borg is a cybernetic hive-mind originating in the Trek sub-cluster, possessing the single-minded intent to “assimilate” other species. When we first put our radios on and announce that we are “on air”, the standard response is “Welcome to the collective!” Even after 3 days of being attached to this system, many of us have discovered that we can still hear voices in our head! So we are indeed very much like the Borg for the entire weekend but much nicer!

Here is a photo of myself and my friend Susan the year we Co-Chaired Toronto Trek 18, all wired up!

 

 

 

Week 6 – Playtime!

I really enjoyed using the Trading Card Maker.  As I’ve already declared my love of all things science fiction and am an admitted TV junkie, I decided to make a few cards reflecting this hobby.  Nostalgia anyone?

It was fairly simple to locate and save some images, create the description and titles and then save the card and load it to my blog! Only thing I didn’t find great was the quality of the “print” on the cards; it all appeared somewhat faint. Click on the cards to see them in larger format!