newsibyl

analysing web 2.0

2008-07-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

interesting to read a range of thoughts on web 2.0, library 2.0 and 'librarian 2.0'- a new one to me.
I tend to agree with Dr Wendy Schultz. In her "in a temporary place and time' she looks to the future - web 3.0 and web 4.0 - and the range of possibilities that will be available but never forgets the poeple - staff and customers - who are the heart of libraries.
For me web 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 are all tools. Yes, they can be amazing. Yes, they are changing us - our ways of interacting socially and finding/sharing information. But for me they are tools to help me find answers rather than answers in their own right. I'm a gen xer though, and doubt kids today would share this view.
For em there is something to be said for the joy of senses - reading handwritten notes or coffee mug stains in a book rather than downloading an ebook, singing along with the stereo rather than silently listening to an insular ipod, doing real yoga rather than wii yoga...
I feel quite nostalgic for the good old treasures and just hope that in the future libraries will also respond to people like me, who are still in mourning for their long-gone record players.

deliciously tagged

2008-07-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

Being a Semi-Cyber Sibyl, I'd already set up a Del.icio.us account but actually used it for the first time today. (I quite like the new del.icio.us network badge function - but wonder how useful it is to link to work websites rather than personal ones.)

I knew I was on my way into a digital future, however, slightly later today when I discovered Cuil ('cool' - see http://www.cuil.com/) soon after it was launched. I was intrigued by the word 'cuil' (or 'cuill' as it was prior to launch)when I saw it as a top search on Technorati and now know it is a huge search engine.
I LOVE THIS SITE ALREADY! Searches are displayed attractively and I love the files on the right side of the screen.
Bye bye google...

(Incidentally, I didn't really like Technorati that much - seemed to be very Americanised content. The top searches looked intriguing - like spam words - until, after following one trail, I realised the words were probably foreign.)

wikis #2

2008-07-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

just learnt through trial and error the differences between comment and edit in wikis but added one of each to our favourites lists.

wikis

2008-07-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that the democratic aspect of wikis may have evolved - with group wikis often now requiring passwords etc to comment. This seems to make many of them seem like a middle ground between blogs and websites/intranet.
They give us another communication tool - both within the organisation and for our customers to use when communicating with us and each other. They may even build community spirit, if used effectively.
Our Footprints of Manukau online exhibition could have, I imagine, been run through a wiki rather than website and related flickr account. This would have allowed for closer connections between the organisation's information and the community input. In many ways it works like a wiki, allowing for comments to add to the pool of knowledge but it makes a distinction between official and unofficial comments. There are obviously pluses and minuses with each option.
Wikis are definitely useful for a number of library activities including, I was thrilled to see, entire staff training programmes.
I always imagined that there was an opportunity for staff to feed into a knowledge pool re: courses/conferences they have attended, so staff members could quickly research staff comments prior to enrolling on a course they are unsure about. But a wiki would take it another step, making it easy to build quite a lot of information on individual courses and subject areas, as well as link to relevant sites etc.
Wikis require trust in the people allowed to contribute - and that is the key to their strength and weakness - they are only as useful as the contributions.

and more...

2008-07-16T22:55:00.001-07:00

Rollyo: http://www.rollyo.com/newsibyl/

to backtrack...

2008-07-16T22:44:00.001-07:00

have just seen I missed half of last week's lesson...
luckily I already had already set up a Library Thing address:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=Dave25

another flickr find

2008-07-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

The Tiburtine Sibyl
Originally uploaded by oar_square

The Tiburtine Sibyl

who'd have thought...

2008-07-16T22:15:00.001-07:00

Lady of Temptation
Originally uploaded by j.salmon

so many people on flickr would like sibyls?
This photo is taken near to my favourite images of the sibyls on Siena Cathedral's floor of knowledge.
How progressive and proud of the church to celebrate pagan women!

reinvention

2008-07-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Sibyl Schmibyl.

Hardly likely to make me a star.

So I changed my name... online, for free!

"Brewster Callahan at your service" I said, with a wink at the screen.

It felt right, somehow.

And after a short shopping spree I was ready for a relaunch...

See: Take'>http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/namegen/2525/">Take B-Movie Hero Name Generator today!

week 2

2008-07-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

Having stumbled through this week's RSS feeds lesson I am all set up with a Bloglines address. Within a few minutes of set up I already have 92 unread messages. Sigh.
When do people get time to read all this stuff?

the modern oracle (part 1)

2008-06-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

I may be a modern sibyl but, until a moment ago, I was a blogless oracle.

Unfortunately, in all the drama of getting here, I have become an oracleless blog.

Blogger it.