Wikis

For some reason, when I think "wiki," I sort of get the song "Iko Iko" in my head.

But on to business.... here are some good library-land wikis that were on my radar:

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki

Library Instruction Wiki

Improve ALA Wiki

Teen Tech Week Wiki

And I decided that I'd start my own wiki to pull together all of the web design resources I've been amassing as a fledgling webmistress with only a very basic foundation of web design skills. I used the Wiki Matrix, which returned 20 results based on my answers to a few questions about the requirements I would have for my wiki. Based on these results, I chose WetPaint, which was also favorably reviewed in this article in School Library Journal.

So without further ado, here is my wiki: Library Websites for Eager Novices. I wanted to call it Library Web Design for Eager Novices, but apparently that title is one measly character longer than the title field is allowed to have. Like this blog, it's been another case of "I never saw the point, but now that I'm doing it I'm finding it very useful and enjoyable." It's really bringing home for me the implications and exciting possibilities of readily-editable, user-created content on the Web.

And finally, for my FPPLD colleagues, I've made some contributions to the staff wiki. Quite some time ago I added several items to the "Reference Corner," and split that area into Local Ready Reference and Reference on the Web. And the other day, I added a couple items to the suggested materials area--I had a few that I had forgotten to add to our statistics sheet when they came up, so I just decided to skip that step and add them directly into the wiki. I might just continue doing that--what do we think about that? One less thing for Vanessa to worry about? In addition, I also added items to the Staff Computer FAQ's (printing and the cardinal rule(s) of troubleshooting) as well as the Public Computer FAQ's.

Tech competencies

Lots of discussion of tech competencies in library blogland at the moment....

Sarah Houghton-Jan (Librarian in Black) is co-teaching a webinar on core competencies for library staff on July 25th. Unfortunately I'll be staffing the reference desk at that time, but it should be well worth checking out if anyone has the time! WebJunction is a great resource, by the way. They recently produced this very useful pdf document listing a wide range of recommended competencies. I'm also going to take their free class about designing library websites this month.

Here's Emily Clasper's take on these competencies, with some great comments adding to her ideas. (Her blog, Library Revolution, is one of my favorites.)

And finally, David Lee King's work-in-progress list of basic competencies of a 2.0 librarian.

Good stuff!

about cell phones and signs....

I agree with minimizing the negativity. If it were up to me, I wouldn't make signs that said "NO," or "Absolutely Not," or "NO EXCEPTIONS!!" Also, if it were up to me, I would be tolerant of people who were using their cell phone in the library but being reasonably quiet and respectful. My unasked-for two cents, inspired by this funny comic strip:

online office applications rock!

Allow me to rhapsodize....

Calendar is great because you can color code and sync your different calendars. So when I look at my calendar, I can see my work schedule, personal engagements, computer classes, holidays and phases of the moon. It's always helpful to know when the full moon coincides with a day at the reference desk! And I have my agenda displayed on my iGoogle homepage. I tend to prefer my paper calendar to mastermind my schedule, but if I had an iPhone or Blackberry or some such gadget, I would depend on my Google Calendar. One feature I think is cool is that you can have your agenda emailed to you each day.

I love the new interface for Google Documents--it's pretty to look at, and you can now add documents to folders. I also discovered that if you're logged on to Google and you download a file, you can download it directly into your Documents. The documents are still fully functional with Word or Excel, and it's a great file storage option. There are, of course, options available in Word or Excel that you don't have through Google, but all the "essentials" are there, and after using Google services for a while I've learned that they're always tinkering with them and improving their functionality.

Both of these services are great for collaboration. We've all been using the time off spreadsheets, but think of the possibilities for larger projects! To use a personal example, I've been planning my sister's wedding shower. I have a spreadsheet with 2 tabs--the party details, and the guest list. All of the bridesmaids, as well as my mom (the benefactress), have access to the documents, so everyone can add ideas, or addresses, what have you, and it updates in real time. So everyone has access to the latest incarnation of the project planning. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking we could potentially use this for brainstorming the new reference desk needs (fingers crossed!), scheduling, program planning (new computer classes and content, other new ideas), or just about anything we wanted to examine and innovate!

And that's my ode to Google.