Archive | August, 2013

#anz23mthings Twitter Chat 4: Round up & Archive

31 Aug

Thank you, thank you to everyone who joined our chat on Wednesday! As always, it was cool to have so many ideas and voices. Our topic was Ebooks & Curation, and you can read the questions here. I love how these chats fly thick’n’fast; we meander around topics and bounce ideas, which sprout new thoughts.

MOOCs were mentioned early and there’s a lot of love for them. Likewise, Pinterest has many fans (surprise, surprise!). We discussed what makes a curator, a curator. Then we brainstormed our issues with vendors, ebooks, tablets and ereaders. We surmised what we already knew: information professionals are needed more than ever to guide customers. Yes the Internet rocks; but users need a dance teacher!

 

Click here to see a storify version of the archived chat – with pretty pictures!

We’d love to hear what you thought of the chat, so please leave us a comment 🙂

#anz23mthings Twitter Chat 4: Ebooks & Curation

28 Aug

Join us TONIGHT, Wednesday 28th August at 8:00pm (NZT) / 6:00pm (AEST) for our fourth twitter chat! We’re discussing ebooks and curation, and we bet you have loads to say!

As you know, it’s easy to join in and follow the chat by using the #anz23mthings hashtag. For optimum excellence (and a possible head spin), follow the hashtag via the twitter search tool.

So you’re ready when the tweets start flying, here’s the questions:

  • Q1. Let’s start with a round of introductions. Who are you and where do you work? #anz23mthings
  • Q2. Do you have one favourite tool for curation? Or do you use different tools for different things? Why? #anz23mthings
  • Q3. Do you think that curation has changed with the Internet? How? #anz23mthings
  • Q4. Do you borrow ebooks from the library where you work or your public library? How easy is it? #anz23mthings
  • Q5. Is there anything you could do that make it easier for patrons to borrow ebooks from your library? #anz23mthings
  • Q6. Do you offer people any advice on managing their passwords when they first start downloading eBooks? People often end up creating 2 or 3 new ones in the process. #anz23mthings

 
We’ll try to keep the chat to an hour-ish but feel free to keep on chatting without us.
Remember, if you can’t make it, you could always schedule some tweets.
And don’t worry if you can’t make it; we will archive and blog the chat.
Chat with you tonight – and remember the #anz23mthings hashtag!

Join in our #Anz23mthings Twitter chat tomorrow on Wednesday night!

27 Aug

Just a heads-up that we are having another Twitter chat tomorrow (Wednesday night) at 8PM (NZ time) and 6 PM (AEST).

Come and join us for a fun chat about ebooks and curation.

Keep an eye out on the blog for the discussion questions which will be posted before the chat.

Just follow the #anz23mthings hashtag on Twitter to join in.

See you there!

Thing 15: Adobe ID

26 Aug

So many online accounts, passwords and sites to log in to; why would you want an Adobe ID as well? Good question!

Let’s start with borrowing eBooks from your local library, which is probably the main reason you or your customers would want an Adobe ID.  Downloading eBooks is not as easy as it should be, in fact it can be downright difficult, which is a disgrace – but that’s a rant for another day. For some eBook lending services, including OverDrive, you need free software called Adobe Digital Editions and the easiest way to get started is to create an Adobe ID first.

Just to be side-tracked for a moment…once you have your Adobe ID, and have an eBook or three to relax with, what else can you do with it?

Adobe_creative_cloud_header-1024x337

One of the things an Adobe ID does is give you access to their site where you can trial lots of cool products such as Photoshop Lightroom, Dreamweaver CC, Illustrator CC and Photoshop Elements. There’s even a new service called Adobe Creative Cloud which, for a monthly fee, gives you mobile access to what they call the “best desktop applications for photography, video, audio, and design” including Adobe Muse and Adobe After Effects. Admittedly this is not the cheapest cloud-based suite of products ever, but for anyone who is seriously into creating online it’s worth a look.

I use Adobe Pagemaker to publish a monthly community newspaper with my husband, and haven’t moved to InDesign because of the cost. With Adobe Creative Cloud I’d have the ability to pay month by month. This may see me make the upgrade, and learn some new skills along the way.

But back to Adobe ID and eBooks – love ‘em or loathe ‘em, eBooks are here to stay so why not spend the week creating your own Adobe ID and then seeing where it takes you from there. You might discover you’ve got a creative side you never knew existed. Enjoy!

DISCOVER:

Where can I sign up for an Adobe ID?

What products are included in Adobe Creative Cloud?

EXPLORE:

Watch the video on Abode Creative Cloud and think about the ways teams can use it.

Explore the programs you can trial at the Adobe site. Are some of them programs customers ever ask for help with? If they are, perhaps you could have a play with them and learn some new skills.

THINK:

If your library issues eBooks, do your customers know they might need an Adobe ID?

Are all your staff comfortable with helping customers to get their own Adobe ID?

Can you think of customers who might find Adobe Creative Cloud useful? Art or design students maybe…

If your library subscribed to Creative Cloud, would you be able to make your brochures, posters etc look more professional? And would you have staff with the time and skills to make it happen?

Looking back at #Thing14: Pinterest, Tumblr and Scoop.it

26 Aug

Good morning everyone; this week’s wrap of Thing14 Curating with Pinterest, Tumblr and Scoop.it is going to be brief, for a number of reasons, but hopefully I can capture the essence of what I thought was a great week. If you’ve fallen off the wagon, feel free to hop back on, because some people are just starting the journey – check out this tweet from Elizabeth Jane ‏@lizziejane23 Aug #anz23mthings got inspired to start the 23 things. Thanks Tapsister! #thing1 consider it done.

This week Renee (@stokesrenee) wrote: Wondering why Flipboard didn’t get a mention? Great social curation tool primarily for mobile. I guess the reply that springs to mind is that individuals write the weekly introductions so we each bring our own learnings and preferences to the table. Funnily enough, someone introduced me to Flipboard last night and I instantly thought it had a lot of potential. Thanks for raising it for #anz23mthing followers Renee.

Renee also blogged about #Thing14, which you can catch here, as she talks about using Scoop.it for a professional project.

Cath (@kiwilibrarian) blogged about how useful she finds Pinterest, and admits to dipping her toes into the waters of Tumblr.

tumblr

Speaking of Pinterest, Karen ‏@KMalbon tweeted that she had Successfully added a book from our library catalogue. #anz23mthings #vicpln http://pinterest.com/pin/60869032436938569/ … via @pinterest

pinterest

One of the things that stuck me this week was the variety of ways people are using Pinterest, the huge sense of community between librarians on Tumblr, and the fact that Scoop.it is increasingly being use for professional curation. If you haven’t had a chance to try out any of #Thing14 yet I’d urge you to have a play.

If you blogged this week and I missed it, please leave a comment as we’d love to include you.

Thing 14: Curating with Pinterest, Tumblr, and Scoop.it

19 Aug

for Tumblr T-shirt Contest /02 bv albyantoniazzi on Flickr (CC)

I was pleased as punch to get this week’s Thing as I spend the majority of my free time giggling from posts on Tumblr. I think libraries and GLAM organisations will find that their pre-existing curatorial skills should make the transition to curating through social tools easy. In this Thing, we are particularly looking at Tumblr, Pinterest, and Scoop.it

Pinterest was the fastest social network site to reach 10 million users in 2011 and Tumblr has been in the press recently as Yahoo acquired the service for $1.1 billion. So why are these so popular?

Curatorial tools give users easy ways in which to gather their favourite interests across the internet and host all the pictures, recipes, conversations, news articles, links, videos in one place. The popularity of these particular curatorial tools is because of the social aspect: the community that evolves through the sharing of similar items (such as the fandom communities on Tumblr or the military spouses on Pinterest).

Pinterest + iPad = Love by bunchesandbits on Flickr (CC)

DISCOVER

– Pinterest gives users the ability to create their own virtual ‘pinboard’ which can be arranged by topic. The pins of pictures or videos can be ‘repinned’ on someone else’s board which can be either public, private, or a community board. The home feed is the area in which you can browse the new content from other pinboards which you follow.

Libraries have been using Pinterest for marketing collections and events, displaying book covers, creating reading lists, and showcasing historic collections.

The following are some links for some current uses of Pinterest by Libraries:

– Tumblr allows users to blog their own media or ‘reblog’ others’ work. Hashtags are used to navigate categories across tumblr, or within individual blogs. A tumblr user can have multiple blogs under the single username and users can enable an ‘ask’ or ‘submit’ function for their blogs.

This fantastic article The Library Is Open: A Look at Librarians and Tumblr is a great starters guide to tumblr and a glimpse into the library activity happening on Tumblr.

Tumblr Enjoyment by hunsonisgroovy on Flickr (CC)

Scoop.It is a ‘create your own magazine’ service which allows you to ‘clip’ from websites, Twitter, RSS feeds, YouTube, Slideshare, Facebook, and custom Google searches. It allows you to enter sources and it then provides suggestions for you to Scoop It and add commentary for customizable topics based magazines.

EXPLORE

Pinterest

Sign up to Pinterest and download the app.

Create a pinboard on a library topic and find some pins to add to your pinboard.

Follow:

Tumblr

Sign up to Tumblr and download the app.

Find and reblog library posts through the hashtag #library programming or #tumblarians.

Follow:

Scoop.It.

Sign up to Scoop.It.

Create a library based topic and add three sources: ALIA.org.au, LJ.libraryjournal.com and a twitter source. Start scooping!

Some other potential curatorial tools include Bundlr, Paperli or Storify.

THINKING POINTS

Users stay on Tumblr longer than they stay on Facebook. What does that mean for your Facebook content and would it be more appropriate to certain library programming marketing on Tumblr?

– How could Scoop.It help you keep on top of professional development? Would it be an indispensable learning tool for information literacy?

– Could you provide bookmarklets to Tumblr and Pinterest on your library catalogue records? How much of your collection is currently being pinned and reblogged?

– Can you link your catalogue to these incredibly browse-able sites? Could you display your newest acquisitions covers on Pinterest?

– Authors like John Green and Neil Gaiman and many others are participating on Tumblr, could you have your book events and programming online?

Post by @klfair!

This post is a remix from Thing 14 on 23 Mobile Things!

Thing 13: Online Identity

13 Aug

This week we are giving you Mylees’s post from23mobilethings.net.  Don’t forget to go to their site for more great information on all the things!

Photo Credit: madamepsychosis via Compfight cc

As information professionals we need to understand the risks of the online environment, including knowing how to manage our own online identities (professional and personal), and also be able to advise our clients and communities on how to protect their own privacy online.  Our focus in this thing is mobile technology and the particular issues that relate to using tablets and smartphones and apps.

Usually once you log into an app, access is continuous on your device unless you log out each time you use it.  It’s also common to log into an app using one of your existing identities (eg. Facebook, Google account or Twitter).  Take a minute to check if you have your device password protected in case someone else tries to use it and which third party apps currently have access to your information. [see Facebook app settingsGoogle account settings and Twitter settings and information on revoking access to third party apps ]

DISCOVER:

Who are you online?  

  • Have you considered that your identity online is actually a spectrum ranging from anonymous > pseudonymous (across multiple sites) > self-asserted > socially validated (by friends and followers) > officially verified?  [see the excellent post from @identitywoman for definitions]
  • Using a pseudonym or anonymous identity online may breach the terms of service of some social media channels (eg. Google+ real names policy  and Facebook identity for page administrators)
  • LinkedIn is a popular app for professional connections see Jan and Mylee  as examples [Android and iOS apps available ]
  • If you manage a page for your library or an organisation you might find the Facebook Pages Manager app useful
  • Facebook apps are available for both Android – Facebook  and iPhone – Facebook

EXPLORE:

What information is being collected while you’re online?

  • Many apps collect information from users and there should be a privacy policy or terms and conditions statement available.  Often these statements are on an associated website (eg. Medicare App  )
  • What information do you share when you search and interact online?  Phil Bradley gives a good overview of the issues and some alternative tools.
  • Protecting Your Privacy – A Resource Guide also lists alternative tools

THINKING POINTS:

  • Do you keep your personal and professional identities online completely separate?
  • Do you deliberately manage your personal brand / professional identity?
  • If a prospective employer asked you to demonstrate your skills and experience in using social media could you point to professional presences online?
  • Do you draw your online identities or the multiple identities of your organisation together via a blog / website or an aggregating tool like Rebelmouse , Vizify  or the Slideshare network channels of organisations like United Nations DESA ?
  • Can your clients log into your library website or apps using their online identities?  (eg. Facebook or Twitter login to LibraryThing for Libraries to add reviews to the catalogue).
  • Does your library privacy statement include information about what personal information is collected by apps in use to deliver library services?

 

Here at ANZ23MobileThings we have already discussed this issue a little bit in our 1st and 3rd twitter chats.  Click the links to refresh your memory on what happened in these conversations.

Please take our halfway survey!

8 Aug

Welcome to this catch-up week which marks the half-way point of the ANZ 23 Mobile Things course!

We know there’s a lot to keep up with, and so we’re keeping this week very low-key.

We would really appreciate it if you could fill out this really short survey for us. It’s really short – at the most, three questions, and did I mention it was fun?

Thanks for being awesome – we are really enjoying all the interactions and conversations this course has sparked! I’m looking forward to the final half of the course – how about you?

Like to be part of my LIANZA Conference 2013 presentation? That’d be Vine!

7 Aug

Vine Leaves I
Vine Leaves I by Kansas Poetry (Patrik) via CC license on Flickr

Hey, as you might know, I (Abigail) am presenting on ANZ 23 Mobile Things at LIANZA Conference 2013 this October!!! It’s pretty exciting – being my first conference presentation and all (give or take, my first LONG presentation as I’m presenting on my BA research in a 10 minute session earlier in the conference)…

It’d be really cool if you are coming to LIANZA Conference if you’d come along to my session – it’s on Wednesday 23rd October at 11:15AM, but it would be even cooler if you were IN my presentation!

“How?” you may ask.

Easy! I have a 30 minute session to present called: “Wandering wirelessly over the ditch: A professional development collaboration” and I had a great idea.

A one or two minute video showcasing some of the varied participants in the programme saying one thing they liked best about ANZ 23 mobile things, or one new thing they have learned.

This could be done through a collection of vines – six seconds max – so I could showcase 10 participants in one minute, or 20 in two minutes.

So your homework challenge for this week is to video yourself (maybe doing a six second vine) or a longer video, but maximum should be 10-15 seconds, which you can either tweet to me @ajwillemse91 or e-mail to me.

This video should be about:

  1. One thing you like best about ANZ 23 Mobile Things OR
  2. One new thing you have learned OR
  3. Anything else you really want to say about ANZ 23 Mobile Things

Feel free to be creative – if you don’t feel comfortable videoing yourself, you could try using writing or animation or something in a short video to show one thing you learned, or one thing you liked about ANZ 23 Mobile Things.

I just think the best thing about this programme is the enthusiastic participants and the interactions we have shared, and what better way to capture this than in a video compilation?

Please note that if you do send me a video, I may edit it for time constraints and I may not necessarily use all the videos if I receive a whole lot. It’d also be great to include your name and country in a caption on the video, if you are comfortable with that. I will show the video in my presentation at LIANZA 2013, and may also put up the video on this blog or our Youtube channel.  If you have any further questions about this, please do e-mail me.

I’m really looking forward to this!

Weekly Wrap-up Thing 12: Games: Angry Birds / Wordfeud

5 Aug

I would consider myself the ultimate Girl Gamer. My gaming prowess spans from my PC to my Nintendo DS and most importantly to my cherished PlayStation 3. In fact, I would go so far as to say that gaming is now a part of my identity. I’m obsessed, and that’s why I thought I would be a great person to tackle this item on our list.  I must admit, my focus wandered away from angry birds and word feuds, to a broader range of games that I feel are more useful for us as librarians.

Me gaming on a Sunday afternoon
Photo of me gaming

The timing for Thing 12 couldn’t be better. The past few weeks at work I have been researching gaming in libraries in a hope to implement it at our library here. Christchurch libraries already offer Minecraft sessions for teens with great success. Minecraft is a fast growing, extremely popular online game which is free to pay after an initial cost of €19.95. There are piles of research praising Mine Craft as a great research tool and the best part is, the kids don’t always realise they are learning,

There is also a whole blog dedicated to gaming in libraries. It’s a great resource if you decide to pursue the gaming route in your library.Some great resources came out of this week’s twitter, which have only encouraged me in my pursuits to bring gaming into our library.

So, what were your opinions on Thing 12?

Twitter

Sarah Gallagher (@SarahLibrarina) linked what I think is one of the most interesting videos I have seen all year: Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world. It’s a speech by Jane McGonial on how gaming is helping to evolve us into better people.  She has some great points on the positive effects of collaborative communities and the importance of instant positive reinforcement. One thing Jane mentions in her speech is how in game worlds we are the best versions of ourselves. When I think of my friends, this makes sense. Even my friends with no sense of social justice (who I would border on calling mean) seem to flourish in these games. They power through Mass Effect 3 in a paragon state or finish Fallout 3 filled with good Karma [This does make me worry about what a bad person I must be in real life though as I almost always pick the evil route in a game when given the choice]. I could go on for days about this topic, and if you haven’t watched this yet I highly recommend you do!

Cathy Kelso (@ironshush ) also linked a presentation on the benefits of serious gaming for library users and students. Coming from a teaching background I have seen this in effect. Kids and teens love games. And if we can harness these games to teach moral lessons and educate them then they are a valuable tool for libraries in the future.

More From Twitter:

Katalin Mindum ‏@KatMMin #anz23mthings Bit over angrybirds. To be honest could waste your whole life without even noticing the passing of time

Sarah Lisle ‏@SarahJLisle Because of #anz23mthings I’m trying out mobile games this week. #bubbletotem is cute, free and addictive. Also works when I’m not online

Final Thoughts

This week has only reinforced my belief that gaming is a valuable learning tool. At libraries, we encourage people to learn and gaming is a fun way of learning. Children and Teens especially are becoming more and more exposed to gaming and by the time they leave school they will have over 10,000 hours of gaming experience.  Providing the community to access to games gives them access to online communities, achievable challenges to help raise motivation and self-esteem and more simply, lets them have fun. It’s not for everyone though and that’s OK. It’s also not easy. Implementing these idea takes a lot of time and effort to set up and requires someone with a passion and flair for gaming to keep it running.

And my favourite game? Fallout 3 Check it out sometime I highly recommend it.

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