Writer Gal

Task #10--New Website

2012-01-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

I like the looks of the new site--it's not cluttered, but has plenty of information. The use of our motto to direct patrons to information is clever and user friendly. I noticed the "pages" were slow in loading when changing screens, but I'm assuming it's because it's not "live" yet. I really like the click-on calendar on each page. The upper search box works well. I tried all three searches and found what I wanted. The menu at the bottom of the home page is very good--easy to find what you need. The only problem I could see was that the book covers under the heading are incomplete. It would be nice to see the entire book cover. Also, when you go to the search the catalog page, there's no icon to take you directly back to the home page--you have to do some kind of search first. I'd like to see a direct link to "home" on that page.

It's an easy-on-the-eye website, not cluttered, and easy to navigate. Well done, Cari!!!

Task #9--Universal Class

2011-12-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

I'm embarrassed to say that I signed up for the "Customer Service" class almost a month ago, and have yet to find time to do the first class. I chose "Customer Service" because that's a huge part of our job at MCPLD. There are any number of classes that staff would benefit from, including the one I'm taking. As for our patrons, the following classes (to name only a few), would be a great help:
Career Training
General Education (help for those needing to take the GED, etc.)
Health & Medicine
Homeschooling (we have a very active homeschooling group in Mesa County)
How to/do it yourself (Very helpful since we lost that database)
Writing Skills (we all could use help in this area)

We, as staff, need to encourage our patrons to use this new tool.

Now, if I can just find time to study...

#8--Spanish Libguide

2011-10-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is a great libguide for the Spanish-speaking community. I can see opening a couple of windows--one with the English translation and one with Spanish--when helping a Spanish-speaking patron with questions about the guide. I noticed that when in the English translation, if you put the cursor over a heading, it would show the Spanish words--very helpful.

As for the quiz--I missed two.
#3 was a little confusing. I had false at first, then changed it to true. I wasn't sure whether the question was referring to the guide itself, or the Google translation page. It's Monday, okay?!
#8--thought it was difficult to determine which were actual language-learning links. (See above comment concerning day.)

Cloud Computing--#7

2011-09-28T15:33:00.001-07:00

I don't use Dropbox or Google docs. However, I can see the advantages of using either one. Dropbox seems more geared to a business, or a group working on a single project. Google docs is more personal, although documents can be shared if desired. As a writer, I would prbably use Google docs. I'm paranoid enough to have a flash drive with all my novels on it, plus having them on my laptop, and I've considered a second flash drive at an entirely different site. I carry the flash drive with me, in case the house burns down. Ack! Don't even want to think about that. By using Google documents (my second flash drive of sorts), that would be a central location for agents and editors to access my writing. All I would have to do is share the file I want them to see. And if something happens to both the flash drive and the laptop, I won't have to re-create 3 novels of 90,000 words + and a novella of about 36,000 words. There's no way I could duplicate them word for word from memory. I think I'll have to look into Google docs.

Webolution #6

2011-08-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

I think I was most surprised by question #5. The answer was "D", but I picked "A" (I think) as that referred the patron to the business libguide, which includes a link to "Book a Librarian," if they can't find the answers. No since booking a librarian if they can easily find the answers.

"I need to find information on growing grapes and making wine." We have numerous non-fiction books on both topics, plus they can access ebsco for articles, and the libguide "Home & Garden" has references to magazines, such as organic gardening that might be helpful. This guide should also have a reference to Tri-River Cooperative Extension Service, which it does not. And we might even be having a program that would speak to their topic.

Extra Credit #2--Google a day

2011-08-09T15:18:00.001-07:00

This was a hoot! Of course, I could't answer any of the questions, but it was still fun. I only tried three, and quit after the gold sphere question. Who wants to do math late in the afternoon? Aaaaargh! It does help with searching skills, so it would be good to visit several times a week, time willing.

Of course, I want the Sony Reader!

Task #5--Chiltons

2011-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a husband and two sons who work on vehicles (one is actually working as an engineer for a company that designs carburetor parts), so this one is pretty much a no-brainer for me. All three guys have used the site--more than once. I also show patrons asking for our repair manuals the site and its easy access from home. I thnk this is one of our better databases. The guys love it. I've even had guys sign up for a card so they can access it at home. One even remarked, "I can take my laptop out to the garage and look at Chilton's while I'm working on my truck."

As for ease of use, the site is visitor friendly. It's also nice to have recall notices for vehicles.

I looked up my car (Pontiac Grand Am 2000) and found instructions for removal & installation of struts and HVAC blower motor. The pictures are great and print out very clear. Believe I'll leave the mechanicking part up to my guys.

Task #4--e-Readers

2011-06-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

So, the Kindle gets top marks, but doesn't play well with OverDrive. Thank goodness the Sony reader, which I intend to WIN, ranks fairly close to the Kindle, and actually rates as high or higher in some features that I would consider important, such as navigation, versatility, and response time. The rating was actually only 3 points apart for the higher end Sony and 7 points for the less expensive one, which is the one I would buy--if I were going to buy one. Winning one is soooo much better. The Sony Touch edition weighs the same as the Kindle, has only a slightly bigger screen (which, at my age, I'd prefer), and is comparable in price. So, I'm looking forward to winning the Sony and getting some books downloaded. YES!

Cari's instructions for downloading to the Nook and Sony readers is very clear and concise. The first three steps are crucial for first-time users.

1. Go to the websie and click on "Downloadable Media" under "Books and More."

2. Click on the "OverDrive" image; click on "get Adobe Digital Editions."

3. Click on "Install" and follow the instructions. (I know--step 4.)

Happy reading!!

Task #3--Masterfile Premier

2011-05-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

There are several Consumer Reports articles listing smartphones in the subject area, but the first several articles concentrate on cell phone plans and cell phones, too. So, I'm assuming the article you want is Sept. 2010, volume 75, issue 9, pgs. 24-27. The title of the article is: "Smart Phones." However, the very first article, although it's not just about smart phones, also rates smart phones, so you might be looking for Jan. 2011, Vol. 76, Issue 1, pgs. 30-38, titled "Find the Best Fit." You pick. I guess you can compare the two smart phone charts and see how they've changed in one year. Or if they have.

From "Rolling Stone" 1/9/1992--"Izzy quits Guns n' Roses." How sad.

And yes, please enter my extra credit in the Sony Reader drawing!

Discovery Task #2--Scavenger Hunt

2011-04-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

100%!!!!!! A good many of the questions I knew without having to look them up, including the first one. I did learn that we have 4 mobile resources--okay, I'm living in the dark ages...don't text, don't have internet on my phone, just the bare bones. I can call for help if I need to. I also learned that we connect to the Hover Public Library if an error message comes up when downloading ebooks. Do I feel smarter? Well, yes. At least a tiny little bit.

Discovery Task #1

2011-04-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

Yaaaay!!!!! I have this part already done. WhooHoo!! And of course, I'd like the Sony reader. What a perfect way to get more adept at ebooks downloading.

Cloud computing

2010-12-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

Cloud computing is, in some ways, a bit foggy at the moment, but maybe that's because I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. If I'm understanding it right, it's the ability to use computer programs/storage off-site. In a sense, that's what MARMOT does for us. Because we have MARMOT we don't have to hire our own IT person, as we pay the MARMOT folks to do that. I'm also guessing that some of our databases are cloud computing. As libraries grow and information grows, "clouding" could beneficial to libraries. By not having to hire IT people, significant money could be saved and used toward collection development. I participate in Facebook, which I'm guessing is cloud computing. Also, my delicious account could be considered the same thing. I don't have it stored on my computer. I can see where this type of service might be helpful to me to have a safe and secure place to store my writing, so that if my computer at home died, and my flash drive self-destructed, then I would still have access to what I have written. The drawback would be how secure the information might be. With the ability of hackers, I suppose nothing is completely secure.

BTW--How did they get Wes to narrate the video?

September Webolution--Election

2010-10-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

The Libguide for elections is great! Lots of info in one place. I took the quiz and scored 100%. And yes, I've already voted--turned in my mail-in ballot today at the mall location. I'll be glad when Nov. 3rd gets here and the phone is not ringing off the hook from all the political calls. Always starts when we've just sat down for supper and doesn't quit until we go to bed. Aaaaaargh!

Historical events on birth date

2010-09-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

"Critical Past" is a fascinating website. It was fun to see the large range of history that it covers. As for my birth date: U.S. airmail was inaugurated in 1918 (we've come a long way in the last 92 years--I thnk); lots of WWII news including the Dutch defending their homeland against the Germans in 1940 (my heritage is Dutch, so this was interesting to me), the fall of the Remagen Bridge to the allies in Ahrweiler, Germany in 1945, and a Japanese air attack on the USS Bunker Hill, 1945. In 1935, King George V of Britain celebrated his Silver Jublilee, and in 1948, a New York City motocade celebrated the new state of Israel. On a more sporting note--Bimelech won the Kentucky Derby at Pimlico, MD for a purse of $50,000 in 1940.

And, yes I already knew the minimum temperature for cooking pork, but went to the website anyway to verify. Yep, 160 degrees F.

Printer Friendly

2010-08-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

This site is a very handy tool for printing only the article. It not only cleans up the page, but it shortens the number of pages by eliminating all the junk. I can see where this might be useful with ILL when sending articles to other libraries. The article can be saved as a PDF file, and that could be sent through email as an attachment, saving time and postage. Now, if I can just remember to use it. :-)

New Opac

2010-08-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed playing around with the new opac. Fairly easy to use. There's so much information on each page that I can see where it might be confusing to people who don't use the internet or aren't familiar with computers, or find searching for something intimidating. For those savvy in using the above, it's a virtual playground for information. It will be interesting to see how the public reacts to it.

Newspapers

2010-07-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed visiting this site, but the first time I visited, I didn't have enough time to explore, so missed the interactive map. I think the map is easier than trying to find a newspaper through the "gallery" or the "list." This could be helpful for "current" obituaries or current news items. It doesn't, however, provide historical information, which many genealogists are looking for. It was fun to play around on the site.

Ebooks and ePub

2010-05-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

This proved to be a bit frustrating. When I tried to download the Adobe Digital Editions, I kept getting a message about an administrator password. Aaaaaaargh! Thanks to Cari, I discovered that MARMOT no longer allows downloads on our computers, so I can't download any books using ePub. However, I visited Project Gutenberg, Google Books, and ManyBooks. Results: Found one of my favorite books, Mark Twain's "Adam's Diary" on Gutenberg (which I couldn't download) and Google books, which I could as a PDF file--actually it was "excerpts from"--so that worked out. On ManyBooks, I browsed "Recent Additons" and found "And That's How It Was, Officer" by Ralph Sholto, which looked interesting, but I, of course, couldn't download it. I doubt I'll use this much--still like having a book in my hand--but I can see how a lot of our patrons would "eat this up."

Optimal Resume

2010-04-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

This is a great site. Really helpful in all areas of job searching. Not just the resume help, but cover letters, interview skills and job searches. Was a little disappointed that Library wasn't listed as one of the areas for resumes, but oh, well. Can't have everything. The job search was very interesting. You could really narrow it down to the area you wanted to look in. This will be an excellent tool for our patrons.

Learn-A-Test

2010-03-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

This one was fun!I decided to see if I could pass the citizenship test. I was really proud of myself. I'm guessing I would have scored between 95% and 98%. Keep in mind this was the end of the day and my brain was tired. (A couple of things just couldn't be retrieved from that vast filing system in my brain on a Friday afternoon.) I recommend everyone look at this test--see if you can live up to the title "citizen." As for recommending tests to someone, I've done that several times, particularly the GED test. At the Palisade Branch, a young man comes in every Wednesday morning when I'm there to receive tutoring in math so he can attend college. I showed him the practice ACT and SAT tests and he was thrilled. I'm extremely glad we have this particular database.

E-books--Okay already

2010-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

Did the e-book thing on Overdrive. Checked out "Emma" as that was one of the few titles available. Downloaded the software and voila--a book to read from my computer. If I were going to do e-books, I would definitely get a Nook or something comparable instead of trying to read something from my computer, but at the moment, I can't bring myself to spend $259 plus tax for the reader. I can see its advantages if you travel a lot (which I don't), because the Nook would be easier to pack and use on a plane. Ahhh, technology...it's amazing.

Task #23

2009-12-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

Completed the survey. Glad it's done for a while, but I learned a lot. Hope I can remember even half of it. Didn't have a favorite blog, as I didn't have time to look at the others. Had a hard enough time keeping up with mine.

Task #22

2009-12-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Not much into blogs--just don't have that kind of time to keep up with them. Jane Heitman Healy that used to be the ILL person at MSC and used to volunteer in the children's center has a nice blog. You can access it at http://www.readlearnandbehappy.blogspot.com

If I liked to cook, the tastespotting would be great, and I loved the "How to polish your shoe with a banana!" I'll have to try it.

Task #20--Picnik

2009-12-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

Used my twin grand- daughters' photos of their first fishing trip. What fun to work with the photo and make it better! Neat tool.

Task #20--Eeek!

2009-12-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

Looked up our property on the Mesa County Assessors page. Couldn't find it by address, so finally just zoomed in on map until it came up. Looks like the property lines are wrong, which we had legally changed many years ago. Guess we better look into it.

Have used the other government pages, especially Colorado, extensively.

Task #19--Scavenger Hunt

2009-11-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

100%!!!!!!!!!!!! Yaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!

Task #18

2009-11-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

These are both handy websites. Like the fact you could convert a long url into a short one. That would have come in handy a lot in the past, and hopefully will in the future. I used the book "The Last Sin Eater" as a test. Zamzar was fun. I converted a picture of the twins on their first day of kindergarten to a thumbnail picture.

Task #17

2009-11-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

There are some very interesting links here. I tried Library Success, Resource Shelf, and, of course, CLiC. Since I use CLiC regularly for ILL, I will say it's one of my favorites. I also liked Library Success. It had links to online tutorials, plus software for putting together aids and tutorials. I also linked to a very interesting article about reference in the age of Google.

Task #16

2009-11-13T15:08:00.001-08:00

With this one I can see some definite advantages. Libraries provide free access to information, and this is another tool for accomplishing that service. Open Office is especially nice for those who may be able to afford the initial computer, but can't afford the software. This one has merit.

Task #15

2009-11-13T14:59:00.000-08:00

Looked at the video and don't think I want to do this one. I already have too many username/passwords to remember, and don't see why I would use this to any extent. I can see where it might be useful for someone doing extensive research for writing an academic paper, etc. I'll pass on this one.

Task #14

2009-11-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

I've looked at both NetLibrary and Overdrive and have, in the past, downloaded a book or two. It's just not my thing. I don't own an MP3 player, and prefer to have the hardcopy in my hand.

TAsk #13

2009-10-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

This was fun. I downloaded a rain/thunderstorm in the forest. Love it! Now I've got to figure out how to download it as my ringtone on my phone. Any ideas? I guess I'm not creative enough to see how using the sound effects, etc. would be used on our website--promotional, maybe?

As for downloadable music--On Soundrops I checked out Laura Gibson under folk--Nawww--and Josh Wooward (who is listed with Creative Commons)--not bad.

On Amie St. I tried The Paper Raincoat (song Rewind--liked it), and the Gregory Brothers (really liked that group).

On CC Mixter I tried some a capella music (some of which wasn't) with artists ZoeBee and Calling Sister Midnight. Liked the latter.

On Jamnendo I found it interesting that they have a lot of Creative Commons artists. Tried alternative artist Mind Split Effect--different.

My favorite of the sites--Amie St. with Soundrops coming in second. Favorite new artist--Gregory Brothers. Really liked their sound and their music.

Task #12---YAAAAAAY!!!!

2009-09-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Novelist is a wonderful tool for patrons who are just "looking." I looked up the Stephanie Plum series by Evanovich, and sure enough, there were her books all in order.

I like J.A. Jance and her Joanna Brady series, so I looked up "readalikes." Think I'll check out Aimee and David Thurlo and see if I like their books, also Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder series.

I loved the genre/sub-genre section and found an adventure book with a female protagonist that looks interesting. That's next on my "read" list.

My hubby likes Brad Thor, so this will help me find "like" reads for him, too.

Task #11--Who has time for all this info gathering?

2009-09-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for people who like to gather and organize all this information. Book Report Network is a good clearing house for all kinds of bookish information. Liked the idea that a couple of the sites listed Oprah's current selection. Noticed that Book Reporter had a link to Facebook. Had good reviews. Reading Group Guides provided nice guides for book clubs. Pity the poor authors that have to come up with the questions. Faithful Reader looked like a good source for those who like the inspirational genre. It's sometimes hard to find a good source for that. Authors on the Web besides listing websites, lists blogs and tours by authors. Author Yellow Pages supposedly gives addresses, etc. for authors, but the two I looked were "approachable" only through their publishers. Probably a really good idea. All of the sites had good points, but I think the I'd probably use Book Reporter, Faithful Reader, and Authors on the Web the most. BTW, loved the Kids' Reads particularly for the list of books in series.

Looked up Janet Evanovich on Biography Resource Center. Discovered she studied art in college, not writing. She married (and is still married) to her high school sweetheart and has two children. This sounds suspiciously like me. (Okay, I didn't study art in college, but I did study music--close--and I did marry my high school sweetheart, and I do have two kids, and I write.) And she's older than I am. There's hope yet.

Task #10

2009-09-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ebsco is a great resource for journal aritcles research. Although I've used Ebsco a lot, and even filled several ILL requests through Ebsco, I found the short video informative and discovered something I didn't know. I loved the image feature and looked up the flag for Belize.

Since we're in the digital camera age, I looked for an article on digital cameras in Consumer Reports and set the year 2009, as I wanted the newest information. Found two articles, one from July 2009 and one from September 2009. Anybody want to lend me some money? I've got my eye on a couple of really nice cameras.

As for Biography Resource Center, I looked up three of my favorite movie music people--Alexander Courage (1 article); Jerry Goldsmith (2 articles); and James Horner (1 article). Horner is famous for composing the scores for "Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan," "Legends of the Fall," "Braveheart," and "Titanic," as well as numberous other scores and has won an Academey Award, Golden Globe, Grammy, and others. All three composers are linked by Star Trek. However, Courage and Goldsmith are linked beyond Star Trek--at least 30 times, if not more. For you enterprising trivia junkies out there, you'll have to dig to figure out how these two are linked.
BTW, Goldsmith has won at least two Academy Awards and numerous Emmys.

Task #9--Web Page--Again?!

2009-09-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

I've successfully (sort of) gotten a picture into my header and some info added to my Weebly
Definitely think I'll leave the web page design to my nephew.

Task #9--Web Page???

2009-09-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, I need to learn html language if I'm going to do this right. Or better yet, I'll just pay my nephew (who does this professionally) to do my site. Works for me. Still trying to figure out how to edit the header, etc. to change font and color. Maybe I can't do that with the style I've chosen.

You may view my site at:

I've also sent an email to the library list. Let me know if you can't get in.

I've also worked on a Weebly site, but got frustrated trying to paste a picture in the header. AAAAAAArrrrrrggghhh! I'll update you on that site

Task #8

2009-09-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

As the ILL "go-to-gal" I have to be aware of copyright rules and regs and what constitutes fair use. However, no matter how many times I read up on copyright or attend copyright sessions at the annual ILL conference, copyright is still a very confusing and sometimes muddy issue. As a writer, I like the idea that you can copyright and protect your work. Afterall, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears goes into any work of art. (Yes that's what's known as fair use--if you're confused, ask.) Most people don't understand that titles cannot be copyrighted, which is why you see so many books with the same title. It's the content that's protected. Characters' names cannot be copyrighted, but recently there was a big copyright case involving the novel Wind Done Gone which was the slaves view of Gone With the Wind. Margaret Mitchell's descendents said the author of the new book couldn't use the characters from Gone With the Wind. For you enterprising staff members with nothing better to do (are there any of you out there?), look this case up and see what happened. I think it went to the Supreme Court.

As a writer, I'd like to use the chorus from Gordon Lightfoot's A Minor Ballad to introduce the third section of a novel I've written, but according to copyright (at least what I can determine), even quoting one line from a song requires the composer's permission. Aaaaaargh! Fair use doesn't seem to cover this area. However, I can use Barbar Walters as a real character in my book, because she is so well-known and is considered (loosely) as public domain.

As for Creative Commons--Nathan Kinkade (yes, he's one of the founders), spoke at an ILL conference about Creative Commons. I think it has it's place, particularly for audio-visual material. I like the idea you can do a limited copyright or a full copyright. This particular organization does have its place, but I think the copyright office still has a viable place where protecting our creative rights are concerned. And if you're writing a book you want published by one of the "name" publishers, they don't want you to get your own copyright. They will procure it for you and in your name. However, if you don't want to go through a "regular" publisher, CC might be a good way to get a copyright without all the hassle of the official copyright office.

Had trouble telling how you determine if a work is actually part of CC. Oh, well.

Task #7

2009-09-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not wild about social networking sites, so it took Webolution to nudge me back into Facebook. Now we have all these "reading" sites that one can belong to.

LibraryThing--(I wonder why it's not LibraryThang) This looked like too much work, too much trouble, and too much time, which I don't have in excess. All for just letting others know what you're reading.

Goodreads--This looked like a place you could post your own writing and have it critiqued. That looks good on the surface, but could be dangerous and non-helpful. The Boulder Goodreads did post some interesting questions.

Shelfari--Nice site for those who want to spend their time "social networking" with others about what they're reading. Not for me.

Litlovers--Looks like a good site to work on your literary reading and form book clubs. Again, not for me.

Allreaders--This was fun! I went through the detailed search--plot, setting, character--and put in a lot of stuff. Got back a list of almost 100 books to look at. Gave me new authors to look into for myself and my hubby. I also liked the adds at the top of the page. One was for a publisher that I may submit some of my writing to. There's no signup necessary on this one, that I could see, anyway. This is the place for me! Such fun and might even (with a little luck) boost my writing career.

Task #6

2009-09-17T09:36:00.001-07:00

These two sites are quite thorough in their purpose for enabling library staff to do their jobs better. The Ohio Library Council's tutorials are well done, and we should consider implementing our own version. I know we have our "Policies and Procedures" along with other things on the wiki, but not pulled together like these two sites have done. These sites are very "visual" which helps with the learning process. Part of our new employee orientation should include our library's history. This helps new staff to see the changes that have been made over years. We do have a mission statement and a workable strategic plan, as suggested on the Ohio site. I liked their heading "We live to serve!" Our library has, over the years, been very good at serving our patrons. We constantly get compliments about our service. We cover, very well, all the areas Ohio listed. I also liked their section on "Confidentiality." This is extremely important in our profession.

The Houston library's site was equally informative. Good reminders on why customer service is so important to the "life" of the library. Customer service is EVERYONE'S job, so no slacking when you're not in a visible position. What you do still reflects on our library. I like the question, "How would the last 3 customers you worked with rate you?" We'd all be more aware of our interactions with patrons if we thought we were going to be scored. Remember, not everyone is a Paula Abdul--some of our patrons are Simon Cowell.

Facebook--take two

2009-09-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed getting back on Facebook. Connected with writing friends, including Jane Healey (she volunteered in the Children's Center until she moved to SD), my family--sons, sister-in-law--and took a personality test. Apparently, some people think the results are "so you." Guess it was more accurate than I thought. Hmmmmm, maybe some changes are needed. :-)

Task #5

2009-09-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

I tried both methods for placing holds. Actually preferred the second one--creating a book bag and requesting all at once. Thought the first one was a bit cumbersome.

Task #4

2009-09-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

I had to resurrect my old Facebook account, but that was good. Took a while to remember my password. Did find old friends and family there. Also signed up on LinkedIn--we'll see what happens there.

Checked out the Facebook pages listed. Although Coca Cola is my favorite soft drink, don't think I want to waste my precious time looking at their blog. The others were interesting and now I'll have to check to see if my Congressmen have Facebook accounts. If so, they'll be hearing from me.

First day of kindergarten

2009-08-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Of course, not me. This is the first day of school for the twins. Yes, Grandma is still exercising her bragging rights.

Grandma's brags

2009-08-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

No self-respecting Grandma passes up an opportunity to brag. So, here's a picture of the twins on their first fishing trip. Halee is in the blue cap and Danae is in the orange Tone Stewart cap. (that's Nascar). The twins can tell you all about Nascar and the drivers.

Task #3

2009-08-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Completed the quiz--hope I passed. Haven't clicked on all the buttons (today, anyway), but will when I have more time.

Webolution task #2--cont.

2009-08-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, tried last.fm and plugged in Judy Collins. It wouldn't play anything. What kind of radio station doesn't play Judy Collins? Think I'll stick to Pandora. Serves me very well and gives me a wide variety in the areas I like.

Pandora

2009-08-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Way ahead of you on this one. Have been listening to Pandora for over a year now. Have several "radio stations" set up--Epic Soundtracks (movie scores), Swingin' Christmas and Christmas Carols (if you don't know what these are...), Frank Sinatra (big band era including Frank, Ella, Dean, Sammy, Julie, Margaret, Jo, Bobby...well, you get the idea. For you younger folks, I'll provide last names if you ask), Brothers Four (folk music from the sixties--Brothers Four, Kingston Trio [not King 'n Trio], Judy, Joan, Peter, Paul, & Mary, Gordon, and others).

I love the variety and can change stations whenever I feel the need. You can listen for 40 hours a month for free. After that they want money. So, if I need to, I switch to AOL music. It give you a large variety of choices.

Webolution 2009

2009-08-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here we go again! Looking forward to doing all the activities, but wondering when I'll find the time. ILL has revved up lately, and keeps me busy all day.

Last but not least

2007-09-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did take the survey. There was only one problem--we weren't asked what we'd like to learn next, only if we'd like to learn. Soooooooo, I have a suggestion. How about web page design. Huh, Nancy? Huh, huh? I'm ready!

#23--It's all downhill from here!

2007-09-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

WooHoo--the light at the end of the tunnel was NOT a freight train, but the beautiful light of an open laptop computer! Yes, all you Webolutionists, I definitely see a laptop in my future!

This whole Webolution idea has been fun, interesting, and definitely a learning experience for this over-the-hill (Hill? What hill? I didn't see any hill!) mom and grandma. I most likely would not have explored half of these things if not "forced" into it by the lure of a laptop and a chance to learn something new.

Just learning how to blog has been exciting and useful. Once my novels get published, I can see the benefit of not only having a web page, but a blog to go with it. The possibilities are endless.

I have to admit that, except for things like the ATS Wiki which allows for signing up for computer classes, I basically have no use for wikis. I see too many problems (or is that my conservative nature coming through) associated with being able to change, add, etc. to someone else's work. I doubt I'll pursue wikis much further than what I did here.

I struggled the most with Flickr and Del.icio.us. It took me a while to figure out how to add tags and organize them, but once I figured it out, WOW. Now when I'm working the ATS desk and need to access some of the ILL bookmarks that are on my office computer, I can. I have tags that are shared and tags that cannot be shared, such as my Illiad requesting sites at DU and CU.

Although I was mostly familiar with the Ebsco databases, I enjoyed that exercise. Making myself familiar with the Ebsco "family" is extremely helpful and useful with Interlibrary Loan. I have filled several article requests by using Ebsco.

I loved YouTube and Image Generator. I'd like to experiment more with Image Generator. But my very favorite, oddly enough, was the podcast. When we first started this adventure, I couldn't have told you what a podcast was. Now I have two that I've added to my bloglines account and will access them on a regular basis--not necessarily daily, but definitely weekly. One of the podcasts is a humorous NPR program that really brightens up the day. The other is a podcast on writing, with "classes" and interviews of authors, instructors, and other related subjects. I can never learn too much about writing.

When I took the challenge, my only goal was to win that laptop. Having completed all the tasks, laptop or not, I consider myself a winner. Now when someone mentions RSS feeds, podcasts, YouTube, Flickr, etc., I'll at least be able to relate and understand most of what is said.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks! Bring 'em on!

#22--Podcasts

2007-09-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is amazing and exciting. I successfully added FictionRight and NPRs "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me" podcasts to my Bloglines account, with some interesting results.

FictionRight is a series of lessons and interviews on writing. The first one I tried to listen to sounded like Alvin and the Chipmunks and I couldn't figure out how to slow it down. The second one was the right speed, so maybe this will work. The podcasts include lessons on dialog, plots, and ideas, and interviews, including one with Connie Willis.

NPRs "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me" is a humorous look at news events.

I'm going to try to subscribe to Radio Time Zone which is a podcast of old radio programs, but I needed a yahoo account and didn't want to take the time right now.

I could see where podcasts could get addictive. This one was fun!

Addendum

2007-09-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

It worked! I'm actually listening to "One For the Money" by Janet Evanovich as I'm typing this. I'm officially part of the "audio" generation, providing there is such a thing. Who'd have guessed?

#20 & #21--Downloadin' and Listenin'

2007-09-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

I successfully, I think, downloaded "One For the Money" by Janet Evanovich to my home computer from Netlibrary. I haven't had a chance to listen yet, as it downloaded overnight, but it's showing in "My Documents" so I'm assuming it's there. I chose Netlibrary for this experiment, as I didn't want to download the program needed to download an Overdrive book. I haven't tried to burn a CD. Maybe in the future. This was fun, and it took me more time to remember my Netlibrary log in and find a book, than it did to download. Okay, maybe not quite, but seemed like it.

#18--Down and Dirty

2007-09-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

I have successfully posted to the Webolution Wiki. WooHoo! Only a few more tasks to go and a new laptop in my future. Stand back, I'ma comin' through.

#17--Library Wikis

2007-09-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a wiki is a tool where people can add and/or change what's already posted. There seem to be two types of wiki generators--Wiki Farms which does not require a server, but one has less control over content; and DIY Wikis, which require having your own server, with control and flexibility over content. I would much prefer the second generator. I have a bit of a problem with wikis with no control over content, as all kinds of misinformation can result. I checked out several library wikis and most of them require registration to post and the post must be approved by the "owner" of the wiki. This is good.

Discoveries--Book Lover's Wiki is great. You can find a review in any genre, some posted on the same book by several different reviewers. I found two books that piqued my interest and one of which I've already checked out. The other is on hold. BTW, who is Francesca B? Her reviews seem to appear most often and are well written. Some of the reviewer, however, lacked umph in their writing, which did not spark any interest in the books they reviewed, even though the reviews were positive.

Some of the other wikis I visited:
Library Success: a best practices wiki--This included readers' advisory and marketing, and required an email and login for posting.

Did a Google search for "library wikis" and found ACRL Wiki which had a distance learning forum; Bibliotherapy Wiki dedicated to "reading to heal" for chronically ill, etc.; Radical Reference Wiki that promotes "Green Librarianship" (eco-friendly libraries--I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting a bit tired of the "green" and "eco-friendly" fad/catch-phrase-happy bandwagon" going around and applying to absolutely everything) and travel guides to cities hosting ALA events.

'Nuff said.

#16--Plateau Valley Voice

2007-09-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

From the Nov. 2, 1923 Plateau Valley Voice front page--

"Legal Fight of the Cattle and Sheep Men
Bloodshed is feared, according to local federal officials, says the Denver Post, at the trial in Grand Junction on Nov. 5 of Ray Janes, Thomas and Frank Berry, William James, and 'Shorty' Chambers, prominent cattlemen of Rio Blanco and Moffat counties on charges of conspiracy to obstruct sheepmen in the lawful use of public lands."

My interest in the "cattle and sheep wars" stems from having a great uncle--a bit of a renegade (okay, he was 3/4 American Indian and 1/4 French--we think) who admitted he knew the names of the men who ran the herd of sheep off a cliff into Lake Fork Canyon near Gunnison, Colorado. He refused to identify by name any of the culprits, as some of them, according to my uncle, were still alive. We've often speculated that he could have easily been one of the culprits.

Ebsco video and Consumer Health Database--#s 14 and 15

2007-09-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Ebsco video was very basic, but easy to follow. No probs.

Conusmer Health Complete is fun and informative. I looked up information on epilepsy and pregnancy. Very informative. Also looked up information on "setting the standards for supplements" and the benefits of increasing Vitamin D intake.

You Tube Musings

2007-08-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

You tube is fun, as you can find any variety of video just by doing a keyword search. Earlier today I searched for "printer problems wrinkled shredded" and found the video I wanted. They also have categories, and under "travel & places" I found a cool video showing workers "wrapping" a building with a picture of a Boeing 787.

Copyright Video

2007-08-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, the video below will stay on my blog. It uses snatches of Disney films to explain copyright. It's very clever. If it's yanked, you can view it by going to my earlier blog titled "Copyright Explained" and click on the link. There's also a link to a copyright comic that you can go to (see interesting links), or you're welcome to view the actual comic book in my office.

You Tube video--Task #19

2007-08-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Tasks 11 & 12--Professional Development Websites

2007-07-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Finally had time to look at the websites for professional development. Very interesting. Webjunction has some interesting resources/ideas including serving my generation in various ways. One library has a sitting room where people can get together to knit, crochet, and talk. Boulder Public Library has a government information training session coming up on July 31st. Webjunction also offers online learning courses including photoshop, and an e-learning clearinghouse offering library science courses (192) under continuing education.

ALA website offers posters (among many other things), including celebrity "READ" posters. Hey what happened to Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson? I'm bummed. BTW, the "READ" poster hanging in my office placed 5th nationwide in the "Make your own read poster" contest held last year. Sherry Phinney did the handiwork; I provided the cute grandchildren.

PLA has a listing for the next conference, which will be in 2008 in Minneapolis, MN.

This is the logo for the upcoming conference.

CAL has a listing for book reviews, I've actually done three for them, but my last two were lost in the "changeover" to putting the book reviews online and NOT doing fiction. So my review for Absaroka didn't get published, but neither did my review of Zsolt which was a biography of sorts. Maybe it was the review. Hmmmm.

CLiC is a website I use fairly regularly. Everytime there is an update of the courier list, I print it out--essential to ILL.

Colorado State Library has a plethora of information. I did check out the "Reading and Student Achievement" link, "Performance-Based Standards for Teachers" (the link didn't work), and "Model Information Literacy and Guidelines for Students."

LibrarySupportStaff.com site has a great deal of educational support links. I clicked on "Education4you" and encountered lists of free online tutorials, including "Top Free Online Courses." One of the ones offered was photography by the New York Institute of Photography, and they offered numerous courses including a digital photography course.

Wow! After looking at all these sites and the myriad of information and help they offer, I'm overwhelmed and definitely full of it!

2007-07-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

After much angst and convinced that I really had broken either Yahoo or del.icio.us.com (or both) I braved logging on to del.icio.us.com again to try to finish organizing my "favorites."

Employing some rather unconventional methods and using my inborn

powers of logic (my kids always referred to me as Mrs. Spock when they were growing up, as in MR. not Dr. Spock)...

I successfully and fairly painlessly (okay, you may call me Mrs. Spock, Superlibrarian) organized my favorites.

You're welcome to give me a "high five" anytime!

Organized...somewhat

2007-07-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Finally took a little time this a.m. and worked on labeling and organizing my "favorites" on del.icio.us. Worked great until I got an error message from yahoo. Gave up and tried again after lunch, but couldn't access del.icio.us at all. Still getting the same error message. Hmmmmm, wonder if I broke it.

Tasks 9 & 10

2007-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

After much head banging and lip chewing, I finally figured out how to upload my bookmarks to del.icio.us.

Of course, they're not in any kind of order, so...

Now I have to figure out how to organize them, and then use them.

Onward and upward.

Zombie Apocolypse

2007-06-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

I Have a 54% Chance of Survival! Important skills for everyone to have. Take the test at http://mingle2.com/zombie-quiz
Badge 1

54%

2007-06-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

Not overly fond of snakes, so liked today's BC. Ask me sometime about the bull snake I chopped into little pieces. My boys were young and wide-eyed at what mommy was capapble of doing if she set her mind to it.

Tasks 9 & 10

2007-06-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Still trying to figure this one out. I'm registered at del.icio.us and managed to add a site with taglines to my account, but that's as far as I got. The 12-minute video was not working, so I couldn't watch it. Consequently, I'm struggling with this one. I'd like to add more sites to my account, but some of them I want to be private, and I couldn't see how to do that. Will try again later. In the meantime, have a laugh and try http://www.arcamax.com/ and click on "the funnies." My favorites are "BC," "Wizard of Id" and "Zits."

Copyright explained

2007-06-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

If you want to know about copyright in a fun format, try this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

Picture gallery

2007-06-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post a few more pictures for your entertainment. Yes, I'm cheating and posting from my computer, but hey, whatever works!

Pictures are labeled below, top to bottom.

Had to add a picture of the granddaughters--L-R Ilia, Danae, yours truly, Halee.

Sedona, AZ--a place we like to visit.

Looking north from our timeshare in Pagosa Springs

McClure Pass

Red Mountain--Idarado

Continental Divide--Wolf Creek Pass looking west

Original cabin on our high country property--we've built a new and bigger one.

RSS???

2007-06-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

Eureka! I've just set up an account on bloglines and subscribed to some blogs and news feeds--I think. We'll see how it goes. Some of my "subcriptions" are not ones that I picked (at least not consciously) but they're there and seem to be fairly innocuous, so guess I'll leave them and see what happens.

Absence

2007-06-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. As many of you know, my mother-in-law passed away on the 24th of May. That and a very bad cold have kept me out of the loop. But hopefully, I'll find time in the next few days to "go boldly" forward with the projects as outlined by our fearless leader.

For those of you who are Trek fans, here's a little something to argue over--or not. Sent to me by my nephew who is working on his docoroate in communications.

One of the (dorky) staff at Cracked has compiled a hierarchy of Trek > films: (my nephew's comment; not mine--but I have to say he's probably right. Anyway it was fun to look at. And, frankly, if you're a Trek fan, you tend to overlook a lot of stuff, simply because it is Star Trek--my comment.)
http://www.cracked.com/index.php?name=News&sid=2028&pageid=1

2007-05-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I finally added a picture to my blog, but it's from my computer, not Flickr. I successfully sent the picture to Flickr, but the image wouldn't download to the blog, unless I wanted to make it public. At this time, I don't want to do that. So, cheating was in order.

Castle Range

2007-05-22T14:57:00.001-07:00

This is the view we see out of our cabin window on Black Mesa. Awsome, huh?

Flickr--What?

2007-05-21T15:05:00.001-07:00

Well, I set up a Flickr account, tried to email a set of pictures to it, but so far they haven't shown up. Being new to the blog world, I'm not sure how to download a picture to my blog, but I'll figure it out--sooner or later.

Success!

2007-05-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

I finally did it! Fairly simple, but it didn't like my first choice for my url. At any rate, it forced me to use a name that would serve me well once my books start getting published. Yes, I am definitely an optimist!

As for Mr. Abram--in what world does he live? Evidently he is not married, has no children, grandchildren, etc., is independently wealthy so he doesn't have to work, and has all the time in the world. I'd be lucky to get those 43 things done in 10 years.