Tracking Titles

Our information staff is using GoodReads as a way of widening the field of books that one can use as reader advisory. Not only do you have access to your own reading (it was really great, my patron will love it; now if I can only remember the title...or the author), you will have online input from others as well--even if they are not at the desk! Another staffer and I have set up a Library Thing account for a particular program that we are doing in January, so that we are not duplicating our efforts as we prepare.

Update on 2.0

Setting up my blog was very easy to do; taking the time to use it is another story entirely. I took a hiatus from working on Web 2.0 as some other things had a higher priority, but now I'm back. I set up a Twitter account, and have actually used it. I'm thinking that one would have to have it up all the time or at least access it frequently, otherwise what's the point. It may be one of those things that grows on you with use.

I have also set up a GoodReads account, which I really like. It is slightly easier to use than Library Thing (where I had previously stored what I have read). There are some things on the site that I still want to work out, including the networking piece, but it is coming along.

Flickr

I planned to spend a short time browsing Flickr...and ended up, two-and-a half hours later, wondering where the time had gone. Some of the photos are artistically stunning...others not so much, but are still interesting. Others, I'm not so sure about. Do I really want pictures of my kid's birthday party in such a public forum??

Patrons may be able to search Flickr, particularly the Smithsonian site, to find historical photos and download ones without copyright restrictions. Some people will be able to identify people, places in otherwise inscrutable photos--I can hear it now; "Isn't that Aunt Louise, when she went to...".

Sharing photos of book displays, programming realia, or other sharable things may be beneficial to librarians looking for ideas. One out-of-the-box possibility: photo and post an object/painting, etc. that a patron is trying to identify, when other search avenues have dried up, and count on someone to know something about it!

Meeting Web 2.0

What a novel way to introduce Web 2.0! I can see how it could have an impact on how we "do library", and interact with patrons. It will be interesting to see down the road what we have found that works, and what will have fallen by the wayside.