Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Thing 23 - Reflection

The single most important thing I wanted to do was to familiarize myself with 2.0 communication tools that our patrons use and that my library colleagues across the country use, so that I understand what they are talking about. The program has done a great job of supporting that, and my hat is off to those of you that have established it, coached us through, and tracked us as we experience everything. Well done! Next, I wanted to see if there is anything we can use in our own library. Because our institution limits access to many 2.0 tools, some things just aren't possible (yet). But understanding the uses and benefits can help us press for access as we demonstrate the value. Several of these are available, and I've already used them or shown them off! And then, I really hope to use some of these in my library organization & committee work - working with others across the country /world, when we all have separate platforms and servers and firewalls.
An extra: I found that participating in the 23 Things has impressed my nieces and nephew, and offered some ways to share & keep in touch with far-away family that could be really fun!

I come back to some thoughts from the beginning: libraries have been supporting curiosity, communication, education for years. Being relevant is important; using the language of our customers is important. Using these tools, understanding them - not just because we can, but because they are the tools of choice of those who we serve - is just as important. We'll find, surely, that some tools will become everyday parts of our service, and some will go by the wayside. But like using fax and scanner and computer, incorporating whatever we can into our service will place us in a much better position to reach people with exactly what they need from us.
I also find that I've already used digg and librarything and libworm for real tasks and questions in my own library - very cool. And I've also found (witness IM) that if I don't use these things, even in the short space of a few months, I forget how. I forget the user name or password or even which service I chose to sign up with. So I'm learning to keep things simple, use pieces of services I already use regularly (google, yahoo).
I'm surprised to find that I actually enjoy the blogging; and I use it to keep thoughts and links and ideas that I've tripped over during the program but want to remember to try at work or show someone in the library. Loved flickr, googledocs, image generators, and wikis. Less excited about digg, ning, facebook. Less excited about podcasts than I thought I would be, and more excited about Youtube potential (well, video on our in-house system as a teaching tool, anyway!).
I also find myself remembering something I learned from a fellow I worked for at Chemical Abstracts. Just because you can, doesn't mean it is the best thing to do/use. RSS feeds or twitter or instant messaging maybe absolutely super, but it may not be the best way to reach my customers, or teach about my library, or communicate with my Dad. It takes both knowing and understanding how things work, and then putting this in perspective and context with regards to what you need to do, who you need to reach, and what you have to work with.
All I can say now is that I'm better prepared to evaluation potential, and more excited about using these tools, and that its up to me not to lose what I just learned by letting them lapse. And to keep an eye open for the next Things coming down the line. Hope you guys will be there to coach us through!
Many, many thanks.

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