23Things #11 My LibraryThing

Since joining up with LibraryThing (before this Learning2.0 thing appeared on my radar) I've managed to upload most of my ISBNs, and entered a bundle that could not be found, and begun loading books without ISBNs. Unfortunately my database has notes that if they were able to be uploaded I didn't know how, and LibraryThing doesn't help me track the value of my library.

Thanks to Superpatron I am now aware of GuruLib - whose design I appreciate for the visual simplicity in sorting by location, and format (book, music, movie, game, software), but again I can't see a way to record and calculate replacement value. match what my Access database could do with a field for estimated item replacement value: totalling the value of my library inventory. I use that total to be sure I have enough insurance cover.

Rana's comment prompted me to go have another look so I could be as clear as possible in clarification. My guess is restricted by not seeing behind the scenes because I don't want to provide all the details required to sign up.

Compare:
LibraryThing requires: username + password
GuruLib requires: First name, last name, gender, GuruLibID, password, and in case you lose your password personal security question and answer, date of birth, zipcode and email address.

By perusing top users libraries I've noticed that it is possible to sort items by best or new price for which there must be fields, so perhaps it would be possible to extract the information I would use: an estimated total replacement value of my library (for insurance).

I also noticed that some users created subject 'shelves' instead of physical location shelves - neat if not quite the flexibility of tags.

23Things #10 Image Generators

With so many to choose from surely it shouldn't have taken so long to find one I could enjoy? Many hours later ...

Thanks to other 2.0Learners I drifted by Yahoo Avatars, and just in case I ever take it back out of my blogger template...



Because I like Questing Librarian's poster from her hero, I took a look at the Hero Machine, but I couldn't decide what my heroine would look like.

And days later...Until a personality reconfiguration makes me either profound or witty ... this was just for the learning, and pretty...

Communicating Compassionately with yourself and others

Sunday, 22nd October at 2.30 p.m.

at my house (please book)

An introductory exploration of the basic principles of Non-Violent Communication, guided by Cherie Scott, based on the work of
Marshall Rosenberg

• Create empowering heart-centred relationships
• Hear behind the words to what people are really saying
• Learn how to have compassion for yourself and others in difficult situations
• Express your needs with clarity and compassion
• Be free of blame, guilt, criticism and submission.
• Support others emotionally in a way that enriches you (and doesn't wear you out!)

23Things #9 Finding Feeds

I'm not in interested in fishing for more feeds - I'm already caught up in the internet equivalent of the East Australian Current.

I have a button (bookmarklet) in my Firefox toolbar, which gets a work out thanks to serendipity.

So rather than exploring, I took a quick look only at Technorati (interesting, social - but I couldn't see it offering anything I need beyond del.icio.us?), Feedster (restful on the eyes), Topix (I did indeed find local news) and Syndic8 (?)

My easiest source of feeds? Serendipitous surfing.

23Things #8 RSS, Bloglines and feeds

RSS became useful to me a few years ago when I found an interesting source of news in the field of breastfeeding promotion. Nervously I subscribed to the service and happily received regular emails although I didn't appreciate how automated they were.

Since then my google searches would often offer results at blogs that were motherloads of the kind of information I enjoyed. I'd bookmark them, but found it difficult to find the time to visit them regularly. I signed up to receive regular Bloglet emails from Peter Scott's Library Blog - http://blog.xrefer.com (where is that now?).

Then Bloglet (or was it another service) suggested I move to Feedblitz several months ago. Feedblitz made it very easy to subscribe to the motherloads of information I was now discovering in blogs, each of which introduced me to other interesting blogs. Daily emails were full of fascinating updates - but also links to even more interesting sources.

I'd see blogrolls in blog sidebars everywhere and wanted one. Some were powered by Bloglines. I couldn't see anyway to get a blogroll from Feedblitz, but changing feed service wasn't attractive - wouldn't this mean going through a fiddly process of copying the feeding URLs? Still, for the sake of learning (and a blogroll) I set up my own account and noticed this 'import' option. Sure enough when I checked back at Feedblitz - they had a straightforward process to export to an OPML file.

It was worthwhile - it is now so much easier to scan the sources I like - although it is still a time-challenge when a new post sends me surfing.

So for my #8 I decided to work out how to get a blogroll. Super-easy. Then just another fiddle with the template and there it is.

Loathing

Wicked Musical

In my music I usually prefer lyrics of a theme or feeling to which I can relate my own experience. In this I don't - but I like it - I enjoy the voices and the presentation.

Thanks TLB of The cat's meow for the link (and PLCMC Learning 2.0 for the link to TLB)

23 Things #7 Blog About Technology

I've become incredibly absorbed in learning stimulated by the desire to participate in Learning2.0 at PLCMC. Initially, I had desired to check how my current awareness stacks up against Helene's 23 Things, having already discovered blogs, RSS, del.icio.us, Flickr and YouTube among other things; but I also wanted to see whether the program could help me see whether any of these would be useful to my library studies or to my family's homeschooling.

Flickr in particular was the straw that broke my frugal resistance to the expense of a digital camera: I was finally able to see that it is an investment in economy: being able to check photos before printing too many that I just don't want means that if my camera lasts twenty years its cost will match what I would have spent in film development while, but in much less time than that, the boys and I will be able to learn (through trial and deletion) a lot about photography that we couldn't afford to do with film.

Consequently, I've been dabbling my toes at the shore of photography. While still trying to come to grips with actually capturing a clear picture with adequate light (particularly hard with people who insist on moving) I'm gazing at the swells and trying to absorb a glimmer of an idea that I have lots to learn about composition, framing, depth of field. I'm not going to start a list of the technicalities about which I have no idea (yet).

I had such a thrill receiving comments on my photos, I hope to gain more. That is a personal thrill ... let's see if I can consider this from a library perspective...

Sudden imagination - what if public libraries could mashup with photosharing sites like Flickr to catalogue/display local product? NLA have Picture Australia which has begun drawing images from Flickr, I'd like to see Picture Victoria do the same, and local libraries gathering images by their patrons / community members and of our geographical area. PictureAustralia's Flickr endeavour demonstrates how community can contribute to and improve local archival record, and how people love to do so.

Going back to my learning process, I imagine the public library linking patrons who participate in contributing to local photographic archives with opportunities to learn more about photography through suggestions from the catalogue and liaison with classes.

Through the map in the Flickr Organizer I can see other photos taken in my town and communicate if I wish with the people who took those photos.

Which brings me to something I think public libraries should but probably don't often do very well: connect people with people as much as they do with things. It is why I was excited to see Hennepin's catalogue allowing comments on catalogued items.

Connecting with people is something I've finally taken up from this 2.0 activity (I listed as an international participant of the PLCMC Learning 2.0 23 Things project), I commented on a photo at Flickr, and for this #7PS of the 23 Things I've commented at some other participant blogs:

Librarian Stud's PLCMC Blog
Ally's My Learning 2.0 blog
Martin's 23 Things

and want to comment even more, but it is time to be done, publish and go have tea.