• The Alumni Blog
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All you need to do is add RSS widgets to your blog, type in the feed’s URL in the appropriate box, and then give the feed a title.  You have options on number of items to show (I chose three), identifying the author, and how much text to display.

The main issue with RSS feeds is content. There seems to be plenty of “outside” opportunities to include content, Public Education Network is an example. The big question is what do we want to include, and how often.

This is something I am going to have to play with. I’ve started a “pipe” and will give you a web address once I am up and running.

However, I have to come clean. I once used creepy treehouse (but didn’t know it at the time) on my workmates. I asked them to sign into a wiki I’d set up and to leave a comment. My goal was to get them to see how easy it was to work on a shared document but alas it was a real fizzer. Reactions were puzzlement, silent non-compliance, and we don’t need to do this.

So, where does that leave me now. Well, I just plug along with projects… hoping that one day someone might join me hmmm…

For quite a while now I have been using del.icio.us bookmarks, my user name is libroboy (yes, I know it’s a goofy screen name, but all the good ones had been taken).

The features I like about del.icio.us are that you can keep all of your bookmarks in one place on the web. So, if your computer blows-up or gets re-imaged, then there’s no wailing about lost bookmarks. Other features are that you can tag sites, organize them into bundles (or folders), and share them with others. You can also use del.icio.us as a website search engine; it’s a little bit like NOT having to re-invent the wheel, plus It’s a good way to see what others have been tagging, and which sites are popular for a particular topic. Del.icio.us can also be integrated with facebook.

1. Use other search engines apart from Google – you don’t have to be a slave to the dark side. There are plenty of engines out there to choose from, see http://altsearchengines.com/
2. Now that people are starting to embrace web 2.0 new ways of searching the social web are emerging through tags. One such site that is proving popular is http://keotag.com/
3. Google is such a powerful search tool it’s such a shame that some of its more interesting features are tucked away. Two optional extras you’ll want to explore are Google archives http://news.google.com/archivesearch and adding view:timeline or view:info after your search term in the Google search box.
4. For people who are left-brained. i.e., into visuals, search crystal is a good option http://searchcrystal.com/home.html test this engine on your institution’s name.
5. Something I’ve come across before but had forgotten about are search engines that cluster results, one such engine that came highly recommended is http://demo.carrot2.org/demo-stable/main one good thing about this search engine is that you can add it to your Firefox browser as a plug-in.
6. If you are like me and don’t care too much for driving then this tip is for you. Go to http://maps.ask.com/maps type in your starting place and your destination – hit go and you’ll get the usual driving instructions, but look again there’s a tab for walking – very useful for Manhattan.

Fixing Google

If you are using Firefox and Google you can make both stronger and smarter by downloading this extension from http://www.customizegoogle.com/. This extension allows you to search results by adding extra information, e.g., Yahoo, Ask.com, MSN and removing unwanted information like ads and spam.

Teaching Point

Go to the reference desk computer, start-up Firefox. Perform a search in the Google search box and you should notice the following:

1. no ads on the right hand side
2. at the top of the page there are options to use other search engines
3. you can scroll for ever
4. results are numbered and some have favicoms

If you look under Tools and select CustomizeGoogle Options, you will find that I have selected a number of options to personalize the browser. Feel free to check and uncheck boxes to get an idea of what this extension can do.

If you would like to learn more about Mary Ellen Bates’ work see http://www.librarianoffortune.com/

LibX is a browser plugin for Firefox that provides direct access to your library’s resources. It is an open source framework from which editions for specific libraries can be built. Currently, 352 academic and public libraries have created public LibX editions.

Teaching Point

Go to the reference desk computer. Start up Firefox, go to Views, Toolbars, and select NYPL to experience how LibX works with a library we are all familiar with. If you look at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen you’ll see NYPL’s logo, click it and you’ll find options to show and hide the LibX toolbar – very clever!

Last April, I attended the Computers in Libraries Conference 2008 (Arlington, VA) and one of the sessions I found interesting was Tom Ipri’s on libraries as “Learning Commons.” The following is the abstract for Tom’s session:

Despite the perception that patrons are abandoning libraries and conducting all their research online, library as place remains important for many users… In what ways can technology enhance patrons library experience? Many libraries have embraced the idea of a “Learning Commons” to keep pace with students technology expectations. This session reviews what innovative libraries are doing with gathering spaces to make the library experience more enlightening and fun, while also using technology to make the library a place of destination.

Criteria

So, what does a “Learning Commons” type of library look like? The following are some of the features you might find:

1. movable furniture
2. wifi
3. laptops
4. group workstations
5. computers that have multimedia software
6. large scale printers
7. opportunities for tutoring
8. vending machines
9. white boards
10. feeling of “de-centeredness”
11. positive emotional experience.

Furniture

It made me think about how we use our library space. Although most of our furniture is not bolted down few people move tables or chairs to different parts of the library. We have a number of carrels which can not be moved. There’s also a couch area where students can relax. The children’s library has padded seating in the shape of cylinders and cubes which are very popular with the younger set.

Wifi

Although we have wifi some students find it a bother to go to the tech department to get on the network. I am often asked “What is the password for getting onto the network?” Others are put off by the fact that you have to have anti-virus software, and once you are registered it takes a day before access is possible.

Positive Emotional Experience

We don’t have a lot of rules but the ones we do have are regularly tested. One of them is a cellphone ban, and another is the consumption of drinks and snacks, (water in a bottle with a screw lid is OK). Both activities are permitted in the lobby area of the library. Sometimes I feel it is a losing battle, and yet students tell me they often come to the library because it’s a quiet place unlike the computer labs.

Designated Use

We have one space called the “Quiet Room” which is technology-free, i.e., no laptops. I explain to students that New York is a noisy city and that we’ve had requests from our patrons to provide a quiet space where the only activities allowed are silent ones such as reading or writing. One feature of this room is large work tables where students can spread out and work on assignments.

Constraints

There are plenty of opportunities and spaces for tutoring, but not so many for groupwork. We’ve had to come up with a list of places in the college where this might be possible such as the graduate lounge, the cafetaria, and the unlikely possibility of an empty classroom, and of course our lobby. Library users quite often want to use the “Quiet Room” for collaborative activities.

I’ve quizzed students about why they prefer the library over the computer labs and the answer is usually “Well, you have all the resources (books).” The computer labs are where you’ll find multimedia software, color printers, scanners, and personnel who can help with making movies and slide shows.

As an institution we are not quite there when it comes to loaning out laptops, white boards, or having vending machines on site.

Slideshow

Here is Tom Ipri’s SlideShare PowerPoint presentation.

When I taught in Japan, videos like Mr Bean were very popular. Silent video clips like “Simon’s Cat” (the one above) have the potential to be fun teaching tools for English language learners. They can be used to help students construct dialogs, and write descriptions.