Thing #23: Completion!

Completion:
Relief, Feeling of accomplishment, New Knowledge, Keep Learning, Try It and Use it, Solicit Staff Suggestions, Lots of New Possibilities.

I am finished but I have really only started. I cannot think of another method, short of academic class work, that would have introduced me to so many useful tools.There are some that I will incorporate into everyday work, namely Library Thing, Rollyo, and RSS feeds. And I will use Library Thing at home to catalog my own books

Other tools I will play with for the fun of it, as in the avatar generators and trading card makers

My first experience in blogging was successful and reinforced how much I actually enjoy writing...and editing. Writing is never an easy task but it is full of reward.

I am delighted with my staff who were fortunate enough to sign up and complete this program. Many of them have already used the tools and their knowledge and confidence are reflected in the add-ons and visual personality of their public blog faces. I'd be a liar if I said I were not a bit envious of their abilities but I do intend to keep on practicing until I can load the front end of my page with "goodies." I'm a "Victorian" rather than a minimalist in decoration and I like organized clutter--No apologies.

Here are some other realizations from this program.

Stay informed
Read the tech columns more regularly. I realize the Web 2.0 software highlighted and discussed at Computers in Libraries this year was only the tip of a huge iceberg, addressing some of the more useful applications for this"library business". You don't have to master each new item add-on or feature but it is wise to stay informed because Web 2.5 or 3.0 is coming. One thing I am still puzzled by though is how companies make money by giving away so much free access and online storage.

Work to use online productivity tools at work
Try it in a simple project first with staff and build from there. I'm speaking of word processed documents. Doing so should save paper/e-mail drafts, reinforce use of the technology for those who are reluctant to apply what they have learned, and provide opportunities for hard working staff who were not able to do the "23 Things."

Keep Having Fun!
How can you NOT like playing with avatars or doing the YouTube thing. One person wrote that they could not find anything but junk there--? Not. Any time I want I can listen to clips of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas or Casino --voila. So I'm not a Bambi and flowers kind of guy but that's what I get a kick from.

As predicted, I did a good bit of this project at home on weekends and a few evenings. That gave me uninterrupted time and peace and that stimulated creativity and more thorough exploration than if I had done this all in my office. I do wish I had actually started a couple weeks earlier but that is the nature of being busy at work and being a parent who has committed himself to numerous volunteer hours at his son's high school. No regrets. I like the online learning environment and would welcome more intensive or lengthy training delivered in this manner. It would have been fun to work side by side on one or two units with a co-worker so we could share strengths.