the end.

1. What was the most important thing you learned in Web 2.Huh? and why?Hmmm, that's a tough one, I learned alot. Perhaps the most important thing might be the excellent overview of the current state of web technologies we received, and seeing all the ways people can interact with each other. Also, learning that with a bit of caution and the knowledge to use a few tools, the web has become a warm and inviting place.
2. What was most challenging? Why?Keeping track of passwords! Also RSS feeds were kinda difficult because I really didn't like the set up. It was hard to know just what I was reading.
3. How can BPL use Web 2.0 technologies to deliver or improve library services?Well, we are already using Facebook for OBOB, and I noticed the pages have a Facebook group, and we published our SED video on YouTube. Web 2.0 technologies have excellent potential to draw the public into our services and engage the community in new ways, and round the clock through blogging, I think Librarything has great potential to develop community interaction around books.
4. How successful was the “self-directed” learning model? Is this a useful way of encouraging staff development?I enjoy self directed learning, especially for technical skills as I like tooling around with this stuff at my own snaillike pace ( not that I don't get the stuff, its just nice to be on one's own schedual for some things) . I definatly think it's a good way to encourage staff development, especially when staff is given the option to complete the tasks on work time or on thier own for a lovely bonus. Very outside the box!

tagging

tagging is fun, but I'm not sure if I'll continue to use it. I might, only time will tell. I like the idea of bookmarking that is accessible from anywhere, because I'm always seeing a site and wanting to get to it again later at another computer but can seem to #@(*$* find it again. So yes, there is a pretty high likelihood I'll keep using it.
As a reasearch tool - as I mentioned above, its pretty easy while tooling around looking for info to find the 'perfect" site but later by utterly incapable of remembering the path back to it. - OH, if I'd only tagged it... yeah, research could be better with tagging, like a string to find one's way out of ( or in this case back into) the labyrinth. However, can you tag within a database to avoid printing off the article? I doubt it, but I'll have to try this later and see. That would make tagging particularly useful.

librarything

The library could use librarything as a community building tool, where people could join a BPL group, or there could be a suite of groups for different genres, and people could catalouge and comment on the books they're reading/have read from the library ( that's the dead obvious response...). We could have an OBOB group that allows people to comment online to the chosen book, or suggest titles for the following year's selection. A staff group would be an excellent way to have a running book review. I like librarything, it is very ease to use and it's interesting seeing what others tag their books with.
that's about all I have for now.

Review of The Silver Spoon of Solomon Snow

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgfhbpkr_1fk6rs8cj

I skipped some tasks, but since I've experienced facebook I thought I might as well comment

Facebook - I'd been avoiding it for so long...
So since I had to for this assignment, I went all in and signed up. Used by real name and everything. And of course, now I've been able to see baby pictures, vacation shots, catch up with "long lost" friends, without the long distance phone bill or any burning of gas. Amazing. Despite my reserve towards this modern marvel, I do have to admit it is better to be able to keep ties with friends that have drifted away than to loose contact altogether.

stressrelief

My stress relief contribution was as follows:
"For my stress relief formula I'm going to have to steal from a friend on mine who has just been through some rough times:"Family, Friends, Fitness". It's her Three F's philosophy, and it works for me! (though, to be frank, I don't stress about much)"
How could a wiki make my life more stress free...hmmm. I'm not sure that it could, but perhaps it could be useful. I personally think we could write a book with all those suggestions, something for the self-help crowd, and make a tidy profit. That would alleviate some of my stress. We could call it

Laid-back Library Ladies: Their Stress-Free Secrets Revealed!

Alternately, it could be a useful way to brainstorm after or before a meeting. We could have a weekly 'list' where we share ideas on various topics, work related or not, just like the stress-free at work one. Or, perhaps a reader's advisory of sorts, ex: good books for teenage boys, good reads for people who have read everything..ect, that staff and customers alike can add too (of course someone would have to monitor it for appropriateness and stuff).
I'm sure there are uses, but it might stress people out having to come up with ideas all the time.

you tube is so popular because 1. we like to show other people the crazy stuff we do and 2 because we like watching the crazy things other people do. YouTube can be addictive- there are so many videos that you can find something about almost anything (I found instructional videos on origami) and because of the clever way new videos present themselves to you once you have finished watching the first... you just have to check out one more, then oh! that one looks interesting too, I'll just have a peek ... and so on until its 2am and you can barely keep your head upright.
The video I posted is a diver's video of a Mola Mola - a really big and strange looking fish. I've been a teensy bit obsessed with them for ages- they're just so strange- and then I saw one off the island in the picture I posted below. That was a great day.
Sooo, the library could embed videos into webpages with instructions of how to use the catalogue, record storytime and post it for playback later(I'm totally kidding), create virtual tours around the library so people know which floor fiction is on, create promotional videos that show how great the library is (wait, we already did that), or put a speaker's corner of customer comments on the webpage, obviously screened beforehand for appropriateness ect.