The End!

Well, to be honest, this has been a somewhat frustrating, time consuming experience. However, since I have a genealogy blog as a PERS goal, this was a great practice session. I also discovered some new sites and technologies to add to my genealogy training repertoire - never a bad thing!

Genealogy & Technology

In the Summer 2007 SLRC News EPFL detailed the new online show-me guides. One is entitled "Locating Passenger Arrival Information at the Port of Baltimore." http://www.prattlibrary.org/special/camtasia.aspx?id=876 It's amazing how much digital genealogy is around the internet if it's hunted down - The Genealogy Guys for one. I'll have to keep looking!

Project Gutenburg Rocks!

I explored downloadable audio books, but what really impressed me was Project Gutenburg. It's been years since I looked at it. I think it will appeal to the students who need that classic to read right NOW. I saw one book that every copy in the system is out because all the AP classes at North Harford must read it this summer. Next student in, I'm showing this to.

You Tube

No real need to explore. Any parent of teens should already have been there (as I have). So I searched for genealogy and found The Genealogy Guys how-to videos. There's a good one about using the features of the Google Toolbar to assist in searching. Then there was the Lib Vlog of a librarina helping a patron new to genealogy. Amazing - another hour gone!

Web 2.0 Awards & Podcasts

Well, I had a little trouble navigating around as I was trying to find genealogy related winners. Then I figured I might as well explore podcast sites - seeing as how that's the assignment in thing 21. Odeo is my choice for searching. I found some amazing podcasts. One was at www.mugglenet.com/mugglecast - it was a great Harry Potter discussion. Then I search for genealogy and found The Genealogy Guys podcasts. As I always say .... boy can this waste time - 2 hours gone!

Online Productivity & 2.0 Award Winner

The online productivity tools will work perfectly for our students who start something at school and come to the library to finish. I explored Library Thing and I see great possibilities for the Suggestions section as an additional readers advisory tool.

Wikis Will Work

Wikis are my choice over blogs. I think I will do a genealogy wiki instead of a blog. It will be more useful. The genealogy subject guide I perused was an excellent use of this format. Also added my blog to the sandbox where it will hopefully sink to the bottom of the box and never be found by anyone's shovel and pail.

Library 2.0 & the Future

This appears to be an official harnessing of much of how we already operate. It also actively includes the patron. Giving them this official recognition and equal status is a good thing. The term social computing was highlighted in one of the readings. I think this is the silent menace. It gives users the appreance of connectivity while in actuality users are becoming more isolated. Nothing can replace eye contact and a smile. I watch my daughter being constantly connected via texting, chatting, cell phoning, etc. Yet she is alone. There is an amazing difference in her when she has spent face time with her friends as opposed to social computing time. I hope we don't also lose this very speical connection with our patrons. It is what nurtures us.

Technorati Talk

Apparently I'm using tags correctly. What a releif :-) No surprises in the top topics, Harry, Paris, youtube and google.

Del.icio.us Genealogy Websites

I will be adding all of the genealogy websites on the Webliography from the class. They are already in the Rollyo search, but I think this application in better suited to the task.

Rollyo Genealogy Websearch

Check out the Rollyo genealogy websearch on my Genealogy Gurus. It has all of the websites used in training from the Webliography.