Lesson 11: Wrap Up

My first experience with self guided technology learning, or 23 Things, expanded my knowledge and increased the number of resources I now utilize for my job. This time around I was already familiar with most of these "cosas" and therefore it was not as eye opening as before.  I did appreciate the Snipping Tool Challenge. I have been enjoying looking at others posts and found some common ground on most topics.

I understand this is developed for all learners and all levels. With that said, the blog format is a little outdated for me but might be good for a newbie or someone unfamiliar with blogs.  I believe the lessons were a little text heavy when links and images could do the job as well.

I would suggest more information on shortcuts or tips that make the user experience easier for any computer user. For example, does everyone know they can increase the zoom view on their computer? Does everyone know how to organize and save files to their drive? Does everyone know the shortcuts for cut, copy and paste? 

Lesson 10 Challenge

The connection between government services and residents is both easy and clear if you know where to go. Never before can you search basic government information without the assistance of a clerk or at least a short trip to an office.

 Our library is located next door to a City of San Antonio Park. While very convenient and a nice attraction, a city park is also a target for graffiti on a regular basis. The City has implemented a nice mobile feature called the 311 Mobile App which allows anyone to report graffiti in Parks as well as many code violations, animal pick up, traffic sign missing, etc. I have used the app on three different occasions to report graffiti with pictures and detailed description of the location. Within 2-3 days a crew came out and removed and repaired the park.  I am able track each report on my phone and can even link into the other city services on the "Other City Info" page.   Conveniently, the library's website is also listed on the app.

Lesson 9 Part 2- Zinio

I have been reading the latest Readers Digest, Cosmopolitan, and Smithsonian Magazine since we got this platform.

Zinio is fun and easy to use but there are some limitations. If you have an older device it can be hard to load up a whole magazine.

The 7 devices the Zinio app works on is: : iPhone iPad Android Win 8 Mac PC Kindle Fire/HD/HDX

Lesson 9 Part 1 Hoopla

Top Titles in Hoopla on 10/17: Insurgent, Allegiant and The Husband's Secret

Hoopla is a game changer. They are giving people the same content that the library provides in a easy to use website or app. Audiobooks can be bulky to carry around. Hoopla removes the physical barrier to deliver the same content. Music CDs can get scratched or broken but with Hoopla the newest music is always available.

I have been listening to audiobooks, watching movies and listening to the newest music since the first day we got this. I love the always available/Netflix model with a reasonable limit of 10. I always max out. I have been telling our patrons about Hoopla and the ones that discover it come back and talk about how they are loving it!

Lesson 8 Part 2 Challenge

I have been reading or "listening" to audiobooks for a long time now so I jump between each and every platform routinely.

Here is my comparisons:

 Overdrive: the widest collection of titles combined with the ease of the app. I listen to a lot of books on Overdrive as well as read eBooks. I also use this platform during the summer to download free audiobooks from http://www.audiobooksync.com/. I recently listened to Dean Koontz Odd Thomas even though I had already read the book.

OneClickDigital: This app used to be complicated to use but it has gotten easier. Full of classics, OneClick has started including eBooks too. It is not easy to browse and it constantly asks for your password. I have recently listened to Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. The audiobook worked well in wifi areas but had a hard time when I was not in wifi.

Hoopla:  I just finished The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. I went from my phone app, to the computer website to my Nook with ease. Hoopla has the download feature that is nice if you are not able to stream. I had one problem syncing up between my phone and the website but I just closed out the browser and started again.

Lesson 8 Part 1 Challenge

Go to OverDrive’s catalog, find two of the titles listed below and provide the following information in your blog post:
Formats the book is available in
How many copies the library owns
How many copies are available

 I had to pick my Adult Summer Reading Program challenge winner Divergent by Veronica Roth 

Formats the book is available in: Audiobook (MP3 and WMA) and eBook (Kindle, OverDrive Read, Adobe EPUB)
How many copies the library owns: 98 ebooks, 15 audiobooks
How many copies are available: 32 ebook copies available as of today 10/17, 0 audiobook copies available today 10/17 (but it is available on Hoopla)

My second selection is Grain Brain by David Perlmutter
Formats the book is available in: eBook (Kindle, OverDrive Read and Adobe EPUB)
How many copies the library owns:14 ebooks
How many copies are available: 3 copies available as of today 10/17

Lesson 7 Part 1 Challenge

This selfie was used in the National Library Week project.

Lesson 6 Part 2 Challenge

Social media as an negative...what a big topic! There are so many sides and issues I could write a book let alone a blog post. The availability of instant connection has diminished people's patience. Why wait to talk to someone when you can send a text? Why read a book when you can read reviews? Why ask the question when you can Google it? All that access to information is overwhelming just as the need to reach out and connect to others can take away from experiencing the moment. Then there those who decide to share too much too often. I love seeing what all my friends are up to, but I don't care what you ate for breakfast and I could do without the pictures of shoes and nails. Some might find this stuff interesting, but I just do not want to spend my time looking at that - thank you. TMI

Lesson 6 Part 1 Challenge

Social media is a tricky subject in light of filters and privacy. I use Facebook, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, Google+ and a couple others but cannot access most of this at work so I am using email more often. I have had an email account since freshman year of high school and I embrace new ways to connect with friends, family, colleagues and what I would call "like-minded" people. This means there is always a group of people somewhere that are thinking of the topics I want to learn about or talk with. With that said, I cherish facetime or "real live" conversations with friends and family. Our time is so precious that when I see the people I want to share my life with, I put down the phone and focus on them in the moment. I might take a picture and update my status on Facebook, but my focus is on the person who is in front of me - not the screen!

Lesson 5 Challenge

Those Keyword Challenges were tricky because the terms the challenge used to explain each category took me a little while to clearly understand. I get keywords, but the term "important ideas for which alternate words may be more effective" is a long statement as is "words that will probably have little effect." Once I got the idea the exercise was easier to do. There is also something to be said for experience. It takes some time working on a Reference desk to understand how some questions asked need to be restated to get the best results. You may have heard the statement "Librarians: the Ultimate Search Engine" that is because we try to ask the right questions even if the person asking the question isn't sure what answer they are looking for.

Lesson 3 Part 2 Challenge

LibGuides are what I would call "the icing on the cake." Not only do we have great resources and material, but this allows our professional staff to craft that information in a way that is relevant to our patrons and comes with a nice "librarian approved" sticker. I especially appreciate the EReader LibGuide that breaks down our many digital offerings based on type of device, format of data, troubleshooting and running Q&A.I have often referred this particular LibGuide to our savvy digital users who might need a little assistance and is not afraid to explore our site. I always mention the Q&A section and say "if you have a question, chances are someone has asked it before and we answered here." Now the staff LibGuides are a whole other thing. If the public LibGuides are the icing on the cake, these LibGuides are the "how to bake the cake." There is vital information that we need to do our jobs well. I use the Millennium LibGuide for basic questions about creating library cards, the Create Lists function and Holdings Editor guidelines. Even if I have already done X or Y procedure a hundred times, I check the LibGuide to ensure nothing is new or there isn't a better way to do it. I also rely on the Marketing LibGuide for flyer production and digital display formats. I turn to the Fiscal LibGuide for clarification on Refund Procedures and I visit the Reference LibGuide for technology tips and know-hows. Keep them coming SAPL staff.

Lesson 3 Part 1 Challenge

Learning Express is far and beyond the most popular database I refer patrons to use and I am constantly pulling up and reviewing. The testing material, eBooks, occupational assistant and computer skills components make this database priceless. Our community consistently requests ASVAB test prep material. When no books are available, or in addition to our print material, I try to direct patrons to use the Library Express Library to review the test, take practice tests and get the eBook. Several patrons have come back and thanked me for this advice since they want to begin practicing for this important test as quickly as possible.

Lesson 2 Part 3 Challenge Outlook

Loving the signature use. Here is my signature from my outlook account:

I had a hard time coming up with my official title. I used to use "Adult Services Librarian" but that can be a vague title. My manager suggest Assistant Branch Manager and with her blessings I feel this title is more reflective of my current position. I also played with several fonts till Arial just made sense to me and I did not want to bother with cursive looking signatures I have seen before. They can be hard to read and sometimes the computer doesn't understand the font. I also included our website as a hyperlink instead of listing it separately. This is to highlight the Library in general and bring people to our website easily.

Lesson 2 Part 3 Challenge Word

I'm an Word Perfect girl who got used to the ribbon quickly because it reminded me of my junior Business Skill class where computers were the new tool and we still learned how to fax (just in case they said). Word is a tool like any other and I've seen some easier to use functions especially the template features that now groups resume templates differently. For informational flyers, I use the PowerPoint template as provided by the Marketing Team (go Marketing) and then I save it as a jpeg, move it into word, and create 4X4 flyers to hand out to patrons. I print about 5 of the originals in color and attach a copy to the event listing in our locations Outlook entry. I also try to email our staff the Trumba entry and the flyers in Word so they can be aware of upcoming events and print out more flyers if needed. I understand you didn't mention PowerPoint yet but that's a Microsoft feature I use more often for flyer creation.

Lesson 2 Part 2 Challenge 2

Microsoft 7 has some nice features including the new look and features of the taskbar. With that said, I appreciate a clean screen and found that when I pin Millennium to the taskbar it creates two icons on the taskbar - the live one and the active one. Here is an image of what I see. Nice feature I probably won't use for this one function but appreciate the information.

Lesson 2, Part 2 Challenge 1

I was unaware of this tool until this training exercise shined a light on it. Wow! I have missed out. Really had fun with "free form" option and got to highlight the cool new wallpapers that come with Windows 7.

Lesson 1, Part 3 Following a Blog Challenge

I feel like I cheated in reusing an old blog for this new challenge but I also want to move onto other things quickly. I may consider creating a Wordpress blog later when this whole training module rolls out officially.