Thursday, March 10, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lesson 2 Challenge
- A customer comes up to you and says they think their Facebook account was hacked, but they’re not sure.
My first thought is always to ask if the person is interested in learning more or if they would just like help. If the patron would like to learn more, I would offer books from the collection. Otherwise, I would suggest regularly changing passwords and, if the patron has a cell phone, using 2 step authentication. I would direct the patron to websites that help review security settings.
- A customer shows you a “too good to be true” email about getting free money from Nigeria, and asks you to help them seal the deal with their banking information.
I would let the patron know that the Library can't assist with banking information. Then I would direct the patron to websites explaining how to recognize a scam. If there's time and the patron is interested, I might talk a little about how scamming always seems believable. If it didn't seem believable to someone, it would never work. Most people feel embarrassed in this kind of situation, once they understand the scam, and I would think about that as I work with the patron, to help avoid embarrassment.
- A customer accuses the library of spying on them, because they have observed something “unusual” on their PC.
This is always difficult, as the patron has generally observed something that seems unusual to the patron. I've found that the best approach is to talk calmly with the patron and to encourage the patron not to use public computers for sensitive information, if there's any option. I've found that simply denying the activity sometimes isn't helpful, though of course the Library isn't spying on the person.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Lesson 6 part 2 challenge
Social media can, as I mentioned, be negative quite easily. People might tag a picture of you that you don't like. It's easy to misunderstand someone's post and become angry (or happy) for no real reason. You might say something that you wish you hadn't--and people know quickly. It's also amazing how quickly something can move from a few friends to thousands of people.
Lesson 6 Part 1 challenge
It's interesting to think back to 2007 and the 23 ½ things at Queens Library which introduced me to some social media sites. I hadn't used Facebook before then, but it's become an important way for me to stay in contact with friends, family, and colleagues. I've used it in ways would never have expected (like meeting a friend for lunch when at a conference by just saying "is anyone near this corner and would like to meet for lunch?). It's fun to share photos and experiences. Of course, social media is also in some ways like having a diary--but knowing that it's going to be read every day by people you know and people you don't know. So, I share what I think will be interesting to my "friends" that I also wouldn't mind being read aloud at work.
Facebook is pretty much my social media "home". I say to much for Twitter and there's a little too much arguing there (at least among people I know). I don't take enough pictures for Flickr. I do keep a profile on LinkedIn, especially for conference speaking opportunities.
Facebook is pretty much my social media "home". I say to much for Twitter and there's a little too much arguing there (at least among people I know). I don't take enough pictures for Flickr. I do keep a profile on LinkedIn, especially for conference speaking opportunities.
Lesson 5 Challenge
Buffalo, Broadway, Great Wall, fishing in the Amazon! It was an interesting exercise to give people ideas of how to search. I got 100% on one of them, on the second try. Otherwise, more like 65%. I know that I can construct effective searches, but I tend to use quotation marks "Other than piranhas" and Boolean logic in the Google advanced search. What this reminded me, though, is that we can all learn more and that I could probably improve some basic search ideas. On the other hand, I think that some of my searches would be more effective than the keywords suggested by these exercises.
Lesson 3 Part 2 Challenge
LibGuides were new to me here. That's one thing I enjoy about libraries and about technology--there's always something new to learn (even if it's something other people have known for a long time). I've used LibGuides many times, both public and staff ones, especially the Guide for Learn (http://guides.mysapl.org/GED), for Staff Picks (http://guides.mysapl.org/staffpicks), and for Vital Records (http://guides.mysapl.org/vital_records).
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Lesson 3 Part 1 Challenge
I recently have used Learning Express Library, especially to look at resources available to adult learners, especially of basic skills. I hadn't used it much before, and was impressed with the variety of resources. The database I use the most often, both personally and when I worked directly with customers, is Reference USA. It's so powerful! I hadn't used the Image Collection before and found it a very useful addition to image searches on Google.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Lesson 2 Part 3 Challenge Word
Microsoft Word
I didn't make a flyer, but I did make a budget report for a library group at home last night. I used a lot of the new Word features, including my favorite, which is that it's so easy to save as a PDF.
I didn't make a flyer, but I did make a budget report for a library group at home last night. I used a lot of the new Word features, including my favorite, which is that it's so easy to save as a PDF.
Lesson 2 Part 2 Challenge 1
Lesson 1 Part 3 Challenge
I thought it would be interesting to use my old 23 things blog for this, though it was some years ago and at Queens Library. I used to have a daily blog (on another site, mostly about what it was like to move from Dallas to New York City). It was interesting to see the new look of Blogger and also to be reminded of so many things I didn't know about back in 2007. It wasn't long ago, but yet it was.
Adding blogs to follow was easy, though I did have to do a Google search to get a little more information before I saw how easy it was.
Adding blogs to follow was easy, though I did have to do a Google search to get a little more information before I saw how easy it was.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Queens Library Learning
Well, I think I've finished all 23½ things. At any rate, I hope I did!
What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I really enjoyed the whole thing. I most enjoyed writing the post about technology and really taking the time to think carefully about how I use technolgy and how we can harness the swift movement of technology and software changes going on now for use in libraries. I very much enjoyed learning some new things and will keep several applications in mind for future use.
How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
Some years ago, when I moved from Houston to the Dallas area, a friend told me "your word of the year should be intentionality." I grew up in an extremely fatalist sub-culture: whatever was going to happen, was going to happen. It's been sometimes difficult for me to see that one can set out to accomplish something. I've learned that in many ways over the years (and made "intentionality" my "word of the decade"!) and this program was yet another helpful way in reinforce that idea.
Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
It didn't surprise me, but the "take-away" for me was reading the blogs of the other participants and feeling I was getting to know people in a different way, often by realizing we were all sharing some frustration.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I think it might have been useful to have 3 or 4 Tuesday mornings as work sessions on the "Things" for those who need some time away from their usual work place to be able to concentrate. This could have been just a room with computers available or more focused on some of the particular applications. And maybe 1 or 2 forums for people to talk in person about their discoveries, excitement, frustrations, or learning moments. Otherwise, I think it was very well planned and designed. I ended up doing a lot of it at home, but that was by choice.
And last but not least…
If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?
Absolutely!
What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I really enjoyed the whole thing. I most enjoyed writing the post about technology and really taking the time to think carefully about how I use technolgy and how we can harness the swift movement of technology and software changes going on now for use in libraries. I very much enjoyed learning some new things and will keep several applications in mind for future use.
How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
Some years ago, when I moved from Houston to the Dallas area, a friend told me "your word of the year should be intentionality." I grew up in an extremely fatalist sub-culture: whatever was going to happen, was going to happen. It's been sometimes difficult for me to see that one can set out to accomplish something. I've learned that in many ways over the years (and made "intentionality" my "word of the decade"!) and this program was yet another helpful way in reinforce that idea.
Were there any take-aways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
It didn't surprise me, but the "take-away" for me was reading the blogs of the other participants and feeling I was getting to know people in a different way, often by realizing we were all sharing some frustration.
What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I think it might have been useful to have 3 or 4 Tuesday mornings as work sessions on the "Things" for those who need some time away from their usual work place to be able to concentrate. This could have been just a room with computers available or more focused on some of the particular applications. And maybe 1 or 2 forums for people to talk in person about their discoveries, excitement, frustrations, or learning moments. Otherwise, I think it was very well planned and designed. I ended up doing a lot of it at home, but that was by choice.
And last but not least…
If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you again chose to participate?
Absolutely!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Thing 22 Audiobooks
I successfully found, checked out, and listened to some of And Then There Were None, which is the sort of thing I listen to as an audiobook.
Some narrators and productions are so good, that the audiobook is even better than the book, I think. One is Jim Dale, the narrator for the Harry Potter books. I confess that I found young Harry of no interest whatsoever. But I decided to check out the first book (on CD, shortly after it came out) and really liked his voice. I've listened to all but the last book (and I'll eventually get around to that one, when taking a long trip or something like that). And I could listen to Lisette Lecat (the narrator of, among other things, The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency) read the telephone book. I picked up that audiobook completely by accident. I didn't care much for the story, as there's not much to it. But it made a fine vehicle for Ms. Lecat's voice.
What I liked about the downloaded version of the audiobooks was there there were no bulky cassettes or CDs to manage. And it seemed that it would be easy to keep up with one's place in the story.
All in all, a very nice service.
Some narrators and productions are so good, that the audiobook is even better than the book, I think. One is Jim Dale, the narrator for the Harry Potter books. I confess that I found young Harry of no interest whatsoever. But I decided to check out the first book (on CD, shortly after it came out) and really liked his voice. I've listened to all but the last book (and I'll eventually get around to that one, when taking a long trip or something like that). And I could listen to Lisette Lecat (the narrator of, among other things, The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency) read the telephone book. I picked up that audiobook completely by accident. I didn't care much for the story, as there's not much to it. But it made a fine vehicle for Ms. Lecat's voice.
What I liked about the downloaded version of the audiobooks was there there were no bulky cassettes or CDs to manage. And it seemed that it would be easy to keep up with one's place in the story.
All in all, a very nice service.
Important note
I'm on vacation today!
I didn't spend all day in the office doing the "Things"! I just returned from a few days in New Orleans, where I stayed at the Pierre Coulon Guesthouse, which is a wonderful place to stay in that fascinating city. (And one of the owners has an MLS, even though he doesn't currently work as a librarian).
I didn't spend all day in the office doing the "Things"! I just returned from a few days in New Orleans, where I stayed at the Pierre Coulon Guesthouse, which is a wonderful place to stay in that fascinating city. (And one of the owners has an MLS, even though he doesn't currently work as a librarian).
Thing 21 Podcasts
I've listened to a few podcasts before. And in my LiveJournal blog, I make a voicepost every few weeks (often I just read a poem or talk about something while walking down the street).
I think audio adds something very nice to the Internet. It's good to receive some of the parts of communication that are present in tone of voice and accent that are just not there in text only.
And here's the unusual thing about me and podcasts. When I'm actively involved in learning, I primarily receive information by listening. I listen closely, take few notes, and remember very well.
However, I find it difficult to listen to audio without seeing the person (this is equally true of audiobooks), unless I'm doing something else as well. So, I can listen very well while working out at the gym, while cooking, or while doing something else. But it's hard to focus on actually learning something this way.
But I still find the occasional podcast of value. I already had one or two set up in my Bloglines account, so I didn't add any more. I don't often listen to them--primarily because it's not possible to just glance over to see if I'm interested enough to pay close attention. Instead, it's necessary to actually listen!
I think audio adds something very nice to the Internet. It's good to receive some of the parts of communication that are present in tone of voice and accent that are just not there in text only.
And here's the unusual thing about me and podcasts. When I'm actively involved in learning, I primarily receive information by listening. I listen closely, take few notes, and remember very well.
However, I find it difficult to listen to audio without seeing the person (this is equally true of audiobooks), unless I'm doing something else as well. So, I can listen very well while working out at the gym, while cooking, or while doing something else. But it's hard to focus on actually learning something this way.
But I still find the occasional podcast of value. I already had one or two set up in my Bloglines account, so I didn't add any more. I don't often listen to them--primarily because it's not possible to just glance over to see if I'm interested enough to pay close attention. Instead, it's necessary to actually listen!
Things 16 and 17 Wikis
Wikipedia is a great thing and has been my primary contact with wikis (the other has been the wikis ALA creates for conferences).
I have contributed some small corrections to Wikipedia articles (in one, the whole change was to change "non-profit" to "not-for-profit", but it was a very important distinction in that article). It's surprisingly easy to modify wikis, though there is something about the format (other than Wikipedia) that I don't see to be able to follow very well. But I think that has to do with the planning and design, not the basic idea of a wiki.
I kept thinking I had posted about this, but then I remembered that either on QL Chat or on another library forum I had posted something about using Wikipedia for reference questions. I looked through several library wikis and found them interesting. Many, though, I think could have easily been set up in other ways--that is, it felt like they were wikis just to be "with it". I would prefer to see the various versions and editors. Or a blog format would work just as well. For example, I think the ALA conference wikis could be set up as forums, like the QL Chat just as well as they could be wikis. There is no need for "correction" of posts and, in fact, I think that few are "corrected."
When I have done collaborative work, I've used a blog with comments or something like Google Docs. Maybe I just want more control than a wiki provides!
I have contributed some small corrections to Wikipedia articles (in one, the whole change was to change "non-profit" to "not-for-profit", but it was a very important distinction in that article). It's surprisingly easy to modify wikis, though there is something about the format (other than Wikipedia) that I don't see to be able to follow very well. But I think that has to do with the planning and design, not the basic idea of a wiki.
I kept thinking I had posted about this, but then I remembered that either on QL Chat or on another library forum I had posted something about using Wikipedia for reference questions. I looked through several library wikis and found them interesting. Many, though, I think could have easily been set up in other ways--that is, it felt like they were wikis just to be "with it". I would prefer to see the various versions and editors. Or a blog format would work just as well. For example, I think the ALA conference wikis could be set up as forums, like the QL Chat just as well as they could be wikis. There is no need for "correction" of posts and, in fact, I think that few are "corrected."
When I have done collaborative work, I've used a blog with comments or something like Google Docs. Maybe I just want more control than a wiki provides!
Thing 14 Technorati
1. Take a look at Technorati and try doing a keyword search for “Learning 2.0” in Blog posts, in tags and in the Blog Directory. Are the results different?
OK, I'm missing something (probably because I waited a while to do this). I see how to look for "Learning 2.0" in the tags......oh, OK, you click on "advanced" search. The results didn't seem all that different to me, though of course one can see differences. Interesting. I also searched some things that just interest me and found some interesting posts.
Now, what I don't quite get is the value of being able to just search blogs. I can think of some few times that I might do this, but not often.
I enjoyed Technorati and was glad to learn more about it. However, I'm more or less on information overload, so I think I'll stick with the tools I already know. I read plenty enough blogs already.
Also, the blogs I read, I read because I know or admire the writer. I don't want to just jump into the middle of a blog by a writer I don't know.
OK, I'm missing something (probably because I waited a while to do this). I see how to look for "Learning 2.0" in the tags......oh, OK, you click on "advanced" search. The results didn't seem all that different to me, though of course one can see differences. Interesting. I also searched some things that just interest me and found some interesting posts.
Now, what I don't quite get is the value of being able to just search blogs. I can think of some few times that I might do this, but not often.
I enjoyed Technorati and was glad to learn more about it. However, I'm more or less on information overload, so I think I'll stick with the tools I already know. I read plenty enough blogs already.
Also, the blogs I read, I read because I know or admire the writer. I don't want to just jump into the middle of a blog by a writer I don't know.
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