Thing 22

Sooo... looking back, I don't think I've learned that much from the 23 things, but I have to admit I did have fun. Web 2.0 is just one of the many things librarians who work the reference desk should keep up with. Personally, it was not necessary for me to do all of the things to learn about them. Reading about them (and then blogging about them) was enough. It is a neat idea, this whole 23 things thing, but I do take issue with some of the things that were chosen. In fact, looking back, most of them appear to have little relevance to my library work. I was already proficient in Flickr, and I possess enough cursory knowlege of the web to navigate most sites that are unfamiliar to me. Keeping up with web 2.0 as it applies to my work will not be that hard - winning a 23 Things prize is another matter.

Thing 21

Eeewww this thing reeks of Thing 14, online productivity tools. Here, they apply something I hate - goal setting and deadlines, to another thing I hate - school projects. I'm too much of a free spirit to enjoy being plugged into a calculator and I learn better on my own terms. That being said, I know there are people out there who would love this - most of them teachers. I think teachers underutilize the library as it is. Maybe someone in youth services could wow them with this thing. I myself want nothing to do with it.

Thing 20

Me likey da books. Books 2.0 tools? Puhlease. There's no substitute for a good book. It's sad that we have a hard time convincing our children of this. Parents, please read for yourself and read to your children. Teachers, quit teaching the boring old classics. These should constitute some, not all, of required school reading. Libraries, keep doing what you've always been doing - providing equal access to a varied and representative sample of what's out there and promoting literacy.

Internet literacy, and beyond that, information literacy, is a reasonable thing to teach, but it should come second to teaching reading comprehension. Kids are DUMB these days folks and it's not because of the internet. My brief stint in the education profession showed me that the biggest barrier to learning basic skills like reading is behavior problems. Teachers are overwhelmed with teaching the proper way to behave that they can hardley fit in book learning. I put the blame on the parents, but what society can do about that I'm not sure. Contraceptives in the drinking water?

I've not had much luck with online reader's advisory tools, but I enjoy perusing award winner lists, book reviews, and author read alike services such as the one provided by Novelist. I'm pretty picky, but I've found that books that have positive reviews listed on the back cover are often good bets. KDL's what's next database is great for looking up books in a series. I will continue to browse the shelves at my library and take recommendations from people I know before turning to online Book 2.0 tools.

Thing 19

Okay, so maybe I should have said My Space is not for libraries, instead of social networking. We definitely should be interacting with our patrons online - I just think the bulk of that interaction should take place on our own website. Sites like Flickr are different because they host large files for us and that's fine - as long as their existence is reliable.

Although I don't do much online social netowrking in my personal life, I have decided to join the Flickr photo group for terrariums, one of my hobbies. I can't wait. Now I can let my friends choose which ones they want and I can share my experiences with other plants-in-glass obsessed freaks. Thank you social networking.