not happening

Ok. 23 Things on a Stick ends tomorrow. I have to finally admit that it's not happening. I'm not going to win any of their neat prizes.

How do people have time to blog anyway? It's a mystery to me.

Thing 3: RSS

I am loving RSS! Keeping up with blogs would (obviously) be impossible without RSS. In fact, I sometimes find it a little overwhelming to keep up with my RSS!


I've set up RSS on Google, which is nice. I like the layout.


What I really like is the RSS reader in MS Outlook 2007. I like it because it's so convenient. I can have it open when I check my work email. I keep all my most essential blog RSS here.
My list of must read RSS feeds are (in alphabetical order):

• ACRL Insider
• ACRLog
• Brainstorm
• ELM Blog
• Grinnell College Libraries' News and Announcements
• iLibrarian
• librarian.net
• Library Journal
• Library Link of the Day
• Library Lowdown - GU/MSB Library blog
• LISNews
• MINTEX Digital Reference blog
• The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

There are so many great blogs out there. I also try to read Boing Boing and A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette. They're more for fun than for professional development.

Thing 2: Library 2.0?

Usually when I hear the phrase "library 2.0" I roll my eyes. It seems like a trendy phrase to throw around.

I do like the affect this phrase is having though. I'm glad librarians are thinking about libraries as collaborative places (physically and virtually) and thinking about how technology can help provide better services. I think of Library 2.0 as more of a frame of mind than a collection of technologies. It's important for libraries to engage in strategic planning and self studies to decide where their priorities are and what needs to change in order to get there. Sometimes technology needs to change (tools purchased from vendors don't always match a library's goals), staffing, or physical library space. It's important for libraries to define themselves to complement patron's current information gathering.

I don't think everyone uses the phrase "library 2.0" to be trendy. Some people actually believe libraries should be more collaborative and I like that.

As for 23 Things on a Stick in my own life, I hope to find time to get all the way through it. It's hard because (like everyone else) I've got so many important goals to accomplish. I just have to work this program in as one of my goals. By participating in 23 Things, I'll learn about tools that will help me do my job and connect with patrons. It's important.

Thing 1

I'm trying this new 23 Things on a Stick. My first Thing was to create this blog and an avatar.

Creating a blog is easy and so was creating the avatar. The main problem is just the time investment. I really think that registering for this program will help me put in the time. I think I'll learn a lot of new fun tools too. It should be a good learning experience.