NetLibrary is fun. I downloaded the first of a mystery series that I have wanted to read, but have not had time to do so. Now if I put it on an MP3 player, I can listen to it while I weed the flower beds. There were quite a few titles I was interested in that they did not have, but of course they are limited much more than libraries. It's just a matter of trying until I find one that interests me.

I cannot believe that 23 things is finished. Those 9 weeks went by very quickly. I learned a lot, which is great!!

OK, Podcasts. Here is the podcast address of a library in Lansing.

http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/11178

Thought this would be good to view. But I have trouble with the Podcast Directory: I can search it & find different podcasts, but I cannot run or hear them.

I did, however, find a "Dewey Decimal Rap" that is very funny as well as informative:



This podcasting obviously can be shared by people far in distance from each other: whether across our country or around the world. Thus, people can share projects with others to get their feedback, comments, & output much more than ever before. Two or more people can work on the same creative idea & send it back & forth to each other very quickly. This would be handy when a deadline was approaching, or just when the creative spirit is flowing & ideas are rapidly forming. Podcasts are amazing!



http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/111781, for example, is the address of a Podcast explaining the story elements of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are." How helpful for elementary teachers or childrens' librarians!

http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/112338 is the link to the "Cool Teacher's Podcast," with tips about how to use technology in teaching. I bet some of those ideas would be helpful to librarians, too.

And, finally, I am impressed with how many topics there are in podcasts: everything from how to build a shed or a chicken coop, to how to knit, or how to play bass guitar, a podcast about math concepts, to tutoring in SAT tests or the MCAT medical tests, or the difference & prices in plasma & HD TVs. Great!!

The first YouTube video I tried to copy is the "Battle at Kruger." It is a famous YouTube video of a water buffalo calf trying to escape a lion. It is mesmerizing, but at the same time you almost can't stand to watch it!

I like YouTube in some ways. There are interesting videos on it, & it seems to be a good place to see upcoming movie trailers. But at the same time, much of it is too self-serving & just plain boring to me. Although it was interesting to see that many of the videos had to do with Ireland.

The second YouTube video I was going to include was all about our solar system, showing each of the planets & explaining about them. It was beautiful & informative, and I thought I had the correct title, but now I cannot locate it. Oh well, it was great to watch & learn about space. I guess that would be something I don't like about YouTube: not being able to find videos you have viewed before.

Yeah!! I posted my Zoho document to this blog successfully... And today I used Research Pro more than I had in the past. I looked up different things like tundra swans since I saw them recently at Middle Creek. There were a lot of sites about these beautiful large visitors to Lancaster County. And then I looked up Connemara marble, a gem stone which comes from Ireland (since this is St. Patrick's Day). It is sold on QVC a lot today, and I am wearing 2 bracelets made from this stone. Research Pro looks like it will be a good resource for me, not only at work, but at home also.

CabinFever

This document will express some of my "cabin fever." It was so nice & warm yesterday & today, but I have been unable to be outside until it is almost dark. The sun is so welcome after last weekend with all the wind, clouds, & rain, but I so want to be out when it is good weather. Of course today is good weather, because it's St. Patrick's Day!!!! I wish I was in Chicago, where they really know how to celebrate the Irish Holiday in style. They even dye the river green. Unfortunately, with the German influence, one wouldn't even know it is St. Patrick's Day here in Lancaster County, PA. At least our family will have an Irish feast tonight for supper.

This setup is easy to use, & seems very much like using Word. Hope that I can post this on my blog!!!

Wikis!

I was excited to see some of the Wiki sites. Obviously, I use the Wiki at work to try to keep up on important happenings & rule changes at the Library.

But I didn't realize that so many other topics were also on the Wiki. Some that I will use include the Recipes Wiki (who isn't always looking for new recipes?), the Do It Yourself Wiki (with helpful hints) & maybe the Genealogy Wiki. Even the Twilight Saga Wiki will be interesting for keeping up with the movies, news, etc. of one of my favorite sets of books & movies.

It will be fun to see what else is on the Wiki!!

.....OK, I made a Wiki site for work listing the upcoming books by authors on the Library's Best Seller Book Club list. Only had time to do April, but I will continue as I have time. This should be an easier way to organize & watch out for upcoming reserves.

It was great fun to use Delicious to gather articles that match some of my interests. Although some of the searches didn't give any information, others pulled together several sites that will definitely be of interest to me.

I haven't figured it out quite yet, but now I am thinking of how I can use this tool to help me keep track of upcoming books by the authors on our Best Seller Book Club.

Technorati will probably help me in things I am personally interested in (for example, a popular book & movie series): I will enjoy the blog postings on this subject.

What a ride this Web 2.0 is!!!