Meebo, Youbo, Weboo?

Meebo is an interesting option for the library's website. I love the widget that can sit on the website inviting use and that patrons can grab it and put it on another site (although this might bring messages from people who don't know that they are "asking a librarian"). My limited experimentation with meebo at other libraries was not encouraging since I found them offline or just plain unresponsive -- if we do this, we must have a person there to answer immediately if only with a "I'll be with you in a moment" or have it set to offline any time we are away. Offline is discouraging, of course, but there is a way to leave a message -- how do does the patron get the answer? Got me.

I didn't see any library meebo windows with anything happening and I'm still not clear whether the chats would be available to anyone who was looking at the site from another computer at the same time. Privacy seems a big issue even is private chatting is possible.

Is there any way to have canned responses at the ready with Meebo? Hmmm. Cut down on typos.

I use Google chat in my everyday life since most people I would chat with have gmail and my account sits open all day. The fact that messages are converted to email if the other person is not signed in is a handy feature. I won't be switching to meebo unless friends do it first and I'm dragged along.

FVRL RSS

RSS would be another way to promote the library's programs, new books, closures, etc. Many libraries have director's blogs, librarian blogs. Sam's oneminutecritic is an example of a project that would benefit from RSS "advertising" -- a marketing tool! dIScover, librarian picks, new books, topics, tools... we could keep a blog going for quite sometime if several librarians worked together.

Bloglines v. Pageflakes

I played with Bloglines for a few days to give it a good try and I have to say I prefer Pageflakes. Bloglines's email-inbox feel is not what I need -- more pressure to get through what's there. I like that Pageflakes simply provides a window on the blogs that I choose and the headlines just move along with or without me -- no (78) entries that I need to act upon. So, I'll stick with Pageflakes for my news, blogs, weather, calculator, etc.

Spell with Flickr, part 2

Yup, too long.

Spell with Flickr

so the problem appears to be this: my kid's names are too long.

Librarian Trading Card

My creation
Originally uploaded by pdxamy

Hmmm, I can see my cousins going crazy with this tool and actually trading the cards at the family reunion. Do I tell them or not?

For your amusement, the Trading Card Maker is here.

Aerial Howth

Howth
Originally uploaded by sanna82

My sister and dad and I cycled through Ireland in 1995. We cycled from the airport to our B&B in Howth and it might have something to do with arriving at our destination after a day of travel, sleep-deprived and starving as we were, but when my sister and I ate fish and chips while watching the sunset from the Howth pier, we felt such serenity and comfort it was like coming home.

The next day we ran into Barry Lacey who took us for an hours-long hike through the countryside, telling us the history of the area and showing us the secret Wishing Chair in the rhodedendron forest. An amazing welcome to Ireland.

Click on the photo to go to the flickr page and you will see a box around the airport (upper left) and around Howth (the peninsula).

My toolbox is full

Habit 5 (see 7 1/2 Habit of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners) I've got down. Really, that's why I'm a librarian. I know where to look, who to ask or I can find out. I am a plannner and researcher, a collector of information and tools. Sometimes though, once I've got what I need, I keep going in the gathering and don't get onto the rest of the project. Or once I've gathered all that I need, I stop altogether since the fun part is over. Not sure which Habit that corresponds to -- maybe there should be 8 1/2 Habits. Put "Follow Through" somewhere in there. The reward at the end of our little project here will get me through this one.