Verdict: To Tweet

It finally happened.  I have a twitter account.  @reenahL

I better keep up with this thing!

To Tweet or not to Tweet

Guys, I am feeling such peer pressure to get a Twitter account.

It's a bit silly that I don't have one already, especially as I'm on the verge of writing a report that suggests we use Twitter in the Library.  Will I have the discipline to keep checking and tweeting daily?  Will I need to roster myself some time each day to keep up with my account (much like I'm going to suggest we do with the Library account)?

Oh Web 2.0, you move so fast.

Round 2

Well, Web 2.0 training has started up again, and to celebrate I've changed the background of my blog.  I feel this one is a bit easier on they eye, and I do love blue.

Lately I've been thinking about Social Networking.  I attended the ALIA Conference earlier this month and was amazed by the things other libraries are doing in terms of technology.  I'm hoping with our new library we will also have a new approach to methods of communicating with our students.  I think we need to get onto their level and do things their way, instead of telling them to do things our way.

I'm looking at Facebook and Twitter as two methods of getting our news across to students.  Many academic libraries are already doing this- it's nothing new.  In fact it's strange that we're not doing it already.  The applications are used as a way to give little updates to students about things happening in the library.  They're easy to maintain and we know students are using them all the time.

Expect to see me popping up in some Task Pair soon, getting all excited and nerdy over Social Networking.

Heaven

I'm pretty delirious with joy right now.  Lhan has just given me a handful of cleaning wipe sachets.  I've already cleaned the phones and my computer screen.  What can I clean next?  I feel I can take on the world, one wipe at a time!

You know you work in a library when...

Something occurred recently that felt so natural I knew things weren't right. I have started referring to other libraries by their NUC symbol (mostly used in Document Supply) in daily conversation with normal non-MUL people. Case in point, I was giving directions to a relative and explained 'It's the theatre opposite NUN, you know the one?' (even pronouncing it 'noon') and waited for their nodding approval.

It did not come.

After a pause, I backtracked and attempted to speak English. (the university of new south wales is such a mouthful though!)

The incident made me think, what are the other quirky ways you know you work in a Library?

Sadly I can add that even on weekends when 10:30am rolls around I think 'Morning Tea!'

Do you have any sad and worrying examples to add?

Hours of fun

I hope you're all enjoying your blogging experience. It can be really addictive!

Library Hygiene

Please do not be offended if I take the phones off you to start my phone shift, and attack them madly with a disinfecting wipe. It is not because I think you are germy and infectous. I don't (unless you are). It's because I'm fairly sure that no one cleans the phones and my once fortnightly phone shift is the only time it happens.

Those phones get passed around from person to person and well, I've seen the state of the wipes when I've finished cleaning them.

My disinfecting may also continue to the borrowing counters during quiet weekend shifts*. Think of this not as neuroticism, but as a community service.

As always, happy to help.

* Last time I used half a pack of wipes on the counters and keyboards and each one ended up black. You're welcome.

Enough with the redecorating

After much umm-ing and ahh-ing on different backgrounds I've decided to stick with this one for the moment. I was worried things looked too busy, but it is what it is.

It's My Party and I'll Shabby Chic if I Want To

Hmm, things are looking pretty girly around here. I'm not going to tell you how long I've spent playing with templates, downloading banners and adjusting them, loading, re-adjusting and re-loading... this whole Beautifying Blog Business takes time!

That said, I've learned a lot. To be honest I naively thought I wouldn't learn that much during this Web 2.0 training. After all, I'm supposed to be assisting in the training side of things! But it goes to show, Web 2.0 is a changing thing and there are so many elements to it. Spending hours (yes, there went my evening) playing with templates and designing my own elements is just the tip of the iceberg.

I used bits and bobs from the following sites:

Shabby Blogs

FotoFlexer

FotoFlexer is outstanding in terms of a free program where you can easily manipulate graphics with very little IT knowledge. I'll be using it again, for sure.

Shabby Blogs is my cup of tea! Enough said.

If you're interested in taking your template a step further, do a simple Google search for Blogger templates. There are hundreds out there. Take your time, read up on them and have a go at creating some cool stuff!

Here we go...

Well that was an exercise in Making a Blog Between Meetings and Shifts in the Return's Room! A 2 minute creation has just taken an hour and a half.

I hope the rest of the blog won't be so unevenly paced.

My aims for this blog are the following:

• To discuss Web 2.0 and Library matters
• To offer support to those doing the MUL Web 2.0 course
• To show any new tips and tricks I come across in Web 2.0/Blog land

I hope this blog will:

• Be vaguely interesting and helpful
• Not fizzle out after a few posts
• Teach me a few new things

In reality I will end up:

• Simply playing with different templates all day...