Wiki Works

I find it hard to believe that I am not only blogging, receiving RSS feeds and have contributed to a wiki but I am actually enjoying the experience, absorbing the knowledge and contemplating the possiblities!
What's interesting?
I loved the full Library Success; A Best Practices Wiki. Librarians' world-wide community sharing experiences, information/details of successes, tips of anything useful - wonderful. It makes such sense to share information to help others achieve success in their profession (and it is also pretty selfless too - amazing). Now that I know it exists I will be tuning in myself.

I also loved Book Lovers Wiki - what a boon for all book lovers. It is like belonging to an online book group and no matter where you live you can be a part of it. There will be many remote people who can join in and read reviews and add their own. We have a burgeoning book group here at our country library and what many come for is to find new authors and get tips from others.

RSS

I love these - updates on a variety of subjects/interests without having to search for them. No extra work means time saved. I just wish I had more time to read up on them all but alas it is not possible at the moment. Now I have the knowledge to do it I think I could limit the feeds so that it would be possible to keep up with what is important and interesting to me both at work and at leisure. I can see how it would be useful to me in my work and I will look more closely at what I can access but as I have previously stated, more time would be great...

Silly moos at the library

20080305.JG.20
Originally uploaded by weescottie42

What has surprised the old moo at the counter? I can only suggest that the computers are playing up again, udder than that I can't say!
(Oh dear, can they get any worse?)

Photo courtesy of the Irrigator.

20080305-1.JG.18

20080305-1.JG.18
Originally uploaded by weescottie42

Isn't this a great photo of children enjoying themselves at storytime?
Glad this will work for me this time.
Incidently, I love Flickr, it makes the world a smaller place and brings so many wonderful places to me at the press of a few buttons. Scotland, Malta, my own backyard - there they are. What a great place to share memories etc. I am very impressed.

MOOS FLASH!!

If I can add the two images to this entry then you will see my brave boss in an act of mercy, sparing myself and my colleague from being in the local paper in a cow suit - and she looks great too! You can't hide talent, as they say! We don't really mind donning strange outfits and singing our little hearts out etc. for our appreciative young audience but a cow suit could lead to the kind of comments that might be hard to live down in a small town! So, good on our fearless leader! Mind you, funny thing is, she only did it the once and there were two more sessions the next day which the guest cow did not turn up to....but they do say that no moos is good moos - boom, boom!

Photos (should I ever get it/them to upload) courtesy of the Irrigator.

Well I can't seem to be able to download using the Blogger tool so I will try Flickr. Sigh, is it me or what? No wonder I am reluctant at this sort of thing, I am thwarted again!!!

spring chickens

spring chickens
Originally uploaded by ThreadsByHeather

I know over here it isn't Spring but I'm topsy turvy and feeling like a chicken in my approach to technology but I have every hope of being a hero by the end of it (go you optimistic young chook) so this picture is appropriate for me at the present time. I may have to find a photo of Wonder Woman by the end of the course - I hope. Okay, what's next on the agenda??

Reluctant hero

Well the reluctant hero strikes again! I struggled going round and round not knowing quite what to do to get a photo for my blog from flickr. I was almost there but was so frustrated by that time that I made an SOS call which saved me from tearing my hair out. Unfortunately I have now got two of the same photo and I don't know how to get rid of one. Perhaps that's a challenge for later. I am happy that I have come this far, reluctant as I am to tackle technology - not because I don't want to use it but because I fear failing and mucking everything up. There must be some phobia term for it!! I will try and find another photo on flickr just to prove I can do it again. Here goes........

Inside the Central Library on Edinburgh Doors Open Day 2007

Inside the Central Library on Edinburgh Doors Open Day 2007
Originally uploaded by edinburgh doors open day

I think older libraries are so atmospheric and the Central Library in Edinburgh is fantastic. It is a treasure trove of wonderful books and nooks and crannies to explore; such a pleasure to wander around at will. I used to work here many moons ago....

Inside the Central Library on Edinburgh Doors Open Day 2007

Inside the Central Library on Edinburgh Doors Open Day 2007
Originally uploaded by edinburgh doors open day

Storytime sensation - Silly moos!!

Well, last week was a huge one with regards to storytime! We had the most children outside of school holidays attend our Wednesday session - 40 preschoolders not counting the babies which at a guess might be around 8. That was a great turn-out in our new you-beaut library.
The theme for this month was "silly moos". No, nothing to do with the library staff but in fact was all about our bovine friends. The theme title was loved by John the editor/photographer of our local newspaper, thought up by me with my silly sense of humour, so what will be in the paper this week is anyone' s guess. Will it be the back of my head (very famous now) and focussing on the delighted faces of so many children as they listened so well to "the cow who laid an egg?" Or it might be the guest cow (someone bribed the library manager would you believe?!!) who crawled towards the children in the greatest cow costume - minus udder, shame -and who the children took such delight in giving her a pat and chuckling away as the cow shuddered! Ah, such memories are made at storytime which are priceless for both staff, children and parents, too. Is it any wonder that when it comes to going to "big school" the main thing the children say they will miss is going to storytime at the library. With so may parents telling us so (and it was the same for me with mine) then we know we are definitely doing things right. To think we get paid for having fun!!

Well, I must say I am glad to be writing this entry, I feel a great deal of achievement. I don't feel confident enough to know where I might be sending it to yet! The whole idea of learning 2.0 is fantastic; I want to be able to communicate in as many ways as possible.
So, here's to learning more and having fun while we do.