Mashups and APIs

Mashup: http://www.81nassau.com/apnews/
Associated Press and Google Maps

I really like this Mashup, because it integrates the news and where it is happening. You can read the news story and see the location on the United States map where it is happening.

Mashup: http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/

This mashup is very useful, because you can plug in a URL and it will tell you if the website is down for more than just you. Very useful.

PRIVACY:

Michelle Kraft brought up some interesting points on her blog, The Krafty Librarian. She mentioned that privacy isn't as big a concern now as maybe it should be, and perhaps parents should be securing Facebook, MySpace, and URLs with names of their children to protect against identity theft. A very interesting concept.


ROLLYO Custom Search Engine: Consumer Health Information:

http://rollyo.com/janacaroline/consumer_health_info/

YouTube and Podcasting

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I found this video, and although it is not library related, it really speaks to one of my passions -- scrapbooking!!

The library-realted YouTube videos I've seen are at http://www.infotubey.com/ from Computers in Libraries. They are pretty good.

I think that YouTube and Podcasting both have a place in libraries. YouTube could be used for short instructional pieces. I would not put anything over 5-7 minutes on a YouTube video. The podcasts could be quite effective. I listened to the History of Medicine podcast from University of Virginia about the boy who lived in a bubble, and it was very interesting. It captivated me. The sound quality changed - somewhere the microphone went off or something. But I strained to hear the rest of it.

I think it would be a great application for more people to use. I think NLM should be using it more for their History of Medicine lectures. We don't have many things appropriate for podcasting here in my department, but I think there is a lot of potential throughout HHS. Podcasts on health topics for NLM and CDC. Podcasts on food and medication for FDA. Medicare could have many podcasts for their constituants, but it might better be suited for YouTube. There could be a great deal on podcasts and YouTube for children and families from ACF.

There is a lot of potential. I have been asked to find out what HHS is doing to promote use of emerging technologies. It will be an interesting pursuit!

PIC Library

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Originally uploaded by janacaroline

Here is a picture of the library.

I think that we could use this perhaps to show book covers on a blog about new books. I don't see a lot of application for our library. Perhaps it would work to use Flickr for the personal events that everyone shares, but that is not really library related. It would get them off of our server, though.

Google Docs

What do you think? Is this the way of the future? I think it very well could be. For now, it is quite limited in options - for example - there are not many styles in the presentation mode, and you can't upload your own backgrounds, as far as I can tell.

I found it easy to use. I will be interested if my friends collaborate on what I sent them. I can see many applications for using these collaborative programs. My husband was working on a grant application and he was wanting some people to review it, and it would have been great to use Google Docs. Now, I have to get him up to speed on technology!!

I reviewed Zoho, Microsoft Office Live, and WebEx Web Office, and each has some nice features. on Office Live and Web Office, I couldn't figure out how to actually create a new document., but I liked their organizational features - like calendars, etc.

a del.icio.us thing

This week, we are looking at social bookmarking, and del.icio.us. I've been using del.icio.us for a few months now, and find it to be very helpful as a portable reference tool. It has been a real help in finding what I need wherever I am. I am also compiling a del.icio.us site for PIC Library sites. I have a very small list so far, but am hoping to expand it where it can be useful to the staff. One hint I gained from looking at the site in the assignment was that I could link to pages of my website!! I hadn't thought of that!! So basic!

It has been neat to see who has linked to my websites, and then see what they link to. I've found some fascinating sites this way.

Social Networking: How Social Am I?

Here are some questions that are being asked:

How can social networking be used by MLA to connect members?
I think that LinkedIn is a great tool to use for networking colleagues, and could be used among library colleagues. Maybe MLA could start a LinkedIn group?

Should your library have a Facebook or MySpace page?
I don't think that my library should have a Facebook or MySpace page at this time. We don't have a great constituancy needing our services outside of HHS, and our internal employees have an intranet to reach us.

Are there privacy concerns for individuals when using social networking sites?
The privacy concerns are ones that all of us need to be aware of in all aspects of our lives. We need to be wary of giving out too much personal information. Don't let information out that could come back and bite you.

What did you like or not like about your experience with Facebook or MySpace?
It took a long time to set things up on Facebook. I also don't feel like I'm done. Finding other librarians was difficult, and I don't feel like I did a good job of that either. It all seems incomplete, and I am a little uncomfortable with that feeling.

Blogs and Wikis

What is the difference between a blog and a Wiki? A blog is like a diary - an entry followed by another entry - all written by one person. It can be commented on, if comments are allowed. A wiki is a multipage web document that can be written and revised in collaboration with others.

I think a blog is suited for reporting on things -- such as new information that has crossed your desk. Or thoughts. Wikis are better suited for things where you want collaboration - such as compiling a list, or soliciting feedback, or trying to do genealogy research among family members. I would like to start a community Wiki in my neighborhood.

RSS Feeds in My Library

I was asked how I could use RSS feeds in my Library. I think I could use them for current awareness for Journal tables of contents. I haven't fully thought this out, because we do a paper version now, and it is pretty streamlined. I could have a web page of rss feeds, and teach people how to subscribe with a reader. I would like to have a reader that e-mails notifications of new posts, if that was possible.

I use RSS feeds to find information to create posts for the Policy Information Center Library Blog (http://piclibrary.blogspot.com) and also to keep up with professional issues.