7-Image Generators

I suppose if they came with instructions, those of us who are non-technological who could use a picture somewhere might find them useful. A link to a quick-and-dirty how-to for the non tech prominently displayed would be very handy. I don't need any flash and dash on a blog that's going away when the 23 Things are over.

6 Flickr Mashups

Where DO Internettists GET these ugly words? Mashup sounds like something a toddler does to its vegetables. I can see where it could be useful to a library's PR department because they add flash and dash to mere pictures and can be done on the cheap, a real advantage in this economy. If gets the masses in the building, online, or connecting to a database or something, that's all to the good. I'm also sure businesses could make use of the F&D to drag in a few more customers. The personal ones remind me of scrapbooking--the pictures and family memorabilia become secondary to the F&D. Since librarians are about the quality and ease of use of content, the F&D must be judiciously used or they will interfere with the content. I like the injunction on one of those sites to go and play. Well, if you know the rules of manipulating code, that's just ducky. If you just want something to do something, there are no ducks in the room. Still, for people who are interested enough to fiddle around with code, have the time, and have more patience with opaque instructions and technophiliac rah-rah than I do, it is has interesting possibilities.

Thing 5--Flickr, etc.

OK, my mother would have loved this, being one of the people who made Eastman Kodak profitable for so many years. Me, I haven't owned a camera in 20 years and haven't looked at most of the ones she took of me in that long. Having said that, I can see where this might have some value for a library. There are the PR photos that get taken, cute kid stuff, and archival stuff that gets accumulated. Scanning that into Flickr might be a way to get some stuff identified, assuming anonymous posters know what they're talking about. Which they do sometimes. If there is a way to eliminate snarky and generally irrelevant comments, that would be a good thing.

I've tried downloading a particular picture following the directions as required by NEFLIN, and it won't work. The computer just beeps at me. If I work out how to do it, I'll add it in later.

Thing 4

Sorry, NEFLIN for not numbering my posts. I will strive to be less inconvenient. These news mining operations have their uses. In practical library terms one would be updating programming information. The connected could crank up the device and find out that Toddler Time had been cancelled or the yoga instructor could not be untangled from an asana and not waste time getting dressed and dealing with parking. This is not a bad thing in a time-pressed age and might cut down on the number of patron complaints. Library Board minutes could be made publicly available quickly, etc. For myself, I don't know. As may be observed elsewhere, I don't trust blogs. I want to know who those people are who are clicking away so authoritatively. Do they know what they are talking about or are they merely talking rot in an authoritative manner? Anybody who's googled anything to try to get a solid answer for a patron knows that there are many authoritative-sounding sites that are quackery, fraud, or crackpottery even worse than talk radio. Lots of the latter are blogs. As far as aggregating news sites, I don't find it necessary at the moment. I visit several daily, and have them bookmarked. I know what I want out of them and where it is, even when the front office has decreed a layout change. The thought of being chased around by several giant news organisations gives me the vapors. It's nice to know that if I ever wanted to, there's a fairly simple way of doing it.

A thought: Has anyone noticed on these things how easy it is to get into them and how hard to get out? Listservs generally have a message that tells you how to unsubscribe, but I haven't seen any easy way out of RSS or other feeds. Or for that matter a blog.

Blog is a perfectly hideous word. Oh, it's all very democratic to hear the thoughts of everybody on the planet who can click a keyboard, but it's mostly a crashing bore. Most people, including your obedient servant, are simply not that interesting and have few ideas worth hearing. However, I am commanded to express myself on Technorati and One Other Blog Searcher, so here goes. Either is simple to use, but since the basic search is by keyword, you can get almost anything. 'Reader's advisory' got me some library stuff but also wildfire warnings for something's reader. And who knows who the people are who post these things? Do they know what they are talking about? Are they worth the attention?

Praise of 2.0

The presenters treated 2.0 like praise singers treat the monarchs they serve. Perhaps it is the enthusiasm of the recent convert. It would have been interesting to hear some potential downsides to compare and contrast so one could make a more rational assessment of the phenomenon. Uncritical acceptance seems to be the order of the day.

Let us rejoice that now librarianism is seeking 'relevance.' The working public librarian has never been and will never be irrelevant, no matter what Technophilia, Academia, and Administrivia say. We answer questions, show how to manipulate information resources, and listen to patrons. What we require are tools that will allow us to assist people in finding the information they need and evaluating the various resources available now and in future.

And spare us the 'play around with it' nonsense. Show us how, using either instruction or tutorials staff. Don't blither about 'finding time.' Schedule off-desk or off-the-floor time where staff know they have a block of time dedicated to surveys of the various bits of gadgetry.

2.0 has possibilities and its moments, but in the end the purpose of libraries has always been the provision of dependable information in a timely manner. 2.0 is a collection of techniques devoid of content. The expansion of access to information is going to include access to a lot of stuff that is, to be kind about it, twaddle. Unless 2.0 addresses the question of information evaluation, it is not going to be nearly as wonderful as it has been presented.

Techoskeptic

Well, the boss said make one, so I did. The instructions are less abstruse than most, which is something. Alas, dear world, you may have to hear more from me about dealing with librarianism's newest fad, the 23 things. I am truly sorry.