Marlz’s Weblog

Well, it has been a great while since the last time I posted anything.

Let me take a moment to reevaluate where I’ve been, what I’ve done, and what I have yet to accomplish…That could be another great while so, I guess I’ll just say that I hope to visit more often and see where it goes. Meanwhile, I will continue to work hard at trying to achieve those things that I have yet to accomplish.

More to share in the not too distant future.

Hopefully positive.

Best to all who have stumbled upon this lonesome blog

So, the apex of this course has arrived. A reflection of Wednesday evenings brings many enjoyable moments to mind. I wish I had one of those individually wrapped mints, kept in a cauldron, that our professor would carry in for our taking. “How’s everybody doing?” he would ask. This was the atmosphere that brought out the willingness in everyone to feel comfortable, as we would attack new 2.0 tools for the evening. Learning through his stories and experiences would cause me to brainstorm about what I would do if I were in this or that situation. There was also the night of gaming…YES, GAMING! Librarians, this is a necessity. Whether for the patronage, you may or may not serve, or just for ones self, I can say that gaming is a learning experience done in play. Playing is ok, you know. Being introduced to Del.icio.us and RSS feeds has opened new possibilities for giving and receiving and sharing. Are these not all wonderful words that we need to practice in life? Collaborating is what 2.0 promote. Even though certain people in this course were avid users of some of the social softwares we were introduced to, I learned that 2.0 allows everyone to collaborate their knowledge and experiences. Thus, a learning environment was what Wednesdays became.

The future is taking every moment. To say that I have arrived at 2.0 would be like saying that I’ve learned everything. There are always new Sites, new tools, and new explorations to be discovered. One does not conclude from this course, for that would go against the whole point and intention of my enrolling in it. I intend to proceed on the 2.0 paths and maybe even be fortunate to discover an unfound niche along the way.

Thank you to all who have helped and taught me about 2.0. I continue to be hungry so keep feeding me what you can. I promise to reciprocate with Del.icio.us things in return.

Paper topic 2.0: “Transitions from 1.0 to 2.0: Managing the Blog”

Abstract: This paper looks at how one library set forth in a Ten Things project to become familiar with Library 2.0 tools and philosophies. The Ten Things was devised by an especially forward thinking group of librarians who seized the moment in order to share their knowledge and bring all staff on board to the Library 2.0 social network. As a participant and analyst with this project, Marlz shares her own experiences and looks closer at how blogs, created by staff, can aid in helping to understand the culture and management strategies that are held within libraries. Marlz believes that blogs allow for improved communication across all library staff and departments but, also reveals why 2.0 isn’t always an easy transition. This paper consults a variety of sources, such as the web sites of Michael Stephens, Meredith Farkas, and Jenny Levine for commentary on the topics of how to progress libraries toward 2.0 practices and philosophies. Looking outside the box at how the corporate world has adjusted to 2.0, Marlz also addresses Enterprise 2.0. The realities of libraries competing with bookstores should influences the ways that libraries and businesses are looking to serve not only their customers but their employees as well. Blogging has humanized even the largest of corporations and improved the overall communication within organizations. The works of authors such as, Buckland, Locke, Levine, Searles, & Weinberger, and Rheingold serves as literary support for views of the world in 2.0 and what it stands for.

Conclusions: The author, Marlz, believes that the powerful root of 2.0 allows barriers to be broken down and collaboration to happen. The author also reminds the reader that change can be a slow process and playing is necessary in order to transition successfully from a 1.0 to a 2.0 mentality.

Key Words:  2.0, blogging, libraries, management, corporations, hierarchies, work culture

The day had arrived for the class discussion about group projects. I think most people associate group projects with a slight degree of apprehension for how the process of collaborating will unfold. Glad to report on this being one of the most successful of group projects I’ve ever participated in. Truthfully, when I think of how the group projects developed, it was like everyone just paired their interests alongside with those who had similar interests, groups developed, and everyone was ready to set forth on their topics for the presentations. There is something to be said for the trust, on the part of our professor, that allowed these groups to decide and create and present so smoothly.

My group, with confidence and enthusiasm, decided on developing a toolbar, specifically for GSLIS students. My dear friend and colleague, Ruth, had previous experience with developing The Skokie Public Library Toolbar. Ruth, our friend and colleague Bob, and myself paired up and thought this would be fun, interesting, and useful for all! The three of us met, for the most part, on a weekly basis. Bob and myself began playing with the unfamiliar tools that we used in our development process. Jing was used for web captures, in order to show the actual process of how to download the Toolbar. We used PBwiki as an outlet to keep our individual and group notes, as well as any contributions or changes with our ideas. Survey Monkey became a guiding force to reveal what the general GSLIS population thinks and knows when it comes to the Dominican Site along with Social Sites and Wares. Using each of these forces aided our final product of the GSLIS Toolbar. Based on the feedback when we presented the Toolbar, we each felt that this was a successful contribution for both faculty and students in the GSLIS program. Access is key! Each of us in the Toolbar group, I think I’m safe to say, felt as though we had gained knowledge and confidence for what possibilities there are with access to free software. Each of us was extremely pleased with our outcome.

Less chaos and more order…isn’t this what everybody wants? Del.icio.us has been one of the yummier of 2.0 tools to use. In the paper I composed, titled: Transitions from 1.0 to 2.0-Managing the Blog, I found the meaning of useful access when suddenly needing to dig up that article I found a few weeks back. Although I do tend to repeat many of the same key words for tags, the social aspect of Del.icio.us serves someone else’s needs with my convenient choice of words. As you can see, I have a link to my Del.icio.us account just off to the right on my blog. I foresee the future of my Del.icio.us use increasing. The returns on having an accumulation of my bookmarked tags ought to cause me to have moments of “oh yaeh!” or “why did I bookmark this?” in the future. I feel dismayed that since being founded in 2003, I was never introduced to this necessary tool as a student, more specifically as a student studying library science. I plan to continue fulfilling the social aspects of Del.icio.us by contributing and discovering as I explore the tags of other users. Folks on…o my! The beauty of non-hierarchical categorizations keeping me together is a beautiful thing.

I’m not quite sure if I have been suffering from a case of blog-block or if time has just been moving quicker than my will. I have always been one of those people to save the newspaper for that next free moment when I can focus and be attentive to each bit of information that I skim. Sometimes, I am successful with actually getting to this process before it is old news. Recently, a friend brought me a copy of  Newcity, a free newspaper that comes out weekly. The copy he brought me is dated November 15, 2007. Finding myself in one of those moments where I needed to decide if it is too late to look at it or not, I found myself flipping through the pages. Happy that I decided to look and not toss, I happened upon two interesting references to 2.0 and culture. The first reference was listed under the “Movement Vocabulary” section with regards to Performance 2.0. The second 2.0 reference was found in the “Free Will Astrology” section of my horoscope (Leo) given by Rob Brezsny.

The Performance 2.0 article was intriguing to me because it was the first time I had ever heard of Web 2.0 theory being interpreted and enacted into an artistic dance performance. The performance, titled “Cinderbox 18,” is the creation of Lucky Plush Productions. The thought driving this artistically conveyed Web 2.0 performance is, as the artistic director Julia Rhoads states, “In our hyper-networked culture we are becoming disconnected from real interraction.” Within the performance, which I wish I could have attended, dancers are allowed to improvise their own words and movements in front of the audience, while they are in the moment. Rhoads believes that the improvisation makes for a “transparent” experience whereby, the viewer ”meets the work with their own ideas.”

A few pages thereafter, I came to my horoscope. It stated the following:

Stories interest me more than beliefs. I’d rather hear you regale me with tales of your travels than listen to you recite your dogmas. Filmmaker Ken Burns agrees with me. He’s worried about the increasing number of people who love theories more than stories. “We are experiencing the death of narrative,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We are all so opinionated that we don’t actually submit to narrative anymore. That’s the essence of YouTube: Abbreviate everything into a digestible capsule that then becomes the conventional wisdom, which belies the experience of art.” You’re [my] assignment Leo, is to help reverse this soul-damaging trend. Spout fewer opinions and tell more stories. Encourage others to do the same.

Reflecting on a group project that was presented this past week in class about the architecture of libraries, two of the group members, Nicole and Chris, created an enchanting documentary about their experience visiting the Harold Washington Library. This was their experience. This was their story. This was their interpretation of how Harold Washington Library was, as a place.

I am hopeful that by posting the link to this documentary, I am fulfilling the assignment from my horoscope, to encourage others to tell more stories. Obviously, whether artists and audiences view Web 2.0 as a performance, which contains disconnected interractions that lack a real narrative, could be open to interpretation. Personally, I view 2.0 as being complimentary to real life. This is my opinion, which I am advised not to spout.

So here it all is…on YouTube for all to see and rekindle. Gaming + Marlz = HELP!!! I have never been a gamer-girl and unfortunately, the skills that I hoped were maybe hidden, never appeared on the evening of October 24, 2007 in the LIS 768 classroom. I realize that practice makes perfect but I am coping with the realization that gaming requires a whole different level of thinking. I have enjoyed playing the game of Katamari Damacy, even when I have disappointed the King of all the Comos due to a lack of accumulated items. But this is fun! The fun ends, however, when reality is shown through a game of Brain Age or Guitar Hero. You see, I know the answers to these questions and equations. I know these songs. Why am I so slow at proving this knowledge? Frustration sets in and another round is attempted.  

Gearing up for game night, I tried my hand at God of War. A friend of mine is in a gaming class and needed to view my inexperience in order to get a new perspective on how it is played. Now, maybe it was his expertise and experience or maybe it was just the non-gamer thinking that I have; I was not exploring modes and methods of combating the Hydra. Yes, the Kratos I was controlling was truly pathetic. Though I kept trying and retrying! Was this annoying to me? Yes! But, persistence is a good quality that also needs to also be exercised in the game of life. 

I realize that there are all sorts of games that require different levels of skills. Some games relax the mind and some release our own inner battles. I enjoy watching other people game-it-up. I see what they are not about their physical appearance. How the body may start to sway, as if actually fighting in mid-flight. I see the determination in their eyes and the way their posture suddenly improves. I know that there is more to gaming than a few minutes of computerized interaction. I conclude that gaming is where life lessons can be discovered and put into practice. Where better to promote these acts than in a library, or library school, setting!

Searching out libraries that have their presence on MySpace, I did a quick Google search with “libraries on MySpace” to see what would result. The result brought about a page of MySpace library listings. This Space was meant for both academic and public libraries as an “aid to you and your library’s presence on MySpace.” Libraries on MySpace have 392 members and was founded on May 24, 2006. Keeping in mind that this was a “groups” listing page, Libraries on MySpace had many links and helpful informative resources to consult. After skimming this somewhat of a 1.0 looking page, I decided to visit a page with a little more pizzazz.

Hennepin County Library provided me with the evidence and support that MySpace fosters a social networking atmosphere across many levels. The Hennepin County Library MySpace stats are as follows: 87 yr old / female / Hopkins, Minnesota / 1041 friends. Hennepin was really where I started my analysis of how I would expect MySpace could enhance a library’s presence as a social networking experience. After looking over blog posts and other factoids listed, I looked at Hennepin County Library’s Friend Space as well as Hennepin County Library’s Friends Comments in order to get a feel for their friendship. After all, birds of a feather… I was glad to see that there were comments from a variety of libraries as well as authors sending their regards. Certain comments prompted me to look at other library’s MySpace pages, such as St. Louis Park Library, one of many branches of the Hennepin County Library system.

The St. Louis Park Library MySpace stats are: 17 year old / female / Minnesota / 318 friends. This library had a very animeted look that allowed me to connect deeper with my own interests in anime theme songs. There was a music player that linked me to Project Playlist  where anyone could create their own playlist to post on their MySpace page. I was able to look at other people’s playlists, blogs, and mp3’s. Needless to say, music always draws me in. St. Louis Park, as with most of the libraries that I visited on MySpace, seemed very much geared towards the teen sector. I wanted to see how libraries on MySpace could also appeal to adults and found the presence of Second Life Library 2.0 on MySpace. 

The Second Life Library 2.0 MySpace stats are: 41 yr old/ Female/ Info Island Illinois / 365 friends. The many YouTube segments gave me an informative tour of Info Island. This was an encompassing mix of Library 2.0 that could break all barriers of who we are vs. who we wanted to be. The MySpace blog was located on Info Island and there were posts about the newest developments on Info Island. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be many blog comments. The visit to Info Island left me with the question of whether SL is too far ahead of MySpace in terms of reality. Could there be degrees within 2.0 that measured intellect or maturity? This is one of the questions I am pondering while gathering conclusions about in the nearer future.