All Good Things...

This is it!  I have completed the '23 Things' challenge.  And it feels good :D

There were definitely times when I was thinking 'why are they making us do this?!', but I have to say that I can see the value in having all employees participate.  I even suggested to my casual employees that they might want to give it a try.  The exercises were pretty simple (for the most part), but that might be a generational thing.  I did notice different times that the pictures in the instructions did not match what was actually on the screen, but I am comfortable enough with technology to play around with it.  I can understand how daunting it would be for someone who doesn't spend any time on social media to try and figure out all of these different applications.

I definitely think the most useful thing is the BiblioNB app.  In an age where so many of our patrons have smartphones and/or other devices, the ability for them to access their account details with the tap of a finger just might encourage them to use the library more.  And as I mentioned when I initially blogged about it, I REALLY like the scanning feature.

I don't really have a favourite, but I guess if I had to choose I would say Pinterest.  However, I think I would probably use it more in my personal life than professional.  As far as tools for professional use, I think that listening to podcasts is probably going to be the most useful.  Working in the context of the public library I could see myself listening to relevant podcasts while doing the mail or shelving books - they would add something to my day, without taking any time away from other activities that I have scheduled.

The information about images and copyright was both interesting and informative, and contained a lot of information that I will definitely use (both personally & professionally).

Overall I think that this experience has been educational, and I have learned things that will help me to better serve our patrons.  I am grateful to work for an organization that not only encourages their employees to explore new things, but challenges us to!  It is exciting to think about how much there still is left to learn.  The experience has inspired me to explore more of the technologies that our patrons are using, and to try to be more aware of technological trends.

Stumblin' and bumblin'

The final item in our '23 things' list was to sign up for StumbleUpon and share a website.  This was my first time using StumbleUpon.  I can see how it might be an interesting diversion, but in all honesty it probably wouldn't be something I would use much on a regular basis.  Maybe it's just because it is new and I'm not very comfortable or familiar with it yet.  I think it is pretty similar to ScoopIt, but I feel like the articles that I find on ScoopIt are more useful and relevant for professional development purposes.  The things I saw on StumbleUpon were interesting, but not as useful - I am guessing this is because at the time of registration I just chose the 'Books' interest, whereas my ScoopIt account has more search terms. 

More apps

After attempting to use my BiblioNB app multiple times last week (unsuccessfully!), I finally had some luck today!  Not sure if it was an issue with my phone, the app, or maybe even the wi-fi but whatever it was it seems to have worked itself out.

BiblioNB is an incredibly useful app for anyone who uses the New Brunswick Public Library Service.  All of your account details, plus the entire catalog are literally at your fingertips.  One of the most useful features of this app is the ability to scan the ISBN barcode on ANY book to find out if it is available through our system.  Let's say you are having coffee with a friend and they recommend the book they are currently reading.  If they have the book with them, you can open the BiblioNB app, scan the back and know immediately if it is in the system.  If it is, you can put it on hold with a tap on the screen. 
You can also keep track of your due dates, renew & request books, and check your holds.  You can also keep track of things you have read, or want to read, using the shelves feature.  Overall it is a very easy to use app, and well worth the download.

Other apps that I have in the 'books' folder on my phone include iBooks, Bluefire reader, Kobo reader, Audible and Goodreads.  I do not use the readers very often, mostly because of the size of the screen.  I do like Bluefire because I find it incredibly easy to download the free classics, it is definitely my favourite.  Goodreads is something that I was already using - the website version was discussed & we were encouraged to sign up at a regional staff training day a few years ago.  I have been using Goodreads to keep track of the books I have read (when I remember to do so!) mostly because of how easy it is to scan the barcode and add the item to the 'read' list without having to type anything.  Now that I know that we can do this with library books within the BiblioNB app I might be more inclined to use the 'shelves' feature.  I rarely log in to my library account on a computer because I don't have one at home (just the smartphone), and if I'm at work I use Workflows.  Audible is a good app for people who enjoy audiobooks.  For someone like me who drives 80kms a day it is nice to have a variety of audibooks to choose from.  I particularly enjoy the samples, it is nice to be able to listen to the couple of chapters of a book to see if it is something I would like to read before I order it in.

I hope that our patrons who have smartphones & other devices will use the BiblioNB app, as has the potential to save them a lot of time and aggravation.  We have been encouraging patrons to download the BiblioNB app, but unfortunately it never seems to co-operate when I try to demonstrate how the app works on my phone.  Perhaps we need to acquire a tablet of some kind so that we can walk patrons through using the apps without putting our personal information at risk using our cell phones.

Apps & devices

The 'things' we had to do this week were about our electronic library.  It was a good review for me, as I had previously installed both the BiblioNB and OverDrive apps.  However, since I do not have an ereader or tablet but rather an iPhone, I have not read a lot of eBooks.

Thing #21 - Download and return a library eBook
I found the process a little frustrating - first I was told that I had to be connected to the internet, even though I thought with my data plan the internet was always 'on'.  So I went into the settings on my phone and connected to the library WiFi. That was the first hurdle.  The next roadblock was after I had selected & checked out my book.  I clicked on the download link six times, and kept getting the message 'Fulfill:-1003 An unexpected system error occured while trying to contact the Adobe servers'.  On the seventh try it worked.  I don't know how or why, but I wasn't going to dispute it.  Returning the book was very simple and I had no problems at all. 

Sharing & Information Curation

This week's things use the curation tool 'Scoop.it'.  I had previously signed up for this service, so this time I logged in using the library twitter account that I created a few weeks ago.  It was a pretty simple process, however what I was seeing on the screen did not always match the screenshots on the 23 things blog (specifically the cool extra thing).

I think that this service could be a very useful tool for library professionals, or really anyone who has a specific interest that they want to explore.  However, I must say that it is easy enough to find articles that I would like to read, but finding the time to actually read them is another matter entirely!

Podcasts & Professional Development

The idea of podcasts is not new to me - in fact, I quite often listen to podcasts through the CBC app on my iPhone.  Podcasts can be an excellent professional development.  There are lots of good Librarian focused podcasts out there dealing with topics specific to libraries (i.e. weeding, programming, collection development).  However, the podcast that I stumbled upon for this assignment was on bookrageous.podbean.com.  I listened to episode 65; Young Adult Books.


Today was the first time that I visited the bookrageous site.  The first half of the podcast focused on what the panelists are currently reading (or most recently read).  Then there is a musical intermission, followed by a discussion of some of the books received ALA Youth Media Awards.  I was drawn to this podcast because I am doing a course right now about award winning youth literature.


I did check out the sites that were suggested by the 23things team, but I found that to listen to any of the podcasts on those sites we would have to register and I was reluctant to do that.  But I am happy that I kept looking, because I think the bookrageous team are awesome and I will definitely be checking out some of there other episodes.

Having Fun Isn't Hard When You've Got a Library Card | PBS KIDS

This week one of our 'things' is to embed a video from youtube or other video sharing site.  I thought I would share with you all one of my favourite library-related videos.  Here is the PBS Kids classic featuring everyone's favourite Aardvark & his friends.  Enjoy!