#18. (Week 8) Take a look at some online productivity tools.

I really love the idea of being able to create documents online so that you can always access them and don't have to carry them around on a portable device. Also you don't have to waste money on expensive software. I didn't know that these sites existed but will surely use them in the future. Wish I'd known about Zoho sooner as a few years ago I didn't have office 2007 and it was very frustrating. I joined Google docs and Zoho both were really easy to join as I was able to use my existing Google account. Thanks for introducing me to these extremely handy "online productivity tools."

I used the Zoho writer to write and publish this blog.

I also created this Fax cover sheet from a template using Google Docs here is the link:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfc7nrgh_3c2c86zfs

#23 (week 9) Is this really the end? Or just the beginning

Web 2 has been great adventure I already knew a bit about the Internet but rarely explored it beyond the main sites for example: YouTube and Facebook. The best thing about this programme has been this further exploration into cyberspace. I especially liked the online word processing and office tools, delicious.com, and the "photoshop" tools. I was really impressed by Lulu.com the self-publishing website and have already alerted a few friends and work colleagues to it. The whole programme has left me better equipped to deal with my role as a library assistant as I am more aware of what the Internet has to offer and how to use it.

#22 (Week 9). eBooks, eAudio books and downloadable media

I had a good look at NetLibrary through the ACL website, started an account and found some interesting books that would be great to use if you were studying English. I looked at the Charles Dickens searches and there are some great resources such as study guides. These would be great to point out to anyone studying English. I also added some books to my favourites.



I have used NetLibrary before but it was a while ago and I often forget it's there. I like the fact that you can print pages so you don't have to go to all the trouble of locating the book and then photocopying it. I had a go at saving some books to my favourites and there is also a "note" function that lets you write notes about the books and then saves them, I wish this website had been around when I was studying English at University. I could definitely recommend this resource to students. I assume that not every book in the world is on this site but books would probably be added on a regular basis.



I really like the ACL downloadable media resource and think it's a great idea for people who are housebound for whatever reason and could also be great for elderly patrons who can't make it out to the library often, however most elderly patrons don't own a computer and have no computer skills. Overall these are all fantastic resources and easy to use.

#21 (Week 9) Podcasts

I watched "Podcasting in Plain English" on YouTube. Podcasting could be used by our librarians as a promotional tool for new releases and upcoming events at our libraries. Librarians can also use book review podcasts to help them keep up with all the latest releases to pass on to patrons.



Podiobooks.com is a website where you can download serialised audio books for free. Their FAQ page states that podiobooks is a website where authors can get exposure to their work, users of the website can also donate money to these authors.


I found it a bit difficult to search for some podcasts that interested me, by using the podcast directories recommended by the Web 2 programme, so I decided to google some podcasts. I found the Comics Podcast Network a site that has all sorts of podcasts relating to graphic novels.



I then explored Podcast Alley a bit more and came up with some better results by typing in "book reviews" and "libraries" into their search box. When your search results come up you can then click onto the podcast title and see a synopsis of the show to get a better idea of whether it interests you or not before you download it.

#20 (Week 9) Discover YouTube

I love watching old Country music TV shows from America, so I posted this video from "The Porter Wagoner Show" it features Dolly Parton (she got her showbiz start here)
I already had a YouTube account so I was familiar with this site as I watch videos regularly. It's one of my favourite sites because it's almost impossible to track down these old TV show in shops and even on Amazon (and similar websites) I love the fact that you can favourite videos to watch whenever you want, however they do disappear over time as a whole lot of my favourite videos were removed because of copyright issues. It would be great to be able to save them onto a DVD or onto your computer, Youtube doesn't allow you to download them onto your computer. A friend of mine has done this successfully, I tried doing it the other day but I you need to download an FLV player from certain websites in order to do it.

It was great to see the winning Auckland City reference interview video and this was used in our customer service training programme last year along with some other videos made by staff. Youtube is a great to train and entertain staff!

#11 (Week 5) Take a Look At Library Thing

It was easy to set up a Library Thing account and really cool to use. It is a bit like Amazon.com where you can also review books and find similar titles you might like and connect to other users. Library Thing is a great way to keep track of the books you have read or would like to read, and is similar to the virtual book shelf offered by Facebook called Living Social which is an application you can add to your account. Library Thing has good suggestions going on what books and authors you have added to your lists. It is a great tool for librarians to use in all aspects of their work and would be a great website to recommend to customers. I was intrigued by the "Early Reviewers" scheme where you can sign up to receive free books to review so I might give it a go!

#19. (Week 8) Explore any site from the Web 2.0 awards list, play with it and write a blog post about your findings.

I had an interesting time exploring the website Lulu.com. I was amazed that you could publish your own poetry, cooking, comic, and even e-books using this website. So you no longer have to approach publishers or buy expensive software, of course there is a charge for producing your books. You can get complete support from the staff at Lulu if you need help through the publishing process. It's a fun website to explore and would be great to produce a photo book or similar to surprise your friends and family with. One downside is that can only choose from set templates which is a problem if you wanted your book to look more personalised.

If you wanted to use this website in a library setting you could create a local history book similar to "Point Chevalier Memories" (published by Auckland City Libraries last year.) you can then sell them on Lulu.com or in your library.