Beyond Method #12

There are many patrons who come in and ask "I need this, where do I start?" Sometimes we feel at a complete loss, but with this program I feel more confident.
Now if they come in and say I need a powerpoint with flair we have more options to offer.

Digital books was really a big one for us. I now feel a little more confident about e-readers and can take them to websites that can help.

This program really helped me see what is out there. Between work and kids, I don't always have time to just sit and browse. This helped let me know other programs that are beneficial for me and our patrons. I would take another class like this if offered because I always come away with so much information.

Beyond Method #11

I like the idea of a survey on line. I know that on our website we have where they can comment, but this can be beneficial when looking for statistical information. Main problem, if they don't have a home computer.

Never have used on line surveys before. Possibly think it may happen in the future. Hope so, I think it could have benefits for us as staff.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C85KTXL

Beyond Method #10

I have attended webinars done by booklist and by the ALA. It is beneficial for our library because we don't have the means to travel to classes all the time. I also like the fact that they are archived for future reference.

My personal use I have used skype with my family. My father travels for work so it’s beneficial for us to have. I liked the idea of doing something for military families with skype. Families also have children who travel abroad and that might be something else to consider.

Beyond Method #9

I decided to try Animoto. I found it easy to upload pictures and they have a good selection of music. Didn't like the fact that if I want to do more than 30 seconds I have to pay for it. I like Photostory because I don't have to pay to use it.

I think this is really becoming useful in libraries. We use it when we do programs and presentations.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Beyond method #8

I used Screenr and I really enjoyed it. I think this could be very helpful to our patrons. I showed how to do a search in our online catalog. It was easy once you get it started.

We could actually use this for showing how to set up emails and doing job searches. It would be a good asset as we are often short on staff.

Beyond Method #7

I did Prezi because it wasn't one I had seen before. I really enjoyed it. I was able to place and arrange the items how I wanted them. It was fun to play around with. The instructions were easy to follow and I found it easy to use.

I have used google docs before and Sliderocket. There are always pros and cons to every presentation style. Google docs wasn't one of my favorites just because it wasn't the easiest to use for what we needed. We also do a summer reading presentation at the end of the summer using Photostory.

I think if a patron asked about on line presentations I would feel comfortable refering them to some of these. They were fairly easy to use and I feel I could help them if they had questions.


http://prezi.com/dujos3m9n9ob/welcome-to-the-balch-springs-library-learning-center/

Beyond Method #6

Project Gutenberg was very easy to use. It found the book that I was looking for as soon as I typed it in. It was number three on the list. I think our patrons could enjoy this. I know that I have an android and I will be downloading some.

Once I try to download mine I think I will be able to help the patrons. The thing I like about this site is that it tells you what reader you have and gives you instructions on what to do.

The HTML version was very easy to read. It even had the illustrations. I'm really very excited about trying this out.



http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10571/10571-h/10571-h.htm

Beyond Method #5

I personally have a goodreads account and I have enjoyed it. I have the books I want to read and have already read. People will send ideas of books that they think I might enjoy and I'll often check them out.

I enjoy seeing that the other libraries have their own pages and I think we have some of our patrons that would really enjoy that.

Also they can keep track of what they read because we have them come in and ask us "Do you know if I read this?" So that would be beneficial.

I plan on checking out LibraryThing. More for the simple fact that it looks like it would be beneficial to know which I thought was more managable so I could refer them to it.

There are so many new tools I just wish we had enough time to sit and explain how it all works to them.

Beyond Method #4

I looked at a number of the job sites. Simply hired was easier to use then a lot of sites I had checked out. Schoolspring.com I also really liked since we have a lot of teachers coming in here. Texasjobs.com was also fairly easy to use.

I love the GCF and when I give computer classes I give the patrons the URL at the beginning of class. Although many of our patrons do not want to read through a class. They want you to show them what is suppose to be done.

Some of the sites seem easier to manage and at times it isn't just computer skills. We have patrons ask what the application means on certain questions, etc. Also we have found out that some job sites log you off after a certain amount of time and make you log back on. Trying to find out who is computer savy, and some people just aren't.

At our library we have a person in charge of helping with job search material. She comes in, in the afternoon. She has set up a display board that shows them step by step how to go through workforce. also if the jobs have a webpage specifically for the company where they can go and register she makes that available. She is a great asset to our library.

Beyond Method #3

I really can see us doing mashups for when the city has a activity.

The parade starts at our Walmart but continues down to the Library, and then there are activities in the civic center and recreation center. We could present a map on our website with the activity information and they would then be sure to know where they need to go.

Also if we have classes in our library we can show all the resteraunts in the area.

Wasn't the easiest thing to use as it did give me aother address for the library, but the more I tried it, it was okay.



View Balch Springs City Buildings in a larger map

Beyond Method #2

As the best option for Librarians I really like Netvibes. I enjoyed seeing what other libraries have done with it and it really seems to be a neat option for some libraries. I like the way you can put all the sources for news together. the different tabs you can give them for the different tools.

Looking at our library patrons I don't know how many would use it. Some find things like this helpful and we have more and more patrons checking our website and facebook every day. while other patrons if they were to log into our computers and see a netvibes or iGoogle page would siply want to know "where their search engine went?" and "why this showed up when they logged into the internet?"

I personally have an igoogle page, don't use it as often as I could, bui I have one. I will be looking into Netvibes though. I really did enjoy it.