alas...my book review

Below is my book review...

This book review was created using Prezi software. To navigate through my book review, continue clicking on the arrow below the presentation. Click whenever you are ready to advance to the next slide.

Note: A special thanks to Laura Gladding for exposing me to this software. Class, visit Prezi.com to access this software, which has a free version and is another example of social media!

Book Review on Prezi

more of a shopping experience...

In so many classes I have taken within this program, it has been emphasized that it’s of the utmost importance for librarians to be able to help patrons find the information they are looking for.  After reading “Toward a Twenty-First Century Library Catalog” by Kristen Antelman, Emily Lynema and Andrew K. Pace, it occurred to me that another hurdle for patrons to be faced with is the limits of the online catalog that the library is using.  My previous knowledge of how an online catalog actually formulates its list of titles based on a patron’s search was somewhat limited.  Thinking about it now, I guess I assumed that the list was generated based on the subject field of the record.  It’s interesting to see how people are trying to advance the searching capabilities of the technology to take into account other fields within the cataloging record—for example, the call number AND the subject headings.  I also think it’s interesting that the Endeca catalog reports one of its most popular features is the “more titles like this” feature.  This could possibly be popular because patrons might be familiar with this kind of feature which seems to be similar to Amazon’s “People who bought this item also bought” feature.  This could also help patrons “browse” the catalog by bringing them options that might not show up in their initial search. 

One thing that was brought to my attention in the article “New generation of catalogues for the new generation of users: a comparison of six library catalogues” by Tanja Merflun and Maja Zumer was how Hennepin County Library offers audio reviews of the books in their catalog.  I think this is a neat feature, for if a patron wanted to know a little more about the book than the brief summary that was offered, they can just click and hear what the librarian thinks.  I do wonder, however, whether or not this would not be accessed frequently.  If a patron doesn’t want to take the time to listen to the review but would read a review in a more timely manner, should both be offered?  I also find it interesting that research shows that people want more of an Amazon-like experience when using the catalog in their library.  I personally find various catalogs visually unappealing.  Although this doesn’t affect the way the catalog works, there is something to be said for something that is pleasing to the eye.

tag...you're it!

CiteULike:  Wow!  This was the first time I visited CiteULike, and I was amazed at how much information can be found here.  I searched the term “social media and teens” and came up with over 800 articles.  Personally, that is a bit overwhelming.  I did like how easy it is to select a source from the list, read the abstract and most importantly, be able to click on where I can get the article/book/etc.

LibraryThing: I can see myself using this site.  Personally, I think it would be fun to keep track of all the books I’ve read.  I also think this would be a very useful tool as a librarian.  It could come in handy when conducting a reader’s advisory.  I also like that you can get in on a book talk or topic talk.  Having a virtual area to participate in a book group is appealing to me since it can be done from your own home.  Of course, face to face interaction is great, but when it’s hard to find time to attend a formal book group, this could be a great alternative.

Shelfari: This site is very similar to LibraryThing, although LibraryThing seems to have a few more bells and whistles than Shelfari.  I say this cautiously since I am new to both.  Like LibraryThing, Shelfari offers the user the ability to keep track of their own personal reading and library, access others’ libraries and participate in reading groups.  Shelfari seems a bit simpler than LibraryThing as it focuses on four primary areas—books/authors, members, groups and discussions.  I was surprised when I first joined Shelfari because when I was creating an account it prompted me for my Amazon login and password.  Obviously, Shelfari is part of Amazon.  It also allows you to access your amazon history so that you can add the books you bought directly to your shelf.  When adding a book to your shelf, you are brought through a step by step process which is very easy to follow. At this point you enter in basic information about the book, write a brief review, add tags for the book (either tags created by the user or tags selected from a list provided for the particular book), join book groups, etc.  Finally, the site is visually attractive with its setup and design!

"oh what a tangled web we weave"...

Who knew social tagging is a great topic for psychologists?  When I was reading “Social Tagging as a Knowledge Organization and Resource Discovery Tool” by Hesham Allam, I felt like I was sitting in a psychology class. Honestly, I thought the information was very interesting, and compared to the other two articles for this week, this one was by far the most helpful to me.  It is clear that one of the main purposes of tagging is to get people who are looking for information—whatever form it may take--from point A to point B in a pretty timely and effective manner.  However, it stood out to me when Allam suggested that, “Some may argue that giving users the freedom to click on related words may distract them from getting to their search goal.”  I’m sure we have all been in a situation like this where as we are searching for one thing, we get off track and go deeper and deeper into the search.  Allam is correct when he says that having the opportunity to explore can get one off track; however, this could also bring forth information that would not have been discovered if the user stayed on track the whole time.  As future librarians, we want our patrons to be able to find their information efficiently, but ultimately, the user is in control and can weave their web however they choose.

I never thought of tags in terms of “survival of the fittest” until I read Alexis Wichowski’s article, “Survival of the fittest tag: Folksonomies, findability, and the evolution of information organization.”  Of course it is important to have proper tags so that internet users can find the information they want, but it is also just as important for those who are putting information on the internet to have people find their stuff as well.  I was left wondering when Wichowski suggested “educating users about ‘tag literacy’…and providing a form of ‘tag training.’”  I am curious as to how this would get done and how whether or not users would take it seriously.  I think people who are very interested in knowing all they can about the subject of tagging might be compelled to educate themselves, but I would question whether the “average Joe” would be so inclined to devote that much time to this subject especially if there are no “tagging police” to monitor it.  Would you partake in learning about tag literacy or participating in tag training?

Who has heard of an inverse tag cloud?  I never have until I read “Tag Gardening for Folksonomy Enrichment and Maintenance” by Isabella Peters and Katrin Weller.  I was kind of intrigued by the idea of having the rarely used tags in bigger fonts.  I know that tag clouds are a visually appealing way to show the tags and their popularity, and I think and inverse tag cloud would be useful to those who are trying to find access to documents and sources that are harder to find. 

whatever happened to payphones?

After reading "Always On: libraries in a world of permanent connectivity" by Lorcan Dempsey, a one specific point stuck in my mind.  This was when the author discussed the "net generation."  Here he makes the point after referring to a literature review done by Susan Gibbons that mobile connectivity and always being on provides a safety net for students and children.  Parents are able to "helicopter" around their children due to the ability of being able to reach them whenever and where ever the child is.  This stood out to me primarily because, although this is tremendously helpful to parents, it can also be a huge hindrance to the child.  Who is the safety net for?  The students or the parents?  Parents tend to overstep the boundaries sometimes like when they call or text their child in the middle of the school day expecting their child to respond back.  The high school where I work has a no cell phone policy during the school day.  Cell phones are supposed to be off limits, put away for the duration of the school day.  Parents sign-off on the policies, yet ignore them.  I think many expect their child to be "always on" even when they shouldn't be.  It seems to me that the parents, who grew up without constant connectivity, forget that if they really needed to contact their child at school, they can call the office.  Because of always being on, I fear that kids will have a hard time understanding certain boundaries and common decencies.

The article "Library/Mobile: Tips on Designing and Developing Mobile Web Sites" was an interesting read
and verifies that there is a lot to take into consideration when designing and developing mobile web sites so that the user gets the best experience using the site.  The article mentions that one of the things considered when developing a mobile site was the ease of use for the user.  One of the features of the mobile site was to make phone numbers listed on the site be able to automatically dial the phone number when the user tapped on the link.  I was just talking about this with my husband the other day.  Being that I am a new smartphone user, I am amazed at all the cool things my iPhone does--one being that all the phone numbers on web sites and even in emails are automatic links to the phone. This came in handy when I was looking at directions to a friend's house and was having trouble finding it.  I discovered while looking at the email on my phone that the phone number she listed on the email was a hyperlink.  I tapped it and it automatically called the house.  It was so incredibly handy! 

Finally, the tips Kivi Leroux Miller shares about writing on Facebook and Twitter is sweet and to the point, and may I add, extremely helpful!  Her three words of advice in a nutshell--DO, THINK, FEEL--make so much sense.  I love that she also refers to a quote from Maya Angelou.  It is so true that people may not remember what someone does or says but will remember how they feel as a result of it all.  I read a book last semester titled "30 Minute Social Media Marketing: step by step techniques to spread the word about your business" by Susan Gunelius.  In this book, Gunelius emphasizes the 80/20 rule of social media marketing.  Essentially, this rule is to share knowledge, build relationships, and connect people with others 80% of the time when using social media as a marketing tool and for only 20% of the time promote it.  It really got me thinking differently about social media marketing.  I always figured social media marketing was all about getting the word out about programs, sales, etc.  Now I realize it's more about SOCIALIZING with people interested in your brand.  Miller is essentially saying the same thing but in much fewer words.

By the way, I would recommend Susan Gunelius' book as a quick and easy read for beginners interested in learning or beginning to implement social media marketing in their business.

watch out gwyneth!

Watch out Gwyneth Paltow...I officially joined Twitter!  Actually, I joined right after this class began, but I was hanging low with it trying to figure out how it all worked.  I am still trying to remember and get used to the different symbols and abbreviations used when tweeting and reading tweets.  When I  joined, I started following some of the real housewives from various Bravo shows.  What a big mistake that was.  I found the tweets really stupid, for lack of a better word.  The tweets left me wondering why anyone would want to follow anything.  As a result, I stepped away for about a week, unfollowed the people that I was following, and created a new list of people who I follow.  Since then, so far, so good!  You can follow my twitter feed @jgongoleski.

Who I'm currently following:
@kathygriffin--This is comedian Kathy Griffin's twitter account.  I decided to follow her simply because I think she is funny!


@someecards--This is another humor site, which caught my eye because it said "you'll love not unfollowing us."


@photography--Photography is kind of a hobby for me, so I thought I would appreciate this site.

@foodimentary--This site claims to share all sorts of food facts that you can impress your friends with.  I love to cook and bake, so I was immediately attracted to this site.


@goodreads--All things books...and I am always up for a good book recommendation.


@pbsparents--PBSParents offers "parenting tips, articles and lots of laughs" and they said they are "serious about laughter." Being a parent of three daughters, I need some tips and laughter most of the time! 

@awfullibbooks--I decided to follow this site because of Jeremy's blog.  Props to Jeremy!  I like that it claims to feature odd books found in the library--how neat!


@librarycongress--Last but not least, Library of Congress is a must for us library school students.  I look forward to seeing the kind of information they tweet about! 

old school or zero tolerance?

I just visited "Rough Type--Nicholas Carr's Blog" and was drawn it to a couple of his posts--"E-textbooks flunk an early test" posted on May 12, 2011 and "Zero tolerance for print" dated May 20, 2011.  These posts caught my attention because e-books have been on my mind since the beginning of last semester, thanks to Suellen and LSC 557!  What I read in Carr's post "E-textbooks flunk an early test" didn't surprise me mainly because I had read quite a bit last semester about e-book and e-readers and their use by students.  Carr basically discussed how students who participated in an e-book/e-reader study at University of Washington found that they didn't really like using e-books and e-readers for their school work.  Many students found them difficult to get used to and actually went back to printed textbooks because of their ease of use.  There were several reasons why students preferred traditional printed textbooks brought to light in Carr's blog.  One thing that caught my eye was research that he included that regarding the cues that printed books provide about the book's structure and content which aids a reader when trying to find information that they had previously read:

When we read, we unconsciously note the physical location of information within a text and its spatial relationship to our location in the text as a whole ... These mental images and representations do more than just help us recall where ideas are located in a given text. We use cognitive maps to retain and recall textual information more effectively, making them useful tools for students who are reading academic texts to satisfy specific goals.

Carr follows up by saying that when replacing a printed text with an e-version of it, people lose the benefits discussed above.  I can see how this can make a major impact on students' study/work habits when it comes to school.  I am just the type of reader that Carr is discussing.  When I read something, I subconsciously remember where certain passages are within the book.  I can "picture" where on the page it is, what side of the book it is on, whether it's before or after certain chapters.  I don't have an e-reader, but it would be a concern of mine if I was to use the device for something more than just pure enjoyment.  As an English teacher, I would worry that my students were missing out on this subconscious skill if they were only allowed access to e-books and e-readers.  Which brings me to the next post I read on Carr's blog titled "Zero tolerance for print."  Carr explains that Florida legislators passed a budget measure that bans printed textbooks from schools beginning in the 2015-16 school year.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this.  I find this to be a huge disservice to the students in Florida public schools, and I actually can't see how this can happen.  Sure technology is great, but not in all instances.  Because many students learn differently, how can all students be made to use e-books?  How will students with IEP's be addressed?  What about the skills students get from reading and working with a printed text?  I'm sure if all the printed books in the world suddenly disappeared and the only option was e-books and e-readers to access the information, people would adapt over time.  But since that isn't going to happen, why not have the choice so that students can use tools that allow them to learn to the best of their individual ability?  Ugh, unbelievable!

secrecy and screen minimizing

When I was reading "Blogs, Mashups & Wikis...Oh, My!" by Bruce W. Dearstyne, I started to think about the first job I had after I graduated college.  I worked in the Human Resources department, and it was my first "desk job."  One of the only fun things about the job, besides the people that I worked with, was that I had a computer on my desk and access to the internet at my fingertips, secretly whenever I wanted it.  It was 1996, so the internet was not as developed as it is today!  Needless to say, email was a favorite of mine at that time.  I can remember sitting at my desk fooling around with the internet and email and then quickly minimizing it when my boss came into the room.  I remember feeling like I was doing something bad because what I was doing wasn't, for the most part, related to my job.  What it came down to was that I didn't want to get in trouble for using the internet and email!  Boy have things changed.  Presently, I can't imagine how work could get done without the use of the internet, email and other social media tools.  What office do you walk in to that doesn't have the internet up and going or email as a main communication tool?  Dearstyne does bring up a good point, which I think is still relevant in 2011, about the issues of security when using wikis, blogs and the like within a company or organization--who has access to creating/editing the information, what policies need to be in place when using these tools, what information will be shared with the public, who is responsible for record keeping, etc. As people get more comfortable with these tools within their jobs, communicating this way will be natural!  And now that the use of these tools is so mainstream, gone are the days of minimizing your screen at work!

debates and misconceptions

Since the start of this summer semester last week, I have not gotten myself into a rhythym with my school work.  That said, I feel like I am getting this post in with no time to spare!  This week's readings and video talk got me thinking.  After reading "Library 2.0: Evolution or Revolution" by Kywanya, Stilwell and Underwood, I began to wonder if the birth, evolution or revolution of library 2.0 would have been better off if it came upon us during a time of a booming economy.  Is it easier to embrace all that library 2.0 has brought to libraries if money and budgets weren't such a big issue to those involved in the library?  If in a perfect world, all libraries had an unlimited budget, would it be easy for those who tend to not embrace it welcome it with open arms because of the fact that they wouldn't have to really "budget" their money?  Since all things change, I tend to think that library 2.0 is just part of the library's evolution...what's your stance on the debate?  Although all of the readings were interesting this week, the talk "Embracing a Culture of Connectivity" by Danah Boyd was by far the most interesting.  I found her research to be kind of enlightening.  When I think of social media and teens, I tend to think negatively, even though I tend to be a pretty optimistic person.  I think of teens using social media as a way to bully, share inappropriate pictures and behaviors, etc., etc.  Deep down, I know most teens are not doing this on their social media sites, yet my mind still goes in that direction when I think of the two together.  Boyd's talk started to make me think differently.  A couple of teen testimonials she shared with the audience stood out to me.  The first one had to do with a female teen who said their mother was always telling her (sort of as a reminder about the dangers of social media sites) that the internet is a PUBLIC space implying ALL information can be seen...the teen followed up with her thoughts on the use of social media as a place for her own PRIVACY.  The teen didn't intend to use it as a secret place to post things that she didn't want her mother to see but instead simply as a way for her to communicate with her friends.  I think what stood out was that I focused on the teen's perspective rather than the mom's.  The mother is right with her line of thinking, but so is the teen.  The happy medium is making sure the teen knows how to use the social media in a responsible way, and the mother also needs to keep in mind that the ways of yesterday have changed.  Another interesting testimonial was about how a college was looking up a potential student's social media page.  The boy had a gang related tag posted on the page, and the college assumed that the boy was involved in gang related behaviors.  Boyd pointed out that although the boy was involved in some gang related behaviors, he was trying to get out of this lifestyle.  He felt that he had to "keep up the act" while he pursued what he believed to be his "out"--college.  Boyd had said earlier in her talk that things posted on an individual's social media site can be taken out of context when people just look in and aren't connected with the person on a regular basis.  This instance with the boy is exactly that.  I hope to read more about teens and social media for my literature review paper.  By enlightening myself, perhaps I can use it as a way to advocate for social media being allowed in the school.  We'll see! 

Time to take some Benadryl and go to bed...my allergies (which I didn't think I had) are killing me!