A Shifty Librarian?

It is impossible to talk about Library 2.0 without mentioning two heavyweights in the field at the moment. Of course, I'm talking about Michael (Tame the Web) Stephens and Jenny (The Shifted Librarian) Levine. You can't attend a conference or read a library journal without hearing about them. Their respective blogs are almost always informative and I subscribe to them through Bloglines. You can read Michael's full text articles about Library 2.0 in Library Technology Reports (Online), available through some of our online databases. The July/August 2006 issue has articles about how libraries are expanding their services by using IM, blogs, wikis, and RSS feeds. The September/October 2006 issue is devoted to gaming in libraries.

The Shifted Librarian always make me think of a Shifty Librarian. So what would a Shifty Librarian look like? The image I try to conjure up makes me smile. It is so ... unlikely. Then again, maybe she would act a lot like Ms. Dewey.

Blog On

After I volunteered to be a Learning 2.0 Advocate, I checked out the 23 Things blog for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenberg County (PLCMC) for a preview of things to come--and I must say, it's going to be fun! I cataloged my books on LibraryThing and tagged my favorite bookmarks on del.icio.us. Images I found on Flickr bring my blog to life and I created a little avatar at Yahoo to put in my user profile.

Stephen Abram's presentation was a wonderful introduction to Library 2.0 training. His infectious enthusiasm for his subject inspired us to think about library service in a new way.

Two books have been helpful for setting up my blog: Blogging in a snap by Julie C. Meloni and Blogging for dummies by Brad Hill. The first book is devoted to setting up and customizing blogs using Blogger and the second book has some tips for tweaking Blogger.

And speaking of tweaks, I am not one to leave things alone. I taught myself OCLC's Basic (Macro) Language so that I could write programs that automate certain repetitive tasks and reduce input errors. I love to figure out how things work and then fiddle with the code to make them work better. I've been experimenting with tweaking the HTML on my blog.

I think one of the best things about being a librarian and working in a library is the exposure to new ideas. My friend, a non-librarian, wondered how I learned about all the fun things you can do on the Internet and I told her it was because I work in a library and I get to learn something new (and share something new) every day.

Dive in, the water is fine!