LibraryThing

I really love LibraryThing. Check out my library here. I am working towards getting all my books onto LibraryThing - as I have over a thousand it will take some time!

The LibraryThing for Libraries page has some really good ideas. LibraryThing lets patrons interact with the catalogue, while allowing the library to retain the control it wants. A good example of this can be seen here, with the tag cloud and the reviews. I think partnering with LibraryThing would be worth considering for just about any library.

Google Books

I do not think libraries are in any danger yet from Google Books.

This is an interesting service in that there are a wide range of publications available, however it seemed to me that most if not all of the more recent publications are only available as excerpts or previews, not as full text. I also found their search a little clunky to use. I did like the fact that you can search within the full text of books, however I found that the quality of the scans was variable.

This service may have implications for the retention of older material if perpetual access can be guaranteed and the quality of the scans is acceptable. It could also be useful in selecting new material for purchase, as the material could be previewed along with any reviews. Users could also use the reviews to find an item which may be of use to them.

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More on Technorati

I have just joined Technorati and submitted my blog for inclusion. I'll let you all know how I go...

Technorati

I did a Technorati search for "University of Sydney" in posts - it is definitely a good way to keep up with what the blogosphere may be saying about your company of organization, especially if there has been some recent controversy. Google in contrast tended to come up with a bunch of 'static' pages, with the news results towards the bottom of the first page.

Twitter

Just started my new Twitter account with the username JessamyJane - following the Uni and Stephen Fry.

I would like to get the library onto Twitter, that way we could blog about things like service outages as well as planned events. Also we could have an account for each library and do things like Endnote classes.

SHHH! The Musical

Just found this on YouTube and had to post it:

Stephen Fry on YouTube

I liked this clip of Stephen Fry being interviewed by Clive James (mainly because of the setting):



I did find it interesting that I couldn't seem to see any copyright information on this clip site, and I wonder if that is an issue with YouTube.

I also found a good looking philosophy podcast.

I can see where podcasts are useful in areas such as that covered by iResearch, and could also be useful when training clients in how to search for information about a particular subject or using a particular resource.

Library wikis

More on the use of wikis in the library - just found this good-looking library wiki at
Antioch University New England Library Staff Training and Support wiki.

Thinking about the use of wikis at work - I would like to create a desk procedures wiki for the library, but am wondering if it would be possible to do this within the intranet, as we would not want this out in the open.

Some interesting stuff here - http://technorati.com/blogging/feature/state-of-the-blogosphere-2009/