Wikis

Wikis are essentially open web-pages , where anyone registered with the wiki can publish,amend and change it. Much as blogs , they are not of the same reliability as traditional resources, but this does not eliminate their value and we should not avoid using them all together. Users should understand the 'free -range nature' of wikis and be critical in depending on them.
Wikis as items in a Library collection, and the instruction of users in the evaluation of them, are almost certainly part of the future of libraries. A library wiki as a service can enable social interaction among librarians and patrons. Users share information, ask questions, answer questions within the wiki, and the record of this interaction is referenced for archival purposes. P.H.,G.H.,C.R.

Social Bookmarking and Del.icio.us

Discover useful bookmarks that everyone else has saved

Enjoy free access
Linkroll - a list of recently bookmarked links with brief descriptions in the sidebar of the blog
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I mported bookmarks and their collective nature emphasis the strong 'public focus'
Computer flexibility - access the same bookmarks from any computer
I t allows you to easily add sites you like to your personal collection of links and share with others
One of the most popular social bookmarking services
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Use tags to organise and remember your bookmarks.Font size of tags highlights popularity
Storing your bookmarks using tags /keywords (folksonomy) online is it's primary use.

Libraries would find the use of "Cloud tags" very beneficial. Library collections would almost certainly become user-driven by popular demand and meet the requirements of at least the online local community. P.H., G.H., C.R.

Flickr....Why

Flickr was a whole new world to Confucius3. The blurb suggests flickr is"almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world", ok so why should Public Libraries, more to the point my Library service, be interested? Once again the word connect pops up. Flickr, apparently "gets your photos to people who matter to you". Individuals, organisations, yes public library services contribute their image collections to this information sharing phenomenon. Why would'nt we be involved? Participation provides a high level of access to Library events and services, e.g. free promotion with an opportunity to target niche markets. The National Library of Australia's 'Picture Australia collection' http://www.pictureaustralia.org/contest/instructions.html is a first class example of how this networking system successfully works. What a great way to connect. P.H.,G.H.,C.R.

Ancient and Modern China

This photo shows something extremely unique, how the remnants of ancient life can co-exist alongside symbols of our modern world. We chose this photo for its anachronistic image, i.e. at first your eye is automatically drawn to the spectacular temple at Yueyang; look again... slowly the communications tower appears on the skyscape..the modern world merging with the old. Respect for ancient tradition, beliefs and knowledge must be allowed to remain, to teach us the essential meaning of life. PH.,GH.,CR.

RSS Feeds

Our introduction to RSS feeds "Really simple syndication was , initially not so simple. After reading copious notes we finally watched the "RSS in plain English" video and in 3 minutes and 43 seconds we saw the light. It conveyed information in an easy, simple and direct way - Quote " A single website that becomes your home for reading all the new stuff"i.e RSS is simply a way of getting the content of a website you choose , without the other stuff. It is also very useful for 'news' based websites, or any site with constantly changing information that users want to keep up with. We discovered, that the great advantage of using an online reader such as Bloglines is that we could access our favourite feeds from any computer and add feeds automatically from a page we were browsing.

Libraries would certainly benefit from the power of RSS feeds. This technology would be particularly useful in Reference work where up- to -date information is essential. Informing patrons of future library events(Events Calendar) and sharing new sites with patrons , are aspects of RSS feeds that should not be not be overlooked if libraries wish to remain connected with their communities. PH.,G.H.,C.R.