The Sentient Search Engine

Thing #21 for Learn & Play is dedicated to Podcasts. This is one thing that I never got into in the past, so the fact that I “have to” is actually a great thing.

I played around with the podcast directories made available and I have to say, the one in iTunes is the best. I tried to get something out of podfeed.net, Podcastalley.com, or Google Podcast Directory and I failed in large part. I used the keywords “library”, “library news”, and “public library” and found alarmingly few pertinent hits. I had a lot more luck with iTunes’s directory. I got better results that were more easily navigable.

I did see that there were several libraries that did podcasting. Lansing PL has a number of Podcasts that are, if not regular, at least ongoing. There were also a number of special libraries (like Pritzker Military Library in Chicago, IL).

I tried using Bloglines for my Podcasts, and I’m pretty sure I don’t like it. Not because of anything Bloglines did wrong, I just think iTunes will work better for me. I can sync my iPod and listen to them on the go that way. This also keeps them well organized and separate from my music.

Podcasting would be an excellent addition to CML’s website. People are what separates libraries from their “competitors”, especially for CML (if I say so myself). Podcasting would be a great way to tap the passion and energy of our staff. Imagine a Youth Services booktalk cast that goes to a different branch every month. Our Geneology, History, and Travel department could put on a weekly Geneology Tips cast.

Thinking bigger, CML (and libraries in general) should start to provide podcasting stations with tools to record, host, and maintain them. These could be added to the catalog and be searchable that way. This would be an excellent way to farm the intellectual capital of the community and disseminate it.

Thing #20 for Learn & Play is to play with YouTube and embed a video. Done.

I thought this was both amusing and timely.

Some Thoughts

I enjoy YouTube. I don’t obsessively explore it like some, but I think there’s a lot of cool stuff there (and a lot of total crap or worse, but that was bound to happen). Libraries as a whole need to get better at this. There’s so much stuff we could record (storytimes, programs) that we don’t really make an effort to do. It would also be a great way to share the library’s story. Imagine a series of videos shared with the world, telling the library’s story and selling it. Video book reviews are another possibility. How cool would it be to have them embeded in the catalog so that you could click a link and have a librarian booktalk that book for you, especially for Juv and Teen books! I can think of a couple colleagues that would be great at this!!!

The American Library Association’s political activities can occasionally get on my nerves from time to time. However, one of their recent initiatives struck me as a great idea (and is actually in line with their stated mission). Granting the fact that I’m biased, I think giving money to libraries is an excellent idea, especially in a rough economy. Libraries really are important parts of economy. By providing access to information and other services, they help folks weather tough times and prepare for better ones. I’ll be watching this with great interest.

For Thing #19 of CML’s Learn and Play initiative, I played around with the Library Toolbar. As a general rule, I am not a big fan of toolbars as they clutter the screen. Everyone seems to have one and push theirs, so that if one isn’t vigilant, you end up with a browser that is more toolbar that web page. Nevertheless, I find I am impressed with CML’s. It really puts all the high use material from our website within easy reach.

I love the fact that the search box:

• can be populated by highlighting text in the browser
• provides access to the premium resources
• provides access to other useful services like dictionary search and news search.

The other areas are great too! My only real gripe with it is that there is no way to get the toolbar to remember your card # and pin. This would make the “My Account” button really stand out as a tremendous convinience.

I’m not likely to leave this installed on my browser at home (I did say I hate screen clutter), but I’m very happy its a solid product for those inclined to use it. CML’s virtual users are likely to be able to get a lot of constructive use out of it!

Thing #18 for CML’s Learn & Play program is to explore different Web 2.0 tools (and toys).

I looked around on the SEOmoz list of Best Web 2.0 sites. There was a lot of cool stuff there to be sure, but what really caught my eye is a site called Pandora Radio. This site is truly astounding! It allows you to create custom “Radio” stations based on the music you like. Everything you can imagine is in here! From Top 10 Hits to Classical to Progressive Metal, nothing seems to be too obscure. Once you’ve started your station you just listen and tell the site when you like something.

The interface is very slick and compact. I quickly figured out where the basics were and how to navigate around effectively. You can query the system about why a song was selected for you after clicking the “more” button under the album art. You can click on your station name and select “add variety” to include other song/artist styles. You can also go deeper and set up a station in more detail by selecting edit. 

It seems that it becomes harder and harder to impress me these days (a source of some concern). Pandora led me to say “wow” about a website for the first time in a long time. Try it, I think you’ll like it (musicphiles especially). Four Stars!!