Challenge # 7

For my course I learned about managing my e-mail. I have issues with always going over my size limit on my inbox so i thought this would be a good way to learn some tricks of the trade that will help me better managed my e-mail. I plan on using many of the tools I learned. I now know know how to find mail by size, so i can delete the huge files that are junking up my inbox and make more room for the items i really need. I also learned that all my little folders I have take up space in my inbox- for some strange reason I thought I had more room cause I was moving them to a different spot. Now I know that I need manage my folders as well. Also some tips I already use I was able to see are good things to keep doing such as emptying my deleted items folder and going into my send items and deleting them as well.

Challenge #4 part 2-Google

I found it very interesting that you could type site: and then what ever qualifiers you wanted to help get the appropriate materials for a specific search. I had no idea you could do that!
Now I'm looking for a list of all the ways i can narrow a google search down to hopefully displaying only credible sites and sources of information (or more of them).
This is great! I know when looking at websites and what not I look for gov docs or nj.gov etc. since i know its legitimate information but i didn't realise you could actually put that in the search field and have it narrowed down that way for you by google. I will definitely be using this little trick in the future when helping people with their questions.

Challenge #4 part 1- google blog

I was reading in the official google blog about their Google Latitude program for the iPhone. This feature allows iPhone users to see where their "friends" are located on a city map. You can restrict who sees you and what not but it looks like it would be a fun and easy way to see where your friends are at if you wanted to join up with they while you are out or not. It is now available on the iPhone and iPod touch. I thought this was interesting even though i am not an owner of any i technologies. Seems pretty cool that they are trying to keep up with current technology and apps that people are interested in.

Challenge #5

I find searching using Ebsco A-Z can either be really fruitful or highly irritating. I think once i really figure out the language they use or the correct search terms to use not to mention the specific ways to break down the search, I tend to find what I'm looking for. It's a little mental exercise to find the best way to get the information I actually want to find. I think it can be a little overwhelming for the average library user who is content with using google for their information. I think a lot of patrons are not aware of these databases and when we educate them on it they just say I'll use google or wikipedia to get my articles. Its a tad frustrating but every now and then you break through to that kid who really does need the article and they are more then grateful that we can help and show them how to do it themselves for the future.

Challenge #3- GVRL

This is a great source. Its easy to use and very helpful, i really like the source citation section. So many people get the citations wrong so its a great tool for kids to learn the propper way to cite a resource.

The one thing i didn't like was that i could not access GVRL from horizon. I very rarely use the public catalog to find items for patrons so its just not as convenient. Also it has so many titles that I find it a little daunting to use since I'm not in it all the time and I'm not that familiar with the titles GVRL offers.

I do tell patrons all the time about the GVRL for when they come in with crazy last minute projects that involve something obscure where they need more then one book source. Its great and I'm glad we have it as a tool to use. As a smaller branch with limited reference materials and non-fiction books its a nice collection to have to supplement what we do have. I also see that many parents are resistant to using it due to the fact it is electronic, even though i explain its a print source that they can use instead of a book they can't find. Oh well- what can you do?

On the whole i like it!

Lap Top & Projector Set Up

I did a brief presentation for Rachael. After setting up the projector and lap top we went over the new Mango database. I showed her the various elements of the program. It has a nice translator as well!
It was easy for me to put it all together since I started out as a teen librarian we had to know how to do that with all the DDR/game nights as well as movies for the anime/manga club.
This was an easy challenge for me and I didn't really learn anything new.

Listen NJ

I found Listen NJ to be more user friendly then the last time I checked it out. I like the new icons that tell you what formats the audio book has available when you check it out. What I did not like was the fact that I had to download the book to the computer first and then transfer it to my MP3 player. The downloading took about 45 minutes to do, which seemed like a really long time for me to wait. If i was at home I would have left and done something else while the book was downloading.
I also think it will be great when they have a wider selection of books for the MP3 format.
On the whole I think this is a great resource to have and I plan on letting more patrons know about it.