Feed me, I'm Hungry !!

I have successfully signed into the Google Reader and added four, not five, items to my list (not including the four blogs of fellow 26.2 classmates that are already there too). I feel overwhelmed with the many online sources that have been created for me to "organize my life better" only because it adds one more place for me to remember to go to. Right now I have RefWorks, Google Reader, Google Calendar (using at work already), facebook, and four different emails. This is just WAY TOO MUCH! I'm going to try the Google Reader to see if this makes my online life a little less all over the place, but I can't say I will remember to check it often enough!

Oddly, RSS is not such a new thing, but some of the sites I visit are still not set up for RSS feed of their site !!

Craigslist Vs. Boston.Com

Craigslist Boston has come in handy many times in my personal life. I've found room mates, things to do, jobs, and places to live from careful research on that site. I like the city by city orientation of Craigslist (NH, my home state, has finally got their own Craigslist too) and the multitude of choices for what to look for.

What I didn't know is that Boston.com offers many of the same options and choices as Craigslist. There are discussion forums ranging from stay-at-home moms to books to movies to news. There are green living pages, classifieds and personals that I must add, are a little less seamy than the Craiglists personals can sometimes get. I really liked the section on Boston.com called "Do Good" as well, giving a new focus and importance to people volunteering more.

I feel both these sites can be advantageous to people new to Boston or trying to learn more about their communities. However, when appyling for jobs or looking for a rental, the competition is fierce as these are two heavily visited sites. Going in to situations with this in mind will soften any disappointment that might follow.

What's Hot or Not

For a peer/social review site, I chose Five Limes. This is a site trying to promote information on becoming a more informed consumer by purchasing locally made products or supporting businesses with sustainable practices. Sustainable practices could include but are not limited to selling local products, using environmentally friendly products, community building, etc...

For my entry, I reviewed a local restaurant that I thoroughly enjoyed the one time I went (though I have a reservation to go again next week!) - Ten Tables.

Please check out those hyperlinks to see what I did.

Social Confusion

There are so many online communities these days that I feel overwhelmed at the choices. FaceBook, MySpace, Third Life, the choices range from crass to scholarly to geeky. Yes, I do think online social networks are useful for the growing and expanding library of the future, but the issue of too many choices is one that will also have to be accounted for when creating or joining.

Oddly, one community I thought I would be introducing to our 26.2 Class was mentioned in Coach's post - Ravelry . Both my Assistant Director and Director of the library are members and just Friday introduced me to the wonders that it contains. Not only is it a great spot for knitters and crocheters, but if you're looking for a job or you're a librarian, there are sub-groups within Ravelry to set you up with job tips and leads as well as other knitting/crocheting librarians. How great!

My school currently uses an online platform called Moodle, which is like an online commmunity but also lets administrators and teachers keep track of grades and statistical information in addition to the social aspect. Not many teachers or students use it to my knowledge, but I see these free, open server options as the way of the future for libraries and other information sharing organizations. For one, this allows students to talk to other students and teachers for ideas, help, and just to stay connected outside of the classroom. Some of these platforms allow posting of work and examples, so sharing work inspires not only other students, but teachers who may be looking for new activity ideas. Another added benefit is having one central place that teachers and students could use as a repository for information and resources, school wide or class wide.

One other online community that I find interesting, but is unrelated to libraries and education is Etsy. I dislike shopping in malls or other crowded venues, so this online option of one-of-a-kind gifts with no hassle, time constraints, or crowded buildings was a great find for me. I have shop there though I have no posted items for sale at this point.

First Things First

Hi. My name is Ms. ReadAlot and I'm an alcoholic.

Wait wait, no no.

I mean, my name is Ms. ReadAlot and I am a Librarian!

Yes, that is it.

Well, that's not true either.

According to my current job title and description, I am a "Pre-Professional Librarian" aka one who does not have a Masters degree. I'm working on it though. This Fall I began classes to acquire my GSLIS degree in two years time. I am enrolled full time, which means I am taking three courses - Reference and Information Services, Curriculum Frameworks, and Evaluation of Research Methods (blah!).

So far, so good.

In addition to my Masters program, I have now signed up for the BPL's continued learning course, 26.2 Things in Boston. What a great idea for online learning! And even better, I learned from a GSLIS grad yesterday that this online course may take the place of a course I am required to take for my program. This may not seem like a big deal as either way, I'm still doing the same work. BUT! By not having to take that course requirement, I might have TWO electives now instead of ONE (the school concentration program for the GSLIS program is very regimented for what courses one must take to become certified at the end). This is v. v. exciting news. So thank you BPL, thank you Jen (the coach for the course) for making this possible.

So far, so good.