Thing 8,9, & Presenting StudyBlue!

 I am a goggle fanatic. I use it daily sometimes hourly. I have two email accounts, a blog, and Goggle+ account. However, I can not get used to Google Calendar. I grew up using computers in some form from the age of  8 but there are still somethings I have to do the "old fashioned way". While Google Calender can go anywhere on any device. I like being able to physically change and add things. That's why I've also using been the wipe-off calendar above my desk since high school and why I buy a paper planner every year. There is something satisfying to the ritual of keep a physical calendar. I like that I can flip through the pages of my event book and see where I am going and where I've been.  I get a sense of accomplishment to wiping of everything off of my desk calendar and updating it every two weeks or so. It keeps me focused on what is ahead. Now that I have an I pad I may try to use Google Calender when school starts...but if I do I know I'll still keep up with my wipeoff board.

 A few weeks ago cdp23 introduced us to Pushnote. While an interesting application, I found it to be more of a hindrance than a help. Another account to keep track of, check, and update. As I have mentioned before it also didn't seem to provide information on sites I wanted.  This weeks suggestions of Evernote led me to roll my eyes figuring this would be more of the same. Not so. Evernote is what I have always wanted from delicious  it lets you clip and organize websites, keeps notes, and sync this record to call devices...kind of like a combination between Delicious, Pushnote, and Dropbox. I beyond anal retentive about organizing my bookmarks...especially the ones I visit often..Evernote allows me to "clip" the website and add notes to it. The only thing that disappointed me is that it there is currently no web clipper for the Ipad.


  One of the other great features of Evernote is that besides the fact that I can sync my library from my laptop and my Ipad ....is that I can also sync it with other applications. Evernote Trunk  is an part of the Evernote site that lists all the applications you can use with Evernote. I can sync PDFs from my Dropbox to Evernote and make notes on them, I can sync emails and add notes, etc.


One cool application I found through trunk is called:

    Like Flashcard Machine....Study Blue allows you to  create flash cards, and search share or upload flashcards made by others. However, StudyBlue also allows you to store, share, create, and download notes. Click the image below to see a screen shot of StudyBlue flash card creator.

 Unfortunately for NOW you can only create flash cards on computers however the Study Blue Ipad app does allow you to view the notes and flash cards already existent in your account. I DO NOT recommend using StudyBlue on the Ipad for anything but flashcards.

There is a way to sync your StudyBlue notes to Evernote so you can edit them in there....but I honestly think I will only be using StudyBlue for flashcards.

Here is a little video I made of me using the StudyBlue App to view a flashcard I created. This also the first video I've ever created and uploaded so I hope it works!

Thing 5, 6, & 7

So.. I don't have much to write for the next three things in cdp23...but I wrote a few notes on each.

Thing 5 Reflective Practice 
   As I don't really have a "career" as an information professional yet I do not really have any work stories I can look back upon or some sagely career advice...however, I do realize and understand the importance of reflection in life. That being said there is a difference between reflection and "dwelling on the past". The reflection process is more productive it forces us to confront our past experiences and learn something from them. On the other had "dwelling" leaves distracted by the past and passive toward our future.


Thing 6 Online Networks
Facebook ~ I have decided to keep this personal ONLY.

LinkedIn ~ My father and my fiance both have one of these. I know I want one eventually but I'm not really sure what the appropriate time is for me to have one. I am only a student and am not set to graduate until next August. For right not my plan is to make one when I graduate. My goal in the next couple weeks is to go around and ask cdp23 participants about their LinkedIn profiles...when they got one and why?

Other Networks ~  another task I will have to assign myself is to check out LISNPN

What is it about the summer?

...the season distracts by making you think you have all the time in the world

...meanwhile it slips away faster that you ever thought it could

Thing 7 face to face networks and professional organizations
   I joined the ALA and NYLA at the end of May with a student membership. For LIS students living in NY...there is a discount rate for a student membership to both organizations. Click this LINK for more details. After sending in my form in the beginning of May it took about a month for me to begin receiving email newsletters and information from the ALA.I hope that my involvement in these organizations will provide me with the opportunity to learn and experience more. For now, I hope to continue in a more interactive way by continuing to be a part of SCALA the SUNY Albany Student Chapter of the ALA.

  I am currently following HACK Library School online. I haven't really had an opportunity to get involved but if I see something that I could provide/share I'd like to. As the founder of HackLibSchool Micah says in his presentation:

 "basically most good ideas that I have are re-purposed from other peoples great ideas. but as a well-trained librarian I'm not afraid to give credit and attribution when it's due"

This is basically how I feel about everything I do but I'd like to think that the information I choose to share and the way I choose to share it is what make me somewhat an individual. Like Bobbi Newman's Day in the Life blog I am slowly clicking through HackLibSchool's recommended links for "newbs".

Library Day in the Life Project

For those of who have a library job, want one, or want to know more about them...There's an event for you!

The Library Day in the Life project is a semi-annual event in which those with library jobs come together to share from a day to a weeks experiences about their day to day lives using blogs, pictures, twitter, etc. Go to the site to sign up for the July 25th-31st session or to view past events.

Bobbi Newman

To learn more about the person responsible for starting this event visit Bobbi Newman at her blog Librarian by Day. She is a library blogging super-star! and her blog archive offers lots of helpful advice. I am currently working through her archive section called "So You Want to Be a Librarian? A Guide for those Considering an MLS, Current Students, & Job Seekers"

....On a somewhat related note, when checking out this project I found out about site called Twapper Keeper. Twapper Keeper is a site that archives twitter feeds. It can be helpful when used with an online program like cdp23 or The Library Day in the Life...or for individual use if you want to keep abreast of certain twitter topics.

Library Wold Tour..My Top 5

There are so many beautiful and interesting libraries I want to visit. I decided to make a list of my top five. Hopefully someday I'll get to see them all.


MY TOP 51.  Free University Library, Germany
  Designed in the shape of a brain, this library is open, light, and large. This library was designed as part of what will probably a growing trend... with lots of open space to adapt for "life beyond the book". Click the link for more pictures.

2.  Trinity College Library, Ireland
  I want to visit it for super geeky reasons. This library was used as the Jedi archives in the Star Wars movies.

Trinity Library

The Jedi Achives on Coruscant

3.  Stockholm Public Library, Sweden
  This is a picture of the gorgeous rotunda inside the library. According to Wikipedia the library includes 2 million volumes and 2.4 million audio tapes, CDs and audio books.

4.  Seattle Central Library, USA
  Like the Free University Library in Berlin, I love how much open space and natural light has been worked into this library. This library was also designed to give adequate space for "new technologies" digital books etc. Maybe this is what libraries of the future will look like.

5. Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura, Brazil
  I have to confess I want to visit this library for no other reason than (judging from the pictures) it's the most beautiful I've ever seen.

Want to see more BEAUTY-FUL  Libraries check out this SITE.

Apple Store Camera Spy Artist & News of the World

  With all this outrage about privacy invasion in the British News. I though I would bring up a related, but more light-hearted incident.

Recently, An artist got penalized for setting computers in an apple store to take pictures of people which he posted on a blog as part of art project. I don't like the idea of getting my picture taken without my knowledge...but it happens everyday. I don't think if mine was taken I would care...but at the same time I really don't like the idea of a bunch of strangers making comments on my facial expression. 

Here's the article about the artist getting caught Apple Store Sets Secret Service on Spy Camera Artist

Now that we've had a fun time looking at people's computer faces.. BOLD! News of the World...very BOLD! By the way if you want to enjoy an article about their staffs goodbye tweets click HERE

Thing 2, 3, & 4

Thing 2
    I checked out a bunch of blogs the last couple weeks. Commented on a few. Almost everyone was English but I did check out a few American blogs. I was also pleased with the age range of the participants.There lot of youngsters like myself are trying to make our way into the world of info science and then their are many seasoned professionals. It's exciting and overwhelming to be a part of it. As I have seen a lot of people comment on their blogs. It's hard to not want to follow everyone's blogs...but realistically how much will I really end up reading?

   As I commented on someone's blog you can always add more television stations but you'll still only end up watching a few. That's how I feel when reading all these blogs...for now I think I'll follow a bunch via RSS and then slowly weed out to my top ten "channels".

This info-overload panic reminded me of this ARTICLE I read on another blog.

Thing 3

 Personal branding? I don't really know how I feel about it. I feel like I don't have enough experience with it in the professional information science realm world to make an informed decision. For now, I've come to one conclusion, I think there is a fine line between a professional visible presence and hokey pitch that seems to give off stink waves of informal desperation. But that could just be me....what do you think? 


Thing 4
   Now to be a complete hypocrite, I really love Pushnote! It's a great concept. I just wish more people used it. The only sites I've really see it used for are already pretty well known....but may I need to do some more searching.
   As for Twitter I've had an account since January. One of my professors made everyone in our class sign up for an account. At first I though I would hate it but I actually find it quite helpful and interesting especially now that I am finding all these info science career/new accounts to follow.