Images and the Pollak Library

I was very impressed with the Pollak Library's Flickr site, and it was a useful tool for me to get to know the library better during the time I applied to work at Cal State Fullerton.

Flickr is a great way to preserve and relive memories. I used Flickr to find the photo I am posting here. This photo shows the exact type of aircraft I flew in during the early 1970s--an experience which instilled in me a love of flight which has had a significant impact in my life, both professionally and personally.

I agree with other colleagues who have suggested using Flickr to highlight some of our special collection items. Flickr is also a useful medium to document important events taking place at the library. For example, I like how Mary Anne Lynn uploaded pictures of the damage caused by the earthquake in July of 2008.

Images can be powerful tools to convey a sense of who we are as a community at the Pollak Library. One idea that comes to mind is using the Pollak Library homepage to stream photos of our employees and patrons engaged in the work they do here at the library. Perhaps these images could be interspersed with the announcements that are found in the "Library Features" section of the homepage.

Image Source: Flickr account martin404 (Alan), a gentleman from Royal Palm Beach, Florida (downloaded 3/23/09).

RSS Feeds and the Pollak Library

The exercise for Thing #3 was very useful because it gave me the opportunity to understand more fully what a reader/aggregator does, and how one can import feeds from favorite information sources. Readers such as Google Reader really save time and allow for review of new material in one convenient, central location.

RSS feeds provide a perfect means for communicating with the Pollak Library community of users. For example, I like how community members are now able to subscribe to our library blog. As far as using RSS feeds collectively to serve our patrons better, I think the library blog provides an excellent forum for communicating new information on a variety of topics. What also comes to mind is perhaps providing a general RSS feed from the library website that would let subscribers know when changes have been made to content within the website itself (e.g., changes on relevant topics such as the recent policy change concerning group study rooms, the addition of new Web resources, and the availability of new floor maps).

Thank you for the opportunity to learn more about RSS feeds!

Initial Thoughts About Using "Library 2.0" Technology

It is amazing how we have reached a point where not only are we looking to provide the best possible service to our users, but also looking at ways we can make the experience a "two-way street," as was mentioned in the blogging video for week #2. It is great that our library is looking at ways to make our content and services accessible in a variety of formats, with the emphasis on creating a sense of ownership and participation among our community of users.

One thing, for example, that I am happy to see is how librarians are able to tag databases for the library's users. I look forward to the opportunity to allow our users to participate in this process by tagging databases themselves or letting us know which database tags best work for them.

Thank you for giving us this forum to share our thoughts and experiences about Library 2.0 technology!