Library Webolution 2011

Task #10 - New Website

2011-12-27T14:19:00.001-07:00

Last task! Thanks to everyone who participated in this round of Webolution--hopefully it was informative and fun! This last task is all about the new website that was unveiled at the December staff computer training. The new site will launch in January, so it's important that we're all up to speed with where to find important info in the new format.

First, let's visit dev.mesacountylibraries.org and take a look at the new navigation. The first thing you'll notice is that there are no drop-down menus (yay!) Also, 'Books and More' has become Books and Media, and 'Research' has been replaced with eResources.

Take a moment to click around the main navigation labels and explore the content. When you've done that, take a look at the footer:

Some of what used to be top-level navigation is now in the footer, but because there aren't any drop-down menus, it should be easier to find what you're looking for. Pages have been added as well, e.g. 'Library News' and Bookstore/Book Donations.

Task:
1. Click around the main navigation and take a look at the footer items.
2. In your blog, let us know what you think--is there anything you can't find, anything confusing or missing?
2. Do you think patrons will find this an easier resource to use? Do you? Why or why not?

Thanks everyone! And just a reminder--ALL tasks need to be complete by end of day on 1/23/12 to be eligible for the drawings. Drawings will be held the week of 1/23/12. Good Luck! See you next time :)

Task #9 - Universal Class

2011-11-28T13:27:00.001-07:00

Hiya Webolutioners--only 2 more tasks to go! This month's task (sorry, late again!) is all about our awesome new database, Universal Class. For those of you who haven't had a chance to explore it yet, Universal Class is a FREE self-paced continuing education service offering more than 500 courses. (check out the full course list: http://www.universalclass.com/a-z/index.htm)

You can enroll in up to 5 courses, and you have up to 6 months to finish each course. Access your classes 24/7 and complete the assignments on your own schedule.

The possibilities for this new database are vast--we'll definitely be using this resource a lot with our patrons in the coming months.

To get to Universal Class, visit the A-Z resource list in the Research and Learning Center.

Once there, you have a couple options. You can either:

A. Register for an account and enroll in a class.

B. If you don't want to register for an account, make sure to look over the class list.

The Task:

1. Regardless of whether you chose option A or B, let us know in your blog what you think about Universal Class and give us an idea of how we could use this database with library programming and/or staff training.
(note: the class list shows pricing, but this is FREE for library users--once you register, you won't see a price list).

Task #8 Español LIbGuide

2011-10-18T14:07:00.000-06:00

Howdy! This week's task is a quiz created by Jennifer and is directly tied to the staff computer training on 10/19 and 10/20 on our Español LibGuide. If you go to the training, you'll do this task there; otherwise, you can find the guide by clicking on 'Español' from our home page.

You might be wondering how you're supposed to do this task or help people with this guide if you don't speak Spanish. Well, Google to the rescue again!

1. Go the the Español LibGuide and copy the url (http://researchhelp.mcpld.org/espanol)
2. Search for Google Translate, or enter translate.google.com into your browser.
3. Paste the Español LibGuide url into the search box and be sure the boxes above read 'Spanish to English'
4. Hit the translate button.

The entire website is now in English! Super handy.
Make sure to read all the way to the bottom for this month's complete assignment.

Español LibGuide

Question #1: Spanish-speakers can find a library card application on which page?

Question #2: Spanish-speaking user can login to their account on how many pages of the libguide?

Question #3: To translate the Español libguide into English, you can choose 'english' from the translate menu:

Question #4: On the home page you will find:

Question #5: The Maps and Hours tab lists all the branches, but how do you see the hours of each location?

Question #6: Where can you find the Code of Conduct in Spanish?

Question #7: Where on this libguide would you find a link to a 'Guide for New Immigrants'?

Question #8: How many language-learning resources does the library offer?

Question #9: Where can you find the hours for the Literacy Center's Language Lab?

Question #10: Where can you find storytime offerings?

Tasks
1. Complete the above quiz either in the staff computer training or on your own.
2. Blog about your score.
3. Share how you might use this LibGuide to help a Spanish-speaking patron.

Task #7: Cloud Computing - Google Docs and Dropbox

2011-09-23T11:35:00.001-06:00

Howdy Webolutioners,
First off, sorry for the delay getting a new post out! This month we're doing a little blast from the past from last year's Webolution, with a little extra thrown in.

'Cloud Computing' is getting more and more popular, and for those of you who don't know what that term means, chances are you're already using it--and you just don't know it :)

Cloud computing has a lot of aspects to it, but for our purposes, it's simply software (or a service) that you access on the internet instead of downloading to your computer. For example, Microsoft Word vs. Gmail--Word has to be installed and runs from your computer; Gmail can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.

This video from commoncraft is helpful, too: Cloud Computing in Plain English

For this task, we'll focus on Dropbox and Google Docs. Dropbox and Google Docs are technically both file storage and sharing services, but they do have a few differences. With Google Docs you can create files, whereas Dropbox just stores them. Dropbox gives you 2GB of free storage; Google Docs gives you 1GB (but only non-Google file formats count toward that limit).

To get a better idea of the major differences between Google Docs and Dropbox, please:

1. Read this article
2. Watch this video to learn more about Dropbox.
3. Watch this video to learn more about Google Docs.

Tasks:
1. Watch Cloud Computing in Plain English video.
2. Read the 'differences' article.
3. Watch the Dropbox video.
4. Watch the Google Docs video.
5. Blog about whether you would use Dropbox or Google Docs and/or suggest it to patrons. If you already use either one, tell us about it.

Task #6: Helping Patrons

2011-08-09T13:47:00.000-06:00

Another quiz for ya!

Please follow these instructions:

1. Complete the multiple choice quiz below.

2. Blog about your results and the answers that surprised you the most, if any.

3. Post your own example of a multiple choice question that relates to considering more than one resource to assist a patron. note: please use good judgement if you are incorporating humor in your example :)

You'll get a link to view the answers once you hit 'submit'.

Extra Credit #2 - A Google A Day

2011-08-01T19:26:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone, before we get to task #6, we're throwin' in another extra credit exercise. Like all extra-credit, this task is optional, but why wouldn't you want another chance to win?? Remember, in order to get full credit and get your extra entry to the drawing of your choice, you have to follow ALL the instructions, so please read carefully :)

Extra-credit instructions:
1. Visit the Research and Learning Center main page, scroll to the bottom and find 'A Google A Day'. This is a fun new tool that helps folks improve their Google skills (including using Google Tools like translate, etc.).

2. The interface is kinda small, so go ahead and click on the 'a google a day' button and visit the main page.

3. Once on the main page, try and answer the day's question (you can also browse through questions from the past week and beyond). If you get stuck, you can click 'submit' at any time to see the answer.

Post BOTH of the following in your blog post:

1. How fun (or not) this exercise was.

2. Which drawing do you want your extra entry to go toward--the Sony Reader or the $100 downtown gift card?

Task #5: Chilton Library

2011-07-05T14:28:00.001-06:00

Hiya Webolutioners--we're at the halfway point! Hope you're learning a lot and feeling more comfortable helping patrons with our databases and resources. This task is all about Chilton Library--a great library database for those DIY types. Plus, the Chilton Library has way more makes, models and years of car repair information available than we have on our shelves--some going back to 1940. Patrons can of course access this resource either from within the library or from home with a library card, so be sure to tell anyone interested in our Chilton manuals about it.

To get started, visit the Premium Resources A-Z in the Research and Learning Center. Scroll down to Chilton Library. The user interface is straightforward--just select a year, make, and model and then click on 'select'.

On the next screen, you can see what data is available for your vehicle. Most often, patrons will want to look at the 'Repair' data.

Once you click on 'Repair', you can see a menu of items. Wiring Diagrams are asked for quite a bit, so it's helpful to know where those are.

Task #5

Look up a vehicle and find some repair information.
Blog about the process--was it easy? Not? How helpful do you think this would be to patrons?

Until next time! p.s...be on the lookout for more extra credit soon...

Task #4 Downloading eBooks

2011-06-06T10:36:00.007-06:00

Your Webolution task for this month taps into prior training you have had with eReaders and searching Masterfile Premier. Before you get started blogging, read the guide to downloading eBooks on a Sony and Nook. The guide is located under the Downloadable Media tab on our website.

1) Use the knowledge you gained about accessing Consumer Reports in Masterfile Premier from Task #3 to locate a review of eReaders . Blog about the eReader you would be inclined to purchase, if you were in the market for a new eReader. Describe a few of the features that contributed to your decision.

2) Explain the first 3 steps to downloading a book to the eReader you chose.

Task #3 Intro to MasterFile

2011-05-06T14:46:00.007-06:00

Hi Webolution-ers! This task includes an extra-credit offer at the end for a chance to get an additional entry into the drawing of your choice...read on!

Did you know we have a great database brimming with full-text, current articles from popular magazines like Time, Sports Illustrated, Shape, Cosmopolitan, Consumer Reports and lots more? MasterFile Premier is a great resource for patrons who either can't or don't want to buy certain popular magazines, patrons who want to read articles on the go, patrons doing research, or just handy if our copy is missing for a particular issue--just to give a few examples. Plus MasterFile has a lot of publications we don't have, for example, PC Magazine, which we recently stopped carrying. It's always worth a try to check MasterFile.

Here's the description of MasterFile Premier from Ebsco: "nearly 1,700 periodicals covering general reference, business, health, education, general science, multicultural issues and much more. This database also contains full text more than 500 reference books, over 107,000 primary source documents, and an Image Collection of over 510,000 photos, maps & flags."

MasterFile certainly has more to offer than popular magazines, but that's what we'll focus on for this task--specifically finding articles from Consumer Reports.

If you're curious, you can view all MasterFile Premier titles. Not all are full-text, but many are.

To search for a publication in MasterFile, follow the mouse clicks below in this video (note--we do have a direct link to Consumer Reports in our A-Z resources list, but this way you'll know the steps to finding other publications, too):

Task #3:

Watch the above video, paying attention to the notes that pop up along the bottom.
Using the methods shown, find the most recent 'Best...' review article in Consumer Reports for smartphones, and post the date and title of the article in your blog post, e.g. 5/2008 (and that's not the answer btw!)
Please don't forget to use the task number in your blog post title ;)

***Extra Credit*** Answer this one correctly, and earn an extra entry into the drawing of your choice. ALL of the following must be answered correctly and fully in order to qualify:

Name one article from the first page of results from the 1/9/1992 issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
State in your blog which drawing you want your extra ticket to go into--the $100 downtown gift card, or the Sony Reader.

Have fun!

Discovery Task #2 Website Scavenger Hunt

2011-04-19T15:59:00.000-06:00

Task #2 requires you to scavenge the library's website to find information and resources. Everyone who works for the library should be expertly familiar with the website and where to locate information. Take a tour of the website before you take the quiz by exploring each of the library's tabs and subsequent pages.

Post your results on your blog and detail one or two new pieces of information that you learned as a result of your website tour. Watch out for #10--it's a doozie :)

p.s. If you happen to find any broken links, misspellings or have questions about something that is confusing, be sure and email Cari. We always strive to improve the website.

Website Scavenger Hunt

Question #1: For which years do we have Polk City directories for? (hint: library services)

Question #2: What are the Gateway branch hours on Thursdays?

Question #3: How many mobile resources do we currently have listed in the new Research and Learning Center?

Question #4: What's the Kiva Book Club book for May?

Question #5: On the Downloadable Media guide, which library do we link to for help with error messages?

Question #6: Which two databases are helpful for finding books in a series?

Question #7: Which new board member was introduced at the 2/24/11 board meeting?

Question #8: Which title below is NOT part of the upcoming Smart Money series?

Question #9: What public computer class is being offered on 4/29?

Question #10: Personal items for the public must be limited to the equivalent of how many shopping bags? (policy)

Discovery Task #1 Create a Blog

2011-04-18T15:39:00.000-06:00

Welcome to your first Webolution 2011 task!

Once you've read the first "Welcome" post and have familiarized yourself with the idea behind this program, it's time to get blogging!

1. For your 1st task, set up your own blog and, as your first post, introduce yourself to your fellow bloggers.
(If you've already done this from last year, consider this task a freebie! If, however, you'd like to start fresh, email Cari your new blog url so she can add it to the blogroll and delete the old one from the list.)
Also, be sure to let us know which drawing you'd like to enter--the $100 downtown gift card or the Sony Reader.

A note on format:
We aren't judging grammar or anything like that, but it IS important that you use the Task #__ in your blog title to make tracking a whole lot easier and faster (e.g. Task #1 Create a Blog, etc.)

2. Email your blog URL (web address) to Cari. This is how your participation in Webolution will be tracked. Unless otherwise requested, your blog will be linked from the Webolution blogroll so other staff members can share in our collective learning.

For this program, we recommend that you use either Blogger or Word Press, both popular and free online blog hosting services. (Again, if you want to use the same blog as last year, no need to do anything unless you want to change it.)

Creating a blog usually takes just three steps:

a. Create an account
b. Name your blog
c. Select your template.

Once you’ve created your blog here are two important things to know:

* To add posts: The maintenance interface that you will use to add posts, edit or change the step-up your blog is accessed online at http://www.blogger.com or http://www.wordpress.com. Be sure to write down your login and password, as well as your blog address.

If you run into problems or would like more information about blogs and using Blogger, check out Blogger’s Quick Tutorial

IMPORTANT
NOTE: How you choose to identify yourself on your blog is your choice. You can blog under a screen name, anonymously, or as yourself. However, in order to qualify for the staff incentives, you will need to email Cari your blog URL. (She can keep your blog address off the Webolution main page if you wish, but she needs to be able to track your posts in order to qualify you for the grand prize drawing.)

Welcome to Webolution 2011!

2011-04-17T14:38:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Mesa County Libraries Webolution 2011, an online self-discovery program that encourages the exploration of web tools, online resources, and Mesa County Libraries' e-resources. We first debuted Webolution in 2007 and asked staff to complete 23 tasks. Our awesome staff committed to the program with much gusto and discovered such tools as wikis, podcasts, downloadable audiobooks, cartoon creator tools, and much more. Webolution 3.0 picked up again in 2009 with more fun tasks. This year, we're simply calling it 'Webolution 2011' and will ask staff to complete 10 tasks...and then we'll do it all over again :)

The Origin of Webolution
This program was originally developed and launched for the staff at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in August 2006 as Learning 2.0. Since the program's launch, the exercises here have helped many other library systems develop programs of their own. Many of the exercises contained within the project are being utilized and/or modified, with permission and credit to, the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Library.

About the Project

As information professionals, we are expected to keep up with rapidly changing technologies and information. Our customers expect us to be “experts” on a variety of topics. Many of the latest Web 2.0 tools provide new avenues for our customers and ourselves to access information, create new social networks, and enhance our learning in an online environment. Although we can’t know everything, after completing the Mesa County Libraries Webolution 2011 program, you will become more knowledgeable, better able to address customer inquiries, and, perhaps, become inspired to new, creative endeavors of your own.

The objectives of this program are to:

encourage exploration of web tools and Mesa County Libraries online resources.

provide staff with tools to better support our library's mission: "...[to] provide information and enrichment to our community, and connection to the world."

reward staff for taking the initiative to complete 10 self-discovery exercises.

promote professional development and self-guided learning.

Staff Prizes & Incentives
Everyone is encouraged to participate. Remember, according to our Strategic Plan, those who fulfill a public service role within the library system are required to complete the program. But, don't groan! It's fun, and we'll also periodically give you chances to earn extra entries for the grand prize drawings. And what are the grand prizes, you ask?

We're offering 2 prizes this year: a Sony eReader or a $100 downtown Grand Junction gift card. Wow! You'll tell us in your first blog post which prize you're gunning for and we'll take note of it. Just remember that you have to complete ALL 10 tasks by ~~12/30/2011~~ 1/23/12 to be entered into either drawing. Drawings will take place ~~the first week of January, 2012~~ the week of 1/23/12.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the program work?
This 'season's' Webolution is a self-guided program with 10 tasks or discoveries that staff will complete for the purpose of enhancing our ability to serve our customers, increasing our own knowledge of technology and our workplace, and developing new skills.

Am I eligible to participate?
All Mesa County Libraries staff are welcome and encouraged to participate regardless of job position or full- or part-time status. Only Mesa County Libraries staff are eligible for entries for the grand prize drawings.

Can I work on this project on library time?
Yes! This project is intended to supplement your professional development and provide you with the tools to better serve our customers. If you have specific questions about time management, please contact your supervisor.

How long do I have to complete the project?
To be eligible for the grand prize drawing, you must have all tasks completed by end of business day (8pm) on ~~12/30/2011~~ 1/23/12. After the initial 2 tasks, we'll be posting just one task per month, in the first week of the month.

How do I track my progress?
As part of the project, you will create a blog to record the results of your activities. Each discovery task will ask you to write a blog post reflecting on your experience with each task.

Please title each blog post according to the task number and task at hand, e.g. "Task #1, eBooks", "Task #7, wiki" etc.

Shawna and/or Cari will review the blogs to ensure eligibility for the grand prizes.