Well, I can't believe this is really the end, the very end my friends. It's been a fun adventure for someone who is pretty technologically challenged. It's seems like I started a long time ago and there have been some bumps along the way, places where I've needed assistance.
For me, the biggest thing was just seeing some of the technology that is out there and getting some inkling of what we could possibly do with it. It's hard to be creative in a 2.0 world if you're not aware of your options.
Of the tasks, I think my most challenging or frustrating was Flickr. I wanted to do things with my pictures that just didn't seem to work, and I couldn't always access pictures in Picasa that I wanted. DP helped me with it and I thank her. The whole world of digital photography is new to me, but I'm very interested in it and I'll get better.
I wish I were more prescient about new technologies and more creative in their use. The blogs we already have are a start. Classes in the use of the technologies should be popular and helpful. Certainly, the digital photography programs have been a huge success. Using MySpace and Wikipedia are ways to communicate with people around the world. A creative film on YouTube might really attract attention to the library. There a lots of possibilities for an imaginative staff like ours.
The "self-directed" model has been very successful for me. It's been fun to learn new things and it's always good if you can figure something out yourself, but it's also nice to help and receive help when it's needed. I've had a lot of fun doing this and I've especially enjoyed looking at the other blogs and reading about people's experiences. I've always enjoyed reading biographies and autobiographies. It's a good way to get to know a little more about fellow staff members, at least what we're willing to share.
The end.
