And now, the end is near….

Yes, there were times....

When I bit off more than I could chew.

But through it all, when there was doubt,

I ate it up and spit it out.

I faced it all and I stood tall;

And did it my way. (Lyrics Paul Anka, often performed by Frank Sinatra)

A little melodramatic, but maybe an apt way to describe the web 2.0 experience?  In this module you really do get a chance to do it your way by exploring Application Software, more commonly known as Apps.  Apps are computer applications that live on the web and don’t have to be loaded on your computer.  Apps are often free to use and access and some are even open source so they can be edited by users.

Apps can be stand alone or they can be used to enhance use of another tool such as the Twitter app for Facebook you may have used in a previous lesson.

Some Apps are geared toward productivity.  Google has many productivity driven apps such as

• Docs a word processing app
• Calendar surprisingly, an online calendar and
• Picasa a photo editing app

You need to have a free Gmail account to access these features.  These apps allow you to create documents and calendars online that can be edited and added to by anyone you invite or allow.  You could use a calendar like this for a staff schedule or for library events, you could even put it on your website.  From the main Google page, click on the More link for a pull down menu of all the tools available.  And click on the Even More link to see even more.  Under this link, you may also notice something called Labs.  This is Google’s “technology playground” for apps that Google is working on and wants people to try out and give them feedback.

Another type of productivity app is online meeting schedulers.  Instead of emails back and forth trying to pick dates that 10 different people are available, you can just set up a calendar with available meeting dates and have participants click on the dates they can attend.  Meetomatic is one of these meeting scheduling apps.

More Info

EDUCAUSE (OFFLINE presenter and friend of MT libraries Mark Sheehan works here) has an informative paper on what Google apps are, how to use them and the pros and cons.

Commoncraft Google docs in plain English - YouTube video

Links to Apps

70 coolest apps in existence (FYI - SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization)

Unofficial Web Applications List

Freelancer's Toolset 100 Web Apps for Everything You Could Ever Need

Also, in Lesson 2 - Twitter, there are some Twitter Apps you might not have had time to try out.  Now that you've become a Twitter pro, you can go back and expand your Twitter world.

Assignment #1

Pick an app from Google or the lists above, or if you are adventurous, search the internet and find one that interests you.  Blog about the app, talk about how you think libraries could use it, what you liked or didn't like about it, and ease of use.  Don't forgot to read your classmates postings and try some apps they've found, too.

Use it, Don't Lose It!

You've learned a lot.  This class is just a taste of what is out there and it is also just a snapshot of what is going on right now.  The 2.0 (3.0?) world is constantly changing and there are more and more tools out there to make our lives easier and our libraries more vital.  Don't let your learning and exploring end with this class.  Make a committment to keep using and learning about new things.  Librarians need to stay current.  It's hard not to get wrapped up in the every day activities of meetings, budgets and staffing, but we all need to keep up on what's out there that can help us stay in touch with our users and keep them engaged.  Library guru Stephan Abrams created a list of 43 things to try.  The list is a little dated, and a few items you've already done in this class, but take a look to get some ideas of things that you can do to further your 2.0 world.

Assignment #2

Pick some activity that will keep you involved and learning new things.  Make a commitment to keep your blog up, use the tools you’ve learned about in this class, find a new thing a week.  Decide if this commitment means spending 15 minutes a day, or a posting on Facebook once a week or some other benchmark.  Post your pledge to your blog or Twitter it.

Thanks to the Idaho Library Commission and Minnesota State Library Agency for some content.