Beyond Method #11

I have used SurveyMonkey several times for library related surveys.  Our library has used brief paper surveys in the past.  The online surveys offer a much simpler way to analize the data collected by the survey.  I created a short survey for an email class we will be offering soon.  I expect to make changes to the survey after I have used it, since the responses will help me know how to improve my questions.  Our library may be able to use a live audience survey tool with one of our teen programs.  It is something I will discuss with our library staff. 

Here is the link to my email class survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3JHFN7P

Beyond Method #10

I have used online meeting and web conferencing tools. I have used Go To Meeting and WebEx for technical support and for online meetings with the Library of Texas committee.  Our library uses the tools for staff meetings, conferences, and online support.  Both tools are easy to use and work well for collaborative meetings and for technical support.  I wish all technical support would use Go To Meeting or WebEx.  Those tools make working with technical support so much easier.

I have not used Skype yet.  I did attend a workshop on using Skype for author visits and can see the value of this tool for our library. 

Beyond Method #9

I tried using SmileBox to create an online scrapbook.  I created a scrapbook for our Senior Wii Bowling group.  They loved the scrapbook.  This is the link to my scrapbook: http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a41324d5463784d7a673d0d0a&blogview=true  I would want to purchase the program without the ads if I were going to use it in our library. 

I also used Windows Live MovieMaker to make a storytime movie about our library storytime. The movie is posted on our library storytime web page.  There was a learning curve for this project.  It was more complex than creating the scrapbook, but it was fun learning.  I thought that there may be a way to do voice overs with Windows Live MovieMaker, but I could not find a way.  I can see our staff using it for digital storytelling in our library.  Here is the link to the library storytime web page with my storytime movie: http://www.ci.taylor.tx.us/index.aspx?nid=396

Wii Bowling scrapbook

Beyond Method #8

I used Screencast-o-matic to creat a screencast demonstrating how to reserve an item from our library catalog.  I added the screencast to an FAQ on our library web page.  The process of creating the screencast was fairly straight forward and not too dificult.  I had to start over several times because of errors I made while recording the screencast.  Paid editing tools would be helpful.  I used Windows Live Movie Maker to compress the video.  I think screencasts are valuable tools for libraries.   

Beyond Method #7

I tried creating a presentation with Prezi.  Prezi was easy to use.  The turtorials were helpful.  I imported some slides from an old PowerPoint presentation, moved them around, made changes and added features.  I chose not to use video or music in the presentation.  I can see that these presentation tools would be useful in our library.  I can see that anyone using the tool has to be careful to avoid the dizzying effect of moving around in a presentation.   I would be able to assist patrons in using the tools.  My presentation is embedded here.  It is not a real presentation, just me playing around with Prezi. It was fun.
http://prezi.com/qxrqec1w4kio/taylor/

Beyond Method #6

The post by Meredith Farkas on eBooks and libraries was timely and informative.  We will probably add ebooks to our library collection at sometime in the future (not in the near future).  The information in the post will help us explain the problems and issues with providing ebooks for library patrons. 
I looked up A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and the Divine Comedy by Dante.  I could not figure out which which file to select if I had a Kindle.  The various files all work on a computer or an Ipad.  Since I do not have a Kindle, I could not check to see which file might work on the Kindle.  The basic HTML version of the text was easy to read.  I downloaded "A Christmas Carol The original manuscript."  It was easy to read on my computer.  Here is the file: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30368/30368-h/30368-h.htm.  This version includes pritures and images of scanned original pages.  I'm not sure if this file would work on a Kindle.