........and now I close the final curtain, or do I?

Well I've reached the end of 23 things. It's been a great learning curve and some of it has been fun. Creating my own blog I've really enjoyed, I've discovered that I'm not interested in My Space, Second Life or Facebook, but it's been good to check them out, use them a bit and then make an informed decision based on that experience. I like the autonomy of my own blog, rather than the more formulaic approach of Facebook etc.

Del.icio.us, Google reader & my iGoogle page are all useful and I really like the portability of these tools, being accessible from any PC you happen to login to. I think I'll get more into Flickr maybe take out a sub, so I can store more photos easily online, as currently my storage of digital photos is a bit chaotic!

In terms of work it's been a really useful way to get first hand experience of tools and ways of interacting, that are increasingly so familiar and so used by many of the students we deal with. Being given the opportunity and time to explore these as part of our working day has been a big plus. I am going to explore the possibilities of using a blog as a liaison tool with one of the Departments I liaise with and see how it works.

Personally, it's been really interesting to find out about similar interests that I share with other staff and maybe this would never have been revealed if we hadn't been blogging. Will I continue to blog, at this stage I'm not sure..... I am thinking about setting up a blog to keep in touch with my large extended family in France & Wales, as it would be a great way to share life events & pics with them and they only need to look at it if they really want to.

I would like to keep blogging with staff and I like Tony's idea of a staff blog, as he says: "Maybe a shared blog where anyone can post anything that might be of interest and people can comment if they want to? It would be a shame if it all just stopped now that 23 Things has officially ended."

Library 2.0

Opening up new ways of communicating with our users and making access to all we offer, as seamless as possible,certainly seems a good goal. Potentially, using the tools & technologies of Library 2.0/Web 2.0 this should be achievable. For us the implementation of a new Library system will hopefully offer many options for doing things differently, but we will need to think laterally & outside the square, being vigilant not to fall into outmoded librarianesque mindsets. The idea of user input is exciting, but also a bit scary in terms of loss of control....see that librarianesque mindset at work!

Certainly having done 23 things I've become aware of the possibilities of sharing ideas, social networking, and the interactivity made possible by using some of the amazing range of tools on offer. This new way of operating in the world is being taken up speedily and with gusto. As people use and experience this way of being in their lives, then increasingly there will be the expectation for all aspects of life to offer up similar pathways and interactivity.

Challenging times ahead....I do wonder how libraries will be operating, say in a decades time. 10 years ago I had no inkling that we would be in the working environment that we operate in today and now change is even swifter, so we shall see....

New logo for the ABC!

The ABC "squiggle" was instituted as the then Australian Broadcasting Commission's corporate logo in 1965 after graphic designer Bill Kennard won a staff competition. He was paid pound stg. 25 for the design.

The squiggle synonymous with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation - technically a "lissajous curve", based on two parametric equations describing a form of harmonic motion - will soon bebumped from view by new logos for the renamed ABC1, ABC2 and ABC3.

ABC TV - still doggedly known to older Australians as Channel Two - will become ABC1 and the broadcaster's looping "squiggle" logo will be taken off air after more than four decades in favour of a younger and fresher brand.
Read more

Podcasts

Delighted to hear that the Margaret Throsby interviews broadcast each morning at 10am on Classic FM are now going to be available as podcasts. Listened to a repeat interview with Michael Leunig the other morning in which he talked about what he believes is a vast realm of his joys, including his pleasures in leading a civic and practical life as tree planter, gardener, winemaker, volunteer firefighter, builder and fixer of things. Great to know I can download it & other favorite interviews now when I want to.
If you're a Leunig fan listen here

You'll find interviews with Suzanne Vega, Billy Bragg & Ben Elton there as well, to mention just a few.

Have also listened to some podcasts from the Radio National programs All in the mind & The Philosophers Zone. What would I do without the ABC!