Reflections......

Truthfully, this has been lots of fun. There were times when the "lessons" took longer than expected. But, on the whole, it was great. The explanations each week were basically sufficient, so on-site help wasn't needed too often (except in the beginning). Also, quite often, problematic explanations were covered in comments sent in by other staff members.

It will definitely be interesting to see how all of this translates to on-the-job helpfulness. I think, though, that even just recoginition of online terms and options and choices will help.

I do enjoy blogging. Between all of the participants, there must be thousands upon thousands of words out there now. (Most of them unread by anyone else!) Getting to know and feel at home with the process is a good tool to have.

What did I enjoy the most? Playing around with the Online Generators is fun. As is YouTube. YouTube, of course, is not new to me; but the Online Generators are. I also enjoy Overdrive (but again, not new to me) and LibraryThing. Wikis, Flickr and Mashups are fun to explore.

It would be great to have update sessions as technology advances. They could be in the same format -- a combination of narrative, podcasts and links to the pertinent applications.

I would most definitely participate in this program again; and recommend it to any and all.

As for suggestions for the future.... Well, that's not easy for me since I am not on the cutting edge of all of this. I truly have no idea what else to recommend. Whatever seems appropriate, interesting, do-able in a library setting I guess. Much of what we've wandered through probably only has minimal linkage to a library -- but with the internet such a big part of our service offering, it's important to be aware and at least conversant. A "what's new" column in the Memo from time to time could be useful.

So, The End.