#23 Learning 2.0 wrap

This has been such a great opportunity for us all- so many staff have participated. They won't all finish on time, but they will finish. Time is always our enemy but we are running help sessions for them & they will get there. And they will all have learned something new & gained confidence in using web apps they didn't even know existed. They have been talking to each other about the ideas, helping each other, & we have discovered some real web 2.0 stars! Plus the concept of play has reinforced that it is ok to explore & learn on the web at work for some of the time.
We have introduced web 2.0 to our strategic conversations in branch meetings & are planning new services based on what we have learned. As well as learning new skills the program has kick started interest in the internet again just when we were all getting a little jaded. And we can all see uses for web 2.0in our everyday lives as well. Some staff feel they know more about what their kids use the net for, others are posting their holiday snaps on flickr.....Thanks you to all who made this program available to us & especially to Lynette & Leslie for your help.

#23 audio book downloads

The great thing about the Gutenberg project is its aim to digitise the classics of the world. But the problem with it & the other audio download sites is the age of the content which has to be out of copyright. This is not high demand materila & so will not induce people to overcome the current lack of interest in e book readers. But I am certain this will change as n more & more contemporary content becomes available & readers are improving all the time. I think there is a big future for public libraRIES in providing access to audio downloads from subscription sites, just as we now provide access to databases. And not just ebooks but video content also. No packaging, security, dmage oh & s issues- bliss! Will there be at some time a statewide purchasing consortium for this content, like GULLIVER? You betcha!