Web-based apps. -- online documents and word processing

Ok, I tried google docs and Zoho. I liked google docs better as far a being able to figure things out, but it froze on me. Zoho did not freeze and also made it easy to create and save a document. I have to say that if I were buying a new home computer I don't think I would pay the extra money to buy Microsoft Word or Office. But, since I've already got them, I'm not going to stop using them. My internet is faster at home, so I could probably try it there with better results.

Google Docs

Hi, Google docs has a significant delay here at the reference desk, especially when I try to insert a chart and move it around on the page. I'm not sure I like it. I will try the other one mentioned in the Learn & Play blog.

Staff Wiki

I enjoy adding things to our wiki. I have contributed to and relied on the information in the knowitnow wiki. Wikis are my new rolodex. They are a large well-organized favorites list. I want to create one for the Gahanna staff but I am not sure how it work. What information could be put on it and what couldn't? Passwords couldn't, but most other things we keep in the reference desk notebook could. What about the rolodex? It contains a wealth of information that was updated until a year ago. If it was in wiki format, would we use it? Would it be too annoying to have to go one more place to check for updates and information? Daily news like assignments and displays and popular questions are conveyed easily enough verbally as we switch on and off the desk? Would we use it?

Wikis

Wikis are great. That one from the South Bend Indiana public library is really nice. Their community links are top notch. We have one for afterdark knowitnow. It's like a rolodex only bigger and easier to use.

Library 2.0

Library 2.0 is a new layer of information and a new way to store and organize information. And we need it badly. There is so much information out there and things are changing so rapidly that we cannot keep up. I've been trying to create a pathfinder for full text books online for a while now. There are so many places and they are not all reachable by google. This is where I need my evolving tagged folksonomy. I can add it to delicious or update my wiki and automatically my patrons can see it. I'm ready for library 3.0.

Delicious.com

I put my bookmarked websites in delicious and created a public profile. It was interesting to create my own tags, but I am the sort of librarian who doesn't want any random tag on a site. I want the commonly accepted tag. For example, I don't want library and libraries. I want to decide which word I will use and then apply it to all appropriate sites. Do you see what I mean? This didn't turn out to be as big a deal as I thought. The tags are all listed, so closely related tags are easy to choose from.

Library Thing

I went to library thing. I'm not into cataloging the books I've read or even keeping track. I know where they are when I want them. However, for Learn & Play at CML I was more than happy to add five books to library thing and add tags. You can view my bookshelf here.