Human or Dog?

A wiki is a great example of Library 2.0. One of the things that stood out to me in the reading was Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 is about being human and connecting and seeing what happens from there. That is why Sir Raleigh has become a catalyst in connecting the humanism and the technological, reaching out to library users and engaging them into the library with a loving cuddly teddy-dog.

An On Going Story of Tails and Wikis

Sir Raleigh and I have developed a scanario to let you know more about the wiki we have chosen for our library which is the Lee County Public Library system in Ft Myers,FL.Raleigh loves running the beach at dog park at Estero. It is rather lengthy and I apologize but I felt it was needed. Raleigh is use to that part...one of the reasons he is such a great listener. Good qualifications for his therapy work in the library. I also cited from Wikipedia, which I thought appropriate in this context, and their source was the US Census! Hope nobody messed with it. Since this is a blog and kind of casual, no APA!

Finding a Wiki and a Job for Raleigh

1. The library that I have chosen to develop a wiki for is in actuality a library that I would like to work for, the Lee County Public Libraries in Ft Myers, Florida. First, a look at the demographics of Lee County. According to Wikipedia, as of 2005 the population was approximately 589,000 of which approximately seventy seven percent were Caucasian, fifteen percent Latino, eight percent Afro-American, and one percent Asian. Eighty percent ranged in age from 45 to 64, twenty two percent were over 64. Twenty two percent had children under age 18. This reflects a large professional group, and an equal division of children still living at home and seniors.
2. The Lee County Library system is made up of twelve branches, one which is devoted solely to audio collections. The combined libraries offer 340 public computers, 21 self checkouts, 5 download stations and a PC reservation and print management system. They have one book mobile. Their budget for the years 2007 to 2008 was approaching $28,000,000. They offer a wealth of programs to meet the needs of the community. I have been monitoring their website for the past year, and it has been recently revised. It is a fine example of showing the depth of the programs they offer, is visually appealing, and easy to move around in. They have now added a Download Depot to access books, music, videos, for Macs and OMC on the go. One can access from Ipods, android phones, and Blackberry Windows Mobile. LCPL appears to be embracing Library 2.0, and they look for marketing venues that are unique. Well....

continued Wiki......

3. This library has a large community presence and is not afraid to be on the cutting edge of marketing to their community. They have asked me to select a wiki that would be easy to get up and running and would be compatible with the quality of their website (http://www.library.lee-county.com ). They would like to introduce to the community a special therapy dog, Sir Walter Raleigh, who would be used in their children’s literacy program. Sir Raleigh, the gentle teddy bear standard poodle will visit the library on a regular basis and the children will read to him. Because Sir Raleigh has such great skills, he will also be used with the book mobile to deliver books with a warm loving woof to the homebound. So, the wiki needs to get detailed information to users about therapy dogs, be fun and appealing for kids, easy to design and update, and fit in with the quality of the rest of the LCPL web page. Because this is an experimental program, cost, at least for now was a concern. They wanted information to be shared between the children’s programs and outreach/bookmobile, and the community at large with the interaction with Sir Raleigh and using therapy dogs in the library. Reflecting shared library and community experiences with a therapy dog would give credibility for using them in the library. Other libraries that have used therapy dogs can also contribute their experiences, and links can be added to www.librarydogs.com and www.therapydogs.com . What better way to pull the community into the library than with a warm furry friend helping the young and old. The wiki could be expanded to include books relating to dogs for children and adults, events involving pets, caring and training of pets, and tied into Florida’s hurricane readiness for pets.
4. After exploring the different types of wikis on www.WikiMatrix.com , I decided the best route would be an open wiki. These use open source software and are free. They are Web-based, simple and can be used on any browser and any computer. Users can contribute to this wiki by simple using their library card number. This would help keep out unwanted editing of the wiki. The free wiki to be used is www.doowikis.com . This wiki is simple, quick, and has lots of fun applications. There is an excellent example at www.doowikis.com/?gclid=CPjTwrj23gECFRuenAodSWRTIA.com. When you get there go to Real-World Example and then to "this independent web" to see a great example of what the LCPL wiki could look like, with a little twiking of fur, tails, and woofs!

HiHO it's off to work I go....

Well, I feel like red riding hood being chased by RSS the wolf! I am off to Odum and then back here to tackle the rest of the project and get that in tonight!!! Hopefully Sir R will not be needy or we will have to sneak in a trip to Freedom Park, or a romp with the hose in the backyard. He jumps HIGH to eat the stream of water and takes great joy in getting soaking wet, but what pure pleasure he gets (and I get a good laugh as long as he stays out of my flowers!)

I could Spend Hours

I could spend hours playing with this stuff. I sit down to do wikis and an hour later I am still playing with blogs and rss feeds. I'm done and sir wants out!

Furry Tails!

This RSS thing is getting to be very confusing. Raleigh is chasing his tail in frustration! I think I will stop by to see Dr. Oguz when I go into the library today. He did say to check with instructor, right? I can update that later!
Sir R had an exhausting experience at the dog park. We meet 2 Westies, one of which also is interesed in therapy work. Also the President of PETS, which is a nonprofit tha stresses pet education and particularly teaching children how to act around pets....important thing for Sir R and I to know as we prepare for children in the library.
On to WIKIS!