thing 6

Thing 6 -communication tools. Hmm. These "tools" seem to be most useful but many bloggers worry about them being a "time suck". Does MCPL have a written "email etiquette" policy? We all use it constantly and don't seem to have any major problems communicating with it except for the occassional spelling or date/time error. In Circ we have only a few hours to dedicate to answering patron circ questions so patrons can't get "instant" answers. It seems to work pretty well for now.

Instant messaging - The chat slang is a huge amount of new input when you first try to use it. Some are obvious, of course. It could be amusing to keep a chat window open when you have a long day in front of the computer ahead of you. If you use gmail, then google chat would be quick because it doesn't require a download.

"Pidgin "sounds attractive-no ads interrupting your thoughts. In some instances, IM could be better that a phone because you can answer later or post your own "availability" so friends/family/colleagues could know when you prefer to communicate with each of them. Meebo could be good to be familiar with so you could avoid e-mail or phone tag and get certain details/changes hammered out for group work immediately. I don't have a cell phone or a computer always available to me so these technical advances aren't actually useful to me yet.

TEXT MESSAGING-with no cell phone, I am unable to practice this but I know many people that use it to avoid waiting until someone is actually available to speak on the phone. Great for short questions such as, "Hey, what is Joe's first name?" etc.

Webinars-great when you just can't go to hear the real "expert" on your favorite topic.

OPAL- as older or homebound Library Patrons slide over the hump into feeling comfortable with technology, this will allow ever more patrons to really feel included in what is going on at the library and to give us their often valuable input.