23 Things Assignment #8

I discovered numerous videos related to the Toronto Public Library. Some show programs at various branches, there was one about youth feedback for the Strategic Plan and others were taken inside a library by a patron. I chose the video on Ready for Reading. This video gives a brief explanation of what this program is.

This fire occurred at townhouses close to where I live. It was quite something to see. Fortunately, the townhouses were under construction and no one lived in them. No one was injured.

It was interesting to see some of the videos on YouTube. They certainly cover a wide range of topics and are of varying quality. I did not find the videos I watched very useful. I would not choose to watch them for entertainment.

TPL could put a general introduction to the library system on YouTube outlining what TPL has to offer to attract new users. A video aimed at specific groups, such as newcomers, explaining what the library has to meet their needs might also be useful. YouTube could also be used for the promotion of programs such as was done for Ready for Reading. Perhaps it could be used for staff training. If a training session were filmed, staff could watch it in their branch. However, they would not be able to ask questions or get help.

23 Things Assignment #7

I tried subscribing to several National Geographic podcasts - National Geographic Minutes, National Geographic World Talk and The Best of National Geographic Magazine, but after I chose subscribe, the description of the podcast which came up indicated that these podcasts were no longer available. This was disappointing as there were interesting podcasts listed.

I subscribed to the following podcasts:

CBC Radio: The Best of As It Happens
The radio in my kitchen is always set to the CBC station and I often listen to As It Happens. Now I know that if I miss the show, I can listen to some of the highlights from it. It is updated regularly. However, I would rather listen to CBC shows on the radio rather than on podcasts.

Learn French with daily podcasts
I thought that this might be a good way to learn French. There are daily podcasts with dictations, lessons in vocabulary and some videos. However, the lessons do not seem to progress in an organized fashion and there did not seem to be any indication of the level of French being taught. Not everything is free. There were links for learning guides and transcripts, but when you click on them it takes you to a page listing options that had to be paid for. I did not find these podcasts useful enough to use.

Vegan Podcast - Vegetarian Food for Thought
My daughter is a vegan so I thought that I might find some useful information from this podcast. Colleen, who does the podcasts, also promotes her website and her cookbook. There are podcasts on things such as supplements and the use of leather but I did not find any useful information on nutrition for vegans. I might be more successful with her website or cookbook.

It was interesting to see the range of topics on which there are podcasts. I used Podcast Alley to find them. However, it takes time to search through the directory. I would not go searching for podcasts to listen to. However, if I heard of one that particularly interested me I might listen to it.

23 Things Assignment #6

I created a document in Google Docs and invited TPL 23 Things to collaborate. However, I was behind on the assignments and then went on holiday, so I did not get a chance to collaborate on a document shared by all 23 Things members.

It is good to know that Google Docs exists. It is not something that I would use now but will keep it in mind for the future. It could be useful if you were on a committee with an outside organization and needed to work on a document with other committee members. Everyone would be able to collaborate from anywhere. Within TPL, it could also be used by members of a committee who are working on a document. It might be useful for working on book lists such as Great Reads.

23 Things Assignment #5

I registered with del.icio.us and posted and tagged the following websites to my del.icio.us -

Canada Post - not saved by anyone else

CBC - saved by 1370 other people

Canadian Stock Exchange/TSX Group - saved by 29 other people


I looked at the lists of Popular and Recent items and found an interesting variety of information. I tried searching the site for information on Canadian stamps and found several items. I also looked under the popular tags in the column on the right and found some good sites for travel information. Having the number of people who bookmarked a site or an article listed can help you find the more popular and hopefully more useful ones. However, I am not sure that I would go to del.icio.us when looking for information. I would look elsewhere first.

23 Things Assignment #4

I used Warholizer from Big Huge Labs to create this image from a picture of Leonard Cohen.




















I used Book Cover Generator from the Generator Blog to create this book cover. The pictures are all of animals and the choice is limited. This generaor might be useful for creating something for a display or a program.

I tried the Sudoku Generator, which created several sudoku puzzles with answers. This generator would be useful for sudoku enthusiasts.

I also checked out the Amazing Fact Generator and learned that President James Garfield could write Greek with one hand while simultaneously writing Latin with the other. I don't know how accurate the facts generated are.

I tried out a few other generators and browsed through the lists of available generators. While interesting, I don't think that I would make use of them.

23 Things Assignment #3

In addition to Library Journal News, I chose the following three RRS feeds -

NYT Book Review
Dictionary.com Word of the Day
BBC News/News Front Page/World Edition


Library Journal News is American so many of the articles are about a particular U.S. library or library system. However, you can find some useful information here.

NYT Book Review was a disappointment. Although posted this month, the most recent reviews I found were from 2004. I would like to see current reviews.

Dictionary.com Word of the Day presents a new word and its definition each day. This does not take long to read.

The BBC News/News Front Page/World Edition contains news from all over the world on a variety of topics - politics, entertainment, health, business, science, etc. This is useful if you want to keep up with what is happening in the world.

RRS feeds can be useful in keeping you abreast of the latest news/information related to a particular topic. However, there is a lot of information and it is time consuming reading through it. I work part-time and reading library RRS feeds regularly would be time consuming. I would have more time to read feeds which interest me at home.

23 Things Assignment #2

Eatonville Branch has beautiful gardens. They are maintained by the Etobicoke Horticultural Society, who do a wonderful job.

This is another picture of our gardens. If only I could get my garden at home to look like this!

This is our Wall of Fame for Keep Toronto Reading from several years ago. Our donor cards filled the walls in our foyer.