OverDrive Overload

BACKSTORY: I looked to OverDrive from home several months ago for an audiobook title that Sno-Isle owns only on cassette (Going Solo by Roald Dahl). Even though I wasn’t really looking forward to copying an audiobook to CD to listen to in my car, I was happy to find the title available through OverDrive. My happiness was short-lived, however, as I found this particular title was not available for copying to CD -- I would have to listen to the download on my computer. I don’t know about anyone else, but the thought of listening to an entire audiobook on my computer does not appeal to me. I listen to audiobooks while I am driving. If I am able to sit at my computer, then I am also able to sit in a chair and pick up a book. (Turns out the Dahl title is not available on CD to purchase, either – so much for putting in a staff request...)

TODAY: Despite my misgivings, I tried to approach today's assignment without my baggage (see previous paragraph). I downloaded the OverDrive console, updated Windows Media Player, and then attempted to do the security upgrade. Unfortunately, I got an error message stating that a problem had occurred in retrieving the digital rights management machine identification and I was directed to contact Microsoft support. I went to Microsoft's help and support site for Windows Media Player. While I learned a little bit more about digital rights management, I was not able to find a solution to my particular problem. It looks like I will have to look for help elsewhere, so I will talk to my one of my coworkers about the issue when the opportunity presents itself.

In the meantime, I did explore the digital collection and went so far as to put one audio title on hold and checked out another "always available" title (which I was unable to download due to the issues described above -- got a very similar DRM message since I hadn't done the security upgrade). Question: If there are no holds on a title, why didn't I get an immediate e-mail stating that I could check out the title I put on hold? I found this frustrating. On the other hand, I did like that I could preview the audio before putting titles in my cart, because as anyone who has listed to audiobooks knows, the reader makes all the difference. You can have a great book, but if the reader's voice grates on your nerves, there is no way you are going to listen to 10+ hours of it!

Overall, I think that I might use OverDrive more if I owned a MP3 player. I was pleased to see a lot of classic titles (Austen, Dickens, etc.) in the "Always Available" section -- this could be very useful for those teens who wait until the last minute to find a book on their reading list!

Del.icio.us? Molto Delizioso!

Another valuable tool for my organizational toolbox. Just the other day I had a patron who wanted to know how to clear out his browser "favorites" because they had become so numerous that they were virtually useless to him. We bookmark so many things that we need bookmarks for our bookmarks (!), and that is exactly what del.icio.us and the other social bookmarking sites seem to be. I particularly like the idea of seeing how popular a site is with like-minded individuals -- in this way I can narrow down my selections, much the way I would choose amongst similar YouTube videos (the one with the most viewings is usually the best version).

This is a great alternative to Google, because the tags can really narrow your search and you can take advantage of other people's research without getting so many irrelevant hits. Why reinvent the wheel? As one of the tutorial videos stated, there is so much information out there on the web that tools like this allow you to make much more efficient use of your time. For example, the Sno-Isle 20 for 2.0 del.icio.us page is great -- all of the links in one easily accessible place. Bravissimo!

Here is a link to my del.icio.us account: http://del.icio.us/lbakker

Wikimania

I had no idea of all the uses for wikis! (To be honest, I wasn't even sure what a wiki was, although I have used Wikipedia many times.) I knew how Wikipedia worked, but haven't ever edited a page -- or even been tempted to -- so I really appreciated the Common Craft video explanation. Taking a look at different library wikis enlightened me to the possibilities -- I especially liked the "booklovers" and "best practices" wikis. I found some very useful guidelines for weeding, something that has been on my mind with the WIF data collection phase recently completed.

As for library use, my thoughts immediately went to several ways I could use wikis in my own job. They would a wonderful way to plan/coordinate a meeting or a series of circuit programs. Everything from selecting a viable date to setting an agenda could be accomplished, much the way the camping trip was planned in the video. Having gone the e-mail route, I can see where this would be much more efficient -- no more "searching" my e-mail to find that crucial bit of info!

A final note: I was fascinated by the transcript of the "Where do they find the time?" speech and forwarded the link to friends and family. I'll never watch another Law & Order rerun with a clear conscience again!