Exercise 15: Commenting on other blogs.

On Anne Laidlaws blog I left a comment on her post, Investigative Exercise 3: Photo sharing and flickr.
Great post, I just looked through the National Library of Irelands flickr stream, everything looks awesome from the 'Small Lives' exhibition. You are lucky you got to visit the reconstructed site. My stand out picture would have to be the 'easy and graceful'. 
I also commented on the changes Anne made to her blog.Sophie
I commented on Saori Nemotos post Investigative Exercise 4: YouTube, and left the following comment:
 I really enjoyed this video of Neil Gaiman,it is sad that so many libraries are underfunded when they are so vital for communities. I love Neil Gaiman more than Anne
Sophie

Exercise 16: Comment on your teachers blog.

Exercise 14: Inviting people to be authors on your blog.

I invited Saori Nemoto, Anne Laidlaw and Ben Hawkes to be authors on my blog.

Exercise 13: Changing the layout of your blog.

I  changed the layout of my blog from Travel to Ethereal because the text was too hard to read against the background. I chose the Ethereal template because it suited my blog better.

Exercise 12: Changing the colour of you blog.

I changed the entire layout, colour scheme, font colour and style of my blog.
I changed the text to the formatted white times new roman to grey size 14 bold Arvo. This text was easier to read and matched my colour theme for the template.

Exercise 11: Recommendations.

A web page not linked to the councils would be a great start for Erina Library. The web page could contain links to other web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, and interactive web page features and online sources.
The recommendations for the use of web 2.0 technologies in the following areas include:
Local studies:
The use of a blog linked from the Libraries web page would be highly beneficial to the library, like the one the Queensland State Library has here. They could invite local history buffs and other authorities to contribute the the running of the blog. The blog would be a great way to showcase the local areas history, you would also be able to link in current events in order to garner more attention from the public than just relying on the council web page and in library advertising. Many library runs a great blog.
-Children:
Advertising on parenting forums or blogs would improve the popularity of children's story time and other events. From the libraries web page you could have links to a children's section, where parents and kids can watch story time, listen to e books, watch youtube clips of their favourite authors, see whats happening in the library and search the catalogue. Manly library has a children's page on their website, here.
-Youth/Teenagers:
Get a facebook page, learn how to use it and update it regularly with new items, book reviews, book releases and information on library events. For example the New York Public library have a fantastic and interesting facebook page here, as does Seattle. Erina library should copy the state libraries facebook page, instead of just relying on the council webpage to advertise upcoming events. This technology would benefit Erina library in that it would reach a broader and younger target audience as well as letting people know about the events it may be hosting.
-Adult Fiction:
E-books. The largest population group on the central coast is people aged in their 30s-50s. Older people are embracing new technologies such as e-book readers, iPads and iPhones. The amount of people in this age group on my morning commute with these devices is way higher than the people my age. If Erina library decided to adopt this technology they would see a huge surge in borrowing numbers and member numbers. E-books can be accessed and downloaded online or at the library, they do not take up much room, need no maintenance and are cheaper to buy than regular books.Gosford library has a collection of ebooks, it would be good if they could use this same technology at the Erina Library. The ebooks webpage was a pain in the butt to find, and would benefit from having a more direct link, even if its on a council webpage.
-Information/Reference:
Erina library has local information available in the form of pamphlets and booklets at the front desk. It has no web 2.0 technology in this area. The blog would be a great way to keep people informed of information on the coast.
The library does not have a large reference section from what i have seen. Their reference section is mainly travel books and some non fiction.

Exercie 10: Evaluation.

The web 2.0 technology is pretty much non existent at Erina Library. I'm not sure if a majority of the librarians know how to actually use a social networking tool or if the funding is simply not there for e-books and online music.
Local Studies.
There is little information on local history, the library could benefit by running a blog like the one the Queensland State Library has here. There would be no need for a lot of work on the blog, as the library could invite local authorities or history buffs to contribute to the blog.
Currently the library does host various focus groups and occasionally invites a guest speaker, however the only advertisement it does it via the council web page and in library.
Children.
The library has a weekly story time, but again, it is only advertised in library and on the council web page.
Teenage/Youth
There is no web 2.0 technology in this area, unless you could the small range of e-books offered by Gosford Library.
Adult Fiction
Gosford library also offers a small ebook collection of adult fiction. This is currently unavailable at Erina Library.
Recently the library started a self check out service, there are two self check out machines and that is pretty much the extent of new technology apart from wireless internet, an online catalog and an "off the shelf" book review page (that you really have to look for).
Erina library is all about bringing the community together and likes hosting events. I think it would have more success and popularity if they utilized  more web 2.0 and social networking technologies to help spread the word and to really get in touch with the community of the Central Coast.
Information/ Reference collections
Nothing apart from a small non-fiction adult ebooks offered by Gosford Council.
Erina library also classes coffee table books as a special collection...

Exercise 9: Community Profiles

I live in North Avoca on the Central Coast.
My local council is Gosford City Council. The Gosford Council community profile page is located here. Erina Library is one of the smaller branches of Gosford city library. It is located in Erina Fair shopping centre. There are numerous schools and high schools within walking distance of the shopping centre, however i fell that the library does not utilise this advantage to its full capacity.
Statistics for the Gosford City area:
Middle aged people 35-49 are the highest population group with 33,146 .
The area is predominantly people who were born in Australia  (120,971).
The Erina Library mainly caters to English speaking middle age people, and has a wide selection of adult books, large print and non fiction titles.
The library catalogue for Erina Library can be accessed through the council web page.

Exercise 8: Current Awareness.

The video I chose was the one that talked about the Automatic Book Delivery System. The ABDS would be fantastic in a large university or state library. It would be particularly helpful for librarians to be able to find a book at the touch of a button, as well as clients being able to access sources from outside the library. I feel it would make information more accessible to clients without the need for librarians to be searching through storage or stacks for the required books. This system allows clients to search through a virtual bookcase, meaning less worry about shelving books and more time to focus on helping the clients. It would allow librarians more opportunities to work in different aspects of their jobs.
I do not think this system would work on a smaller scale.

Exercise 7: Podcasts

The podcast I found is from the State Library catalogue. I did a simple search for 'podcasts' and came up with some electronic resources. The podcast I picked was (COOL) shite on the tube, an entertainment podcast on the latest movies, music and television.. The podcast archived by the State library is here on the pandora web archive.
The link for the webpage is here where you can choose a recent podcast to listen to.

Investigative Exercise 6: Social Bookmarking.

I think the book review system is fantastic, because sometimes you really can't tell what a book will be like from the brief synopsis on a library catalogue. This service would be particularly helpful to users who would rather look at books the library has on offer before actually going into the library. This system is just another way for libraries to broaden their reach and services by using a web 2.0 like service. Unfortunately my local library does not offer this service.