Thing 35 ~ Books 2.0

There are a few tools I already use and really like. I use Library Thing for my personal blog and I love that it changes the books every time someone visits the site. I also like how compact the widget is. I also use Shelfari for this blog and my school media center blog. I really like how the information appears by hovering over the book. However, the same books always appear in the same order. While it's easy to move to the next page, I would like it more if the books were rotated. Maybe this is something I can fix in the settings, but I'm not sure. Also, the gray writing in the pop-up could be a bit darker. Again, maybe I could fix that with the settings. I also like and use What Should I Read Next. It's a great way to suggest titles to students. My only complaint is that I don't usually have the books they recommend in stock. It's a nice way to connect students with the public libraries though. If I don't have the title, I usually can find it through Hennepin County or Great River. Some kids will check out their own, and other times I will get it for them. I would really like to develop my own What Should I Read Next based on the titles in our school media center; it would really be helpful to students.

I also thought many of the children's book sites were really cute. I might show some to my daughter, although I really limit her computer time since she's only five. Some of the sites could be really useful to access with an iPhone when we're waiting for the doctor or other appointment. Elementary media specialists could have fun incorporating them in their lessons too.

In our school, students are using Google Books to find information on a variety of topics. It's been really helpful for some of our topics that we don't have resources on in our media center. I haven't had a ton of requests for eBooks, but I know many of our manga readers check out the manga sites on a daily basis. There are some sites that have entire series online. Still, they prefer the paperbacks, and they're always asking for more copies! I think book 2.0 tools can enhance reading experiences, but it could be frustrating for others if they don't have the right technology to effectively use the tools.