Audio (Thing #16)

Audioboo

Recording a boo on Audioboo is simple; click on record.  You can pause as many times as you need to within the 3:00 minute recording window.  Then, you can save the draft boo or publish it.  I found it weird that Audioboo put a random name in for my boo every time I recorded; the first one was "Sunnyboo."  Of course I had the option to edit it, but why wouldn't the app just leave it blank for me to change?  Once you click on publish, you can also add one picture as a background to your boo, describe your boo, and select a boo category, such as business, celebrities, etc.  Then you can save and upload your boo to Audioboo.  Once published, the boo is easy to share via email or social networks.  It's also easy to delete a boo, like the test boo I created.

Finding content via Audioboo is much less fun fun.  Perhaps is you know someone is using Audioboo you could follow them, but searching or browsing resulted in less than desirable results.

ipadio

I don't see myself ever making an audio recording via phone.  Recording via audio is simple, as is editing the  clip, adding images, title, summary, and tags.  What I don't understand is why it defaults to geo-locating your device and including that as part of the phonecast info, if other users can't find my content via location.

It is also easy to upload, though you do have to go to the website version if ipadio to share your content via link.  I also appreciate that you can make your broadcasts private, though that setting also is not easy to find.  You can access your uploaded broadcasts on the app at a later time, just not share them.  The ipadio app also does not have the ability to browse or search for other content, though the website does.

The online world seems to think ipadio is preferable to Audioboo.  I disagree.  But really, why use either when there's a better alternative to both?  The better alternative is what I discovered in SoundCloud.

SoundCloud
SoundCloud has all of the benefits of Audioboo and ipadio and none of the negatives.  It really is a "huge social sound platform," with content from news outlets, comedians, musicians and more.  Many of the podcasts I listen to are available on SoundCloud, all in one place.  Rather than having to remember to go to the podcast website, all I have to do is follow the stream on SoundCloud and the feed will update when new episodes are released.  It is also easy to search and browse for new content, as well as create playlists.

Most of the libraries I found on SoundCloud were music libraries, understandably so.

SoundCloud is also extremely easy to record audio of your own, to edit and add an image, to make public or private, and to share your published audio.

Audio in libraries.  I can see this being implemented in a teen Summer Reading Program, where teens submit book talks on SoundCloud and share the link with the library as an entry into teen drawings.  SoundCloud could also be used to create a podcast for employees, to share updates or need to know information.  We could do a quick interview with an upcoming artist or author to promote their Legacy program.  Another possibility is for instructions or tutorials, but I don't know that audio alone is as effective as having a video or visual element.  Interviewing staff for historical record would be great as well.  I don't know that these are realistic in the immediate future, but they are nice to brainstorm, especially knowing that you have a solid app in SoundCloud just waiting to be used! 

Infographics (Thing #15)

I Visual Info Touch

I love how this app is "designed specifically for tablets," but it is compatible with my Galaxy S4 and Infographics Hub is not.  Bummer.  Infographics Hub sounded awesome!  

After I watched the tutorial, I created a basic infographic.  Though the features are easy to use, there aren't many so you really are limited to creating very basic infographics.  Nothing more sophisticated than I could create in Word, PPT, or Publisher.  In addition, they were right when they said the app was designed for tablets.  The screen doesn't format correctly to my phone, so the buttons are really small  and hard to manipulate.  Rotating the screen doesn't change the orientation either. 

Nonetheless. My infographic.  (Based off of their example of social media channels in the tutorial)

Videos (Thing #14)

As spring rolls around, public librarians everywhere start planning their school visits to pump kids up for Summer Reading Program.  And I start planning my SRP video.

Two years ago, I was splitting my time between two libraries, and just didn't have the time to make school visits at my soon to be library home.  So, I decided to make a SRP promo video instead.  The school media specialist showed it to each of the classrooms at the two elementary schools in our service area.  And it was a hit!  All summer long, kids came into the library, "Hey, you're from that video!"

So, the SRP Youtube video stuck.  Now, instead of hitting a few classrooms here and there, one grade and not another, or one school instead of another, the video gets show to each elementary classroom at the two schools in the last week before school ends.  Having this option removes the logistical nightmare of  my schedule vs. the teachers, cuts back on my time spent, AND (major bonus) guarantees that every child in the service area is reached.  Our SRP numbers have risen each year, and I think it is at least partially attributed to the video.

That said, I was excited to find a new app to spruce up this year's video!

Socialcam
Socialcam was the perfect choice for me to try, because of the lack of time limits. 6, 30, or even 45 seconds isn't enough for my purposes.

Or not... the Socialcam for Android is a major bust.  Apparently its compatibility depends on your Android, but either way it doesn't offer the full featured app that iOS has.  On my Galaxy S4, I couldn't change filters or edit the video after it was taken.  No adding music or tagging people.  Just title, public or private, and share.

As it exists, Socialcam is no different than uploading an uncut video to YouTube.

Thus began my search for a no time limit free video editing/recoring app app.  I tried WeVideo, QikCam, and countless others I can't even remember!  I scoured other 23 Mobile Things MN blogs.  Nothing was doing it.

And then, I looked at what was already on my phone...tadaa!

Samsung Video Editor

With Samsung Video Editor you can upload previous videos or record new ones.

You can choose from a handful of themes: romance, action, travel, family, and party.  Or you can go with no theme at all.Once you have selected the theme, you can title the video.  Then you can drag and add various clips (photo, video, audio) or record a new video.  Once you have added the various components to your video, you go back to the review screen where you can edit things such as background music, video volume, filter effects, clip sections, and add transitions.


Samsung Video Editor also has an Auto edit feature based on the length you want the video to be, which works surprisingly well.

Exporting the video takes quite a bit of time, but then can be shared anywhere via MP4 format.

I definitely will be using Samsung Video Editor for my SRP video this year!

Presentations (Thing #13)

deck slideshow presentations

First things first, any presentation would be 100x's easier on a tablet than on a phone.  If I had a tablet, this would be a whole different story.  In no circumstance do I ever see myself creating a presentation on my phone.  Editing?  Maybe.  But from start to finish?  No way.

That said, for Thing 13, I played around with creating a combo presentation about how awesome 23 Things MN and Deck are.  And I have to say, even on my phone, I enjoyed using the app.  It was a painless experience.  And, Deck does have a desktop version.  The desktop and mobile versions look identical and have the same features. So a Deck account is still worth it for me.

If for no other reason than this.  Too much text is something we are all guilty of!  

Also, creativity.  Not so much my thing.  Having built in styles is a huge bonus.  The bummer?  Most of the Styles you have to purchase or download.

Favorite thing: the desktop version has a place where you can "Rescue a Powerpoint deck"

Books, books, and more books! (Thing #12)

All of these apps would be awesome...IF my problem was not enough books, rather than too many books!

As it is, I can see some awesome uses for these apps in libraries.

Wattpad
First of all, I downloaded and signed up for this app, expecting it to be all no-name authors, similar to the dozens of self-published books our patrons write and donate to us every year.  I didn't expect to recognize a single name.  Most of it is that, of course.  But I was shocked.  There are also reputable and well known authors who are using Wattpad as a place to launch and explore new storylines or short stories, share teasers to upcoming books, or just to communicate with their readers.  Margaret Atwood, Ally Carter, Amanda Hocking, Kim Harrison, Marissa Meyer.  Just a few I stumbled across in the first couple minutes of browsing!

As a reader, I don't see the social media aspect as very functional or useful.

More importantly, is what I DO see this app useful for: NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month). And Wattpad agrees:  Wattpad Loves NaNoWriMo. Many libraries are active in NaNoWriMo in supporting local authors.  They host write-ins, open mics, roundtables, receptions, workshops, and more.  Recommending Wattpad as a resource for NaNoWriMo authors to share their work with each other is a great idea!  Fellow writers can edit and critique their work by commenting in-line throughout the story.

iStoryBooks
We all attended the awesome session at MLA 2013 by Kathy Kleckner about Screen Time and Early Literacy Development, right? No?  Well the session talked about how parents who believe media is educational are more likely to use it.  And children don't as well from a screen.  American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero screen time for those 0-2.  They also recommend no more than 1-2 hours per day for ages 3-5 (which sounds like a LOT to me).  Media has no proven added value for children and early literacy.  Bottom line, don't replace "real world experience" with technology for children.  And the "real world experience" of handling a book is a key component of early literacy.

58% of parents say they use their device as a babysitter.  That said, if they are using their device as a babysitter, this isn't the worst app they could use, especially for children a little older, preschool or early elementary aged.  The stories are educational stories including stories about science, biographies, folklore and fairy tales, with printed text and audio narration.

I would be careful about recommending this app.  In a pinch, if you don't have a book handy and mom is busy talking to say a doctor or checking out in the grocery line, it will do (for those older than 2!). Still, it doesn't replace the early literacy practices that our beloved AV sets/Book & Bag kits offer.

Free Books & Audiobooks
Both apps are especially awesome for libraries that don't have a digital collection of their own.  Libraries with OverDrive powered digital libraries already have easy access to the "classic" eBooks via Project Gutenberg.  Libraries with OneClickdigital powered digital libraries already have a subscription to the most popular eAudiobook "classic" titles.   Both are max access in the same way the apps are.  Plus, that way they give us those crucial stats we need and love!  I can especially see school and academic libraries using these apps for classes, or even public libraries with Classics book clubs.

My favorite feature of Free Books is the "Surprise Me" option!  Because sometimes, who doesn't need a little serendipity?

Library & Reference (Thing #11)

Somethings old
OverDrive is kind of  "my thing." I love it. Not a day goes by that I don't use the OverDrive Media Console app in at least one form.  Audiobooks on my Android phone, eBooks on my Nook Color or Windows 8 computer.  Plus, I do our Digital Library collection development, teach training classes, and a large chunk of the tech support for the region in person, via phone and email.  For those of you who do the same thing, you know, tech support via phone or email is a whole 'nother ball game! You have to know what you are "looking at" without looking at it, to envision what your patron is seeing in your head.  Because of this, of all the apps I use, both personally and professionally, it is easily the app I am most comfortable and familiar with.

Our library also has had the Zinio for Libraries digital magazine service since November, and I also use that regularly.  Again I use it on various devices (Android, Windows, and the desktop Zinio Reader 4) so I am familiar with the different formats of the app.  Zinio is fairly user friendly, so we don't get as many requests for tech support, though Recorded Books & Zinio offering free patron support also helps.  The one big question seems to be that: 1) you go to your library's Zinio site to checkout, but you cannot read within the browser and 2) you read within the app, but you cannot checkout within the app.  I think part of this is because OverDrive has trained us to get books and read within OMC.  We've only had the service for a few months, but our use hasn't been quite what we expected.  The expected feature from Recorded Books, due sometime this year, of either opting-in to automatically checking out the next issue or being notified when the next issue is available (I can't remember which), will be a welcome addition!  For me as a user too.

I have also done quite a bit of work recently exploring the OneClickdigital service for our library.  I am personally not a fan of the way they have separate apps, 1 for eBooks and 1 for eAudio.  I approach our digital library searching for a title, and usually don't care which format I get the book in.  Other users are only interested in a single format, and would only search the appropriate app.  So I guess that boils down to individual preference.  The apps and desktop Media Manager seem to have some other kinks as well, and not as many features as OMC, but its still a viable service. OneClick is also developing new apps and adding new content, so I expect it will become more appealing as we move forward.

Currently, our library does not have a mobile app or even a mobile site, but it is something we know we need to work on.  I even saw a demo of a mobile catalog at some point...Quite frankly, our website in general needs work, and we know it.  I will be attending the LibTech Conference in March and I plan on attending some of the website sessions to learn some tips, explore mobile websites, and get some ideas for us as we move forward.  Relying on my "Intro to Web Design for Info Orgs" course from grad school, of course. ;)

Wow, can you tell digital library stuff is my passion?  All of that without even exploring something new! 

Something new
So here's the something new: ELM Mobile.  Duh, we have ELM Mobile. I've never accessed ELM on a mobile device before.  And it's awesome!  Overall, I actually like the layout much better than the desktop version. The home page is clean and wording clear : research now, ask a librarian, plan your research, view help videos, find your library, and like us on Facebook.

First, I spent time exploring the mobile friendly databases, the majority of which are EBSCO databases, though Britannica is available too.  Thank goodness Master File Premier is on there; patrons need their Consumer Reports.  Probably my #1 reason for referring people to ELM is for access to Consumer Reports.  Everything adapted wonderfully to my screen size, except the page to create an EBSCO account.  For some reason, that graphics and wording on that page were misaligned.

I tested the Ask a Librarian chat widget, and said hello to Librarian Beth in South Carolina!  I actually think I prefer the mobile version to the desktop of this widget. Yet another reminder of how much I'd like if our library participated in AskMN...

The Research Project Calculator and Find Your Library are identical in their mobile & desktop versions.  Not as mobile feeling as the other aspects, but not still fairly accessible.  Under the menu options: students, teachers, librarians, MN Community, About, FAQ, and Contact are very adaptable to mobile.  The ELM Learning Center page is also less so, but still accessible.

Overall, I give ELM Mobile two thumbs up!  I see people with tablets using it more than people like me on their phones, but its great either way.  Oh gosh, you know what really be the icing on the cake? MNLink mobile...

Promotion
I think our library system does a good job of promoting its Zinio & OverDrive services.  We promote them via blog, newsletter, press release, social media, and physical handouts in the library.  And they promote themselves by word of mouth.  In general, I think libraries do a pretty good job of promoting our flashier services, those services we have with the big $ contracts.

What we also do, is take for granted all of the wonderful databases and services available to us all via MN State Library Services, LSTA, Minitex, and...(who am I forgetting here?)  Not just the mobile version, but in general.  We aren't proactive in our promotion of ELM.  If a patron comes to us with a research question, sure we use ELM.  And we have the handouts, bookmarks, etc. laying around our branches.  But we aren't promoting it via blog, newsletter, and social media.  ELM isn't flashy, its something we're accustomed to, so we aren't excited about it.  Well, that changes now!  Exploring ELM mobile tonight was the kick in the butt I needed to be reminded of all the great resources available via ELM, the mobile version is a great bonus for accessibility, and I'm excited about ELM!

Another mile marker!

10 Things down, 13 to go!

My goal was 1 Thing per week for the duration of the program, but I'm having so much fun I can't stop.  And when you get snowed in...why not?