Method 12 Last Dance: Reflection and Evaluation

It only took me three years to finish this second round by the Texas State Library…but I have finished! Again, it was a wonderful chance to learn about a variety of web tools and how libraries can use them. Some of my favorite sections were the ones about e-readers and making a 30-second movie with Animoto.
 

There were a lot of programs to learn about, even though some were not imperative to know or to use in my current position. This time around, I did not particularly like or need certain modules, and I found myself less excited about certain topics. That could be attributed to several factors, including the long time I took to do all the exercises and then broken links I encountered. My enthusiasm would wane and occasionally it was a struggle to get through some exercises, not discerning how I would need or use it at work.

As a result, I did not embellish my blog posts much with either words or photos this time around nor was I eager to try the extra exercises. But, I perked up with interesting and interacting topics when I could create something.

Our current culture produces so many new web, app, and software tools, they can be overwhelming as well as quickly obsolete. This was expressed in one method where a public library jumped on service but found patrons did not generally use it much. This could become costly to library budgets if such programs were expensive. With the rush and abundance of so many new tools, it must be difficult for libraries to know whether something will endure or become passé. How can they decide which to use or offer? Popularity or longevity? I imagine those choices will become more prevalent and more confounding.