Thing #13: Google Docs, Wikis, and Dropbox

My library branch is a heavy user of Google Docs.  All of our weekly and daily schedules, among other things, are shared there.  This is helpful because I can check my schedule from anywhere that has Internet access and changes appear immediately.  This also means supervisors can make changes to the schedule from home.  Schedules are color coded to signify the supervisor on duty, closers, meetings, and schedule abnormalities.  The only downfall to this system is if the Internet is down, we can’t access our schedules.  I think using Google Docs for scheduling is a brilliant idea. 

I have seen wikis used in the library environment in a few different ways.  At my previous job, we were part of an organization for young adult librarians; the organization had a wiki of book lists and program ideas to which everyone could contribute.  The reference department at my previous job had a departmental wiki used to keep track of projects and changes.  I created a wiki for my current workplace with book lists.  I noticed that most of our reader’s advisory questions came from kids and teens.  The youth services librarian is well read in that section, but other staff members are not.  I made book lists on a variety of topics, such as mysteries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid read-alikes, and teen supernatural fiction.  Any staff member can add to the lists or create new ones.  Anyone can view the wiki located at http://eiseleylibrary.pbworks.com

As someone who uses 4 or 5 different computers per day, I think Dropbox would be highly useful.  Between work and home, I create documents and need somewhere to save them.  I carry my flash drive in my purse, but it isn’t always handy to retrieve it.  I have not used Dropbox, but I plan to download it to my home computer.

Online tools for saving and sharing documents are very handy and something I will continue to use in my personal and professional lives.

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2 thoughts on “Thing #13: Google Docs, Wikis, and Dropbox

  1. Hi, Bethany:

    I am a few weeks behind, but so far I am finding the experience interesting. I see you are on Thing 13 (as of this post) — are you still as engaged in the project as you were in the beginning or is your interest flagging?

    • Yes, I’m still engaged and enjoying it! I’ve learned about some new things and it has given me a chance to reflect on how technology is used in libraries. I like reading the other participants’ blogs and comparing their experiences and opinions to my own.

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