Embedit.in is a free service that lets you embed documents into your website.  You simply select the files from your computer and they are embedded.  You have the ability to choose how people can interact with your content, whether it can be downloaded or printed, depending on whether you want to protect it or share it openly. 

When you select a file, you will get a list of services to choose from, these allow you to login to embedit.in without creating a new username and password.  After that, you get a screen with the embed code.  You can decide whether it is to be a fully embedded file, a thumb that opens another screen to view the file, or a link to the file.  Then you can change the width and height to your liking as well as the colors. 

Very simple and easy to use and I love the customizable features.

My network admin husband shared this article with me about User 2.0 and dealing with them in a networking and security context. 

One section of the article really spoke to me:

User 2.0 has different expectations of their work environment.  Social and work activities are blurred, different means of communications are used.  Email is dated, IM, twitter, facebook, myspace, etc are the tools to use to communicate.  There is also an expectation/desire to use own equipment.  Own phone, own laptop, own applications.

This is true of library staff and library patrons as well.  Some libraries are not allowing staff to engage in social networking.  Some are continuing to filter access to social networking sites for patrons.

I have heard the argument that if people are allowed to answer their personal cell phone at work, there will be anarchy.  The same if staff are allowed to blog, tweet or do Facebook on work time.  Or if we allow all staff to update our websites!  Or take their own pictures and put them up on Flickr.  Or any other thing that we directors do not have firm control over.

Let me tell you, that ship has sailed.  You may think you have control over your staff accessing social networking, but you do not.  It is not something you can ever control.  So what choice are you going to make?  Are you going to try to control the uncontrollable?  Which seems madness to me.  Or are you going to draft those employees into advocating for your library via the tools they love to use?

As long as my staff are doing good work, putting in a strong effort and being advocates for our library, I have no problem with the tools they are using.  In fact, I’d love to have more of my staff using social networking and talking up our library…  But then I consider myself to be User 2.0 anyway. 

One of my favorite blogs for finding great links is Free Technology for Teachers.  Just like with most education-focused blogs or websites, many of the ideas transfer effortlessly to public libraries.  Richard highlighted two new lists of resources for downloading free images which are ideal for library websites.

Check out 180+ Resource Sites to Download Royalty Free Stock Images and 30 Websites to Download Free Stock Photos.  You will soon have more graphics than you know what to do with!

If you are looking for a way to post easily to multiple social networks, this is the site for you!  Ping.fm allows you to post to a wide variety of social sites, including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Delicious and Flickr.  Nicely, the updates work with iGoogle, SMS, instant messengers, and email too.  You decide which sites get the update, or you can select to update all of your accounts. 

They also have a handy toolbar that works on both Firefox and IE.  It allows you to easily ping from any site you are on. 

Definitely a service worth trying out to see if it will save you time and effort. 

I have been blogging for seven years now.  Which amazes me.

This is the first year that I am really disappointed in the way I blogged here.  This last year has been more scattered for this blog than ever before.  I am posting less frequently, which frustrates me immensely.

I find myself wondering if readers would rather know about great websites or great articles. 

Do those newer What I Read Today posts work for you?  Or would you prefer I focus on a single article at a time?

I’m eager to hear what you would enjoy reading about.  And I make you and myself a pledge to try to post more frequently.  If you’d like to see what other things I do online, the best spot is my Twitter account at @tashrow.

For awhile I wondered about just doing Twitter instead of blogging, but having done this for so long, I find myself unwilling to give it up.  I also appreciate the space to breathe here, a podium to shout from too.

So thank you for continuing to read despite my lapses in blogging.  And please, let me know what you think would improve this blog.  I’d love to hear your opinions.

TrekEarth is a website that celebrates our world through photography.  You can search the photographs by keyword, browse by themes or categories, or take a look at the featured photos.  This is a community, so you can share your own photographs and offer critique for others. 

For traveling, this site is wonderful.  Often you wonder what an area looks like, and this site offers dramatic photographs of areas around the world.  In fact, it can be hard to turn away and easy to be drawn into a part of the world you have never investigated before.

Here are some of the articles online that I’ve been lingering at lately:

Offline Book “Lending” Costs US Publishers Nearly $1 Trillion exposes the true reality of librarians as contraband dealers.  We have lived in the darkness too long! 

I consider Another Black Eye for the Seattle Public Library’s Administration to be a must-read for library administrators.  The power of social networking cannot be controlled in the same way internal dialogue and complaints can be.  That should force every library administrator to be more careful when dismissing staff concerns.

10 Ways Leaders Can Use a Flip Video Camera will have you thinking about uses for videos in your library.

Testing out The Twit Cleaner, a service that analyses the people you follow to see if any are spammers, no longer active, or perhaps even too active and drowning out others.  As long as you are following less than 2000 people, you can have them unfollow people for you!  If you follow more than that, the report itself is still free but unfollowing costs a small fee.

Thanks to Twitip for the recommendation.

WeLead is now accepting applications for the 2010 class of protégés and mentors.  As a board member, I can assure you that this is a great way to get to know your Wisconsin Library Association, create networking opportunities with colleagues from across the state, and really feel a part of the Wisconsin library community.

Here are some details:

During the three year initiative: selected participants will be given a one-year WLA membership

• stipends to attend the WLA annual conference for three years
• a stipend to attend one section conference during the three-year initiative
• an appointment to a WLA committee
• special leadership programming opportunities
• and the ability to network with their mentor

What is an “emerging” librarian?

For the purposes of this initiative, emerging librarians will be defined as students, paraprofessionals, and professionals either currently studying library science or currently employed in the library field.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be students, paraprofessionals and professionals currently in the field of library science
• Applicants should have demonstrated potential to be future library leaders
• Applicants must be willing to attend the WLA annual conference for the three years during the three-year WeLead Initiative
• Applicants must be willing to attend one additional conference (WAPL, WAAL or WEMA) during the three-year WeLead Initiative
• Applicants may either:
  1) have never been a member of the Wisconsin Library Association or
  2) have been a member for three years or less (not including student memberships).

The application and other information are available here.

Your application needs to be in by January 31st, 2010.   

This blog and I are taking a long holiday break until January 4th.  See you then! 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and thanks so much for reading.