Yes, the venerable Library of Congress has a blog! I wonder if they'll have enough things to blog about? Subscribed!

A while ago I wrote about Ning, the make-your-own social network er...network. Now I'm encouraging any and all of you to get to know Ning's awesome space by joining two great Ning networks: American Library Association and Library 2.0.

How does one get to join these networks? Simple, sign up at Ning.com and get an ID. Next, find the group(s) that interest you and create your own profile page in each. Ning allows you to change your page by changing the banner image, color scheme, text color, and you can also import pictures from your computer or your favorite online photo sharing site--Flickr, anyone?

Next, add pictures or videos from the Net, or import your own blog's RSS. Then you can cruise the forums (great ideas are being discussed all over the place), search and become friends with interesting people (I'm in both ALA and Library 2.0 Ning networks under mcordova--you can add me as your friend if you want), add your thoughts to your own Ning blog, start a discussion, or simply experiment and explore what other people are doing with Ning.

Now, I'm sure there are more library-related networks out there that are more focused on regional areas, library staff, audience, librarians, or specific items. Ning has allowed the social network concept to be as inclusive as you want it: you can start your own group or be part of one.

Perhaps an Idaho Libraries Ning? Idaho Conference Ning? Can you imagine the possibilities?

From an ALA listserv: Info Tech Tips and Trends from the Association of College & Research Libraries.  Tech Tips “…introduce you to a new technology that you might find useful, or a familiar technology you may not have used in library instruction.”  The winter 2007 edition looks at Wikis, what they are, how they can be used in libraries, and include a list of references and further reading.

Wikis are web pages, right?  Just that in this case web pages that other people can change, depending on the level of contribution rights you assign to those you invite. You can set your wiki to be edited only by selected individuals or total strangers.  You can have more than one wiki, too: a knitting wiki, a book club wiki, a favorite “Lost” episode wiki…etcetera.

But you are not limited to just documents: you can also upload videos, pictures, widgets or anything that can be put on a regular webpage.  I use Wetpaint for my wiki needs, but that’s just one of many wiki platforms out there.  Give wikis a chance!

I've always liked the way Facebook, MySpace and other social networks allow people to create and share ideas, pictures, videos, music, and everything in between. Wouldn't it be great if YOU could make your own social network about what YOU are passionate about? Wait no more: enter Ning!

Ning is just that, a make-your-own-social-network creator. Want to create a book club? Share pie recipes? Create a grass-roots political movement? Ning can do it for you!

One of my favorite websites, Lifehacker, has a great profile on Ning and how you can create a profile, customize settings (private? public?), colors, space and much more. Check it out and get something started!

I like finding lists where people point out how obviously awesome libraries are, not just for the services they provide but for their institutional personas.  This list came via one of OCLC's blogs: "It's All Good."  Get it here: http://tinyurl.com/2eugbv or get the whole URL enchilada at:

http://scanblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/13-ways-of-looking-at-public-library.html

If it's not obvious to you how varied libraries are perceived then by all means read the post and the comments as well.  Libraries are more than just books, right?  I'm sure you can add something new to the list too.