About

So, what is krl2pt0?

krl2pt0 is a voluntary, self-directed learning program designed to give all KRL staff an opportunity to explore and play with some Web 2.0 tools — tools that can help us collaborate with each other in new ways, and — will provide KRL with new ways to collaborate and communicate with our patrons and the community. It is open to all staff. You don’t have to be tech savvy or spend hours surfing the web. It doesn’t matter if you are already familiar with these tools or if you have never heard of Twitter or Twango, this will be your chance to play and learn some exciting new things along the way.

Because this is self-directed learning, you are encouraged to talk with each other, help each other out, and color outside the lines. One of the things you’ll probably find is that one thread you pick up will lead to another, and then 3 more after that. The heart of the program will be each of you sharing the threads you follow on your journey — your thoughts, experiences and discoveries — in your own blog.

The program will run for 19 weeks, beginning on Library Training Day and ending on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2008. (You can see the entire course schedule here). Everyone who successfully completes the program by February 13th will receive an MP3 player that is compatible with KRL’s Digital Media Collection. You can use it to download audiobooks, ebooks or music from KRL, podcasts and videos from the web, or any personal music or other media you want to load onto it. The player is a Philips SA 2315 that has 1 GB of memory (enough to hold 250 mp3’s or 56 hours from KRL’s downloadable digital media collection), digital FM tuner and voice recording.

Everyone who successfully completes the program will also be eligible for a laptop (donated by Dell) that will be given away in a drawing held during the Valentine’s Day wrap-up event. Finally, throughout the program, some weeks will have “extras” — additional tools, readings and/or podcasts to check out and blog about. Everyone who completes the extras will be eligible for additional incentives that will be given away in drawings during these weeks.

Some questions you might have:

• Can anyone participate?
  Yes. Everyone is encouraged to participate.
• How long does the program last?
  krl2pt0 kicks off on October 8th as part of Library Training Day, and officially wraps up on Valentine’s Day, February 14th.
• How do I know what’s expected?
  Each week there will be a new entry in this blog that outlines the explorations for that week and what is coming up next. Each of these will contain instructions, tips and links to additional learning. Some weeks will be simply time for you to play, catch up, or take a break — particularly during the holidays.
• How do I track my progress?
  Everyone will write about their weekly explorations in their own blog, and then enter their progress in the krl2pt0 Tracking Log. The Tracking Log is an online spreadsheet in Google Docs that will be shared with all participants.
• Can I know who else is participating?
  Yes. Everyone who is participating in krl2pt0 will be listed in the tracking log.
• Is there paid time for participating?
  Yes. To the extent possible, everyone participating will receive 30 minutes of paid time each week to work on krl2pt0. Work with your branch manager about scheduling time within your regularly scheduled work week.
• What do I do if I have questions?
  The first place to turn is to your colleagues. We encourage you to work together, collaborate and explore together; read each other’s blogs, ask each other questions. If you run into something you just can’t figure out, each branch will have one or more designated advocates you can turn to (advocates will also be listed in the Tracking Log). You can also pose questions via email, or the “Contact Us” page, or by posting a comment on any page or post in this blog.
• Are there assignments?
  Yes. Each new tool will have some explorations and assignments. Usually this will be to explore a new tool –sometimes you will set up your own account, or add some things to accounts we’ve set up for KRL. The primary assignment each week will be to share your experiences and thoughts in your blog.
• Are there due dates for the assignments?
  Yes and No. The only requirement to receive the MP3 player and participate in the final drawing is to successfully complete the entire program by February 13th — there are no due dates for any of the assignments. To be eligible for random weekly drawings, you will have to have successfully completed the “extras” for that week.
• What are “extras“?
  Extras are optional assignments that will point you to additional learnings about that week’s assignment, or, to new tools you can explore on your own. You don’t have to complete any of the extra assignments to be eligible for the MP3 player or laptop drawing, but there will be random weekly drawings for some additional incentives for those who do complete the extras.
• Can I work ahead through the list of items on my own?
  Yes. Work ahead, take side trips, collaborate on something with a friend. Just make sure to document these in your blog. However, if you do work ahead on some items, be sure to check back on the exercise details for each assignment once they are posted so you can be sure to receive full credit for its completion.
• What if I started late?
  No problem. As long as you complete everything by February 13th, it doesn’t matter when you start.
• I would like to participate in krl2pt0, but I’m not sure about publishing my thoughts to the world in a blog. Can I blog anonymously?
  Yes. When you set up your blog you can choose any name for it that you’d like — your name won’t be associated with it. You can use your blog name/alias to post comments here or in other blogs. You will have to notify us of both your name and the name of your blog so we can track your progress, but we promise to keep every blogger’s true identity a closely held KRL secret. Of course, you are also free to proudly name and claim your blog to KRL and the blogosphere if you’d like.
• OK, I’m ready to go. How do I get started?
  Just follow this link–you’ll find step-by-step instructions on Getting Started.