Here is a link to my Pageflakes Start Page:

http://www.pageflakes.com/islcteacherlibrarian/

Here is a link to my shared items from Google Reader:

http://www.google.com/reader/shared/ISLCTeacherLibrarian

System Consultants' Guide to the Illinois Non-Resident Program

I created the above site for our wiki assignment this week.  It wasn't my first wiki ever; I've created several Wetpaint sites in the past and have contributed to PBWiki/PBWorks.  However, this was my first go-around with Google Sites. (I had used Google Page Creator for a subject guide in a reference class).

What are some ways that you as a librarian/info pro will make use of widgets?

It is of no dispute that libraries and other information organizations have benefitted greatly from RSS and its ability to aggregate user-specified information, but perhaps the real potential for RSS within information organizations lies in the ability to actually republish this specified content.  It is one thing for an information professional to be able to search for information for their own use, something that is undeniably inherent to the profession; it is entirely different to be able to simply repackage retrieved information and make it easily accessible to a group of end users.

I was really blown away by all the potential uses for widgets by the library.  It seems like they are a great resource both to personalize library service for patrons and to create really useful content.

For more examples on how libraries and library schools are using rss, check out the comments in this blog post. By the way, Karen Coombs is a good person to follow in you're interested in library web services.

Widgets and RSS feeds that I have added to my iGoogle Research page shown below put many research sources at my fingertips.

In what ways do you think that libraries/info organizations could make use of widgets?

There are so many ways libraries can make use of widgets. Libraries can use widgets on their website to increase the sense of community. Any library could use the flickr widget to easily add photos taken at special events to their webpage (with the pictured patron's ok, of course).

MeeboMe added to a blog or a homepage could be an excellent quick and easy way to contact a librarian. This might be more manageable in a small library than a large one.

I think the feeds a library chooses to provide would bedependent on who uses the library. There have been several examples mentionedin other posts that are great for libraries to use. Job listings are a good idea that could be useful, new or popular books in the library (sort of alongthe lines of what Netflix does with movie titles). Upcoming events at thelibrary or in the area would also be nice to see. These feeds could then be tailoredto meet the needs and interests of a libraries particular user.