Thing 13 Productivity Tools

Exploring this wide range of tools was instructive and fun. With its endless options (weather, YouTube, music, art...), setting up a homepage on Google was the most enjoyable. The first pass took just a couple minutes, and I already had more information on the page than I'd be likely to use regularly. After some deletions, I saved the page and will try using it for a while to see whether it is useful. Will it be a permanent homepage? Time will tell.

When I got to the calendars, I wanted to try Kiko because the evaluation in Wired was so favorable, but it would not load. I noticed comments from others who had the same experience.

The project management tools (Basecamp, Zoho Projects) looked appealing. I wish I had known about them a couple months ago when I was searching for a simple, clear project management template to track outreach efforts at the library. Though I did not sign up for an account, I'll keep these tools in mind for future projects. I also liked Backpack which would be used to keep standard answers to common questions and talking points about library projects in a single spot, accessible to everyone on staff.