Thing 3, Utilities

Thing 3 had us look at utilities. I tried a couple, first being Redlaser barcode and QR scanner. I loved, loved, loved the way the Comsewoque Public Library used QR codes in a display linking to some of their new Young Adult titles. I would love to do that here! Then I started checking books and materials for codes. I know codes have been around for a while but I didn't seem to find many except in very recent books. Then later, while checking in the mail, I noticed them all over USA Today. When my co-worker came back from lunch at McDonalds, well, we were scanning her beverage! Funny, but just goes to show that they are all over. And besides the display I referenced above, I loved the other ideas for use in the library. We could use a QR code on a magnet or a programming handout. One of the examples showed a library that had QRs display in their card catalog. When I scanned the barcode it displayed the books call number--brilliant! Yes, it would be simple to write down the call number, but so many people have smart phones and might use this feature. Wish we could do.

Another library use of QR codes that I loved was the example of a library using QR codes to link to a walking tour. I immediately started thinking "how can we do this here?" Years ago for Certification class homework I took the architect's drawing of the library, cut and pasted to show how we had rearranged the furniture, pasted in numbers to create a key explaining the different departments. Now, we can use an iPhone to shoot a video tour and make it available with a QR code! Wow, the digital times are changing! My wheels are turning about how we could use QR codes for kids' book reviews like shown in the example from Yukon Public Schools. Last night I tried the utility iHome Sleep. I really liked how you could set the minutes of your snooze! Lots of neat Utilities, thank for showing us these!