by David Sniffin, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Part of the NCLA's RASS/DLIG "Current Trends in Reference" online conference March 14, 2013

1. David Sniffin
Library Manager
Main Library - 2nd Floor
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
dsniffin@cmlibrary.org
http://www.cmlibrary.org/

2. As we all know, there are billions and billions of
useful web resources available for patrons and
staff. Due to life/time constraints, we often as
professionals have very little time to explore these
options. That’s why I’ve created a handy guide
for some of the more useful and relevant sites you
can use and share with your patrons. Topics
include: social media evaluators, presentation
tools, reference sites, online storage options, and
photography.

3. www.gcflearnfree.org
 Sponsored by the Goodwill Community Foundation International
 Provides online learning opportunities to improve technology,
literacy, and math skills via 750 different lessons
 Lessons can be specific for each patron based on their needs
 Most lessons contain tutorial videos, handouts, tip sheets, and
detailed lesson plans
 Self-paced nature of the site allows for patrons to learn at the pace
and style that suits them best

4. www.converfiles.net
• Convert.Files is a free and simple online file converter that
works with a wide range of file types.
• It will convert any document, archive file, spreadsheet, audio
and video file from one format to another.
• The service is free and without the need to download
additional software.
• The output is immediate, or you can email the link to yourself
and have the file.
• Convert archives, documents, presentations, ebooks, drawing,
image, audio and video files.
Directions:
o Just click the Browse button
o Select your file and upload it
o The site will take care of the rest

5. www.prezi.com
• Prezi is a fantastic online presentation tool that is a nice
alternative to other presentation software that’s available, and
best of all, it’s FREE!
• Create, store, and edit your presentations online. Simply create
a username, login and present.
• Pack and go with your presentation and take it with you if you
don’t have internet access.
• Users can collaborate in real time with others on presentations.
• Mobility allows access to your prezi via the internet,
smartphone, tablet, the Prezi app, and more!

6. www.wordle.net
• Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text
that you provide.
• The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear
more frequently in the source text.
• You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts,
and color schemes.
• The images you create with Wordle are yours to use
however you like.
• You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery
to share with your friends.

7. www.dropbox.com
Dropbox motto: "Your life's work, wherever you are.“
•Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos,
docs, and videos anywhere.
•Any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to
all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website.
•Dropbox always has you covered, and none of your stuff will
ever be lost.
•Invite your friends, family and teammates to any folder in your
Dropbox, and it'll be as if you saved that folder straight to their
computers. You can send people links to specific files in your
Dropbox too.

8. Google Drive
drive.google.com
• Google is offering even more options with it’s revamped Google
Drive online storage tool.
• Google Drive provides 5GB of online storage available to users via
one user name and login.
• All of the other google offerings are available with the same user
name, including gmail, maps, calendar, Reader, Picassa, etc.
• Use Google Drive to create documents, presentations, spreadsheets,
forms, and many more.

9. MyPermissions
www.mypermissions.org
• MyPermissions helps you protect your information by notifying the
user of 3rd party apps in their social media accounts.
• Examine which apps are tracking you in Facebook, Twitter, Google,
Yahoo, LinkedIn!, Dropbox, Instagram, Foursquare, Windows Live,
Aol, Flickr, and Familio
• Users can receive automatic permissions alerts when an app
accesses their information, and can rectify it immediately.
• Also available as an Iphone App for mobile permission tracking
and cleaning.

10. • http://www.mywebcareer.com/
• This interesting site tracks your social media impact
based on how much of your information is on the
internet.
• Log in with your LinkedIn or Facebook profile and get
your Professional Online Brand score.
• Tips are provided on how to increase or decrease your
score, based on user preference.
• The My Network option shows user connections to
others via their shared experiences

11. http://ifttt.com
• The this part of a Recipe is a Trigger. Some example Triggers
are “I’m tagged in a photo on Facebook” or “I check in on
Foursquare.”
• The that part of a Recipe is an Action. Some example Actions
are “send me a text message” or “create a status message on
Facebook.”
• An example I use: If I take a photo and post it to Facebook,
then it also automatically adds that picture to my Picasa
photo album.
• There are literally thousands of ‘recipes’, or you can create
your own!

12. http://htwins.net/scale2/
 This user-friendlywebsite attempts to show the
scale of the universe through common objects
 Users can see objects bigger than the average
human, up to the observable portion of the
universe
 Users can see objects smaller than the average
human, down to smaller than a Neutrino

13. http://www.instantstreetview.com/
• This site provides the user with instant street view
(via Google) of whatever address they type in.
• Users can use it to see what their destination looks
like prior to going.
• It’s fun and unique to explore random sites.
• Destinations start popping up while you type in
your inquiry

14. www.gigapan.com
• Gigapans are gigapixel panoramas, digital
images with billions of pixels.
• GigaPan offers over 50000 extremely high
resolution photos for users to browse.
• Users can use the site to preview travel
destinations, demonstrate photography
techniques, or study urban areas in extreme
detail.

15. http://www.airpano.com/
• AirPano is a non-commercial project focused on
high resolution 3D aerial panoramas.
• The AirPano team is a group of Russian
photographers and panorama enthusiasts.
• During the next 2-3 years, we plan to shoot a
variety of aerial panoramas and create virtual
3D tours of the most interesting places of our
planet.

16. http://everytimezone.com/
• This graphical based website demonstrates the
time differences between time zones.
• Time can be adjusted to the future or the past up
to 24 hours.
• Very handy for travelers, researchers, students,
and librarians alike.

17. http://www.typingweb.com
• This interactive site provides typing lessons
from the absolute beginning user to the
advanced typist
• Lessons cover all aspects of typing, including
symbols, numerals, and special keys.
• Users can take lessons, play typing games, get
certifications, and track statistical progress, all
for free!