Isn't that map from LeMonde interesting? I wonder why some countries are dominated with particular social networking sites - Russia seems to be the only big user of Live Journal, whereas Australia is 'totally' MySpace, as is the U.S.A. - product marketing I suspect! I thought Australia was more a Facebook user, for no particular reason.
The article referred to by the Powerhouse Museum, looking at how corporations might use social media, gave me the impression that for 'not for profit' service industries it's not a comfortable transition to social networking - to me it feels somewhat forced and awkward as though trying too hard to 'fit in' with the cool kids on the block. Perhaps it's just the next move on from becoming comfortable with using blogs.
The social networking examples have a great cross-section of styles and uses, and a range of possibilities for using social media as part of library practice. My preference is for the more dynamic examples, such as the Animanga Club and Beyond the Hype, which had lots of active content. Similarly, the Rotorua Public Library has heaps of photos and 'friends' which is the type of content that appeals to young people, whereas British Library takes a more conservative approach.
I just can't get enthusiastic about Second Life. It seems a bit creepy to be living another life digitally...but hey, don't let me stop anyone!
It's been a great journey discovering new web 2.0 stuff and becoming more familiar with some of the sites and tools that are now available. It is important for libraries to continue their integration into the online world as it's just another part of the world of information that we can use to help our clients. Not only can we integrate, but looking at the projects and activities that libraries are involved with demonstrates effective implementation of such a range of web 2.0 applications - congratulations to us!
Thanks Ellen and Mylee and the rest of the team for putting together such a fantastic program and providing the opportunity for us to really explore and learn.
Now it's over to the feedback survey...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Week Eleven - Online applications
More new experiences for me this week. I didn't really know anything about Google Docs and it looks quite useful. The idea of having just one document being edited rather than any number of 'rogue' versions is appealing from an efficiency viewpoint when working on a project with multiple people.
I was already aware of Slideshare, but had not heard of Thumbstacks. It describes itself as a new site, "just getting started" and it does have a fairly 'beta' look as yet.
I attempted a Google Docs document and tried to share it, but I'm not sure if it was successful.
I thought Zamzar could be a handy site and when I was going to add it to me Yahoo bookmarks I discovered it was already there.
I was already aware of Slideshare, but had not heard of Thumbstacks. It describes itself as a new site, "just getting started" and it does have a fairly 'beta' look as yet.
I attempted a Google Docs document and tried to share it, but I'm not sure if it was successful.
I thought Zamzar could be a handy site and when I was going to add it to me Yahoo bookmarks I discovered it was already there.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Week Ten - Mashups
Wow! I didn't realise that mashups could be so easy. I thought that because more than one application was involved it must be difficult so I had avoided mashups entirely as being beyond my scope, but with an assistant like Big Huge Toys it was really easy (sounds like a testimonial for a BHLabs advertisement!?) This was a great discovery and conquering week for Learning 2.0. I don't as yet have many ideas for using mashups in my library. The calandar is good and the mosaic maker could be used for a libraries photo page; Google maps could also have a role. Now I've discovered mashups aren't such a big deal I would like to explore and discover more applications that could be useful in a library environment.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Week Nine - Podcasts and audio
I must be a visual rather than aural person because podcasts don't attract me at all! Podcasts are useful as back-up or repetition of other media, eg. radio stations that have podcast options for listeners to review. I noticed that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation also has vodcasts, from Triple J TV .
The LibVibe site has some good newscasts, with a range of library-related stories that I would not have accessed elsewhere, however I did not discover anything really inspiring. The Denver Public Library podcasts for kids were impressive and could be particularly useful for children with impaired vision - this creates a whole new option for library patrons with special needs and outreach services. The OCLS site lacked something in the presentation and even their children's podcasts were uninspiring - perhaps it is just as necessary to have an attractive visual presence when dealing with aural programs than with visual programs.
The British Library has excellent presentation and a wide range of subject matter to appeal to a variety of clients.I checked the podcasts from 2007, which included the Future of the European Union, saving St Catherine’s monastery library, the Holkham Bible facsimile. All excellent and informative.
Dipping randomly into podcasting libraries listed on Library success wiki: Sunnyvale Public Library podcasts - Audio and Video Broadcasts of Library Programs and Sunnyvale Voices Stories. Attractive presentation with images and good synopses, a range of items covered and regularly updated with fresh material through to March 2008.
Pritzker Military Library. A more series presentation (as one would expect) Clear layout and synopses of podcasts available – a straightforward but not a boring site.
Manchester Library. This appears to be an example of what not to do! The initial screen is uninviting with a grey ladder effect. Two options are presented, viz. Prime Speaks, a podcast about books and Prime's Box Live, a video podcast about books. The home page has not been updated since April 2006 and the most recent content is from January 2007. This looks like a project that probably started with high hopes which lost momentum. A gloomy site with presentation that does not encourage visitors.
Library use of podcasts – using podcasts for delivering information to the visually impaired could be an excellent use of this technology. General material regarding library services could be useful for clients and sites such as Sunnyvale Public Library podcasts provide inspiration for podcast content as well as web presentation. TechEssence.Info. has an article posted January 2007 with some additional ideas. http://techessence.info/podcasting
The LibVibe site has some good newscasts, with a range of library-related stories that I would not have accessed elsewhere, however I did not discover anything really inspiring. The Denver Public Library podcasts for kids were impressive and could be particularly useful for children with impaired vision - this creates a whole new option for library patrons with special needs and outreach services. The OCLS site lacked something in the presentation and even their children's podcasts were uninspiring - perhaps it is just as necessary to have an attractive visual presence when dealing with aural programs than with visual programs.
The British Library has excellent presentation and a wide range of subject matter to appeal to a variety of clients.I checked the podcasts from 2007, which included the Future of the European Union, saving St Catherine’s monastery library, the Holkham Bible facsimile. All excellent and informative.
Dipping randomly into podcasting libraries listed on Library success wiki: Sunnyvale Public Library podcasts - Audio and Video Broadcasts of Library Programs and Sunnyvale Voices Stories. Attractive presentation with images and good synopses, a range of items covered and regularly updated with fresh material through to March 2008.
Pritzker Military Library. A more series presentation (as one would expect) Clear layout and synopses of podcasts available – a straightforward but not a boring site.
Manchester Library. This appears to be an example of what not to do! The initial screen is uninviting with a grey ladder effect. Two options are presented, viz. Prime Speaks, a podcast about books and Prime's Box Live, a video podcast about books. The home page has not been updated since April 2006 and the most recent content is from January 2007. This looks like a project that probably started with high hopes which lost momentum. A gloomy site with presentation that does not encourage visitors.
Library use of podcasts – using podcasts for delivering information to the visually impaired could be an excellent use of this technology. General material regarding library services could be useful for clients and sites such as Sunnyvale Public Library podcasts provide inspiration for podcast content as well as web presentation. TechEssence.Info. has an article posted January 2007 with some additional ideas. http://techessence.info/podcasting
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Week Eight - Answer Boards
I had taken at a look at Yahoo! Answers a couple of times and the range and variety of questions is amazing - from the serious to the ridiculous. I had also had a 'foggy' thought that it would be good if librarians could be in on the game to demonstrate our skills and resources, not realizing that Answer Board Librarians existed.
The major obstacle to librarian involvement would be time - any time answering the board questions is either time taken out from your regular duties or out of leisure time. It would be advantageous to raise librarian's profiles and skills via the boards, but in practical terms, this is resource draining. What we really need is for people to ask librarians first, but people seem to find it easier to ask anonymous strangers online, perhaps regardless of the quality of responses, than to ask their librarian.
Niche or specific-focus answers may have success, responding to eg. medical questions, legal, children's reading, travel. This would focus the area for responses making it more manageable for librarians to be involved.
It is interesting to note that although Google Answers ended in late 2006 - the 'answers phase' of the web looks like continuing; even Wikipedia could be considered as a giant question and answer service.
In what ways might your customers like to rate or review items in the collection or services you offer?
This may be another role for the library blog, offering a rating systems or a special section for particular comments. Feedback via the library blog can be targeted towards particular services and resources, using a rating scheme of, for example, 'stars' to enable client feedback.
The major obstacle to librarian involvement would be time - any time answering the board questions is either time taken out from your regular duties or out of leisure time. It would be advantageous to raise librarian's profiles and skills via the boards, but in practical terms, this is resource draining. What we really need is for people to ask librarians first, but people seem to find it easier to ask anonymous strangers online, perhaps regardless of the quality of responses, than to ask their librarian.
Niche or specific-focus answers may have success, responding to eg. medical questions, legal, children's reading, travel. This would focus the area for responses making it more manageable for librarians to be involved.
It is interesting to note that although Google Answers ended in late 2006 - the 'answers phase' of the web looks like continuing; even Wikipedia could be considered as a giant question and answer service.
In what ways might your customers like to rate or review items in the collection or services you offer?
This may be another role for the library blog, offering a rating systems or a special section for particular comments. Feedback via the library blog can be targeted towards particular services and resources, using a rating scheme of, for example, 'stars' to enable client feedback.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Week Seven - Tagging etc.
There is great potential for tagging as a catalogue enhancement and as a cataloguer I'm aware of some of the issues involved. The Library Journal, Sept. 2007, has a good article: Tags Help Make Libraries Del.icio.us : Social bookmarking and tagging boost participation which covers Del.icio.us as well as LibraryThing. The article has links to several libraries using Del.icio.us, giving a wider perspective on how this is being used. The first library mentioned in the article is actually an Australian library - Delany College, Granville, Australia.
One concern I have with tagging is the longer or larger the 'tag cloud' the more confusing it appears. The Sutherland Shire Libraries have an extensive number of tags and they have made use of bundling to group tags together. There is probably a stage when the volume of tags becomes too unwieldy but that is the nature of how new technologies develop and we problem-solve as they evolve.
Cleveland Public Library Recommended Bookmarks provide a neater arrangement with their lists that are then linked to Del.icio.us. Even if Del.icio.us is only used as a forum for accessible bookmarks, it can be a valuable tool for communicating with library users, as well as exposing the potential of these types of sites.
My Del.icio.us. account has no items at the moment, but I have set it up!
I hadn't realised that Technorati also searches videos about 'bookmobile' or whatever, not just blogs.
I set up my own Library Thing account and it's interesting to see you can add books using Amazon, Library of Congress or other sources. As a cataloguer I would use LC most of the time and go to Amazon if desperate. LC records are much more consistent with more info. since they have been catalogued by 'real' cataloguers. The 'Librarians who LibraryThing' group has some great questions and discussions: choosing books for incarcerated youth -- neoliberal publishers -- setting up a library in Ethiopia -- Air Force libraries : what an eclectic bunch.
Although LibraryThing has more than 21 million books to date and already half the size of Libraries Australia, I suspect the quality of the records would not match that of Libraries Australia.
One concern I have with tagging is the longer or larger the 'tag cloud' the more confusing it appears. The Sutherland Shire Libraries have an extensive number of tags and they have made use of bundling to group tags together. There is probably a stage when the volume of tags becomes too unwieldy but that is the nature of how new technologies develop and we problem-solve as they evolve.
Cleveland Public Library Recommended Bookmarks provide a neater arrangement with their lists that are then linked to Del.icio.us. Even if Del.icio.us is only used as a forum for accessible bookmarks, it can be a valuable tool for communicating with library users, as well as exposing the potential of these types of sites.
My Del.icio.us. account has no items at the moment, but I have set it up!
I hadn't realised that Technorati also searches videos about 'bookmobile' or whatever, not just blogs.
I set up my own Library Thing account and it's interesting to see you can add books using Amazon, Library of Congress or other sources. As a cataloguer I would use LC most of the time and go to Amazon if desperate. LC records are much more consistent with more info. since they have been catalogued by 'real' cataloguers. The 'Librarians who LibraryThing' group has some great questions and discussions: choosing books for incarcerated youth -- neoliberal publishers -- setting up a library in Ethiopia -- Air Force libraries : what an eclectic bunch.
Although LibraryThing has more than 21 million books to date and already half the size of Libraries Australia, I suspect the quality of the records would not match that of Libraries Australia.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Week Six - Video
I tried to develop a comparison of YouTube and Google Video, using the term ‘lego’.
Google Video produced 96,188 hits, You Tube 63.500
I prefer the YouTube screen layout which provides a good summary
Eg: Added: 2 days ago
From: Blunty3000
Views: 27,600
09:38
YouTube also provides alternative search terms, eg: “Also try lego star wars…….etc.”
YouTube displays 20 results per screen, compared to Google’s 10. Google has better sorting options but I liked being able to view YouTube results by list view or grid view.
The actual results of the lego search were quite similar, but my overall preference was for YouTube.
The use of YouTube for libraries:
We love our NJ libraries was okay as an example of library promotion, but it did focus on regular services that have been around for ages.
QandANJ: Now Your Library is Open Late Night Too! Has a fresher approach with the 24/7 thing and the drive-through ordering would appeal to teens in particular.
The State Library of Queensland timelapse construction video was interesting, but the PLCMC New Employee Orientation seems a rather impersonal way of welcoming new staff – I would rather have a brief welcoming meeting with the new boss (even if they are up the management chain) rather than a video welcome.
The Reference and Research Assistance video was really good – informal and friendly, and I loved the reference to librarians as information experts.
I wasn’t very enthused by the book reviews segment, looking very amateur, but this could be an attraction for some people who wanted to participate.
Mosman Library's Author Talks were good, but as someone commented in the main blog, their duration is quite long.
I can see YouTube or similar sites offering a useful promotion tool for libraries but we need to look at what sort of image we are trying to convey, not just put more rubbish on what is already a fairly crowded attention-getter.
Google Video produced 96,188 hits, You Tube 63.500
I prefer the YouTube screen layout which provides a good summary
Eg: Added: 2 days ago
From: Blunty3000
Views: 27,600
09:38
YouTube also provides alternative search terms, eg: “Also try lego star wars…….etc.”
YouTube displays 20 results per screen, compared to Google’s 10. Google has better sorting options but I liked being able to view YouTube results by list view or grid view.
The actual results of the lego search were quite similar, but my overall preference was for YouTube.
The use of YouTube for libraries:
We love our NJ libraries was okay as an example of library promotion, but it did focus on regular services that have been around for ages.
QandANJ: Now Your Library is Open Late Night Too! Has a fresher approach with the 24/7 thing and the drive-through ordering would appeal to teens in particular.
The State Library of Queensland timelapse construction video was interesting, but the PLCMC New Employee Orientation seems a rather impersonal way of welcoming new staff – I would rather have a brief welcoming meeting with the new boss (even if they are up the management chain) rather than a video welcome.
The Reference and Research Assistance video was really good – informal and friendly, and I loved the reference to librarians as information experts.
I wasn’t very enthused by the book reviews segment, looking very amateur, but this could be an attraction for some people who wanted to participate.
Mosman Library's Author Talks were good, but as someone commented in the main blog, their duration is quite long.
I can see YouTube or similar sites offering a useful promotion tool for libraries but we need to look at what sort of image we are trying to convey, not just put more rubbish on what is already a fairly crowded attention-getter.
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