Evaluative Report

(a) Evaluative statement

Applying Library 2.0

The Meredith Farkas video Building Academic Library 2.0? was inspiring and informative and I found it difficult to only choose 5 pieces of advice for my blog post Advice for Applying Library 2.0.   The main messages of Library 2.0 is participatory information service (Farkas, 2008) and reaching new users through the “long tail” (Casey & Savastinuk, 2006).  If a library is interested in introducing a certain service, it is essential that the users are assessed to see if the service would be used.  Farkas (2008) also suggests looking at other libraries to see what they are doing and what is working for them.  Through 2.0 technology users can now be an integral part of creating the collections they want.  These user centered services coupled with the necessary ongoing assessment and evaluation allows information professionals to create and maintain innovative and customer driven services.

In order for information professionals to remain relevant, Library 2.0 maintains that we must not forget the importance of our users.  In our connected world of Web and Library 2.0 information professionals must be aware of the competition that exists with resources being readily available on the web.  We need to find innovative ways to reach novice and current users so that they can easily locate our services and resources.  Ways to reach your users include embedding library services in social sites where your users spend a lot of time (De Rosa et al., 2007) and by creating portals or links from your library website or catalog will enable the library to reach its users through the ‘long tail’ (Casey & Savastinuk, 2007.)  Instead of assuming that your users will find you, it’s important to locate where your users are and seek them out by using the social media sites and tools that are most popular.

RSS 

An RSS feed allows users to view content as it is created and updated (Bansode, et al., 2009).  Instead of having to repeatedly visit frequented websites and contents, users can subscribe to a web feed which allows them to see all of the generated content in one place.

The OLJ task “RSS in action” allowed me to explore a technology that I had used previously on a personal level but had no work-related experience with.  I was able to become an active participant in Library 2.0 service to support my information and learning needs for INF506.  My goal was to learn how this tool could be used within a public library to help provide services.  I illustrated some of the ways that the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library use RSS feeds in my blog post entitled RSS in action.  I had some experience with Google Reader but chose to become familiar with Feedly since Google Reader has been discontinued and you can migrate your existing content.  I explored Feedly and began following a number of blogs that have been mentioned throughout the semester including Farkas’s blog Information Wants To Be Free.

Library 2.0 technology is helping to meet the changing needs of users (Casey, 2006) RSS feeds can be instrumental in sharing information when used on library blogs and websites.  Subscribers can receive feeds of new acquisitions, service announcements, newsletters and general promotion of library resources and services (Celikbas, 2004).  RSS feeds are an efficient 2.0 technology for both organizations and users since an endless amount of information can be disseminated without an ongoing time commitment.

Social Media Policies

As social media platforms become more widespread it is important that organizations develop a social media policy or make ongoing updates to their current one.  In our current age of Web 2.0 user-generated content is more prevalent and has created challenges in privacy and online safety (Burkhardt, 2001.)  The improper use of social media by an organization or employee can create numerous problems.  In order to counteract these issues surrounding privacy, ethics and copyright; the creation of a social media policy is essential.  A policy should contain specific guidelines on how employees and users should communicate in an online environment.  The language and instructions should be clear and concise but should also allow for some flexibility.  Policies should contain authentic content, should obey copyright laws, and demonstrate good judgment and ethical behavior (Lauby, 2009.) The key points of social media policies for employees are discussed in the blog post Social Media Policy- 5 keys for employees.

(b) Reflective Statement

The journey through INF506 has benefited me personally and professionally and has provided me with a better understanding of social media and the variety of uses. Based on the Social Technographics ladder developed by Bernoff & Li (Bernoff, 2010) I would rank myself amongst the “Spectators” read blogs…read tweets; “Joiners” maintain and visit social networking sites; and “Collectors” use RSS feeds and tags.  My participation in social media has not yet included aspects of “Creators” and “Conversationalists” but it is my intention to continue in this ongoing learning process as an information professional.

My growth as a social networker has been increased through the course INF506 and it will assist in my advancement as a future librarian.  This subject has given me the opportunity to explore, experiment and interact with a multitude of social media and I have expanded my knowledge of social media tools to include Flickr, Delicious, Twitter and Second Life along with numerous blogs and wikis.  I increased the depth of my use of Facebook and have a greater understanding of its uses within a library and how assessment is essential before any SNS can be implemented.  Through project assignment 2 I was able to assist in the creation of social media policies for the library in which I work.  In this process we had to examine the issues surrounding social media and develop guidelines based upon our particular library.  The policy that was developed addressed copyright and being responsible for what is written, privacy of employees and the organization, ethical issues of what is and is not appropriate , and how and within what time frame employee’s would respond to users’ comments and posts.  Through developing these guidelines and understanding the issues surrounding social networking it has become clear to me that policy, evaluation and planning are important in developing appropriate networks for the users you serve.  Social media policies despite their necessity do not need to be complex but rather as Schrier (2011) advocates, should be “…a simple, clearly written document that states what is expected of employees.”  The creation of these policies is necessary for organizations as guides and for the protection for of organization and staff, and should be seen as a benefit rather than a barrier to their use.  (Kooy & Steiner, 2010)

Looking back at my first post it was my goal to understand how these various social networking tools could be applied to libraries and used within the field to enhance services.  I have been able to better understand how libraries are using social media to reach out to new users through the concept of ‘long tail’ (Casey & Savastinuk, 2007).  The blog and video by Farkas has been instrumental in my understanding of library and web 2.0 and how a user centered focus coupled with ongoing evaluation and assessment is essential in creating and maintaining a library 2.0 ethos for an organization.

Even though my knowledge surrounding social media and 2.0 has greatly increased, I feel that I have merely touched the surface of all of the information and resources that are available.  This course has helped me to feel more competent and it has inspired me to implement new tools to assist in the creation, organization and sharing of the myriad of information and resources we have at our fingertips.  These tools and concepts have also affected my current position as a library assistant in the creation and implementation of a Facebook page which I continue to evaluate and update.  I look forward to the challenges of being a librarian in this 2.0 world as we venture on to new advancements and ideas in 3.0.

References:

Bernoff, J. (2010, January 19). Social technographics: conversationalists get onto the ladder. [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2010/01/conversationalists-get-onto-the-ladder.html

Burkhardt, A. (2010). Social media: A guide for college and university libraries. College & Research Libraries News, 71,(1), 10-24. Retrieved http://crln.acrl.org/content/71/1/10.long

Casey, M.E., & Savastinuk, L.C. (2007).  Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Medford, N.: Information Today

Casey, M. & Savastinuk, L. (2006). Library 2.0: Service for the next-generation library, Library Journal, 1 September. Retrieved fromhttp://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

Çelikbaş, Zeki What is RSS and how can it serve libraries?, 2004 . In First International Conference on Innovations in Learning for the Future: e-Learning, İstanbul (Turkey), 26-27 October 2004. [Conference paper]

Farkas, M. (2007, November 2). Building Academic Library 2.0.[Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_uOKFhoznI

Kooy, B. K., & Steiner, S. K. (2010). Protection, Not Barriers Using Social Software Policies to Guide and Safeguard Students and Employees. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(1), 59-71. Retrieved fromhttp://www.rusq.org/about-2/

Lauby, S. (2009) 10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy, Mashable, 6 February [blog] http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-musts/

Schrier, R. A. (2011). Digital Librarianship & Social Media: the Digital Library as Conversation Facilitator.D-Lib Magazine, 17(7/8), 1-7. Retrieved from http://www.dlib.org/

Second Life: Exploration II

I wasn’t able to attend any of the Second Life explorations through the class due to the time difference but I choice to have another look on my own.  Prior to this class, I had never heard of Second Life or had any experience with it.  Second Life was created by Linden Labs as a way for people to create avatars and explore the virtual world and live in communities akin to real life.  

Advantages:

• Collaborative learning community
• virtual reference services can be provided in real-time;process has a more personal feel due to avatars and online environment
• free for users

Disadvantages:

• Technology barriers-  there is a large learning curve needed to be able to navigate and use the system.  The program also requires a high end computer with a fast processor.
• Loss of face-to-face interaction between library/librarian and patron
• Staffing of reference desk

Second Life has many perceived advantages and disadvantages, the largest one being learning and navigating the user interface. Without any tutorials, I was able to find the Charles Sturt University library along with several avatars, including LenaLotus Latte.  The interface is far from intuitive and without the search box it would have been difficult to navigate away from the main page.  

Due to the time intensive nature of this virtual world coupled with the need for patrons to have computers, Second Life would not make sense for a small library in the diverse community in which I work.

 

Exploration of Delicious.com

I was intrigued by the idea of delicious.com and thought it would be useful for organizing websites and links that I wanted to save and re-visit for both personal and professional uses.  The user interface was simple and somewhat lackluster.  I was able to search for our group easily and follow it.  I started by adding the book marker icon to my browser and found several articles to bookmark.  This process was intuitive and easy.  I wanted to be able to organize my bookmarked pages into categories such as recipes, professional sites, etc.  The only way to organize the links however, is by tags, tag bundles, or date.  I didn’t like this aspect because my links wouldn’t be clearly labeled, I would prefer to have headings with all of the related links below.  The concept of tagging is useful because it allows for user generated content but it can also become unwieldy.  The amount of tags given to a link can be excessive and make it more difficult to organize and locate what you want.  Personally, I think the use of an RSS feed or software such as  would be more useful.  The bonus to Endnote is that you can search for articles, save links and can also easily create citations, bibliographies and share references.  It seems like the perfect all-in-one tool for professional work and research.  For personal use, I enjoy using  Pinterest for organizing recipes, library display ideas and anything fun.  Pinterest however, would not be a  good tool for organizing professional sources.

Social Media Policy-Key points for Employees

1. Trust employees

2. Train

3.  Set expectations

4. Develop specific guidelines

5. Check facts/make corrections/respond in a timely manner

The first step to implementing a social media policy with regard to how employees should use social media is to make it known that you trust your employees.  With autonomy and trust, employees will feel empowered in their positions to make better choices for the organization.  If they do not feel trusted or respected, they are less like to want to show that same trust and respect for their work place.

The second step is training the employees with how to use social media.  The training should include how to post, how to respond to comments and questions, privacy and confidentiality issues and appropriate use.  All of the aspects of training should reflect the goals and standards of your specific organization.

Employee expectations should be clearly communicated so there is less chance of incorrect or inappropriate use.  What is the purpose and goal of your social media page and how should employees fulfill these goals.

Specific guidelines about best practices on posting and commenting should be developed.  The policy should include how you want your employees to respond to and deal with inappropriate comments. What are the consequences of such action?  Will the user will be blocked, will the comment  be deleted, etc.  Will negative comments be allowed and how will they be responded to?  Are employees encouraged to interact with users, are they speaking on behalf of the organization or should they make their identity known? What are the consequences if an employee comments inappropriately or does not comply with the expectations?  Is personal use of social media allowed during work hours? How will breaches in confidentiality and privacy be handled?

Lastly, the policy should outline the time frame in which users can expect a response.  Check content for validity and determine how any incorrect information will be handled.

Advice for Applying Library 2.0

1. Developing and maintaining a good relationship with IT

The technology person oversees all of the technological issues for the entire town.  At our library, there is no tech person with the capability or with precedence over the town tech person.  This poses as an issue because when our computers get viruses, printers stop working or we want to add something to our web page through the town, we can’t do any of it.  It is imperative that the library develop and maintain a good relationship with IT so that all of these things will get done and get done quickly.

2. Look at what other libraries are doing

This is an important piece for any library or institution.  It doesn’t matter if the library is bigger or smaller, they all have different ideas, concepts and ways of doing things.  It is important to see what is working and to develop best practices for your library.  One of the Harvard libraries started something called the “awesome box” that many other city libraries are now adding to their own libraries, I am also in the process of setting it up for my own library. Looking at other libraries is a great with to stay current, to try news things and to see what works.

3. Know your users (asking for collection dev. requests on FB)

Knowing your users is paramount in developing and maintaining library services and for collection development.  How else would you know what books and materials will circulate without knowing what is popular with your particular patrons.   I have found that even though a book is on multiple best-seller lists, doesn’t mean it is something your patrons will want to read.  This concept is also true when it comes to social media.  If you know that 85% of your users are above the age of 65 and come into the library to request books and find out about programming than developing a Facebook page may not make the most sense for your particular population.

4. Question everything you do ( sitting at ref desk with no patrons)

This is a really important question for librarians of today to be thinking about.  Meredith makes an excellent about having a librarian sitting at a reference desk with no patrons coming up to her.  What else could the person in this position be doing, would she be more valuable in a different location, should she move towards become a virtual reference librarian along with doing some outreach?  The nature libraries and of our positions are changing rapidly because of technological advances, it is more important than ever that we are forward thinking.

5. wikis or bookmarking tools for subjects or projects

I really liked this idea of using wikis or social bookmarking tools for school assignments and projects.  I see this as especially useful for young adults.  Teens are very comfortable with the online environment and aren’t always familiar with the library.  Using a wiki would be a great way to share information for their projects and tie in the resources available within the library.

ASU 4 C’s evaluation

Collaboration: The ASU shows that they are interested in collaborating with their students.  In The Library Minute video they ask their users to ask questions and to give feedback so that ASU can better respond to their needs.  The Library Minute videos and The Library Channel do not actively show collaboration between the ASU librarians.

Conversation: The Library Minute videos are presented in a fun, laid back way in which the librarian, Anali, is speaking to the audience of ASU students.  The Twitter page also invites a lot of conversation between librarians and students. There is a lot of good dialogue happening here, it’s very interactive and the questions are answered in a timely fashion.

Community:  ASU knows there community and has designed The Library Minute and The Library Channel specifically for their students.  The pictures on Flickr illustrate that they are interested in catering to providing services and activities that there students want and are interested in.  The pictures of the dance in the library show that they are user-centered and aren’t afraid to think outside of the stereotypical library programs.  The ASU library has succeeded in creating an active virtual community using a variety of media and resources.

Content Creation:  The ASU provides a lot of relevant, interesting and fun content by using a variety of Web 2.0 tools.  Some examples of the content provided include pictures, programming, news, hours, how-to video and educational videos.

Overall, the ASU library does a great job of using the 4 C’s of social media.  In order to improve, ASU would benefit from displaying collaboration by having students or other librarians in some of the minute videos.  They could also increase their level of conversation by posing questions to their audience on Twitter and Facebook.

Librarian 2.0: What you should know

Librarian 2.0 reflects the ongoing need and desire to provide, use, and incorporate tools for online collaboration into effective library services.  

Knowledge: Technologically savvy, is aware of the current trends in libraries and the direction they will head over the next few years (library as community center, etc.), has the ability to think outside of the box, , forward thinker, knowledgeable of the social media tools that are available, how to use, maintain and promote them in and outside of the library.  Have the knowledge to create an online space and community for your library.

Skills: Ability to create, implement, update and participate in a variety of social media such as (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, blogs, wikis, etc.)  Ability to be shown an unfamiliar technology or device (Kindle, Ipad, etc.) and be able to figure out how to use it, troubleshoot it, and answer patrons’ questions

Attributes:  Most importantly a librarian with a 2.0 mentality has to be willing and open to seeking out and learn new technologies.  They should enjoy reading about new technology and trends and they should stay ahead of what is going on in libraries.  They should love being a librarian despite how or where they are providing information and services.  They should hold a user-centered approach and be interested in finding and reaching out to new users.  They should have the desire to interactive virtually and in person with a variety of people through a variety media.  Have a strong sense of community and providing services for all.  Be able to work as part of a team and collaborate with others.  Be willing to listen to new ideas.  Ability to anticipate the needs and wants of the user population.

Essentials in library site design

Website Criteria:

1. clear, concise language

2. Age appropriate pages (adult, teen, kids)

3.  Mobile friendly pages

4. Navigation is labeled well

5. Relevant content

6. positive mood (colors, images, font)

7. essential information is on main page and all internal pages (hours, location,contact)

8. social media links

9. search box on every pages

10. content is broken down into bullets or easily read sections

Overall, the web design of the Watertown Public Library is user-friendly and effective.  The navigation is labeled with umbrella terms that are easy to understand across a diverse population.  For example, the “What we Offer” tab includes pages for children, teens, museum passes, getting a library card, etc.  Each page also has an internal navigation that makes finding information easier and allows for less content on the main pages.  The content is broke down into small, manageable pieces of information instead of having lengthy paragraphs. The pages for teens and adults were designed for the parental audience instead of the children themselves.  This was a smart decision because the parents are the ones that are going to be visiting the site and looking for information.  There is a search box that stays in the same spot on each page which makes it easier for patrons to find it consistently across all pages.  The location and hours is also located in the main navigation, across all pages, and is to the far left where users are apt to look first.  The contact information can also be found across all pages in the same location.  The mood of the site is energetic, vibrant and clear.  The colors that were chosen (aqua and lime) convey a fun and cheery outlook.  The design itself is fairly simple (white background, black text, minimal images, and simple logo) but it is effective because the layout is clear and user-friendly.  The library also provides links to their Facebook and Twitter pages.

http://www.watertownlib.org/

Second Life

I had never heard of Second Life before and I haven’t used any virtual worlds before.  Without the instructions that were provided, the interface would have been difficult to navigate.  The site wasn’t very easy to navigate and without knowing that I could search for people, it would have taken me awhile to find this information.

I’m curious to explore the site further and to see how it is used for educational purposes.

RSS in action

RSS feeds can be used in many different ways to broadcast information to the public in  a quick and efficient manner.  Libraries can use RSS feeds to announce news events, programs, library hours, new materials, etc.  The Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library uses RSS feeds to share information on their library news and programs. Patrons can also subscribe to RSS feeds by book genre, age range and material type.  All of these feeds provide a way in which patrons can readily and and easily gain access to the most updated information.  Patrons who are interested in reading the latest and hottest titles can access this information  from anywhere.  This provision of information enhances the library’s services because patrons can access it on their own and at any time.

The UCLA library has RSS feeds for all of their new acquisitions.  This is a useful feed to subscribe to because patrons can keep up to date with the new materials that are purchased.

Other uses for RSS feeds in libraries include:

•  Create an RSS feed for new additions to the online catalog.
• Create an RSS feed tied to a library card account for hold notifications and/or overdue materials.
•   Create an RSS feed for the library’s electronic newsletter.
• Create an RSS feed for press releases and other media advisories.
•   Create an RSS feed for library job openings.
•   Subscribe to a few RSS feeds, such as local news websites, and share the content on the library’s website. This could be included on a page containing other local resources and local links.
• Subscribe to RSS feeds of interest to library customers and share the content on the customer’s personalized library webpage. Customers can choose to access selected RSS feeds, their library account information, subscription databases, and email/chat with a librarian all in one spot.
• Subscribe to a few professional RSS feeds and share with library staff.

All of these feeds enhance the user experience because they provide information that is up to date, easily accessed and is highly relevant.

http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/feeds/

http://library.case.edu/ksl/rss/