So this is the end, my friends
It is very hard to believe that this is our last week – how is it that the semester always flies by so quickly?
Reflecting back on what we’ve learned and talked about this semester, I would have to conclude that my views on social software have definitely changed. I was willing, at the beginning, to look into the idea of social media and library, but since my only experience with it had been that anemic library facebook page (seldom updated, very few fans, most of whom are library employees, etc., etc.), I was skeptical. But all of the tremendous examples of what can be done with social software that we’ve looked at have definitely changed my perspective. I’m not only more excited about the possibilities of what social media can do and mean in our society in general, I’m also a lot more excited about what can happen when social media are applied effectively in libraries. Oh, and my Twitter perspective has totally changed – I’m signing up for an account this weekend.
I would have to say that my “favourite” social software for libraries has turned out to be wikis… this may just be because I created one for my final project, but I like to think it’s more than that. The fantastic possibility for collaboration, between librarians, between patrons, and between librarians and patrons, along with the ease of use makes them so wonderfully adaptable to a whole host of different needs and ideas. When official library websites can tend to be complicated to change, when only a few staff members are trained on how to do it, wikis offer the chance for just about everyone to write content easily and quickly, and provides opportunities for feedback that usually don’t happen with the official website. The examples of libraries that have totally created their official websites on wikis are tremendous – I love that the software is flexible and adaptable enough to allow for the most complicated and personalized of sites, while still being a fantastic option for more tentative and low-key ideas.
This class has been a great experience – fun and interesting, and at the same time challenging to my pre-conceived notions and ideas on social software. I’ve truly enjoyed the assignments, which have allowed us to get our hands into the software and really experiment with our ideas. And I’ve really enjoyed the community we’ve formed – everyone has had such terrific and thought-provoking things to say, and ideas to offer. It’s been really a neat experience!
Thanks to all of you! And good-luck in whatever comes next: a new FIMS semester, a term on co-op, or the job market, which is where you’ll find me! gulp!…
Leddy Information Literacy wiki
For my final project, I decided to create a wiki on Information Literacy designed specifically for the University of Windsor campus community: students, faculty, librarians, and library staff. This came out of my experience as a co-op student at Windsor’s Leddy Library, where I engaged in a lot of Information Literacy activities, including working with the three Information Literacy librarians and staff member, assisting during Information Literacy sessions, and teaching my own sessions. Information Literacy is one of the key activities at the Leddy Library, and the staff place a lot of value and emphasis on the library’s role in teaching and encouraging the Information Literacy levels of students on campus (as well as local high school students).
But though Information Literacy is so valued at Leddy, as of right now, there is no real forum for discussing ideas and disseminating resources on info lit. The library’s website of course includes pages and links that are really valuable for info lit, but they are spread out, and changing and adding to them is a complicated process, thanks to the University’s current website structure. Right now, changing the website means getting the help of one of the few (very busy) people in the library who know how to work the software. (The University is in the process of moving to another web platform, but this is taking a great deal of time, the Library has yet to switch over, and training for the new system appears almost as involved as working the old system.)
I see a need here that social software can fill: a space for Leddy staff to gather together all the relevant Information Literacy pages and links for the benefit of the University community, as well as for themselves, with space to easily edit and discuss. A wiki is the natural answer, so I used PBworks to create the Lancer Info Lit page.
My wiki is intended to be open to the web for viewing, but it will only be edited by Leddy staff members. This will allow the Library to maintain control over what is posted. It is expected that staff will contribute to the wiki with resources, links and files as they find and create them.
The wiki is broken down into sections under the two main headings of “students and faculty” and “library staff”. Under students and faculty I’ve included pages on Leddy resource and subject guides, Internet research how tos and starting places, links to citation guides, help for faculty designing research assignments, and a page for Leddy Information Literacy session slides in PDF form (as of right now they only presentation uploaded is my own, but obviously it is hoped that as Leddy staff buy in, they will contribute their own slides to the page). The section for library staff includes two pages that I hope will expand as the wiki is used: a discussion page for staff to play with info lit issues on a broad level as well as their experiences teaching and expanding info lit at the U of Windsor campus, and a list of resources for teaching Information Literacy.
The issue of whether or not the Leddy librarians and library staff would buy in to my wiki idea is important… personally, from what I know of the Information Literacy staff members at Leddy, I believe they would welcome this venue. They might be the only staff members updating and maintaining the wiki at first, but I believe that over time it would become more widely used, with their endorsement and encouragement.
I believe this wiki presents a great resource that Leddy staff can use for themselves to further their own ideas on Information Literacy, as well as a comprehensive tool for the U of Windsor campus. Librarians and library staff could point to it in their info lit sessions as a page where students can find all of the resources highlighted in the session, and a great starting point for research.
I had a lot of fun putting this together, and I hope that it’s something that may actually be useful to the Leddy community.
Buying in
What I’d really like to do this week is talk about buy-in for library staff when it comes to social media. This has occupied my thoughts quite a bit over the course of the term, as I believe that all our other discussions about what to do, how to do it, what to use, user reactions, etc., are all moot if a library is trying to dip into social media without the support and understanding of staff. I suppose I’ve been thinking most about library staff not buying in when an idea is proposed by management… and obviously that’s a management issue, not really having too much to do with social media itself. We could all go back to our management class to remember that it is the administration’s responsibility to ensure that new projects are explained and vetted in such a way that employees have the maximum opportunity to question, explore, communicate and learn before implementation. (With the understanding that sometimes you’re just not going to get everyone onboard, that that’s ok, but the knowledge of how to respectfully consider and treat those dissenters.)
But Kathy Sierra reminds me that buy-in can fail in the opposite direction…. fabulous ideas put forward by imaginative staff may be ultimately flattened out by fearful administrators. (I absolutely love her first graphic – a bright star of a fantastic idea mutates into a grey blob of implementation when fear takes hold.) She reminds us that users might love a bright new idea, and users might hate it, but either is better than mediocrity and “meh” shoulder-shrugging… though administrators are often so fearful of offending someone that they’d rather take the “meh” road than attempt something dazzling. I think this can be a problem in libraries, as elsewhere – you don’t want to alienate elderly patrons with too much frightening social software, you’re afraid that your implementation of social software won’t be cool enough to appeal to social media-savy teens… and I’m guessing that this is part of what goes into some of the lack-lustre meh-ness of bad social media tries by libraries we’ve discussed all term (like the sad little seldom updated library Facebook page). Fear keeps libraries from investing too much (either funds, time, training, knowledgeable staff, etc.) into an attempt, and you get a grey blob final product.
So, I guess my one ultimate “best practice” suggestion would be what I consider as coming before all others: Sink your teeth (and resources) in! If you’re going to go for a social media library try, really go for it, and throw all the money, time, planning, forethought, experience and testing you can at it… and do it with energy. Because Sierra is right: the zone of mediocrity inspires no one.
The new social media librarians
It’s interesting thinking about social media and libraries from a more traditionally administrative perspective. Obviously, as Amanda points out in this week’s slide show, implementing any or all of the terrific ideas and social softwares that we’ve talked about over the course of the semester takes time, which translates into money in the form of salaries. Social software in libraries therefore has implications for workload… it’s unlikely that a librarian would be able to simply decide to start a Twitter account for the library without clearing it with administration, unless he or she was willing to do it on private time. (Actually, I’m guessing that a lot of librarians have spent their own time with social software ideas, at least initially.)
It seems that some library administrators are starting to embrace the potential that social media offers: during my co-op I witnessed a shift in job titles and responsibilities as a librarian coming back from a leave was redefined as the new “User Interface and User Experience Librarian”, with portions of her time specifically set out for experimenting with and implementing social media. In light of David Armano’s blog post on how to hire staff members with social media “street cred”, I’m wondering if the policy behind social media in libraries has caught up with the simple idea that someone should be doing something with social media. In my example, though I happen to know that the librarian in question is in fact quite well-versed in social media, and I’m sure the library took this into account when creating the new position for her, I’m guessing that a lot of libraries aren’t necessarily looking to make a new hire when it comes to social media and user experience… there may simply be some reshuffling of current staff. While this in understandable, I wonder if it may lead to a certain amount of shooting ourselves in the social media foot, since a librarian thrown into the mix with average Facebook experience and a few pictures on Flickr may not have the confidence, know-how, experience or understanding of social media to really use time and software to the best advantage. If this happens, and the library’s new Facebook page falls flat, will administrators simply declare social media unworkable for libraries, and throw the whole concept out?
There’s certainly something to be said, therefore, for a reasoned, studied approach to implementing social software and a careful consideration the librarians who are charged with the task.
(On a personal note, I have to apologize for posting a little late this week. Easter was somehow busier than expected… sorry everyone! :-S)
Break week
Hello gang, I’ll be taking another break this week. Enjoy RSS and Mashups!
Library clouds
Reading Michael Stephens’ post on the mobile web and what libraries can do about it opened my eyes to some new thoughts on “library clouds”. First of all, it hadn’t occurred to me that some libraries might still be actually banning cell phone use (I wasn’t really aware that they ever had been – how can you possibly enforce something like that?), but I certainly agree with Stephens that libraries should be providing lots of access at fast speeds… in a VERY ideal world, of course. In some ways, I think his points have a little more relevance for campus libraries, which now usually function as a kind of library/computer centre, tapping into the campus network at high speeds, offering multiple browsers, etc. – all the things Stephens recommends. Public libraries, however, may often be a different matter. Lots of computer access at large central libraries is fairly ubiquitous now, but small, peripheral branches often suffer from a lack of access… because of a lack of funding. It’s all very well to recommend greater access for greater use of the cloud, but that takes money that is often unavailable, unfortunately.
I do, however, like Stephens’ suggestions for using the cloud in libraries… saving money using OpenOffice, training staff and patrons on things like Google Docs: these are good, low cost ways to utilize the cloud and stay on top of the mobile web. And I think the ultimate, awesome example of awesome mobile web library use is the Iowa City Public Library catalogue for the smartphone. Now, if I had a smartphone, and if my local library did this… I’d be pretty darn excited.
Library twits: what I never considered
I realize that a lot of my posts revolve around confessions of initial skepticism of social media tools, particularly as how they can actually benefit libraries when done right, but I’m going to have to do it again: I really never saw the value of Twitter before, for anyone, let alone for libraries, but I have to admit that this week’s sources have changed my mind. I think it came partly from an unawareness of how exactly Twitter can be used, but now that I understand at least a little better, not only am I very likely to finally get tweeting myself, I’m also starting to come ’round to the conclusion that libraries can use Twitter in some pretty neat ways.
I loved David Allen Kelly’s post on ways (conventional and non) libraries can make use of Twitter – so many things I hadn’t considered. Though, I do wonder a little bit about the assertion that Twitter is about “creating your image” – I see the point, but it does always bother me a bit when libraries worry a lot about “image” – I tend to feel that the image should flow naturally out of service. People will get a positive image of the library when the library positively and proactively fills their information and entertainment needs. That being said, all of Kelly’s suggestions would, I think, serve the purpose of filling needs, and potentially create the by-product of a good image at the same time.
My favourite of Kelly’s Twitter tips is the fifth: interact. It made me think back to Amanda’s slide presentation for this week, and her example of HR Block’s use of Twitter to answer tax questions. I had no idea that Twitter had such tremendous potential for reference services! Users can ask the library questions, and what’s even cooler is what Kelly points out: that the library can answer questions that users don’t even know they asked! I love the way this proactively brings the reference librarian to the user – and what better way to convince people that the library is still relevant?
I liked the creative ways to use Twitter shown in this week’s case studies – particularly WCC Todd Library’s tweets about patrons checking out new books, and fun facts about how much paper was printed on a given day. But I was struck by the fact that none of the case studies were Canadian… why not? Are Canadian libraries not using Twitter, or are they just using it badly? Anyone have an example of a really awesome Canadian library Twitter account?…
Social networking for libraries: awesome, or not awesome?
My first reaction to the thought of libraries and Facebook (or other similar social networking sites) was, admittedly, skeptical. I’ve seen too many Facebook group pages for libraries with mostly staff members as group members, where there may be a few pictures of the library, and a seldom updated wall that is only written on by the group admin to announce the odd library event. In these cases, it’s just too obvious that the library in question created a Facebook page just because it seems to be the thing to do, with no real purpose in mind. And I’ll be honest, I had trouble seeing what creative applications libraries could make out of Facebook… I tended to feel that it might be better to leave Facebook alone.
So, when I signed up for the group project for this week on social networking, I was at a bit of a loss to imagine how we could do anything other than that typically anemic library ‘fan’ page: lucky for me, my fellow group members were excessively creative! Their idea for an interactive, online book club, hosted by the library, was something that honestly hadn’t occurred to me, but the more I thought about it, the more excited I became! Finally, a reason for the library to get on Facebook! A genuine need for community filled by the Facebook functions. This truly would bring people of disparate backgrounds together over a shared love of books (and cooking! – you’ll have to check out our awesome finished product). This was using social networking software for the purpose intended, and at the same time, linking it back to the library and showing people, in a real (not sad) way that libraries can and should have a place in the socially networked world.
As I read Meredith Farkas’ blog post on Libraries in Social Networking Software, my feelings were bolstered: she reiterates the point that libraries and social networking shouldn’t mix if it’s simply a “look how cool we are!” reflex, but that when libraries use the social networking medium to truly connect and dialogue with patrons, finding creative ways to do so, the result can be quite positive.
Now I’ll be on the lookout for social networking sites put to use by libraries in really creative and awesome ways: like the Hennepin County Library Facebook page, which includes a direct catalogue search box and ask a librarian function. So awesome!
(I still can’t help thinking that our group project is even awesomer… don’t forget to check it out!)
Social Networking Group Project: Cooking the Books!
Our group project, brought to you by Lola, Dorothy, Megan, and Dayna, evolved into “Cooking the Books”, a combined book club and cooking club, making use of Facebook and Ustream social networking software.
This program is combines cooking demos, a book club, and related group discussions that are primarily delivered via a Facebook group. Cooking the Books is a global group centered on food and cooking, and its contents may be viewed by both members and non-members of Facebook. According to social networking technology, the group allows for participants to engage in discussions, demos, events, and with each other through the site and across geographic boundaries. Cooking demonstrations take place at the library and may be attended by those who wish to watch in person; they are also streamed through a Ustream channel that allow for online participation in real time.
We felt that web broadcast was a creative way to draw an audience and also provide another way for the community to access and connect with the library and each other. The broadcast puts a ‘face’ on the library program and it allows audiences to participate or be passive attendants.
Ustream was a convenient (and free) software for live broadcast that also allowed a live chat session. Together with a webcam, a microphone, and an internet connection, Ustream.tv was an established service that provided all the functions necessary to broadcast and record a cooking demonstration and discussion session.
Combining the demonstration with a discussion is relatively simple but requires a good deal of preparation. Interaction with the audience would definitely require at least two hosts, one to complete the demonstration and one to monitor the computer session.
Ultimately, using a live broadcast is a different way to interact with the community. Combined with Facebook, it offers an alternative way to connect.
The Discussions area of the Facebook group is where participants may share thoughts, ideas, resources, and communicate about the book club’s book selection. The group also encourages that participants share their videos and pictures. Discussions and resources are managed according to topic, and events are managed chronologically by the events themselves. Pictures may be managed by albums or users may simply upload their pictures into the general picture repository.
Cooking the Books aims to deliver a library program with social media through the creation of an online space for the group. Book club discussions are scheduled to change every month with the selection of a new book; cooking demonstrations are also scheduled monthly with the selection of a new recipe. In order to harvest the ideas and discussions of the group, the book and recipe suggestions will be driven by participant suggestions.
The goal of the project is to reach an audience that stretches across gender, generational, and ethnic boundaries, an audience linked by love of good books and good food. The group would hopefully inspire users to make connections between food and literature, to make new friends, and ultimately, to see the library as a vibrant resource, connected to the social networking world in an active way.
Blog holiday
Hey Gang! I’m taking this week off as I tread water in a sea of stressful job applications. Happy posting!