doris

I would not say me opinion has changed on social media. To me electronics are here to stay and therefore to know about these (social media) tools in more depth, is critical for any new library professional, for their tool-box if nothing else!

All social media, that we have gone over in class, definitely can improve the way to market a library (special, academic, or public). The more important question becomes which tool(s) does a library use? It depends on:  the audience, the message, the institution’s mission statement, and purpose in communicating with social media. So thanks Amanda for a class where we could find out about the tools, and in-turn help others, learning or trying to figure out the usefulness of these types of tools. I do appreciate the practicality to your class!

All the best in your future endeavours, everyone!

Week 13 readings suggest social media and affordances from different perspectives which are useful in specific ways. Some idealize technology where others have provide practical suggestions on social media. On the basis of librarians, I suggest a  simpler approach.

Shirky expects the Internet  to be the force  ad hoc groups use to break power brokers such as investigative journalists, dictatorships, and many parts of society that have been incredibly stable over hundreds of years.  According to the author, decentralization occurs as society’s current organizations and institutions cannot cope with cyber tools. He seems to believe that technology will dictate culture because ad hoc groups believe their opinion will have overwhelming impact and change the world. Wikileak could be cited as an example.

Kathy Sierra is very optimistic about the Web being a great force for good in an organization with a great potential for return on investment (ROI). Although she goes to great lengths to describe how to harness the user community to create tutorials and better documents, carry out tech support, user training, and marketing, she does not clearly address the prevalent attitude of “What’s in it for me?” when it comes to overworked librarians.  Perhaps she sees the organization (in this case the library) as a platform for users to achieve celebrity status, which may actually provide ROI. I suggest that before the larger community can be included in such an in-depth manner, librarians will have to understand and behave in a co-operative instead of competitive manner in order to form a library community that conveys trust. Such a library would have to have a leader like Sierra and give her free reign to use every social media available.

Casey & Stephens – offer a practical admonishment to library administrators and staff to learn from experience to build transparency, honesty, open flow of ideas with display value of staff and users. The list provided by these authors applies to all sizes of libraries. Sensibly they include pitfalls and how to deal with them, for example, prevent a naysayer from taking over training sessions and involvement of staff in decision-making. These authors make a point of the library “going with the flow” of using social media the public uses. In other words, the library tends to be in the ‘follower mode’ rather than an ‘innovative mode’ when it comes to technology.  Even so, change is in the works whether librarians like it or not.

Locke, Levine, Searles & Weinberger- 95 Theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto

These authors attempt to humanize multi-media to make markets smarter. Their main point is that the market is a speech community providing a new way to share information.  They claim that the use of social media for transparent communication is essential by speaking in terms clients can understand, expressing company fears, and caring enough about the market place to express human concerns.  Yet these authors contradict themselves when they value speedy communication above reflection and serious thought, which is implied by thesis 95 “But we are not waiting”.

To be realistic, change is a big challenge for many, librarians included.  Each of the readings offers aspects of change through use of technology that can be adapted in any size library. To begin full use of social media, I would suggest that mutual trust be cultivated through small, incremental and meaningful changes to make tools work for the library organization. Drew Hinshaw (Dec 1, 2010, Brain drain to bull’s eye. Metrowork p. 16) advocates that employees who have initiative and understanding of problem solving take care how they present their ideas to superiors (head librarian) in order to be heard. He suggests to start by asking “What’s in it for them?”  Then present ideas that save money, buy time, or earn prestige. Having several options dispels the need to defend a rigid position for one idea only. First, I advocate respect for the individual hard working librarian before assuming that technology drives culture and change. Second, I believe adapting technology to community needs will get the library to use social media just as fast and more efficiently than forcing change based on someone else’s program.

Presented by Joey and Doris

Target audience: Librarians and any individual interested in Web 2.0 who would like to stay in the swing of constant technological change.

Explanation:

For our project we have made a Mashup. Essentially, a Mashup is software which will take a variety of RSS and blog feeds available to the library and “mash” them together to present all of the content from the input sources in one easy and convenient place. So you, the librarian, can use your favourite resources, place them in one location, and generate relevant and superior results through a Mashup for your patrons and your colleagues.

Specific results are generated when the user enters terms in the search box provided in the Mashup from your selection of sources. In publishing a Mashup, others (outside the local library or who never enter the library) can see, use and find the Mashup through search engines if not specified by a link on one of the library pages. It is unlikely your Mashup will appear on the first page of the “Google” general search.

Problem:

If you are involved in libraries, you know that technology has taken a firm grip upon many major aspects of librarianship, we are faced with these questions:

• So how is it that with all the responsibilities that a librarian has, he or she would have time to sift through websites and feeds to find information for the needs of the library or patrons let alone oneself?
• How are librarians supposed to keep up with certain technological innovations with continued increase of information?
• How can a librarian keep abreast of the fast-paced change in technology?

One way is to have a favourite bookmark for each site and go through each one, individually or another way is to subscribe through the RSS feeds from each of the favourite sites and then read through each of the feeds. But what if you have 20 or more top sites you are monitoring and some of these sites have other details in the regular RSS feed that are of little interest to you? One easy solution is to make a RSS Mashup of all the feeds/sites with the chosen conditions and search functions enabled to make the individuals own personalized RSS feed based upon keywords the user enters.

Solution:

We have created a list of relevant sources related to various technologies; general and library related. By using  keywords, clicking on “Run Pipe” and a search is done. Yahoo Pipes will create an RSS feed. If you want a RSS feed just for Radio Frequency Identifiers (RFID) technology, for example, type in the term and see the results. This service is something from which any librarian could highly benefit.

A RSS Mashup using Yahoo Pipes will save time and enable users to control the information they wish to obtain within the RSS and blog feeds. As new graduates we all need to remember a library is meant to be a hub of information and therefore we need to be immersed in the flow of increasing technological change.

Creativity: By using Yahoo Pipes we were able to create an innovative RSS feed creator that is able to focus on a specific technology or topic of the user’s choice. The search function built into this service gives it one step up and above other typical RSS Mashups.

Software: There are several applications that can be used. We decided to use Yahoo Pipes; however there were others we considered for example: Google’s Feedburner.

Our preference to Yahoo Pipes was twofold:

• It is a new and innovative technology that will likely gain attention and it would be in the class’ best interest to be exposed to it.
• Yahoo Pipes is available for free to any user with a Yahoo account.

It is worthwhile noting that of the RSS feed we used, they were already created. Yet given more time and with many RSS creators available; a RSS feed could be created and used as a Mashup resource.

For our situation, we chose to show 18 technology based resources with a focus on web 2.0 resources for librarians which range from basic to technical. The selection of RSS feeds and blogs were based on the relevance to technology, focused on libraries, technical experts and librarian’s use. Overall, we found them extremely useful.

Typing in keyword(s) to the search box provides a filter for the Yahoo Pipes. When relevant results are found, the display resembles Google. No duplicates are shown. Also, all the items are sorted in descending order by publication date with a maximum of 40 results.

Usefulness of the service: This service will allow users to create specific RSS feeds for various different technological innovations they are interested in. The Yahoo Pipes technology reduces the time it would take for an individual to search through all the results, for example, 18 sources for content relevant to their interests. It is possible to use images as well, though for our purposes we kept images out to keep the results clearer with better results.

Limitations: This product is still in Beta. No determined production date is available so your Mashup may be inaccessible with no notice period or updates to the type of feeds it searches may not be created. The title of the information does not change like when you read email for example, the “read” mail changes color or as in the case of a hyperlink changes when the link has been used. Some users may read that same entry twice.

Visit our prototype:

http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=6e00eb1c73832c857b672c0c93a0feb1

See you in two weeks.

The trend to use cloud computing actually blurs the lines between proprietary and open source software. Most of the firms peddling this model, such as Amazon and Google, use open-source software, since having to pay licensing fees would make the business unprofitable.  But their services also rely on code developed in-house, which is NOT given away free. Microsoft, of course, is building a huge cloud using its own software ( as advertised Nov 1^st, 2010 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20021283-56.html?tag=nl.e703). As computing becomes a service delivered over the Internet, it will hardly matter how the underlying software is developed.

Surprisingly, most of the articles this week focused on the positive aspects such as reduced cost by renting software and operating systems, plus access 24×7 and universities’ increased use of clouds. Negative aspects were also mentioned such as concerns about loss of control, security, data integrity, and audit trails as well as a need to learn skills and a change in thinking. Karen Mills and Ellyssa Krosk clearly advocated caution thorough assessment before committing funding and staff to cloud services, which makes sense.

None, however, mentioned if organizations are not careful, companies and consumers could get locked into a cloud even more tightly than into a piece of software. This is because data residing in the cloud can be hard to move to another service. “If you have a gigabyte somewhere, it develops a certain inertia.” Says Mike Olson, the boss of Cloudera, which recently found it could not switch from a poor storage service because there was no way to move the data.SOURCE: The Economist. p. 69, May 30^th –June5th, 2009 Volume 391, Number 8633

What role do or could librarians play in this downside of clouding, if any?

This week I rather enjoyed the topic of twitter. I personally use it to track ideas and thoughts. I have written my thoughts in some tweets:

Some messages are under 140 characters and well, others are …too but they would be additional tweets following right after the first one.

Tweet#1 With Johnson, I too was sceptical and now am attached to watching Twitter, I have to ‘jump into the stream’ as Schonefield says. Twitter is changing the way we talk!

Tweet#2Twitter, in plain English “ …[with] 140 characters[, i]t’s not too many words …. Twitter means you do not ever have to read long messages.”

Tweet#3 “Libraries can no longer wait for patrons to come to them”(Twittering Libraries, 2008), provides a practical resource for a librarian, from a librarian.

An example of many Tweets –

Tweet#4Jump into the stream by Erick Schonfield (2009) quoting Borthwick, still holds true about info overload, “ …How do you keep from drowning in the deluge? Borthwick suggests Tweet#4.1 letting go of the notion that you can ever master the stream, …:

This isn’t an inbox we have to empty, or a page we have to get to the bottom of — Tweet#4.2 its a flow of data that we can dip into at will but we can’t attempt to gain an all encompassing view of it.

So jump into the stream and let it carry Tweet#4.3 you away. Or you can [stay] stand[ing] timidly on the banks” and watch things pass you by.

Assessment on Twitter (still the same message), messages are brief, so what can be said to assess brevity? Primarily, Twitter library accounts are used to announce events/news, and advise a program/book/author to patrons. Some tweets are formal, and reserved i.e. college or university versus a public library, which appears to be very chatty with the patrons. Yale University makes it easy to disguise their site by the background. To see the difference between Twitter and Friendfind, I have to take more time on Friendfind. At this point, I would stay with Twitter. It has to do with who is available through Twitter, I can follow more people of interest than Friendfind. For me, Friendfind would soon be ‘just another login/pswd to recall.’

Hennepin County Library is using FaceBook (FB) much like a blog so I ask – why not blog? Maybe the interest is in getting a certain clientele, I am not sure. Seeing pictures of patrons and events as communication/announcements, that is also possible through a blog. I especially like looking through the comments patrons had on what they were reading on a rainy day, which also can be done through a blog. One item that is not easily done through a blog is a tabulation of what people like (with the thumbs up image). Maybe in this instance, FB shows the advantage it has over a blog, when patrons want to participate minimally. In addition, to see patrons details is possible through FB (by links and friends, etc.) that a blog will likely not have.

Personally, if a library is going to use the FB social networking tool then I would  rather have it as a library account rather than having each librarian have FB account. In having individual account I can only see this as a competition and doubling up on details which could be told through the library account on FB or library blog.

UWO community blog is cutting off potential users because of its dark blue background that makes reading the text difficult for patrons with visual impairment. There is a surprising 961 entries since its inception. None of them are tagged in the few presubscribed categories. This kind of blog is more of an “Announcement” or “Link” blog  (learned during our “Blog” week in class) where updating up to 5+ times a week is critical. Yet the last blog was posted the latter part of July 2010. For the purpose of the blog and consistency of the posts, without negating the importance of the blog , an RSS option could be used (which I thought I had seen but is not immediately visible on the front page). My suggestion on what other social networking tools could be used are FaceBook or a wiki. Either one and a blog for that matter, are work to maintain.

ADDL MySpace Branch has the appearance of being active and is inviting as well as friendly. I was intrigued to see there were so many followers. And in poking around, I was curious to find reasons why the site attracted so many followers. There is really something for every taste! The groups set up by categories have many thousands of people listed.

There are a variety of tools that were used such as blogs, RSS feeds, and links outside of the MySpace to the catalogue. It appears the ADDL MySpace has had a lot of traffic. But the last blog was posted even later than the UWO which shows what can happen if the community of practitioners is not working together to update the site. As librarians, we do not only supply information but have an idea of the life cycle of a document. We need to be an example and educate/inform users on this cycle and the process involved.

Initially this ADDL MySpace page appears to be active but upon closer investigation there are only parts which are alive and well because some links are broken and last postings are outdated.  Therefore the newer site (aadl.org) should be the primary location as the last blog post was this week. Then this site should take users back to the ADDL MySpace group page, not the other way around.  Obviously there are a wide variety of choices ADDL provides in social networking tools. It would have taken much work to get so many followers but any loss would be effortless. Therefore it is suggested that in order to keep patrons coming back ensure the links and information are regularly up-dated to prevent any perception of a time wasted. But the number of tools included in ADDL MySpace is impressive!

Twice I tried to load Myowncafe.org but it did not show anything. It is not clear what this site might have as far as networking tools are concerned.

In conclusion: Of what I have seen I would suggest that FB or MySpace can be minimally advantageous to a library but not necessary to communicate a library’s messages. A library can possibly see the patrons on a different level and maybe behind the scenes, gather statistics, or be seen as using a ‘hot’ tool. If these are goals of a library then use FB and MySpace. All in all, whichever tool is being used a  blog, wiki, FB or MySpace, all tools require consistent upkeep to keep the patrons coming back.

Of all the readings this week I thought it was interesting the Matthew Williams blog was the most emotional for me. It was not that his writing per se was exuding the emotion, he was getting on my nerves.

Ok we all know the difference between a slow class and a dynamic class, we are students and this is not our first degree. We may also have had the experience of teaching a dry subject and an exciting one. So which one would you like to learn or teach about? So we can say that we all know the difference between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation when learning and possibly teaching.

I would like to add in another term and then talk about professors and librarian roles in learning. While I was in Educational Psychology there were similar terms for learning like formal, nonformal, and informal learning. The OECD explains it (http://www.oecd.org/document/25/0,3343,en_2649_39263238_37136921_1_1_1_37455,00&&en-USS_01DBC.html). Formal learning is the structured classroom, e.g., lectures. The nonformal learning is not structured nor are there set processes, rather it is an activity carried out for the experience, like eating different fruits. The informal learning is a space between the two previous terms where the student is interested (intrinsically) and there is semi-structure to the process of learning, e.g., observation with tips from peers when learning to ride a bike. The last two types of learning are happening more then we realize.

Williams states that learning has to come “[w]hen the activities in the classroom become a part of each student’s personal abilities, talent and desire …” (n.p.). I do not agree that the learning for students is on the professor’s shoulders. It may apply to a kindergarten class but not at the university level. But I do think that is where a librarian could be very useful.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not offering excuses for a professor’s teaching but (from my nonformal learning at the Master’s level) when you really see the responsibilities a professor has to carry out his or her full job description, you too may not agree. Each professor has to research his or her field of expertise continually, each has to publish/write, each has to mark, mentor, and complete community duties plus many administrative duties as well. Probably the last thing many professors think about is the delivery or how ‘…each student’s personal abilities, talent and desire …” works. S/he may be interested in those students who seriously ask questions that contribute to class activities but do they have to interact through FaceBook (FB) instead of email as well? Many professors are not concerned with the students. This is where I think Williams could have ‘picked up the ball’ for the librarians to remind professors as academics and instructors, to involve librarians in their teaching plans. In this way the professor/instructor could ask or receive suggestions that would involve the librarians more in the subject matter being taught formally. It is at this time, the librarian’s FB account can be used (but is not necessary because FB is a means of communicating) to help students reach librarians and access or exchange needed information. Librarians would have to consider the privacy issues to determine how the library would involve FB (Mack, Behler, Roberts, and Rimland, 2007) in the nonformal and informal teaching with students for the professors. Tell me, if you think this is a plausible option from your experience as a teacher, or/and student.

If you are interested in some social media tools, I made that my focus on my crowdsourcing assignment. Most of the tools I found were interesting and could be of some use for a public library. Although not new to the delicious environment, if curious, you can find them on: http://www.delicious.com/lis9763doris

This particular library link went right to the catalogue page, a natural given as we are looking at tagging. I found my reaction a bit of   ‘Oh, this is quiet.’  But let me assure you the front page of the library is alive and full of activities in which to be involved .

Back to tagging, I thought I would use a natural language or free language To find a particular book. I thought I would try the keyword field, one hit returned as many as 2192. In refining my terms I was able to return 8 which is better from a numbers point of view but I did not find my book. Then in looking for the book by title I checked the details on the book that way (backwards). In knowing the subject the library had it classified under, there are about 790 books to look through.

I thought this library was using “Library Thing” which is centred on a social tagging process. I am afraid this time I would not have seen any evidence of that type of tagging in the catalogue. After looking at the blog area, there too, is no evidence of social tagging. In the Fiction Best Sellers, there is no indication the librarians have asked for ‘help’ on tagging from the community. Even the page with new audio material is fine with the picture, title, and author but it connects back to the catalogue which is proving to me to be nothing less than the regular OPAC  subject headings without any interaction of social tagging. Did you find the area that is social tagged? Tell me if you did.  Other than guessing at the subject words one will spend a bit of time looking for material. My advice is to go to the librarians at Danbury Library to use their knowledge and get your information faster. Yes, this way of organizing the catalogue is one possible way to secure a job temporarily  that is until social tagging takes hold of the community, and moves into the library along side of using social media tools.