Many libraries that otherwise do not have much of a Web 2.0 presence use RSS feeds on their site (Lin, 2008). They are relatively easy to install on a website, have cross-functionality with a variety of different aggregator programs, and can keep patrons informed on topics of interest. Libraries have used RSS feeds on their websites to keep patrons informed about new collection items, services, and items in subscription databases (Maness, 2006).
However, although in theory RSS could be a great asset to libraries, in practice many patrons have not taken advantage of what it has to offer. Thus, Library and Information Science professionals have mainly used the tool to subscribe to LIS-related blogs (Holvoet, 2006), thereby increasing their own professional knowledge but not necessarily that of the people they serve. The best way to bring RSS's advantages to library patrons, particularly for academic libraries, is to follow the example of the Karolinska Instituet and create an individualized page for patrons that aggregates all the information they choose to put on it (Maness, 2006). For those who need to keep abreast of new developments in rapidly changing fields, such as science and technology, this is truly an invaluable asset.
Another roadblock to optimization of RSS use for libraries is a simple lack of training in the medium. LibGuides such as the one created at MIT are helpful for academic patrons, but it is worth the effort to either create similar guides or provide training sessions and tutorials for interested public library users as well. Libraries which maintain or aggregate blogs on their websites might also consider adding RSS feeds to them, as this would broaden patrons' ability to comment on, and by extension participate further in, the Web 2.0 process. Relevant websites and trusted information sources could also benefit from libraries using them in an RSS context (Holvoet, 2006).
Libraries and librarians have already succeeded in finding the utility for RSS in expanding their own professional horizons. The challenge that lies ahead for them is now finding a way to expand RSS usage so that patrons are comfortable with its use, knowledgeable about how to optimize it, and have a dedicated, personalized space - preferably via a library - in which they can use the aggregated information to their best advantage.
References
Holvoet, K. (2006). What is RSS and how can libraries use it to improve patron service? Library Hi Tech News Incorporating Online and CD Notes, 23(8), 32-33.
Linh, N. C. (2008). A survey of the application of web 2.0 in Australasian university libraries. Library Hi Tech, 26(4), 630-653.
Maness, J. M. (2006). Library 2.0 theory: Web 2.0 and its implications for libraries. Webology, 3(2), 2006. Retrieved from http://www.webology.ir/2006/v3n2/a25.html
Monday, February 21, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
What Libraries Should Consider Before Starting a Blog
A library, by its very nature, must value the feedback and suggestions of its patrons (Streight, 2007). To fail to do so means the library's resources will fall into disuse, and its funding - the bulk of which comes from taxpayer-funded sources - may dry up entirely. A blog may be useful to a library in this respect in that it discusses issues, events, and other subjects of interest to library patrons, as well as encouraging their feedback and participation. The information libraries convey in these posts, not to mention patron responses, are of a type that cannot necessarily be conveyed in 140 characters or fewer (Glassmeyer, 2010). This sends the message to those who use the library that their voices are valid, their words and time valuable, and that the library is actively listening and responding to what they have to say (King, 2007).
That said, there are certain aspects of blogging it behooves libraries to consider in advance. The first, and perhaps most obvious, is that of time. While it is possible for one librarian to be responsible for updating the blog, responding to posts, and otherwise maintaining the site, it makes more sense for most institutions to establish a posting schedule and a reasonably balanced division of labor between several contributors (Glassmeyer, 2010). This librarian, or group of librarians, will also be responsible for disseminating and promoting the blog, making sure via whichever method is most effective that patrons are aware of its existence and continued relevance.
Another consideration is that of cost. While there are a number of free blogging platforms available - this blog being a prime example - some libraries may want to create a dedicated URL for their own institution, not to mention customizing the layout to their own specifications. Expenses for the creation and maintenance of such a site must therefore be given careful consideration. Another related consideration is that of library staff who are computer-savvy enough to be able to make these updates and changes as needed, and the relative advantages and drawbacks of either hiring or training such employees.
Some decisions libraries make with regard to their blogs will, of course, turn out to be wrong for them. While such situations are not ideal, libraries will gain from them in the end if they learn what mistakes have actually been made and take the time, effort and money to reverse them (Skellie, 2007). This is doubly true in responding to negative customer feedback. Although the immediate instinct is to go on the defensive in such situations, the wise library-based blogger will have a well-formulated policy in place to address these concerns in a calm, effective, and ultimately productive manner.
References
Glassmeyer, S. (2010). The library blog is dead. Long live the library blog. Retrieved from http://sarahglassmeyer.com/?p=503
King, D.L. (2007). Valuing users by allowing comments. Retrieved from http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/11/05/valuing-users-by-allowing-comments/
Skellie. (2007). 101 essential blogging skills. Retrieved from http://www.skelliewag.org/101-essential-blogging-skills-67.htm
Streight, S.E. (2007). 20 reasons a business should NOT blog. Retrieved from http://vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com/2007/10/20-reasons-business-should-not-blog.html
That said, there are certain aspects of blogging it behooves libraries to consider in advance. The first, and perhaps most obvious, is that of time. While it is possible for one librarian to be responsible for updating the blog, responding to posts, and otherwise maintaining the site, it makes more sense for most institutions to establish a posting schedule and a reasonably balanced division of labor between several contributors (Glassmeyer, 2010). This librarian, or group of librarians, will also be responsible for disseminating and promoting the blog, making sure via whichever method is most effective that patrons are aware of its existence and continued relevance.
Another consideration is that of cost. While there are a number of free blogging platforms available - this blog being a prime example - some libraries may want to create a dedicated URL for their own institution, not to mention customizing the layout to their own specifications. Expenses for the creation and maintenance of such a site must therefore be given careful consideration. Another related consideration is that of library staff who are computer-savvy enough to be able to make these updates and changes as needed, and the relative advantages and drawbacks of either hiring or training such employees.
Some decisions libraries make with regard to their blogs will, of course, turn out to be wrong for them. While such situations are not ideal, libraries will gain from them in the end if they learn what mistakes have actually been made and take the time, effort and money to reverse them (Skellie, 2007). This is doubly true in responding to negative customer feedback. Although the immediate instinct is to go on the defensive in such situations, the wise library-based blogger will have a well-formulated policy in place to address these concerns in a calm, effective, and ultimately productive manner.
References
Glassmeyer, S. (2010). The library blog is dead. Long live the library blog. Retrieved from http://sarahglassmeyer.com/?p=503
King, D.L. (2007). Valuing users by allowing comments. Retrieved from http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/11/05/valuing-users-by-allowing-comments/
Skellie. (2007). 101 essential blogging skills. Retrieved from http://www.skelliewag.org/101-essential-blogging-skills-67.htm
Streight, S.E. (2007). 20 reasons a business should NOT blog. Retrieved from http://vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com/2007/10/20-reasons-business-should-not-blog.html
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
In Your Blog, Aggregating Your News
1. All of the five blogs to which we subscribed contained similar information about their creators: information on availability, a discussion of their core values, the purpose of their blog and the issues with which said blogs were concerned, and in the case of Librarian by Day, a disclaimer that the opinions expressed on her blog were her own. This tied in with the our discussion last week of social media policies, in that a librarian in the public eye took scrupulous care to maintain her own public image as well as preserving that of the institution for which she works.
Librarian by Day tends to aggregate a number of links on the same subject in a single blog entry. Although this form of news collection is useful, it can be a bit daunting to wade through. I appreciate Librarian by Day's thoroughness, but feel some more effort could be made to make the site a bit more "bite-sized." Although The Librarian's Commute does touch on news from outside sources, the focus of her blog tends to be more on the practical application of LIS skills, providing an inside view into her take on tasks from weeding her collection to the subject of technological apprehensiveness. This approach appears to differ from the first in that she focuses on humanizing the library experience - often showing her own faults in the process - rather than simply informing or educating.
David Lee King's blog tends to focus more on examining current technology and trends, but he too tries to personalize the experience for the reader, at one point going so far as to show his library's new smart phone application on his own phone. The Distant Librarian, rather than simply reviewing technology, often reviews actual library materials as well; his blog also has an excellent and informative feature at the end of each post providing links to other posts on similar subjects that may be of interest. Although all the sites provide topic groupings via tags and other links, this provides an on-the-spot tie-in with the subject at hand.
All of these sites were written by individual authors; In the Library with the Lead Pipe, by contrast, has at least 7 regular contributors plus group and guest posts. This, however, is intended to further the site's overall aim of education and information about ways to improve libraries and their communities. It is also noteworthy that, as a site with multiple contributors, the blog is peer-reviewed. Although most entries contain multiple links to outside sources, entry formats are more essay-based than aggregated, with multiple sources examining issues such as libraries' use of Facebook.
2. Although I can appreciate the overall utility of posts bringing together multiple links on either one topic or interconnected ones, my preference for casual reading purposes lies either with concise posts linking to a few external sites, but essentially concerned with one topic. Moreover, my favorite posts on LIS subjects tie in the subject matter with the librarian's personal experience; the more personal they can make this topic, the easier it is to relate to how current issues and trends affect us on a practical level. A well-designed site is always pleasant to read; however, if given the choice, I would rather read an accessible and engaging blog written with prefab templates than an impeccably designed and personalized one that fails to involve me on a personal level.
3. Librarian.net ties in library news with current events, and sometimes even touches on the other blogs in the assignment, most notably that of David Lee King.She tends to do so, however, in a far more focused and concise manner than the other blogs, often commenting on a single link or story rather than aggregating several interlinked ones. This does not necessarily add complexity, but does give a clear, direct view of current issues of interest to LIS professionals.
One of the other three blogs I subscribed to was Librarian in Black, a blog in a similar vein to Librarian by Day (albeit with hipper graphics). Although the author of this blog focuses to a large extent on her own presentations, it is worth noting that the actual subject matter focuses on education, aggregation of current trends and events, and furthering the library cause by embracing new technology.
In an effort to get a sense of what libraries were having patrons discuss in terms of actual library materials, I subscribed to Brooklyn Book Talk, organized by the Brooklyn Public Library. Although it discusses individual books and the issues contained therein, it also attempts to build "discussion arcs" tying in the works with philosophical and political issues, as well as other media. It is also worth noting that the site explicitly encourages input from patrons outside the Brooklyn Public Library system, although there do not appear to be any overt efforts to draw in such commenters.
4. Library blogs have the potential to bring people together in an interactive fashion, touch on current events, examine contrasting opinions, and even tie in literary materials with greater metaphysical concepts. The most successful ones, however, take into account presentation and tone as much as they do content. While it is not necessary to "dumb down" blogs, it helps to draw the reader in if a librarian adopts a "human" tone, admitting their own struggles with current issues rather than positioning themselves as infallible experts. Finally, although expressing personal opinions is a plus for librarian blogs, it is also helpful for librarians to cross-check these opinions with their peers, and to back up assertions with solid and readily accessible evidence.
Librarian by Day tends to aggregate a number of links on the same subject in a single blog entry. Although this form of news collection is useful, it can be a bit daunting to wade through. I appreciate Librarian by Day's thoroughness, but feel some more effort could be made to make the site a bit more "bite-sized." Although The Librarian's Commute does touch on news from outside sources, the focus of her blog tends to be more on the practical application of LIS skills, providing an inside view into her take on tasks from weeding her collection to the subject of technological apprehensiveness. This approach appears to differ from the first in that she focuses on humanizing the library experience - often showing her own faults in the process - rather than simply informing or educating.
David Lee King's blog tends to focus more on examining current technology and trends, but he too tries to personalize the experience for the reader, at one point going so far as to show his library's new smart phone application on his own phone. The Distant Librarian, rather than simply reviewing technology, often reviews actual library materials as well; his blog also has an excellent and informative feature at the end of each post providing links to other posts on similar subjects that may be of interest. Although all the sites provide topic groupings via tags and other links, this provides an on-the-spot tie-in with the subject at hand.
All of these sites were written by individual authors; In the Library with the Lead Pipe, by contrast, has at least 7 regular contributors plus group and guest posts. This, however, is intended to further the site's overall aim of education and information about ways to improve libraries and their communities. It is also noteworthy that, as a site with multiple contributors, the blog is peer-reviewed. Although most entries contain multiple links to outside sources, entry formats are more essay-based than aggregated, with multiple sources examining issues such as libraries' use of Facebook.
2. Although I can appreciate the overall utility of posts bringing together multiple links on either one topic or interconnected ones, my preference for casual reading purposes lies either with concise posts linking to a few external sites, but essentially concerned with one topic. Moreover, my favorite posts on LIS subjects tie in the subject matter with the librarian's personal experience; the more personal they can make this topic, the easier it is to relate to how current issues and trends affect us on a practical level. A well-designed site is always pleasant to read; however, if given the choice, I would rather read an accessible and engaging blog written with prefab templates than an impeccably designed and personalized one that fails to involve me on a personal level.
3. Librarian.net ties in library news with current events, and sometimes even touches on the other blogs in the assignment, most notably that of David Lee King.She tends to do so, however, in a far more focused and concise manner than the other blogs, often commenting on a single link or story rather than aggregating several interlinked ones. This does not necessarily add complexity, but does give a clear, direct view of current issues of interest to LIS professionals.
One of the other three blogs I subscribed to was Librarian in Black, a blog in a similar vein to Librarian by Day (albeit with hipper graphics). Although the author of this blog focuses to a large extent on her own presentations, it is worth noting that the actual subject matter focuses on education, aggregation of current trends and events, and furthering the library cause by embracing new technology.
In an effort to get a sense of what libraries were having patrons discuss in terms of actual library materials, I subscribed to Brooklyn Book Talk, organized by the Brooklyn Public Library. Although it discusses individual books and the issues contained therein, it also attempts to build "discussion arcs" tying in the works with philosophical and political issues, as well as other media. It is also worth noting that the site explicitly encourages input from patrons outside the Brooklyn Public Library system, although there do not appear to be any overt efforts to draw in such commenters.
4. Library blogs have the potential to bring people together in an interactive fashion, touch on current events, examine contrasting opinions, and even tie in literary materials with greater metaphysical concepts. The most successful ones, however, take into account presentation and tone as much as they do content. While it is not necessary to "dumb down" blogs, it helps to draw the reader in if a librarian adopts a "human" tone, admitting their own struggles with current issues rather than positioning themselves as infallible experts. Finally, although expressing personal opinions is a plus for librarian blogs, it is also helpful for librarians to cross-check these opinions with their peers, and to back up assertions with solid and readily accessible evidence.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Library Staff Social Media Policy
A library, especially a public one, is usually a non-profit organization, and thus has no profit motive for maintaining customer satisfaction. That said, a faulty or nonexistent online presence can spell doom for a library in the sense of losing potential funding, failing to draw in new patrons, and failing to hold the interest of current library users.
In most for-profit organizations, it must be decided who will handle customer complaints and in which department, leading to a necessity for communications between departments (Smith, Wollan & Zhou, 2011). In a library, by contrast, there may be several people monitoring, for example, an email account dedicated to answering reference questions. At King Library, a hybrid public and academic library in San Jose, CA, this could be anyone from an academic or public librarian to a student intern. If all such persons are present, one could hand individual questions off to another based on their respective areas of expertise. Thus, the concern is less who should handle the questions than what the standardized form of response should be. Many libraries have standard "answer templates" or other guidelines in place; such boilerplate issues should be decided in advance to the fullest extent possible.
Many librarians enjoy expressing their opinions, anonymously or not, on the state of all things LIS on personal blogs. Although most social media policies would not - and should not - prevent this, I would stipulate in the policy that employees identify the site as expressing their opinions only and not those of their employer, if the employer can be reasonably identified from information on the site (Heathfield, 2011).
In terms of releasing confidential information on such applications, my main concern would be for patron privacy. Anything that could be potentially damaging to a patron in turn damages the organization's ability to maintain a reasonable expectation of confidentiality. Distributing library materials online would also be prohibited, not because of any loss of profit but because of potential violations of fair use.
Many libraries, especially smaller ones, do not necessarily have a dedicated department, or even individual, to answer media inquiries and deal with public relations. Here, again, it would be useful to develop a template or at least a set of guidelines for any individual with access to the "common" media inquiries account. A clear and concise set of predetermined answers, while not always applicable, could play a crucial role in the library's public image and reputation.
References
Heathfield, S.M. (2011). Blogging and social media policy sample. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/policysamplesb/a/blogging_policy.htm
Smith, N., Wollan, R. & Zhou, C. (2011). The social media management handbook: everything you need to know to get social media working in your business. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
In most for-profit organizations, it must be decided who will handle customer complaints and in which department, leading to a necessity for communications between departments (Smith, Wollan & Zhou, 2011). In a library, by contrast, there may be several people monitoring, for example, an email account dedicated to answering reference questions. At King Library, a hybrid public and academic library in San Jose, CA, this could be anyone from an academic or public librarian to a student intern. If all such persons are present, one could hand individual questions off to another based on their respective areas of expertise. Thus, the concern is less who should handle the questions than what the standardized form of response should be. Many libraries have standard "answer templates" or other guidelines in place; such boilerplate issues should be decided in advance to the fullest extent possible.
Many librarians enjoy expressing their opinions, anonymously or not, on the state of all things LIS on personal blogs. Although most social media policies would not - and should not - prevent this, I would stipulate in the policy that employees identify the site as expressing their opinions only and not those of their employer, if the employer can be reasonably identified from information on the site (Heathfield, 2011).
In terms of releasing confidential information on such applications, my main concern would be for patron privacy. Anything that could be potentially damaging to a patron in turn damages the organization's ability to maintain a reasonable expectation of confidentiality. Distributing library materials online would also be prohibited, not because of any loss of profit but because of potential violations of fair use.
Many libraries, especially smaller ones, do not necessarily have a dedicated department, or even individual, to answer media inquiries and deal with public relations. Here, again, it would be useful to develop a template or at least a set of guidelines for any individual with access to the "common" media inquiries account. A clear and concise set of predetermined answers, while not always applicable, could play a crucial role in the library's public image and reputation.
References
Heathfield, S.M. (2011). Blogging and social media policy sample. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/policysamplesb/a/blogging_policy.htm
Smith, N., Wollan, R. & Zhou, C. (2011). The social media management handbook: everything you need to know to get social media working in your business. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Exercise: Peet's Online Presence Blend
I selected Peet's Coffee and Tea as the organization for this assignment, on the grounds that it was a local company that had branched out as a nationwide presence. Although it lacks the worldwide presence of Starbuck's at this point in time, it has the potential to do so, provided it markets its product effectively and maintains effective connections with consumers.
1. A search for "Peet's Coffee" using Google Blog Search revealed less about any customer opinions on the subject than it did about recent news affecting the organization. Several industry-based blogs, such as Bullfax and DataGrant Venture Capital News, mentioned a recent bidding war between Peet's and Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee. The company both parties were trying to acquire manufactures K-Cups, a type of single-serving coffee "cartridge" that is particularly popular at workplaces. Other blogs appeared either to mention sales and promotions going on at Peet's and other coffee franchises, or generally glowing reviews.
A Yelp search yielded over 300 reviews for the San Jose area alone. Most of the respondents were already fans of their actual coffee, calling it "better than Starbucks, if given the choice" and noting that "the coffee tastes exactly the same here as it does any other peets." Thus, most of the reviews had to do with the amenities offered at various locations, as well as their proximity to the reviewer's home or work. There was also much favorable mention of the company's tea products, which drew people to the store who did not even drink coffee.
2. In addition to maintaining an extensive home page, Peet's has its own Twitter feed, Peets_Tweets. Although this feed mainly mentions various sales, promotions, and limited edition coffee and tea products, there are also a number of responses to customer concerns. These usually have to do with locations of coffee shops; when such shops are not available, Peet's will usually mention that their products are sold in local supermarkets, and provide a URL for store listings. At present, this feed has over 7,000 followers; by contrast, Starbuck's main twitter feed has almost 80,000. Given their respective market shares, this seems a reasonable difference.
Overall, Peet's efforts in using Web 2.0 tools seems to be working. A search on SocialMention yielded a 9:1 positive sentiment ratio, although the majority of comments were neutral ones. One of the most popular keywords used in relation to Peet's was "Starbucks," ostensibly for comparison. Twitter and Digg were the overwhelming favorites in terms of particular application used. The most popular related hash tags had to do with employment, and most tweets had to do with the person's current location at a shop. By contrast, the Digg links mostly had to do with a local news story about a recent homicide at a Peet's in San Jose, although this did not seem to affect customer opinions of the brand as a whole. Both Tweets and Diggs had a passion rating of over 50%, indicating a highly dedicated fanbase. A search on HowSociable also revealed a strong - and positive - presence on Facebook, with over 50,000 fans subscribed to their site. Posts on their wall were also largely positive, but there did not appear to be any direct public response to customer comments.
3. Other than Twitter and Facebook, Peet's does not appear to be using any other Web 2.0 applications, such as a blog from their website. Communication on their Facebook site seems to be one-sided: customers post comments which receive no response, and Peet's posts links to information about sales, promotions, events, and other items of interest, sometimes garnering responses from customers. Their most proactive form of customer contact appears to be on Twitter. While this is a strong start, and probably the best medium to do so, Peet's could make more of an effort to address customer concerns on Facebook. While occasional negative news stories might come up in connection to the organization - for example, the homicide in San Jose - these stories are often not findable until at least the second page of results, and do not appear to have generated any transparent attempts at spin control. Overall, Peet's appears to have an honest and reasonably transparent online presence, but could make a stronger attempt at responding to consumers in addition to reaching out to them.
1. A search for "Peet's Coffee" using Google Blog Search revealed less about any customer opinions on the subject than it did about recent news affecting the organization. Several industry-based blogs, such as Bullfax and DataGrant Venture Capital News, mentioned a recent bidding war between Peet's and Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee. The company both parties were trying to acquire manufactures K-Cups, a type of single-serving coffee "cartridge" that is particularly popular at workplaces. Other blogs appeared either to mention sales and promotions going on at Peet's and other coffee franchises, or generally glowing reviews.
A Yelp search yielded over 300 reviews for the San Jose area alone. Most of the respondents were already fans of their actual coffee, calling it "better than Starbucks, if given the choice" and noting that "the coffee tastes exactly the same here as it does any other peets." Thus, most of the reviews had to do with the amenities offered at various locations, as well as their proximity to the reviewer's home or work. There was also much favorable mention of the company's tea products, which drew people to the store who did not even drink coffee.
2. In addition to maintaining an extensive home page, Peet's has its own Twitter feed, Peets_Tweets. Although this feed mainly mentions various sales, promotions, and limited edition coffee and tea products, there are also a number of responses to customer concerns. These usually have to do with locations of coffee shops; when such shops are not available, Peet's will usually mention that their products are sold in local supermarkets, and provide a URL for store listings. At present, this feed has over 7,000 followers; by contrast, Starbuck's main twitter feed has almost 80,000. Given their respective market shares, this seems a reasonable difference.
Overall, Peet's efforts in using Web 2.0 tools seems to be working. A search on SocialMention yielded a 9:1 positive sentiment ratio, although the majority of comments were neutral ones. One of the most popular keywords used in relation to Peet's was "Starbucks," ostensibly for comparison. Twitter and Digg were the overwhelming favorites in terms of particular application used. The most popular related hash tags had to do with employment, and most tweets had to do with the person's current location at a shop. By contrast, the Digg links mostly had to do with a local news story about a recent homicide at a Peet's in San Jose, although this did not seem to affect customer opinions of the brand as a whole. Both Tweets and Diggs had a passion rating of over 50%, indicating a highly dedicated fanbase. A search on HowSociable also revealed a strong - and positive - presence on Facebook, with over 50,000 fans subscribed to their site. Posts on their wall were also largely positive, but there did not appear to be any direct public response to customer comments.
3. Other than Twitter and Facebook, Peet's does not appear to be using any other Web 2.0 applications, such as a blog from their website. Communication on their Facebook site seems to be one-sided: customers post comments which receive no response, and Peet's posts links to information about sales, promotions, events, and other items of interest, sometimes garnering responses from customers. Their most proactive form of customer contact appears to be on Twitter. While this is a strong start, and probably the best medium to do so, Peet's could make more of an effort to address customer concerns on Facebook. While occasional negative news stories might come up in connection to the organization - for example, the homicide in San Jose - these stories are often not findable until at least the second page of results, and do not appear to have generated any transparent attempts at spin control. Overall, Peet's appears to have an honest and reasonably transparent online presence, but could make a stronger attempt at responding to consumers in addition to reaching out to them.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
How Social Networking Tools Have Affected my Life and Work
My introduction to both Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 has usually come about through either my academic career or social aspects related to said career. First introduced to email as an undergraduate in the mid-1990s, I subsequently graduated to newsgroups, general web-surfing, and other 1.0 innovations. I started to hear talk of "blogs" around the time I graduated, but as I was unclear on the concept I chose to ignore them for the time being.
I was to do the same years later when I heardFacebook mentioned for the first time among graduate school classmates, then primarily as a time-wasting mechanism they used instead of doing homework. I signed up for an account only because my brother also had one, and then promptly forgot about it. It was not until a decade later that I started to use Facebook on purpose, at first to connect with friends and family, and then to other people who shared similar interests, even interests as simple as Facebook -based games. In so doing, it has helped me gain insight into the variety of different reasons people might connect via social networking sites, both with those they know and those they have never met.
If one accepts Chua and Goh's (2010) findings that academic libraries use Web 2.0 applications far more than public libraries, my experiences as an LIS student would seem to bear this out. I was introduced to RSS feeds via an introductory course assignment, designed to teach us how news aggregators worked. Although I initially used this only for class, I soon found it of interest for personal use in terms of keeping up with current events, both important and trivial ones. In addition to news aggregators, moreover, another course introduced me to Meebo, a Web 2.0 software that aggregated all of one's Instant Messaging accounts in one spot. Considering that I had amassed a number of accounts on various IM providers over the years, I also found this useful for daily life, although I am aware that it also has strong uses in an LIS setting, most notably for reference services (Chua & Goh, 2010).
Conversely, I used wikis - predominantly Wikipedia - on almost a daily basis, both as a launching point for academic and work references and to look up trivia for personal use. However, I almost never contributed to such sites, except to correct minor grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. It was not until I started doing group projects with other LIS students, some of whom lived on the other side of the country, that I began to see how user-created sites in this vein could have immediate practical collaborative use. This, in my opinion, illustrates the advantage Web 2.0 has over 1.0: it has a true affective and motivational impact on the learning process by encouraging creative collaboration among students (Hicks & Graber, 2010). I look forward to the opportunity of using Web 2.0 in general, but thistool in particular, in my future career as a librarian.
References
I was to do the same years later when I heard
If one accepts Chua and Goh's (2010) findings that academic libraries use Web 2.0 applications far more than public libraries, my experiences as an LIS student would seem to bear this out. I was introduced to RSS feeds via an introductory course assignment, designed to teach us how news aggregators worked. Although I initially used this only for class, I soon found it of interest for personal use in terms of keeping up with current events, both important and trivial ones. In addition to news aggregators, moreover, another course introduced me to Meebo, a Web 2.0 software that aggregated all of one's Instant Messaging accounts in one spot. Considering that I had amassed a number of accounts on various IM providers over the years, I also found this useful for daily life, although I am aware that it also has strong uses in an LIS setting, most notably for reference services (Chua & Goh, 2010).
Conversely, I used wikis - predominantly Wikipedia - on almost a daily basis, both as a launching point for academic and work references and to look up trivia for personal use. However, I almost never contributed to such sites, except to correct minor grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. It was not until I started doing group projects with other LIS students, some of whom lived on the other side of the country, that I began to see how user-created sites in this vein could have immediate practical collaborative use. This, in my opinion, illustrates the advantage Web 2.0 has over 1.0: it has a true affective and motivational impact on the learning process by encouraging creative collaboration among students (Hicks & Graber, 2010). I look forward to the opportunity of using Web 2.0 in general, but this
References
Chua, A. Y. K., & Goh, D. H. (2010). A study of web 2.0 applications in library websites. Library & Information Science Research 32(3), 203-211.
Hicks, A., & Graber, A. (2010). Shifting paradigms: Teaching, learning and web 2.0. Reference Services Review, 38(4), 621-633.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
An introduction of sorts
My name is Leah Coffin. I'm 34 years old, originally from Berkeley, CA, but currently residing in San Jose. I'm in my final (knock wood) semester in the SLIS program, and have really enjoyed meeting and interacting with other students, even if not always face to face.
In this class, I hope to gain a greater understanding of the Web 2.0 options available to users, as well as how they may be used to benefit libraries and librarians. Although I am reasonably proficient in using most Web 2.0 applications, I also hope to gain a deeper understanding of their capabilities, both in general and for LIS purposes. With any luck, I would also like to use some of those tools, including this blog, to stay in touch with and interact with the other students in this class.
Here's to a great semester!
In this class, I hope to gain a greater understanding of the Web 2.0 options available to users, as well as how they may be used to benefit libraries and librarians. Although I am reasonably proficient in using most Web 2.0 applications, I also hope to gain a deeper understanding of their capabilities, both in general and for LIS purposes. With any luck, I would also like to use some of those tools, including this blog, to stay in touch with and interact with the other students in this class.
Here's to a great semester!
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