Social Software in Libraries...

Where to begin?

I am a firm believer that Social Softwares should be used in Libraries, however, in order to use them, the libraries (librarians/techs/or who ever else is monitoring/setting-up, etc) has to be aware of its community and how the tools can be and should be set-up for their community. There seemed to be so many examples of "botched" social software being used in libraries. I believe that a lot of libraries are disconnected with their communities (however, some have really good social software tools, and do a great job!). Having a tool, and not being able to use it, is a very big handicap. It's the same concept as a construction worker who doesn't know how to hit a nail with a hammer, if the librarian doesn't know how to appeal to it's users, it simply won't work. To make it work I believe that the library has to look at certain things, and find what suits them best. By looking I mean:

1. Take the initiative!
   
2. Have focus groups, find out what the community wants, what is appealing to them!
3. Keep on top of the literature, stay ahead of the game, stay informed.
4. Keep reviewing and updating what you do. In today's society, things change in the blink of an eye, so be prepared to change, and re-adapt!
5. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.

The last point is a bit corny, but sometimes you have to explore different avenues, and start the process again, as times change, and there are more than one type of group in the community. Try to reach and help as many people as possible.

my 2cents!

This week's readings

Freita’s article is interesting, and foreshadows an attractive idea, and to my surprise the use of gaming in the UK was impressive. I was surprised to see it in so much use. Also, her comment about schools having to acquire the video cards that can play the newer games is also a valid comment. In the end, it seems to come back to the old idea that there needs to be more money invested in schools. It doesn’t matter if it’s related to acquiring gaming consoles or whatever else, times have in a sense changed, and the school system has to look at the new generation differently, and address their needs and prepare them for the ever changing environment.

The Squire and Steinkuehler article is quite informative. I was surprised and impressed to see what some libraries have done with regards to gaming. I remember hearing in some classes that some libraries were having gaming nights/activities, but I really had no idea to what extent, and how could the library take a constructive role in this. After reading this article, I can really see how it can work. I also liked the link between the games and taking out books on the topic. It is a new twist on learning and promoting the library. I like it! I definitely think there is room for this in public libraries, and librarians should push to include programs like these in their libraries.

The Doshi article presents an interesting learning curve in information literacy. I liked the idea of bringing in new ideas, joining with faculty and students. Making students more aware, and using their work to better the library is a great idea. In a sense, libraries have to collaborate more with external groups and resources. Why not bridge some of those gaps, and attempt to make the services better. The times are changing, and the librarians have to make the change, and find out what is more appealing to their community.

Oblinger’s article is interesting, and proposes some appealing possibilities. However, as she does conclude, presently games are not constructed for an educational environment, yet there may still be hope. Who knows what the future will hold. I can sympathize with what she is saying, and yes some games could maybe be included in the curriculum, but I would definitely not have it over a course. It could be added material, and I agree that it could lead to good educational discussions, and possibly even some good student papers, critiquing, or commenting on the games.

Cases for this week...

Again I know I'm a bit behind the schedule, but here goes...

I looked at the cases in reverse order, the first one was the UWO community live journal. I think that it is a great idea. It's a good place for students/people to communicate activities, questions, and interests about UWO. Now this is sort of going on a side point, but I'm going somewhere with this. A few of the posts were from incoming students, looking for apartments, student cards/bus pass, etc. Now when I was playing on Facebook, there's a whole section dedicated to people going to a new school (university)...now I wonder how this is being delt on that site. I looked up the community size on the Live Journal and it was a decent size, but I wonder how active is it? Facebook, it would seem that it would be easier to note the activity levels, etc. I am just making a comparison, and wondering how effective, each one is. I haven't gone or joined the Facebook/UWO new students, so I don't know, but I wonder how that network works.

The MySpace and Teens list on the wiki...I scrolled through the list and picked Pickering Public Library, figuring it might possibly be Canadian. I then looked at their site, and it seemed really outdated, and not very used. I am not sure what I can say about it. Some of the content seemed to date back to January of 2007. This makes me wonder, did they just give up, or not try to improve their site, etc. So many questions, but what to do, where to go? The idea of regrouping a list on a Wiki is a great idea. Makes me wonder if the people behind the Pickering Space, know about their presence on the Wiki. If so, why not look at other libraries that seem to have a Space that works. It is good to sometimes see what other people or groups are doing.

Jer

This Week's readings...

I know this posting is a bit late..but figured I'd still put up my thoughts...

Starting the articles off with Farkas was a great introduction, on good and bad practices, and how libraries can creatively use social networks, and be effective within the community. Most of the focus is on youth, which makes a lot of sense, and connecting with these people is crucial. Also, as Schmidt says, we should concentrate on educating, being role models. The library has to realize it's role and have a positive presence within the community. Abram's thoughts on the whole topic are interesting, he states "Why am I looking at this kiddy stuff, you ask? What can it possibly teach me about providing excellent service to my users/colleagues/students that have serious needs in our community and schools? Good question. And like all good questions, it generates more questions." This point is very valid. We need to sometimes step back and look at our surroundings and see how we can improve.

The Harris article is also interesting, I like the way he presents three possible areas where social networks can be used in the classroom. It's all about being productive, using new technology and appealing to the new generation.

Jer


P.S. I finally have aFacebook account. It's kind of interesting, not really sure what I want out of it yet, but true I have found a lot of friends on here, but what do I do after I've found them. I am not really sure of the possibilities/potential, and well I hope to figure some of this out in the near future. And to be honest, this week's readings made more sense on the role of social networks in libraries, so now I am trying to think about it, in a different manner.

Week 10 readings...

Social networking...hmmm my personal thoughts: I still haven't created an account on Facebook or MySpace, and have been hesitant to do it. I haven't bridged into the "wanting to be found/getting into the large networks" yet. I have a lot of networks, friends everywhere, but for me it's always been more of a personable/person to person thing, rather than technology thing. I know, call me old fashion, but it's just a personal thing.

The Matthew Williams article was interesting, and made me wonder if it is really going somewhere, his thoughts on where schooling is off, and that the system is archaic and that it is shown by how students are tapping out! I agree partly with this, as I often feel that what we do in classrooms could be improved. However, allowing students to listen to their Ipods in class is a bit pushing it. I for one know that I surf the net while I'm in class, but I blend my attention with what the prof is saying. If I think the information is really important, I usually tune out off of my laptop and concentrate on the prof. Also, often when I "surf" the net, I don't do facebook/Myspace, etc...often I'll be checking up on stuff that the prof is talking about, looking at more information. And I will admit that check emails and other stuff to, but I wonder how could teaching really include more technology, or a more suitable approach that would make students more aware/or more "into" the lecture.

The whole DOPA thing is shocking. I didn't realize there was so much policing in the U.S. However, it's not too surprising when I think about it, cause it is the U.S. On the other hand, I am surprised that Libraries/ALA haven't put up a larger stink about it, as they are usually the ones that want to make the library a place of freedom/free thought. I like how the Roush article commented on how it deprives Social Networking for youths, and suggests that it is an important cultural thing for youths today.

Coming back to my second paragraph, I just finished reading the Henry Jenkins article, and he finally found ways to integrate teaching and technology. His blogoshpere with the classroom is quite an interesting idea. I really like the sounds of it, and the potential that it has in the classroom.

My comments on this week's readings.

Jer

Week 8 readings..

Folksonomies....still not a fan. I have yet to be grabbed and very implicated in this folksonomy world. I know that I have to tag things for this course, but honestly, I get the advantages/disatvantages, but I think I might still be traditional and like the word to mouth and the good ole' reading up on stuff to find what I need. After going over the readings, I can see the problems of having misdirected groupings, which may mislead, and for a librarian to suggest that patrons might classify, or develop a better taxonomy. I know sometimes things get done, discovered, and sometimes the majority can change how things are done, but in the end it could just become an anarchy, there needs to be some order in things, and the cataloguer follows strict rules that keep things in order.

taking a blog holiday...

taking a blog holiday...check back next week :)

Wonderful world of wikis (case studies)...

Wow, thinking about my comment about the readings and questioning a point from Farkas and then going to the "Butler Wiki Ref"....I kind of take back my comment! After looking at the directory and browsing through and finding even student's personal entries about themselves, sort of user identification, wow'ed me! They really make it work. Then looking at the Wyoming author's wiki, that's kind of interesting also, and a neat idea. Great way to keep track of authors, their works, etc, and a good tool as a librarian to go to if anyone is ever looking for literature (of any kind on Wyoming!!).

As for the Princeton Public Library review site, I found it pretty neat, but I wondered if any user could add his or her comments to the books/reviews. Also what was neat with this site, if you clicked on the book, it brought you right into the catalogue, and you could see the item call number, location and if it was in or signed out.

The BizWiki is also interesting, however, when I saw the user list, I was surprised that it was so low (36). It made me wonder if students could not add to the wiki, and/or is the wiki limited to staff only for adding content? It is clear that the target audience is the university of Ohio: students, faculty, staff, and other library staff, etc. Overall, I like the chat widget that was added to the Main page, good idea/use of social software in an information tool.

Farkas is ahead of the game..

Farkas seems to be ahead of the game. She seems on top of uses, and has good practical examples of how Wikis can be used in libraries. Her suggestions are good, however one of them made me wonder how practical, or how serious would adding a wiki to a library catalogue be? Would students vandalize (ie: add junk/spam, etc) to the wiki/comment on books or would it be controlled, having all students/users log in and know who is writing what, and where. Part of the wiki ideology is that anyone should be able to contribute, no matter who they are, and "Wikipedia" has worked that way as anyone can create an alias and write about what they want. So how could you control who is writing in the wiki-catalogue/opac? However, Farkas seems to be on top of uses, and practicalities. When I did my coop with NRCan, we went through a lot of ideas and uses of wikis and I had read some material by Farkas a while ago, so I am not surprised to read these articles. Also, she has a book that has been long awaited (it might be out now) on Social Software in Libraries.

The Schiff article is also quite informative, and a good description of the history and progress of Wikipedia and the role that wikis can have in society. How information can be accessed, and added to a database, and also show how much information can be attained, when there seems to be no or very limited barriers.

cases for this week...

I am not really sure what to say of these cases...One thing that does come to mind, which is not really off topic I guess. While doing my coop at NRCan, RSS was suggested to some patrons/scientists who could take advantage of RSS to have updates on different searches that they did. Basically, you could save your search (ie: Lit Search- For those of you who had J. Noon, you know what these are, and how much time they take), well by using the RSS feature, you can save your search and anytime, something new comes up that would be in your search, the patron can get a notice of it. It is really neat, and a true time saving tool.

week 5 readings...

Overall the readings were interesting, but the one that caught my attention the most was the one by Randy Reichardt, who writes about how undergrads do not know about RSS. I don't want to seem to critical of the readings, but a lot of the content seems dated, and his article dates back to Fall 2005. I am curious about today, if we were to run the same survey, how many students would you think would know of RSS. I am sure a lot more than none! Also, I think a majority of students would know about blogging/blogs. The information age that we are presently in, is growing at a very rapid rate, and for example the large use of Facebook I think says a lot about how technology, online communication and sharing of information is growing at a rapid speed. At least in the North American market. In Europe or Asia, I'm sure they are probably going through other phases, possibly even ahead of ours, and the dated "Facebook". All to say that I think more people are aware of these tools and possibilities as was mentioned on the article.

In Hollenback's article, I agree that RSS can help blend different tools and make access to information easier and more efficient.

cases for this week...

It is very impressive to see at what level of distinction that some libraries have their RSS feeds. Some are very particular and have RSS for each genre and or group of interest like that Tacoma Public Library. I also found a drawback from the Tacoma Public Library's page, and it had to do with its presentation. It had information on RSS and what it can do, etc at the bottom after the long list. If I was a patron looking at that page, I might be lost, and on a usability scale, it's not too friendly as you have to scroll down low to find more information, which is really pertinent for a new person desiring to know more about RSS.

There was only one library that had an RSS function for personal account updates which was that Hennepin Public Library. I think some organizations might have this function already installed through email, as I have experienced that in the past with previous academic libraries, but it would also be nice to see the opportunity to see it come from RSS. The University of Oklahoma even had an RSS for job opportunities which I also found neat and useful if you were thinking of working there. It would save the user from going back to check all the time to see if a job has been posted.

Week 4 readings...

The Lee Feever video was pretty cool and interesting. It makes it simple and easy to understand. It is also very pleasing and I think it could be very appealing to a large audience. It's a good informative way of doing it. His recap is also a great as it informs the viewer of the steps to take. His drawing the house is neat and the other images also make the video really to the point and informative. It breaks it down to something really simple, which it should be as RSS is not really complicated.

The Cohen article is also very interesting, and the practicality that he brings into it is great. However, I do find some of his information a bit hard to read over at least at a first glance, when he gets into “default query URLs”, it is not that easy to read, and could have maybe been written in a different way which could have been clearer. Also, the article seemed a bit dated when I finished it, then I scrolled to the top and realized it had been written in 2002, which made some sense.

The article from “Content Publishers and Webmasters” uses a lot more geek talk and is intended for a mature audience, more techy or for people doing coding. The information is good, but I would not suggest this article to just anyone, as the content could be easily overwhelming. However, if someone really wanted to know the roots of things, it might be a good place to start.

The Robin Good article offers a lot of good information with his list of 17 positive aspects, and 11 possible problems and limitations. He points out a lot of good information and things to consider. His title, which infers to email vs RSS, Good makes an interesting case around this topic. He brings out a good point in ”Electronic inter-personal and business exchanges will still largely utilize traditional email”. This point is very true as too much information is private, and meant only to be seen by some people, not everyone. There are differences between RSS and email and Good presents a good case on their difference and that they won't ever beat each other over for one to win the race as they seem to serve two different purposes.

week 3..cases...

Week 3 case studies...

These blogs are for the most a step down from the previous week's case studies. Most of them, except for one seems really casual, and nonchalant. The Library Lounge blog was the one that seemed to stick out, and was semi-more professional. The “Save Point” blog seems really youth/kid oriented, at least from the posts that I looked at, the target audience is for young people. Saying this, now it makes me think it does still have promise even on a library webpage, as there are different target audiences, and if I was in a public library, I may want to try and have a more appealing blog for youths if I was in charge of youth programs, etc. Depending on the audience, your blog should attempt to cater to it. So I think I should recant my first opinion on the professional look of the blogs, and rather say that the “casual” look is all about the purpose and the intended group that it is constructed for.

a little behind...

week 3 article comments...

The Scout article, made me question something, as to who should be writing on the blog. The article suggests that it should only be one person. Thinking about a small library, I could see that only one person would be writing, but in a small university with only one library, which services all areas, why not have a few staff members, possibly reference and administration writing on the blog. Having to channel all the information to one person takes away from authorship, if you decide to go that way, and if anyone ever has any answers, it takes away from the person who wrote the piece. Also, people go on vacation, so are you supposed to write about your Cancun adventure while in Cancun, or would you rather someone keep up on the information while at the library. Sharing the responsibility also would encourage staff to be knowledgeable of the technology and have their say in some things, which is not always bad. Accountability is always number 1, but having more than one person contribute to the library's information on the blog, I would think is not a bad thing.

The Catalyst Group Design “usability report” is quite interesting in how people in 2005 did not really know about blogs, even though they were techie web people. I wonder what would happen today if this study was done, not with web savvy people, but rather with random pool of participants, ranging from all ages. Would we get the same results?

The Ethical Blogger article is very interesting and very harsh on what a librarian can put on their blog, as the information has to be taken very seriously. I understand if you're writing for an organization, you do not write in rumors or half-based/fact information. However, if it's a casual blog, and they wish to comment on what they want, who really cares, some blogs are personal, be opinionated, etc, and I do not think they should be taken like reference questions, in their information.

The Fitcher article is really informative and basic, but a good starting point for a library to get some information on where, how, and what a blog could do for their library.

just keeping quiet..

I'm still alive and out here...just not sure what to say.

This is my third online course experience, and for the most part I am really quiet online. Anyone that knows me, I usually carry a large enough voice in class...but on here I don't usually say much.

The second weeks readings were interesting...I like the way that some of them introduce the history of blog and blogging. However, blogs are tools and depending on the user's needs the tools can be used differently. If it's someone having their personal journal online and they wish to share it with a closed group they can, or if it's a library wishing to inform their patrons/community of what's happening with the library, it could serve that as well. However, in the end, what really seems to matter, is having someone on the other end reading what you or they are posting. Makes me think of those old CBC commercials, about the medium and the message, which one is most important, or is the medium the message? At the end of the day, I think it basically relies on the person who is getting something out of the "tool". Let it be a person writing their personal story and sharing it with friends, someone keeping a journal of their travels, or a library informing the community. Each one serves it's purpose and there has to be a sender and receiver, but at the end, if someone benefits from it, or is informed, etc. It's all good correct? I think so.

Anyways, my 2cent rant for this week's readings.

Cheers,
Jérémie

Wikis...

As I mentioned in my first post, I dealt with wikis quite a bit with my co-op term and for the group working on wikis, there are international wiki symposiums that happen every year and have existed for a few years. They have conference proceedings, and some articles might prove useful. The conference proceedings are free for students, but you have to register with the site/association which is the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery). Here is a link to last year's conference proceedings. There is also a few good books on wikis one more technical and another which is more business/philosophical (I know that the links are to Chapters, but you could easily look up your local catalog, or do ILL, just figured with the title, author, ISBN, etc. would be useful). Anyways, I was just thinking about Wikis today and figured these links may be useful.


Cheers,
Jérémie

Lazy Wednesdays...

yeah as the title says it...it's Wednesday, one of my slack days. Hahahaha, I have no classes on Wed. or Frid. So it's a pretty sweet schedule.

So for the people inquiring of my Maritime whereabouts, I am about 30 mins outside of Moncton, situated in a small town of "Cap-Pelé". We have the nicest beaches in the Maritimes, with the warmest saltwater "North of Virginia USA" (so they say, but I think it's pretty accurate, cause the water temp in the summer can easily reach the high 20s. From the coastline in my home town you can see PEI, which is not always easy to see but you can distinguish in the horizon. Well enough of my hometown area...

So thanks for everyone that left comments on my blog and looking forward to reading yours (yes I slacked off yesterday and didn't check the other student's blogs), but I will after I post this.

Cheers all,
Jérémie

my first post...

Hi All,

A little about myself...well I am not new to blogs, I've been writing on blogs for a little while now, however, I created this new blog for this course. As for social softwares, I am very interested in learning and applying them in my future workplace. I just came back from a co-op with Natural Resources Canada Library, and one of the projects that I worked on was setting up a Wiki for NRCan, which was quite the adventure, and I ran into quite a learning curve, but it was all good and now I realize that wikis can be used for much more than how I knew wikis before, for example Wikipedia. The potential for Wikis are interesting. However, I also realize that there are other social software tools out there, and being developed that I am also interested in. I am really interested in this area and new technology and its uses in the library and information sharing environment. Other than that, I have varied interests in softball, anything Acadian, the Maritimes, and a lot of other stuff. Anyways if you want to know more, just ask away.

Cheers,
Jer

Woo Hoo,
Jeremie