INF206 Final Post (assignment 3)

Evaluative statement for INF206

Throughout this term, I have used an Online Learning Journal (OLJ) to record a variety of activities completed from the class readings, reflect on posts added to the INF206 Facebook wall and record other activities. The posts in the OLJ include information about RSS feeds, social bookmarking, You Tube videos, how various organisations use social media and cloud computing using Google docs and Prezi. The following is an evaluation of three of the posts from my OLJ.

Post #1-RSS Feeds and how they can be used in Libraries
In my OLJ I explored the technology of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and how it can be applied to a library situation. RSS feeds are a way to communicate information on a regular basis. Interested parties subscribe to a feed which is delivered to a reader like Google reader or Bloglines. The feeds can be tailored by the organisation to meet the information needs of its users and updated as often as desired. In exploring this technology, I found a blog post by ‘The Moxie Librarian’ who wrote a post titled 10 Ways Libraries Can Use RSS. (Wolfe, 2008). In this post the author suggested ideas such for RSS feeds such as new additions to the catalogue, upcoming events media releases, library closings and hold notifications. I then found that the Library of Congress in the US has an extensive RSS page with feeds for customers interested in digital preservation, poetry, copyright and even a feed about the latest additions to the Library’s gift shop (Library of Congress, n.d.).

At the end of this post I brainstormed some ideas of how this technology might be used to serve customers in a public library:

• HSC feed- new additions to the HSC collection, local talks on HSC topics, links to pod casts, study tips
• Parent feed(s)- information about children’s and parenting books, upcoming school holiday activities and library news tailored just for parents.
• Staff picks- books selected by the staff with links to the catalogue

Post #2- ‘Did you know? (4.0)’- video on You Tube
For this post I watched the ‘Did You Know 4.0’ video on You Tube. This video discusses the decline of traditional print media and the rise of social media. This video contains a large amount of facts and statistics while not all directly related to libraries, can be applied library situations. Following are two thought provoking facts:

“Among larger companies 17% have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies” (XPLANE, 2009).
Companies may have written up formal social networking policies, but have libraries? There are many blogs run by librarians, how would a policy impact on them? Could it stem the flow of information if a blogger has to worry about how their employer will react to their personal blog, especially if a blog post doesn't fit in with the organization's philosophy?

“The mobile device will be the world’s primary connection tool to the internet in 2020” (XPLANE, 2009).

• Do libraries have policies to check the mobile compatibility of their web site?
• How mobile devices change the way we check in and out books? Deliver services? Communicate with clients?
• How will this impact on those who could not afford a computer before and will it change the definition of the digital divide?

Post #3- Creation of Personal Learning Network
For this post I created an online articulation of my personal learning network using the presentation editor Prezi. Prezi represents the technology known as ‘cloud computing’ or software that is hosted online by a third party (Weber, 2010). I started by collecting professional information sources including blogs, organisations, social networking web sites and real life people. Through this process I found that currently I spend more time consuming rather than sharing and producing information. I worked my way through the creation process and ended up with a professional looking presentation. Upon reflecting on Utecht’s 5 stages of PLN adoption, I found that I am somewhere in the middle of stage 3 'know it all' with more than 30 blogs in my 'library' folder in Google Reader, 10 or so library Twitter feeds, plus some libraries as Flickr contacts (Hay, 2010). The amount of information coming in can get to be a bit overwhelming at times. INF206 has shown me that I need to find ways to better organise the information so that it is more manageable.


Reflective statement on development as a social networker as a result of studying INF206

Originally I signed up for this particular class for three reasons: first, having been involved with social networking for a few years, I want to make social networking part of my career path, second, I can see how these technologies help libraries, I want to explore them more thoroughly and third I enjoy social networking and thought it would be exciting.

This term INF206 looked at resources like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr with a critical eye, not just as toys to connect with friends, but as resources that can be used as very powerful marketing, outreach and communication tools for libraries. This term I used online tools like Prezi, Diigo and Google Documents more than I ever have before. I see how these tools can make collaboration and information sharing more accessible than ever. I have watched videos on You Tube of talks given at conferences in the States, looked over presentations notes given over a year ago and also participated in conversations with students from all around Australia. These studies were enlightening and all would not have been available without social networking. So while the class readings discussed how social networking can impact on communication, the actual act of using social networking as a source of information showed this impact in action. I feel that the biggest lesson I will take away from INF206 is that while social networking can be a cost effective way for libraries to communicate with the public, it is not a panacea. A social networking channel needs to be critically judged by a library to see if it can deliver the library’s message effectively to their audience.

Web 2.0 and social networking technologies have ‘struck a vital chord’ with libraries around the world (Godwin & Parker, 2008, p. 15). A quick search on Facebook finds libraries from Australia, the US, the UK, New Zealand, library fan groups, school libraries, state libraries, archives and library professional organisations (Facebook, 2011). Libraries and librarians need to consider how participating in these technologies can impact on their staff time, the messages they send out and the long term implications of being involved with social networking. Posting on Facebook, Twitter or even a blog is a bit like getting a tattoo: once it’s there, it’s there. One can try to erase it but there will always be some residue of the activity. Libraries need to think carefully before they type. Library professionals in the future will also need to think about how the language of the library is created. With the amount of tagging happening on sites like Flickr, some sections of the general public have grown accustomed to participating with social tagging and to a lesser extent geo tagging. Libraries in the future need to be brave enough harness this collective knowledge while maintaining the integrity of their collection.

As for the implication for me as an information professional, I will be seeking out ways to include social networking in my career. This might be by tweeting for my employer, by follow more librarians online or by continuing my OLJ as a general library blog. In 2008 Michael Stephens, assistant professor of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science Dominican Republic, surveyed librarian bloggers and asked why they blog. His research found that 49 percent of blogging librarians learned that blogging can ‘enhance professional development’ (2008, p. 320). One participant in the survey found blogging to be a motivational tool ‘to keep up-to-date with LIS news and technology’ (Stephens, 2008, p. 318). By continuing to be involved with social networking technologies like blogs, I feel that I can stay connected with a wider library community. With my personal experience and INF206, I feel confident that I can help to find ways to make social networking part of the way my library reaches customers and allows information to flow to and from the public. But after spending time looking at these technologies with from an academic perspective I am more critical of their uses and applications. I find myself asking ‘why would that library use that technology?’ when I see a new library blog or Twitter feed. I question the logic, trying to find out what the library is trying to achieve and why they chose a particular technology. In short, I am enthusiastic but critical.

Finally, I am excited to watch what happens in the future with communication on the internet and how these developments can be used by libraries. I have enjoyed having my OLJ and am planning on continuing it. There are many library blogs on the internet but with some dedication and a little bit of luck I might be one of those presenters at an upcoming ALIA Information Online conference talking about how it all began with an online learning journal for INF206.

(word count: 1,553)


References

Facebook. (2011). Retrieved January 15, 2011, from Facebook: www.facebook.com

Godwin, P., & Parker, J. (2008). Information literacy meets 2.0. London: Facet Publishing.

Hay, L. (2010). Library 2.0 and participatory library services [INF206 Module 3]. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from Charles Sturt University: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/INF206_201090_W_D/page/e282ffd3-b1ef-4b39-00d1-295c60ccab63

Library of Congress. (n.d.). RSS Feeds and E-mail Subscriptions. Retrieved from Library of Congress: 30

Stephens, M. (2008). The Pragmatic Biblioblogger: examining the motivations and observations of early adopter librarian bloggers. Internet Reference Services Quarterly , 13 (4), 311-345.

Weber, T. (2010, May 4). Cloud computing for business goes mainstream. Retrieved January 1, 2011, from BBC Mobile: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10097450

Wolfe, C. (2008, February 27). 10 Ways Libraries Can Use RSS. Retrieved November 30, 2010, from The moxie librarian: http://moxielibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/10-ways-libraries-can-use-rss/

XPLANE. (2009, September 14). Do you know 4.0. Retrieved December 22, 2010, from You tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8&feature=player_eembedded

An interesting blog post about libraries and Facebook over at In The Library With the Lead Pipe (crossposted in INF206 Facebook page)

-AB

Library closure protest

A library in Stony Stratford near Milton Keynes in the UK has come up with a very unique way to communicate the message to the local council that the library is important to the community. (The library is currently facing 'severe' closures.)

The library sent out 6,000 letters to everyone in the community and asked them to check all of the books out of the library.

every
single
book

See, they wanted to show the council (who meet in the library) the 'gaping void' that would be left in the community if the library closed.

The above photo is a shot of the empty shelves. Brilliant

A great quote from a local resident: 'The library is the one place where you find five-year-olds and 90-year-olds together, and it's where young people learn to be proper citizens'. It's crazy even to consider closing it - they should be finding ways to expand its services and bring even more people in."

How awesome is this community??? (cross posted in INF206 Facebook page)

-AB


But if you want to see books on shelves check out Bookshelf Porn :)

Social Media Week

Social Media Week will be celebrated at New York Public Library the week of February 7, 2011. Nice to see a big public library get involved like this. The talks they have up at the moment are Future Library: Socializing History with Maps and The Inner Workings: Staffing for Social Media. Both sound pretty darn interesting to me. Well done NYPL.

Social Media Week events are being held around the world (sadly, none in Australia). But I think it is interesting how this falls just a week after the ALIA Information Online conference.

There are some interesting looking talks around the world. 10 Ways to Suck at Social Media, Hosted by Chemistry is on in London, Sustainable Flashmob, Hosted by Foodspotting and Whole Foods Market in New York, and Empowering Women Through Social Media in Hong Kong all sound like they would be worth attending. (cross posted in INF206 facebook page)

Now where did I put that worm hole....

-AB

Virtual talks regarding Games in Libraries using 'guild chat'. (cross posted in INF206 facebook page)

AB

Module 5 notes

A few scribblings from the Module 5 reading My Life As A Dog:


"Online, you are increasingly the incessant record of your every twitch and grunt."

"This is what social networks and related services tend to obscure: the normal directedness of communication. It should be to, not just from."

"Bloggers often cite a rule of thumb: never write anything you wouldn't want your grandmother to read"

A really interesting read about web 2.0, communication and security. It makes me wonder if in the future we will all need some sort of searchable online space where we keep all of our information like a virtual CV. Should we in the library community worry if we blog or share our opinions of library services on Facebook?


-AB

Pearson, Joseph. Life as a dog [Personal identity and the internet.] [online]. Meanjin (Melbourne), v.68, no.2, Winter 2009: 67-77. http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/fullText;dn=200906244;res=APAFT

"The above cartoon by Peter Steiner has been reproduced from page 61 of July 5, 1993 issue of The New Yorker, (Vol.69 (LXIX) no. 20)only for academic discussion, evaluation, research and complies with the copyright law of the United States as defined and stipulated under Title 17 U. S. Code." (via University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Did you know 4.0 and library policies (initial thoughts)

After having a look at the following video a couple of times a few things stood out to me




1. Print circulation is down by 7 million users in the last 25 years but unique readers of online newspapers are up 30 million.

As libraries move forward, do we have collection development policies in place to account for this? Are we spending our limited funds on newspapers that no one is reading? Libraries might need to include something in the collection development policy that states that as newspapers come up for renewal, rather than just renew blindly, look at how the paper is being used and see if an online alternative can be sourced.


2. Text messages sent by the average American teen per month: 2,272

How does this fact impact on a library's teen services? Can we find ways to communicate with teens on their mobile? Can we send them overdue reminders by text? Let them know about upcoming events? Give homework help or reader advisory services? How might this impact on privacy policies or impact on library budgets? (as the cost of a text message is higher than a phone call)


3. Among larger companies 17% have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies

Companies may have written up formal social networking policies, but have libraries? There are LOTS of really great blogs run by librarians out there, how would a policy like this affect them? Could it stem the flow of information if a blogger has to worry about how their employer will react to their personal blog, especially if a g blog post doesn't fit in with the organization's philosophy. (I'm thinking how my employer might react if I ranted about how the LOC banned Wikileaks) Personally, I use library blogs for professional development and would hate to see them muzzled.

4. The mobile device will be the world's primary connection tool to the internet in 2020

Do libraries have policies to check how mobile their web site is? How about the catalogue? Blog posts? Media releases? Do we need to think about this now before everyone has a computer in their pocket?

5. 'The computer in your cell phone today is a million times cheaper and a thousand times more powerful and about a hundred times smaller (than the one computer at MIT in 1965) . So what used to fit in a building now fits in your pocket, what fits in your pocket now will fit inside a blood cell in 25 years.' Ray Kurzweil

This one blew my mind. I must have read it 4 or 5 times in a row. How will this affect the library infrastructure? How will this change the way we check in and out books? Deliver services? Communicate with our clients? Do we have the people and policies in place to watch as these technologies become more available (and affordable) to make our jobs easier? How do we implement them?


-AB