#6 - Web 2.0 Services

Developing Success FactorsFor Illinois public libraries

Researching Communities to Prepare for the Future

Created by: Mary Wilkins Jordan, mary.wilkinsjordan@simmons.edu

Agenda

IntroductionIntroduction

Definitions and DescriptionsDefinitions and Descriptions

Case StudiesCase Studies

Further ResourcesFurther Resources

Introduction

In Developing Success Factors, we look at the attributes that people across Illinois said were most important to them for their library.

Web 2.0 services is new to some, but was a top response in the Researching Communities to Prepare for the Future study.

Discussing these attributes within your library helps hone your own skills and keep yourself at peak efficiency.

Introduction

Web 2.0 is not a new idea; it is more of an extension of the way libraries have always operated, sharing information.

Web 2.0 technologies are sharing information back and forth: libraries put out information aimed at specific groups and patrons can share information back.

Amazon.com is a great example of Web 2.0: Amazon puts up information about books, then people add their own reviews. Putting all the information together, from the different sources, gives the best understanding of the book.

What is the most important part???

Keep it together!Share information, but remember you want the

users to come back to your Web site andto your physical space.

Provide harmonious information flowregardless of where patrons find it!

Consistent Quality Content

Written VisualAudio

It is for everyone!

Technology information is not just for kids or really smart techies – it is for all of us!– The whole point is that we have new ways to reach

people and provide service.– As people increasingly turn to the internet for both

information and entertainment, you want to be ready to provide both!

It is not okay to ignore changes in society! In public libraries, we work for the public and need to

keep integrating new ways of providing the best service to the community.

Some ways of providing information

Flickr

PodcastingBlogging

Twitter

MySpace/Facebook

Web 2.0 ServicesWeb 2.0 Services

Web 2.0

Written Content

Web 2.0 Written Content

BloggingIf you have not yet explored the world of library and librarian

blogs, you have missed out on a huge amount of information being shared!

Blogging is simple to do, easy to set up, and initial costs are right in line with public library budgets – free.

Talk with your web people (find some web people if you do not have them yet) about the technical side of it – where to house it, what software to use, etc.But anyone can go to Blogger.com and set up a blog in literally less than

ten minutes. You can be sharing the information from your library, and your community, with people locally and around the world!

Check out the Sauers book (last slide) for extremely detailed information on setting up and running a blog.

What should you blog about?

• New titles, or those coming soon to your collection• Staff recommendations on books, linked to your catalog

• Upcoming book club meetings/previous books read and the club reactions

• Issues around the library budget• Electronic resources you offer, and how access them inside

and outside the library• Library law topics – copyright, filtering software, Patriot Act,

ADA accessibility, etc.• Materials wanted for the library/fundraising goals

• Upcoming book sales/Previous book sales• Anything and everything you want to tell people!

Blogging costs only staff time, you can use as much space as you want, and people in your community

can easily get your information!!

Web 2.0 Written Content

WikiThe most famous wiki is Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.org.

Wiki is a special kind of information sharing: – The creator puts up the space and gives it a general topic, then

everyone can go and add content– Whatever your interest is, you can go create a page on

Wikipedia to share your information with the world– Everyone edit any information posted in a wiki– The idea is that all ideas are shared, but with everyone working

together any bad information will be weeded out.

Wiki’s can be an almost instant method of sharing information After any sports event, or major news story, check the topic on

Wikipedia – chances are that someone has updated it already!

What do you do with a wiki?

This could be a great way for you and your patrons to share information on library material and programs! How might your library use a wiki?

Some general “how-to” guides to wikis:– http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-start-a-wiki– http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Wiki– http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Starting_and_Running_a_Wiki_Website

Some library wiki material:– http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Wikis– http://booklovers.pbworks.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library

Web 2.0 Written Content

MySpace/FacebookThese social networking sites allow a library (or an

individual) to easily set up a personalized online presence.

Here you can share information and make connections with your patrons and your community in yet another way.

These social networks used to be for kids – but those days are OVER!

Facebook, in particular, is increasingly attracting professionals and growing very rapidly!

• More than 200 million active users • More than 100 million users log on to Facebook at least once each day (how

many people check your library’s website each day?)• More than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college • The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older

Let’s look further…

Check out their information pages:

Face book info for non-profits and community organizations: http://www.facebook.com/advertising/FB_Pages_Communities_NonProfits.pdf

General introduction to MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=userTour.home

Libraries using these resources:– http://www.facebook.com/pages/Iowa-City-IA/Iowa-City-Public-Library/61845035

78– http://apps.facebook.com/causes/305538?m=8ef6a43a– http://www.myspace.com/bangorpubliclibrary– http://www.myspace.com/abqlibraryteens

Invite your patrons be become the library’s Facebook fan.

Twitter

Twitter is the latest big Web 2.0 trend to hit the internet. www.twitter.com

It is free to use and easy to sign up. (Fits nicely into even the tightest budget!)

Users have 140 characters to express ideas – just enough to share a thought or to share a link.

Like MySpace and Facebook, you can connect easily with your users, and with a lot of other libraries or with other who have similar interests!For example: Creating a NASCAR car? Follow NASCAR drivers,

owners, sponsors, journalists, and fans via Twitter; help patrons get much more information!

Some Twitter samples

Twitter for Libraries (and Librarians): http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/may09/Milstein.shtml

A wiki on Twitter for libraries: http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Twitter

Some libraries using twitter:– http://www.oshkoshpubliclibrary.org/node/1556– http://twitter.com/LibraryJournal– http://twitter.com/SiouxCenterLib– http://twitter.com/KimballLibrary – http://twitter.com/tplreference

How might your library use Twitter to highlight the library’s services and programs?

Web 2.0

Audio Content

Web 2.0 Audio Content

PodcastingA podcast is an audio recording, available on the internet;

listeners can either subscribe or just download individual shows to their computer and/or MP3 players.

Like other Web2.0 sources, podcasting can be used to broadcast information from your library, programs in the library, and community information.

Most major media outlets now have podcasts, as do individual people and organizations, and they cover every topic imaginable! – Look over NPR’s podcast lists for the range of potential topics:

http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php?type=topic

Check out these links…

Background and How-to information:– http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/index.htm– http://www.wise-women.org/tutorials/podcast/– http://www.slideshare.net/bburkett/podcasting-basic-information– http://www.lansing.lib.il.us/podcasts.html

The software often used for podcasting is audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Libraries that podcast:– http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Podcasting– http://podcast.denverlibrary.org/– http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=audience_teens_podcast– http://www.kankakee.lib.il.us/Podcasts.html

How might your library use podcasting?

Web 2.0 Audio Content

Overdrive and NetLibrary

Giving patrons the opportunity to download books to their computer and/or MP3 player gives them flexibility in the way they use library materials – at home or on the go.

They may not strictly be Web 2.0, but it does share some of the basic ideas. These services are starting to offer the option of patron comments on items, which makes it more clearly a Web 2.0 idea.

Remember – Web 2.0 just means a sharing of information, nothing special or magical; it is essentially the same thing we have always done but now involves new ways of sharing.

Web 2.0

Visual Content

Web 2.0 Visual Content

FlickrYou may already be familiar with posting or

viewing photos on Flickr, but this is an easy way for your library to share important pictures:

– Library architecture or unique features– Historical items in your collection or your community– Materials on display– Library events and/or community events– Staff recognition; letting people get acquainted with

staff members

Check out information on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/about/

Libraries on Flickr

Libraries use Flickr to share photos from programs, new services, library disasters, etc.

Checkout the Lewis & Clark Library System Photostream on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lcls/

Other examples of library’s using Flickr • http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/dublincitypubliclibraries/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/libraryloft/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/waterloopubliclibrary/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcpl/• http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/

Web 2.0 Visual Content

YouTubeSharing videos you make, or that your patrons

make for you, can be a great way to show off your library and all the great things you do!

Look through the YouTube handbook for information on using this resource: http://www.youtube.com/t/yt_handbook_home

Some sample library videos

Note – these videos start playing as soon as they pop open, so open one at a time

Lewis & Clark Library System’s YouTube offerings: http://www.youtube.com/user/LewisClarkLS

Calgary Public Library’s YouTube Story Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQZk0CKgkIg

Other examples:• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AppCIzJD84&feature=related• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYgOILcQyKk&feature=related• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSXxkbnir5k&feature=related• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjxkQKwkP3M&NR=1• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnXeNQ_VZiw&feature=related

Next up: Case Studies

A couple of case studies are presented next. These are common issues in the library world, but should inspire some discussion.

You can answer these individually, but there may be more value in sharing your ideas with a larger group – your department or with the library as a whole.

Even if a situation presented is not currently a problem in your library, it is helpful to think through a solution – maybe something different that you are trying now, or something which may help you in the future.

Case Study #1

A senior citizen group visited the library, explaining that many things their members need to do are easier done online (banking, Social Security questions, etc.). However, many feel uncomfortable using computers and would like some specialized training. Specifically, they would like to find ways to easily communicate among themselves, with friends, family and others who share their interests and hobbies. They would like the library to help.

What would be a good first response?

What kind of topics do you think they would be most interested in learning? What resources should you recommend for training?

How could you use this opportunity to bring people into the library to use library materials – either in person or online?

Case Study #2

At a recent library staff meeting, several people mentioned that the Web site does not get much use, and several complaints have been received. The problems, everyone agrees, stem from its age – more than four years old without any meaningful changes. It is difficult to find the catalog, information on library hours is wrong, and the material the Children’s librarians developed as homework helpers, along the local school district, is buried and difficult to use.

What goals would the library want to see accomplished by the Web site?

What kinds of information would you like to share with different community groups – kids, businesses, book lovers, seniors, etc.? How can that be effectively done online?

Does your library have a web committee? How often does the website get updated and enhanced?

Conclusion

Your library does not have to use all these Web 2.0 technologies to highlight library services and programs. Choose one as a way to feature the library to a target audience, when choose another, and another.

Training Opportunities

WebJunction Illinois has a variety of information relating to Web 2.0. Try these WebJunction Illinois links for additional information:

• Webinars and Web tools on Blogs, photo sharing , social software, twitter, instant messaging, RSS among other topics: http://il.webjunction.org/technology/web-tools

• http://il.webjunction.org/outreach• http://il.webjunction.org/programming

Further Resources

Library 2.0 A Guide to Participatory Library Service by Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk.

Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow’s User edited by Nancy Courtney.

Blogging and RSS A Librarian’s Guide by Michael P. Sauers.

The Ultimate Digital Library Where the New Information Players Meet by Andrew K. Pace.