Out of the Stacks and into TheirSpace

John Wenzler, Jeff Rosen, Mira Foster, Laura Moody

LibX: Out of our Web Site into Their Browsers

LibX … into the Jungle

LibX … into the Hive Mind

A

LibX … into the World(cat)

LibX … Into Enemy Territory

Early Taste of the Semantic Web?

• “We would like to make it straightforward for a human to interact with a wide variety of disparate sources of knowledge without becoming mired in the details.” Christopher Walton – Agency and the Semantic Web

• LibX gives us a sense of what “intelligent agents” of the semantic web can do for libraries (Zotero another example)

• Takes metadata embedded in pages throughout the Internet to bring users back to our resources

LibraryThing: Out of the LCSH into their Hearts and Minds

Tag-Browser: Google-like Relevancy Ranking

Taking Reference to the User

in TheirSpaceCARL Conference 2008

Jeff Rosen

J. Paul Leonard Library

San Francisco State University

Why should we care about using some sort of virtual reference?

Reference Desk activity is decreasing. Less students come to academic libraries (physically) every year and less questions are asked at Reference Desks, while more students visit libraries

online each year. * SF State Library Statistics **

Gate Count (typical week) Reference Transactions (typical week)

2006/07 44,064 785

2005/06 44,671 802

2004/05 46,718 849

2003/04 52,709 1096

2002/03 43,600 1277

2001/02 43,542 1249

2000/01 46,551 941

1999/2000 53,100 1277

1998/99 54,032 1579

* Academic Libraries in the U.S. – Statistical Trends http://www.ala.org/ala/ors/statsaboutlib/academiclibraries.htm

** CSU Library Statistics

http://www.calstate.edu/LS/planning_docs.shtml

• San Francisco State began using QuestionPoint in Fall 2006

• Not popular with Librarians or students

• Very few questions from our own students

• Clumsy and slow interface

• Co-browsing frequently did not work well

• Could not easily be done at the Reference Desk

• Designed with the Librarian in mind, not the student

QuestionPoint was our first experiment with virtual reference.

We felt that QuestionPoint was not cost effective

2007 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept

# chat sessions

accepted 4 14 12 22 15 7 1 10 20

by SF State

Librarians

# of Librarian

hours staffed 4 16 12 16 12 2 2 2 16

(We noticed that there were often more librarians than users logged into QuestionPoint)

Why use Instant Messaging instead of QuestionPoint, tutor.com or other vendor-based products?

• 62% of those aged 18-27 use instant messaging (our current users)

• 57% of this group use instant messaging more than Email

• 75% of those aged 12-17 use instant messaging ( our users in a few years)

• 48% of this group who use instant messaging say they exchange instant messages at least once every day

Pew Internet & American Life Project. How Americans use instant messaging. (9.1.2004)

www.pewinternet.org

• Students like it and use it. - Instant messaging is increasingly the preferred method of communication for college and university students. *

• Cheap and easy to use. - Unlike virtual reference products such as QuestionPoint, IM is free and requires very little training to use. It is perceived by students as friendly and informal. • Meet students where they are. - IM Chat is something students like to use and are enthusiastic about. Why shouldn’t we meet them where they already are? (online)

• Provides support for distance learners and those not on campus. - We can provide Reference service to other locations like our Downtown Campus and to distance learners.

• Users prefer IM Chat over systems like QuestionPoint - Patron surveys in academic libraries have found high levels of user satisfaction with IM reference. 87.5 percent of students surveyed said they would use IM reference service if it were offered. **

• IM Chat is used more often – when both vendor services and IM chat have been offered, IM chat quickly became the highest remote-use service.

* Shiu, E., and A. Lenhart. How Americans Use Instant Messaging. Pew Internet & American Life Project

** “Combining IM and Vendor-based Chat: A Report from the Frontlines of an Integrated Service” Libraries and the Academy 6.4 (2006) 417-429)

Why use Instant Messaging instead of QuestionPoint, tutor.com or other vendor-based products?

At SF State we began using the Meebo widget for instant messaging in summer 2007

• No client software to download

• User simply types their question

• Students are familiar with IM

• Meebo chat box in multiple library website locations

• Service from the Ref Desk or anywhere

• Shift change is easy

• Popular service and steadily increasing use

• Modified code allows pop-up IM box

• IM recently added to OPAC and databases

Using Skype to Extend Reference Services at SF State

• Library Expansion and Renovation Project

• Limited service for 3+ years

• Increased use of IM Reference service

• Plans to experiment with a “Skype Kiosk” at various points on campus

Skype is the most common of the VOIP

(voice over internet protocol) tools.

• Free Skype to Skype

• Fee for Skype to phone

• Skype also allows video!

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Skype can be used in an “on call/doorbell” fashion for reference service in a model similar to instant messaging.

Pro: Skype provides face-to-face (video and sound) in a model that most closely resembles traditional reference interactions.

Con: Not as many people currently use Skype as those that use IM services.

Ohio University is using Skype sucessfully.

Library Expansion and Renovation Project

Temporary

Library

Old Library (collections remain here)

Library Distribution Services

Students will be able to sit at a “kiosk” and get research assistance from a librarian …

… who will be sitting across campus in the temporary library building.

Whatever the future brings, we hope to be ready.

Libguides: Library 2.0 Research Guides

Mira Foster

SF State University

About Libguides

• Outsourced web site management

• Online publishing system

• Content management system

• Subscription includes customized web site, widgets, social networks + support

• Launched in May 2007

• 140 current subscribers, 95% of which are academic libraries

http://libguides.sfsu.edu/

Why Libguides at SF State?

• Web site redesign revealed that– Our old guides were… old– Updating guide content was inefficient– Too much duplication of content and work– Our guides were rarely used

Evolution of SF State Guides

Libguides = Possibilities

• Currency• Efficiency• Portability• Accessibility • Publicity• Interoperability• Relevance• Accountability

Subject Guides

Class Guides

RSS Integration

Evidence Based Practice

Social Networking = 2.0

WITH LIBRARIANS

• Libguides Demo Site• Other libguides as

templates• Libguides user

community

WITH STUDENTS

• Instant Messenger• Facebook integration• User comments• User polls

Community Creation

Facebook Integration

But Whose Space Is It?

• Who uses guides?

• Whose social network?

• Whose Facebook space?

• Who will sustain 2.0 features?

BLOG YOUR WAY INTO THEIR SPACE

Laura L. MoodyCalifornia Academic & Research LibrariesApril 5, 2008

DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH USER GROUPS

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGING

http://jpllmusicnews.wordpress.com/

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGINGTHEY LOOK NICE AND ARE EASY TO CREATE

GREAT WAY TO PROMOTE LIBRARY AND LIBRARIANS

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGINGEFFECTIVE WAY TO PROMOTE RELATED CAMPUS DEPARTMENTS

Even on other campuses

ENHANCES AND EXPANDS UPON RESEARCH GUIDE

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGING

BLOG STATS

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGING

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGINGBLOG COMMENTS

Nice to get feedback directly from users

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGING

SEE WHERE VISITORS HAVE BEEN

I have a link to my blog on my libguide, and vice versa.

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGINGTHE BLOG ROLL

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGINGALERT USER GROUPS TO NEW AND/OR RELATED RESOURCES QUICKLY AND

EFFICIENTLY

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGING

LINKED CONNECTIONS BACK TO LIBRARY CATALOG

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGING LINKS TO USEFUL FREE WEB RESOURCES

• YOUTUBE

• FLICKR

• LIVE MUSIC ARCHIVES

Aborigine playing the Didgeridoo

ADVANTAGES TO BLOGGINGTHE RSS FEED

Music at the J. Paul Leonard Library Bloghttp://jpllmusicnews.wordpress.com/

Music Libguidehttp://libguides.sfsu.edu/Music

Further informationlmoody@sfsu.edu

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING