Engaging users (and ourselves) through technology: How Web 2.0 makes a librarian’s job easier and more interesting

Barbie E. Keiser

Shanghai Society for Libraries

October 2008

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Our agenda

Literacy skills for the 21st Century What is Web 2.0 (and do we have the skills

to use it to our advantage)? Why (and how) should we make use of Web

2.0 applications in libraries? Examples of Library 2.0 projects

For interaction with “users” For the professional development of

librarians/information professionals Some of my favorite tools (some for free;

others for a fee)

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21st Century literacy skills

What are they? Media Visual Multicultural ICT Digital Web INFORMATION

Why should I care? National/societal

level Institutional level Individual

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Socio-economic and political development are best advanced by...

People who recognize their need for information and can identify, locate, access, evaluate, and apply the needed information

Entities that organize and manage information so that their employees, suppliers, customers, and joint-venture

partners can easily access and use it

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What an information literate society means to a country

Increased competitiveness Make additional capital available Improve general business practices and

company operations Increase knowledge creation within

each country

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So, nations should…

Support and encourage lifelong learning

Develop an information literacy policy for the nation

Invest! Alter taxation and other regulatory

policies

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Industries can…

Build industry-specific portals with an information literacy component

Customize generic education/training programs for your specific industry

Understand that policies can influence practice

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Individual entities can…

Organize and maintain organizational caches of information/knowledge that are easily accessible to all (employees, suppliers, customers) with built-in guidance functions for novice/occasional users

Arrange both formal and informal education and training opportunities

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What about libraries?

Moving away from walk-in tours and bibliographic instruction

How can you teach online skills without being online?

Understanding what makes for good learning

Learning what you need when you need it (on-demand)

Learners learn differently; use multiple paths for instruction

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How to succeed?

Don’t teach library skills; help learners with information skills

Emphasize tools that are facility and subject independent

Create strong partnerships Apply what you’ve learned in one instance

to another (e.g., subject, tool) Assess learning outcomes Consider pilot programs

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What will you do?

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IL models and standards guidelines

Country models National Information Literacy

Framework (Scotland) Information Literacy

Framework for Schools (Hong Kong)

Australian and New Zealand IL Framework: Principles, Standards, and Practice (ANZIL)

US School Library Media Center Questionnaire (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/pdf/0304/sass_ls1a.pdf)

Big6 Information Problem-Solving Process (http://www.big6.com/what-is-the-big6) Task definition Information seeking strategies Location and access Use of information Synthesis Evaluation

AASL (http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/informationpower/InformationLiteracyStandards_final.pdf) and CASL (http://www.cla.ca/casl/literacyneeds.html)

ACRL (higher education) guidelines (competencies) - http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/standardsguidelines.cfm, toolkit http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitstandards/standardstoolkit.cfm and http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm Five standards Performance indicators (and outcomes for each)

Seven Pillars (http://www.sconul.ac.uk/groups/information_literacy/sp/sp/model.html)

Information Inquiry, Problem-Solving and Research Process

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Framework for IL in UK today (Source: British Library)

INFORMATION LITERACY

Basic literary skills

Expert P

roficient Co

mpe

tent A

dvanced Novice

Beg

inner

Distinguish w

ays of addressing gap

Recognise inform

ation need

IT skillsC

onstruct strategies for locating

Locate and access

Com

pare and evaluate

Organise, apply and

comm

unicate

Synthesise and create

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Assessment models and samples

TRAILS: Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (http://www.trails-9.org/)

http://www.paccd.cc.ca.us/library/ilhandbook/il_assessform.htm

http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/ http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/

assess.html iSkills from ETS Additional assessment resources

(http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/assmt/resource.htm)

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Information literacy (IL): One definition

Practical skills involved in effective use of  information technology and print or electronic information resources (Source: American Library Association)

Usually, we talk about IL in terms of teaching users

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Just now, let’s refocus on the information professional

What do we need to know? How do we find out? How do we keep up with the fast pace

of change? Using the new tools to do so Techmeme.com

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What are the “new” technologies?

The cutting edge New to us New to our libraries New to our users

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Web 2.0

Changing the entire concept of idea “origination”

New ways for sharing relevant information (and collaborating on new knowledge development projects)

Libraries must understand how they can make the most of Web 2.0 technologies!

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Our next “market” is always today’s youth

The Web is the first stop for many of today’s youth This may not be true for adults This may not be true for all

Accustomed to less traditional communication methods

Expect convenient resource delivery Broadband allows for streaming Delivering more to mobile devices

What does this mean for us today, and what does it portend for tomorrow?

Gaming

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The emphasis is on collaboration and sharing

Pictures Videos News Bookmarks Knowledge Everything Social networking

Flickr YouTube Memeorandum Del.icio.us Wikipedia, Citizendium

Freebase MySpace LinkedIn, Hi5

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Where do you turn to find out…

Emarketer, September 25, 2008

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How can your library change to accommodate anticipated needs?

Can you afford to use new technology and techniques? Delivery of information and materials Communication

Engaging users (dialogue) Can you afford not to? What’s the plan? Does someone else have the knowledge, skills, and

abilities you lack? Opportunities for partnership Modeling after another library’s work 23 things (http://plcmcl2-about.blogspot.com/)

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Libraries have always been at the forefront using technology

Back office operations Email Integrated services with suppliers/vendors

OPAC (external) Downloading/uploading records

Databases (CD-Rom and online) available to staff and users

Self checkout of library materials (barcodes and RFID tags)

And how to best use information/IT User training sessions for effective use of the available

databases and the Web (information literacy) Online tutorials, including podcasts and Webcasts/Webinars

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So it’s nothing we should fear

Many of us who work with technology today remember when libraries had only books for borrowing and looked like this…

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Trinity College (Dublin)

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New York Public Library (42nd Street)

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Pages carrying books from the stacks

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Then we moved on…

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Is this your library today?

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Why we shouldn’t back away now

Extending what we always did/who we are Building on our strengths as information

advisors Doing it better and faster Freeing staff time to do what only staff

can do Time shifting

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The burning question: What should we do?

It’s not what we CAN do, it’s what we OUGHT to do, based on: Information resources Human resources Financial resources

Making intelligent and strategic decisions Where do we want to go? Where can we lead the way?

Internal operations: Streamlining processes

External operations: Exploiting technology to increase the number and diversify the types of interactions with users

Start small Use the experiences of

other libraries to inform your trials

Consider partnerships with others

Begin with internal experiments (e.g., Wikis for professional development of staff)

Expand to the user community using Library 2.0 to inform and engage users

A library is a learning environment

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More than just books: the library as place Building community

It’s about what takes place in those spaces--- physical facility and virtual

Delivering information through lectures, meetings, movies, and concerts

Becoming the window to information Utilizing the library’s website as that window Enhancing online tutorials For the generation coming up, websites are too

static and email is old fashioned (too slow) Libsite.org

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Library 2.0

We’re not talking about large-scale technology project management here

Today’s tools have been designed for the merely interested to be able to use

New ways for sharing relevant knowledge “in an instant” with users, among staff, and within communities of colleagues around the world

Libraries must appreciate how they can make the most of Web 2.0 technologies if they are to be relevant to “users”

Remember, it’s new for everyone

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2.0 software

Empowers individuals, decentralizing decision-making

Frees up knowledge Inherently more

democratic Changes structures

Past structures are not effective for present or future work processes

Younger staff is more comfortable using technology and collaborating, questioning top-down decision-making

Small, agile groups move faster than large bureaucracies

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Tips for implementing new technology in libraries

Establish clear objectives for each project Be realistic; maintain objectivity Share your vision of the future with your

staff, your boss, your boss’ boss… Provide leadership Be prepared to manage a crisis Involve all of your stakeholders along the

way Encourage your staff to make mistakes

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Tools for YOU

Listserves, blogs & wikis Reference assistance

Ask a Librarian Instant Messaging Chat

Services Finding suitable content for

your website that utilizes new technology Podcasts available to you

(or generate your own?) RSS Feeds

Online tutorials

Tips for streaming media (http://streaming.wisconsin.edu/creation/creation.html)

I want to… (http://www.philb.com/iwantto.htm)

Exploring the tools of Internet Technology (http://www.rrfcnetwork.org/content/view/418/47)

Engaging the user by applying social networking The catalog

Amazon effect Book reviews

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When do I use a blog and when a wiki?

Forum or Bulletin Board Discussion Group is most suitable for Q&A

Wiki is most suitable for loosely controlled, easy Web collaboration or highly collaborative information gathering. Editing by anyone allowed access.

Blog/Weblog is personal comment (diary) made available for others to comment in public (vs. CMS which has highly controlled authoring and organized information distribution)

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Listserves for librarians

BusLib-L LibRef-L Cataloging Librarians AcqNet CollDv-L@usc.edu http://serials.infomotions.com/col

ldv-l/

http://groups.google.com/group/collectiondevelopment

ILL-L ERIL-L Liblicense-L SysLib-L (

http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=syslib-l)

Web4Lib (Webjunction e-newsletter)

Digital-Preservation LIS-INFOLITERACY Digital-Copyright Find listerserves for yourself on Hbz (

http://digilink.digibib.net/wk/links.pl?&LNG=en)

Join a community (http://businesslibrarians.ning.com/)

Build your online discussion group (http://www.smartstreet.org/login.asp)

Digest mode

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Unique features

Blogs Permalink Trackback (pingback) –

Notification of a blog reference

Blogroll – List of links to other blogs this blogger finds useful

History and rollback function

Wikis Wikis in Plain English (

http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english)

Why Wiki? (http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/courses/wiki/)

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Software for creating…

Blogs Blogger.com/start

Biz Ref Desk (http://www.bizrefdesk.blogspot.com/)

Wired Funny-Life in Pierce Library’s ERC (http://ercpierce.blogspot.com)

Radio.userland.com BBlog Blogsome SixApart.com/moveabletype

Wikis Editme Socialtext.com Meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/

MediaWiki

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Jump right in!Blogs

Find a blog you like (in terms of design) and see what software was used to create it

Talk to the blogger about ease of using the software

Note blogs that change software Do your homework (RESEARCH) You alone or a group contributing Availability of tech support Wordpress (

http://www.wordpress.com) Karen Blakeman’s Blog (http://

www.rba.co.uk/wordpress/) Beyond Search (http://

arnoldit.com/wordpress/)

Wikis Find a wiki you like (in terms of

design) and see what software was used to create it

Contact about ease of using the software

Note wikis that change software

Do your homework (RESEARCH)

You alone or a group contributing

Availability of tech support PBWiki (

http://www.pbwiki.com)

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Finding and searching newer technologies

Blog list (http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory)

Daypop Feedster Blogdigger Best of the Web Blog

directory (http://blogs.botw.org/)

PLAZOO Gnosh.org Blogsearch.google.com

Sphere Waypath Technorati Syndic8 OpinMind PreFound What’s a swicki? (

http://swicki.eurekster.com/) Forbes.com Best of the Web (

http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/section.jhtml?id=12)

Weblogs.com/about.html

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Examples of library useBlogs

Best of the Web Blog Directory (http://blogs.botw.org/Reference/Libraries)

Search Library Blogs on LISZen.com

Alternative Teen Services (http://yalibrarian.com/)

Senior Friendly Libraries (http://seniorfriendlylibraries.blogspot.com/)

University of Virginia Library blog (http://uvalibwebdev.wordpress.com)

Linda Hall Library (http://linda-hall-library.blogspot.com)

Wikis How libraries can use wikis with

their patrons (http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=How_Libraries_Can_Use)

Blogging Libraries Wiki (http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/index.php?title=Welcome_to_the_Blogging_Libraries_Wiki)

Antioch University Library Training and Support Wiki (http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/antioch_university_new_england_library_staff_training_and_support_wiki/)

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Well-known and education-based blogs and wikis

Blogs.warwick.ac.uk JISC Digitisation Blog

(http://involve.jisc.ac.uk/wpmu/digitisation)

www.wikiineducation.com/display/ikiw/home

Wikihow Wiki.oss-watch.ac.uk Wiki.cetis.ac.uk/

Cetis_Wiki

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Useful blogs for information professional development

J’s scratchpad (http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/jkbaumga/) Intelligent Agent (http://www.ia-blog.com/) Ranking the top 50 blogs in the search space (

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/ranking-50-top-blogs-in-the-search-space)

25 tips for marketing your blog (http://www.searchengineguide.com/odden/007754.html)

PanLibus (http://blogs.talis.com/panlibus) Information Wants to be Free (

http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php) Open Directory Library Weblogs (

http://dmoz.org/Reference/Libraries/Library_and_Information_Science/Weblogs/)

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Useful wikis for information professional development

LISWiki (http://liswiki.org/wiki/Wiki) TechEssence.info Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki (

http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Main_Page)

Library Instruction Wiki (http://instructionwiki.org/Main_Page)

Five Weeks to a Social Library (http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/prelimprogram)

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What can we learn from these tools?

Techmeme Digg BlogPulse (http://blogpulse.com/)

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Collaborative approaches Google Docs (http://docs.google.com) Slideshare.net (

http://www.slideshare.net/group/tttworkshops/slideshows) Socialcast.com (Free trial) Jing Tagging and social bookmarking

Connotea.org Del.icio.us Furl.net

Clouds Rollyo IM Chat and 24/7 virtual reference

http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/107

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Ask a librarian

AskNow.org http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID

=info_ask

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Messaging in an instant

IM a librarian (http://www.llrx.com/features/virtualreferenceservice.htm)

Trillian (http://www.download.com/Trillian/3000-2150-10047473.html)

Meebo (http://wwwl.meebo.com/) Pidgin (http://www.pidgin.im/) Digsby (http://widget.digsby.com/) Twitter for Librarians (

http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2008/05/27/twitter-for-librarians-the-ultimate-guide/) Using Twitter as an Education Tool (SearchEngineWatch.com

September 25, 2008) Twitter in Plain English (http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter)

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Podcasts

What are they? How can I find one? How can I create one? Examples of podcasts

Online training tutorials Useful podcasts for information

professional development

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Definition

An audio or video show which can be downloaded to your computer to watch or listen to at your convenience

You can find podcasts on websites or you can subscribe to them. Then, you will automatically receive every new episode of your favorite program whenever it is published

The latest versions of both Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer now support RSS feeds. If you click on the button, you will be able to “subscribe” to that podcast from inside your browser. It’s like saving a bookmark.

Source: The Podcast Network (http://www.thepodcastnetwork.com/)

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Finding podcasts Odeo.com Podfeed.net Podcasting Station (

http://www.podcasting-station.com/categories.php)

Podcast Directory Podcast.net Digital Podcast Podscope Podanza.com

Everyzing (formerly Podzinger)

Feedster (http://podcasts.feedster.com)

Podcast Pup Every Podcast SpeakWire Podcasts.Yahoo.com Casting Words Blabline Blinkx (video)

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Creating podcasts The Ultimate Guide to

Podcasting (http://www.cumbrowski.com/podcastingguide.asp)

Podcasting “how to” guides (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/14793)

Podcastercon.org’s “UnConference”

Podcasting made easy (http://campustechnology.com/articles/40978/)

How to make a podcast (http://www.gsnyder.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=209540)

Transcription service $ (http://castingwords.com/)

EKU Library Learning 2.0 (http://ekulibrarylearning.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html)

Create podcasts using your PC (http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/04/05/create_podcasts_with_pc.html)

Podcasting for information literacy (http://209.85.165.104/custom?q=cache:HRxpNy-GR48J:www.ifla.org/IV/ifla73/papers/133-LeeRoberts-en.pdf+information+literacy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us)

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Examples of podcasts Libraries launch academic podcasting (

http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/libraries/podcast.sju)

IWR (http://www.online-information.co.uk/online07/pod_list.shtml?press_id=13980)

Talking with Talis (http://talk.talis.com) Johns Hopkins Medical Podcasts (

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/mediaII/Podcasts.html)

Edelman (http://www.edelman.com/podcasts/) Top 25 hits (

http://www.podcastingnews.com/forum/links_tophits.htm)

SoundPractice.net

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RSS Feeds

RSS in Plain English (http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english)

RSS Feeds – Key Skills (http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Learning/KeySkills/RSS/)

LibWorm for staff development (http://www.libworm.com/rss/librarianqueries.php)

Law Journal Feeds (http://law.wlu.edu/library/feeds/)

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Vendors as a resource Information Today (http://www.infotoday.com) Vendor correspondence (Scope@scopeknowledge.com e-

newsletter) SirsiDynix Institute Factiva InfoPro Alliance (http://

www.factiva.com/infopro/index.asp?node=menuElem1103) InfoPeople (http://

infopeople.org/training/webcasts/list/archived) Ingenta Table of Contents Alert (

http://www.ingentaconnect.com) LexisNexis InfoPro Gale’s Digital Reference Shelf (

http://www.gale.com/reference/peter) and http://www.gale.com/reference/lawrence)

Quantum 2 (http://quantum.dialog.com/)

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E-newsletters and more

FreePint First Monday (http://

www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/) CyberSkeptic’s Guide $ (http://

www.cyberskeptic.com/cs) LLRX.com (http://www.llrx.com) Pinhawk Law Librarian NewzDigest (http://

www.pinhawk.com) Marcus Zillman’s Virtual Private Library (

http://www.virtualprivatelibrary.com)

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Models for online tutorials ($)

Viewlet Builder (http://www.qarbon.com/presentation-software/viewletbuilder5/) or (http://www.p4you.co.uk/products.asp)

DemoCreator (http://www.sameshow.com/demo-creator.html) Demofuse (http://www.demofuse.com/) Adobe Captivate (http://www.adobe.com/Products/Captivate) Screencast-o-matic.com Freescreencast.com Splashcast/Camstudio mashup (

http://danielrhood.com/2007/10/22/splashcastcamstudio-mashup/)

Webinaria.com UTipU (http://www.utipu.com/app/)

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Additional ways to introduce 2.0 technologies to our users “Talk” to our users

The “professional” vs. the community’s book review Audio and video recordings were made in the past; now, how about

simulcasting over the Web? (http://www2.morainevalley.edu/default.asp?SiteId=10&PageId=1356)

IM reference chat service to serve those in and outside the building Transform our catalog

Use Rollyo to target search results for our users Consider how search results are presented

“Amazon” effect using circulation/loan data “Clouds” Automating compilation and posting of “new titles”

Sharing your favorites Del.icio.us (

http://eprints.rclis.org/archive/00013233/01/BCLA2008_ItsDelicious.pdf) Libguides (http://www.springshare.com/libguides/)

Longwood University (http://libguides.longwood.edu/) Missouri Western State University (http://libguides.missouriwestern.edu/)

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Visualization tools

Clusty SpaceTree (http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/spacetree/) Anacubis (

http://www.i2.co.uk/anacubis/anacubisviewer/help/Welcome_to_the_Anacubis_Viewer.htm)

WebBrain Grokker (http://www.groxis.com/service/grok/)

Fractal PC (http://www.softsea.com/review/Fractal-PC.html) Kartoo Touchgraph Google (

http://www.touchgraph.com/TGGoogleBrowser.html) Inxight (http://www.businessobjects.com/demos/bi_platform/index.htm) ThinkMap http://spotfire.tibco.com/

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Authorlink

http://cite.cis.drexel.edu/

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Unsatisfying mosaic

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But mosaics can be effective

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Graphic presentation of information literacy resources

http://www.mindomo.com/view.htm?m=b93aa8ef223445ff8919191fbc3ed23c

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Going where our users are: Facebook et al Hennepin County Public Library (

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minnetonka-MN/Hennepin-County-Library/7223112325)

Stoneham Public Library (http://www.myspace.com/stonehamlibrary) Worthington Libraries (

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Worthington-OH/Worthington-Libraries/6091518004)

Targeting teens Steele Creek Teen Library (http://www.myspace.com/steelecreeklibrary) Worthingteens (http://www.myspace.com/worthingteens) Denver Teen Library (http://www.myspace.com/denver_evolver) Lancaster Library (http://www.myspace.com/getitloudinlibraries)

Brooklyn College Library (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=42712933)

LibSuccess (http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Social_Networking_Software)

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The library is a living, evolving organism

Questions? Thank you! Feel free to be in touch… Barbie Keiser (barbieelene@att.net)

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Questions?

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Thank you!

Feel free to be in touch… Barbie Keiser (barbieelene@att.net)