Defining Librarian 2.0

One of my reasons for doing this course is to develop the skills to become a web 2.0 using librarian, Librarian 2.0. I have experimented with Web 2.0 technologies privately and I want to branch out and use them professionally. So what are the essential knowledge, skills and attributes that define Librarian 2.0.

Firstly, I believe that the role of librarian hasn't change but tools that are available and the information environment has, so Librarian 2.0 it is about adopting these tools and adapting to the new environment. Librarians are about connecting people to the information they need and to have services that focuses on the needs of users, even anticipating what these needs will be. Librarian 2.0 continues in this tradition.

Librarian 2.0 understands the theory and power of Web 2.0, they are tech savvy and on top of trends in the technological and Web 2.0 worlds. They experiment, immerse themselves in, and and have fun with Web 2.0 technologies so that they can find the right tool for the job which results in better services for patrons (Harvey, 2009, p.7). They connect with patrons in ways that patrons prefer such as texting, IM, Skype, email, or virtual reference (Abrams, 2007, para.12) and actively look for ways to engage and converse with them. Librarians have needed to be team workers but with Web 2.0 teams got bigger and it is possible to collaborate with patrons as well as staff. Librarian 2.0 is creative and good at community building, they use Web 2.0 technologies to create content, then to allow and encourage collaboration on this content.
Librarian 2.0 has the ability to embrace and adapt to change. Technologies change, platforms change. Librarian 2.0 invest lots of time into Web 2.0 technologies and may find that these are superseded by a different technology. They cannot become too attached to platforms.
Librarian 2.0 is enthusiastic about Web 2.0 and encourages and educates their library to be more participatory in Web 2.0 such as using social tagging, social networking and social media technologies.

Within this definition you will see that Librarian 2.0 embraces the underlying principles of Web 2.0 known as the 4 Cs: Collaboration, Conversation, Community and Content creation (Hay, Wallis, O'Connell & Crease, 2012).

I feel have some of these characteristics and I am developing the skills to be this type of librarian

References
Abram, S. (2007) Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and Librarian 2.0: Preparing for the 2.0 World. Online International Conference Proceedings. Retrieved from
http://ucv.academia.edu/RodriguezJorge/Papers/1064417/Web_2.0_Library_2.0_and_Librarian_2.0_Preparing_for_the_2.0_World

Harvey, M. (2009). What does it mean to be a Science Librarian 2.0? Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, 58. DOI:10.5062/F4M906KW. Retrieved from http://www.istl.org/09-summer/article2.html

Hay, L., Wallis J., O'Connell, J. & Crease, R. (2012). What is Library 2.0 [INF506 Module 3:Library 2.0 and participatory library services] Retrieved September 14, 2012 from Charles Sturt website: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/INF506_201260_W_D/page/09214ee0-f698-4c0c-8031-84f37037aa7a

"Do You Know 4.0" Trends and Information Policy

Information policy addresses "positive issues that arise out of technology changes and the perceived development of an information society" (Dearnley & Feather, 2001, p.85).The video Do you know 4.0 outlines some of these changes and developments  to do with how people behave as digital citizens. I have chosen 5 of these trends to discuss how they can be used for the development of information policy at the library I work at.

“Mobile Users will be the worlds primary connection tool to the internet in 2020”
Because of this trend library information policy must define a course of action that will see the library invest into applications that allow library information, such as website and catalogue, to be accessed on mobile devises. At present the library I work at has given little attention to this, but in order to prepare for the future this needs to be actively working towards mobile apps.

“The amount of text messages the average American teen sends each month is 2,272”
Text messaging is definitely being seen as the preferred method of communication. At present the the library I work at uses post and email the means of communicating with patrons, although most patrons give the library a mobile phone number as a contact. Social information policy should acknowledge a preference for text messages as a primary means of contacting members regarding overdue books and reservation.

“95% of all songs downloaded last year weren't paid for”
Library information policy should address intellectual property rights and copyright especially if patrons are illegally downloading music in the library The essence of copyright is that that authors or creators 'have complete control over their reproducible or performable creations”(Dearnley & Feather, 2001, p.69). The information policy should be clear about what is allowed and not allowed while using the internet at the library. Blocking these sites is not an option as it impinges on an individuals right to have unrestricted assess to information.

“Newspaper circulation is down 7 million over the last 25 years, but in the last 5 years unique readers of online newspapers are up 30 million”
Our library gets physical copies of the newspapers: The Herald Sun, The Age, The Australian, and Financial Review. All these newspapers are available online and require payment or subscription for anything but the briefest news (Lowe, 2012). As yet the library does not subscribe to any of these newspapers online. Considering the trend of reading newspapers online and taking into account libraries are important institutions for efficient and and easy access to online information (Dearnley & Feather, 2001, p.83) then information policy should address the need of access to online newspapers as a main source of news.

“Wikipedia launched in 2001. It now features over 13 million articles in more than 200 languages”
Wikipedia is very successful and much easier to access than traditional encyclopedias, even if its reliability and authority has been questioned. The rapid growth and popularity of Wikipedia should influence information policy at my library in making the promotion of informational literacy skills a priority which would see Wikipeda used as a guide to other sources.


References:
Dearnley, J., & Feather, J. (2001). Information policy. The wired world: An introduction to the theory and practice of the information society (pp. 60-93). London: Library Association.

Lowe, A. (2012, June 19) Fairfax joins the shift to charging for online news. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/national/fairfax-joins-the-shift-to-charging-for-online-news-20120618-20kcj.html

Delicious and Libraries

I have found Delicious a great resource for organizing resources for the social networking assignment for this subject. I loved the stack feature,it enabled me to separate my assignment topics well. Once the stacks were removed tags became much more important.  I hadn't been very consistent with my tagging for example 'social media' and 'socialmedia' which makes rediscovery much harder.  This is common with tagging or folksomonies which can lack precision and structure (Redden, 2010, p.224). Bookmarking is easy, it is rediscovery or retrieval that would be difficult especially when using Delicious collaboratively.  Too many bookmarks in tag catagories, multiple bookmarking of the same site, inconsistent tag names could reduces the effectiveness and usability of  Delicious. 

Other features that I have found useful are:

Following people in the same industry as me, and users I notice that  have bookmarked similar sites to me so that I can discover, and possibly bookmark their bookmarks.This is a great way resources could be shared between libraries 

Tag Bundles have allowed me to collect my social media technology sites togehter and for me replaces the stack feature.  For libraries bundles could group together all the children's services links or all the easy reference bookmarks.  

Annotations/Descriptions  I have used this feature to remind myself on what I used the site for or why it was a good resource. This is especially important when there are are lots of bookmarks with similar tags as can happen when Delicious is used collaboratively or limited the number of tags to be used.  

How libraries can use delicious

• As means of sharing reference resources for staff to use on desk while helping patrons.

• For staff to share resources with each other such as bookmarking sites with ideas for programs, child's activities, and displays.

• As a resource portal for patrons.  Brimbank Library has a Delicious cloud of useful links  while Geelong Library has a catagorized useful Weblinks and use Delicious to store all their links.

For libraries one of the best features of Delicious is that it is web-based. It can be accessed from any PC and doesn't need altering when computers are upgraded.

References:
Redden, C.S. (2010). Social bookmarking in academic libraries: Trends and applications. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(3), 219–227

Libraries and Facebook

I have been using Facebook personally for a few years but being part of the INF206-506 group was a different experience for me. I didn't realize that groups were able to have features like files and that I could interact with a group of people who weren't my 'friends'.

As part of my investigation into Facebook I experimented with setting up my own community page as this is what libraries would do to have a presence on Facebook. Customizing the page is pretty similar to a personal page but I found installing applications tricky. Libraries use applications (apps) to allow users to access library information without leaving Facebook (Harris & Lessick, 2007, p. 30). When looking at the literature for good applications for libraries to use, I found that most of these application were no longer available. Facebook is an changing platform in its ambition to improve its user's experience and so do apps that often of third-party origin. However it makes it difficult for libraries who look to literature for advice on starting a Facebook page.

When I started this course I began following some public libraries on Facebook, as this is my area of interest. I am pleased to note how active some of the libraries I follow are, in posting to their wall daily, even on weekends. As Aharony noted, I have found that public libraries use Facebook as as a way to deliver information to users and as a marketing tool rather than as a means of interactive dialoging with users (Arhony, 2012 p. 366) This is disappointing as one of the strengths of social networking technologies as they tools that facilitate collaboration and social connections. Some libraries are more active in encouraging users to participate. Some examples include: 

• Asking questions, mostly along a literary theme such as “What adventure story (fictional or true) do you most wish you’d been part of?” (Geelong Regional Libraries)

• Posting interesting photos that evoke responses such as book based foods. (MooneValley Libraries)

• Live book chats (Columbus Metropolitan Library)

Since the library I work at is not presently using any social networking technologies. I would suggest to begin with a Facebook page. It is relatively easy to set up, it offers a way of promoting the library as well as creating new relationships and interactions with patrons. Also, once the library increases its social media presence to other technologies, those technologies can be promoted and accessed though apps on Facebook.

References:

Aharony, N. (2012) Facebook use in libraries: an exploratory analysis . Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives , 64(4), 358-372 .

Harris, A. & Lessick, S. (2007). Libraries Get Personal: Facebook Applications, Google Gadgets, and MySpace Profiles Library Hi Tech News, 24(8), 30-32, DOI: 10.1108/07419050710836018

First Experiences in Second Life

Me on a camel in the desert of Giza

I am not much of a gamer. I really don't see the point of them. I don't do well at games, I think it is my inability to automatically determine my left from my right and I lack mouse co-ordination. So I approached my first experiences with Second Life with trepidation.
My first experience in second life had be bumping into objects with my hands out like a zombie wearing a steam punk outfit. I tried to chat to some people around me but they had as much idea as to what to do as I did. I had considerable lag on my actions, so I always seemed to move much further than I wanted to and found the experience disappointing and frustrating..
I have always wanted to visit Egypt, so for my second visit I searched for Egyptian themed places. Amongst the places I visit was a Giza pyramid where I learned to sit on a camel and took some photos.
My third experience in second life was a introduction with Cas Geordie. This turned out to be frustrating as I had trouble with sound. In the end people could hear me, but I couldn't hear them. I was able to get some chat summaries from one of the other students about what was happening but felt left out.
My best experience was on a virtual tour with another student who taught me how to interact more with objects and where, among other places, we visited Info Island and took a cushion tour.
Some of the functions I have learned on SL include sitting, running, walking, flying, changing camera angles, changing my outfit in a dressing room, dancing, interacting with objects.
I will continue to experiment with Second Life and try to look for experiences in using a library in this virtual world.

Evaluation of ASU Libaries and the 4Cs

Library 2.0 is not just about libraries using Web 2.0 technologies by about libraries embracing the underlying principles of Web 2.0 which are known as the 4c's Collaboration, Conversation, Community and Content creation (Hay, Wallis, O'Connell & Crease, 2012) Arizona State University (ASU) Libraries is a library that is incorporating Web 2.0 tools as part of its ASU Library Channel. These include a YouTube collection of The library minute videos, a blog with RSS, and Twitter. However are these tools sufficient to achieve the 4Cs.

Collaboration
That ASU uses these technologies passively gives users a opportunity to collaborate with the library, however I don't see much evidence of the library actively inviting collaboration.

Conversation
Using these technologies has allowed ASU to have conversations with patrons especially through Twitter. Twitter is the place where students ask questions, alert the library to issues, and give feedback. Some conversations are also happening in comments from the YouTube videos. The library blog contains great information about events, collections and services however the library has “comments off” on all its posts which is a barrier to dialoging with patrons.

Community
The library has created its own community inside of ASU in using there Web 2.0 technologies. The YouTube videos are fun and laid back while still imparting important information and give a sense that the library is a welcoming place to be. The library also has almost 2,000 followers as part of their Twitter community.

Content creation
These Web 2.0 technologies have allowed the library to create content in different media that promote the library. Users also have the opportunity to create content in the ratings and comments they give the YouTube videos, and in the feedback via Twitter.

Library 2.0 gives patrons an opportunity to participate in library services and seeks to harness patron knowledge to provide better services (Casey & Savastinuk, 2006, para.10-11). I think that ASU have some great tools to do this but need to be more active in initiating conversations and in inviting collaboration in content creation. In this way they will strengthen their community have user centred services and really embrace Library 2.0.

References:
Casey, M.E. & Savastinuk, L.C. (2006). Library 2.0: Service for the next-generation library. Library Journal, 1 September. Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

Hay, L., Wallis J., O'Connell, J. & Crease, R. (2012). What is Library 2.0 [INF506 Module 3:Library 2.0 and participatory library services] Retrieved September 14, 2012 from Charles Sturt website: http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/INF506_201260_W_D/page/09214ee0-f698-4c0c-8031-84f37037aa7a

A-Z of Social Networking for Libraries: Embracing a Library 2.0 Ethos

I have selected 5 letters from the A to Z of Social Networking for Libraries and considered how they could be applied to the library to help it to embrace a Library 2.0 ethos.

D-Direction
The library I work at currently uses no Web 2.0 technology. Although I would love to jump in use them all for the sheer joy of splashing into social networks, unless I have a clear idea of what I want to accomplish then it is meaningless. What I have to do is assess what needs the library has, what patrons have and how Web 2.0 technologies can fill those needs. This will effect the direction I will go with social networking.

F-Facebook
I think that a Facebook page is what most libraries start off with when they enter into the social networking environment. It is flexible as if offers lost of ways to create content with text, photos and videos. Because so many people now use Facebook it may be easier to get a following than other social media. Facebook features allow for promotion of the library, especially its events app. Facebook also has lots of opportunities for dialogue with patron though post and comments.

G-Good Reads
Promoting Good Reads on the library website might be a way to start promoting Web 2.0 technologies to our patrons was well as adding a great readers' advisory tool. It would be important to get staff enthusiastic about promoting it too so that .

H-Help
Staff have mixed feelings about social networking and some staff have had little experience, and see it more as a personal tool rather than professional. There needs to be more exposure to how effective social networking can be for a library, otherwise help will not be forth coming. I'd like to see a team assembled, one at each branch, to direct social networking and to make it a legitimate service.

R-Reference
One of the ways staff could see the professional usefulness of Web 2.0 is to see how it can be used effectively in reference services. Patrons could ask questions via facebook or the library could have an app containing FAQs. Twitter also lends itself to ready reference questions. If staff could see how easily these reference supports could be implemented it would help them to embrace Web 2.0.