Learning about online collaboration, communication and community
The TDN Innovation Directory is an open directory of Library 2.0 Technology examples.
Be they Web Sites, Widgets, Gadgets, Browser Extensions, Plug-ins, or ‘mashups’ of any type that demonstrate in the display, use, and reuse of data from and about libraries, you should find them in here.
Dave Lankes posted this video about participatory librarianship. Interesting ideas.
Michael Casey wrote an article called “The Open Door” for Library Journal on 7/15/2007 on the topic of transparency. I’ve read this term in various places in my readings about Library 2.0 but still wasn’t quite sure what is meant by the term. I’ll add more articles later to this post about transparency so that several resources are in one place in my blog.
Have you understood yet why we’re spending some of the time we have at work, during one of the busiest times of the year, on this program? Are you feeling that there’s nothing really here for you? Have you thought that we should just hand you a manual and let you refer to it when you need it?
This was a statewide program. MAPLA was behind pushing it to the state so they must have seen something about the program that was worth
Do you understand that ”something” that they saw yet?
Here are some of the reasons I’ve discovered. Have you read about other reasons or come to them on your own? Please add your comments to this post whether you agree with me (or the program) or not!
1) This program encourages an exploration of “web 2.0″ technologies. These may not be things you are interested in using for yourself and you may not even see the point of using them. But some of our customers *are* using these tools and we should at least know about them when our customers mention them. We also need to begin to figure out how libraries might use these technologies to interact with our customers, now and in the future if we want to remain relevant.
Remember that customers coming into the library don’t really know or care whether you are a librarian or a circulation staff member. They’ll ask anyone a question! Personally and professionally, this learning is good for all staff members.
2) This program hopes to provide staff with new tools (that are freely available on the Internet) to better support BCPL’s mission.
This program is not *just* about learning about new technology.
1) This program rewards staff for taking the initiative to complete 23 self-discovery exercises.
2) This program is about discovering about the change in the way people are communicating. The whole library 2.0 thing is about the changes in the way library staff and customers interact, in the way customers want to participate in their library experience. In the last few years customers have begun to
3) This program gives our staff the time to gain confidence in learning new skills. I’ve heard over and over again how surprised and pleased they are that they could do something they never in a million years would have thought they could do! They’re proud of their accomplishments and enjoy showing off their new skills to their family and friends! This will carry over into their work and BCPL and our customers will benefit more than we ever expected.
4) This program has encouraged teamwork between our staff members. People of different knowledge and skill levels are helping each other to work through the program. It happens across different job levels and age levels. I’ve even seen people from different branches working together. When people help each other to learn they solidify their own learning and will retain it better.
5) Most importantly this program teaches us that library 2.0 is about a shift in the culture and philosophy of our customers and how libraries are shifting their services to meet the changes that we’re learning about in this program. Libraries need to remain relevant to their customers needs.
Oh, yeah. Parts of it are fun, too. Kind of cool that we can have fun at work!
So … I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … if you’re just learning about the technology in this course, you’re missing the most important part.
I found some interviews from DegreeTutor about the future of librarians. The interviews are with some really interesting and knowledgeable people. In particular, read the interviews with Michael Stephens and Helene Blowers.
One of the goals in the recent past has been to make the library a destination. That may still be true but I think it is changing. The library will be even more of the extended global community. Until now, I think its been more a part of the local community but in the future, if we integrate parts of our catalog and website into online applications that people are using, we’ll become much more of a global community. People on social networking sites such as Facebook will have access to librarians to help them with questions without ever coming to our website, much less to our physical buildings! The library will be present in their instant messaging client which may also be in their Facebook page.
And how cool would it be if there was one catalog shared by all participating libraries? Worldcat.org already “integrates library content and services with Web search engines, Internet booksellers, online bibliographies and commercial publishers. It also provides a permanent Web page dedicated solely to searching the world’s libraries and a downloadable search box that anyone can download to a blog or Web site.”
What does it mean for librarians when everyone can do their own searching? I think that people are already beginning to realize that even though they can use Google to find information, they still need an expert to help them refine their searching to completely answer their question rather than settle for the top 10 search results.
Read this article from OCLC’s newsletter, “Search for Tomorrow: Preparing for a new age in information gathering.”
Ouch. This was a remark that I heard several times at ALA and one that really bothered me. I don’t think that your IT department should be holding your library system back. Actually the opposite – as my IT department manager says, we should be leading the library system in making technology-related decisions.
But there are some considerations that come into play. A must-read for people in IT, as well as librarians, is Michael Stephens’ article Into a new world of librarianship.
Without a firm foundation in the mission and goals of the institution, new technologies are not implemented for the sake of coolness and status. Technology is put to the test: Does it meet the users need in a new or improved way? Does it create a useful service for putting users together with the information and experience they seek?
One of the most often repeated concerns in an IT department is why are we doing this? Is it just because its the latest and greatest thing? But here’s the thing. If the IT department doesn’t keep up with the changes that are happening so rapidly in the way libraries are communicating and collaborating with their customers, then how can they know why these services are important? How can they prepare for offering these services, and even more important, how can they prepare to support them in the long run?
There needs to be a balance between saying the cautious NO to keep things manageable and sane from the IT perspective, and saying YES to technology that leads the library system into the future with a good plan for new services; services that meet the mission of the library on the front end but also have well-thought out support for the back end.
Each of your posts should provide insights into what you’ve discovered and learned. Feel free to share what worked for you … and what didn’t … what surprised you … what frustrated you … what amazed you.
I decided to use WordPress for my blog since I was learning how to use it for work anyway. I never really thought I’d enjoy blogging – it sounds so weird. But it helps me organize my thoughts and helps me to collect information that I find interesting. Since I started working on learning about blogs, etc. I started one for my genealogy and one for my greenhouse project. I have to admit I don’t do much with either one but eventually I will.
Starting this blog has really helped me to learn about Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 and why it’s important. What people need to understand is that this program is not just about learning about new technology. It’s more about the change in the way people are communicating. The whole library 2.0 thing is about the changes in the way library staff and customers interact, in the way customers want to participate in their library experience. Most importantly library 2.0 is about a shift in the culture and philosophy of our customers and how libraries are shifting their services to meet the changes that we’re learning about in this program.
So … if you’re just learning about the technology in this course, you’re missing the most important part.
Matthew Hodgson writes that “From all my reading lately, Library 2.0 is about librarians talking to librarians about where they want to be in the future. ”
Read Matt’s partial post here but go over to his blog and check out more of what he writes.
http://www.socialcomputingmagazine.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=241
More Matt: “If it is really about Business 2.0, then hopefully, librarians are talking about innovation. If it includes Web 2.0 - the social web - then librarians should be talking about people, and about community building, enabled through the participation that social computing brings. They should be talking about achieving this through trust and encouraging users to share ideas through writing, rating, and commenting against everything in the library’s collection, even to the extent of making the collection open to developers to use, re-use and improve!
Are librarians talking about this? Yes! – the blogosphere is alive with this chatter. But are they walking-the-walk as well? Are they actually being innovative with their internal business? Are they being innovative with the services they offer? If so, then are they talking to users about this? Are they doing market research in order to find that niche community they can service with Web 2.0 products? Are the services they intend on delivering interesting enough for users to talk to other users about so that it spreads like wildfire in the same way social computing projects like Flickr did?
… or are libraries just playing catch-up? Rather than changing the way librarians think about the profession, shouldn’t they be changing the way others think about the profession? Library 2.0 is a nice dream. I think it’s now time to wake up and act. I want my Library 2.0 now! “
Also read Matt’s blog post called Knowledge should be free and nakey. This is a great post that compares a Rugrats episode with knowledge. “Knowledge has a lot to do with Tommy and his idea of being “nakey“. Knowledge isn’t something to constrain, restrain, clothe, dress-up, tie-up, lock in systems and document repositories, discipline or manage. Knowledge is something to be set free, to be liberated from the km-systems-based-approach of the 90s, and placed in the hands of the average worker (even if you might think they are babies). Remember, the only power in knowledge is to share it [1].“http://magia3e.wordpress.com/2007/05/25/knowledge-should-be-free-and-nakey/
I was reading David Lee King’s blog and found these good points about change relating to “Library 2.0″: “… its not just innovations in technology that we need to be discussing. There are changes as well in our understanding of how people learn, use physical space, work together and expect to be treated that inform our library services and professional values.”I’d [DLK] agree. I tend to focus on the techie stuff – that’s where my interests lie. But the whole library 2.0 thing is not just about technology – it’s about the MANY changes that affect the way librarians and customers interact… participate… and help to collectively build and tell the story of our local communities.”
Michael Stephens comments “You are so right. To me it’s about a change in the culture and philosophy of the library. That’s the most important bit!”
I’m adding that it isn’t just about creating a website and expecting/hoping that our customers will come there – it’s about reaching out and meeting our customers where they are living/working/playing online. That’s a huge change, too.
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