OLJ Activity - Building Academic Library 2.0

View the YouTube video called 'Building Academic Library 2.0'. This is part of a symposium sponsored by Librarians Association of the University of California, Berkeley Division in 2007. While this presentation is over one (1) hour in duration, there are a number of key points raised by a number of speakers, including the keynote speaker Meredith Farkas, that relate to any library or information agency that is trying to transform their library into a 2.0 Library.

Consider advice provided by one or more of the speakers in terms of a library and information agency that you know (as an employee or user). Select five (5) key pieces of advice from these speakers, and consider how these may be applied to your library to help it embrace a Library 2.0 ethos. Write up your findings as a post (of no more than 350 words in your OLJ).

I am not currently working in a school, however, I have selected my previous school to base this activity on. It is a secondary, systemic Catholic girls school in an inner-west suburb of Sydney. The following advice I selected from the symposium all comes from the keynote speaker, Meredith Farkas:

1. Blogs have made it easy to communicate in a less formal way.

Creating blogs to target the needs of different groups in the school may be a way of opening communication to students about services provided and resources available. Blogging is a more effective communication tool for students than posters around the grounds or announcements in meetings. Blogging is talking to the students in a way they want to be communicated with. 

Having never worked as a TL before, my initial examples of blogs may be fairly limited but they include: 

• Book Club blog, 
• Premier's Reading Challenge blog
• HSC student blog.

2. Question everything. Dewey or Don't We. 

Is the Dewey system the most effective way to catalogue the collection to meet the needs of students? Are the girls more familiar with searching through bookshops to find what they are looking for? Should the library shelves be reorganised to reflect the way girls 'shop' for a book? Should bookshop categories be applied to the collection? 

Questioning the way things are done is an attribute of a Librarian 2.0. I like this idea of reorganising the library shelves. At my school setting it could be done on a small scale to begin with by creating a history section. I have seen this done at St. Ignatius' College Riverview Libray. Another example of moving away from Dewy is by a New York primary school. This school reorganised it's library away from Dewey to a more useable way for students in an attempt to increase readership (Harris, 2012). 

3. Communication becomes more transparent.

Using wikis and blogs requires a certain level of trust in communication. The transparency of communication can help build community and partnerships. The library can be responsive in listening to the needs of users.

Many teachers set up wikis for student use in their own subject or use the school intranet page for classwork. Releasing a pathfinder for resources through the library collection on to the students' subject wiki or webpage would bring the library to the students. Scheduling the timing of this communication to the day the assignment is released will open the 'doors' to the library to students at just the right moment. Connecting with the students in this way shows the TL cares about the students' needs.

4. Build participation.

Creating wikis to share content can be tailored to specific groups of students. At this school setting HSC students by nature share resources and study 'together'. Why not set up wikis from the library as a study hub based on HSC subjects? Coming from the TL rather than the teacher the wiki can be a collaborative tool between the students, the TL and the library to share content.

5. The need for policies to govern acceptable use. 

The nature of social networking tools can mean content is posted without being moderated. It is essential the school has a social networking policy outlining acceptable use for staff and students. It is also clear the policy is understood and enforced. The functionality for staff to delete unacceptable content should also exist. All contributors should take responsibility for the content they publish online. 

Farkas, M. (2007, November 2). Building Academic Library 2.0 [Videofile]. Retrieved February 5, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_uOKFhoznI 

Harris, C. (2012, August 9). Summer Project: Kill Dewey [Web Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/08/k-12/summer-project-kill-dewey/  

OLJ Activity - Making Web 2.0 Work for Your Organisation

Select three (3) libraries of your choice that use social networking to meet their goals.

Develop a comparative table which documents how each of the libraries use social networking tools to support information service provision, educational programs, conduct business etc.

	State Library of NSW	South Carolina State Library	New York Public Library
Facebook	5921 likes every few days	1396 likes everyday prolific	123 557 likes everyday prolific
Twitter	5174 followers 3588 tweets	4262 followers 5640 tweets	309 K followers 13.7K tweets
Flickr	1903 photos	8270 photos	2525 photos
blog	yes – 6 blogs	no	yes – countless
Instagram	510 followers 172 posts	no	24 689 followers 318 posts
podcasting	yes	yes	yes
IM	no (email with up to 7 day reply)	yes	yes
RSS feed	yes	yes	yes
mobile access to OPAC	no	no	no
Google +	no	yes	yes
YouTube	no	no	yes
vimeo	124 videos	no	87 videos
Historypin	1017 pins 10 tours 30 collections	no	287 pins 1 collection
pinterest	83 boards 1738 pins	30 boards 402 pins	31 boards 2031 pins
enewsletters	yes	yes	yes
Goodreads	no	yes	yes
LinkedIn	no	yes	yes
tumblr	no	no	232 notes
Four square	no	no	yes

Based on this comparison (and in no more than 350 words) develop your own list of “Reasons why libraries should be on social media”, and draw upon aspects of these three libraries to illustrate each point.

Reasons why libraries should be on social media

Communication 
Social media is an avenue of communication for many people and in particular young people. Burkhardt (2009) argues young people use IM, Facebook and SMS in preference to email. It is evident both the New York Public Library (NYPL) and South Carolina State Library (SCSL) use Facebook and Twitter to communicate with their uses. Both their use of Facebook and Twitter is prolific with a number of posts and tweets everyday.

YouTube is a social networking (SN) tool used by NYPL. Wee (2010) recognises Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as good SN tools for customer communication. SCSL and NYPL also offer an IM option which is more tailored to young people than the State Library of NSW which has an email option with up to 7 days for a reply. This is hardly an effective avenue for communication with its users.

Responding to Feedback
An important aspect of customer service is to be responsive to users' concerns or praise (Burkhardt, 2009). Twitter and Facebook are effective SN tools for responding to user feedback. Burkhardt (2009) recognises it is no longer possible to control what is said about the library but the Library can influence the message that comes across. Timely and thoughtful responses will assist in this. McBurnie (2007) suggests libraries should treat messages via social media as they would emails. 

Marketing
Social media provides another avenue for advertising (Burkhardt, 2009). Farkas (2007) suggests to go where library users are and to put links to the library website there. An example of the NYPL doing this is by use of its own YouTube channel. YouTube is the second largest search engine (Elliott, 2013) and by producing content on YouTube the NYPL is marketing itself to potential users.

The use of Twitter and Facebook by SCSL and NYPL also assist in marketing themselves to potential users. Wee (2010) recognises Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as good SN tools for brand exposure. McBurnie (2007) argues building and projecting a consistent online identity assists in projecting the image of an active, well-informed and progressive organisation.

Building Relationships
The use of IM by SCSL and NYPL builds relationships by immediately communicating and responding to users queries. The use of blogs by State Library of NSW (SLNSW) and NYPL tailored to specific audiences fosters relationships between the library and its users. The delivery of relevant content and the use of comments strengthens these relationships. Prompt responses to Facebook and Twitter posts also assist in building relationships.

Understanding Users Better
Farkas (2008) argues libraries should always focus on the users they have and assessments are critical in making the library reflect the needs and wants of the patrons. Social media is an effective tool to assess the needs and wants of the community. It could be argued the creation and customisation of blogs by SLNSW and NYPL demonstrates an understanding of users by providing tailored content to specific users. All three libraries use podcasting, which provides an easy to find link for users on information services or educational programs.

Burkhardt, A. (2009, August 25). Four Reasons Libraries Should be on Social Media [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://andyburkhardt.com/2009/08/25/four-reasons-libraries-should-be-on-social-media/ 

Elliott, A. (2013, August 7). The Second Largest Search Engine [INFOGRAPHIC]. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/socialbarrel/1650226/second-largest-search-engine-infographic 

Farkas, M. (2008, January 24). The Essence of Library 2.0? [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2008/01/24/the-essence-of-library-20/

Farkas, M. (2007, November 7). Building Academic Library 2.0 [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?=q_uOKFhoznl   

McBurnie, J. (2007, October 1). Your Online Identity: Key to Marketing and Being Found [Web Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://web.freepint.com/go/blog/2510

Wee, W. (2010, March 5). INFOGRAPHIC: Guide to the Socail Media Marketing Landscape [Web Blog Post]. Retrieved from http://techinasia.com/infographic-guide-to-the-social-media-mrketing-landscape/ 

OLJ Activity - Did You Know 4.0?

Watch this video carefully a second time, and identify five (5) examples of 'shifts' or trends that can have an impact on how individuals behave as a digital citizens.
   
1. Americans have access to :

• 1 000 000 000 000 web pages
• 65 000 iPhone apps
• 10 500 radio stations
• 5 500 magazines
• 200+ cable tv networks

 2. Print circulation: Newspaper circulation is down 7 million over the last 25 years.
     Online readers: But in the last 5 years, unique readers of online newspapers are up 30 million.

3. Wikipedia launched in 2001. It now features over 13 million articles in more than 200 languages.

4. Among larger U.S. companies 17% have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies.

5. The mobile device will be the world's primary connection tool to the internet in 2020.

Then outline (in @ 400 words)  how you believe these behaviours can impact on the need for, and development of, information policy in organisations to address these behaviours. You may wish to explore these from either a user/customer perspective or employee/employer perspective, or a combination of both, and you may wish to consider this task within the specific context of your own library and/or organisation, or you can address this task in general terms.

The need for and development of information policy in schools

Young people today are bombarded with information, or content, coming at them from all areas of their life, the internet, their mobile phone and the more traditional tv, radio and magazines. The information they are receiving is generated by anyone with internet connectivity, including their friends and they are walking around with access to all this information in their pocket. 

With the vast volumes of information coming at them, young people need to be taught skills in filtering and evaluating information. They need to be taught critical thinking skills in evaluating the quality of information (Jenkins, Clinton, Purushotma, Robison &Weigel, 2006). It is essential that policy development involves information literacy, digital literacy and digital citizenship. 

Mobile phones with internet connectivity enable content to be easily uploaded to the web. The capability of this technology in the hands of teenagers, who often make spilt second decisions, means they can easily upload content before thinking of the consequences and implications for those involved. Issues pertaining to privacy and the disclosure of personal information should be considered in the development of information policy. 
 
Jenkins, et. al. (2006) argues an important goal of media education should be for young people to reflect on the ethical choices they make as contributors to social media and the impact they have on others. Cybersafety created a video called Tagged (Australian Communications and Media Authority, 2011) to highlight to young people the implications of uploading personal and private material online.

The nature and success of wikipedia encourages anyone to contribute and publish content online. The functionality of web 2.0 makes it easy to adapt or reproduce an existing work and many do so with little knowledge or regard for copyright law (The University of Melbourne, 2008). Addressing intellectual property rights, and in particular copyright, should be considered by schools when developing information policy.

Policy development in schools should involve consideration of social networking policies and online behaviours for both staff and students. The inclusion of acceptable use policies should be explicit in detailing both acceptable and unacceptable behaviour for online activity. Policies should also be clear in how negative comments and behaviour will be responded to.

Oxiem (n.d.) identifes the following key items for every policy:

• what is social media and how to use it
• reminders on confidential information
• define who is responsible and identify a main point of contact
• responsibility for what is written online
• identifying oneself as an employee
• what happens if the policy is violated

 

Australian Communications and Media Authority (2011). Tagged. Melbourne: Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved from http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Teens/Games%20and%20videos/tagged.aspx 

Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. J., & Weigel, M. (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Available http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF

Oxiem, (n.d.). Social Media Policy for School Districts. [Slideshow] Retrieved from [CSU Interact Material] (2014, February 6) http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/tool/dd356536-a961-421f-8072-ba3041ffb2e2/print_module.jsf?printModuleId=29393611

The University of Melbourne (2008, May 21). Wikis, Blogs and Web 2.0 Technology. Retrieved from http://www.unimelb.edu.au/copyright  

OLJ Activity - Creating an Online Personal Learning Network

Using a concept mapping or graphic organising tool, develop a meme map of your own PLN which involves social networking sites, people and organizations.

Based on Utecht's 5 stages of PLN adoption, identify which stage you currently see yourself experiencing and how this impacts on your personal and working lives. Also identify any 'gaps' in your existing PLN (ie. areas which you feel you would like to develop further/in the future).

Personal Learning Network (PLN)

I have never thought about a Personal Learning Network (PLN) before now. Well not formally, anyway. 

As a teacher, before the Web 2.0 age, my personal learning network was more localised, consisting of Head of Department, faculty members, other faculties in nearby schools, University friends and professional associations.

The introduction of Web 2.0 has opened communication lines to a network beyond those known personally. This means there are endless opportunities for linking people and organisations to a PLN. The flow-on effect of social networking can also add to this network exponentially. Once one networking connection is made it is easy to find another by exploring their social network connections. 

Currently, I am experiencing Stage 3 Know it all of Jeff Utecht's Stages of Personal Learning Networks Adoption (Utech, 2008). I feel very overwhelmed with the amount of content the connections are providing me with and it feels that with every connection made and explored another opens up. 

At the start of this subject I was experiencing Utecht's Stage 1 Immersion of PLN adoption . I created connections mainly from blogs and twitter and found that with each connection another connection was made through their collaborations. 

The immersion stage very quickly evolved to the know it all stage. On completion of this course I will endeavour to go back and experience Stage 2 Evaluation and disconnect those connections that are not particularly relevant to me gaining employment next year. I need to focus in on networks that I want to focus my time on (Utecht, 2008) and remove distractions from my PLN. 

The impact of my PLN on my personal and working life is very segmented at the moment. The need to keep connected is hard to manage during the day. I am not currently working and my use of technology in the day is fairly limited unless I have dedicated set time to study. Balancing time between caring for my children, husband's job, studying and staying connected is a juggle.  

Experiencing the know it all stage, while juggling the constraints on my use of technology, leaves me feeling very overwhelmed at staying connected and being inundated with content. The feeling of not wanting to miss out on relevant information and the desire to learn 'everything', also impacts on the personal and work life balance. 

The gap in my PLN is current professional relationships. These connections will take on a more significant later in the year when I engage in finding a job. I will begin this process by reconnecting with previous employers in updating them of my qualifications and the desire to re-enter the workplace. LinkedIn will be my first point of call to make these connections and establish where previous colleagues are currently employed.

Utech, J. (2008, April 3). Stages of PLN adoption [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://www.thethinkingstick.com/stages-of-pln-adoption/

OLJ Activity - Librarian 2.0

Based on your reading in Modules 1, 2 and 3 so far, and your examination of the definitions of Librarian 2.0 and the views presented in the above YouTube clips, define what you believe to be the essential knowledge, skills and attributes of an information professional in a Web 2.0 world.

Librarian 2.0 is ..............

Partridge, Lee & Munro (2009) suggest Librarian 2.0 is more about changing attitudes and ways of thinking. In a school setting this would involve the Teacher Librarian 2.0 (TL 2.0) being a leader in changing the culture of the way the school community uses the library. Moving towards engaging with the library webpage as a gateway to the library. They are the driving force behind users changing the way they use the library.

Librarians 2.0 are active participants in moving the library forward and working with colleagues in responding to change (Cohen, 2006). Librarian 2.0 are instrumental in teaching others the skills of Web 2.0. TL 2.0 work collaboratively with teachers in teaching them how to engage student interaction with the library. They are contributory in delivering professional development and support to teachers as they embrace change.

Information professionals in a Web 2.0 world work collaboratively with users, create open websites allowing users to contribute content and encourage library administration to blog (Cohen, 2006). That is, they foster an environment of collaboration and social interaction with library users. As a result, user-created content influences library programs, services and the collection.

Partridge, Menzies, Lee et. al. (2010) states a Librarian 2.0 should be innovative, adaptable, flexible and an active learner. Constantly reinventing the way things are done and keeping abreast of current trends is vital to being an information professional in a Web 2.0 world. Cohen's (2006) view of not wanting for something to be perfect before releasing it and modifying based on feedback is reflective of Librarian 2.0. This view embraces collaboration and social interaction.

Librarian 2.0 seeks out professional development and professional development finds them (Huvila, et al, 2013). Social networking tools are an effective way in ensuring professional development finds TLs 2.0. Being an avid learner and understanding how to implement change is essential in modelling best practice.

Information professionals in a Web 2.0 world have developed management skills and are adept in project management, information management, community engagement and marketing (Partridge, Menzies, Lee et al (2010). TL 2.0 are a leading force in promoting the library via numerous channels and are at the forefront in managing the many projects the library may have running at any one time. They display leadership and are effective communicators.

Cohen, L. (2006). A Librarian's 2.0 Manifesto. Retrieved 30 January, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZblrRs3fkSU 

Huvila, I., Holmberg, K., Kronqvist-Berg, M., Nivakoski, O., & Widen, G. (2013). What is librarian 2.0: New competencies or interactive relations? A library professional viewpoint. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 45(3) 198-205. doi:10.1177/0961000613477122

Partridge, H., Lee, J. & Munro, C. (2010). Becoming "Librarian 2.0": The Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes Required by Library and Information Science Professionals in a Web 2.0 World (and Beyond). Library Trends, 59(1-2), 315-335. Retrieved 30 January 2014 from http://muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/journals/library_trends/v059/59.1-2.partridge.html 

Partridge, H., Menzies, V., Lee, J., et al. (2010). The comtemporary librarian: Skills, knowledge and attributes required in a world of emerging technologies. Library and Information Science Research 32(4): 265-271. 

OLJ Activity - Library Website Design

Identify a website of a library or information agency you are familiar with (as either an employee or user) that is utilising one or more Web 2.0 technologies to provide information services and/or learning support.

Based on your reading of Mathews (2009), Lazaris (2009), McBurnie (2007) and Governor et al (2009):

1. develop your own set of criteria (up to 10 criterion) with regard to effective library website design; and
2. evaluate the effectiveness of the selected library website based on your set of criteria, and identify aspects of this website that could be improved using Web 2.0 technologies.

I have chosen the State Library of Queensland to base this OLJ activity on.

Criteria for website evaluation	Yes/No Comment
Promotion Does the website promote library events, collection, services, popular materials? Is the website current and refreshed regularly? (Matthews, 2009)	Yes Events are updated and current. A calendar is embedded. Tabs at the top include resources, showcase and what’s on.
Search Boxes Are there search boxes imbedded on every page? Are the search boxes, federated search boxes? (Matthews, 2009)	Yes The search bar remains on the top of each page. It is a federated search bar with options to search the catalogue, website, what’s on or blogs.
Visual Cues Are icons used? Does the design stimulate the senses? (Lazaris, 2009; Matthews, 2009)	Yes Recognisable icons are used, such as Facebook, Twitter, WiFi, GPS locator. The design is visually appealing using a traditional grid format with lots of colour, photos and images. Although, the visual styling is more appealing on the homepage and more text-based on further links. However, this is still effective in taking users to areas of the website for further information.
Segmentation Is there separate content for different patron groups? Is the styling/text/fonts customised to each group? (Matthews, 2009)	Yes and No There is separate content for users, however, it is not customised for them. The Corner is the children’s space in the library and in reality is a bright, tailored made learning space for children and this is not portrayed by its link on the website.
Feedback Is there an opportunity for user feedback? Has the library posted official responses to user feedback? (Matthews, 2009)	Yes and No There are links to online forms for feedback. However, there is no opportunity on the website for user to post comments. Therefore, there is no avenue for the library to respond publicly. There are many blogs for the library with opportunity for user feedback, but not on the library website.
Redundancy Are there numerous ways for users to navigate the website? (Matthews, 2009)	Yes There are many hyperlinks included navigating users to other pages on the website.
User Interaction Is there an opportunity for users to interact through video/sound/ animation/games? (Lazaris, 2009)	No The only way for users to interact on the website is via hyperlinks to other webpages.
Easy Way to Ask for Help Is it easy to find the Ask the Librarian link? (Matthews, 2009)	No The ‘Ask a Librarian’ link is buried under the services tab on the homepage. It is recommended this be added to the search bar that appears on every page.
Inspiring Photos Have photos been used to highlight people and spotlight library spaces? Have the use of photos reduced clutter on the website? (Matthews, 2009)	No The use of photos is limited to the homepage. Other pages on the website would benefit greatly from the use of photos to engage users to visit the library. For example, The Corner is a very vibrant and interactive learning space for young children and there are no photos of this on the webpage.

The State Library of Queensland has a good base for a website. Evidence of Web 2.0 tools include social networking links, blogging links, federated searches and mashups. The homepage is the website's strength and is where most of the examples of Web 2.0 can be found. 

Opportunity presents itself for the State Library of Queensland to further embrace Web 2.0 tools and integrate them in all aspects of the webpage. With some minor modifications users should be further engaged with the website and play a more interactive role as contributors to it.

Some Web 2.0 additions to the SLQ webpage may include:

• search tag clouds (Governor, et.al, 2009)
• interactive games and applications suitable for children divided in to preschool, primary and secondary school students on The Corner’s webpage.
• Ask a Librarian comments posted and responded to.
• Podcasts and YouTube clips
• Applying features present on the homepage throughout the website to maintain user engagement.

Mathews, B. (2009). Web design matters: Ten essentials for any library site. Library Journal, (available in electronic full text from CSU library - http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library)

Governor, J., Hinchcliffe, D, & Nickull, D. (2009). Web 2.0 architectures (1st ed.). Sebastopol, Calif.: O’Reilly Media. [ebook] Available http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/9780596514433

Lazaris, L. (2009). Designing websites for kids: Trends and best practices, Smashing Magazine, (27 November). Retrieved from http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/11/27/designing-websites-for-kids-trends-and-best-practices/

OLJ Activity - Second Life

I participated in a tutorial of Second Life, organised by the lecturer and attended by a handful of students, a couple of weeks ago. I didn't experience much success on the day and decided today was the day I had enough courage to reenter the virtual world of Second Life.

I am definitely a novice user of modern gaming. I was a player of SIMS in its early years, but have no experience of interacting with others in an online environment. That is, until the tutorial on Second Life.

During that experience I became very anxious when I was unable to find the initial environment to meet the group. It took about 20 minutes and many Facebook posts to try and find the group. I discovered my error. The link popped up but I did not recognise the online name and became anxious I was in the wrong environment. I was destracted with the destination guide picks popping up on the left of the screen and assuming I was going to be transported directly to an environment.

Once I found the group, I was able to make limited movements and fumbled my way around the environment. I was able to follow others and be transported to other locations. I thought I took pictures during this experience. However, I am unable to find them.

I have had limited success in altering my avatar. I have been able to change some clothing items, but not all. I had difficulty in finding options and navigating my way through this process. I had concerns for a while when I was able to remove her shirt and had difficulty in dressing her in another. But perseverance ensured she was appropriately dressed in the end.

Altered clothing

I managed to save a few photos to my computer and some to my profile feed. Although, there were some photos that went to the profile feed when I was trying to save them to the computer. I am not particularly sure what I was doing. Likewise, I had limited success with posting photos. I was able to post photos directly from Second Life to Facebook with the intention of them posting to the closed group INF506 but posted them to my profile instead. I was able to import photos saved to the computer in this blog post, but not from Second Life.

CSU-SIS Meeting Hall

Today I was able to walk, run, sit and stand. I was able to find another location, the bar, and keep objects in my inventory such as drinks, cocktails and tea.

I was able to sit in the Meeting Hall. It was here I reflected on the learning potential of online environments such as Second Life. Avatars would be able to attend lectures and meet up with groups. Some environments would be beneficial for distance education students to experience a practical classroom, such as a Laboratory. Having studied anatomy I can see real potential for learning opportunities in an anatomy lab.

Sitting in the Meeting Hall