#15 On Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

Today's assignment: Read some thoughts from a variety of perspectives about the impact Web 2.0 is having or will have on libraries.

Two thoughts especially speak to my experience as a librarian.

First from Rick Anderson talking about user education: "But if our services can’t be used without training, then it’s the services that need to be fixed—not our patrons. One-button commands, such as Flickr’s “Blog This,” and easy-to-use programs like Google Page Creator, offer promising models for this kind of user-centric service." We want our users to use the resources we pay for rather than the WWW, but using these resources is so much more complicated than using Google. The inexperienced freshman college student does not see the difference between what is found in Google and what is in a database. It takes time, practice, and knowledge of a field of study to begin to realize what you need to know and where you will find it. Professors and librarians insist that students use the scholarly resources, but the students only do it because we are making them do it. In reality, though, they get most of their info from the web and just throw in a few citations to required sources. We need to figure out ways to make searching the databases as easy as using Google. Federated searching is one way. But we also need to make this as easily accessible as Google by putting a search box right on the front page of the library web site.

Second, from John J. Riemer, "Adopt Web features: The features of Amazon and Google of interest to students and scholars ought to be incorporated into the services libraries make available. Libraries should welcome the submission of reviews, assignment of keywords (“tagging”), addition of scholarly commentary, and other forms of user participation." This is a scary, exciting idea - scary because it involves letting go of control over the online catalog, but exciting to think of the possibilities of community-building this could create on a campus.

#14 Technorati

Searched in Technorati for Learning 2.0 in all blogs and 4,020 results were returned - Wow! Because I'm doing this project from the Eastern Campus, I already am experiencing this as a part of an online community, but one limited to the OU libraries. The search in Technorati raises my awareness of the scope of this project beyond the world of OU and beyond the world of academic libraries. And beyond the US - I found posts are in Dutch, Spanish, and Italian! Talk about a global community!

When I did the tag search, only 3 entries, but also had videos and pictures come up as results, including the Learning 2.0 video starring our fearless leader, Jan Maxwell!

Third option, Blog Directory Search. Results: 489 blogs about learning 2.0. I looked at one to see where the phrase learning 2.0 is located and I couldn't find it, so I suspected that a few of the results were irrelevant. Did the search again using quotations marks around the words learning 2.0 and only got 168 results. This time the results had the words learning 2.0 in the titles.

So, you can search in Technorati to find blogs using a keyword search, tag search = subject search, and blog directory search = title search. This experience shows that tagging blogs is a good idea. The keyword search returned many results, but the tag search returned only a few. The title search worked well for relevancy, but, as we can see from the titles of the blogs at OU libraries, most of these relevant learning 2.0 blogs will not be returned in the list of results.

I did a tag search of oulibraries in Technorati and my post did not show up.

I think I'll go figure out how to tag my blog now...

oulibraries

#13 Tagging, folksomonies & social bookmarking in Del.icio.us

Reading the About Del.icio.us page, a few uses immediately look useful to me, personally and professionally. Personally, the Wishlist, Cookbook, and Vacation ideas look good. Regarding bookmarking individual recipes webpages and tagging them: I have often wished my cookbook's index listed ingredients so that I could look up a recipe for the ingredients I have on hand. The tagging function allows you to create this kind of index for your favorite recipes. Professionally, the Research and Collaboration ideas look great, especially for group projects, such as collaborating on creating a webliography.

#12 Roll Your Own Search Engine with Rollyo

I created a search roll with Rollyo using a small sampling of Buddhist web sites. I'm debating in my mind the value of creating a search engine that limits my search in this way to a few selected sites. Efficiency and quality could be enhanced by choosing and searching only credible sites.
Since I work in a small library I am involved in many and diverse subject areas; I can imagine creating search rolls for subject areas or courses. However, this could also involve a lot of time keeping the search rolls updated when new web sites come online. Subject specialists might do a better job of creating and updating these rolls since they concentrate in one area of study.
As with many of these new tools, I am not sure how I will use Rollyo in my life as a librarian. I am enjoying having the excuse to play and learn about them. The value in this Web 2.0 project lies in knowing that these tools exist, so that some day in the future, when the need arises, I'll remember this or that tool and realize that it would be useful in that particular situation, either for myself, a colleague, or a student. Right now, I think my brain is full!

#11 LibraryThing

LibraryThing is fun and easy and, I fear, addictive! I was fascinated to see how many others own the same books as I do. This is a good way to meet people with similar reading interests. I am also enjoying the Recommendations Machine. I am not a big fan of fiction, so if I do enjoy a novel, I can look it up in LibraryThing and see what else is recommended. We'll see if it works. Another nice feature I read about, but can't use - you can access your library thing account from your cell phone - very handy when you are at the book store and can't remember if you already own the book you are about to purchase.

#10 Play Around with Image Generators

I used the LolCat Buildr

# 9 Finding Feeds

OK. I checked out the Bloglines Search Tool, Feedster, Topix.net, Syndic8, and Technorati. I liked Bloglines Search Tool the best - it is clean and simple. I also appreciated Smitherines' suggestion about Bloglines' Related Feeds tab. I found quite a few interesting looking sites there. Problem is, now I have more feeds than I have time to look through! So much information, so little time!

#8 Make Life "Really Simple" with RSS & a newsreader

I like simplicity. That's probably at the root of my resistance to technology - sometimes it seems to add another layer of complexity to my life. However, after trying the RSS and newsreader, I can see that this could simplify my life and make it easier to check out new information. The format makes it easy to scan and there are no distracting ads.

I am not sure how I will use these technologies in my work life. I am slowly seeing the usefulness of each as I become familiar with them. I appreciated Wanda's reminder that RSS is available for the EJC. I remember reading about it before but did not investigate it because I didn't realize how useful and easy setting up a newsreader account could be.