Social Tools: More than just a good time

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Social Tools More than just a good time

• Presented by
• Jenn Horwath
• Cynthia Williamson
• Library _at_ Mohawk

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Agenda

• Definitions
• Social Tools
• In Action _at_ Mohawk
• Strategic Priority Achieved
• Features/Benefits of Software,
• iPoodles?
• Info to Go
• Lessons Learned

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Definitions

• Social Tools
• Web as platform
• Encourage collaboration, information sharing
  online and in real-time
• User-created content (many-to-many communication)
• Strategic priorities
• Agreed upon by library lead team
• Essential services that fulfill mission of Library

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Strategic Priorities SupportingExploration and
Use of Emerging Technologies

• Learning enhancement the library will leverage
  relevant and emerging technologies in the
  creation of evolving service options
• Be involved, proactive and responsive within the
  rapidly changing information and knowledge
  economy
• Use technology for maximum advantage
• Improve communications

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Social Tool BlogsBlogs in action _at_ Mohawk

• Library newsletter TheBRAIN_blog (Sept. 2003)
• Staff information sharing BRAIN Trust (Sept.
  2003)
• Library classes Research Skills Instruction blog
  (Feb. 2004)

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Key features of blogging software

• Easy to update
• Many staff members can contribute
• Can post frequently b/c its quick easy
• Broadcast functionality included (RSS)
• Instant CMS includes archive, search
  functionality, recent post listing, etc.
• Comments feature included

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Social tool BlogsAchieves Strategic Priorities

• Library outreach, communication with users
• Information literacy
• Cost efficient free!

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http//mohawklrc2.blogspot.com/
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http//libraryclasses.wordpress.com/
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Info to Go

• BRAIN_blog
• Use free Blogger.com
• Post to it every 2 weeks
• Functionality used archive, links, comments
  activated but not actively encouraged
• Try it http//www.blogger.com

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Info to Go

• Research Skills Instruction blog
• Use Wordpress.com (also available Wordpress.org
  downloadable)
• Why 2 different blogs? Can add files in Wordpress
  Blogger no longer supports this function.
• Try it http//www.wordpress.com

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iPoodles?

• Service drives technology
• Only features necessary to service are utilized

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Lessons Learned

• BRAIN Trust fizzled too many places to look
• BRAIN_blog Research Skills Instruction blog
  worked use technology to match priority instead
  of other way around
• BRAIN_blog visits have risen 23 since last year
  from 150/month at inception to over 300 month.
• External vs. Internal hosting examine your IT
  support first.

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Social Bookmarking in Action _at_ Mohawk

• Information services staff use FURL to recommend
  websites to add to the library collection
• Shared del.icio.us account for Net Generation
  study

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Social Bookmarking SoftwareKey Features

• Easy to add website with comments and clippings
• FURL allows standard subject headings
• Add tags and/or ratings (or not)
• FURL catches duplicate posts
• Del.cio.us allows posts without a login, easier
  to maintain more than one account

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Social Tool Social BookmarkingStrategic
Priorities Achieved

• Improved communication, more efficient than email
• Easy collaboration inspiring
• Free (closer to beer than kittens)
• Communication

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FURL

• Staff Furl website, include a suggestion for
  subject area comments about why site is useful
  clipping (from website or other recommendation)
• CM Librarian receives email when FURL account is
  used
• CM Librarian can easily see what needs to be
  vetted, leave messages for cataloguers
• Cataloguers can easily see what needs to be done

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FURL
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Del.icio.us

• Jenn and I share a Del.icio.us account to collect
  research on Net Generation (findings coming to a
  session near you somewhere, sometime!)
• Post interesting websites and documents to our
  Netgen study Del.icio.us account
• Web research is all in one place
• Include comments and reasons for posting

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Info to Go

• Its 1-2-3 to set up a FURL or del.icio.us account
• Share passwords
• Training sessions for reluctant adopters
• Lead by example

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IPoodles?

• Why isnt one of Mohawks portal groups
  sufficient? No logging in finding a folder
• One click FURL feature makes it really easy to
  recommend a website, no cutting pasting, no
  remembering to send it some time
• Why not just email? Recommendations not stuck in
  CM Librarians inbox but in an archive for
  everyone to see

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Lessons Learned

• FURL easy to use easy to learn, much better
  staff use than the Reference wikiWhy? Its
  easier?
• Ongoing, training and encouraging required.

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Social Tool PodcastingPodcasting in action _at_
Mohawk

• The BRAINcast
• Every 2 weeks
• Always feature Library or online research tools
  (catalogue, ebooks, etc.)

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Social Tool PodcastingStrategic Priorities
Achieved

• Information literacy instruction
• Outreach
• Expertise

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Key features of podcasting software

• Audio file
• Hosting
• RSS feeds
• Web page/Blog

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http//braincast.libsyn.com
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Screenshot of stats in libsyn
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Info to Go

• First create audio
• Audacity (free!), Adobe Audition, GarageBand, Pro
  Tools, etc.
• Then choose hosting solution
• Internal your own servers
• External Internet Archive, free and for fee
  options
• Create your RSS feed
• Poderator, Feedburner, Roll your own

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Info to Go

• Use all-in-one solution
• Hosting, RSS feed creation, blog/web site,
  recording (some)
• Libsyn, Ourmedia, Odeo, Podomatic
• Add music and sound effects
• Podsafe Music Network
• Freesound
• Open Media Directory
• Uhort
• More

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Info to Go

• Add it to iTunes directory http//www.apple.com/i
  tunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html

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iPoodles?

• Technology drove the service at the outset -
  how can we use podcasting?
• Butone more access point for tutorials cant be
  a bad thing
• Expertise gained can be used in college
  conferences and to assist faculty

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Lessons Learned

• Easy to set up!
• Dont expect instant audience or buy-in
• Factor in the time for creation and production

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Social Tool Wiki

• According to Wikipedia, A wiki is a website that
  allows the visitors themselves to easily add,
  remove, and otherwise edit and change available
  content...
• Strategies met
• Collaboration
• Improved strategic collection development
• Build a faculty liaison aid
• Free (more like kittens than beer)

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Wikis in Action _at_ Mohawk

• Two wikis
• Used in-house, not for public (yet)
• Collection and Access Management
• Sharing policies, collection profiles, new title
  lists, weeding statistics
• Reference
• Schedules, reference questions, issues debates

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Key Features Mediawiki

• Mediawiki -
• Needs server some programming skills for set-up
• Highly customizable
• No programming skills to build and edit but not
  easy at first
• Problems
• We needed I.T. for server set-up
• Lack of control over format and access.
• Had to ask I.T. personnel to add pictures!

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Front Page of CAM Wiki created using MediaWiki
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Key Features PB Wiki

• Decided to go it on our own and use PB Wiki
• We control access, not I.T.
• Good first wiki, templates help available
• Easy to edit (relatively speaking for
  non-techies!)
• Easy to add pictures, upload files
• History. Its easy to revert to old pages. Use it
  to store statistics!
• New CAM wiki

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CAM Wiki created using PBWiki
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PB Wiki Forums
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Mohawk Portal Group Homepage
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Info to Go

• Media Wiki
• If you have a server and some programming skills,
  try Media Wiki, its free, robust.
• PB Wiki
• If you dont have a server, try PB Wiki,
  web-based, templates available, good help forum,
  easy starting place.

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IPoodles?

• Why isnt an in-house group sufficient?
• no control over what goes where, what appears
  what doesnt
• only members, can never be public

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Lessons Learned

• Regrets, Ive had a few..
• Its about collaboration, dont keep it to
  yourself
• Remember perpetual beta
• Training and encouraging
• Collaboration vs. collectivism (wikiality)

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Social Tool Instant MessengerIM in action _at_
Mohawk

• Use Trillian and monitor Yahoo!, MSN and AOL
  (began Feb. 2005)
• Offered 8.30am 9pm M-F, SS 9am-5pm
• Monitored by staff at less busy e-Library desk
• Buddy name braintogo
• Promoted by signage, web site, campus newspaper.
• Uptake has been slow 41 transactions (vs. 60 in
  virtual reference service) from Sept. Dec. 06
  a slow rise in usage

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Social tool Instant MessengerStrategic
Priorities Achieved

• Reference service anytime, anywhere
• Focus on our users students are comfortable
  with this technology
• See Pew studies How Americans Use Instant
  Messaging and The Rise of the Instant Message
  Generation 74 of teens with Internet access
  have used IM

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Key features of IM service

• Set up buddy name on Yahoo!, MSN, AOL
• Monitor many accounts from one interface
  (Trillian)
• Easy for all staff to use
• Free!
• Logs transactions
• Meet the students where they are

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Info to Go

• Create identities
• Yahoo! http//messenger.yahoo.com/
• MSN http//get.live.com/messenger/overview
• AOL http//www.aim.com/
• Google http//gmail.com

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Info to Go

• Free software client to monitor all accounts
• Trillian http//www.ceruleanstudios.com/
• GAIM http//gaim.sourceforge.net/
• Meebo http//www.meebo.com/index-en.html
• Set hours of service and staffing
• Promote

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iPoodle?

• Another service point
• Impetus to use what the students are using
• Improvement to current service as more access
  points

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Lessons Learned

• Promote, promote, promote!
• Keep aware of new services
• Dont expect usage stats to skyrocket (VR stats
  gt IM stats)

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Social Tool Roll Your OwnKey features of
Ning.com

• Developers share their apps
• Can create or steal any one of a range of social
  tools (photo sharing, bookmark sharing, forum,
  etc.)
• Need to know CSS, HTML, PHP in order to customize

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Key features of Ning.com
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Social Tool Roll Your OwnNing in action _at_ Mohawk

• Suggestion Box/User Forum
• Users can ask a question or answer a question
• Can see what users are thinking about
• Staff can intervene and answer or delete
  questions
• Top questions are listed

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Ning in action _at_ Mohawk
http//librarysuggestionbox.ning.com
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Social tool Roll your ownStrategic Priorities
Achieved

• Outreach to users
• User support

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Info to go

• Ning www.ning.com (free login)
• Zoho creator (databases) http//creator.zoho.com

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iPoodles?

• Technology drove service!
• Butgood testing ground

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Lessons learned

• Just launched on Jan. 5th, 2007
• Even though its free, time isnt free! Think
  about how much time it takes to set up the
  service.

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Social Tool Bloglines/RSS Reader Key features
of Bloglines/RSS

• Can add RSS feeds for blogs, journals, etc.
• Keep up to date with late breaking news in
  library field
• Can make your list of feeds public
• Easy for staff to add RSS feeds

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Social Tool Bloglines/RSSStrategic Priorities
Achieved

• Staff training education
• Professional development

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Bloglines in action _at_ Mohawk
http//www.bloglines.com/public/LibraryMohawk
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Bloglines in action at Mohawk

• Created library account so any staff member can
  add feeds
• Added folders for library journals, library
  blogs, education journals, new titles (ProQuest),
  new web resources
• Staff members can read only dont have to add
  RSS feeds if they dont want to

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Info to go

• Create a free login at www.bloglines.com
• Add feeds
• Let staff know the URL.

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Lessons Learned

• Just because you build it doesnt mean they will
  come
• Too many places to look means they wont look

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iPoodles?

• Honestly thought it would be good use of
  technology!

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Parting thoughts

• Side benefit Sharing with community about
  experiences with social tools
• Mohawk Connections Conference podcatchers,
  social bookmarking.
• In class blogs, bloglines, RSS feeds
• Take risks but be prepared for failure

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Parting thoughts

• Internal vs. External hosting depends on your
  situation and IT support
• New applications take a while to catch on among
  users (blog, chat, etc.)

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Next steps

• Second Life
• Myspace
• Explore other IM software (Meebo, GAIM, Unyte)
• Explore use of Librarything
• Explore use of Flickr

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Want to Know More?

• Jenns Web 2.0 links http//del.icio.us/electric
  librarian/web2.0
• Cynthias blogroll http//www.bloglines.com/publ
  ic/crwbookgirl
• Librarian in Blacks Using Blogs in the Library
  http//librarianinblack.typepad.com/librarianinbla
  ck/2007/01/using_blogs_in_.html
• Librarian in Blacks Social Bookmarking for
  Readers Advisory
• http//librarianinblack.typepad.comlibrarianinblac
  k/2007/using_social_bo.html
• Michael Stephens Librarian 2.0
  Description http//tametheweb.com/2007/01/into_
  a_new_world_of_librarians.html
• Michael Habibs Academic Library 2.0
• http//mchabib.blogspot.com/2006/08/academic-libra
  ry-20-concept-models.html
• Digital Maoism http//www.edge.org/3rd_culture/l
  anier06/lanier06_index.html
• In Print
• Farkas, Meridith. Balancing the Online Life. In
  American Libraries, Jan 2007, vol. 38, issue 1,
• p. 42-45.
• Trexler, Sally. Social Bookmarking with
  Del.icio.us. In Information Searcher, 2006 vol.
  16, issue 3, p22-27.
• Transformative sharing with Instant Messaging,
  Wikis, Interactive Maps, and Flickr. In
  Computers in Libraries (cover story), Jan. 2007,
  vol. 27, issue 1, p. 7-56.