I was on a workgroup who used PBWiki, and it was just great for sharing minutes, tasks, and discussions of common readings. With that kind of power to do group edits on content, PBWiki makes lots of online task-achievement possible with a lot less meeting time in person. It is incredibly useful - it becomes more critical to have broad online access for staff, but makes for a lot of savings on gas and travel time as bodies of a workgroup travel to a physical location. Also, the resulting work is there for all to see - less time going back trying to remember where work left off or what decision was made.
I think there is a lot of content on OceanNet that would work well in a PBWiki setting. For instance, I happen to be working a Sunday while considering this challege. A PBWiki would be a great way to share things like computer logins, building issues, etc. - info that can change periodically but needs to be in a central place that can be updated immediately for staff to reference.
PBWikis might also be nice environments for weeding projects. If staff in one location weeds an area and discards titles that are outdated and have been updated, or are outdated and inaccurate, they could post those titles to a PBWiki so other locations could look for the same titles - system weeding made faster and more consistent!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Thing 16: Learning About Wikis
I see lots of good opportunities for the use of Wikis. I really enjoyed Nancy Pearl's and Albany County's. Book-sharing is the perfect thing to do on a wiki, and I saw that Albany County is using some wiki applications for staff input on selecting materials. I can certainly see some uses that relate to my job, as part of what I do involves consolidating communication among 21 branches!
The Library Success wiki is a spot I will be visiting again. In all of my wiki-exploring, my favorite option is the "recent changes" link. On a wiki like Library Success, I can choose a topic like Cataloging and see very quickly if there has been recent activity, or whether there has been a post that generated a ton of discussion. I know that can also be managed via RSS, but truthfully I don't see myself becoming an RSS junkie, so I like to know my options for quickly browsing new material!
The OCL blog post was fun reading, what with all of the local history and lore. I saw lots of potential staff changes in History, from Sparks, to additions pertaining to John Bailey Lloyd, to more mundane edits like style changes. With all of the posts and undoing of posts, I can see where a detail hound like me could while away hours and hours fixing wikis! I can see some opportunities for programming here, too. How about the locations that have knitting groups? A pattern could be shared in the group, and then a wiki could be used to post resulting projects and variations used, etc. Definitely a community-builder!
The Library Success wiki is a spot I will be visiting again. In all of my wiki-exploring, my favorite option is the "recent changes" link. On a wiki like Library Success, I can choose a topic like Cataloging and see very quickly if there has been recent activity, or whether there has been a post that generated a ton of discussion. I know that can also be managed via RSS, but truthfully I don't see myself becoming an RSS junkie, so I like to know my options for quickly browsing new material!
The OCL blog post was fun reading, what with all of the local history and lore. I saw lots of potential staff changes in History, from Sparks, to additions pertaining to John Bailey Lloyd, to more mundane edits like style changes. With all of the posts and undoing of posts, I can see where a detail hound like me could while away hours and hours fixing wikis! I can see some opportunities for programming here, too. How about the locations that have knitting groups? A pattern could be shared in the group, and then a wiki could be used to post resulting projects and variations used, etc. Definitely a community-builder!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thing 15: On Library 2.0
Lordy, lordy, lordy. I have beaucoup thoughts on the readings for Thing 15...many of them critical. The otter has claws...en garde!
In "Away from the Icebergs," Rick Anderson suggests it is time to "look skeptically at the very idea of a library 'collection.'" Well, let me just say that in my job in the COLLECTIONS dept., I see around 100 requests for materials EVERY week. And that is just for NON-FICTION. One can easily surmise those numbers go up for more popular formats like fiction and a/v. So, whose idea is it to look skeptically at physical collections? Not the hundreds of customers who demand items. I also got revved up reading Wendy Schultz comment that "librarians today are not just inventory management biobots." Those 100 requests every 5 days? Those are for inventory. And if we want to find it, we have to manage it. Is that all we do or "just" what we do? Certainly not, I am in agreement there - but let's throw it some attention before we breeze on by it as the mindless work of a biobot.
Which brings me to my next point. All of these 2.0 possibilities in the biblioworld - tagging, reviewing, acquisition/borrowing availability (there's that pesky inventory again!)....use of those functions by customers is going to require MORE participation, assistance, and explanation by librarians. Not less. I enjoyed reading about the possibilites mentioned in "To Better Bibliographic Services" and "To a Temporary Place in Time." But take a customer who linked to a source through a 2.0 interaction that indicates a copy of just the title they wanted is available for sale, and then tell them that you can't order that book for your library because that seller only takes credit cards and you are a government agency that only pays with purchase orders.
There are a lot of details in the mix here. And I accept that the look and format of our services are going to change. But our customers still want inventory. And if they are asking for titles from 1920 today (and trust me, they are), then I believe they will be asking for 2008 titles in 2035. And the author that wrote that 2008 book? I'm pretty sure they're going to be talking to their agents and publishers about getting royalties until their 75-year copyright runs out, so online access to material is going to cost somebody something in that time period.
So, looking at inventory as passé? Let's see, 100 requests X number of counties in NJ X number of states in U.S.A........icebergs, anyone? Call me skeptical.
In "Away from the Icebergs," Rick Anderson suggests it is time to "look skeptically at the very idea of a library 'collection.'" Well, let me just say that in my job in the COLLECTIONS dept., I see around 100 requests for materials EVERY week. And that is just for NON-FICTION. One can easily surmise those numbers go up for more popular formats like fiction and a/v. So, whose idea is it to look skeptically at physical collections? Not the hundreds of customers who demand items. I also got revved up reading Wendy Schultz comment that "librarians today are not just inventory management biobots." Those 100 requests every 5 days? Those are for inventory. And if we want to find it, we have to manage it. Is that all we do or "just" what we do? Certainly not, I am in agreement there - but let's throw it some attention before we breeze on by it as the mindless work of a biobot.
Which brings me to my next point. All of these 2.0 possibilities in the biblioworld - tagging, reviewing, acquisition/borrowing availability (there's that pesky inventory again!)....use of those functions by customers is going to require MORE participation, assistance, and explanation by librarians. Not less. I enjoyed reading about the possibilites mentioned in "To Better Bibliographic Services" and "To a Temporary Place in Time." But take a customer who linked to a source through a 2.0 interaction that indicates a copy of just the title they wanted is available for sale, and then tell them that you can't order that book for your library because that seller only takes credit cards and you are a government agency that only pays with purchase orders.
There are a lot of details in the mix here. And I accept that the look and format of our services are going to change. But our customers still want inventory. And if they are asking for titles from 1920 today (and trust me, they are), then I believe they will be asking for 2008 titles in 2035. And the author that wrote that 2008 book? I'm pretty sure they're going to be talking to their agents and publishers about getting royalties until their 75-year copyright runs out, so online access to material is going to cost somebody something in that time period.
So, looking at inventory as passé? Let's see, 100 requests X number of counties in NJ X number of states in U.S.A........icebergs, anyone? Call me skeptical.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thing 14: Technorati
Well, as I found with my first exploration of Technorati way back in Thing 9, I am not at all a fan of the general search tool that looks for tagged posts. When I did the search for "Learning 2.0" I saw lots of results from other folks/organizations who are doing the web challenge "things." Although I can't say I didn't learn anything, because I did come across one post from someone at Columbus Metropolitan Library who was blogging about their new Technology Director, Helene Blowers, who originated the "Web Things" challenge at PLCMC. Full circle!
And then....when I clicked on the "blogs" tag, voila! There was Helene's blog Library Bytes, which, I am ashamed to say, I had never viewed before. I will definitely be adding a feed from her blog. She has a slideshow posted for a workshop she gave yesterday in Ohio, and it looks like it is just chock-full of great info and ideas. Just out of curiosity, I Google-ed the title of her workshop, and the first result was said same slideshow on slideshare.net (incidentally, another resource I didn't know about). SHAMELESS BOOK TIP: She mentions Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky. OCL has 4 copies, just waiting to be read - pick it up or place your hold!
I must say, I'm still a little "on the fence" with Technorati. I never seem to find what I think I'm searching for, but I always come away with some little gem I didn't even know I was missing.
And then....when I clicked on the "blogs" tag, voila! There was Helene's blog Library Bytes, which, I am ashamed to say, I had never viewed before. I will definitely be adding a feed from her blog. She has a slideshow posted for a workshop she gave yesterday in Ohio, and it looks like it is just chock-full of great info and ideas. Just out of curiosity, I Google-ed the title of her workshop, and the first result was said same slideshow on slideshare.net (incidentally, another resource I didn't know about). SHAMELESS BOOK TIP: She mentions Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky. OCL has 4 copies, just waiting to be read - pick it up or place your hold!
I must say, I'm still a little "on the fence" with Technorati. I never seem to find what I think I'm searching for, but I always come away with some little gem I didn't even know I was missing.
Thing 13: Del.icio.us Otters
OK, so it's not hard to guess what first grabbed my attention about this task: bonjour, Otter Group!
I thought it was interesting to explore around del.icio.us and track thought processes through tags. I enjoyed noticing where I felt the train of thought was "on topic" and where I felt I was definitely veering into other topics. For instance, I started out exploring the "food" tag, which led me to "recipes," then "vegan" where I noticed a bookmark for a site about vegan shoes. So, a couple of tags kept me solidly within the "food" topic and then led me into fashion accessories!
I also like to note the tags and try to imagine whether the "tagger" was just trying to be very thorough or if the tags represent what topics are most important to them for a site. I looked at the tags for a site that had a lemon tart recipe, and it was fun to see how many folks stuck to basics like "dessert" and "recipe" and those who were more specific and tagged "lemon." A simple example, but it made me think about how personalized this tool might be, and how that might really work well for some searchers and be really distracting for others. I liked seeing tags in other languages, too!
I peeked at another string of "web 2.0" and "web design" tags, just to get a perspective from a different topic. I can see some research use for del.icio.us if you view the common tags for a bookmark. In this instance, the common cloud I viewed contained tags like "javascript" and "css," so I can see where a searcher could use the common clouds as ways to narrow down choices for sites, based on whether a site is tagged for all of the topics you are searching or just one or two - a bit like I imagine "relevancy ranking" to work behind the scenes at Google.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thing 12: netLibrary and WorldCat
I haven't been a frequent user of netLibrary in the past, but I found it very easy to navigate. I searched for a book on gardening and found a fantastic title on accessible gardening for seniors and the differently abled. Hiyo - netLibary is an additional resource for diversity materials. Since I happened upon a title aimed at the differently-abled, I immediately looked around the interface to see if you could play with the text size of the ebook. No luck - just the usual capability to adjust the text size under the Windows "View" menu. That would be a nice additional feature. Anyway, I found it very easy to browse material and content. I would feel very comfortable showing a customer this resource.
I use WorldCat every single day at work. I have to admit I didn't use it very often before I came to work in Collections, but it is definitely a go-to resource for me now. It is VERY helpful when filling out Request for Materials forms. Just a reminder, though - even though WorldCat shows local owning agencies, that does not necessarily mean those agencies are willing to loan the item through ILL. Customers love to tell us "fyi - Georgian Court owns this," but that doesn't mean they'll end up as the lender!
WorldCat is very helpful in showing information about different editions of titles. And, since the content contains full catalog records from various libraries, you get great MARC record information, which can even include content summaries - a HUGE help for multi-volume titles. That's still a more unusual feature on retailer and vendor interfaces. Libraries are where it's at for bibliographic info, and WorldCat is a great example of a resource that gives better access to superb information.
I use WorldCat every single day at work. I have to admit I didn't use it very often before I came to work in Collections, but it is definitely a go-to resource for me now. It is VERY helpful when filling out Request for Materials forms. Just a reminder, though - even though WorldCat shows local owning agencies, that does not necessarily mean those agencies are willing to loan the item through ILL. Customers love to tell us "fyi - Georgian Court owns this," but that doesn't mean they'll end up as the lender!
WorldCat is very helpful in showing information about different editions of titles. And, since the content contains full catalog records from various libraries, you get great MARC record information, which can even include content summaries - a HUGE help for multi-volume titles. That's still a more unusual feature on retailer and vendor interfaces. Libraries are where it's at for bibliographic info, and WorldCat is a great example of a resource that gives better access to superb information.
Thing 11: Library Thing is Good Fun That is Funny
Voila - note my Library Thing library to the left. What a fun place for readers, and I have a sneaky suspicion I may start some compulsive list-compiling in the near future. My books were somewhat popular, except for the 2 brand new ones. Joanna Trollope's new one is just now out, and I sort of cheated with Patricia Wells' memoir because I had access to an advance reader's copy. So, OCL readers and Patricia Wells fans, keep your eyes peeled - 7 copies will be on order for the system after the pub date in May! Here's a teaser: I found out that Patricia is an avid runner and has had to really work to maintain a healthy weight. It's nice to know that it's not all daisies and second helpings for food critics/cookbook authors!
A few of my choices had discussions. I was interested in the discussion about The Archivist's Story, a tale about an archivist in Stalinist Russia whose days are filled with incinerating the works of authors unpopular with the state. He proceeds to save an unpublished work by Isaac Babel, only to come to the realization that his time is running out and he will soon be among those "seized." One reader complained that the narrator of that story was too emotionally detached to draw in the reader. For me, the detachment only served to magnify the random but stark horror of being plucked right out of an ordinary life for probable execution, and having almost no chance of stopping this inevitable fate. If you like fiction set in Russia, you might also enjoy The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean and/or The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander.
A few of my choices had discussions. I was interested in the discussion about The Archivist's Story, a tale about an archivist in Stalinist Russia whose days are filled with incinerating the works of authors unpopular with the state. He proceeds to save an unpublished work by Isaac Babel, only to come to the realization that his time is running out and he will soon be among those "seized." One reader complained that the narrator of that story was too emotionally detached to draw in the reader. For me, the detachment only served to magnify the random but stark horror of being plucked right out of an ordinary life for probable execution, and having almost no chance of stopping this inevitable fate. If you like fiction set in Russia, you might also enjoy The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean and/or The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander.
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