David Lee King

social media | emerging trends | libraries

Web 2.0 Class – Reflections after-the-fact

By

I taught my first Web 2.0 class a few days ago, and I think it went well! There were 9 attendees, and millions of questions… And the questions/comments were great – they were, for the most part, things I hadn’t thought of. Here are some of them:

  • Are Web 2.0 tools authoritative? Especially in regards to blogs and Wikipedia. So we discussed concepts like currency of web information, accuracy (mentioning the Wikipedia vs Britannica study), and how a “regular joe” blog writer could actually post accurate, authoritative information.
  • Copyright! Is all this content under copyright, how does a library use this type of copyrighted material, etc. So we discussed that, and the concept of Creative Commons licenses.
  • Accuracy again – Wikipedia came up more than once. Librarians weren’t comfortable with the concept of Wikipedia – allowing anyone to change articles. I didn’t think of this until class was over, but will use it next time – if something is inaccurate on Wikipedia for 1 year… is that bad… compared with an inaccuracy in a printed version of Britannica – that inaccuracy exists forever (until the library gets rid of their copy). I’d say Wikipedia wins out.
  • Tagging – this concept threw pretty much the whole class for a loop. First – why would someone want to tag an item on the web? Second – how in the world can a non-authoritative, non-controlled vocabulary tag be useful in a search?We probably talked for 20 minutes about tagging! Again, something I thought of after the fact – I think next class, I’ll hold up an apple, and have the class “tag” it for me. That should provide a good example of real world tagging in action.
  • Flickr – why would anyone in their right minds WANT to put images on the web?
  • Privacy in general – we had a good discussion about how the younger generation isn’t as interested in privacy issues, and is more interested in sharing and networking.
  • Time – some thought these new tools were great, but wondered about the time involved to create content using them. So we discussed how to meet library goals in the digital age, that some goals might need to change, and that if these types of tools, that in essence extend a library’s reach, seem important… then library job descriptions and functions might need to be revised to meet those new goals. Honestly – you can’t keep up a blog if you don’t have time to post, don’t have anything to post, and don’t really care to post in the first place.

I’ll be doing another big class (the first one went for 3 hours) in May, and I’ll be doing an extremely shortened version (1 hour tops) next Friday at my library’s staff day. I’ll let everyone know how they both go.

Library 2.0, Web 2.0

Music 2.0 and DRM

By

Interesting post on the Social Software blog: Yahoo music exec says maybe DRM should be ditched.

I’m all agreed that DRM doesn’t work in libraries – if it disappeared, then iPods would work with services like Overdrive and netLibrary. But look at some of the thoughts the author has about how to assign value (if the thing being purchased isn’t the music itself):

  • Linking music downloads to concert promotion/tickets
  • Liner notes
  • other branded multi-media beyond the music file itself
  • superior quality to files found in the wild

Some of these ideas are leaving traditional types (that’d be libraries and record stores) in the dust. Example – Linking music downloads to tickets – where does that leave the library’s music collection, or future music purchases? Also – other branded multi-media… hmm… at least with this added value item, patrons could still come to the library to access the value-added thing via the web.

Most likely there would still be a way to purchase music that would make sense for libraries (ie., subscription-based services). Still…

Also – the article mentions that there was recently a conference called “Music 2.0” – wow. Again, it’s not just libraries and Library 2.0 – many different industries are dealing with the same notions.

Library 2.0, Web 2.0, Music 2.0

My First Web 2.0 Presentation is Tomorrow

By

I’ve been getting ready for my first Web 2.0 presentation – should be fun! I thought others might be interested in my version… so here’s what I plan to do:

  1. Introduce the concept of Web 2.0 – definitions and descriptions
  2. Link it to Library 2.0, showing other links as well (ie., Law 2.0, media 2.0, etc) – just so attendees know they’re not alone in this learning curve!
  3. Explain RSS, RSS Feed Readers, and Blogs in a chunk – This provides a good intro to many of the essential elements of Web 2.0 – interactivity and feeds.
  4. Playtime – post in a blog, subscribe to it in bloglines, make a comment…
  5. Next chunk – Tagging, Flickr, and Bookmark Managers
  6. Playtime – look at my Flickr account, tag the photo I’ll take of them with my Treo, explore bookmark managers…
  7. Wikis – Define and explore – I’ll have everyone play around in a pbwiki.
  8. IM – define and explore – I might even IM someone using Meebo, so be warned anyone who’s on my buddy list!
  9. Last chunk – podcasting and videocasting – describe and explore. Possibly watch a videocast (if it downloads easily in the lab)
  10. Answer the “why would a library want to do these things” questions, and provide some easy “first steps.”

And, if you’re REALLY interested… here’s a PDF version of my Powerpoint presentation. Feel free to download it, use it, “borrow” the good bits (I certainly borrowed from others), etc. And – I’d love some feedback on it – let me know what you think!

Web 2.0, Library 2.0

Part of all Three Places

By

Have you familiar with the concept of Third Place? As far as I can tell, the concept came from the book, The Great Good Place, written by Ray Oldenburg. His concept is this: most people have about three places in their life that in some way define them – usually home, work/school, and one other place (ie., the Third Place). Third Place can be many things, including church,
a bar or coffee shop, etc.

A Third Place can even be digital – here’s a cool article discussing MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) as a third place, and even mentions a paper (currently under review) written by Constance Steinkuehler called “The New Third Space: Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming in American Youth Culture.” Wow.

Ok, so there’s a very brief Third Place background. Obviously, the physical library space can act as a Third Place for patrons – and that’s all well and good. But did you know that libraries can also infiltrate other Third Places, and possibly even people’s First and Second Places? Think about it – home and work/school. If you tweak your thinking about libraries, websites, and virtual services just a little, you can then start thinking about how a library can offer library services in people’s homes, at their workplaces, and at their schools – in essence, being available in people’s First and Second Places.

One way to get in those places, short of a physical Outreach Services type of thing where we physically take books to people, is to focus on our digital services. What digital services do you have now? Do you offer services like virtual reference, IM reference, phone reference, useful and usable web content, RSS feeds, etc? All those digital services get our digital foot in the digital doors of First and Second Places.

Just a braindump/thought process of going where your patrons already are – at their first, second and third places… libraries can be there, too!

Library 2.0

Interesting Job Ad

By

Has anyone seen this job ad? The job title is NextGen Librarian – wow. It could also be titled the “Library 2.0 Librarian,” I think. Look at some of the duties involved:

  • provide leadership and vision for “transformative technologies” in the provision of library resources and services
  • Creates communication venues and distributes content via digital tools such as blogs and wikis for the library system website
  • Develops and delivers library instruction through podcasts and multimedia webcasts
  • promotes community via new technologies within the library and virtually via IM and other emerging communication mechanisms
  • enhances the WSU Library System web presence with current content and methods for distribution such as RSS
  • investigates and implements new technologies that may enhance the Library System’s web presence
  • provides training and support for other librarians on new technologies (this is gonna be a big one, I think)

And some of the qualifications:

  • working knowledge of blogs, wikis, online gaming environments, podcasting, RSS and other Web-related technologies

Just… wow. What a completely interesting job! I think hiring one person to tackle Library 2.0 is certainly one way to do it. Hopefully, the library ALSO plans to work on their mission, their strategy and goals – otherwise, one person won’t make much of a dent.

Either way – should be a fun time for the person who gets the job.

Library 2.0, web 2.0