Wow. Double wow. del.icio.us: y.ah.oo!
Yahoo now owns two of the hottest sites on the planet – del.icio.us and flickr.
2006 should be an extremely interesting year!
Why Library 2.0?
I’m seeing lots of posts about the concept of Library 2.0 – how it’s about serving our customers, how it’s not about technology, etc. Interesting stuff. However – that part about Library 2.0 not really being about technology? Yes and no.
No: Technology is really just one of many tools to get at the heart of library 2.0, which is CHANGE. Libraries haven’t really changed for A LONG TIME. And now we are changing in a big way. Our missions have changed, our collection development policies have changed, our staffing has changed, our primary services are changing, the formats of materials that we own and loan – changing.
We’re now visited internally, externally, digitally. Visited in person, via IM, cell phone, chat, or email. We count web visits and door counts…
Yes: Read the above No section again and tell me what part DOESN’T focus in some way on technology. Go on. Tell me. OK – I’ll help you out a little. This isn’t in the last section, but the general concepts of:
- constant change in libraries
- participation, sharing, and thinking outside the box
Those are the non-techie Library 2.0 concepts. Now – why are all these changes taking place? Hmm? Because of technology.
- All the web 2.0 services out right now = technology
- the creation and distribution of original content rather than being an information silo = technology
- New services mentioned above = technology (ie., chat, IM, web access, gaming, etc)
- New material formats mentioned above = technology (ie., digital audio, streaming media, digitized collections, even CDs and DVDs)
- Even new ways to do traditional services, like reference = technology (virtual chat, IM, even patrons calling in via cell phones)
Of course Library 2.0 is all about technology. But not technology for technology’s sake. Not technology like silly, archaic, doesn’t-really-make-sense-to-anyone-outside-the-library-world automation systems. The technology I’m talking about goes back to the concept of meeting your customers where they already are. Our patrons are using web 2.0 services. They are using cell phones. They are gaming, IM’ing, chatting. they are consuming digital content. And we as libraries need to be there, if we want to meet and greet our patrons.
Interesting Amazon Tags
Some of you probably know that amazon.com has started offering a version of tagging. I’m getting a kick out of some of the tags! Let me show you two examples:
Example 1, from The Hobbit:
Example 2, from Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance:
See the difference? The Hobbit taggers are supplying tags that “seem normal” – tolkien, fiction, etc. But the Game Boy taggers… to be fair, there are some tags that I’d consider “normal tags” – like “game boy stuff” and “electronic game system.” But take a peek at the other tags… Christian, Samay, Emily, Austin, etc… My guess? Kid’s names. How about the “First tag” listing – Logan. I’ll bet he’s one proud kid!
The problem? None, really… that’s how tagging works – you have the ability to add ANYTHING YOU WANT to an item. And I think it’s cool that kids are getting into tagging, even if they’re doing the digital equivalent of scratching their names on park benches. At least they are getting used to tagging!
Random Thought #2
Another thought, probably originating from listening to Abram:
Our next big set of customers are kids and teens right now. I could even stretch that out a bit to include 20-somethings. Are we really marketing to them?
Right now, most public library websites have a page or so devoted to kids, and the same for teens. Then we toss in the 20-something with his dad, his older brother, and his grandma – all run-of-the-mill adults.
Look at 10 library websites, then tell me… are they marketed to young adults, kids, or teens? No (well ok – don’t look at aadl.org – anything else is up for grabs, though).
And yet – we all talk about getting more teens into the library. And we should be talking about keeping them when they become parents in the next ten years.
So – maybe our websites (for starters) should be a bit more hip? Interactive? Fun? Attractive? etc….
Random Thought #1
[Update: not so random after all – I probably heard Stephen Abram say this at Internet Librarian]
As I’m starting to re-write our website plan, I’m having some random thoughts… they don’t necessarily go in the plan, but might be useful nonetheless. So I’m posting them as they come.
Random Thought #1: Go where your customers already are, and be prepared to meet them with the information they need.
The second part of that statement might be difficult – then again, if we have well-rounded librarians, we should at least be able to track down said info.
First part of the statement – where are our customers? Here’s a beginning list:
- in the library
- at home
- on the phone
- in the classroom
- on the web
- in a meeting
- at the mall
- etc
My point? Can a library patron reach your library via phone, email, chat, IM, SMS, etc?
How about this – your customers are in school… how do you meet them? Your customers are at the cafe around the corner. How do you meet them? Your customers are working in the corporate office across the street. How do you meet them? Your customers are using Flickr/LibraryThing/Furl/del.icio.us/my yahoo/etc – How do you meet them?