Week 14: Social networks

Social networks facilitated by the Library would primarily liaise clients sharing similar interests and information needs. This would allow exchange of knowledge and experience in the specific subject areas, often at the much higher level than the one that can be offered by the Library staff, who as librarians are not subject experts per se. I can see them being particularly successful in such areas as ML research and family history, but naturally they can have a much broader application. This sort of communication would help us to define better our clients profiles, understand more our audience needs. It would also allow us to further develop our own knowledge of the collections and build up our subject expertise.
Library based social networks could also be very successful as a marketing tool, allowing us to communicate our services to very specific groups, and act upon the feedback received from network members.

Week 13: Online applications and tools

Week 13 has passed. Merry Christmas!

I can not really see any application of online software such as Google Docs in my working area. We have already other technologies in place that allow us to share and work internally on documents. This sort of technology might be useful if you have a network of people, not necessarily locally based, working together on a particular project or document.

Week 12: Mashups

I’ve been thinking about mashups technology in the library context and frankly the only application that comes to my mind is in the area of mapping resources available in different Australian and overseas collections in our Research guides.

Week 11: Podcasts and audio

I am very positive about podcasts application in the library service area. Our library organises so many truly interesting events, talks, reading sessions, exhibitions worthwhile of broadcasting and recording. Podcasts technology would not only make these available to the remote clients, but also could be applied as an archiving tool. We could also use audio podcasts to advertise all the coming programs and activities, inform about acquisition of unique materials. And what a potential does this technology have in the reader education area! Not only we could clearly explain what we are all about, describe the collections and services, but also could record subject specific talks, such as family history methodology, business research, HSC subject guides, etc.

Week 10: Answer boards and social searching

Slam the Boards is an interesting information literacy teaching tool. I can't however see its immediate application in our organisation. We already have in place several electronic communication channels which are client specific. The budgetary constraints determine the scope and geographical service area and the Internet communication opens the doors to the wide public, far beyond our client target. For this type of service to be effective, it would be necessary to address the proper staffing issue. I believe that there is a danger for this service to be mistaken for another form of Inquiry Service (which we already have well established via Ask the Librarian, and the Online Information Request Service). The only function that social networking type of an operation could possibly play is the very basic first port of call directional communication. I also can't find any real significance of answer evaluations. There could be some room there for the customers to provide feedback on the service operations and the rating and reviewing of the collections.

Week 9

So many months have passed since I have created my last posting. I went overseas in June-August, and after my return it seemed that there was so much of urgent work piling up, so the idea of continuing with the program was always pushed away for another day, another week. Recently I looked at the program again, and tried to see how much I retained of what I have learned so far. I am sorry to say that it took me a very long time to get where I was before. But I did it! So I created some posts as a matter of practice, which I later deleted, because they had nothing to do with library environment, I have also added some bookmarks and did some tagging on delicious. Thus the Week 9 was really a 'Catch up week'.

Week 8: Tagging

Just experimenting with del.icio.us. Managed to open the account, set up buttons, and create link to it this very simple, humble blog of mine.

Week 7: Online videos

Online videos have very far reaching applications in the ‘Library world’. They can promote library services, offer online library and exhibition tours, announce special events, record talks, meetings with authors, inform on unique material held (this could be imbedded in the (Discover atmitchell collections), they can record presentations and talks. I liked the way the Mosman Library has been providing access for the remote audience to the interesting events and activities organised there. The online videos imbedded in organisational websites also bring parts of the larger network closer together, as they place human face and add 3D environment to the spoken and written world.

Week 6: RSS

RSS are great! I have vaguely known about them already, but have never actually put my hands on this technology.
For the purpose of this week’s exercise I have subscribed to ABS News for Librarians, Powerhouse Museum Picture of the Day, ABC News, SMH News headlines, Google News, and Cataloguing Librarian.
Generally what I like about them is what their function is – that they save you a lot of time when you are interested the latest news or are looking for latest information in a particular subject area.
I looked closely at the Cataloguing Librarian, created by Collections Access Librarian at Halifax Public Libraries. This blog is intended as a resource to other cataloguers concerning cataloguing, and the future of cataloguing and librarianship in general. I thought it could be interesting as discussion a forum for any cataloguer.

WEEK 4 : WIKIPEDIA AND WIKIS …

Blogs and Wikis VPL 26Jan06 - 5.JPG
Originally uploaded by roland

WEEK 4 : WIKIPEDIA AND WIKIS ...

I am quite familiar with Wikipedia, and have to admit that I am often tempted to check it first when looking for some factual data, but on the other hand I realise that the information published there does not come from authoritative sources, so it has to be cross-checked.
What I appreciate most in this web-based interactive technology is that it opens limitless possibilities of sharing very specific areas of knowledge, though it also has fairly general applications in practically any field and can be designed for absolutely any group of users.

I looked at the Montana History Wiki, Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki, and SJCPL Subject Guides wiki. Montana History Wiki and SJCPL Subject Guides wiki are just subject guides, with the latter one having perhaps a more pleasing design. The Library Success … is a very interesting example of a wiki that has ‘organisational know-how’ content.
With regard to the library application, I can see wiki technology as a knowledge base tool, as a content management tool, and as a tool that can provide streamlined access to finding aids.

Accessibility

Accessibility
Originally uploaded by David Foster Nass

Equity of Access (or its opposite): at last found something representative!

I have to admit that it took me quite a bit of time to configure my weblog with Flickr. This is all very new to me and at times a bit overwhelming. I am worried that it takes more of my working time that it should.

Progressing

The experience of learning how to blog is truly unusual. I am looking with a critical eye at my first attempt yesterday. Complete detachment from what it is realistically all about. Well, for those unfortunate individuals who happened or will happen to follow my progress, this is just a LEARNING EXPERIENCE that will hopefully open my mind to the new, far reaching web-based communication technologies. And this new global ‘at-your fingertips’ approach has such a potential in the information delivery sector. I have so far looked at the Flikr and realised how vast is the spectrum of data that can be found there. The potential of an image as a search tool is just amazing. For instance digital images of rare material available in library collections contain also information about those items so in a way play a role of a visual catalogue. Since Flikr and similar sites have a huge audience, they can be used to advertise/comment in both positive and negative way on absolutely any subject.

Birth of the cyber extrovert

Well, this is it, the Initiation Day has come! I am about to engage in sharing all those closely guarded thoughts and feelings, plunge into the cyber space, float unprotected, and detached from the real ME in the abstract, incomprehensible world. Most likely like some of you, I do not feel completely safe in here. But as they say, the first step is ALWAYS the most difficult one. So I guess I am going to overcome this silly fear of the Unknown and with the time I will get used to open my mind to the world. On the issue of practicalities, the Program is great! I am so happy we are offered this well guided opportunity. I do have the impression that a lot of us need to be updated on commonly used communication technologies of Today, and it is particularly important because of the nature of the services provided by our Organisation. I'll be off now. Will keep 'the world' posted.