More Web 2.0 tools

Social Networking sites:
MySpace /Facebook / MSN Spaces
These sites allow users to easily create their own profiles, create blogs, and share photos
Facebook is for students at participating colleges only
MySpace has had a lot of media coverage lately because of the possibility of pedophiles “lurking” and teens using it to “dis” each other or teachers
On the positive side, libraries are creating Myspace profiles and publicizing themselves
Musicians and Authors are also using these sites to connect with fans

Image Hosting/Photo Sharing
Flickr.com: Photos can be stored online and shared with others
Descriptive tags can be applied to each photo
A free account allows 100 photos. A professional account is $25/year
People can create a joint “pool” of photos that all can add to
(On a personal note, I plan to explore using Flickr to share photos of this summer’s family reunion with my cousins around the country!)

Mashing
Combining multiple data sets or applications
API= Application Program Interface
ie using Google Maps plus a list of locations to create a map of whatevers
Talis has a brief discussion

More Communication and Collaboration tools

Instant Messaging
53 million American adults use instant messaging and its appeal is especially apparent among young adults and technology enthusiasts. (PewInternet Study)
The major IM providers are AOL, Yahoo and MSN Messenger
Libraries are using IM both as internal means of communication and as a means of communicating with the public.

Some libraries are using IM as a type of virtual reference. (Computers in Libraries, April 2006)
Best practices for IM Technology
Use a mult-network IM program (Trillion or Gaim)
Use away messages
Use online sources for answers only if the best answer can be given from them
Don’t panic!

Messaging: VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)
Skype
o Phone calls over the internet with a high speed connection and the downloadable software
o Skype on users PCs??
o Skype reference?

Wikis: Collaborative content creation allowing multiple editors
It usually has an article page and a discussion button.
It can be open(anyone can edit) or closed (limited number of editors)
Wiki software can be mounted on a server or developed on a hosting site
Wikipedia is the most famous wiki
Pbwiki.com is a wiki hosting site.
Someone has created a wiki of Libraries that Blog

Warning: Interruption!

Interruption!
I just went to the Story Swap at the Forest History Center and heard some great stories and met some wonderful storytellers. I am now bouncing ideas around with a local story teller and with someone from the Forest History Center about doing something at the library for Tellebration on November 18.
Have an idea? Post a comment!

Web.0 tools

Web 2.0 tools
On to talking about virtual tools and toys!
Commonalities of 2.0 tools:
Tagging: allows adding keywords or descriptions to content
Commenting: users can add comments to what’s posted
RSS feeds: Content can be “fed” to users via an automated program
Mash up: Combining music pictures data etc from multiple sources

I will put some basic information about each tool here, then try to do more exploring and playing later on.

Blogs are increasingly popular – over 27 million blogs exist.
A blog is:
A software tool
Content management system
Organized chronologically by date (newest entry on top)
Self archives by date
Includes links
Each posting is a unique URL so it can be linked to
Either web-hosted (such as this one on blogspot.com) or local-server hosted
Blogs usually contain:
Dated entries
Mission or goal statement
Catagories for post
Archives
Lists of other blogs the author reads
Navigational links
Contact Info
Frequently updated content
More later about blogs and how libraries are using them.

Podcasting
Audio content (think radio program)
Requires tools to create:
Audacity, iPodder or iTunes
An example is the DNR’s fishing podcast
Podcasts - DNR Newsroom: Minnesota DNR

RSS =Really Simple Syndication

Think of it as automated web surfing. Instead of checking 20 different sites or blogs to see what's new, your RSS aggregator checks all 20 sites and dumps new content into your account. Sites that have a symbol "RSS" or "XML" on the front page can be found by an aggregator. They contain a bit of code that allows them to be searched and new content pulled out.

bloglines.com is an example of a web-based aggregator

More later on these tools and how libraries are using them.

Library 2.0 as change agent

John Blyberg wrote about the possible areas where using the principles of Library 2.0 can make a difference:

Technology:

• Planning is key
• Tech worship is a trap
• Open Source is an option
• Social software creates conversations

Policy

• Are we creating barriers?
• Have you read your manual lately?
• what about our organizational chart?

Programming

• Interaction
• Building Community
• "Outside the Box?"

Physical Space

Think of the most comfortable or useful spaces: What draws you to them?

What are Barriers in our libraries?

Physical space/furniture/equipment? Programming? Policies? Technology?
The Catalog? The Collection The Collection? Services? reference? Communication? Organizational Chart? Signs as barriers? Do we have sacred cows?

blyberg.net � Find the edge, push it

Principles of Library 2.0

Principles of Library 2.0
• The library is everywhere: Outreach via technology should be the goal of every organization. Librarians need to get out from behind the reference desk.
• The library has no barriers. Make sure that library users can get to information no matter where they are.
• The library invites participation. How can libraries reach out and interact with our users? Do library systems include built-in RSS feeds, tagging and user commenting?
• The library uses flexible, best-of-breed systems. Libraries often make decisions about technology in libraries without much thought as to how systems interact. Are libraries licensing applications that will work for all of users no matter where they are?
• The library encourages the heart. The library will be a meeting place, online or physical, where my needs will be fulfilled and will allow users to create. Libraries need to position themselves to help with finding the answers to how? And why?
Paul Miller, TALIS


from a white paper called "Do Libraries Matter" (in pdf format)
Do Libraries Matter?
Paul Miller's blog is here:
Thinking about the Future

Radical Trust

Radical Trust

A term “radical trust” is being used to describe a shift toward participatory creation.

“We can only build emergent systems if we have radical trust. With an emergent system, we build something without setting in stone what it will be or trying to control all that it well be. We allow and encourage participants to shape and sculpt and be co-creators of the system. We don’t have a million customers/users/patrons…we have a million participants and co-creators” Darlene Fichter


Blog on the Side - Darlene Fichter

Trusting patrons is a difficult concept for some libraries. Trusting staff is a difficult concept for some libraries. (John Blyberg)

With that radical trust, you can develop the "5 C's"
Community
Conversation
Collaboration
Connections
Commons

LibraryC 2.0

Library 2.0
The question now being pondered by a lot of people is “How can libraries change to meet the changing needs and expectations of our customers?” The term “Library 2.0” is being used. Here are a few definitions:

From Michael Casey,
LibraryCrunch.com
“Library 2.0 is an operating model tht allows libraries to respond rapidly to market needs. This does not mean that we abandon our current users or our mission. It is a philosophy of rapid change, flexible organizational structures, new Web 2.0 tools and user participation that will put the library in a much stronger position, ready to efficiently and effectively meet the needs of a larger user population.”

From Michael Stephens, Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
”The principles of Library 2.0 seek to put users in touch with information and entertainment wherever they may be, breaking down the barriers of space, time and outdated policy. It is a user-centered paradigm focusing on knowledge, experience, transparency, collaboration, the creation of new content and encouraging the heart.”

Web 2.0: What is it?

Web 2.0
Changing web, changing expectations.

The web is changing from being a place to go to find information to being a place to go for instant communication, shared information, and a place to work collaboratively. Cell phones are used not only for voice calls, but also for text messaging and image transmission.

Web pages are no longer static and requiring complex coding by one person. New formats and tools are constantly being developed. Blogs, Wikis, shared photo sites, mash ups, and social networking sites all allow easy creation and publication of content and interaction with people. People are talking to each other! Here's a long list of Web 2.0 applications: 274 Resources on Complete List of Web 2.0 Products and Services �-�Listible!

Inspiration!

I just attended a workshop by Michael Stephens on "Library 2.0" His presentation got me thinking about possible ways we can increase service to our patrons. Check out his blog including his description of his tour of MN doing these presentations Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology

In his overview of trends, he pointed out that the way people communicate and share information is changing. Email, cell phones, instant messaging, text messaging, blogs, social sites like myspace.com are all becoming the preferred way to communicate. How do libraries continue to be relevant when most people's perceptions of libraries include only the concept of books?

Speaking of perceptions, I was also fortunate to win a door prize of the recent report by OCLC "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources." Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources (2005) [OCLC - Membership Reports] I'll be wading through that within the next few months. (Is it only a librarian who would get excited about a several-hundred page report as a door prize?)

I plan to do multiple postings over the next few days about some of the trends and some of the web tools that Michael talked about.

Weather as a topic of conversation

The fickleness of storm systems, and the dangerousness of cold and ice, make winter weather a frequent topic of conversation. It was cold here(teens and low 20's) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then on Sunday it warmed up to the mid-30's and misted and drizzled. Since the ground was already frozen, it turned to ice almost instantly. Our alley was almost pure ice. By Monday morning it was really raining, and it turned to snow on Monday afternoon. This morning there was only about 3 inches on the ground, and it is in the upper 20's. My father and brother were planning to drive up on Sunday but had to cancel. They got the freezing rain and ice before we did. I'm glad I had the re-orientation to cold, snow and ice spread over the course of nearly a week rather than all at once! One plans one's life, or at least one's travel, around the forecast.

DSL connection at last!

We got spoiled, living in Portland with a wireless coffee shop on every other corner!
They are difficult to find at truck stops in Montana and North Dakota!
We got our DSL connection and phone connection late on Saturday, and I just opened my computer for the first time. The rest of the trip went very smoothly. We had warm weather and dry roads all of Tuesday and made it as far as Detroit Lakes, MN. We made the remainder of the trip to Grand Rapids in about 3.5 hours on Wednesday morning, and only encountered snow when we got to Remer, about an hour away. We arrived in time to get a walk-through of the house, then head to the Abstract company office to close. Once the house was ours, we unloaded the cats, the cooler and the week's worth of clothes we had brought, then headed out to buy something to sleep on for a couple of nights. We had movers coming on Friday to unload the truck, so spent Thursday figuring out what goes where, and figuring out priorities for repairs etc.

From the middle of Montana

We made it from Pasco, WA to Columbus, MT today in a grueling 15 hour marathon. big trucks towing vehicles over mountains really don't go very fast! The 30-40 mph uphill and the 25-35 mph on the steep downhills slow you down considerably. The cats seem to be doing fine. We let them loose in the back of the pickup while we were stopped for lunch and dinner today, and they seem to handle it just fine. The motel rooms are just opportunities to explore new space and find new perches and viewing spots. We've had relatively good roads, and only some mist and fog.

Preparations for winter

I took my bike to Citybikes and had them put snow tires on it, the knobby tires that came with the bike when I bought it. It helps with the leaf glop on the streets here, even if it will be too cold to ride in December.
I also dug out my Sorels to see if they still fit, and my warm Timberland boots. Now if I can only find my Polarguard parka!

It's for real!

We signed the real copy of the purchase agreement today, and returned it via overnight delivery. We received the inspector's report on Monday, all 20 pages of it, detailing every piece of rotting wood, every leak and potential leak, all of the bad wiring jobs someone did, and all of the dripping faucets. The house is in great shape! Closing is Nov. 25, or before.

Successful Hunting!

We have a house! At least, we have an agreement. After a whirlwind tour of 12 houses on Monday, we revisted 4 on Tuesday morning, and called our agent when we were halfway to the airport and asked her to make an offer on one. It's a very large old house, but with a monster in the basement in the form of an ancient oil furnace.
Our low offer was politely rejected, so we moved on to house number two, a much more reasonably sized house. The cats don't really need their own bedrooms! After some negotiations about the removal of an underground oil tank, we reached an agreement, subject, of course, to an inspection.
The listing is here, with pictures.

House Hunting in Grand Rapids

The next step, aside from packing, is a trip to Grand Rapids to hunt for a suitable house. We're flying out on Sunday am.
We've got a real estate agent.
We've got a list of houses.
We've got a camera.
We've got a notepad.
We'll be off and running on Monday morning on a whirlwind house tour!