Computers in Libraries 2008: 2.0 Pecha Kucha

Computers in Libraries 2008: 2.0 Pecha Kucha

Amanda Etches-Johnson talked about IM services.  We know people are accessing our resources from outside the library and we need to be in those spaces to support them.  A few years ago we were promised awesome software by the vendors, and it turned out that the software didn't really work so well and that users became frustrated.  If you are implementing an IM service, involve your IT staff from the beginning, advertise it to your users like crazy including posting stickers on the public computers saying "Don't get up, we'll come to you," consider which IM protocols you are using (use the ones your users use), consider using a multi-platform client like Meebo which lets you use a website to log in to multiple services at once and use a chat widget on your webpage and catalog.  Another thing to consider is customer service.and making sure it works for your users.  Check the Library Success Wiki for more information on libraries who have done it, articles, web resources, and more.   

Greg Schwartz talked about podcasting.  He told us a children's story version of how he got involved in podcasting.  Podcast directories were mentioned: iTunes, Odeo, Podcast.net, and others.  One site I hadn't heard of before was PodcastPickle.  He created Open Stacks as a way to introduce podcasts to the library world.  He gave some quick screenshots of libraries that did podcast, including the Pritzker Military Library that used podcasts to promote programs.  He also mentioned the George C. Gordon Library that has a recommended websites podcast.  The Princeton Public Library had a local poetry podcast.  The Denver Public Library has children's storytimes as podcasts.  Hennepin County Library had teen podcasts where teens recorded lists of recommended materials.  Finally, he mentioned Uncontrolled Vocabulary, his most recent podcasting project.  Greg also recommends the Library Success Wiki as a place to find a list of libraries practicing podcasting.  He noted some statistics from eMarketer.com about podcasting, that in 2007, there is an 18.5% of people who are podcast listeners and 6.5% are regular listeners.  Those numbers are anticipated to grow quickly in the next few years.

Meredith Farkas talked about wikis. Wikis allow people to collaboratively create a website.  With a wiki, each person in the community can add to or edit the content of others.  If we could collect all of our collective knowledge, that would be "really fabulous." :)  She cited the ALA Chicago 2005 Conference wiki as a successful example.  She cited the RocWiki, a wiki created by the residents of Rochester, NY about the community.  Libraries could host wikis like this for their communities.  She cited the "versioning" strength of wikis.  Whether they want to be or not, webmasters can be a bottleneck and it is discouraging for content providers.  Wikis allow you to distribute the content creation and maintenance jobs throughout the organization and "that's really good."  The USC Aiken Gregg-Graniteville Library's website is powered by PmWiki.  Wow--they're using a wiki system as a content management system.  That is pretty creative.  Meredith showed her library's research guides that the subject experts get to edit themselves.  Wikis also allow tagging for content and categories too.  There is such a low barrier for entry to wikis because if you can use Word, you can edit a wiki.  She cited a number of wiki programs that are free--so many!

David Free talked about videocasting.  He showed a cute kitten video first to show how things get viral and are completely random.  Videos online have permeated the public to a huge degree.  Most people have used them, if not posted them.  Videocasts can put a face to libraries and show what is happening in the library as a marketing tool.  He showed a few examples from libraries.  One example was a video tour of the library from the Otis Library.  He also encourages us to give the camera to our teens and let them create library videocasts.  The St. Joseph Notre Dame High School (CA) had a fun teen rapping video (I gotta go find that one).  All you need is a camera, and everything else is free: videocasting software called Avidemux is free, free, free.  Windows Movie Maker is free too.  Macs come with wonderful Mac software.  He showed a great video called "Discover a New World at the Columbus Public Library" with special effects and a cute kid talking about getting books at the library.  And ended by saying "Videocasting...it's not just for cute sleepy kitties any more."

Aaron Schmidt talked about Facebook.  He addressed the overhyping of the danger of death to Facebook because of the presence of adults.  The use of social networking tools is an intellectual freedom issue.  It contributes to the democratization of information, and users get to choose how they receive that information.  Aaron showed Facebook groups and how that can bring a community together.  Libraries can create a "page" in Facebook (pages are for institutions).  You can put content out there on Facebook, get fans, send them updates, give them links to the library, a quick search box, an IM window, etc.  Looking at Facebook shows us that all of our library resources are really difficult to use.  Facebook highlights the users, something our websites do not do.  It's also difficult to share our resources--our URLs, especially for database content, are insanely long and may expire or require log-ins.  It is easy to share things on Facebook.  People are using their cellphones to access information on Facebook; library websites, for the most part, are not built for mobile devices.  Library websites and their staff focus very much on protecting library user information, even when the users don't care about it.  Facebook is more open and lets users share what they want to share.  Facebook allows developers to create additional apps, and when they did that their usage skyrocketed.  You can play games within Facebook with your friends - it's a social event.  People have different layers in their lives - the meatspace layer (F2F) and the virtual layer.  Aaron showed a mock-up of what a library webpage or resource would look like if it looked more like Facebook (he called it FindBook and blogged about it a while back).  It's about creating community, it's not about technology.  To be online is to be social and if we're going to have library websites they need to be social too. 

Greg Notess got to be the skeptic on the panel, rebutting each of the previous presentations.  Is 2.0 really a solution for libraries?  Do we just create our own content instead of buying it and let our users tag it instead of cataloging it?  Where did the IM generation go?  His freshman class, less than 1/4 use IM.  Compared to in-person and phone reference, all of the virtual reference options are a tiny percentage of use.  What percentage of your users come to programs?  How many listen to podcasts?  How many want to do both?  Are we experts in creating content or finding and collecting content?  We need to focus on what we're good at.  Videocasts: DITTO.  No wiki will ever get to the level of Wikipedia.  Facebook is what...a social space?  So, what kind of information can we offer in that space?  Will people actually come in and view it?  What are people doing in MySpace or Facebook?  Not accessing library content.  What is your audience requesting?  Greg gave the example of Open WorldCat.  All OCLC members are paying for Open WorldCat.  If you go into FirstSearch, you don't get the same functionality that Open WorldCat has, even...and that is another OCLC product, but one you pay for.  Why is that exactly?  Consider the cost/benefit analysis on what we spend on Web 2.0, what is the benefit to our whole user population?

CIL2008