Emily's Blog

One of the most significant learning experiences I have had during the Graduate School of Library and Information Science Program at Dominican University would be from the courses that I took, especially LIS 768: Library 2.0 and Social Networking Technology. This class has given me the opportunity to experience a variety of social technologies such as blogs and twitter. I have received hands on experience with a variety of social technologies rather than just speaking about them and their impact.

Since this was a weekend class that only met six times or for three weekends, I assumed I was not going to feel very connected to my classmates other than the ones I already knew from previous classes. Michael encouraged students to Twitter while we were not together in class (as well as in class to stimulate discussion in a different platform), I made connections with classmates that I would have never been capable of doing in a regular class setting.

Also for this class we were required to do an assortment of blog posts. Along with these individual posts Michael encouraged his students to set up a Google Reader. This application made it quick and easy to check my fellow students blogs. Through incorporating all of these various social technologies, I truly felt connected to my classmates in more ways than students in my weekly classes. I believe LIS 768 has given me a new perspective on libraries and the role of the library in society. After taking LIS 768, I realize how excited I am to enter the field. I believe I can bring many new and exciting ideas to the profession and make an impact through what I have learned in Library 2.0 and Social Technologies.

While reflecting on this class I realize how fortunate I am to have taken one of Michael’s classes. I have never felt such energy in the program until I took his class. This excitement is definitely contagious and I can see the amplifying affects on not only myself but my classmates as well. Michael has inspired me to make a difference in the profession and to look at librarianship more as vocation and passion, not as a job.

During the 768 group project, my group greatly relied upon e-mail for a source of communication. We exchanged e-mail addresses the first day we met and have been corresponding ever since. It has been a great way to collaborate on our group project. If it were not for e-mail I do not think our project could have been completed! Through e-mail we have sent the PowerPoint slides back and forth, double-checking each other’s work. We have also sent some of the survey results back and forth to one another through e-mail. It was easier to have the results in printed format though since they were so extensive.

This project would not be complete if it were not for other social software applications. The survey was created through a free software application called Survey Monkey. This survey was then posted on various sites such as Tame The Web Blog, Facebook, and a listserv for YLSA. The survey and the results are the heart of our project and these social software applications let the survey come to life. 

My contribution to the group was getting the survey together and launching it on Survey Monkey. Together we created the questions and there were multiple drafts that were devised. Once we were satisfied with the questions, I took them and posted them onto Survey Monkey. I would frequently update the group and let them know how the survey results were looking. From there I met with Jessica and we went over the results. We divided the survey in half and further evaluated the results. Each group member created the text for the Powerpoint but Jessica truly perfected the details and put them together. Bill looked outside the box of the survey and incorporated real life examples. 

This was a fantastic group to work with and we complimented one another in a variety of ways. This was the first time I completed a group project in an online setting. As a group we met for a short period of time during the 1st and 2nd weekend of class. Jess and I also met for a short period of time but other than that we relied on e-mail communication to complete the project. I had a great experience with my group members and the topic at hand. 

For the brand monitor assignment, I decided to observe the College of Dupage Library on Twitter. I began monitoring the COD Library in early February. At that point in time, they had 42 followers. Since then, they now have 44 followers, me being one of the new additions. The library has yet to increase the number of people it is following and it does not seem as though it intends to follow anymore. The library is currently only following hashtags.

The library’s twitter account can be accessed through the library’s homepage. It is located in the section “Connect with Us.” When I spoke with the librarian affiliated with the library’s Twitter account, he said he never promoted Twitter at the library. It seems as though he is very busy with other responsibilities but was still devoted to getting this social technology up and running at the library. In a sense, Twitter is promoted by being a presence on the library’s website. I do however wish the library would spend some time promoting Twitter. It could be as simple as a poster in the library.

Throughout my observations, I have determined that the main purpose of Twitter at the library is to have a presence with the various popular social technologies. This is evident because the library wants to connect with the user in as many ways as possible.

Secondly, the library uses its Twitter account to feed the information posted on the Library Blog into another social platform to reach a larger audience. This seems to be the sole information being posted onto Twitter from the library. The Library Blog feeds right into the Twitter account and is updated about 4 times a week.  The content that is being posted onto the Library Blog and Twitter account keeps the community informed on what is happening in the library. 

My only recommendations would be to promote Twitter in the library and encourage staff to join and add content. I believe the library’s presence on Twitter is a great start.

Also, I came across this website one day and thought I would share it with you twitter fans!

Gilman, Isaac. “We‘re Content Creators, Too: Libraries and Blogging.” OLA Quarterly 14.1 (2008): 14-16, 27. OmniFile Full Text Mega. H. W. Wilson. Dominican University, River Forest, IL. 2 Mar. 2009 http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/.

According to Isaac Gilman, the library profession has been known to slowly adopt various technologies such as blogging.  He points out that blogging is a low risk activity with little cost that has endless benefits (Gilman 14).

Blogs are another way librarians can enter the realm of Library 2.0. Blogging is an easy and efficient means to stay informed and disperse information. Blogs are not only easy to use, but they present information in a clear manner. Gilman states that there are two types of library blogs. The first type is a “professional blog,” which is a blog that keeps libraries and librarians informed. The other type is an “outreach blog,” which is a blog that disperses information to library constituents and the public (Gilman 14).

Gilman explains, “The greatest benefit of professional blogs is that they lend needed immediacy to the sharing of ideas and knowledge in the library world” (14). Although peer-reviewed publications are also a useful resource, they simply cannot compete with the promptness of blogging. Some benefits of blogging include the instantaneous content that can be distributed to the public, the ability to comment and debate on ideas, the global library community that is connected through blogs, and the ability to immediately showcase one’s opinion on pressing issues. Blogs also offer an abundance of information that can be monitored and managed through RSS feeds (Gilman 14-15). Blogging is another way for our profession to communicate and create a dialog with one another.

Outreach blogs put a face on the library. These blogs reach out to the community while providing a place to gather virtually. Blogs are a resource for the patrons because it provides updated information. Blogs also allow patrons to interact with library staff because patrons can comment on blog posts. These conversations between patrons are invaluable to the library. This discussion humanizes the library and provides great feedback to the librarians (Gilman 15-16).

Sauers, Michael P. Blogging and RSS: A Librarian’s Guide. Medford: Information Today, Incorporated.

Sauers sets out to explain the basic aspects of a blog by giving a general overview of blogs. He describes what a blog is, types of blogs that exist, the various effects of blogs, and justifies why people should blog. He gives a simplified definition of blogging by stating:

“Blogging is the act of creating posts for a blog, and the person who creates those posts is known as a blogger. The collective environment of all blogs and bloggers is commonly referred to as the blogosphere” (Sauers 1).

Characteristics of blogs include that it is a web application of individual created entries and this information is posted in reverse chronological order. Another key component of blogs is that they are accessible to any user. Some believe that in order to be considered a “blog,” it must be open and accessible to everyone and anyone without any limitations. There are many other features of blogs such as most blog posts remain unchanged once posted and individuals have the ability to post comments on the blog, depending upon the blog (Sauers 1-3).

Throughout the blogosphere, there are different types of blogs that exist. These include organizational, subject, and individual blogs. Individual blogs typically refer to blogs that take on the form of an online journal in a way because they are personal in nature.  The content in subject blogs is specifically correlated to a subject area. Another type of blog, organizational, “represents the views, opinions, and the events of an organization” (Sauers 3). These organizations sometimes encourage their employees to contribute to the blog. It is important to remember that sometimes blogs are not as clear-cut as these definitions. Some blogs can very well fall into multiple categories of blogs (Sauers 4).

Libraries are both information providers and information users. Blogs are another way to uniquely provide information to the user. Some of the unique features of blogs include the frequency of updated information, the variety of perspectives and standpoints, the ease of navigation, and the infinite number of blogs that exist. A library blog is another way that the library can reach out and provide information to its constituents.

*This blog post will be followed by another post about the literature I will be using for my research paper. 

My first experience with social networking was with Facebook. I signed up for an account my junior year of college in the fall of 2005. I remember I was living in the dorms and my roommates and I all decided to sign-up together. We would look for other friends signed up for Facebook and we would all add them simultaneously. At that point in time, we did not care who was our friend, we were all solely concerned with quantity, not quality. After reflecting on my Facebooking days in college, I really wish I could have that precious time back.  The hours I spent “creeping” as we called it on Facebook is outrageous and embarrassing.

I mainly focused on Facebook for my social networking needs. When social networking first became popular, I was always hesitant to join MySpace. I was apprehensive to join a social network that allowed users to join that were not high school or college students. My perspective has definitely changed and I am no longer opposed to joining MySpace.  The only reason I do not plan on joining MySpace is because I feel that Facebook meets all of my social networking needs. Also, most of my friends seem to be on Facebook rather than MySpace.

I would say my favorite aspect of Facebook is the photo sharing. I love seeing what my friends are up to and where they travel. I also use Facebook as a way to store my photos in case something would happen to my computer. I have always used Flickr if I needed a photo for a presentation but just recently made an account. There are so many wonderful photos on Flickr and I want to contribute to this community.

Prior to this class I had heard of Twitter but never tried it out. It has been such a great experience because it has allowed me to interact with my classmates like I never had before. It has also allowed me to build relationships that would have possibly never formed. Not only has my network been expanded but this experience has opened my eyes to yet another social networking tool that could be integrated into the library. 

OK so I have 2 favorites. The first has been my go-to on a bad day and then second is a scene from my favorite television show. 

My revised Read Poster with a book in my hand!

For this assignment, I read Everything is Miscellaneous by David Weinberger. Weinberger summarizes nearly every major classification system stemming across numerous disciplines, such as chemistry, astronomy, and library science, and even touches base on how these systems have been reclassified to map knowledge in yet another way. As future librarians, it is important to remember that knowledge cannot be fixed, but instead it is ever expanding just like the classification systems (56).

Libraries are in the midst of a debate regarding how much control they should give their patrons. Patrons want to have the ability to structure information. If libraries give patrons this power, the library loses a sense of authority. If patrons are not given the opportunity to organize and find information in their preferred manner, they will take their business elsewhere (133). I think it is great how Amazon allows the user to review and rate books. I wish libraries could do something similar to this and give patrons the opportunity to participate. Weinberger states that customers view other customers as a credible and trustworthy source of information (210). Although I understand the issues of privacy, I still think it would be a great feature for the library catalog to have reviews and rankings from fellow patrons.

Weinberger stresses that people crave order and believe disorder is inefficient (12). He explains, “How we organize our world reflects not only the world but also our interests, our passions, our needs, our dreams” (40). Since librarians cannot predict how patrons will organize information, why not give patrons some authority on the matter?

As Weinberger lines up a perfect case for Wikipedia verses Encyclopedia Britannica, he also makes a stupendous justification for blogs. Weinberger explains that blogs are not only a testing ground for various ideas to be floated back and forth but they also allow voices to be heard (145, 209). It is necessary for libraries to be apart of the blogosphere so the voice of the library can be heard while also providing a platform for discussion about the library. 

Weinberger, D. (May 2007). Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder. New York: Times Books.