Yes! My website is finally finished! Check it out and let me know what you think!

Twitter in the Library

Thanks everyone for a great class — it was definitely my favorite LIS course yet!

Both Drupal and WordPress are content management systems that allow users the flexibility and ease of putting together a website quickly and successfully.

But which one is better? And which CMS would be better for a library to use?

Even though both Drupal and WordPress are popular, open source, and have large user communities, there are some differences between the two systems.

Drupal & WordPress

Drupal is extremely flexible, allowing you to do just about anything you want to with your website. It allows for easy creation of membership sites and portals. So for example you can create a forum, a blog, a community site, or just a plain website, whereas WordPress is more limited and geared more towards blogs.

Drupal however, has a higher learning curve and is more difficult to customize and use. WordPress on the other hand is very user friendly, easy to learn and quick to put together. Things like modifying the code, customizing the theme and setting up the site are much easier in WordPress.

So what it really comes down to is this:

Drupal is extremely flexible — but is more difficult to use.

WordPress is easier to use — but is not as flexible and lacks in functionality.

So … which CMS is better and which one should you use?

Both Drupal and WordPress have their strengths and weaknesses, and neither is really superior over the other. The decision of whether to use Drupal or WordPress really depends on what you want it to do and how you’re going to utilize the CMS.

Drupal allows for more flexibility, functionality and complexity therefore it’s better for full featured websites, a blog community, a forum, or a social networking community.

WordPress, although easy to use is less flexible and better suited for a single author and/or group blogs.

Both Drupal and WordPress can be utilized by libraries, and it really depends on what the library plans to do with the site. Before deciding on which CMS to use, the library should take into consideration the goals of the website and the functionality that is needed to accomplish those goals. Ease of use might come into play and should not be overlooked; if a website is difficult to put together and edit and then the extra functionality might not matter as much if it is not being utilized.

I also think it’s not a bad idea to test Drupal and WordPress, since they’re both free open source systems, to see which one will be better for a particular project.

Further Reading

• Wordpress vs Drupal; what’s in a reputation?
• Wordpress vs. Drupal – Battle of the CMS
• Open Source CMS for Libraries

What is Twitter all about?

Twitter is a micro blogging and social networking service that’s easy to use and best of all — free. It allows members to post short messages that are 140 characters or less to their accounts.

The social element of Twitter allows users to follow each other and monitor each other’s messages. David Leeking suggests to “think of Twitter like a personal IM account that can be shared with everyone.”

In essence, Twitter is a way to communicate and connect with others, but it’s also a great marketing and publicity tool and so much more.

How is Twitter being used?

Twitter is being used by individuals, groups, organizations and companies in many different ways. Most commonly Twitter is used:

• as an information resource
• as a communication platform
• as a self-promotion and publicity tool
• as a sales and marketing tool

Here are a few examples of how Twitter is being used by librarians:

  •   @BALTeenZone

The Barrington Area Library in Illinois has a Teen Zone Twitter account which is primarily used as an information resource for teens. @BALTeenZone tweets updates on book recommendations, events, programs, interesting websites to check out and other related information for teens.

  •   @aadl

The Ann Arbor District Library (@aadl) uses Twitter mostly to promote their programs and services and also to provide useful information for the library’s patrons.

  •   @askundergrad

The undergraduate library at the University of Urbana-Champaign is utilizing Twitter on their website as alerts for students. This has made updating that area of the website that much easier; all a librarian has to do is tweet the message and it is automatically added to the sidebar on the site. Of course, students can also follow @askundergrad with their own Twitter account.

  •   @shifted

Jenny Levine, the Shifted Librarian, uses Twitter to connect with her blog readers, colleagues and others. Her account @shifted is a perfect example of a Twitter conversation.

There’s really no wrong way to use Twitter. It has the potential to be extremely effective in many different areas, whether a librarian wants to connect with patrons, offer help and information, promote the library, or all of the above; Twitter is the perfect technology to utilize in the library.

Utilizing Twitter in the Library

One of the reasons Twitter has so much potential is the fact that it has become so widespread. People like using Twitter because it’s easy to use, free and because the messages are short and to the point. Because of the 140 character limit (and by the way, that includes spaces) each tweet is informative and succinct.

Another advantage is that you don’t have to sign up for a Twitter account to view other people’s tweets. In fact I know people who use Twitter only to monitor what is being said, but don’t post anything themselves. So if someone doesn’t want to use it as a communication tool, Twitter can be utilized in a similar way that RSS feeds are being utilized.

Since it plays well with other technologies Twitter can also be used with Google calendar, Delicious, Facebook, Flickr, RSS feeds (using twitterfeed or rss2twitter) and other online services and that the library is utilizing.

In fact, Twitter can be utilized to send out the library newsletter as well as other useful information about upcoming events, new programs, announcements, even simple things like library hours. For example my library has different summer and winter hours and a reminder tweet in the first couple of weeks the change is made would be very helpful.

Twitter can also be used as a reference tool, just like an online chat. And it can be a great way for librarians to share their recommendations for books and web resources, help patrons stay informed about what’s going on in the library and connect with patrons.

Other than improving communication Twitter is a great place to market and promote library services, new books and other library materials, and any other information that would make utilizing library resources easier. Some librarians might even find it useful in outreach or getting feedback from patrons.

It’s not a bad idea for a library to develop multiple Twitter accounts that focus on different audiences and age groups, or different types of information.

The possibilities are endless; libraries can utilize Twitter in many different ways as long as it’s relevant and useful to patrons.

Do You Twitter

Twitter, like any other technology isn’t perfect and it’s not for everyone. Librarians might find some challenges in utilizing it in the library and they have to keep in mind that not everyone will be joining them on Twitter.

In my opinion however, the advantages of using Twitter are important and cannot be overlooked. Any library with an interest in improving communication and marketing should consider trying it out.

Does your library use Twitter? Do you Twitter? What are your thoughts about the technology?

The use of technology in libraries fascinates me. You might have noticed this since I already blogged about cloud computing and virtualization — two technologies that will play a huge role in libraries in the upcoming years.

Today I want to talk about something a little different … something that’s happening in libraries right now.

The Apple store as a model for libraries?

The other day I was at the Apple store checking out Logic Studio (my boyfriend is a musician and his birthday is coming up). What I noticed, and I don’t know how I didn’t notice this before, is that Apple employees are not tied to the register or a customer service desk. They all have computers that they use wherever they are at the moment.

They don’t wait for customers to come to them for help — they come to the customers and help out on the spot.

What a novel idea — I thought! This would be so cool in the library!

A reference librarian wouldn’t have to be tied to the reference desk, she could go and help patrons wherever they are!

Who needs a desk anyway?

Apparently I wasn’t the first person to get a clue from the Apple store. The mobile reference desk is already being used in libraries across the country (can you believe it? how cool is this!) and as you might have guessed, librarians are already blogging about it.

Frederic County in Maryland has piloted a mobile reference service at one of their public libraries. And Melissa blogged about her experiences with the pilot in August last year. Here’s a shot quote from her post describing mobile reference and the pilot:

“Mobile reference is envisioned as a way to get librarians out in the library itself, rather than stationing them at a desk. In my library’s pilot project, seven librarians, myself included, spend three one-hour shifts a week performing mobile reference. We use ultra light mobile PCs and wireless communication badges to access library resources, ask other staff for assistance, and answer questions for patrons.”

An interesting thing that Melissa points out is that the new service has changed patrons’ attitude towards librarians. She says that patrons are now more likely to talk to librarians who are out on the floor “regardless of whether they’re assigned to the desk or to mobile reference at that time.”

Another advantage that the mobile reference has provided is the ability to help patrons who otherwise would never come to the reference desk or ask for help.

Melissa also notes that being involved in mobile reference has helped her be more aware of what’s going on in the library.

Helping patrons and librarians

It sounds to me like the mobile reference idea is a good thing for everyone involved.

– Patrons benefit from librarians being available anywhere in the library, away from the reference desk, in places where they’re actually needed.

– Librarians are able to utilize more of their skills and expertise, help more patrons, and feel more connected to what’s happening in the library.

I also believe that by being able to stay mobile librarians will have more opportunities to help patrons with real needs, instead of pointing out directions and fixing paper jams. I’ve never worked at a reference desk so I can’t be sure, but I do think that mobile reference will allow for more efficient service.

To be continued …

I contacted Melissa with questions about her experiences with the mobile reference pilot to find out how things were coming along and what her library has learned after utilizing the service for some time now. Here are a few questions that I asked:

• Do you think that a mobile reference desk is more efficient than the traditional reference desk? Has it improved your service to patrons?
• What are some of the pros and cons that you’ve found with using the mobile reference desk?
• What do other librarians at your organization think about this new reference model after trying it out?

I’m still awaiting her response, but I will make sure to update this post when I do hear from her.

Stay tuned!

Hi! Welcome to this week’s module discussion on Creating the Library Website. Our readings for this module include:

• How to Drive Traffic to Your Website
• Web Design Matters

You want links. Badly.

Promoting your library website and making it easier for people to find depends on how many other sites link to you. Incoming links that you get from reputable sites lead to better search engine rankings and better chances of people finding your website.

But how do you get other sites to link to you?

Well, there are actually a lot of things you can do to increase traffic to your site and get people to link to you, but the number one thing is good content. Interesting, useful content is what will draw people to your site, make people talk about it and link to it.

Here’s an easy way to sum it up:

good content =
incoming links =
better page rank =
improved search engine rankings =
more traffic

Pretty simple, right? Well, there’s actually a lot more to this.

Participating in online discussions with your patrons is also important, as is listing your site in places where people might find it useful or interesting. Promoting your library’s services and allowing patrons to participate through interactive features of your site also can’t be missed.

And let’s not forget what we learned about search engine optimization (see seo readings and Mike’s post), web standards (see web standards readingsand Victoria’s post), as well as usability (see usability readings and Tyler’s post ) — all these things play important roles in creating a successful library website

The 10 Essentials for Any Library Site

“The website is your library’s most important feature” is what starts off the discussion of the 10 essentials for library sites. The author argues that your library’s site tells a lot about your organization and can have an impact on your patrons’ perceptions of the library. Your website is much more than a URL, it is an experience for your patrons and a valuable means of communication.

I summed up the 10 essentials into 10 tips:

1. Promotion Tip: keep content fresh, update regularly and pay attention to placement of banners, photos, videos, blog posts, etc.
2. Segmentation Tip: develop separate pages for different patron groups.
3. Visual Tip: grab your user’s attention and help them find what they’re looking for with icons, symbols and ohter visual cues.
4. Photo Tip: photos can help you make a good impression, as well as showcase and promote your library’s features.
5. Search Tip: every page should have a search box and a federated search box will help patrons start using your resources.
6. Mobile-Friendly Tip: offer a few different ways for patrons to utilize your site on their mobile device.
7. Feedback Tip: use this as a way to show patrons that their opinions matter.
8. Redundancy Tip: assume people are going to make mistakes and offer multiple ways to find things.
9. Analytics Tip: Google Analytics is free and can help you identify problems and areas that need improvement.
10. Help Tip: utilize free tools (like Meebo) and place your Ask a librarian link prominently.

The above list includes some important features that can’t be overlooked when building the library website.

I would add that making sure your site is compatible with all the different types of browsers and that your text and colors are being displayed properly on older monitors are also essentials. Don’t assume that all of your patrons have the latest monitor and all use Firefox. Your site might look completely different through Internet Explorer or on an older monitor.

Question

Should a library that does not have the resources to create an effective website settle for a site with limited features, poor content, ineffective design, etc — or not bother with a website at all?

In other words, is it better for a library to have a bad website or no website?

Further Reading

• Website design resources from Library Success Wiki
• Improve traffic with Google Webmaster Tools
• How to Attract Links and Increase Web Traffic — the Ultimate Guide from Copyblogger

P.S.

Don’t forget to check out Carol’s post on broadband deployment — the other module discussion for this week.

I spent this week looking at different types of librarian blogs, and boy did that turn out to be a daunting task! There are so many library/librarian blogs out there. It seems that all librarians want to do is blog!

This made me wonder, what is it that makes librarians want to blog?

Is it to share resources and information with other librarians? Or are librarians trying to connect with their patrons? Or is it simply to document and share their experiences with anyone who’s interested?

What I quickly found is that the answer is “yes” to all of the above and so much more. Many librarians are great story tellers, many are amazing teachers, and it’s probably safe to say that all of them love to share their knowledge and experiences with others.

Here are just a few types of library/librarian blogs that I have been able to identify.

The thinker

One distinct type of librarian blog is what I call “the thinker.” This blogger loves to examine different library and technology issues and reports back with his/her thoughts and suggestions for improvement. The purpose of most of the posts is to bring light on important issues, to start a discussion and make the rest of us think, of course.

A good example of this type of blogger is the shifted librarian since many of her posts are reflective observations, thoughts, ideas, etc.

The resource blogger

Another type of blogger is the librarian who is on a mission to share as much information as possible. You will be able to find news, book reviews, links to useful information — basically anything and everything that a librarian should know.

Librarian in Black is in my option the perfect example of a good resource blogger, take a look at some of her posts and you’ll see what I mean.

The snarky librarian

In her second blog post Genevieve listed a few of her favorite snarky/fun/humorous librarian blogs. I won’t even try to imitate her list because I know I won’t find better blogs; go ahead and check out the blogs she listed, you’ll definitely like them.

These bloggers share their experiences to connect with other librarians who may be dealing with the same types of issues, but in a fun, snarky way. Being able to tell someone, even if it’s anonymously what you’re going through is a good way to stay sane in many jobs, not just the library.

The patron blogger

The one thing that distinguishes the above mentioned bloggers to the “patron blogger” is the audience; they seek attention from other librarians and library professionals whereas this type of librarian focuses on library users. This blogger’s mission is to promote the library, the materials and services, and to offer a new window for patrons to the library.

Shawne blogged about one library director’s efforts in her first blog post. Gerard Saylor of Lake Mills Library along with many other librarians out there blogs to engage his patrons. With the help of his library staff, Gerard writes (as well as videotapes for the library’s Utube channel) book reviews, notifies patrons of new additions to the library’s collection, blogs about CDs, DVDs, audio books and anything else the patron might be interested in.

Usually this type of blogger will try to use multiple sources to reach his audience, like Utube, Delicious, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and other social networking channels. More and more libraries are catching on to this trend; many starting out by engaging their younger readers.

My local library, here in Orland Park, started a Teen Blog that offers news, events, and information for teens. The library also has podcasts, an online discussion group, reading recommendations, a Delicious page and other resources specifically for teens.

So What Motivates Librarians to Blog?

There are countless reasons why librarians love to blog, but most importantly I think it’s the chance to connect with others. Sharing their insight, knowledge, experiences, teaching others, and connecting is what librarians do best!

Good thing we’re getting some experience with blogging, huh?

Further Reading

• The Blogging Libraries Wiki — links to hundreds of library blogs
• Edublog Awards — best librarian/library blogs
• LIS Wiki — more library and librarian blogs

Virtualization, like cloud computing, is not an easy idea to grasp. What makes it even more confusing is that the term is very broad and there are many different definitions and types of virtualization technologies out there.

The most basic idea behind virtualization, as defined by outervillage.com is:

“… a technique for hiding the physical characteristics of computing resources in a way in which other systems, applications, or end users interact with those resources.”

Wikipedia calls it the “abstraction of computer resources” and lists 4 main types of virtualization technologies:

• Platform virtualization
• Resource virtualization
• Application virtualization
• Desktop virtualization

Through the use of hypervisor technology a single physical machine can run multiple operating systems simultaneously. So that each new os that you install becomes its own virtual machine that runs on top of your first os.

This is different from a dual boot in that you don’t have to choose between the operating systems, you can run them and use them all at the same time.

Besides being very cool, virtualization has many benefits which can prove to be especially useful in a library setting. The best part is that the user sees no difference between a physical or a virtual machine, since it looks and feels the same.

But one of the biggest improvements comes through better resource utilization. Think about it, you can have 4 or 5 virtual machines running on a single box; so that librarians, library staff and even patrons who want to use Windows Vista, XP, Leopard or anything else can do so quickly and easily.

This also becomes an important improvement in flexibility of the hardware providing end users with their own personal desktop environments, and at the same time eliminating the need for retraining.

Another option is to have a data center centralize the virtual desktops so that they are easy to manage and make changes to. This might be a good solution for a library network or a large library, saving time for IT administrators and reducing inevitable downtime during updates, upgrades and such.

Although I didn’t find any information about libraries using virtualization, I think as the technology become more popular, libraries will be able to find good ways to utilize it.

If any of you do find any information or articles about virtualization in the library please let me know, I’d love to read about it.

Further Reading

• Virtualization — Wikipedia
• ZDNet Definition for: Virtualization
• Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2008
• Virtualization Advantages & Disadvantages — outervillage.com

This week I learned more fun html stuff and the some practical things as well.

I also decided to start a Resources page where I’m going to add all of the links and references that I come across.

DOCTYPES

Document Type Declaration (aka DOCTYPE) helps browsers understand what version of HTML the page is using. Wikipedia defines it as:

“…an instruction that associates a particular SGML or XML document (for example, a webpage) with a Document Type Definition (DTD) (for example, the formal definition of a particular version of HTML). In the serialized form of the document, it manifests as a short string of markup that conforms to a particular syntax.”

For our exercise we were instructed to use HTML 4 Transitional, which made me wonder about the differences in all of the DOCTYPES … I’ll have to read up on this.

No robots

I also learned a neat trick to prevent search engines from indexing our pages. All you have to do is add this line of code to your <head> section:

<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex, nofollow” />

Images, fonts & colors

I already added all the links to my resource page so I won’t be repeating it here … but I would like to add that playing with fonts and colors is a lot of fun.

I first heard of the term cloud computing about a year ago while reading an article that talked about using different cloud resources for data backups. I found the whole idea very interesting, but to be honest I didn’t think of the implications of this technology on libraries. In fact, I hadn’t given the cloud much more thought after that, until now.

I recently stumbled upon a few articles that discussed the possibilities of the cloud in libraries, as well as some concerns that librarians have with using the technology in a library setting. The Shifted Librarian points out that it’s not enough for librarians to teach patrons how to use cloud resources; we must also help them understand the possible consequences with utilizing the cloud. She suggests teaching patrons about:

• The different cloud resource options and how to evaluate them
• Backing up and synchronizing files on the cloud
• Privacy and security issues that all users need to take into consideration before choosing to utilize cloud resources

Jen sums up by saying:

“We should see this for what it is – an expansion of our traditional role to teach people how to use information well, and we should lead, not just with good models, but with help understanding and dealing with the ramifications of all of this.”

These are some valid points and I don’t think they should be overlooked, especially since the cloud is not going to go away. Libraries adapt to the needs of the user, and as more companies move into the direction of the cloud so will everyone else.

Adding to what Jen had to say about security and privacy, I think it’s important to remember that, at least at the moment, the cloud might not be the best solution for all types of data. And this is something that users should keep in mind.

For some types of data the cloud is ideal, especially if it’s something you plan to share with others, like your photos, ideas, writings, recordings, etc (think Flickr, Twitter, blogs, podcasts). On the other hand, the things you don’t want to share with others, your personal records or information, is probably not meant to be stored on the cloud.

I do agree that making patrons aware of the ramifications of the cloud is extremely important however, I don’t think that this should be used as an excuse for not utilizing cloud resources in the library.

Further Reading:

• Cloud computing — Wikipedia
• How can libraries use the cloud — Tame the Web
• We’re not all ready for the cloud yet — The Shifted Librarian
• Ten trends and technologies for 2009 — Tame the Web
• Welcome to the data cloud — The Semantic Web

Today I learned how to setup a webpage. I connected to my Dominican account via ftp (which was much easier than I thought it would be) and my first page for LIS 753 is up and running.

I also got a chance to take a look at a few great resources for learning HTML:

• Introduction to HTML
• HTML Code Tutorial
• Structure of an HTML 4 Document