LIS 753

I know web design can get very difficult, but never figured that there was something out there that would actually facilitate it, especially when creating websites that require social interaction  Drupal allows almost everyone to have an active part in the creation and maintenance of a webpage. 

In Ellysa Kroski’s presentation, “Drupal and Libraries”, she provided various examples of libraries already using Drupal.  I was curious to see if any libraries in the Chicagoland area were using Drupal, so I did a search and found a few.  The one that caught my attention was the Skokie Public Library (http://www.skokie.lib.il.us/).  The library has about 6 active blogs whose subjects range from reader advisory to a library “soapbox”.  Another interesting feature was the calendar of events.  The calendar allows patrons to not only view upcoming events at the library, but a patron can register for the event using the library website.  There is so much more that the website offers, but it is refreshing to see that its creation and maintenance can be done by anyone with the help of Drupal.  Seeing Kroski’s examples was interesting, but when you see a local library’s website using Drupal it puts it in a different prospective.  I am amazed what Drupal has to offer and as a new librarian, I cannot wait to use it.

Facebook is a free social networking website created by a 23 year old Harvard sophomore in 2003. It was originally created for Harvard undergraduate students, but the network quickly spread to other Ivy League universities and subsequently to all the universities in the United States. Today, it not only caters to college students, but to basically anyone over the age of 13. Facebook enables users to join networks which are organized according to geographical region, school and workplace. Once a user joins a network, he can interact with other members of the same network by adding them as a “friend”. Users can interact by posting messages on their “wall” and sending messages to their inbox. Facebook has evolved from simply sending messages or networking. Today, members can post announcements, add applications and add RSS feeds.

Although Facebook is a social network, it has become a useful tool for libraries. Libraries are using the website to showcase the various services they offer. For example, the British Columbia Institute of Technology (“BCIT”) Library has three Facebook pages. One of these pages focuses on the health sciences resources that are provided by BCIT. Some of the neat resources that the site includes is an application to search PubMed, a database of citations, abstracts and full text documents in the area of medicine and biomedicine, links to health sciences databases and tutorials. Another academic library that has a Facebook page is the Harvard Law School Library. The page is similar to that of BCIT, with the exception that it provides announcements of events going on in the law school, links to the New York Times and the Journal of Legal Analysis. Additionally, it provides a discussion board for students and faculty to voice their concerns or comments about the library and its services. The Harvard Law School Library Facebook page appears to be geared more toward the student’s relationship with library.

Academic libraries are not the only libraries to be using Facebook. I discovered that the Berwyn Public Library has a Facebook page. The page provides such useful information such as a list of upcoming events happening in Berwyn and discussion board that discusses such issues such as information on taking the GED and GRE . Although the page is very basic, it provided a lot of useful information for a Berwynite or basically anyone interested in the Berwyn Public Library.

Although I do not currently work in a library setting, my law firm, where I do work, does have a library. I honestly do not see Facebook being very useful in this setting. The purpose of Facebook is to reach out to members of a large community/network. Law firm libraries tend to cater to a relatively small group, thus it would not be very feasible. On the other hand, Facebook is an excellent tool for academic and public libraries.

Saying that Web 2.0 has changed our lives is an understatement. Many people today use Facebook, MySpace and other social networks to connect to one another. As a new Facebook user (and former graduate of MySpace), I am mesmerized by how much this website has become part of some many of my friends’ daily lives. True, the primary lure might be reconnecting with old high school and college friends, but I believe there is another stronger lure. As with many of these sites, the user is no longer an outsider looking in, but instead a major contributor and when you are a contributor you get the sense that you are a vital member of a community.

Library 2.0 is basically an extension of Web 2.0. Library 2.0 is user-centric in that it enables the library patron to have access to library databases without entering a library, consulting with a librarian via instant messenger and other services that facilitate library access for the patron. Despite the benefits of Library 2.0, it faces many challenges that are not ordinarily addressed with Web 2.0. The users of websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Flickr are primarily people in their 20s and 30s. Libraries, on the other hand, service patrons of all ages, especially those who are much older (Baby Boomers and Senior Citizens). For some of these patrons, Library 2.0 can make them feel alienated from the community, instead of being an integral part of it. So if Library 2.0 is supposed to make information access easier for everyone, does everyone only include those individuals who are familiar with the internet? On the other hand, how about the younger generation who has grown up believing that a library is only a building that houses books? Will they stop (or for that matter start) using the library resources and librarians? How can a library handle the growing change in library technology while addressing the “traditional” roles of the library and its librarians without alienating anyone in the community?

I have to confess that not until last summer did I learn what a RSS Feed was.  During one of my classes, my professor went on and on about the wonders of RSS and how it had made her life so much easier, both professionally and personally.  It must have been the blank stares my fellow classmates gave her that made her ask, “Does anyone know what a RSS Feed is?”  Thinking that I would be the only one not to know, I was shocked to see that the majority of my classmates were also in the dark!  Well I think I have come a long way since then.  Since taking this class and learning more about RSS, I have grown to enjoy the benefits it has provided.  RSS has not only saved me time when tracking down the latest information from my favorite websites, but has made it easier for me to stay on top of the latest news and follow my favorite blogs (ah yes and the blogs for this class!).  So I know RSS feeds can be fun, but how has does benefit librarians?  In order to answer this question, I did some research.

“The Moxie Librarian”  (http://moxielibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/02/27/10-ways-libraries-can-use-rss/) is a blog provides the tops ten ways a librarian can use RSS.  Although it appears that this blog has not been updated in about a year, it still provides some useful information for librarians who are new to RSS.  Another source I found was from the Special Libraries Association (http://www.sla.org/pdfs/sla2007/hartrssfeeds.pdf)  As the link indicates, this is a PDF that provides more substantive information on RSS then the blog I just mentioned.  From reading this article, I found that the information provided can be applied to various types of libraries and not just special libraries.  

As I continued my search I found some examples of libraries that incorporate RSS feeds.  The most notable one is the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/rss/).  Lastly, RSS is a valuable tool in keeping librarians informed of the latest developments in the field.  The Library Journal (http://www.libraryjournal.com/RSS) provides RSS options.  I found this feature very interesting since I am pretty new to the field.

As I reflect back to my professor’s comments on RSS, I can honestly agree with her in saying that RSS is perhaps one of the greatest technological concepts to be developed…thus far!

Last night, I went to the movies with a group of girlfriends and saw “He’s Just Not That Into You.”  In one of the scenes, a single girl, played by Drew Barrymore, is perplexed at how the dating scene has changed.  As she points out, if a guy wants to reach you he can do so via e-mail (home and work accounts), voicemail (home and cell phones), Myspace, text (cell phone or Blackberry) and so on.  When he does finally get a hold of you to set up a date, you communicate via webcam, Myspace (again) and so on.   So her question is, “What ever happened to the old fashion way of doing things?”  By this she means, the one on one contact with the guy (meeting for coffee – in person), him reaching you via telephone and leaving ONE message in ONE portal (the answering machine) and not three or five!  As I watched this scene unfold I thought, “This is happening in libraries too!”  As librarians, is our new focus on the relationship with technological tools and not the patron?  Has Library 2.0 made us lose that focus?  In order to answer that question I ventured out into the blogosphere. 

Up until now, the majority of information I had read and heard (during class lectures) about this topic has been positive and I figured that most of the information I would find on this topic would be exclusively positive, but I was wrong.  Although these blogs did not totally trash Library 2.0, they did provide a different perspective.  One in particular is a blog entry by Meredith Farkas, “The essences of Library 2.0?” (http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2008/01/24/the-essence-of-library-20/).  According to her own assessment on distance learners she found that these patrons were not really interested in the library’s blog, Myspace page or other technological features, but instead were primarily concerned with having online access to full-text articles and that’s it!  She also points out that assessments should be done not to see what new technological tools can be implemented in a library, but to address the needs of the patron. 

Another blog entry, “Library 2.0 debased”, by John Blyberg (http://www.blyberg.net/2008/01/17/library-20-debased/) follows the same lines as that of Farkas’ blog, but Blyberg makes an interesting point:

“… when we use technology, it should be transparent, intuitive, and a natural extension of the patron experience. If it can’t be transparent, then it should be so overwhelmingly beneficial to the user that it is canonized not by the techies, but the users themselves.

Although, both blog entries were very interesting and provided me with a new prospective on the issue, I came to the conclusion that, as librarians, we will always be on a quest for finding better ways to serve the patron.  It is true that, today, more people want to be self-sufficient when trying to access information and that the new technological tools have truly made information access much easier, but we cannot forget nor ignore that that one on one interaction with the patron is vital.  This is vital in that it helps establish and reinforce our relationship between the library, librarian and the patron.

I have to admit that the first time I successfully completed my first HTML page for this class the feeling was exhilarating.  Knowing that I could create something that could be accessed by anyone, anywhere was mind-blowing, but after this week’s readings (W3C and Access Standards) my feelings changed a bit.  I was under the impression that everyone could access the Web, but, as I learned, this is not always the case.  What I failed to realize was that not everyone can easily access the web either due to a physical disability or other circumstance.  Fortunately, guidelines have been established to help make the web accessible to everyone. 

The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) mission is to “develop interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential…”  (http://www.w3.org/)  One of the ways the W3C has tried to accomplish this is by establishing a set of guidelines that outlines the requirements needed by web designers and developers in producing websites that facilitate usage of their websites by people with disabilities.  In our readings, we were provided with a link to these guidelines.  As I read these guidelines, I was surprised to see the issues these guidelines covered. (http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/)  For example, Guideline 2 covers the issue of color usage on a web site.  The guideline states that the text and graphics used on a website should be designed so that they may be viewed without color.  This guideline was established to enable people who are either color-blind or color-deficient and users who have devices that have non-color or non-visual displays to access websites.  It should be noted that these guidelines were recently finalized in December 2008.  (http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/)

Lastly, as I read through these guidelines I was intrigued by the concept of the blind using the internet.  I apologize for my ignorance, but I was always under the impression that since the blind are unable to see the computer screen they are unable to use the internet.  Of course, I was mistaken.  I decided to do some research on this subject and found an interesting website on designing web pages for the blind and a blog by a web developer, John F. Croston, III, discussing new technology tools used by the blind. 

Designing Web Pages for the Blind - http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/WebForBlind/start.htm

John F. Croston, III’s Blog – http://www.jfciii.com/blog/category/braille-reader/

I am still excited about continuing this journey (this class), but now that I know that there are tools and guidelines available so that everyone really can access the web, the feeling is still exhilarating!

Like many people today, I do take web access for granted and like many people I cannot imagine my life with it.  My appreciation for the web has grown after reading the BBC online article, “Web in Infancy”, by Darren Waters.  This article discusses the 15^th anniversary of the Cern’s release of the web’s code into the public domain and the many positive changes that resulted from it.  We often hear the negative effects of the web, but we must ask ourselves.  Is it really that bad?  The answer is clearing no.  On the contrary the web has made this chaotic world a happier place.  Thanks to the web, social networks have are constantly growing, thus making the world a smaller place.  It’s hard to believe that this may not have been possible had it not been for Sir Tim Berner-Lee.   According to this article, the physicists at the Cern were reluctant to release the web’s code, but after Berner-Lee’s continual efforts to have the web released, they accepted.  Interestingly, once they accepted its release, they toyed with the idea of seeking royalties for its usage.  Of course, as we all know, they decided it against it and made it free to the public.  Prior to reading this article, I was unaware of the history of the web’s introduction into the public domain.  Berner-Lee and Robert Cailliau, who also worked with Berner-Lee on the development of the web, were correct when they told the physicists at the Cern that the impact of the web would do a lot of good for the world.  As the title of this article states, the web is indeed only in its infancy.  There is still much more to be developed and discovered about the web and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

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