Confessions of a middle-aged librarian - I am cynical about the use of Facebook for libraries. Makes me think of parents who try so hard to be "friends" to their teenagers rather than sticking to the role they really should play, which is being parents! Maybe if I was younger and my main user base was younger, I'd feel differently. But I don't see the need to try so hard to be cool by having a presence in Facebook unless it really adds value. Plus the issue of privacy is real and should be considered seriously.
Linkedin has some potential but I am way too busy keeping up with everything else to embrace it. Call me a curmudgeon, but that is the way I feel :)
Now that I've made my reservations clear, I did think the piece by Meredith Farkas had real value. Quotable lines - " When you decide to put up a library profile on MySpace or Facebook, what is your goal?" and "Just like any social software tool, it’s what you do with it that matters." So maybe if I see more evidence of added value, I'll change my tune.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Difference between blogs and wikis
A personal blog is essentially an online journal, except that others are free to comment on your thoughts and ideas. Organizational blogs, like our library news blog, offer a quick and easy way to promote library services.
A wiki is a collaborative web site, which only has value when there is a dedicated community of users who are willing to contribute and participate. A wiki should grow more robust and useful over time. My favorite example of a robust wiki is the EBM Librarian. I've used the EBM wiki many times and have made contributions myself
A wiki is a collaborative web site, which only has value when there is a dedicated community of users who are willing to contribute and participate. A wiki should grow more robust and useful over time. My favorite example of a robust wiki is the EBM Librarian. I've used the EBM wiki many times and have made contributions myself
Monday, March 10, 2008
Discovery Exercise for Week 1
I set up various RSS feeds using Bloglines, which is great for personal current awareness.
For our library, we can help individuals or groups appreciate the power of RSS through educational sessions. I actually started doing that this past fall but hope to do more of it in the future. In addition, we have embedded some RSS feeds on customized pages for departments here. This is another avenue for current awareness. For an example, see http://www.hsl.unc.edu/Services/Guides/Anesthesiology.cfm
For our library, we can help individuals or groups appreciate the power of RSS through educational sessions. I actually started doing that this past fall but hope to do more of it in the future. In addition, we have embedded some RSS feeds on customized pages for departments here. This is another avenue for current awareness. For an example, see http://www.hsl.unc.edu/Services/Guides/Anesthesiology.cfm
MLA Web 2.0 Course Assignment Week 1
This is my first posting for the MLA Web 2.0 Course. So far, so good
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