#12 Conclusions and review

I played around with one of my own images with the image editor Tiltshift- lots of fun, though I'm not sure how it could be useful for a library!

I've really enjoyed participating in this Learning 2.0 activity. I was familiar with most of the tools, but it was good to be able to think about how these tools could be used in a library setting. I've also enjoyed reading my coworker's blogs- they've had some great ideas and opinions.

I think libraries should explore new tools. Some tools will be useful for particular libraries. Some won't. Different libraries will find different applications useful (e.g. a public library could use some of the more casual tools, while an academic library could incorporate many tools on Blackboard learning software).

There are a lot of privacy and copyright issues to be considered. Anything posted on web 2.0 application should follow the same criteria that material published on the library's website in regards to respectful communication and neutrality. Library staff adding to web 2.0 applications should also ensure that copyright is held (or properly acknowledged) for any material posted.

I also think libraries should be aware that not all web 2.0 applications are going to work for that library- maybe there's not enough relevant information to keep it updated, maybe users don't view it- and be prepared to change and adapt.

#11 More Web 2.0 Applications & Library 2.0

Web 2.0 awards:

I looked at the various categories. Some have already been talked about in this blog.

I admit I couldn't see how Lulu's self-published books could be useful to an academic library- materials selected for purchase by the library should be authoritative. Possibly they could be useful for some very specific subject areas where few other resources exist- e.g. a local history book. There are some free resources, but I think students would be better off looking at the free web.

Classifieds are probably not useful except when assisting people to find accommodation / second hand products. Possibly a library could purchase cheap furniture and equipment through them. (I much prefer ebay, which isn't listed)

The winner of the "Digital Storage and Remote Access" no longer exists, only three months after the awards. Hmmmmmmm.

Document storage applications look really useful- you can easily embed training and information in a web page. This example comes from the Elsevier training blog:

RSS At Your Library

View more presentations from Martin .

The mapping applications could be useful for showing patrons where to find the library, although I think internal maps would be more useful. I do like what can be done with Google maps- this man has created an alphabet out of aerial views in Victoria. You can click on each letter and find out exactly where it was taken.


I admit that I thought Twitter was a waste of time, until I needed to find websites on the Bushfires. There was a lot of good content linked from Twitter. I could see Twitter being used internally to good use- e.g. on our Fridge, we could have twitter updates like #Lift 3 down or #Come to the Raynard talk this morning at 9am in Experimedia. Libraries that use Blackboard could also have a twitter feed, reminding patrons of events, training, and changes to library hours.

Google Blog Search is my favourite blog search engine. Technoratti is quite useless, imo. I've never been able to find relevant content through it. The one problem I have with Google Blog Search is that if I use it too often in Firefox, it starts thinking I'm a spammer and refuses to let me search anymore.

Facebook could be useful for libraries- you can easily create a page for an organisation, and then have updates that appear on people's Facebook feeds. Facebook has far too many privacy problems for me to embrace it as a user.

#10 You Tube

You Tube is a fantastic idea. Anyone can now be a video star.


When I was looking for content for the PANDORA collection, I found You Tube to be an incredible source of personal accounts. Likewise, I found some pretty interesting material when looking for content relating to the local government elections.


Now I must put on my licensing hat and warn that a lot of material on You Tube is breaking copyright. Some bands are taking advantage of You Tube and are putting music videos online. I'm wondering if we'll see an increase in You Tube being used to officially promote music and entertainment. You Tube is also a huge bandwith hog.

I think You Tube and similar video sharing sites can be a good way to share training materials. Some people are visual learners. You Tube can also be used to run promotions of what's on at the library, or broadcast speeches and presentations to a wider audience. The Colac Library has used You Tube to protest library changes:

# 9 Flickr

This is one of my favourite pictures of the library. The colours and the composition are amazing:





Image by Flickr user dogonnit



I think the library should purchase this image for the collection.

I loved looking through The Commons on Flickr. What a great idea: let the world see the public photography archives of many different organisations, and allow them to describe the images.

I keep quite a few images uploaded to Flickr. I like how you can adjust the privacy settings. There are some photos I'm happy for the world to see, and others are just for family and friends. I also like being able to add tags (see previous entries for my love of tagging!).

# 8 Catalogue your own books with Library Thing

I love cataloguing. I have catalogued my home collection. I have catalogued my dad's collection of cookbooks (he is a caterer and thus has bookshelves upon bookshelves). I also catalogued the collection of my old workplace, a childcare centre. I loved cataloguing these collections. I was fortunate enough to catalogue some of the library's map collection.

So that's possibly why Library Thing felt like a bit of a disappointment to me. There was no Voyager or homemade Access database. There was no decisions about what Dewey number to use. It was simply add a record, and then tag. I loved the tagging aspect, and tried to ensure I had standard tags for all my books.

Still, not everyone in the world loves cataloguing, so Library Thing is a very useful tool. My flatmate decided to pay for a full account, so she could catalogue more than 200 books. I also really like how libraries can incorporate the tags from Library Thing into their own catalogue. It's much more effective than simply waiting for their own users to tag items- there's a far greater number of people using Library Thing, and thus a greater number of tags, and the ability to show which tags are the strongest. My own public library uses Library Thing tags in the catalogue. I've used the tags to find fiction books on particular topics.

I can see great potential in tags for helping users find items. As much as I love LCSH and Dewey, they don't have a natural language, and thus can be confusing for users. I think an ideal catalogue would use both.

#7 Tagging and Del.icio.us

I love tagging. I think all library catalogues should have some form of tags as well as the more proper subject classification from professional cataloguers.

I have a Del.icio.us account. I use it for when I come across a link that would be useful. I also use it when I come across a link that may or may not be useful, but I don't have the time to look at it. One thing I dislike about Del.icio.us is that it only lets you have one word tags. You end up having to combine words which looks quite ugly (plus I imagine everyone will combine them in different ways).

I enjoyed seeing the different words people around the world have used to tag our library. These include:

• libraries
• podcasts
• events
• copying
• imaging
• forms
• photography
• databases
• reference
• research
• collection
• history

I highly recommend Anne B's Del.icio.us account. It is in my network and I view it every day. She finds all the best articles and information on libraries.

I have gone to the new federated search page and added some tags. I like the process of tagging- it really engages the mind about how best to describe something. It's great for those of us with inner cataloguers.

#6 Podcasts

I've never podcasted.

There, I've admitted it. I have an Ipod, which is the greatest thing ever invented for public transport users. I've never actually put a podcast onto it.

I went to http://www.podcast.com and searched their podcasts. I downloaded the weekly news from Archaeology Channel - Audio News from Archaeologica. I played it on my computer, and then I put it on my Ipod using Itunes.

I think podcasts could be very useful for talks and other events held at libraries. Not everyone can attend a talk, but given today's technology, most people could download someone's speech and listen to it. I can also see podcasts and vodcasts (those with video) being good for giving instructions.