Final Reflections

I had great expectations when I enrolled for the 23 Things programme. I felt it was an excellent and timely opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of Web2.0 tools and somehow determine the extent to which they could be effectively used in a University library setting.

In order to better address my personal objectives, I explored each Thing introduced extensively and I felt that both the main and the additional tasks recommended helped me to use the newly acquired knowledge in a very effective manner. I also found the writing of each post on the blog to be a useful exercise since it permitted further opportunities for reflection on the benefits of each tool.

I arranged my favourite Web2.0 technologies into three groups:

• Google Reader, Delicious and Podcasts
• Flickr, Facebook and YouTube
• Google Docs and ThinkFree Office
  

The first group not only provided me with excellent new electronic resources but also allowed me to find them all in the same place. It has indeed been very convenient to log on to Google Reader and to find the latest posts from fellow 23 Things participants, from other Information Professionals’ blogs I am now following and also to listen to my favourite podcasts before downloading them to my iPod via iTunes. As an added advantage, it’s reassuring to know I am not missing any important information that has been made available. The second group of tools allowed me to learn more about some of the hot topics in Library and Information Science today such as the benefits and concerns associated with the implementation of Facebook Fan Pages or Groups in libraries, copyright issues and how the Law appears to be typically one step behind Technology. The third group simply consists of awesome Web2.0 tools!

Twitter, on the other hand, was my least favourite Thing. I am well aware of its popularity and I don’t dispute its entitlement to be included in the programme due to its potential as an effective communication tool by any means. However, I still feel that due to the high amount of useless information being tweeted every split second, it may not be the most reputable and reliable platform available to promote existing library services as well as to advertise new ones.

I am delighted I had the opportunity to accomplish the 23 Things programme and I feel that my original objectives have been mostly met. This was due to fact that Laura, Penny, Jane, Emma and Angela made this initiative possible in the first place, delivered clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions every week and have also encouraged an active learning environment throughout the programme. I must take this opportunity to thank them all for their hard work and for making this whole experience highly enjoyable. I have now been asked to produce a report on the use of the Web2.0 tools that could be beneficial to the College Library in which I work to be read by the Fellow Librarian and the Librarian so we might be the next Oxford Library to join the Web2.0 directory. Watch this space!

Blogger Gadget and iGoogle Widget

The article "25 Great Blogger Widgets" introduced me to some of the gadgets available to add to the Blogger platform with the aim of enhancing communication between the blogger and his or her visitors. Although I thoroughly welcomed this opportunity, I guess it's fair to say that I didn't feel tempted to include more widgets than the ones recommended to accomplish Things 21 and 22 (as well as the additional tasks) to my Blooger nor to my iGoogle pages.

I can clearly see their appeal in general; it's very convenient to have standalone "programmes" that perform useful functions in the same place and at the same time. This is not only likely to save users' precious time but it also helps them to better manage and easily assimilate the information provided. However, I have to admit that personally I cannot see much point in adding some of them such as this one for example other than perhaps for entertainment purposes; which is also important, I guess...

This week, I have somewhat contributed to the 23 Things Oxford blog as well by adding a comment to the latest entry which I hope fellow participants will find it useful.

ThinkFree Office

Not only is ThinkFree Office compatible with Microsoft Office, it also reminds you of a Word document due to the familiar menus it provides. As suggested, I created a Note with the use of one of the available templates on offer and was also able to download it to my USB Flash drive.

Google Docs

This is a document I created using Google Docs and, as you can see, I formatted the text by using different font types, sizes, colours and also by making some of it bold. I finally shared the profound quote with a couple of fellow 23 Things participants.

I produced a form with three different types of questions (paragraph text, choose from a list and scale) and, after having chosen an appropriate theme, I e-mailed it to be completed to a few 23 Things participants.

Although I am aware of a lack of more sophisticated features to create text as well as of issues of dependency and privacy, this is simply awesome technology! The ability to produce and edit documents online, to access them anywhere (providing you have an internet connection, that is!) and the advantage of easy collaboration in real-time the service provides should never be underestimated.

Wikipedia

When I started my career in the field of Library and Information Science, I was introduced to the idea that Wikipedia was the Library Professional's worst enemy and I still occasionally notice this antipathy towards it. Although I acknowledge that some degree of animosity towards Wikipedia is justified due to questionable issues of reliability and accuracy, and also due to the fact that concensus appears to prevail over reputable credentials as a result of the nature of the site, I still use it on a fairly regular basis.

I am not ashamed of this type of information seeking behaviour of mine as I trust my ability to use the information I retrieve wisely and I often look at the list of references associated with the article. However, I have to admit that when I seek authoritative information on a particular subject, I don't even contemplate the possibility of having a very quick peek at Wikipedia...

Oxford Web 2.0 Wiki

The Oxford Web 2.0 Wiki is a fine example of how wikis can be effectively used to disseminate useful information amongst Information Professionals. It offered me the opportunity to learn more about specific features of some Web 2.0 tools and I found the advice given on how to implement some of them particularly useful. I enjoyed reading the impressions felt by the Librarians whose libraries have embraced some of the Web 2.0 tools which can be found under the Oxford Case Studies menu.

I have also contributed to the expansion of the Oxford Web 2.0 Wiki site by editing the page “Bibliography & useful links” and by adding a link to the article I wrote about Facebook on my 23 Things blog.

Twitter

As you can see, I am now in the “real-time information network” sphere. I have tweeted, retweeted, deleted and replied to tweets, used hashtags, and finally learned a whole new language in the process!

It’s kind of interesting to read what people are saying about particular topics; this can easily be done from the homepage without having to sign in. I decided to follow a couple of Oxford libraries on Twitter and, thanks to the services provide by TweepML and wefollow, I am also following a few librarians whose interests in particular areas of Librarianship appear to be very similar to mine. Unfortunately no one is following me yet which has prevented me from sending a direct message as you can only do that to one of your followers.

There is no doubt that Twitter has become very popular and I can understand how it has been regarded as a powerful tool for libraries to use in order to promote their services and strengthen relationships with their readers. However, since it appears that such a great amount of worthless information is tweeted, I wonder whether Twitter's reputation as an effective library tool is being damaged and the situation is aggravated by the fact that there are more reliable online means to address the same purposes available.

LinkedIn

I signed up for LinkedIn and explored some of its features. It seems to be a useful website that connects friends and colleagues as well as a powerful resource to raise our profile within the professional community. In addition, since the number of its members worldwide is vast and is still rapidly increasing, it can also be used as a powerful professional development tool as we can have difficult questions answered by leading experts in the field.

LinkedIn claims to be the world’s largest professional network and our profile can not only be found on the website but it can also be discovered through search engines searches so this may be our opportunity to be headhunted!

Facebook

Facebook has always been enormously popular with students. As a result, it’s not surprising that some Academic Librarians have expressed a keen interest in embracing it as it was perceived to be an effective platform to better engage with their target audience. Since November 2007, the dream of sharing the most prominent social networking website came true as Facebook allowed the creation of Fan Pages which were specifically designed to meet the needs of businesses and organisations. Information Professionals could finally have a Facebook presence and take full advantage of its features with the aim of enticing the highest number of students to become their fans and to be part of the library online community.

Facebook Fan Pages (or Groups, for the matter) are easy, relatively quick and free to create. Furthermore they can be used as an effective marketing strategy and a tool for gathering students’ feedback, as they may include:

• Basic information such as the library’s address or opening hours
  

• Detailed information such as the library’s main subjects or maps of reading rooms
  

• Extensive information such as historical facts of the institution
  

• A space called “wall” where messages can be posted by the site’s administrator(s) and the fans.
  

• Search applications that have been developed to be used in Facebook such as JSTOR or COPAC search boxes
  

• Blogs (via RSS feeds for example)
  

• Advertisements for new acquisitions (possibly via RSS feeds from LibraryThing)
  

• Advertisements for new and existing user-focused library services
  

• Video tours and photographs
  

• Discussion boards
  

• Useful external links
  

• Updates that can be sent to fans such as changes in opening hours, promotion of events or notification of new resources

Whereas it is arguable that such features may be advantageous for everyone concerned, the involvement of libraries with Facebook has been rather controversial due to four main concerns:

• Since Facebook was originally created for students to use mainly for recreational purposes, are libraries simply encroaching upon a space in which they wouldn’t be welcomed? It is possible that this move may be interpreted as an invasion of an online space which had already been previously claimed; however, since libraries do not normally adopt an aggressive marketing approach (contrary to some intrusive ads on Facebook), this argument should perhaps be dismissed.
  

• If fair criticism is posted on the “wall”, libraries can hopefully act positively on it but what would be the best course of action to take when unfair criticism or even inappropriate comments are posted and made public? It seems to me that the deletion of unwelcome feedback should not be contemplated as such an action would compromise the very purpose of having a Facebook presence to enhance communication in the first place.
  

• How can the success of such initiatives be accurately measured? After having looked at some Facebook Fan Pages of Oxford libraries and noticing the significant number of fans some of them have, I questioned how many of those are actually regular visitors to the site. Unfortunately, judging by the limited number of contributions posted on the “wall”, they don’t appear to be a very proactive group which validates to a certain extent the claim that students are hesitant towards using Facebook for academic purposes (Chu and Meulemans, 2008). I wonder therefore if the time spent by library staff on creating and updating the site on a regular basis in order to prevent it from appearing dormant or even abandoned is worthwhile. Perhaps information professionals whose libraries are already on Facebook can shed some light on this matter by disseminating the average of daily page views according to the statistics on Facebook Insights.
  

• Is Facebook just another passing technological fad? If Facebook Pages or Groups will no longer be allowed or if its popularity with students declines considerably or even if Facebook ceases to exist altogether in the near future, it may prove that the investment of time in the library’s presence may not have been a sensible move after all…

Having said that, Facebook appears to be here to stay and I am well aware of the numerous success stories as a result of its implementation in University library settings (see Alcock, 2009; Hendrix et al., 2009; Widdows, 2009), one of those clearly stating that “[a] Facebook presence is much more than a presence in Facebook” (Widdows, 2009, p. 9). However, although the physical library building has long been established and has traditionally been regarded as the heart of the campus, I am still left questioning whether the provision of library services fits comfortably into online social networks.

Bibliography:

• ALCOCK, J., 2009. Using Facebook Pages to Reach Users: The Experiences of Wolverhampton. ALISS Quarterly, 4(2), 2-6.

• CHU, M. and MEULEMANS, Y.N., 2008. The problems and potential of MySpace and Facebook usage in academic libraries. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 13(1), 69-85.

• HENDRIX, D., CHIARELLA, D., HASMAN, L., MURPHY, S. and ZAFRON, M.L., 2009. Use of Facebook in Academic Health Sciences Libraries. Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA), 97(1), 44-47.

• WIDDOWS, K., 2009. In Your Facebook, Not in Your Face. ALISS Quarterly, 4(2), 7-10.

YouTube

OK, if there is a Thing as part of the programme so far with which I feel very confortable as a user is YouTube and, judging by the number of YouTube members, I believe I'm not the only one who has been using the leader of online video-sharing on a regular basis since its foundation in 2005.

Having said that and although I had investigated the wide range of Channels available, I was not aware of the existence of YouTube EDU. This is very significant as it reveals the fact that I tend to use YouTube for entertainment purposes only... So I felt it would be most beneficial for me to explore that channel for the accomplishment of this Thing.

I remember the headlines back in 2006 when Google could face the copyright nightmare charges after having bought YouTube and that piece of news highlighted the fact to me that Law is typically one step behing Technology. Althought some may argue that more effective measures could have been applied to pirated material such as discreet video watermarking for example, YouTube and Google have instigated partnership deals with major content providers such as BBC and Sony Music Group, and have also claimed that they act fully within the law, based on general "fair use" standards and the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to ensure that copyright protection works in the digital age. The heated debate continues...

Podcasts

My experience with podcasts had been somewhat limited until I accomplished Thing 11 this week. I had subscribed to some "Lost" podcasts a few years ago using iTunes and I remember I was particularly impressed with the advantages of the new-then technology; however, I was not as enthusiastic with the content I received and cancelled my subscription soon afterwards. I also know that one of the WISER sessions I co-presented was made into a podcast but don't know how that turned out...

I explored all the sites recommended and subscribed to receive RSS feeds from them; not only because I was particularly interested in all the subjects, but mainly because I was committed to experiencing all the different ways of subscribing on offer. Some podcasts created by Oxford University Computer Services are useful and, when I ventured out of the realms of the recommended sites, I found that the podcast "How do I use the Library?" by Oxford Brookes University is also a valuable resource.

Podcasts are basically broadcasts on demand and they are easily available to receive as well as to produce. I have learned the extent to which this form of broadcasting information opens up new opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge, the promotion of organisational services and, last but by no means least, the satisfaction of the public's entertainment needs.

Delicious (Part II)

After having added other Delicious users to my network, I was able to explore their bookmarks and although I was glad to be made aware of some of their recommendations, I felt rather overwhelmed by the sheer number of resources available on their pages. I fully appreciate the importance of adding tags and a few descriptive notes in order to better organise websites and quickly retrive them when necessary.

I also subscribed to RSS feeds from another user and briefly tested the Delicious network explorer. I felt that the service was rather entertaining but I don't think I will use it often if ever again. I can see how the "six degrees of separation" theory can be applied and theoretically you would be able to find new people with similar interestes by following the lines but you are also likely to find people who are there just because they happen to have some kind of connection by no means related to the areas in which you are investigating.

Having said that, the possibility of adding people to your network and of keeping track of their latest bookmarks is a very useful feature indeed. Delicious can easily be used as a marketing tool to promote existing library services (as well as to advertise new ones) simply by recommending webpages that highlight current aspects of library provision, by linking to review pages of the latest book acquisitions or simply by maintaining a proactive web presence. And the latter in particular should never be underestimated.

Delicious (Part I)

This is my Delicious page where some of my bookmarks are displayed. As instructed, I started by creating five websites which I felt to be relevant in the fields of Library and Information Science and Web2.0, and I made sure that the shared tag "ox23" was added to all of them.

There is no doubt that the tagging system is highly beneficial as it allowed me to find some interesting websites bookmarked by other fellow 23 Things participants.

The only inconvenience I encountered was that once you click on a link to a website, it won't open in a new window and you may find yourself being drifted away from your Delicious page. Perhaps there is a way to alter this but I have opened the Settings menu, have read the brief explanations given to each topic and still haven't managed to find a solution.

After having followed the suggestions given to explore Delicious further by adding a couple of websites from members of the public and by sending one of my bookmarks to another user, I was then able to reflect on the benefits of using Social Bookmarking Services in a library environment. Being able to access all your favourite websites from anywhere (as long as you are online, that is!) is a massive advantage but perhaps the biggest one of all is the possibility of sharing them with like-minded people and of discovering the numerous useful websites available out there.

Picnik

After uploading one of my photos from Flickr to Picnik, I simply let my imagination coupled with my creative skills run wild! I tried almost all of the options available under the Edit tab and was not at all concerned with the end product because I felt that, whatever that would be, the end would justify the means. I also tried some of the different effects provided that can be found under the Create tab because they are so much fun. I have to admit that I declined the offer to print my masterpieces at the end as I believe that some things are best left in the electronic format after all.

I had a look at FotoFlexer which claims to be the world’s most advanced online image editor and was particularly impressed with the wrinkle cream that can be found under the Beautify menu as it might come handy in a few years!

Flickr

Yesterday I created a Flickr account and uploaded five photos of New College Library. I was then able to join the Oxford 23 Things group and to add all the photos from my photostream to the Group Pool. Not many photos had been shared within the group at the time but I enjoyed exploring the ones already provided and look forward to the new additions throughout the week.

My two photos of the exterior of the library were grouped in a set and I also added three of them to the map (although I don’t understand why Flickr insists that they were taken in Headington Hill when I actually made sure the map was zoomed in on Holywell Street!).

The Librarian in me was glad to be given the opportunity to learn more about copyright issues as a result of one of the additional tasks proposed. The Creative Commons website provides a snapshot of their aims and objectives, and helped me to select the licence “Attribution-NonCommercial Creative Commons” for one of my photos. I also expected to find more useful information on the Flickr Blog but was rather disappointed...

Finally, I searched for photos from a particular place, added a couple to my “favs” and complimented some members on their fantastic photographic skills. OK, I did have a look at Picasa Web Albums as well but it was such a quick look that I'm not really sure if it counts!

Google Reader

Once I created an account with Google reader, I was able to subscribed to RSS feeds from a mixture of blogs and websites. I found the step-by-step instructions provided on the 23 Things Oxford blog very clear and easy to follow, and had no problems to start receiving updates both from sites where subscriptions to feeds were apparent and from those whose the copying and pasting of the feed's URL was necessary. I have to admit that the biggest challenge I encountered was actually finding the rather inconspicuous RSS links "Posts (Atom)" on the other 23 Things participants' blogs!

Some of the blogs I discoverd using the UK Library Blogs Wiki were very interesting, particularly those under the Chartership Blogs category as I am currently working to become a Chartered Member of CILIP.

Finally I followed the suggestions given to explore additional features; I grouped my subscriptions into two folders, added stars to some feeds and, after having changed the "sharing settings" accordingly, I decided to share an item with friends (I just need to add some friends on here now!).

I recognise the relevance and effectiveness of some of the Google Reader's features when applied to the context of the library and the services they deliver. On a more personal level, however, I will now be able to access information provided by a few LIS (and music) blogs and websites easily with the added advantage of being certain that no new posts nor pieces of news will ever be missed.

Blogger

Although I used to read some of my friends' blogs on a regular basis and I had been told they were easy to create and maintain, I never felt motivated to create one of my own. But I have created one now. I have registered it, I have changed some advanced settings, and I have explored some other blogs and have left comments. Really glad there are some familiar online presences here! :)

iGoogle

I enjoyed creating my iGoogle page and I can see that having your favourite gadgets readily available at a single click of the mouse as well as a splash of bright colours can cheer up your day!

After much consideration, my five choices are:

• YouTube and I promised I would be strong and resist the temptation of watching more than a short video whenever I log on to work;
• iTunes because musical variety is one of the spices of life;
• Daily Literary Quote because I like quotes sometimes;
• Places to See because I'm committed to enjoy the delights our planet has to offer;
• BBC News - UK edition.
  

I have to admit I found some of the gadgets a bit strange such as eyes that follow the cursor around the screen and so on but perhaps I'm missing the point and they are the future of online entertainment after all!

Great Expectations

The 23 Things Programme seems an excellent opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of the wide range of Web 2.0 tools available and also of the extent to which these can be effectively used to increase levels of service provision within libraries.

I know that my second personal objective is a bit ambitious (hence the title of this entry!) but after reading "A Guide to Using Web 2.0 in Libraries" by the Scottish Library and Information Council and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland as recommended, I noticed that words such as "potential" and "could" (instead of "would") were often associated with expressions such as "[enhancement] of library services". I am keen to embrace Web 2.0 tools in a professional environment as well because I am aware of the numerous advantages of the use of Web applications to facilitate information sharing and collaboration; however, I'm also interested to find out whether these benefits have ever been quantified somehow in a research project or something similar.

Anyway, there is only one way for me to find out and that is by experimentation so I thoroughly welcome initiatives like this one where an active and shared learning approach is encouraged, and look forward to accomplishing all the tasks proposed.