Week 13 Post

Find a library offering mobile services and describe and assess their offerings. What could they do to improve services?

The Gonzaga University Library in Spokane, Washington has a few different ways to ask questions to a librarian. One can text, call, instant message, or go into the library to ask a question. 

The text a librarian service is only available during times when the library is open. These hours are as follows: Monday-Thursday 8 am - 2 am
Friday 8 am - 9 pm
Saturday 10 am - 6 pm
Sunday 10 am - 2 am

When I tested this service, the answer came within minutes so someone must be monitoring the incoming text messages closely.

If one has a smart phone, they could use their phone to instant message the librarian. This could be used for more in depth questions than would be used with a text message. This uses JavaScript so some devices may not be able to use it. 

Emails will be answered within 24 hours as advertised on the website. 

If I were going to suggest some changes, I would suggest that the library place more explanations of the services on their site. There is one to two sentences describing the services. If someone was new to the school, they may not know which resource would be the best to use. 

Exercise 5- www.kidblog.org

This is the link to the http://screencast.com/t/v74LDYaC57

Here is the video:

Week 12 Post

What types of services could libraries offer with user-generated content? The advantages and disadvantages?

In a school library, there could be a student created book review blog. I am doing this with my students in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. They are using www.kidblog.org/madisonlibrary and are creating a blog for the school. This is a site specifically created for teachers to use in schools. I, as the librarian, have to approve all posts before they are added to the blog. This allows me to be able to grade them, but also monitor the appropriateness of the posts. This is a great way for the children to recommend materials to each other and find books they would like to read. The recommendations mean more to them from their peers than from me or their teachers. The advantage of this is some children are reading more because they enjoy blogging. A disadvantage has been the work to monitor the site. If there were multiple schools I was doing with this it could be problematic. 

In public libraries, patrons could add reviews right to the catalog. This would give people the opportunity to express their opinions and would give the librarians a good idea as to what people like to read. The disadvantages to this could be with challenges. People could add things to the reviews that are offensive to some people or hurtful. This would be a disadvantage to any user generated content. The lack of control can create a high risk environment. Policy would need to be clear on what to do in said situation. 

Week 11 Blog Post

 For your blog posting, find a youtube video, training video at a library site, or one from the example list and do a critique.  Was the video well done? What could be done to make it better?

This is a video posted on the Spokane Library website. The video is accessed at http://www.spokanelibrary.org/index.php?page=eaudiobooks. OneClick Digital is the software the Spokane Library uses to give patrons access to e-audio books. In order to use these books, the patron must sign up with One Click Digital. This video takes the user step by step on how to set up and account and log in. This is a very helpful video for those who are not technically inclined. There are separate videos for each of the steps in downloading books which is helpful because there is not too much information to gather in one sitting.  I like how this video shows the screen as the patron will see it. It is a screen sharing video which makes the transition to performing the task easy. The person in the video speaks clearly and slowly. This makes the video easy to follow. He talks about the differences between Mac and PC which could get confusing for those not used to computers. There are many elderly people who use the Spokane Library. This is a great way to help them have access to all information.

To make this better, the Spokane Library may want to tailor it to their patrons. They may want to consider creating one similar but with the interface of Spokane Library. This would make the video even more clear for the people watching it.

Week 10 Blog Post

Identify a library using Flickr or Pinterest.  Provide a link and an overview on how they are using this software.  How could it be improved? What other things should they consider? Should they be a model for other libraries?  What are the top considerations libraries should have before using Pinterest or Flickr?

Spokane County Library District has a Pinterest account. They have many different pinboards and are utilizing the software well on the whole. What I find interesting is they do not advertise this so it is not known to the public that they have one. There are ten branches in the system and yet they only have 75 followers. Because of this, it not a resource that is being utilized very well. I would suggest that the library advertise this. They should place the link on their site and show people why it would be beneficial to follow the library on Pinterest. SCLD could look at other library accounts to better organize their pin boards and create a welcoming place. One board that is wonderful and useful is Book Crafts. There are different projects that can be done with children of all ages. 

Libraries need to consider their population before creating one of these accounts. Some communities do not use Pinterest or Flickr. The library is to cater to its community. It is also important that a library does not have more accounts than it can maintain. If there are accounts, but people are not maintaining them, the library could appear to have poor resources for the community. 

http://pinterest.com/spcolibrarydist/

Week 9 Blog Post

What are some of the challenges in starting an online community?

Starting an online community is a wonderful idea, but there are some challenges in place. There needs to be a central goal between all the community members. If some want to focus on one topic and others another then the cohesion of the community is compromised. When the community has and maintains a similar goal, there is potential to grow. 

Something that is important but possibly challenging is creating a community where members not only pay attention to the happenings on the site, but also contribute. If only a few people are contributing to the online community, there is not much of a community to build. The purpose of these is to create a place where people feel heard. There needs to be participation from different people with insights and thought about different things. Wikis in public libraries can be very useful to get information to and from many different branches. This is not how it works many time though. From my experience, the administrators or other designated people edit the wiki and the rest of the staff simply read it. This defeats the purpose of an online community. 

Starting something is always difficult because people resist change. Many may say that it does not make sense to have an online community when there is a personal community already established. Getting people to "buy in" to the process could be challenging. Once they are in, the community could easily thrive. 

Week 8 Blog

What do you see as the best applications of twitter in libraries and why?

Twitter is a powerful tool in academic and public libraries. School libraries may find this useful at the secondary levels as well but for elementary, there are better alternatives.

In an academic library, the students could easily find out what resources are available in the library. There are many different uses for the library in an academic setting and often many meetings are held there. This would be an easy way for the campus to keep news of the library current. Many college students are tweeting in their everyday lives. They are spreading news like wildfire and following the news of many different organizations. Twitter has taken this generation by storm and what better way to reach them than in a medium they already use.

In public libraries this tool is useful for its wide spread ability. Many programs can be spoken about and people can be tagged in the tweets. The library could advertise events that promote literacy but are not in the library as well. The community could be reached easier and many more people could see the library as important.

Twitter is quick, simple and ever changing. The library strives to change with the times and this is one way to do this. I think one of the best ways to reach people when they move so quickly is though their social networks. Twitter gives the ability to send messages without many navigational steps. Libraries need to utilize this depending on the community they are in.

Marketing Critique- Spokane County Library District

www.scld.org

The Spokane County Library District

 The Spokane County Library District uses a few different resources to improve its online presence. The district has spent time trying to understand which social networking sites are more useful than others as well as which applications it should be offering. The district now has a Twitter, and Facebook account. It also encourages Goodreads and Library Thing to its patrons. There are a few mobile applications The Spokane County Library District offers to its patrons as well for ease of access.

Marketing through online forums is very important in today's society because people are connected at all times to their online networks. The Spokane County Library District (SCLD) utilizes Facebook and Twitter to market the programs and events going on in the library. Links to these accounts can be found on www.scld.org. Currently, there are 1,348 likes on Facebook for SCLD and 172 followers on Twitter. This shows the library how many of its customers are paying attention to library news.

The Facebook page for SCLD is relatively simple to navigate. News is posted often about new services and materials. There are photographs of the staff interacting with the public as well as of the various programs. Because SCLD is comprised of 10 branches, there are pictures from each branch giving a sense of community to the greater Spokane area. One marketing technique that is useful on Facebook is the events tab. The library can place all the events and programs in one place. This saves the patron from needing to look many places to find when they want to be at the library. In the events tab, the branch location of the program as well as the subject and time are listed. This is a smart way to market programs because of the ease in which it can be used.

Twitter is the other main place SCLD uses to spread information about itself to patrons. The library district uses this site for news. Events are tweeted about on the day they are happening so patrons know what is going on at any moment. Most of the tweets are one to two sentences in length. This is a smart marketing technique because many people do not have time to be reading a paragraph for all the organizations they follow on Twitter. The district utilizes the features of Twitter to infiltrate the fast paced nature of our society.

While Facebook focuses more on what the library is doing and the materials in it, Twitter focuses on events such as interviews with authors and community forums. Two different audiences are targeted with these two sites which is smart in some respects, but a downfall in others. As time goes on, more and more teens are tweeting. Twitter may have more followers if the content was focused to the groups who use the site more. If the library tweeted on teen programs as well as adult ones, the teen group may follow more closely. This would widen the online reach the library has.

The library district encourages patrons to be part of Goodreads and Library Thing, but its presence on the sites are limited. If hired as the social media consultant, I would encourage the district to place links in their catalog to Goodreads and Library Thing. This would give the parton the option of saving the title for a later time on these sites. This would link the patron to the list of books they want to read at any time. There are many times when people cannot remember which books in the series they have read. This would help because a link to their book lists would be accessed from the library catalog.

Beyond social networking sites, The Spokane County Library District uses five mobile applications to create easy access for their patrons. This amplifies the online presence of the library because people are on their mobile applications often. These applications do not help the library in marketing directly, but they create an environment where the patron feels their needs are met, which indirectly markets the library.

The brand created by The Spokane County Library District is consistent, clear and simple. It is just starting to expand to become a big presence in the community. Because the brand is still small and expanding, there are room for improvements. I would suggest that the library start a blog to market new materials. This would give patrons a place to easily see new materials as well as reviews of classics. They could comment and feel part of the blogging community created. This could boost the use of the library by showcasing the ever growing and changing collection. This would be a more personal way to reach out to the public, but I believe it would be well received.

Overall, The Spokane County Library District has worked its way into the online world. Each day it is expanding and attempting to give patrons a new way to connect with their library. The library is a place for knowledge and sharing. Most of this sharing happens on the web these days. The Spokane County Library District is well on its way to making a difference with the community because its online presence is all based on sharing current knowledge and learning more.

Week 7 Blog

Describe the impact you think organizational culture has on knowledge-sharing.

Organizational culture has a huge impact on knowledge sharing within the organization as well as sharing with the outside world. When the culture is welcoming and open, employees will have a better understanding about why things are done in an organization. They will also feel like they are part of something larger. Employees will feel as though their voice is heard and their opinions matter in a culture that is welcoming. Because of this, the organization has more potential to grow as a productive company. The staff will be happier and more inclined to want to come to work in a positive environment. 

When the internal culture is negative, employees have a hard time expressing their opinions and concerns because they either are afraid to or they feel as though it will not matter. People may treat each other poorly and there may be a low sense of community among the staff.

If the culture is positive with the outside world, knowledge sharing is easy. Customers will feel informed and therefore willing to share more with the organization. When people trust an organization, they are willing to promote its services. When they love the atmosphere somewhere, they recommend the establishment which generates more business. Having a positive culture always benefits the organization. 

Week 6 Discussion

What 2.0 tools do you think are most effective in marketing lbirary services? Why?

I think that there are a few different tools that are useful for libraries to market themselves depending on the community they are in. By taking a poll of what the community uses, the library can get the attention of members of its community in the best possible way. Some communities might use Facebook more than any other web 2.0 tool. The library should then post programs, reviews, links, pictures and videos to this tool. They will be able to promote themselves to their target audience. If the community blogs, having a blog filled with interesting things for patrons to read, learn and explore would make the library and integral part of the society. 

Twitter is very good for communities where people move though life quickly. There are quick tidbits of information on a feed constantly changing. In a community where the people are continuously on the go, they may only want small bits of information at any given time. This would be a great way for a library to keep themselves in the front of a person's mind. 

Each community is different, therefore one tool will not be the best for all libraries. 

Blog Post week 5

Do you have an account on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google +? Describe your experience and your reason for choosing the one you are discussing.  Do you use it for personal or professional or both?  Do you think librarians should have an account on any of these for professional reasons? Do you think libraries should have a presence on these? Why or why not?

I have a Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ accounts and I use them all differently. I use LinkedIn for professional growth in both the educational and library worlds I use Facebook for personal social networks and I keep in touch with personal family and friends this way. I rarely use Google+, but use Google docs and other features for school. Each one has a distinct purpose in my life and I would not use one for all three purposes even if I could. I do not believe professional and personal networking should be mixed. Often times people have some people in their lives that make the inappropriate jokes or the person that is in everyone else's business. Personally, people can deal with that person but if it interfered with the professional world, employers could look at this with a less understanding eye. 

I think that librarians should be in social media because they need to understand the world their patrons are in. If the librarian does not understand LinkedIn, how are they to help patrons understand how to use it and why it is important in today's society. The librarian is supposed to be the facilitator of information and therefore they need to be in the know. Librarians need to not slander the library on their social networking sites and need to be responsible on the internet just as everyone else should be. 

Exercise 2- Blogs

3. Write a blog post that discusses all of the following:

1. What do you see as the differences between the five blogs I asked you to subscribe to in terms of the type of blog and type of post (genre, length, etc.).

It seems as though all five of the blogs are different and thus valuable in their own ways. David Lee King  is very much concentrated on technology and how to utilize the newest technology in libraries. The latest  entry is on e-books. This is very important to talk about because it is a major format of library materials and is growing daily. Librarian by Day is formatted more like a newspaper which makes it easy to look at different pieces, but the reader must click on the piece to read the full article. These are about many aspects of libraries. The Distant Librarian is filled with library news not particularly centered around one type of library while The Librarians Commute is more geared to academic libraries. These two are very different in their content. In the Library with a Lead Pipe seems to relate personal experiences to libraries looking at it from a different aspect. It is full of information but more in an opinion based way. Some have very long entries and some are filled with links with less text. The differences make them interesting. 

2. What types of posts do you find most appealing to read and why?

I like a post to grab my attention with a catching title and maybe a picture. If I am captured from the beginning, I will more likely read the entire post and take something from it. I liked David's blog because I am interesting in technology and the new wave thoughts. I think posts that include some personal voice are easier to read because it is not so dry. Blogs are more personal than academic papers by far and should be written as such. When the writer pays attention to the audience, the voice is obvious. 

3. What three library blogs did you subscribe to? Please include a 1-3 sentence description of each one.

As asked for this assignment I also subscribed to three other blogs. Those were School Library Monthly  Gizmodo, and 3000 Books. I also had a previous subscription to School Library Journal. I am a school librarian so these will be helpful in my everyday life.

School Library Monthly- This is all about school libraries. The schools are moving to a common core curriculum across the nation and this explains how the library is part of that. It has an academic feel but also has project ideas to do with children,

Gizmodo- This is a technology blog. It is not based in libraries but can be very useful for librarians to stay current with the latest gadgets and their uses. I like to know what the kids are exposed to daily so I can utilize the capabilities in the library.

3000 Books- This is full of book reviews, summaries, and information about new and interesting books out there. It will be useful for book selection or suggestions. 

4. Based on the blogs you chose, what are some of the characteristics that you think make a library blog successful?

When a blog is giving new information to people an not just perpetuating old information it can be useful. I also love blogs that give ideas of things to implement into my library. One mind will never be better than many minds together. Library blogs give us a chance as a community of librarians to share knowledge. When blogs so this they seem to be successful. 

Blog Post week 4

1. What are some of the things libraries should consider before starting a blog?

Before starting a blog, a library should research and read many different blogs to see what is already out there in the library world. They should then think about what kinds of things they want to include in the blog and if a blog is the best forum for those purposes. Sometimes a Facebook page or Twitter feed might be a better option for a library if they just want to give quick segments of information about their programs and services. Blogs would be a good idea if a library wanted to expand on information on a much deeper level. The world today is very instant and it may be more useful for a library to utilize Twitter today because there are millions of people receiving every comment at all times. People tweet from their mobile devices but a blog takes much more time to read, view and process. 

Libraries should consider how they will advertise their blog and who they want to be reading it. Audience and the age of audience is very important when writing a blog. There are some sites allowed in schools so a school librarian would want to research which sites will not be blocked through the school filters. A public library may want to have a teen blog, a children's blog and an adult blog depending on the events and information. 

Blog Post Week 3

1. What are your thoughts on personal branding as someone who may soon be looking for a professional position in libraries?

I believe that personal branding is an important part of gaining employment in libraries these days. The library environment is focused very much on technology and more libraries are utilizing social media and branding to create and keep business current. LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media websites where professionals network. There are many people who have been hired from LinkedIn and it is a way for librarians to collaborate, network and expand their circle of influence. 

I am taking the class offered by the University about marketing myself in a networked world and am learning so much about the different nuances of networking professionally. It is a very different form of social networking than personally networking. Because of the society we live in, creating a personal brand will help me stand out from the other qualified applicants. 

2. How effective do you think most libraries are in building a strong, consistent brand online and why?

I do not believe that most libraries are strong in their online brand at the moment. Many are starting to expand slowly with adding Facebook and Twitter accounts to advertise their programs and materials. Some are stronger than others by creating applications and networks to communicate with their patrons. Libraries on the whole need to expand their presence because many people still view the library as a place solely for books. Libraries nationwide are losing funding. If they were an integral part of each city by letting the cities know what they have to offer, libraries may be funded better. 

3. What should librarians be doing to manage their library's brand?

Librarians need to take the initiative to bring their library to the next level. Libraries need to find a way to infiltrate their news, programs, and materials into everyday society so people do not forget their presence. Some libraries are well known by the people and the surrounding cities because they have created an environment where they are needed. University libraries can become much more than a place to study. They are becoming cyber cafe's, places for people to create and find information. 

Librarians need to reach people where they are. Libraries who have mobile applications are creating a very accessible way to their collection. A librarian should be researching the newest changes in the social media world and continually tweaking the brand to flow with the changes. 

4. What sorts of rules would you include in a library staff social media policy?

I would include that staff of the library need to keep personal comments about the library off of social media sites. There should not be complaints about customers or their day at work on the social media sites. comments on what customers check out should not be on social media sites as well. The library needs to maintain its brand and create a safe environment for their staff and patrons. The staff should be promoting the programs the library has as well as new books and celebrating the wonderful things that go on in the library. 

5. What should an organization do when they find negative things being written about them online?

An organization needs to be proactive in combating negative press and have a policy in place to how they will react to the negative things stated about them. If it is an employee, the person should lose their job and no longer be part of the organization. If it is not an employee, the organization cannot stop the freedom of speech, but can consider some of the things that are being complained about. 

Exercise 1- Anthropologie Apparel

Exercise #1

The purpose of this assignment is to give you experience using social media monitoring tools and looking at an organization's overall use of social media. Choose a for-profit company that you're at least somewhat familiar with. It could be a clothing company, car company, software company, food manufacturer, etc.  Due Sunday September 16

Use some of the tools we discussed this week (or any you discover) to find out the following:

Organization: Anthropologie

1. What are people saying about this organization online? What tools are they using to talk about the organization?

The reviews are generally positive about Anthropologie as an organization. There is a place for reviews on their website next to each product and customers are satisfied with the clothes as well as the shipping and quality. If one wanted to know about the quality of these items, there are many blogs of happy customers. Anthropologie is an expensive clothing store, so it is important to customers that they are getting quality clothes. People are using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and blogs to communicate with the organization. This is helpful because as the organization responds, more business is being generated. 

2. Is the organization responding to these people through social media? If so, how effective do you think they are?

Anthropologie is responding on some of its social networking sites. On others, they are simply adding more material each day. There are new outfits and new products coming out all the time. There is a visible response in how the product design follows what people are liking on the social networking sites as well as what they are buying online. I am not sure this is the most effective organization at communicating with their clients because the responses are not directly to the customer but to the masses. This can make the customer feel unimportant. 

3. What social media tools is the organization using to proactively communicate with their user base (rather than just responding)? How effective do you think they are in building relationships and engaging their customers online?

Anthropologie is using many of the popular social media sites to communicate with their users. They have a tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest pages. They showcase their latest products and advertise different looks. On YouTube, Anthropologie interviews their artists and designers. They give the customers a look into the different aspects of design. This gives their company a feeling of being open. Because there are not Anthropologie stores in many cities, they need to market their product online. There are many sales online and coupons are advertised through their social network sites. The customer can click on a photograph of an outfit and a page with all the pieces will come up. This gives the customer one place to create the look from. 

It seems as though Anthropologie is good at creating relationships with their customers through the social media sites. There are many followers and comments on the sites that show customers are excited about new products and ideas. 

Resources:
Product Reviews: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/shopsale-freshcuts/24724130.jsp#BVRRWidgetID

Anthropologie Blog: http://effortlessanthropologie.blogspot.com/

Anthropologie.com http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp

Tumblr http://anthropologie.tumblr.com/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/anthropologie/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Anthropologie

You, Me and Anthropologie: http://youmeandanthropologie.blogspot.com/

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAAHVNyprh0&list=PL5949E126C78077F1&index=2&feature=plcp

Week 2

  a. What are the top 3 2.0 issues affecting libraries? Why?

  b.  Describe an article you read and if you agree or disagree with the author and why.

  c.  Do you think it is important for libraries to be using 2.0 tools? Why or why not?

  d.  How has social software had an impact on your life and work?

a. One of the most important issues to consider when thinking about libraries in the time of web 2.0 is who is creating and keeping information. The library used to be where information was stored and accessed. The people creating the information were published authors. Now, anyone can be the creator of information. Blogs, wiki's and many other sites give people the opportunity to express themselves. This can be an issue for the libraries because they no longer have control of what information people have access to. 

The role of the librarian has changed drastically in the last decade or so. The librarian used to be the all knowing keeper of the books. Now, they are facilitators. The librarian in with world of web 2.0 needs to be aware of information available on the web and be able to navigate it. The problem with this is the web is constantly changing and sometimes something that is not credible looks like it is. The librarian needs to be able to help people discern which sources are credible. 

E-books have affected libraries greatly. There are many ways to access these books and libraries have had to become one of those sources. The challenge is in who owns these ebooks, what company to use in accessing them, and copyright laws. People are now downloading books like they do music. They are sharing on websites and the library is not a primary source. They need to utilize web 2.0 to advertise their services. This could make the library the center of information again. 

b.   I read the article Librarian:2.0 It's all in the Attitude! by Helen Partridge. It is an interesting article about what it takes to become a librarian in today's society. The 81 participants were pulled from various libraries in Australia and formed focus groups to gather information. In the 14 meetings, the focus groups were asked many open ended questions about the current and anticipated skills librarians need today.

The researchers listened to the audio of the focus group sessions and tried to pick out common themes through the discussions. The researchers discovered that librarians at all levels need to be interested and engaged in life long learning. A librarian's learning never ends if they want to stay current with information. Being able to research efficiently and effectively was seen as a necessary skill. Communication and collaboration were found to be very important to librarians because it is the way to spread ideas and grow. Focusing on the user and being business savvy are also traits the focus groups saw were in good librarians. 

I do agree with Partridge on these points. All of these things are essential to being a librarian in today's society. I do not think this list is exhaustive by any means but it is a good jumping off point for anyone considering the profession. 

c. I do think it is important for libraries to be using web 2.0 tools. People of today's society are immersed in web 2.0. People of all ages are starting Facebook accounts, blogging, and using Twitter on a daily basis. More and more people are using smart phones for their daily tasks. Libraries that create an application or make their sites easily accessed through a mobile device will reach more of the population. In order to stay vital in the community, the library needs to stay up to date with the latest information technology out there. 

d. My life has been altered by social media because it is everywhere. I am going to school online, I can keep in touch with my family across the country and I can easily look for jobs around the world. I have made connections with people I never thought I would see again because of social media. My work has changed as well. I have created a blog for my students to use and they are creating websites to show their research. I am able to create wiki's with colleges and collaborate with more people on a daily basis.