Mashups and APIs

For today's exercise we visited Rollyo (http://www.rollyo.com). I found the site cumbersome and rather frustrating to use. I wound up "looping" between the same pages several times before getting oriented to the site (given that I'm quite adept at navigating webpages, this was surprising as well as frustrating). Once I was on the librarianblogs page and searched for "privacy," I had to visit a number of the blogs before finding one that actually discussed privacy as an issue. I would have expected a more useful search engine, one that could rank my results by relevance. Having to sort through page after page by hand was an inefficient use of time.

That said, the privacy-related post I eventually found was an interesting one, discussing the OCLC's position paper on privacy and trust. I found it interesting that they commented on the fact that Web-users are now "building" the Web as they go thanks to the various social networking tools now available.

By contrast, the mashup portion of the assignment was a very interesting and diverting one. I was particularly intrigued by the Healthmap mashup (http://healthmap.org/en), an interactive, up-to-date worldwide public health map. As my institution has recently opened a School of Public Health, this is useful as well as interesting for me. It was actually the only site I retrieved when I searched for "health." Using "library" as a search term retrieved two sites, and nothing came up for "librarian." Makes me think that we health sciences librarians ought to start producing some exciting new mashups!

Podcasting & Online Hosted Video

I think that podcasting is a fantastic educational resource. I've seen it used for lectures or grand rounds, and for tutorials for library users. Making information available on an as-needed basis, removing the strictures of time and place, is very useful for our end-users.

I had always considered YouTube an entertainment resource, and not really considered its educational possibilities before. However, today I found this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_uOKFhoznI. It's a lecture from UCBerkeley, and it's about Library 2.0. It was very interesting (and relevant), and I love that this sort of resource is so freely available. Also, as described in the "scenario" section of Seven Things You Should Know About...YouTube (http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7018.pdf), students can use YouTube to develop class-related videos, either individually (with feedback from others), or wiki-style as a group.

As our incoming students are more and more geared to using social networking tools in general, I think it's very appropriate that we expand our educational "toolbox" and incorporate them into the academic sphere.

Photo Sharing

Today's exercise centered on sharing photos on-line ... both fun and useful. Apart from the obvious utility of being able (for example) to show grandma how gorgeous your kids are -- she'll certainly agree, but want the photos anyway, as proof for her friends -- it can definitely be useful at work as well. For instance, if your library offers podcasts of lectures or presentations, photos of the speakers, or photos related to the topic being discussed, can enhance the experience for the end-user. Students collaborating on a project within a Wiki might want to share photos or graphics relevant to the project. And photos can certainly enhance a blog, whether used for personal or professional purposes. I have added photos to today's blog entry; by looking at them you will no doubt be able to discern one of my favorite places.

Document Sharing

Google Docs and Other Document Sharing Programs: Is this the future of all software products?

I don't believe that this sort of document-sharing platform is appropriate in every instance, at least in cases where confidentiality is an issue. Certain sensitive information (e.g., medical, human resources) will most likely be safer on a single computer or a password-protected shared network drive within an institution.

That said, the convenience of being able to share information and collaborate on documents is very useful -- particularly as more and more of us work from home, collaborate from geographically distant offices, different time zones, etc. The fact that several different document-sharing programs are developing (and evolving in their sophistication) suggests that the tools will be available to fulfill the need in the upcoming years.

So, while I don't think that on-line document sharing will be useful in absolutely every situation, I can see it becoming more and more the norm.

del.icio.us

Today I signed up with de.icio.us and bookmarked several items. This is so fun! How is it possible I've been missing out all this time?

For today, I just bookmarked some sites of personal interest, and enjoyed exploring other peoples' bookmarks. This could definitely be a useful tool for research, allowing scholars to connect, to seek and share ideas and citations in an organic, synergistic way.

Great assignment!

Social Networking & Libraries

It has been interesting exploring and considering social networking sites in a library context. Trying out Facebook was fun, although I was keenly aware of how easily our personal information could become available to others (and, of course, that confidentiality can be an issue for library patrons). I particularly enjoyed the Denver Public Library's eVolver site for teens (http://teens.denverlibrary.org/) and Meredith Farkas' site (http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php).

While Facebook was fun to use and explore, and easy to figure out, I did have a question at one point and was frustrated that I couldn't find any guidance or help menu.

I can easily see how social networking could fit into a library setting on a smaller scale (and more specialized role) than the eVolver site, too. For instance, a high school's social clubs could use this technology for networking, planning events, etc. Additionally, it could support coursework for a class or study group. In the case of my patrons who, by and large, are not on-campus and have few opportunities for in-person networking, it could provide an easy avenue to connect with colleagues throughout the state.

RSS vs. Wiki

What is the difference between a blog and a wiki?

A blog is a site that allows its author/blogger to post comments, observations, etc., with visitors to the site able to post comments in response to a post.

A wiki is space in which any visitor to the site may contribute text, as well as editing each others' contributions.

A blog offers greater editorial oversight (more control), while a wiki is generally more of a free-flowing conversation usually with little or no official moderation (i.e., more chaos -- although hopefully a happy chaos, as the participating community provides a balance of opinions).

What sort of things might be better suited for a blog and better suited for a wiki?

Thinking about this in the context of my work, I could see using both types of forum for my patrons:

I would more likely use a blog to let them know about a new on-line resource, an upcoming event, and so on (this is more about disseminating information than starting a dialogue).

A wiki would be appropriate as well, since many of the preceptors I serve live and work far from one another and may not have many opportunities throughout the year to meet for discussion or collaboration. A wiki would provide a venue for them to share different information, points-of-view and so on.