Session 8

Answer boards and social bookmarking

Interesting - about librarians slamming - it seems to me to be just another general means of advertising the existence and usefulness of reference librarians.

This would work only for certain libraries - I don't think we would benefit from doing it here - in an academic library we have a captive customer base so don't need to prove our usefulness, except by doing our jobs well.

In a public library context however I think it would be good - it would also be useful as a place for librarians to check their skills, and to see how other librarians deal with questions - the exemplary answers section is an excellent way to look at how questions can be dealt with successfully and well. The feedback is also good in that context.

Session 7 - now trying to add single link ...

shelfari

later - failed - but my link on the delicious list works - so halfway there.

Technical blips aside I think this is an excellent and probably highly addictive resource for readers -

In the library - could limit it to, perhaps, particular areas of reading, thinking here of someone keeping up with what is being published/written about WEB 2 applications to libraries for example, or the changing role of libraries generally - again there is a lot of other ways this could be done, this is just one - being able to add friends would allow informal connection with colleagues working/interested in the same area - and could go across to academics, students ... this is a social bookmarking site so is something that might be done by people interested in libraries but not probably within library context?

As a reading addict - I like the way it links the individual reader to a wider, informal reading population. Things I found particularly useful as a reader is the fact that a drop down box brings up different versions of common titles, useful when we don't remember the full or proper title - it offers a link to buying the title which also takes you to all the other reader resources amazon has to offer - the book reviews, including the option to add one of your own - it shows what books people are discussing at the moment, very useful for keeping up to date with what is around and attracting interest - link to friends and other readers.

Session 7 - still - Adding Shelfari

Not sure if this will work - I have opened an account at shelfari - I already have an account with LibraryThing but of course don't have my password with me (and not sure where it is) - is it too internet immigrant to say I remember when you just had to open the front cover or find someone's phone no. ... yes of course it is.

Technorati

I have just tried to locate posts using the tag nswpln2008 and have found the results disappointing. My photo of my desk and the outside of the library, though tagged with nswpln2008, have failed to come up. Perhaps I am doing something wrong. Will try again later.

Otherwise, it looks like an extrememly useful tool, firstly in terms of the organization and accessing of relevant blogs, and also as a means of having a finger on the pulse of current opinion.

Session 7 - Technorati

Session 7

ILDesk - now I've got it - there are a number of issues that people working on the ILDesk share - eg. the fines system and how it does/doesn't work, dealing with difficult customers, communication difficulties when the team is large and works in other areas as well, the need to debrief when coming off a particularly heavy shift - and there are others - having a place where sites to do with customer issues library-specific and general, circulation process and procedures in other libraries (best practice), library blogs etc dealing with Loans Desk Issues, ergonomic furniture, safety practices etc were kept altogether could be a good way to inform and share Loans issues based information, and to encourage thinking about who we are and what we do.

Session 7

Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about using this tool in libraries. Can you see the potential of this tool for research assistance? Or just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?


My understanding of Delicious is that it is a means of storing, categorizing and sharing selected websites. It can be used for personal or professional reasons. It is created from the ground up, meaning anyone can do it, rather than requiring special tools/formulaes - folksonomy. The sharing is multi-level - I can share my bookmarks with someone else, and they can share theirs with mine, extra people added also share the bookmarks of everyone I have added to my network, with the option to not share particular sites so privacy is protected.

There is much potential for research assistance in this. The main thing to think through would be whether this was the best tool to use, whether a wikki might be better for example. Also - how it would be delivered/accessed, and what, if any, sort of controls might be needed, or not.

Some uses might be: where students are doing particularly big/difficult/complex projects then staff can share with each other and with students the best/most up-to-date sites they find at the time it is most needed. It would be like having a group of librarians helping each student simultaneously - and if academics were able to input as well through the networking capabilities then students would have a very strong support to go to.

Subject guides - ? - thinking here of grouping search guides and help pages for searching strategies for different systems, as a means of accessing other libraries help pages - so if people are having difficulty they could go quickly to other sets of instructions?

ILDesk - I'm sure there is something there but its late and I can't think.