Report: Part B

Evaluative Report Part B

My development as a social networker

Studying INF506 has exposed me to a large number of social networking applications. The most prominent include resource sharing/bookmarking applications such as Delicious and Diigo, and maintaining a personal learning blog over the length of the course. However I also found the literature on second life very interesting. The potential of these virtual worlds for simulated training will only increase as the technology improves the accessibility usability and realism of these virtual worlds. I am also more cognoscente of the importance of establishing RSS feeds for organizing the flow of information to my home page from useful resources such as blogs and catalogues. For me this touches on the important issue of having the ability to personalize my home page for the purpose of aggregating resources and my most used applications into one convenient and accessible digital space. I remain skeptical of Facebook as a useful learning tool outside of its existing use for marketing and outreach. As important as marketing and outreach are they are not the main game in my view.

For libraries and information professional’s the power of the new technologies reside in its ability to connect documents and people together in new and dynamic ways. Libraries are now leveraging the strengths of social networking technologies to do this. During the course of INF 506 I have become familiar with a number of initiatives that have great promise. Many academic libraries are now introducing dynamic and immersive teaching tools and improved OPAC usability. Pod cats, screen cast and video casting are now commonly used to teach information literacy skills to new users such as undergraduates. Libraries are also now in the process of incorporating a range of digital tools like social tagging/bookmarking and RSS applications into their catalogues to improve their effectiveness in linking resources to communities of users. The potential of direct user publishing and tagging of documents for digital collections is only starting to be realized and utilized by libraries and the learning communities they serve. However the digital repositories and the digital commons have a far way to go before they challenge the existing publishing regime with all its associated legal restrictions and expenses.

In conclusion I think that information professionals do have to be careful in their selection of technologies and digital tools. The fads need to be separated from the resources that will bring value. How will new tools develop existing resources and capacities? Will the costs associated with developing and implementing new tools and the hardware that supports them come at the expense of existing stacks and print collections? Many libraries are now disposing of their print collections and or removing shelf space for other purposes and programs. Stacks and print collections do have real immeasurable value. To my mind the levels of utilization are not predicator of ultimate cultural and intellectual value of a given document. The real value will be to develop tools for bringing these underutilized items and cultural artifacts to the attention of a new generation of digital users.

Report: Part A

Evaluative Report Part A

Whole undertaking INF506 I have constructed and maintained an online learning journal utilized a Blog, completed a Facebook case study at the Sydney University libraries and used delicious to join an online learning community while constructing a small personal library of tagged bookmarks. In the following Report I will closely examine my learning experiences with each of these social media.

Delicious and Diigo

I found both delicious and Diigo to be engaging applications that have great potential to support my learning activities in a networked information environment. I set up accounts for both. I found Diigo to be the most enjoyable to use of the two. I was able to download a useful and convenient tool-bar for bookmarking, archiving and sharing material directly from the web. It also has a number of engaging screen casts for delivering online tutorials for novice users like me. However Delicious is by far the larger of the two social bookmarking applications. The learning communities and online libraries of tagged material they have created that are also on Delicious.

Both applications facilitate the arrangement of material drawn from the web into personal and community libraries with their own specific folksonomys or tagging practices. To my mind this seems to be a most convenient and efficient method of organizing a modest collection of resources from the web into searchable library of resources for small online learning communities. I think formal taxonomies are better suited to the larger institutional and social context. I constructed a small library and played around with the tagging resources in both applications. The tagging suggestions given were useful. These facilitated some uniformity and discipline in individual tagging practices.

Libraries have started to investigate the potential for integrating client tagging of documents into their catalogues in order to allow learning communities to construct their own resource sharing modalities, vocabularies and cultures. In this way information agencies can experiment with hybrid catalogues which support both formal taxonomies and user/community generated folksonomies.

Facebook

Facebook like many other social media sites, now attract some of the highest number of users on the web including yours truly. I have had an account for a number of years now and regularly use it to network with friends. However I rarely use it for professional purposes. So like many others in the information profession I was skeptical of its usefulness as an online learning tool. Out of interest I undertook a case study into Facebook at the University of Sydney libraries for INF506. I also joined the INF506 Facebook group.

The INF506 Facebook group certainly proved to be a very useful tool for keeping me informed of course related news and events. Even if I was on Facebook for other purposes, I was able to keep abreast of course developments without having to open another window and log into the CSU website and subject portal. The informal social nature of the site also seems to facilitate a relatively relaxed and open avenue of communication between the more active group members. I certainly saw the potential of this to reduce barriers to information sharing and by implication aid group learning. However it was the course news/events that where regularly posted on the wall that I followed reasonably regularly on the groups Facebook page.

The utilization of Facebook as a tool for institutional outreach has certainly been recognized by information professionals and academic libraries alike. Go to where the clients are and actively take advantage of an existing cost effective marketing platform for your institutions services. The university of Sydney libraries have set a page for this very purpose. The page has performed to expectations and the goals expected of it even if these expectations and goals were not very high. With respect to applications that support socially networked learning communities I have found that Wikis or social Book marking applications have a greater potential for bringing people and documents together in dynamic and interesting ways.

Blogger

During the course of undertaking INF506 I maintained an online learning journal using a personal blog. The advantage of the Blogger application is it is both freely available and easy to use and can be learnt in a relatively brief period of time. This application presented me with few barriers for publishing content on the web. Documents could easily be checked and edited or multimedia elements added where appropriate into Blog posts. The blog also supports Tagging folksonomies so visitors to the blog can search for posts via relevant tags. However the success of Blogs like any other publishing enterprise depends on attracting and retaining readers which will depend on the quality of the content and also effective syndication. Needless to say I did not succeed in attracting any readers.

Libraries and librarians now frequently use Blogs to communicate with the general public on a range of topics and issues. The former commonly use blogs to market news, events or collections to the broader public. However setting up effective syndication is very important for getting and retaining an audience of readers. Allowing users to easily set up RSS feeds have become both very popular and common as a result. Librarians on the other hand frequently use blogs to network within the broader community of information professionals. Reading the blogs of knowledgeable information professionals remains a great learning tool for those just entering the information profession as well as source of useful links and professional information.

Article 2: Public Libraries and the internet. OLJ task

Article 2

Bertot, J. C., Jaeger, P. T., McClure, C. R., Wright, C. B., & Jensen, E. (2009). Public libraries and the Internet 2008-2009: Issues, implications, and challenges. First Monday, 14(11). Available http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2700/2351

The analysis of survey data from the Public Libraries and the Internet national survey reveal that public libraries in the united states continue to provide a vital public service to clients by providing free Internet access services points and the associated support and training. These services are very important for clients in low income or rural areas who may depend on these services for accessing government sites or applying for employment etc. However given the dramatic growth in both the social web and web based services/technology in general libraries are due to stagnant funding facing a battle to keep up with the increasing costs and time required to invest in new infrastructure and training necessary to support their clients. There ability to continue to promote access and reduce already significant digital divides is slowly diminishing.

The effects of these trends have been exacerbated by the current ongoing economic crisis which has transformed a private debt crisis into a public debt crisis which is now effecting state and local government budgets. Libraries are now facing even tighter restrictions at time when client needs for these services have grown dramatically. The funding situation of public libraries seems unlikely to be reversed in future given the existing budgetary crisis in many states.

Cyber Crime 2.0 OLJ task

Article One

James, M. L. Cyber crime 2.0 versus the Twittering classes. Parliament of Australia, Department of Parliamentary Services, Parliamentary Library Information, analysis and advice for the Parliament. Science, Technology, Environment and Resources Section, 24 February 2010 (2009-10). Retrieved from http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/bn/sci/Cybercrime.pdf


The report outlines some of the present threats that all users of the Internet face from cyber crime and the current attempts by government to develop effective organizational and policy responses to the problems that cyber crime poses to national security, the digital economy and the broader public. Social networking applications are identified as being at particular risk of attacks from malicious sources due to their popularity, dependence on openness and trust and modifiable software through widget applications etc. The paper specifically mentioned instant messaging applications as being specifically vulnerable while the networked nature of social networking sites ensured rapid infiltration of malicious software. From the perspective of privacy and personal data the opportunities for criminals are significant given the large amount of personal information that users regularly volunteer into social networking sites.

The limitations of the exiting self regulatory environment are discussed. Both Government and ISPs have been playing catch up with developments in cyber crime and always will do to some degree. However given the nature of the threat governments are being forced to act in a more systematic manner. The paper discusses recent government attempts to develop a relatively centralized and coordinated approach to tackling the problem. Importantly programs for educating and informing the public are seen as a significant pillar in improving cyber security. In many respects the broader public represents the weakest link in the nations security chain as it is the least protected from cyber crime. The paper mentions the disturbing fact that 50% of Australian do not have up to date anti virus software. The paper argues that cyber threats need to be treated in much the same way as public health threats.

Reasons for social media

The following two Libraries utilize a number of social networking tools

Like many other libraries the Sydney University Library uses Facebook, Youtube, and RSS feeds, to engage with key stake holders.

Specifically I was impressed with the quality of the media used to deliver information literacy instruction to what would be the undergraduate student body. A mix of Pod casts and Screen casts are used to deliver interactive content to the learner. Most employ graphically interactively and dynamic interfaces that minimizes the use of static blocks of text. I found them engaging and even fun to use. I was able to find an interesting lesson without having to scroll through long navigation menus or scan large chunks of text.

The Sydney university libraries also maintains a e-scholarship portal or digital repository for scholars to publish both finished papers or make available research data to the broader scholarly community. The university is currently undertaking a project to improving the accessibility/searchibility of the latter. Although repositories may lack the glammar of other social media they do allow the library to become a publisher of the institutions output (Much of it publicly funded) at a fraction of the costs usually associated with conventional commercial publishing. The problem has been the modest to slow take up. It seems that repositories do need to be aggressively marketed. Unfortunately the resources to do this may be lacking.

The State Library of NSW makes extensive use of a number of the more common social media applications such as YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr to deliver a range of content and news items to the general public.

Being both accessible and present will be important for this large public institution. Social media will allow the library to improve both relatively cheaply. These media will also allow the library to actively syndicate a large amount of what I would call public interest material.

The usability of the catalogue has also been improved through the us of folksonomy through tagging (If a tag is used more than ten times it is included in the record), keyword assistance search suggestions, and user enabled reviews and comments.

The benefits of social media

I have briefly outlined some of the users that are made of social media tools. The lessons of gaming, social media and virtual environments can be used to construct valuable and engaging learning tools around interactive pod/screen casts as the Sydney university library demonstrates. Or they can be utilised to build a catalogue that both guides users during the search process and incorporates relevant user content.

The Web 2.0 information Professional:OLJ task

What essential knowledge and skills will the information professional of the 21st century require in the web 2.0 world?

I believe the Information professional will need to:

• Develop an understand of the how and why people seek information and engage in learning in the digital world. What platforms and technologies do patrons use to overcome specific problems. How are they connecting with information and people in the existing digital networks? One particular library went to the lengths employing an anthropologists to do research studies into patron social/learning behavior. However using and testing the technology will allow us to do allot of this sort of intelligence gathering at far lower dollar cost. If we gain an understanding of the digital social and information ecology that surrounds us we will be well placed to build a place for ourselves within this ecology.
• The information professional will therefore have to have a good working knowledge of the Web 2.0 technologies out their that the patrons are now using. Many librarians now manage Blogs, Wikis, web sites and OPAC's and build a diverse range of audiovisual digital content to fill these platforms. Many will also incorporate content into a variety of remote reference services platform and channels. Active content building will be important. Librarians will have to become builders rather than just gatekeepers of content.
• This will require a degree of cultural change. New ways of producing and distribution information and knowledge present new challenges. Existing institutions are now being challenged by the Googles and Wikipedias of the digital world. Information is no longer as bound nor is its production as centralized as it once was. These will present a range of new financial, technological, organizational and legal challenges for all information professionals and the institutions they work for. As Alvin Toffler prophesied some time ago we are entering a world of rapid change requiring continuous adaptation and learning.
  
• Most importantly though the information professional will have to continue to do what they have always done and bring information and people together. In this sense the web and web 2.0 represents and opportunity rather than a threat. The ability to dynamically link people and documents together in new and interesting ways has great potential. Developments in Web 2.0 can be leveraged to facilitate a process of interaction and access between learning communities and a libraries resources repositories.

Effective library web sites

Ten useful points to consider. Just a start.

• Use appropriate fonts and colors so that text is easy to read. Use simple middle school language.
  
• Navigation bars should be clearly highlighted and accessible from all the sites pages. Users need to know where they are and know clearly how to get from A to B.
  
• In the home page employ Catchy headlines and short sentences/paragraphs in combination with a variety of media to engage prospective readers. Link these to background pages for more detailed information and content.
• Utilize attractive graphical interfaces for both linking and separating/highlighting targeted content. Ensue that the web site design and layout is consistent through out the site.
  
• Patrons should be able to access a librarian via virtual reference links or be able to search the site or catalogue from any page. The Meebo tool is a good example. Attractive graphical interfaces such as a Google style dialogue box should be employed. Cut out the blandness and complexity of traditional OPAC's.
  
• The Mathews article mentions using Google Analytics to monitor user activity. Understanding how users use the site will be vital for improving its design and functionality.
  
• Constantly update content. News, events and collections promotion should provide a steady stream of interesting material for this. Invite feedback and comments.
  
• Users should also be able navigate to any part of the libraries digital ecology from the Libraries home page. For example links to facebook, twitter and flickr should be prominently displayed.
• Allot can be learned from Gaming to make sites both more usable and enjoyable. Staff should be encouraged to look out side the box for solutions to usability issues and problems.
  
• Support interactivity via imbedded Blogs, and RSS feeds. Make the site more useful for individual users,