Category Archives: technology

Drawing back the curtains…

Things have been quiet here, mostly because it has been crunch time the past month or so as the debut of the systems new website has drawn closer. Well, that time has finally come and I’m proud to unveil the redesign of our systems website. It is a big change from the old, rather unfriendly and garish, design we had for quite a time. But it wasn’t only a pleasing look and interface that we were going for but a modern approach that integrated Web 2.0 technology for the benefit of our customers. Please take a look at the Osceola Library System at http://www.osceolalibrary.org.

We have included several blogs including those for news, teens, and our book club. All offer RSS feeds and we are also offering RSS feeds for our monthly updated new book releases. This is something I personally wanted and I hope to expand it in time. We have also utilized a javascript framework to offer photo tours of our branches. We are also participating in the 365 Days Library Project over on Flickr. We have just over 100 photos up at the current time. We’ve also added forms for customer use which we’ve never had before. Our librarians are using meebo for virtual reference for adult and teen customers.

I am very much hoping this new website will far better serve our customers and allow them to feel they can truly connect with the library at any time and any place and also to let them know that we’re not just about books and shushing.Â More updates will come as time goes by.

Wherein I Realize the Size of the Beast

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I’m not dead, I promise. Things are very busy in my system right now, most especially in my department. Hopefully in less than a month I’ll have something to show you all and I can post more regularly. But for now, just something little.

When trying to visualize the sheer scope of the Web 2.0 beast it’s a bit hard to wrap your head around in simply because of the very wide amount of services that these sorts of applications provide. From Wikipedia, to The Best Stuff in the World, to Flickr. And with the amount of startups you hear about constantly coming and going it’s little surprise that people are often overwhelmed.

In the Web 2.0 class that I co-teach we often use Go2Web2.0 and Web2Logo to let the class participants see the different types of sites that are out there and to help them explore a bit more if they wish to do so. These are both good, but at times it’s hard to navigate around them if you’re already overwhelmed by the choices that are out there. However, there is a newish site out there called Simple Spark which, according to Download Squad, is looking to be for web apps what Google is for everything else. At over 3,000, we can see where this is going.

On first glance, it’s laid out really well with multiple catagories that open up which give you specific sections to choose so you can get right to the meat. Picking almost any provides an extensive list of Web 2.0 type applications that provide that sort of service. It does make it easy to find the type of app you’re looking for. The social network heading is one of the more interesting to look at and seeing the many many ways that people are connecting these days.

So, what is the real size of the web 2.0 beast? I’m not sure anyone will really know and even with indexing sites it’s almost impossible to keep up with the new ones springing up almost everyday. It will be interesting to see how the development of applications like these grows and changes and more and more people embrace Web 2.0 and technology like it.

Wherein I Wonder Who Thought This Up

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I’ve seen quite a few good services that somewhat mimic what librarians are trying to do in the physical library space, answering services and the like though I don’t think I’ve ever come across something quite like this before. And, really, it makes me wonder who came up with it. BookSwim, a book rental program in the vein of Netflix but, you guessed it, for books. Normally I probably wouldn’t have mentioned it at all, but a ‘review’ of this from Download Squad got me laughing. Thanks for the vote of confidence in libraries guys.

When you think about it though, it makes you wonder just how far Web 2.0 services like this are destined to go. I’ve heard this time and again in the Web 2.0 classes we give for the staff in my system, usually from the slightly older employees but not always, about the sheer amount of whats out there wondering how anyone could possibly keep up. Just today we’ve got Flickrvision and Bringo, the first of which is more a time thief and the second I hope grows in size. It’s why my coworker and I were so careful to pick and choose the services that we included in the class, though those services have changed since the first time we taught the class as the face of Web 2.0 has shifted right under our feet.Â I don’t think I’ve ever taught such an interesting class before.

Bringing It All Together

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In the upcoming website revamp one of the main concerns, outside of format and graphics, is bringing the library together on the website. The concept of a virtual branch is heavy in the air, the idea of ‘walking’ into the website and knowing where to go. Intuitiveness, in short. This can be a tricky concept, since no two users will go to the same place or even have the knowledge to find those places the first time. That is why making the navigation and the layout as open and friendly as possible, yet keeping a keen and contemporary look is so important.

However, perhaps even more than this is showing our users what we have. Even customers that come into our library on a frequent basis often don’t realize the myriad of programs and services that the library offers. It’s only on the off chance they pick up a flyer or see a poster on the wall, just that one time. But is usually only takes that one thing to get them hooked. This is where I hope Web 2.0 technology will lend a helping hand. Already we’re putting ourselves out there on Flickr and Librarything and both have done well for the limited uses we’re currently employing them for. But they can do so much more. Using a blog to promote events and allow users to comment on whats going on, to give their feedback on things, what they like and what they don’t. That is important to any business these days, feedback when and where the customer wants it. RSS to keep them updated, along with explinations on how to use it, since we can’t assume anymore, about anything. And things like Flickr to chronicle what has happened, changes in the library, the history in pictures instead of dry paragraphs. That is what brings the library to life.

It will take time of course, though setting up and using Web 2.0 utilities is a heck of a lot easier than writing CSS and XML, I can tell you that right now. I’m rambling by this point, yes, but this is important to create a virtual branch that is as interactive as a physical one. (And perhaps less intimidating too.)

Making Time For, Well… Blogging

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I’ve been very bad lately, oh yes. It seems I’ve become one of those with high ideals who starts a blog about something and then abandons it. I haven’t meant to but the holidays and work were crazy and I have been so busy in the last few weeks that I haven’t had time to write anything at work or home. It’s unfortunate really as I’ve had lots of thoughts both from my library and from posts other librarian bloggers have recently done, most especially Jessamyn West and David Lee King. His Inviting Participation in Web 2.0 is looking to be very interesting. (I was one of the ones who posted in response to this article.) But really, I’m hoping to get back on the bandwagon here, with renewed fervor. Perhaps I should make it my resolution for the year.

I’ve had lots of ideas for implementing Web 2.0 and that sort of technology in my library system, though as of now there doesn’t seem to be to much support for what we’re trying to do. We’re in the very, almost painfully, slow process of setting up a public blog for our news, events, etc. At the moment we’re going to be using Blogger, though in the future I would like to possibly migrate to something like WordPress or the like. We’ve created a Flickr page which will hopefully let us take more pictures, are on MySpace for the teen events, and are using del.icio.us for reference. (This just happens to be my little pet project that I would really like to see go into action.) We’re also making use of LibraryThing for our book discussion groups. The circulation department, from what I’ve seen in the Web 2.0 classes we’re giving seem to be very interested and open to the idea of learning and using these new technologies and understand their potential to make their jobs a lot easier if the opportunity was given. (Now if we can only get admin to take the class too.) I’m hoping that this will be the drive to allow us to move forward.

Well, that’s all for now. I am going to try to post more, perhaps even if it is just my strange and sordid thoughts on the matter of technology in libraries. (Or the lack thereof. Yikes!)

Talks from Jessamyn West

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I also thought I would post a link to Jessamyn West’s (from librarian.net) very neat presentation on Web 2.0. I was a little late in finding this but I liked it so much that I decided to share it with my fellow reference people here.

Doing More With Less – Sensible Library Technology

She also has a wonderful one on tech support, and who hasn’t bemoaned that its not our job to handle it when patron’s ‘break their yahoo’ which happens with a frequency I don’t like to admit.

And so:

On The Fly Tech Support