Reading thoughts, 11/26

Social Software and Library 2.0

* social tagging: relatively new phenomenon that allows users to tag things on the Internet for their own personal use. Allows others to see their tags and use them as well.
* social tagging sites include del.icio.us, Connotea, CiteULike, and Pinterest (a visual bookmarking site), among others.
* "folksonomy" - a taxonomy created by ordinary folks by collaborating together. Allows people to create their own controlled vocabulary.
* it's very difficult to catalog the Internet. Social tagging is a good way to start.
* a few academic libraries are trying out social tagging. University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University are both administering programs.
* a risk with social tagging is something called "spagging" - spam tagging, which is basically malicious tagging (likely by bored teens and Internet trolls)
* a wiki is a multi-author, collaborative software, often used as an encyclopedia. Wikipedia is the largest wiki in the world.
* wikis can be created for any purpose. There are a number of free wiki software options: seedwiki.com, pbwiki.org, and so on. They are fairly bare-bones, but if you pay, there are better versions.
* the use of wikis in libraries is becoming more common. They can be created as staff manuals, training documents, and teaching tools.
* East Tennessee State University has been very successful using a wiki for their Library Instruction Program. All of the librarians who participate in the instruction program add to and edit articles in the wiki.
* using digital materials in libraries is becoming much more common. However, many of these collections suffer from a lack of publicity - no one knows they exist. Social media can alleviate this issue.
* to have a successful social media blitz, the librarian must first listen to their patrons, to find out what their specific needs are, and what kinds of social media they use. Google Alerts are a good place to start, as well as Twitter and del.icio.us.
* they must also be an active participant in the social media. You can't just be a benevolent dictator, demanding that your patrons read what you tell them to. There must be interaction between the parties. There needs to be transparency as well - no bad press for the library.