Describing Web/Library 2.0 to unwilling staff

[Tracey Reed]

My director has tasked me (and I'm very willing to take it on) with doing brief, hit-and-run, emails to all the library staff to explain Library 2.0 concepts and tools to our staff, most of whom have no desire to move forward (there are some and I'm thrilled to have them on board). This is a copy of the email I sent out today. I'd be curious to what y'all think. The next one will be on del.icio.us because it's probably the most relevant to them.
-t

Subject: What's this I hear about Library2.0?

Hi all,

You may have heard the terms "web 2.0" and "library 2.0" buzzing about the library world. Or maybe you haven't, and that's ok. But what I'd like to do is take a second and explain what both of those things mean, and some of the "2.0 tools" that you might continue to hear about, and that we here at CPLS might be looking at to better serve our patrons. I'll try to keep the editorial comments out of it (like what parts of it I love and what I can't stand), but I make no guarantees.

This is the first in a series of emails that I ' ll be sending out regarding Library 2.0, to explain some of the sites and concepts I've given a brief introduction to below. So if not all of it makes sense, or you need more details, or you have something to add, please feel free to email me, or better yet, the group. That's how this works.

So what exactly are Web 2.0 and Library 2.0?

Well, honestly, it depends who you ask. Web 2.0 is touted as the next generation web, with more interaction and interactive sites as opposed to just static information. Web 2.0 is everything from blogs, RSS feeds, wikis and IM/chat to things like Second Life (www.secondlife.com) myspace (www.myspace.com) (note, this will be blocked by the City IT dept), facebook (www.facebook.com) (this one will be blocked too), flickr (www.flickr.com), del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us), technorati (www.technorati.com) and dig (www.digg.com). What it really means is that the web sites that require you to do something with them (share information, play, create content) are becoming more popular. Terms like "social networking sites" are being buzzed about because of the ability to create neighborhoods and "friends" lists and to interact with others through the Internet in a way other than email or the more common chat programs such as AIM or Yahoo Instant Messenger.

It also is about creating the metadata (information about your Information) and sharing it with others. Things like sharing bookmarks and seeing how many have also bookmarked something (del.icio.us) or blogged about it (technorati) as well as tagging - what they've called it when people have applied their own labels to things like their photos (flickr), their blog entries (Livejournal, vox (www.vox.com)), their bookmarks (have you bookmarked sptimes.com? what did you label it? News? Local? Drek?) and who looks at what at any given moment (digg). The concept of tagging is the part that the libraries and librarians have kind of grasped onto, mostly because it's familiar to us - we like to organize. (Course, have you seen my desk lately?)

Library 2.0 is actually the application of the concepts of Web 2.0 to the library world. Things like del.icio.us which allow people to share what they ' ve bookmarked with anyone and technorati that allow people to see what others are blogging about and linking to in real time were things that libraries found useful. More recently, it's been about how real language tagging can be beneficial to library catalogs, and what catalogs can learn from sites such as del.icio.us and technorati.

The other buzz in the Library 2.0 community are the "social networking” side. Libraries and librarians with professional myspace accounts are popping up all over the place (Hennepin County (MN), Denver Public, Topeka (KS) just to name a few). It's not just for kids and teens anymore. In fact, facebook is in the process of overtaking myspace as the favored destination for teens and college students. A big buzz is being made over Second Life (www.secondlife.com), which we've had at least one information session on here at CPLS. And many, many libraries (including us) have photos of the libraries and library staff up on flickr.

What does it mean for us as a library?

Well, honestly, at this point, no one really knows how it will impact libraries in the long term. There’s a wiki called Library 2.0 (http://library20.ning.com) where Just that is being discussed. Things like tagging and sharing bookmarks will most likely have the greatest long term impact (imagine patrons being able to create tags for items in our catalog!!!), but the sexy aspects of 2.0 like Second Life and Twitter and Tumblr (www.tumblr.com) are what people seem to be talking about more. So I'll be, in this series of emails, talking about these various tools and sites in more detail as time goes on.

In my opinion (and you know what that's worth, and whoops, here I go slipping into judgment), it doesn't change libraries as much as we think it does. We're still places people can come for information, be it educational, recreational or social. We still need a sense of place, both physical and online, to allow them to do this. What it will require is a shift in attitude from "we have all the information" to "we need to have input from those around us on and in what we offer." And that could be tough for libraries and librarians to get.

Like I said above, feel free to email me (or the group!) with questions, comments or additional information about anything. We all learn from each other and no one knows it all.

:-)

[Gina Worsham]

Hi Tracey,
We're doing our own version of Web 2.0 at the CCC Library, and right now the trainers are working kinks out of the activities. I'm looking forward to seeing how it's met with coworkers who have already voiced reluctance. I would like to see library staff keep an open minds when it comes to this because much of it is helpful, such as del.icio.us and facebook or wikis. It would be nice to have staff on the same page when it comes to web information and sharing.

[Roxann]

At my library our tech dept. tried the 23 things in Fall 07,with some success with library staff members----who volunteered to doThe "23 Things".
I am passionate about having the NEW and improved "The 23 Things" Staff Tech Training Wiki launching this Fall 08-- if not sooner with 100 % participation.
In developing this new Wiki approach, I visioned a "Theme " based visual method for motivation with links to provide further investigation of Web2 and Library2 tools... using PB Wiki which is so incredibly easy to set up it's almost too easy ---if that's possible!
This non-linear Wiki is an ala- carte choice of where-ever a staff member chooses to start... I hope to include quite a tasty menu of fun, reaching out to everyone within a participatory web Wiki environment. All staff members will be full editors .... staff "own" their site not me! I do have a time limit for finishing it in December 08 and then beginning a new Staff Tech Training Wiki based on the analysis, anecdotal notes and a summary of the new Hybrid way of Tech Training for Staff. I find it is important to remember that we are not a one size fit's all environment... segwaying into the design for this Wiki will incorporate basics to advanced techology used in libraries and emerging trends.

[pam jahner]

Hi there,
I work for Contra Costa County library, and we are rcv'ing web 2.0 training. It's very informative.

[Joy Chase]

How? What kind of training? Who is giving it? I'd like to know more specifics. Joy Chase

[LibraryPI]

May I be a bit of a dissenting voice here? I love playing around with new technologies, and I believe we as librarians need to adapt to the changing future -- part of which means making use of the still-developing structure of the world wide web. But ... planning strategies to "describe [insert ill-defined buzzword here] to unwilling staff" via self-described "hit and run" tactics sounds disrespectful at best to the intelligent and competent librarians who in many cases are just grimacing at the latest fads masquerading as "the new wave" of library services. The mantra of a good librarian has never been, "We have all the answers" ... it's closer to "I don't know the answers, but I'll bet I can find them!" Some new web paradigms can help patrons find us, and can help us find what they're seeking, but a lot of what's out there is far from useful -- a collection of colorful distractions that only sound important because they're popular and new.

[Cia]

Contra Costa County Library is training its employees to use Web 2.0. Right now the training is on a voluntary basis with an incentive offered for completing the program. The exercises are setup for staff to do on their own, but the trainers have weekly labs to help anyone who needs it. I think this hands-on, we're-with-you-as-you-go approach, has done a lot to embolden the web-timid.

[Bill K]

Thanks for pimping our program, Cia!
-Bill

[wander1]

This summer, our staff has been invited to learn about Library 2.0 through a series of exercises. They are scheduled over a 10 week period and their purpose is to introduce us all to these interactive aspects of Web 2.0. There are staff who have told me "who gives a rip." Others have said "I don't have time." As I have followed the exercises, I too am hard-pressed to see how many of these features will benefit our patrons. I hope we all will have a chance to compare how we feel each feature can be used in the library setting.

[Ian Richards]

I think that at the end of the training we should be able to rate the 10 things on how useful we find them in the library setting. This would help to identify the programs that might need more instruction and/or explanation on how they can benefit library services.

[Liz Ruhland]

I think it's persuasive. Maybe separating out the listings of particular sites and explaining them in more detail later would be helpful.

[Abigail Llorente]

Personally, it was interesting to learn so many aspects of the web that I never knew about or did not consider as actually being used in libraries. I like the idea that we have options.

But on some level, I already feel that the personal aspect is kind of getting lost with patrons as we move towards self-service. Sometimes, I feel that the internet can get in the way of interaction instead of enhancing it. Sometimes, depending on the situation. But I do realize that we have to keep up with technology (libraries are already having to fight the stigma of being considered "outdated" by the layman) and busyness is already a way of life, especially here in the West. So having options is good.

Did I make sense? Hello, is this thing on?

^_^

[Margot Abbott]

Interesting. But somewhat overwhelming.