Week 6, Task 15: Library 2.0

Library 2.0 refers to a model of library service that, like Web 2.0 on the internet, is flexible and open to change, constantly updated and reevaluated, and relies on user feedback in the design and implementation of effective new services. I would hope that these are traits that we are already practicing in our school libraries and that the perspectives we read this week will serve as reminders and motivators to best meet the needs of the students and staff that we serve.

I was fortunate to begin my job in a brand new library ten years ago. Our catalog is online, our computers have internet access, our site council and PTA have supported us in developing our collection of books and electronic resources. The infrastructure is in place. Now, CSLA is supporting me in developing my personal tool collection to use the resources of the web to best advantage.

I will go back to school in the fall with so many new ideas that I'll never be able to implement them all, but that's not really the point. I think that one of the key points of library 2.0 is that 'it's never done'. We need to reorient our way of thinking from fixed goals to be met, to ongoing goals that are a work in progress. We need to be trendspotters and maybe even trendsetters for our schools. We don't need to be techno-geeks; what we need is to be good readers, good listeners and flexible professionals who value and collaborate with our patrons.

Week 6, Task 14: Deja vu all over again

It's like deja vu all over again...

I visited Technorati while working on my Week 4 workaround (see July 16 entry for all of the fun details). I already registered and claimed my blog. So, on with the show!

I did a keyword search for "library learning 2.0" and received the following results:

• 245 results for "all blogs" (including some of my own entries!)
• 84 blog directories, and
• 4,297 tags linked to blog posts

I think that if I were to search for something by tags, the trick would be to use multiple and hopefully intersecting keywords to narrow down the volume of results. This is also a good reminder that, if I want anyone to be able to find my own [hopefully relevant] posts, I should attach multiple tags when I create them!

Week 6, Task 13: Book'em, Dano!

I enjoyed today's taste test of Del.icio.us: what a great use of existing technology to improve on a feature we don't ordinarily give much thought to. I could have used online bookmarks earlier this summer when I was working on this class from another computer in another location and did not have access to any of the bookmarks on my home computer. It just seems so obvious that you have to wonder why no one thought of it sooner...

In typical internet fashion, the otter group tutorial was "temporarily unavailable or does not exist". ( Here today, gone tomorrow... not the first time any of us have encountered this glitch, I'm sure.) I used some of the other links to get started, specifically the Del.icio.us site "about" features and "Us.ef.ul: A beginner's guide to Del.icio.us". The key points of access from anywhere, shared resources and learning from others make this a real winner. It could work well for students doing a group research project, for professionals collaborating on a lesson plan or just for me personally as a means of organizing and sorting information flexibly.

And how about 'tagging' - not just for punks! There's a whole new image for library professionals: "Tag it! Ask a librarian!" This is an easy step from the keywords we know and love into the new realm of online information management.