Week #9 - Podcasts

I’m familiar with podcasts and have used them for quite some time for various reasons, although I have never made one. I really enjoying seeing how public and university libraries use podcasts for author talks, book reviews, library tours, staff training purposes, debates etc. Again, the possibilities for these applications in public libraries are endless. I’m becoming more and more convinced that the considered use of these web 2.0 technologies by public libraries greatly enhances a user’s engagement with their local library, encourages engagement with new and wider audiences, aids in the development of partnerships and in providing authoritative and relevant resources to users.   

Week #6 - Online videos

It was good to see how public libraries have embraced the use of online videos such as YouTube and Google video in presentations to customers and staff.  They have a role to play in my organisation, here are a few ways they might be beneficial:

As a way of promoting services and instructing customers on how to use these services. Services might include e-books, setting up email alerts, databases etc

As a way of recording library meetings and training sessions for part-time employees, casual staff and those who work at branch libraries. It’s a great way to promote knowledge sharing and to ensure that all staff are aware of new developments and changes.

As a way of promoting particular aspects of the library such as children’s services, local studies or the home library service to relevant organisations such as schools, childcare centres, historical groups, community groups, aged cared facilities etc. This would facilitate in the building of valuable partnerships ensuring that public libraries are more engaged with their communities and more knowledgeable about their needs and interests.

As a way of promoting exhibitions for those who can’t attend in person ensuring that exhibitions are promoted  to a wide and diverse audience.

The possibilities are just endless…

Week #8 - Answer boards, social searching

I’ve had mixed reactions to the forums that I have visited over the years. In some cases, I’ve been surprised by the usefulness of the answers particularly if someone provides their personal experiences, makes a recommendation in my area or provides expert/trade knowledge. In other instances, I’ve been very disappointed by the often unintelligible answers. I’ve often found that fellow users are reluctant or can’t be bothered to use peer review tools to rate answers.

I’ve enjoyed the social searching features of online bookstores, various rating systems and comments provided on food and restaurant websites - these tools have influenced my book purchases and where I choose to eat.

It’s really encouraging to read that reference librarians are “slamming the boards” and in doing so, promoting the specialised training of the reference librarian and encouraging users to engage with quality and authoritative tools when attempting to find answers to their questions. More people are going online to find “answers”, so the role of the reference librarian in these forums and answer boards is critically important.

In terms of my organisation, there may be a role for reference librarians to “slam the boards” by “answering” questions posed by our customers. Our “answers” might draw upon our online and print resources available in the library and at home. The answers might also refer to training sessions and other departments within Council.

Customers should have the ability to review and evaluate library services, this is a very important part of service provision. Features such as the ability to review resources within the catalogue and the ability to see items borrowed by other customers might be incorporated into later versions of library catalogues.

Week #5 - Wikis

Wikis are very applicable to my workplace. An intranet based wiki would be a great resource for the information desk staff as it would free up space on the noticeboard and in the communications/day book. The possibilities are endless - but I imagine that it might include information on opening/closing procedures, passwords, databases and troubleshooting issues. It would be a very handy resource for part time and casual staff who may not be in the library on a daily basis or able to attend library meetings.

A wiki would greatly benefit our department. Our department receives queries on a regular basis, some of which are repeated and in terms of their answers, don’t change. A wiki would allow team members to search to see if a query had already been answered and the tools that were used in the answer, to add content (such as answers to new queries) and to edit existing content. A wiki has the potential to reduce the amount of time team members spend on queries and to get an answer to the customer in a more timely manner. It takes the knowledge (and answers) that we have in our heads and documents this information creating a rich resource for other team members and new staff.

I’m keen to raise this with my team,  I'm not sure whether the wikis should be hosted externally or use wiki software on our server. There are other issues requiring thought such as IT considerations, who contributes and edits what information, version control etc.

I looked at a few things on Wikipedia - I found the entries interesting and seemingly accurate but it still bothers me that anyone can create and edit entries.  The Information Today article provides insightful views on academia, Wikipedia and information literary - reference librarians probably have a role to play here too.