LIBRARY 2.0 MEANS BETTER SERVICE

a presentation by Marylaine Block for the British Columbia Library Association, April 19, 2007



Library 2.0 can be a scary term for librarians who aren't really into technology, but in fact, it's not primarily about machines and software: it's about using the best tools and ideas to provide the best possible service to our users. Marylaine will demonstrate how librarians are using every available means (technological and otherwise) to:


"Library 2.0 simply means making your library's space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs." Sarah Houghton-Jan

"Library 2.0 is, perhaps above all else, the idea of constant change. Not only constant library change, but the recognition that our communities are constantly changing and that our services to them must change proportionately." Michael Casey




Library 2.0 in Action

  • St. Joseph County Public Library, http://sjcpl.lib.in.us/
    1. Users' language
    2. Ask or IM a librarian
    3. Local history and genealogy,with librarian-created databases, tutorials
    4. Community information: librarian-created database
    5. Wiki Subject guide
    6. Programs and classes
    7. Online book club
    8. Blogs: building blog, game blog, SJCPL blog; with RSS feeds
    9. Services including dial-a-story, homebound service, online renewal, adult literacy, handicapped accessibility, etc.
    10. Vision statement
    11. wi-fi
    12. e-Books, e-audiobooks
    13. cataloginterface

  • Ann Arbor District Library, http://www.aadl.org
    1. Blog-based: director's blog, books, audio, video, new items, AXIS (teen blog), research blog,
    2. User involvement: contests, comments on AADL blogs, Picture Ann Arbor, videogame tournaments
    3. Family-building and community-building activities and programs
    4. e-books and e-audio
    5. online requests to schedule rooms
    6. full range of computer training for different age and knowledge levels
    7. e-mail book club
    8. feedback requests - users are beta testers
    9. online reference - e-mail only
    10. personalizing features: Personal card catalog, My tags,
    11. catalog interface



    Meet Needs Defined BY THE USERS

    Physical

  • public meetings,
  • advisory committees,
  • user comment forms,
  • surveys
  • volunteered comments and suggestions

    Virtual

  • Activate AND READ comments on library blogs,
  • conduct online surveys,
  • post online comment forms, etc.


    In the Manner of Their Choice

  • in person, through e-mail, IM, phone, website, text messaging,RSS feeds, interactive blogs: SJCPL, St. Charles (IL) Public Library, http://www.stcharleslibrary.org/, Thomas Ford Memorial Library, Western Springs, IL http://www.fordlibrary.org/ Evansville Vanderburgh (IN) Public Library, http://www.evpl.org/
  • electronic delivery: e-books, audiobooks, streaming video, games (see what Pasco County Library has done with a Games on Demand subscription, http://libraryjournal.com/article/CA6423401.html)
  • iPods: Kankakee (IL) Public Library, http://www.kankakee.lib.il.us/, PLCMC Teen Page http://www.libraryloft.org/podcasts.asp; Podcasting, Library Success Wiki http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Podcasting
  • PDAs: accessible websites, Kankakee PL, Minneapolis PL; PDA-accessible databases and other services, see PDAs, Handhelds and Mobile Technologies in Libraries, http://web.simmons.edu/~fox/pda/, The Handheld Librarian, http://www.handheldlib.blogspot.com/
  • TV: Iowa City Public Library's Library Channel, http://www.icpl.org/librarychannel/, Lakewood Public Library's "What's Going On at the Lakewood Public Library" on Cox Cable Channel 45.
  • Radio: Iowa City Public Library's "Big Brain: Radio that answers life's little questions" - http://www.icpl.org/files/programs/eventnews-2007-12-21.pdf. Sometimes programs are also made available on circulating CDs and DVDs


    In the Place and/or Time of Their Choice

    Physical
  • mobile librarians: services to juvenile detention centers http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6312515.html, http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA510771.html; to child care centers, to nursing homes, to academic departments and dormitories, to malls, to subway stations, to museums http://www.imcpl.org/about/locations/infozone.html, to disaster victims, to homeless shelters, etc. More ways discussed at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~biomed/services.htmld/OctCon2004/
  • Bookmobiles and mobile computer labs
  • after hours services - (chaperoned) overnights at the library
  • dial-a-story

    Virtual

  • Instant Messaging: see Instant Messaging in an Academic Environment http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/talk/cil2006/teachingmoments/
  • RSS feeds - see Hennepin County Library, http://www.hclib.org/pub/search/RSS.cfm; Denver Public Library, http://denverlibrary.org/news/dplnews/about_rss.html, Georgia State University Library, http://www.library.gsu.edu/news/, RSS4Lib http://www.rss4lib.com/
  • Live homework help
  • virtual reference
  • Online storytelling - PLCMC's Story Place, http://www.storyplace.org and Book Hive, http://www.bookhive.org/


    Encourage User Participation

    Physical
  • Teen advisory boards
  • Inviting the public to participate in creating the strategic plans and building programs, comment on architectural plans, etc.
  • Inviting community groups with specialized knowledge to help select materials in their area of expertise
  • User-created writing (literary magazines, poetry slams, Monroe County Public Library's Teen Poetry Wall, http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/teens/for_you/poetry_wall.html, etc.), films, music (Garage Band nights), programming, art (teen-created mural at Wilton Library; local art exhibits of all sorts - Heights Library actually offers studio space to a local arts collaborative that runs the library's art gallery and offers after school art classes for kids)
  • post-paid comments form
  • contests

    Virtual

  • Comment function on blogs
  • inviting users' ideas on the library's Future" as Minneapolis PL does, or "Help plan your library by telling us what features are most important to you," as Seattle PL does on its "Libraries for All" web site, http://www.spl.org/lfa/index.html
  • inviting and posting reader reviews
  • inviting readers to add comments to the library catalog - Hennepin County Library, http://www.hclib.org/blogs/CatalogNews.cfm?ID=52
  • Inviting readers to supplement information in digital collections - Nadia Nasr, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Maryland's Most Wanted http://libraryjournal.com/article/CA6423411.html
  • enlisting community groups in collection development in their areas of expertise
  • enlisting users in building community history database: Picture Ann Arbor; Bemis Public Library, Littleton, CO, veteran's oral history
  • helping users develop multimedia content which libraries can then post on their web site - Thomas Ford Memorial Library's Audio Reviews by Teens, http://www.fordlibrary.org/yareviews/; the partnership between Hennepin County Library and Asian Media Access (AMA) to work with Hmong teens to create multi-media projects.


    Provide Ready Access to Important Community Information and History

    Physical
  • community forums on local issues - Chelsea District Library's presentation on "Making Sense of Financial and Medical Powers of Attorney" shortly after Terri Schiavo's death, and Hartford Public Library's "Democracy in Action Week," where city and state officials discuss important public issues like "The Clean Water Project" and "Life after Landfill," Fort Vancouver PL Program "The 2006 Election Results: What Do They Mean?"
  • handouts on readily anticipated needs - Google maps of nearby restaurants, for instance.
  • collaboration with local nonprofits and government agencies to inform people on important issues: Memphis Public Library & Information Center's Community Information and Referral 211 Service http://www.memphislibrary.org/linc/comminfo.htm
  • Community emergency assistance - Pasco County librarians as emergency responders, http://www.governing.com/articles/12talk.htm

    Virtual

  • voter guides and community issue guides - Springfield Greene County Library's Informed Decision http://www.thelibrary.org/informed/; Minneapolis Public Library's unusually helpful Voter Guide, http://www.mplib.org/elections2005/votersguide.pdf . Consider the effect if you ignore important local events and issues like BRAC, 25th anniversary of Mt. St. Helen's eruption, local festivals
  • Collaboration with and assistance to local nonprofits - Tucson-Pima Public Library's Grants & Nonprofits Information Center http://www.tppl.org/research/grants/, Springfield-Greene County Library's Nonprofit Prophet http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/infolink/nonprofit/
  • Community calendar - Wilton Library Community Calendar, http://www.wiltonlibrary.org/calendar/calendar/
  • Community databases: of community organizations (Skokie http://www.skokie.lib.il.us/s_community/, Queens http://queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_nm=Community+Information ); points of local interest (Princeton PL); local history (Tacoma PL, San Jose PL)
  • Digital collections - Tacoma Public Library: Tacoma Past and Present, http://www.tpl.lib.wa.us/Page.aspx?nid=7; San Jose Public Library California Room, http://www.sjlibrary.org/research/special/ca/; New York Public Library Digital Schomburg, http://digital.nypl.org/schomburg/images_aa19/; New York Public Library Digital Gallery, http://digitalgallery.nypl.org; Denver Public Library Western History and Genealogy Collection, http://denverlibrary.org/whg/index.html;


    Help Users Learn What They Wish To Learn:

    Physical

  • formal classes on ESL, citizenship training, animation (PLCMC, Austin PL), setting up a business, negotiating the subway system (Queens Library), how to create zines (SLCPL), quilting, gardening,
  • in classes,
  • Learning labs, like Princeton PL's Gadget Garage, http://www.princeton.lib.nj.us/reference/techcenter/gadgetgarage.html); King County Library System's assistive technology lab http://kcls.org/sc/special.cfm#daily)
  • in Community Technology Centers - Springfield Greene County Library's The Edge http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/edge/index.cfm, Oberlin Public Library's CTC, etc.
  • informal - teaching while answering questions

    Virtual

  • online tutorials -
    1. Jumpstart Your Family History, http://www.multcolib.org/guides/family/;
    2. North Metro Technical College YouTube Library Video Tutorials http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=NMTCLibrarian;
    3. NYPL's Researching an Architectural Structure http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/art/artarc/archit/arch.html;
    4. Kansas City Public Library's Technology Guides http://www.kclibrary.org/guides/technology/
    5. see Online Tutorials at the Library Success Wiki http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Online_Tutorials



    Extend Access and Eliminate Arbitrary Barriers

    Physical
  • wi-fi - roving reference, roving patron access
  • multi-lingual service in multilingual communities - Queens Library, http://queenslibrary.org/
  • accessible facilities, services, and programs; adaptive equipment, Heights Library, signed storytimes, signed internet training, "Deaf Expo" of agencies serving the hearing-impaired; Phoenix Public Library's Special Needs Center http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/snc.jsp, helps people try out various assistive technology, offers descriptive video service, a "toybrary" of therapeutic toys; Seattle Public Library Equal Access Program http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=audience_specialservices_leap
  • the Netflix model - Elmwood Park Library's LitClick http://www.elmwoodparklibrary.org/litclick.htm

    Virtual

  • an Amazon-style catalog - expand usefulness of catalog by integrating reviews, patron comments, data from other sources - see Denver Public Library's effort <http://blog.orch8.net/?p=17>


    Let Users Personalize Your Services

  • BraryDog at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, http://brarydog.org
  • Morton Grove (IL) Public Library's MatchBook Program, http://www.webrary.org/rs/matchbookabout.html
  • Hennepin County Library: Subscribe to our RSS Feeds, http://www.hclib.org/pub/search/RSS.cfm
  • Library toolbars - see Denver Public Library, http://denverlibrary.org; Colorado State University Library, http://lib.colostate.edu/help/toolbar.html ; Harris County Public Library, http://www.hcpl.lib.tx.us/ebranch/toolbar/. Free tools for creating toolbars, like Toolbar Browser, http://www.toolbarbrowser.com/, or Conduit.com http://www.conduit.com/.


    Provide Community, Real and Virtual

    Physical
  • Wilton Library; Fairfield (CT) Public Library's seminars on peaceful conflict resolution.
  • community festivals

    1. Día de los niños / Día de los libros http://www.main.org/ninos/, http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/diadelosninos/diadelosninos.htm;
    2. storytelling festivals - Multnomah County Library's Tapestry of Tales, http://www.multcolib.org/events/tales/, Tampa Storytelling Festival, http://www.tampastory.org/tsf_fest.htm;
    3. Everett Public Library's Librarypalooza http://www.everettwa.org/default.aspx?ID=1047;
    4. bookmobile parade http://www.vehiclesuccess.com/news.htm;
    5. make bookmobile and book cart drill team available for community events http://www.aurora.lib.il.us/bkm.htm
  • community-wide book discussions
  • intergenerational book clubs, "Read to your Grandchildren," family nights, overnights at the library, etc.
  • family game nights (Princeton Public Library), "family dinner theater" (Southfield Public Library)
  • Open up your "community living room" and cable access so people can share in important broadcast events: Princeton Public Library and the World Cup matches; major hearings or candidate debates on C-SPAN.

    Virtual

  • online book clubs
  • make it easy for them to recommend a book to a friend - Postcards from Lakewood Public Library, http://www.lkwdpl.org/postcards/
  • Show people using and enjoying your library, on your web site, on Flickr, on promotional materials
  • Wikis: Princeton Public Library: BookLoversWiki, http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/; Picture Ann Arbor, http://www.aadl.org/services/products/pictureAnnArbor


    Provide Transparency and Public Accountability

    Physical

  • Public meetings to discuss the library's goals, future plans
  • library annual reports, strategic plans, building program information, available as attractive handouts, bookmarks, calendars, etc. - Gwinnett County Public Library, Greene County Library, Cumberland County Public Library, http://marylaine.com/cheap2.html

    Virtual

  • directors' blogs - She Said, He Said, Ann Arbor PL's director's blog
  • strategic plans online
  • annual reports online
  • building programs online - Seattle Public Library http://www.spl.org/lfa/index.html, King County Library System, http://kcls.org/yourlibraryinvestment/
  • construction photos online, on the library's web site or on Flickr
  • library budgets online


    Borrow Good Customer Service Ideas Whenever You See Them

    Physical

  • the Netflix model: LitClick from Elmwood Park Public Library, http://www.elmwoodparklibrary.org/litclick.htm
  • the Barnes & Noble model

    Virtual

  • an Amazon-style catalog - see Denver Public Library's http://denverlibrary.org/catalogs/index.html, with its personal list manager, reviews, character information, excerpts, customer reviews,
  • The MySpace model: Hennepin County Library Bookspace http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/




    Put a Human Face on the Library

    Physical
  • Newspaper columns - Jeanne Duffey, Springfield News-Leader, http://www.ozarksnow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060723/COLUMNISTS08/607230377
  • Formal and informal training
  • Stunts and attention-grabbing events

    Virtual

  • blogs: She Said, He Said lions-online-shesaidhesaid.blogspot.com/; The Latest SCCoop from the Santa Clara County Library, http://146.74.224.231/; Denver Public Library Evolver Report, http://teens.denverlibrary.org/evolver_report.html
  • MySpace - Brooklyn College www.myspace.com/brooklyncollegelibrary, Hennepin County Library, http://www.myspace.com/hennepincountylibrary, PLCMC Teen Loft's MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/libraryloft Denver Public Library Teen Services, http://www.myspace.com/denver_evolver
  • Flickr - Photos from Cleveland Heights University Heights Public Library, http://www.flickr.com/photos/heightslibrary/, from LaGrange Park Library, http://www.flickr.com/photos/60582448@NOO


    OK, So How Do I Learn To Do All That?




    Prime Idea Sources: Your Regular Reading

  • ALA TechSource http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/
  • Blyberg.net (John Blyberg, formerly of AADL, Now of Darien CT Public Library) http://blyberg.net/
  • Information Wants To Be Free (Meredith Farkas) http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php
  • The Librarian in Black (Sarah Houghton-Jan), http://librarianinblack.typepad.com
  • LibraryBytes (Helene Blowers) http://www.librarybytes.com/index.html
  • LibraryCrunch (Michael Casey) http://www.librarycrunch.com
  • The Shifted Librarian (Jenny Levine) http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/
  • Stephen's Lighthouse (Stephen Abram) http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/
  • Tame the Web (Michael Stephens) http://www.tametheweb.com/


    Who's Going To Teach Me? Online Instruction

  • WebJunction Focus on Online Community for Public Libraries http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=11257
  • Moving Libraries Forward to Web 2.0 http://infopeople.org/training/web20/; also see its wiki, http://wiki.infopeople.org/index.php?title=Moving_Libraries_Forward_to_Web_2.0. also for library 2.0 presentation
  • Five Weeks to a Social Library http://www.sociallibraries.com/course/
  • KCLS Learning 2.0 - 27 Things http://kcls27things.blogspot.com/
  • PLCMC Learning 2.0 page http://plcmclearning.blogspot.com/
  • 43 Things I Might Want To Do http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FWE/is_2_10/ai_n16133338
  • Library 2.0 Social Network http://library20.ning.com/


    Basic Tools

  • Blogs:
    1. Blogger http://www.blogger.com/start
    2. LiveJournal http://www.livejournal.com/
    3. Blogsome http://blogsome.com/
    4. WordPress http://wordpress.org/
    5. See Jennie Starr's article in the March, 2007 issue of Searcher, "The Blogging Experience: Hosts, Add-On Content, and Monetizing.
    6. see the Blogging Libraries Wiki for examples http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/index.php?title=Welcome_to_the_Blogging_Libraries_Wiki

  • RSS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format)

  • Social bookmarking and tagging
    1. http://del.icio.us/ - LaGrange Park Public Library's Bookmarks at del.icio.us, http://del.icio.us/LaGrangeParkLibrary,
    2. LibraryThing http://www.librarything.com/
    3. Digg http://digg.com/
    4. Squidoo http://www.squidoo.com/; see Library 2.0 in Three Easy Steps on Squidoo at http://www.squidoo.com/EasyL2/; Library Clips on using Squidoo, http://libraryclips.blogsome.com/2005/10/28/squidoo-diy-topic-webpages/
  • Photo and film sharing
    1. Flickr - see http://www.flickr.com/groups/librariesandlibrarians/pool/
    2. YouTube http://youtube.com/results?search_query=library
    3. Google Video, http://video.google.com/


  • Mashups: see
    1. http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/seminar_page.php?sid=77;
    2. http://vielmetti.typepad.com/superpatron/library_mashups/index.html;
    3. Talis Library Mashup Competition entries http://www.talis.com/tdn/forum/84;
    4. John Blyberg's award-winning Go-Go Google Gadget http://www.blyberg.net/2006/08/18/go-go-google-gadget/;
    5. Cool Tools and Mashups for Webmasters http://library2.usask.ca/~fichter/talks06/il/2006il-cooltools.pdf;
    6. LibWorm tracking of mashups http://www.libworm.com/rss/search.php?qu=mashups+mashup&t=Mashups&r=Any&f=c&page=2&o=d


  • Second Life - see
    1. I Finally Get Second Life http://cto.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=178841#;
    2. InfoIsland in Second Life, http://infoisland.org/;
    3. The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) and the Alliance Library System are collaborating on the "Eye4You Alliance" http://eye4youalliance.youthtech.info/?p=84 an island in Teen Second Life that will offer virtual library services to teens.


  • Podcasts

    1. create a local history walking tour podcast http://www.podfeed.net/tags/walking
    2. Podcasting - Library Success: a Best Practices Wiki http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Podcasting
    3. Your Guide to Podcasts http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/02/digging_deeperyour_guide_to_po.html, with links to similar guides to RSS and wikis.
    4. Yahoo! Podcasts: Publish a Podcast http://podcasts.yahoo.com/publish/1
    5. Directories of Podcasts http://www.podcast411.com/page2.html
    6. Podcast Hosts http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Hosts.html
    7. Podcasting Software for Publishing http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcasting_Software.html


  • Wikis

    1. Princeton Public Library's BookLoversWiki http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library
    2. Stevens County Rural Library District's Stevens County Wiki http://www.scrld.org/
    3. St. Petersburg College Library Wiki http://it.spcollege.edu/pdwiki/index.php?title=SE_Campus_Library_Wiki
    4. St. Joseph County Public Library [Wiki-Based] Subject Guides, http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page
    5. PBWiki http://pbwiki.com