Web 2.0: Exploring Information Users

Web 2.0:Exploring LibrariesInformation Users

Brian C. Gray

Librarian - Engineering, Math, & Statistics

Case Western Reserve University

bcg8@case.edu

Spring CO-ASIS&T Meeting Thursday, April 19th, 2007

EXPECTATIONS

•What is Web 2.0?

•Why should we care?

•Library 2.0

•Our users

My Personal Interest in Web 2.0

• Teach RSS workshop at KSL

• Contribute to 3 Case KSL blogs

• ALA Library 2.0 participant

• ALA LAMA Web Coordinator– Blogs, RSS, Wiki, Communities

• Teach workshop for KSU SLIS

• Regular IM user

• Non-tech person that likes to “play”

Reasons Why We Must Care• Competition to libraries

• Alternative method of marketing

• Alternative method of communication

• Alternative publishing practices

• User awareness

• Efficiency

• “Buzz” word right now

• Users are unaware of us or are creating alternatives to library resources

Coined by O'Reilly Media (2004)

What Is Web 2.0,Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of SoftwareTim O'Reilly, 09/30/2005

WEB 2.0 Concepts (Mindset)Key concepts or focus points:– Collaboration– Sharing– Ownership– Creation–Web-based rather than software based– Data/information– Social– Connections/relationships– Trust

WEB 2.0 Concepts–Enrichment

–Personal data

–Participation

–Decentralized

–User “tagged” or defined

–Experience

–Services

–Remixable

–Behavior

Library 2.0• Coined by Michael Casey on his blog

LibraryCrunch

• Some library contributors:– Stephen Abram– John Blyberg–Michael E. Casey– Jenny Levine– Paul Miller–Michael Stephens

Library 2.0 Concepts• Delivery

• Constant and purposeful change

• Adaptation

• User designed

• User created

• Participation

• User feedback

• 2-way information

• Reaching new users

Warnings (or My Thoughts)

• What do users want?

• Do we investment in technology and/or time?

• What do users expect?

• What are users doing on their own?

• How can users contribute?

Do you recognize RSS?

KSL RSS Feeds

RSS Changing Our Patrons• Moving away from email & listservs• Current Awareness• “Pull” rather than “Push”• Sharing everything• Privacy?• Speed

• Few years ago…”If not on the Internet, it is not legitimate”

• Is RSS the next thing patrons use to judge products & services?

Blog Considerations• Purpose – Announcements and/or

discussion?• Open or no commenting?• Moderation?• Allow tracking/pinging?• Spam prevention• Single or multiple authors?• How often are entries added?• Legal considerations (non-profit

status, advertising, organizational policies, etc.)

2006 Workplace E-Mail, Instant Messaging & Blog Survey

American Management Association:• 8% of organizations have business

blogs• 55% of business blogs ‘face out’ for

customers to read• Less than 2% of organizations assign

a lawyer or other responsible party to review employees’ entries

• Nearly 2% have fired workers for offensive blog content - including posts on employees’ personal home-based blogs

http://technorati.com/weblog/2007/04/328.html

ALA LAMA’s New Blog

Blog Based OPAC• Casey Bisson

• WPopac: An OPAC 2.0 Testbed

• WordPress based, so already have access to more programmers than the ILS vendors combined

Patrons Blogging About Libraries

St. Joseph County Public Library

2006 Workplace E-Mail, Instant Messaging & Blog Survey

American Management Association:• 35% of employees use IM at work• Only 31% of organizations have IM

policy in place• 13% retain IM business records• 2% have dismissed workers for

inappropriate IM chat• 50% of workplace users downloading

free IM tools from the Internet - a dangerous practice that 26% of employers aren’t even aware of

Trillian, Meebo, etc.

How Will Users be Impacted?

• Web 1.0– “surfing”– Content within a specific space

• Web 2.0:– Decentralized– Granular– Syndication–Web as a “platform”

“Long Tail”

Brian C. Gray

bcg8@case.edu

http://blog.case.edu/bcg8/

http://briangray.alablog.org/http://www.squidoo.com/library2point0/

http://www.slideshare.net/bcg8

THANK YOU!