Delving into the Health Sciences Biblioblogosphere Marcus Banks UC San Francisco Library and Center for Knowledge Management February 8, 2008
Delving into the Health Sciences Biblioblogosphere
Marcus BanksUC San Francisco Library and Center for Knowledge ManagementFebruary 8, 2008
Agenda
Purpose of presentation Brief overview of biblioblogosphere Aims of my surveys Author survey results Reader survey results Conclusion
Purpose of the Presentation
Provide overview of the “biblioblogosphere” Understand aims of health sciences librarian
blog authors and readers Introductory exploration of this topic
– Hope to generate more interest– Communication studies research, with health
sciences librarians as sample population
Agenda
Purpose of presentation Brief overview of biblioblogosphere Aims of my surveys Author survey results Reader survey results Conclusion
Biblioblogosphere—Definition
“Humorous reference to the world of library blogging.” (Wikipedia)
Comprised of librarians who blog, chiefly about library issues
Thorough list: http://liswiki.org/wiki/Weblogs
Biblioblogosphere—Potential
Faster currency of ideas– Walt Crawford: Blogs among most vibrant library
literature today Reshaped sense of scholarly work
– Fascinating idea: “Blog citation index” Community among bloggers and readers
– “Creating community: the blog as a networking device”
Prominent Health Sciences Librarian Bloggers
T. Scott (http://tscott.typepad.com/)
Previous Surveys about Biblioblogosphere
Farkas:– 2007 Survey of the Biblioblogosphere– 2005 Survey of the Biblioblogosphere
MLA Social Networking Task Force Survey– Varying opinion about perceived value of blogs
Variables: Hospital/academic; years in profession; size of library
Initial analysis (10/23/2007) Additional analysis (10/25/2007; response to comments)
Agenda
Purpose of presentation Brief overview of biblioblogosphere Aims of my surveys Author survey results Reader survey results Conclusion
Aims of My Surveys
Authors– What functions do they hope to serve?– Source of blog topics– How has blogging changed their professional
interests? Readers
– Have blogs displaced their use of email lists?– How regularly do they attempt to act on what they
read in blogs?
Authors: Survey Results
Main reason for writing blog
0
1
2
3
4
5
Yes No
0
1
2
3
4
5
Discussion andDebate
CurrentAwareness
No ValidChoice
0
1
2
3
4
Conversations Other blogposts
Music/Otherreading/Workexperiences
Source of blog topics
Will blogs displace email lists in foreseeable future?
Authors: Change in Professional Practice from Blogging
“For me, the current appeal of blogging is that it allows me to sort through my professional thinking and at the same time forces me to output my reflections in an articulate, logical exposition.”
“Whatever its faults and inadequacies, blogging is a social and therefore a political activity. It communicates, entertains, keeps current, builds community, strengthens culture, and occasionally changes minds. Blogging is spirited and democratic, like libraries.”
Authors: Change in Professional Practice from Blogging
“Blogging helps me establish and maintain contact with like-minded others- and has on multiple occasions introduced me to people who became treasured friends. Blogging has led to opportunities for me to publish, speak and serve as a reviewer for two journals.”
“Blogging is a place to reflect, to be earnestly 'brainy', to challenge, to rebel or to document what I've read. The blog can also serve as a soapbox, or a place to take users for a library workshop or training session.”
Authors: Change in Professional Practice from Blogging
“It really, really pays off career-wise to have a blog. I've gotten tons of gigs (speaking, committee memberships, writing, etc) from blogging, not to mention friends and colleagues to collaborate with.”
“Writing some of the posts has helped me clarify some of my thinking about librarianship -- but I'm not sure how much of that has translated into changes in practice in any way that I could measure.”
Readers-Survey Results
266 total responses
Hospital Librarian
89
Academic Librarian
131
Other 50
Readers-Survey Results
Primary reason to read blogs (n=243)
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Cur
rent
awar
enes
s
Disc
ussi
onan
d de
bate
Wha
t to
read
prof
essi
onal
liter
atur
e
Incr
ease
prof
essi
onal
conn
ectio
ns
76%
16%5% 3%
Readers-Survey Results
0%
25%
50%
Very
infr
eque
ntly
Som
ewha
tin
freq
uent
ly
Som
ewha
tfr
eque
ntly
Freq
uent
ly
Very
freq
uent
ly
8%
21%
42%
23%
5%
How often do you attempt to incorporate what you read about in blogs into your work? (n=261)
Readers-Survey Results
0%
25%
50%
75%
Very
infr
eque
ntly
Som
ewha
tin
freq
uent
ly
Som
ewha
tfre
quen
tly
Freq
uent
ly
Very
freq
uent
ly
11%24%
32% 31%
2%
How often do you attempt to incorporate what you read about in blogs into your work?
0%
25%
50%
75%
Very
infre
quen
tly
Som
ewha
tin
freq
uent
ly
Som
ewha
tfr
eque
ntly
Freq
uent
ly
Very
freq
uent
ly
6%
18%
49%
20%
6%
Hospital Librarians (n=88) Academic Librarians (n=127)
Readers-Survey Results
Gov’t./corporate/public: How often do you attempt to incorporate what you read about in blogs into your work? (n=50)
0%
25%
50%
75%
Very
infre
quen
tly
Som
ewha
tin
freq
uent
ly
Som
ewha
tfr
eque
ntly
Freq
uent
ly
Very
freq
uent
ly
12%
22%
44%
18%
4%
Readers-Survey Results
Are you more likely to act on what you read in blogs than mail lists?
0%
25%
50%
75%
More likely Less likely No difference
29.5%
11%
59.5%
Readers-Selected Comments
“I find that most of the blogs I read have little impact on my practice because they act primarily as gathering points for information.”
“Much of what is included in blogs is just a new site or service so incorporation is very easy.”
Readers-Selected Comments
“Listservs are very 1980's... blogs allow you to pick and choose what to read, to interact by leaving comments, to contact the person(s) responsible for content.”
“I do not read blogs - there are so many things I have to do, this is just not on my list. I prefer listservs, e-mails, rss feeds. The choice of 0 blogs should have been on your list.”
Readers-Selected Comments
“Listservs offer information from a greater variety of sources.”
“I find it easier to keep track of discussions on blogs, where comments are all in one place, one after the other…[In email lists] multiple discussions go on at the same time in the same day…Harder to keep track of conversations, in other words. Go blogs!”
Agenda
Purpose of presentation Brief overview of biblioblogosphere Aims of my surveys Author survey results Reader survey results Conclusion
Conclusion
A communications studies paper, with health sciences librarianship as the example
Stronger survey response than I anticipated Unclear how representative respondents are Many additional ways to slice data I’ll post further slices—where else?—on my
blog: http://mbanks.typepad.com/