Thingamabrarians

Thingamabrarians:Thingamabrarians:Social Librarianship & Social Librarianship &

Library 2.0Library 2.0Julie D. Shedd

Mississippi State University/University of Southern

Mississippi

June 15, 2007

In this presentation:In this presentation:

• What is social librarianship?• What are social libraries?• Why is this so popular?• Why should our libraries care?• How can we get involved?• Which sites are the best?

What is social What is social librarianship?librarianship?

• Professional librarians and non-professionals interacting through Web-based media cataloging technologies

• These technologies are open to the public, user-centered, easily changed, constantly changing, and mostly free of charge

• Cataloging of books and other media is done using library-approved methods (MARC records, LOC subject headings) and/or “folksonomies,” the taxonomies that result from user-defined classification (also known as “tagging”)

What are social libraries?What are social libraries?

• Websites that allow users to build catalogs of books and other media, and which have an element of 2.0-style social networking

Delicious Library: Not so mucha social library (unless it’s exported!)

LibraryThing: A social library

Why is this so popular?Why is this so popular?

• People collect stuff• Book and other media cataloging = useful for insurance

purposes• Many social libraries can be accessed by phone, helping you

remember what you need and what you don’t• Social libraries help with completism (collecting all of

something)• Social librarianship helps a population which has historically

had trouble with social interaction• It provides a new, less judgmental arena for literary discussion• Tagging enables people to use terms that make sense to them

to catalog their books• Social libraries indicate popularity of books and authors• Can help people decide what to read next• Provide a forum for safe interaction between authors and

readers

Why should our libraries care?Why should our libraries care?• What’s more Library 2.0 than social libraries?• Librarians’ public image could change—now

thousands of people are amateur librarians• Social libraries are great forums for finding out

what the library user really thinks about books and how libraries figure in her life

• For small/rural libraries, this could be a godsend– Some sites track loaned books – small libraries

could run their OPAC on a social library site– For the rural towns of Mississippi, this could be

a great way to interact with other rural libraries• For bigger libraries, there are many applications…

Social Libraries’ Applications in Traditional Social Libraries’ Applications in Traditional LibrariesLibraries

• Collection development– Automated book suggesters– User reviews, ratings, and recommendations– Popularity indicators

• Purchasing– Many sites have Amazon prices listed; some let you be notified

once price drops

• Outreach– Give users a friendly, informal way to see what your library is

doing; organize events; solicit donations; provide a forum for discussion; talk with other libraries; let people see what your staff like to read

• Programming– Social libraries can get users into reading groups and other library

programs

• And many more…if you can imagine it, you can probably do it.

A note on folksonomy vs. A note on folksonomy vs. taxonomy (“real” taxonomy (“real”

classification)classification)• A big debate in the online library

community – sometimes the only thing limiting a library’s participation in social libraries

• While folksonomy lacks standardization and oversight, it is far more understandable to the user, and opens up many new classification options

How can we get involved?How can we get involved?

• Create user profiles for the library• Participate in book discussions, groups,

and forums• Create groups specifically for your library

(fantasy readers, teens, new parents, etc.)• Join “LibraryThing for Libraries,” which

puts info from a powerful social library into your OPAC

• Catalog your collections – let your library’s users interact with you and your collections

Some libraries who are Some libraries who are already involved…already involved…• Danbury Public Library, Danbury, CT (the first to join

LibraryThing for Libraries)

• Shenandoah Public Library, Shenandoah, IA

• The New York Public Library, New York, NY

• Many other large and small public, church, hospital, and organizational libraries

• Departments within larger libraries – for instance, the Children's & Parents' Services Department at the Mastics Moriches Shirley Community Library has cataloged over 200 books on LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com/groups/cpsdmmscl)

• Some people have begun their own lending libraries – for instance, the St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Lending Library (http://www.librarything.com/groups/stcatherineofsienaca)

Top social librariesTop social libraries

• LibraryThing – http://www.librarything.com

• GuruLib – http://www.gurulib.com

• Bibliophil – http://www.bibliophil.org

• Shelfari – http://www.shelfari.com

Some up-and-comers…Some up-and-comers…

• AllConsuming – http://www.allconsuming.net

• aNobii - http://www.anobii.com/

• BookTribes – http://www.booktribes.com

• Squirl - http://www.squirl.info/

• Zestr – http://www.zestr.com

BibliographyBibliography• Maness, J. (2006). "Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications for Libraries". Webology, 3 (2), Article 25. Available at: http://www.webology.ir/2006/v3n2/a25.html

• Kroski, E. (2006). “Community 2.0.” Posted April 7, 2006. Available at: http://infotangle.blogsome.com/2006/04/07/community-20/

• Spalding, T. (2007). “Sneak peek: LibraryThing for Libraries.” Posted April 9, 2007. Available at: http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2007/04/sneak-peek-librarything-for-libraries_09.php

• (2007). “A public library tries LibraryThing.” Library Journal. Available at: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6445695.html

• “James.” (2007). “Compare your library with LibraryThing.” Posted February 7, 2007. Available at: http://librarycogs.blogspot.com/2007/02/compare-your-library-with-librarything.html

• “Library2.0.” (2006). “Librarything [sic], Shelfari, and Gurulib: Social cataloging sites compared.” Posted October 21, 2006. Available at http://librarytwopointzero.blogspot.com/2006/10/librarything-shelfari-and-gurulib.html

• “Library2.0.” (2007). “Shelfari gets amazon [sic] investment.” Posted February 25, 2007. Available at http://librarytwopointzero.blogspot.com/2007/02/shelfari-gets-amazon-investment.html

• Ishizuka, K. (2006). “Find more like this: A book lover’s MySpace.” School Library Journal 52(10): 24-25. Academic Search Premier database.

• Rethlefsen, M. (2007). “Product pipeline.” Library Journal 132(Net Connect): 14-16. Academic Search Premier database.

• Rethlefsen, M. (2007). “Chief Thingamabrarian.” Library Journal 132(1): 40-42. Academic Search Premier database.

• MacIntyre, Jeff. (2007). “Song of my shelf.” Print 61(1): 100. Academic Search Premier database.

• Bates, M. (2006). “Get your LibraryThing on.” Online 30(6): 64.

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