Brand Monitoring: Evanston Public Library
For this assignment, I decided to explore the social network of my own local Evanston Public Library. I decided to monitor EPL through a number of different streams; Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, blogs, its own website, Goodreads and Yelp.
EPL has two accounts, its main library stream and one for the young adult Loft section. Both are well maintained for the most part, focusing mainly on getting information out about upcoming events. Little to no interaction with other users seems to occur, but the stream gets a fair amount of use with close to 700 followers. I also used several saved Twitter searches during the past few weeks to see what was being said about EPL. Most of what I found were other Evanston organization retweets of EPL events, however there was some user voices. One of my favorites was this one about the reciprocal CPL/EPL program.
EPL has a Flickr acount and uses it primarily as a means of sending out information instead of fostering interaction. However I really enjoyed the wide range of photos posted by the library. From pictures of the Peregrine Falcon chicks who nest on the top of the building every year to photos of artwork displayed in the library (and even some pictures of an All Staff In-service day), the Flickr account felt much more personal than the twitter stream. However despite the good range of photos being posted to their account, EPL’s Flickr stream hasn’t received many comments, which might be part of the reason that nothing has been posted since last November.
EPL seems to have really taken to Facebook, with a well designed page and good connections being made with patrons. It was also on this page that I learned about the neat celebration they recently had for the lucky patron who made the millionth checkout from the library (one million in the past year). Also because of the way that users can easily comment or “like” items, this page seems to get a lot more interaction that some of the other social networks. Also they do monthly trivia contests that seem really fun, unfortunately I missed the March one, but hopefully will participate in the April edition.
Blogs
I used several tools for monitoring EPL’s use of blogs and conversations regarding taking place on blogs. GoogleAlerts was helpful for doing this, although like others have said, I tended to only find information on EPL’s official blogs. However I was impressed with “Off the Shelf” EPL’s official blog, it mixes a range of book review posts with information about events and general reader’s advisory. It is unclear to me if the blog is written by a single librarian or more likely several librarians. I would appreciate some way to identify the authors of specific posts, however this is probably a blog I will keep reading after this assignment and I thought it did a great job of striking a good tone. Also it was neat to see that it does get occasional comments on posts, although having the author(s) reply to comments might also increase interaction.
One of my favorite parts of EPL’s social network was its Goodreads account. Because I already use Goodreads regularly as both record of my own books and as a source for new books, I really like their well-written reviews and recommendations. However similarly to it’s blog, I didn’t have a good sense for who authors the reviews or see much interaction going on with other users. I do understand the difficulty of assigning personal tastes/reviews to the library’s public image, but I think a more personal touch might help connect with users a bit more.
This was a great site to get some feedback on what patrons had to say about the library. I think a lot of this has to do with the nature of Yelp as a source of reviews and has less to do with specific actions taken by the library. The main negative statement was in regards to charging money to use the holds list, a policy that has since changed. Other positive highlights include the building itself, the peregrine falcons and helpful staff. I hope however that the librarians at the EPL have seen these reviews, because there were over 30 of them and almost all were quite positive. Nothing beats having patrons tell you that they like what you are doing!
It was also interesting during this assignment to see the large social network presence of the Branch Love movement which is struggling to keep the EPL’s South and North branches open despite large budget cuts.
Overall I was really impressed with EPL’s effort to engage with their patrons on various social networks. They also list many of the ways to connect with them right on their front page, which makes it easier for patrons to find them. The task or creating meaningful interaction can be quite difficult and I think they are making strong headway. One possible suggestion I would have would be to personalize some of the streams they are using such as Twitter and work at replying to some of the mentions/comments they get on their blog, etc. However I remained quite impressed not only to the range of networks they are involved with, but the skill they use in them. Both their blog and their Goodreads account are resources I plan on using long after this assignment. Great work EPL!
Research Proposal: The new school librarian
Like others have said I think my research paper ideas are still working themselves out, but this weekend I finally got my hands on This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson and I know that I want my paper to focus on that. In reading it I am struck by the many ways that librarians are finding ways to get ahead of the curve or at least be smack dab in the midst of the curve. Today’s librarians have adopted new viewpoints towards technology and the way that it shapes the service of librarianship.
So far (I am only 2/3 through the book) many of Johnson’s ideas discuss examples of academic and public librarians. However I am sure that there are may school librarians out there who are innovating in similar ways. For my paper I would like to explore the shifting definitions and stereotypes of librarians in the context of school libraries. I would like to include some possible interviews with school librarians who identify with this newer form of library/information science and look at the ways that school libraries can take on the challenges and successes discussed by Johnson.
Obviously I still have a lot of processing to do with this topic, but as always questions and comments are very welcome.
Social Networking
Blogging (Reading and Writing) – Identity/Conversations/Relationships
Facebook – Identity/Reputation
Flickr – Sharing/Groups
Goodreads – Sharing/Identity
Twitter – Conversations
Listed above are the main social networks I use in my daily life and an attempt to categorize them by Gene Smith’s Social Software Building Blocks. I also listed them in order of how long I have been using them (most recent addition is at the bottom). Some of them are newer than others, but blogging is by far the oldest. While I don’t belong to any specific blogging social networks, a number of close friends from college and I stay in contact primarily through blogs. Also in the past few years, several members of my extended family have started blogging, which have become a stronger connection to each other than either email or Facebook.
I definitely identified with Lindsay’s post about how the way she uses Facebook has evolved over the years. Lindsay says at one point that she posts differently to Facebook than she did in college and I think that reflects the way that many of us who grew up (at least to some extent) using these various social networking expect a level of flexibility and adaptability for our networks.
In reading the articles for this module, I was struck by how many of them revolved around using these networks professionally. I remember in our first weekend Michael talked about how he recommends having just one cohesive online presence in order to avoid fragmentation. This makes a lot of sense to me, and I dislike the idea of having to create multiple personas (i.e. a public and a private one). However I also struggle with trying to keep my different networks separate, because as I noted on the above list I use each of these networks differently. For example, I am quite okay with interacting with professional connections on Goodreads, Twitter, yet I also prefer to keep my blog private*. This isn’t due to the extreme nature of what I post (in fact most people would probably find it boring 
), but more to the idea that I use at as a place to write about my private life and connect to my real life friends and family.
Facebook and Flickr present more of a grey area for me because they both contain such a multitude of information about my life, going back to early college years. Judi Sohn recommends not posting photos on Facebook that you wouldn’t feel comfortable placing on your desk at work, which makes a lot of sense if you plan on connecting professional there. However I started using Facebook in college and while I have no photos on Facebook that are in any way illegal or explicit, I do have a lot of really goofy pictures there. Ones that I wouldn’t want to find splashed across my resume or heaven forbid framed on my desk at work. So while I enjoy making professional connections on some of my social networks, I struggle with how to create boundaries in my online life between private and public.** I guess my question is for those of you who have already been using some of these social networks earlier in life, how do you feel about the need to now use them professionally? Are there networks you want to keep private or do you feel okay about all of your online persona being used professionally?
*I mainly due this through blogging semi annonymously and googling myself everyonce in a while in order to see if anyone can find my blog that way. I also don’t link to it through any of my other social networks and so far this seems to work, but then again maybe I am just fooling myself into feeling a small amount of privacy in the very public forum of the Internet
**Or is that just a pipe dream considering the huge amount of interconnectedness and general public knowledge of most of these networks?
Born Digital: Context Book Report
Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser. Basic Books, New York: 2008.
Obviously this has been a very popular book in our class, so there have been a lot of good things said about it already. I picked this book because it seemed like it would give insight into school libraries and maybe help me understand the high students I work with everyday, a little better.
Divided into 12 sections, covering the range of issues we all face when interacting with the internet, Born Digital seeks to help explain a younger generation (Digital Natives) to an older generation (Digital Immigrants).
On page 109, Palfrey and Gasser make a point that sums up much of the book, “there’s an unnecessary technology gap between young people and many of their parents and teachers.” This gap can both put kids at greater risk and foster an irrational fear of technology among adults.
In other words, the younger generation can be more technological aware than older generations, yet also lack some of the larger life lessons that older generations have. However Palfrey and Gasser do a good job of pointing out how that stereotype can also be flipped on its head with Digital Natives having more understanding of good web behavior than we give them credit for and of course there are many Digital Immigrants who have achieved levels of technical knowledge that are higher than younger generations.
I think the biggest message from this book is summed up on page 274 in which Palfrey makes three points. First, the ways young people are interacting with information is changing rapidly. As librarians we too need to find ways to make our organizations more nimble and responsive. In this class we have talked a lot about change, its difficulties and its benefits, but in the end we need to find ways to adapt or this younger generation will quickly place us in the same category of networks they no longer use (Friendster, Napster, etc).
Second, digital natives are no longer as tied to one particular physical location, through the internet social circles can range all over the world. Yet libraries still need to find ways to create customized local places for teens. In other words the students at my high school, may have friends all over the world, but they still come to the same library every 8th period to work/chat/learn/etc.
And third, Palfrey says it well,
“There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the issues that we worry about–privacy, safety, piracy, overload, and so forth–the best and most enduring solutions are community-based efforts.”
If we ignore the knowledge that our students bring to our school libraries and the difficult technology questions, we will be missing out on a great number of potential ideas.
Hyperlinks and the library
“Conversations occur only between equals”
The above quote from chapter five “Hyperlinked Organization” of the Cluetrain Manifesto was one of my favorite concepts from this weeks readings. I love the idea of working in an organization that relies less on pre-conceived notions of authority and hierarchy and more on what actually works. However I am guessing for most of us, our own experiences in the working world (be those libraries, corporations or other experiences) are more of a mixed bag that still rely on a lot of top-down leadership. And obviously as exciting as the changes David Weinberger describes in his essay are, they are not going to be immediate or complete. Yet I know from my own experiences the more my manager/boss/supervisor does to make us seem like equals, the better communication is. I still remember how in one of my first “real working jobs” at a coffee shop I had a manager who instead of always assigning the least desired shifts (Friday and Saturday nights) to the baristas, would occasionally work those shifts herself or fill in if anyone needed to ask off. Knowing that I had a manager who was both fully capable of doing the same work that we “coffee peons” did and was actually willing to do favors for us made all of the barista staff much more engaged workers.
I think in someways this concept also applies to libraries and hyperlocal. We all want to feel connected and on equal footing with those around us. Knowing that I can create a blog about my town or contribute in other ways to the information generated by and about a specific community definitely increases my interest in getting connected. I especially liked the example given in the LJ Hyperlocal Library article of the Loudoun Public Library wiki page, what a great way for people to find and create information about their community!
Google Maps is the tool I use the most to find out information about local places and also my number one source for directions.
Making things less Opaque: Let’s hear it for transparency
Like Anne W pointed out in her post on Transparency the underlying theme of these articles seemed to be the importance of connecting honestly with users. In order to do so there must also be open communication within the organization itself. While it may be true that everyone can exhibit leadership regardless of their communication, I found Clive Thompson’s article on the value of openness at the top level of companies fascinating. As someone working at the bottom rung of my library, I have felt both the frustration of feeling unable to change or influence policy and also the huge difference it makes when my boss sits down with me to talk about new projects or ideas. Having systems in place within the staff (such as the vertical teams) where those kind of connection conversations take place make a huge difference in staff morale.
Another factor that I would love to see more of in my own library is getting user feedback. I can’t remember any time where our library has sought out our student users to get their opinion. While it is hard in school libraries to balance the needs of students, teachers and administrators, I think a good starting place is finding out how those different parties view the library. I would love to see our library work harder to make sure that the policies and systems we have in place are easy for students to understand and not cloaked behind the veil of “that’s the way we have always done that”.
Reaching Users
I started off my reading for the week with Nicholas Carr’s Is Google Making Us Stupid? Interestingly enough I actually chose to read the story in an old copy of the Atlantic that my library as opposed to the online version. With the heavy amount of reading I have every week, any chance I have to read off-screen is appreciated. My first reaction to Carr’s article was frustration and a inclination to write him off. Here was another middle-aged man bemoaning the fallen intelligence and general society of the “next generation”. If only we all went back to reading books, we would be better off and so much smarter. Yet as I continued to read, I was struck the point of his argument, that we need to be careful in the way we absorb information because the means can end up shaping the ends. And I actually did find myself agreeing with parts of his argument. I know I am definitely guilty of multi-tasking to the point of distraction, checking email in the midst of writing a blog post, or just clicking on link after link till I have a screen full of unread browser tabs.
However I do reject Carr’s argument that this tendency to absorb small parts of many things is inherently less helpful for humans, than absorbing one thing very deeply. If one thinks of the difference between a jack-of-all-trades and an expert electrician, the first may not actually know as much about how to re-wire a house, but she will be much handier when it comes time to unclog the toilet, or fix the small leak in the pipe. In the end I think there is a need for both kinds of knowledge and information-absorption in today’s world and, yes, Carr may be correct that we, as a society, are veering too far towards skimming. However to write off this kind of intelligence completely is also a mistake. I think Carr made an excellent point in his conclusion when he stated that he may indeed be overly worried about the state of information-absorption and its impact on the way we think. After all, inventions such as writing, the printing press and the typewriter have all been decried as the end of civilization as we know it, only to end up being the beginnings of intellectual revolutions. Yet I agree with Carr that the underlying transition towards incorporating artificial intelligence directly into the human mind is one that scares me too.
Week 2: Library 2.0 and Online catalogs
Jenny Levine’s article about the new possibilities for library’s online catalog was both exciting and timely. I just found out this week that my school library is finally getting a long overdue update to its Sirsi system. While it sounds like many of the decisions about the new system are already set, I was able to talk to both the cataloging librarian and the library administrator about the new catalog over lunch yesterday. It sounds like there might be some room for pushing for several of the tools that Levine highlighted such as book covers, links to both physical books and the digital collection and overall a much more user-friendly catalog. All too often I have seen kids switch away from the webcatalog during classes in the library out of frustration or confusion over the results to start looking in Google and Wikipedia. If our library wants to keep our quite extensive book collection at all relevant to our high school students one of the most important things we can change is the online catalog.
In reading both Michael Stephen’s tips for Librarian2.0s and John Blyberg’s 11 Reasons why Library 2.0 matters and exists the underlying thread I am left for is the importance of moving from the idea that libraries can keep on doing the same things we have always done and still survive. Yet at the same time the changes we have to make don’t need to be huge, don’t need to happen all at once and need to stem from internal shifts in the way we view our mission.
It feels like for a long time libraries played the role of “preservers of knowledge” and for many hundreds of years this was important. I am sure monks in their medieval libraries weren’t too worried about user experience and with good measure. Even in more recent history, when books were the primary way of communicating large volumes of information, librarians needed to excel at collecting, managing, organizing and preserving these books for the patrons. But with the huge increase in readily available information, libraries are no longer a source, but instead need to become facilitators. As Stephens points out librarians must focus on creating policies that are the least restrictive to user access as possible. Instead of keeping out food in order to protect our books from stains, we need to consider risking a few stains in order to attract more patrons. Instead of using web catalogs that rely only on the limited and rigid subject headings, we need to use catalogs that allow for more natural keyword language and contain multitudes of tags in order to maximize the ways patrons can access individual books.
Overall I find the concepts of library2.0 very exciting and in line with what my dream library would look like. But I doubt myself or any of us will end up working in our dream libraries, so in the end I think we will have to find ways to make small changes and keep an open mind to change during our careers as librarians.
Twitter, connections and lots of new ideas
Wow guys, what a crazy, wonderful, exhausting weekend. Because I tend to be a bit scattered in my thoughts (and even more so on pre-coffee Monday mornings) I figured I would write a list about some of my thoughts from this weekend.
- Along with several others, exploring twitter was definitely a highlight for me this weekend. While I have been using it for a while now, I was definitely missing the community aspect of it and I really enjoyed the chance to get to know all of my classmates in a much more intense way than other classes.
- Like others have said I also found my head swimming with ideas about different projects and tools to implement in my school library. A big one that I may be able to implement myself and with less bureaucratic tape is changing our signs. While none of our signs are quite as threatening as the ones from Michael’s slideshow, many of them tend to revolve around a list of no’s and don’ts. I would love to find ways to phrase them differently with a mind towards incorporating the concept of empathy.
- As a future school librarian I struggle a lot with finding ways to incorporate the themes of youth led services (like the video from denmark) while also including the role of classroom that is also a part of the school library experience. What can we do to encourage student participation and voice while also maintaining a high level of expectations and standards?
Well that is a smattering of my thoughts and I have to say I am really excited about this class and working with all of you during the coming weeks.
Info on the Header
The photo in my custom header is actually a photo I took of one of my Grandfather’s slides, hence the slightly poor quality and lines of concrete blocks in the background. I decided to use this picture for two reasons.
First I liked the classic feel of the open road and the image of a car headed off to the horizon. While a bit cliche, one of the things I am most excited about in regards to becoming a librarian is the huge amount of potential at this point. Libraries are facing a lot of crisis all around and in all fields, however there are also fascinating conversations and possibilities. Being involved with libraries is a great way for me to focus on the positives of living in the world of technology.
Second, I love photography and after viewing these old photos over the holidays, I was really thrilled to realized my Pappy also enjoyed capturing images. While our methods might be different, I like knowing that I am not the first one in my family to obsess over getting just the right photo.
Here is the full photo:
