#15 - On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0

Library 2.0 is a term used to describe a new set of concepts for developing and delivering library services. The name, as you may guess, is an extension of Web2.0 and shares many of its same philosophies and concepts including harnessing the user in both design and implementation of services, embracing constant change as a development cycle over the traditional notion of upgrades, and reworking library services to meet the users in their space, as opposed to ours (libraries).


Many have argued that the notion of Library 2.0 is more than just a term used to describe concepts that merely revolve around the use of technology; it also a term that can be used to describe both physical and mindset changes that are occurring within libraries to make our spaces and services more user-centric and inviting. Others within the profession have asserted that libraries have always been 2.0: collaborative, customer friendly and welcoming. But no matter which side of the debate proponents fall, both sides agree that libraries of tomorrow, even five or ten years from now, will look substantially different from libraries today.

Discovery Resources:

• OCLC Next Space Newsletter – Web 2.0: Where will the next generation of the web it take libraries?
• Five Perspectives from the OCLC Next Space Newsletter:
  Away from Icebergs
  Into a new world of librarianship
  To more powerful ways to cooperate
  To better bibliographic services
  To a temporary place in time
• Links to more discussions can be located through the list of references at the bottom of the Library 2.0 page in Wikipedia
• A great video that illustrates the Web 2.0 phenomenon can be viewed here.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Read two or three of the perspectives on Library 2.0 from the list above.


2. Create a blog post about your thoughts on any one of these? Library 2.0 - It's many things to many people. What does it mean to you?

# 14 - Getting not so technical with Technorati

So now that you’ve been blogging for a while, you might be wondering just how big the blogosphere is.

Well, according to Technorati, the leading search tool and authority for blogs, the number of blogs doubles just about every 6 months. On July 31, 2006, Technorati tracked its 50 millionth blog.

Yes, these numbers are astounding, but as you’ve already seen for yourselves, blogging is so easy that these publishing tools are being taken advantage of by almost every industry, including libraries. So how does a person get their blog listed as part of the blogosphere and how can you tag your posts with keywords to make them more findable through a Technorati search?

The answer to the first question is that your blog is probably already being captured by Technorati due to the fact that you're already using Blogger, the most popular blogging tool. But if you want to join the party and have your blog officially listed on Technorati and also take advantage of the watchlist and other features, you’ll need to claim your blog yourself.

As for tagging posts with Technorati tags? This is easy, too. All you need to do is add a little bit of HTML code to the bottom of your post (see my example below) and Technorati will pick up these tags when it spiders (or web crawls) your site. There are a lot of new features that have been added to Technorati including new ways to search for blogs.


You can search for keywords in blog posts, search for entire blog posts that have been tagged with a certain keyword, or search for blogs that have been registered and tagged as whole blogs about a certain subject (like photography or libraries).


Discovery Resources:

• Technorati Tour – videocast of new features & new lookTechnorati Popular feature

Discovery Exercise:

1. Take a look at Technorati and try doing a keyword search for “Learning 2.0” in Blog posts, in tags and in the Blog Directory. Are the results different?


2. Explore popular blog, searches and tags. Is anything interesting or surprising in your results?


3. Create a blog post about your discoveries on this site.

OPTIONAL:


If you're up for a challenge, learn how to tag your posts by with Technorati tags so they can join tag searches.

You may also want to consider claiming your blog and creating a watchlist.NOTE: When adding HTML code, you'll want to make sure you're in Blogger's Edit HTML window

# 13 - Tagging, folksomonies & socail bookmarking

Tagging is an open and informal method of categorizing that allows users to associate keywords with online content (webpages, pictures & posts). Unlike library subject cataloging, which follows a strict set of guidelines (i.e.Library of Congress subject headings), tagging is completely unstructured and freeform, allowing users to create connections between data anyway they want.


In the past few weeks, we’ve already explored a few sites – Flickr and LibraryThing to name two --that allow users to take advantage of tagging.

This week we want to take a look at a popular social bookmarking site called Del.icio.us (keyed in as http://del.icio.us/) Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking manager which allows you to bookmark a web page and add tags to categorize your bookmarks. Many users find that the real power of Del.icio.us is in the social network aspect, which allows you to see how other users have tagged similar links and also discover other websites that may be of interest to you.

You can think of it as peering into another users’ filing cabinet, but with this powerful bookmarking tool each user's filing cabinet helps to build an expansive knowledge network. For this discovery exercise, you are asked to take a look at Del.icio.us and learn about this popular bookmarking tool.


Discovery Resources:

• Us.ef.ul: A beginners guide to Del.icio.us


• Several Habits of wildly successful Del.icio.us users


• Social Bookmarking in Plain English: Another Commoncraft Youtube video which explains Del.icio.us in user friendly terms.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Take a look around Del.icio.us using the PLCMCL2 account that was created for this exercise. Note: In this account you will find lots of resources that have been highlighted or used throughout the course of the Learning 2.0 program.


2. Explore the site options and try clicking on a bookmark that has also been bookmarked by a lot of other users. Can you see the comments they added about this bookmark or the tags that they used to categorize this reference?


3. Create a blog post about your experience and thoughts about this tool. Can you see the potential of this tool for research assistance, or is it just as an easy way to create bookmarks that can be accessed from anywhere?

OPTIONAL:


If you’re up to the challenge, create a Del.icio.us account for yourself and discover how this useful bookmarking tool can replace your traditional browser bookmark list. You might even want to explore Del.icio.us’ latest addition, a network badge.

# 12 - Roll your own search engine

Listen to this podcast [1:32]--> http://www.odeo.com/quicklist/entry/1750730-L20-Roll-your-own-search-engine

Do you have a group of websites that are your favorites? Or a set of similar online resources that you frequently use to answer homework or reference questions?

Well Rollyo may be the tool for you. Rollyo allows you to create your own search tool for just the websites you know and trust. Take a look at some of these search rolls that have already been created:

• Public Domain e-Books Search


• Rare Book Library Search


• Free Photos


• Quick Quotes


• Explore other rolls here.

Discovery Exercise:

1. Explore Rollyo and create an account for yourself.


2. Create a search roll for any subject you like.


3. Create a post in your blog about your experience and link to your search roll. Can you see a potential use for tools like this?

OPTIONAL:

Add your searchroll to your blog

1. Go to Rollyo athttp://www.rollyo.com/


2. Click on DASHBOARD


3. Scroll down the page and click on SEARCHBOX


4. Put the name and URL of your blog in the place provided


5. Click on the search rolls you want and click on the > arrow to transfer them into the into selected SEARCHBOX ROLLS box


6. Go to STYLE and select the type of Rollyo icon you want (it will preview your selection)


7. Go to the COPY AND PASTE CODE BOX. Highlight all the code that is in the box and copy it to your clipboard (highlight the code, go to edit on the toolbar and select copy OR hold down the Crtl key and click the C key at the same time)


8. Sign into your blog and go to the dashboard


9. Go to template


10. Select Add and arrange page elements


11. From this page select HTML/JAVA SCRIPT and click Add to Blog


12. This will lead you to a page that has a space to put a) Title b) Contents


13. Key in a title (Such a rollyo)


14. Cut and paste the html contents you have copied into the CONTENTS. Do this by going to Edit on the toolbar and selecting paste OR hold the Ctrl Key on the keyboard down and click on the V key at the same time


15. Click on SAVE CHANGES.


16. Preview your blog and the rollyo search should be on the template down the side of the page

# 11 - All about LibraryThing

Listen to this podcast [1:52]-->http://www.odeo.com/quicklist/entry/1750780-LibraryThing


Are you a book lover or cataloger at heart? Or do you enjoy finding lost and forgotten gems on the shelf to read?

Then LibraryThing may be just the tool for you.

Developed for booklovers, this online tool not only allows you to easily create an online catalog of your own, it also connects you to other people who have similar libraries and reading tastes.
Add a book to your catalog by just entering the title -- it’s so easy that you don’t even need MARC record training to do it – to connect with other users through your similar reading tastes.

There are lots of ways to use LibraryThing:

• You can even view your books on a virtual shelf,


• add a widget (see sidebar as an example) to display titles that are in your catalog


• install a LT Search box on your blog.

So why not join the ranks and create your own library online. With over 65,000 registered users(BTW: LibraryThing also has group forum for librarians) and over 4.7 million cataloged books you're bound to discover something new.

Discovery Resources:

• About LibraryThing


• Library Thing tour


• LibraryThing blog (updates & news)

Discovery Exercise:

1. Take a look around LibraryThing and create an account.


2. Add a least 5 books to your library.


3. Blog about your findings and be sure to link to your LibraryThing catalog.

# 10 - Play around with image generators

Listen to this podcast [1:00]--> http://www.odeo.com/quicklist/entry/1642480-Image-Generators-are-Fun

Generators? No, I’m not talking about those gas powered back-up things. The generators I’m talking about allow you to easily manipulate images and graphics to create fun images like these:

For this discovery exercise, I just want you to have fun.

Find a few fun image or text generators to play around with and write a post in your blog about one of your favorites and display the result.

Often adding the image you mocked up to your blog is as simple as copying and pasting the code that the page provides.

If not, you may just need to right click on the image and then save it to your hard drive before using Blogger’s image button to add it to your post. If you’re having difficulty getting your image added to a post in your blog, ask a co-worker for help.

Discovery Resources:

• The Generator Blog


• Letter James


• FD Toys

Also try searching for online generators, text generators or image generators!

Discovery Exercise:

1. Play around with some image generators and find one that you like.


2. Post the result of your discovery process in your blog.

Note: Be sure to include a link to the image generator itself, so other participants can discover it too.So take some time and have fun with this exercise.

Learning 2.0 ....discovering web 2.0 technologies through PLAY!

# 9 - Finding feeds

Listen to this podcast [3:08]-->http://www.odeo.com/episodes/1460451-Finding-Feeds


Now that you have a newsreader (your Bloglines account), you can begin adding other newsfeeds that interest you.

There are several ways you can locate newsfeeds:

• When visiting your favorite websites -- look for news feed icons that indicate the website provides it. Often a feed icon will be displayed somewhere in the navigation bar of the site. (Here's an image that contains a sampling of several feed icons).
• Use Blogline's Search tool - Bloglines recently expanded search tool lets you search for news feeds in addition to posts, citations and the web. Use the Search for Feeds option to locate RSS feeds you might be interested in.

Other Search tools that can help you find feeds:

• Feedster - One of the largest collections of RSS feeds, Feedster lets you search for feeds in three categories: news, blogs & podcasts


• Topix.net - This search tool allows you to locate recent newsfeed items based upon keyword or phrase searching. The tool focuses specifically on news and media outlet RSS feeds for information, not weblogs.


• Google Blog search - This is still in BETA mode, but appears to be a good search tool


• Technorati - Technorati is a popular blog finding tool that lets you search for blogs. Since RSS feeds are inherent to all blogging tools, Technorati Blog Search can help you find RSS feeds for topic specific blogs you may be interested in.

Additonal Resource: Technorati Tutorial on finding and adding your blog

Discovery Excercise:

1. Explore some of the search tools noted above that can help you locate some news feeds.


2. Create a blog post about your experience. Don't know what to blog about? Here are some questions to think about :Which method of finding feeds did you find easiest to use? Which Search tool was the easiest for you? Which was more confusing? What kind of useful feeds did you find in your travels? Or what kind of unusual ones did you find? What other tools or ways did you find to locate newsfeeds?

Extra stuff to explore


Some of the databases your library subscribes to have RSS feed alerts. Ebsco ANZ Reference Centre is an example of this.

To subscribe to a RSS feed for a specific journal using Ebsco

• Go to Ebsco ANZ Reference Centre
• Click on NEW FEATURES
• From this screen tick the ALERTS box. This will embed an RSS icon against the publications list
• Find a journal your would like to subscribe to (eg Australian Library Journal)
• Follow the instructions to put RSS feed into your bloglines accountYou may like to explore what other databases have a similar feature.

# 8 - Make life really simple with RSS & Newsreader

Listen to this podcast --> http://www.odeo.com/episodes/1350430-Make-life-simple-with-RSS

You’ve heard of RSS? You’ve seen those small funny tags on websites?

You’ve heard co-workers and acquaintances swear by it, but still have no idea what RSS is?

Well don’t worry, according to a recent survey you’re still in the majority, but this is changing rapidly.
In the information world, RSS is not only revolutionalizing the way news, media and content creators share information, but it also is swiftly changing the way everyday users are consuming information. RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and is a file format for delivering regularly updated information over the web. Just think about the websites and news information sources you visit every day. It takes time to visit those sites and scour the ad-filled and image-heavy pages for just the text you want to read, doesn’t it?

Now imagine if you could visit all those information sources and web pages in just one place and all at the same time … without being bombarded with advertising… without having to search for new information on the page you’d already seen or read before… and without having to consume a lot of time visiting each site individually.

Would that be valuable to you?

Well, it’s available now through a newsreader and RSS. This week’s discovery exercises focus on learning about RSS news feeds and setting up a Bloglines account (a free online newsreader) for yourself to bring your feeds together.

Discovery Resources:

• CNET Video: RSS – Feel the Need for Feeds (3:32) – a good over view of what RSS is and the benefits to users.


• Feed Me: A gentle introduction to Internet feedsa good tutorial from Palinet, a library cooperative


• Using Bloglines Tutorial (how to keep up with dozens of blogs everyday) This online tutorial walks you through how to setup a Bloglines account and add newsfeeds.Follow Steps 1 to 3 to set up your Bloglines account. Steps 4 – 9 are optional and cover how to subscribe to different types of feeds (podcasts, Flickr albums, etc)


• Adding RSS Feeds to Bloglines A short YouTube video that I created showing how to add feeds.


• Additional Bloglines news feed subcription information


• RSS in Plain English: A simple and user friendly overview of RSS created by Commoncraft Video on Youtube.

Discovery Exercise:

Follow the discovery resources above to learn more about RSS and newsreaders then:

1. Create a free online Bloglines account for yourself and subscribe to at least 10 newsfeeds to your reader. See Using Bloglines Tutorial steps 1-3 for instructions.


2. Subscribe to several of your co-workers' feeds. This is as easy as typing the blog URL into the subscribe field in Bloglines. Or go to your friends' blogs, click on the 'subscribe' or 'atom' button at the bottom of the page. Try it, it's easy!


3. Then try adding a few other types of news feeds from news sources (you may like to select a couple from the list below)
   Read alert - the SLV blog about youth literature
   SLV RSS feeds available to their website
   Recent Australian publications - through Libraries Australia
   ALIA website
   Library Bytes
   Unshelved - Library cartoon feed


4. Create a post in your blog about this exercise. Don’t know what to blog about? Think about these questions: What do you like about RSS and newsreaders? How do you think you might be able to use this technology in your work or personal life? How can libraries use RSS or take advantage of this new technology?

If you're up to the challenge, you can provide the URL address to your public bloglines account (find where to find this below).

How to find your public Bloglines URL:

• Click on the Share tab within your Bloglines account
• Scroll down the right screen pane and locate the public URL
  Be sure to add this as part of your post to demonstrate your completion of this activity.

Why make your RSS feeds public?Try to think where a public account may be useful. ie: sharing with a group of people with the same interest, sending information to specific types of clients, etc...


PS: Once you tackle this discovery exercise, you've tackled the most difficult one of the whole 23 : )