Reaching Out with Social Software

Joy Weese Moll, librarian consultant, Washington University Libraries presented a program on Reaching Out with Social Software. It was a fun and informative class for novices and experts alike.

You can stop reading here if you like because her entire presentation is available on a wiki at: http://mlasocialsoftwarepresentation.pbwiki.com

Joy’s definition of social software was simply online tools for connection, communication and community. What I like about this definition is that embodies the best of what role our library should be playing in our community. She then broke down the presentation into five sections. My hyperlinking is not working so please excuse the listed websites, I’ll fix it when I get back home. I know, I know-it look’s totally 90’s.)

1. Wiki.
Defined: A website or similar online resource which allows users to add and edit content collectively. Interesting note here ‘wiki’ means quickly in Hawaiian. If you want to put up a quick wiki or just want to try it out, Joy recommends using pbwiki http://pbwiki.com

2. Blog
Defined: Rapidly updated web pages with the newest content at the top. If you read a lot of blogs the best way to keep up is with a RSS feeder. Bloglines (bloglines.com) or Google Reader (reader.google.com) was recommended.

3. Instant Messaging
Defined: Real-time communication with typed messages. The hip form of communication for those under 25 (email is for old people!!). Meebo (meebo.com) is a web-based service that can handle AIM, Yahoo, Google Talk, MSN.

4. Sharing Sites
Defined: Websites designed to allow users to share. Examples include del.icio.us (not delicious.com), Flickr (flicker.com), YouTube (youtube.com), Library Thing (librarything.com) and Good Reads (goodreads.com)

5. Online communities
Defined: Websites designed to foster communities of users around shared interests. Facebook (facebook.com), MySpace (myspace.com) , Live Journal (livejournal.com) , Ning (ning.com) and Twitter (twitter.com) were all discussed.

I did get a plug in for the conference blog and I know there is some action on Twitter. So, get out there and play around with these tools. It is so much fun and it is a great way to interact with your community. Joy had a few suggestions that really stuck out for me when it came to being a part of student’s lives.
-Be the person, not the institution.
-Be friendly and open. Do not overwhelm.

Jennifer, Springfield-Greene County Library

A great start to the 2007 conference!

The first day of a conference got off to a fabulous start with the keynote address by Nancy Pearl. Many others have already discussed her exceptional skill in pulling her audience into her speaking. The best words I can think of to describe her is master storyteller.

I attended the program What Makes a Book a National Book Award? Pat Gregory assembled this panel to celebrate Missouri librarians who have served on national book award committees. Each presenter talked about the award committees they have served on and what it was like to sit on the committee. Each one has a different way of operating but everyone gets a ton of books. The highest estimated total was 1300 books on the Newbery Award committee.

Each panelist made a point of saying that the chair for the committee makes all the difference in your experience and encouraged the audience to get involved on a national level for a rewarding professional experience. Awards discussed included Notable Books, Newbery Award, Caldecott Award, Coretta Scott King Award & the Sibert Award.

I also attended the program The First Amendment and Collection Development. The three panelists are directors around the state who discussed different challenges their library has faced recently. Titles included in the discussion: Blankets by Craig Thompson; Fun home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel and And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson. The panelists then provided elements that should be included in a collection development policy.

One recommended book for all librarians to be familiar with in this arena is The new inquisition : understanding and managing intellectual freedom challenges by James LaRue.