Session 5- Library Facebook Applications

This session was predominantly about Facebook as a tool for student-to-student interaction, facilitated by the library.

After heavy-duty research, speaker Joseph Ryan or NCSU Libraries told the audience that STUDENTS HATE FACEBOOK APPS!!!

So with that said, he took it upon himself (he and some co-workers) to find a way to use Facebook effectively.

Here are some of the notes for this session:

Library Facebook Applications

Objective of this session is to analyze and focus why Library Facebook Apps are so underutilized

Most used library app is at MAU with 139 active users.

NCSU has an Activity Wall
Students can update and post to this wall about study groups and meet-ups.

Focus Group done at NCSU
Some Dislikes from Focus Group
- Disliked Facebook apps
- Facebook is too noisy already
- Does it have to be an app?

Suggestions
- Students can use Facebook to post study group sessions
- Users may want to eliminate showing of names and pics
- Kiosk specifically for Facebook, increases usage
- Widget for library catalog and database search
- Lost and Found wall
- Wall of repeat offenders (this is funny) A “clean” Facebook message board for students to blast off about other students with bad library habits. No direct insults, just a venting session. Something fun to read, increases hits. Can be regulated and facilitated by librarians.
- Easy way for students to identify what courses they are in

Here's an example of a Facebook App for an online catalog:

From Computers in Libraries 2009 Conference

Well, day one is over. I'm going home now. I'm starving.

Blog ya tomorrow!

Session 4- What Have We Learned Lately About Library Users

What Have We Learned Lately about Academic Library Users

This session was geared toward researching HOW the user researches and weeding out useless search tools and methods in your library.


There was a research project done at the University of Maryland. The purpose of this research project was to monitor how and what users researched on their "primary" search or first search.

The speaker Daniel Wendling of University of Maryland Research Librarian was very animated and thinks that ALL academic libraries should conduct these type of extensive research projects. He says that it saves money, time and increases user comfort tremendously.

Here's some of my scattered notes from this session:

Session is about analyzing the way academic users research on the web

76% Academic users use Google as primary search (1st search) from home

Questions to ask when creating assessment
- How to describe information seeking behavior?
- What are the contemporary university students information-seeking behaviors?
- How do librarians play in these behaviors?
- What is the mental methodology of a contemporary student research patterns?

Demonstration of the application prototype at
www. Ponder-matic.com

Ways to improve researcher experience
- MTagging
- Library-based tagging tool
- Social networking tools
- Academic Bookmarking

From Computers in Libraries 2009 Conference

I thought this was very good information. Next session has started.....:)

Session 3- Moving the Library to the Clouds

This session was completely over my head. It was heavy on the IT terminology. The speakers Roy Tennant and Andrew Pace are Networking Program Directors for OCLC Research and Programs.

Here is my definition of Cloud Computing:)

From Computers in Libraries 2009 Conference

From what I could decipher the session was about "Cloud Computing". Here are some of the notes from that session:

Internet is a cloud-capability that is accessible and usable.

Cloud computing- style of computing which dynamically scalable and often virtual resources are provided over the internet.

- Infrastructure as a service
- Platform as a service
- Software as a service

Moving libraries to the clouds-means to move library applications, databases and all things to a network level.

Pay as you go, no need to have a local server.

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud-Pay for what you use

Cloud computing allows you to run off of your own network.

Cataloging
Allowing wiki-like editing in WorldCat records.

WorldCat Facebook Citations

Libraries Worldwide 1.2 million libraries worldwide
166 billion transactions per year

5,000 transactions per second

In laments terms I think this is a private, low cost way of networking library resources that can be easily manipulated and controlled by the library staff. I admit I was completely lost on this session. Lots of information thought.

We are on a coffee break, will post after that.

Session 2- Help Your Library Be Omnipresent without Spending a Dime

This session was fast and full of information. The speaker, Nina McHale or University of Colorado-Denver was very informative about widgets and "steal" codes for patrons.

Here are some of the notes on this session:

Embedded and Widget-ized Library

Creating Mobile Tools
Catalog iPhone App
Chat Widgets
iGoogle Gadgets

This is Ball State University of Indiana's Widget for students to add to their Facebook or Myspace. Cool, huh?!

From Computers in Libraries 2009 Conference

Steal This Code
Provide users with RAW html wherever they can cut and paste html (myspace, facebook, etc.)

Check with IT/Web department about putting RAW code out there for users.

Increase usage, doesn’t hurt because it connects to your proxy

Planning and Creating Tool
Decide what widget code chunks you want to offer
- Catalog
- Databases (with federated search product)
- Combo catalog and databases
- Web-based/IM chat

Examples:

Article Search for two top databases

Chat widget on front page for Professors and Librarians

Part II
Creating Mobile Content

mobiSiteGalore.com
Creates template for you as a mobile website

- Customized designs
- Add pages, widgets and tools

In laments terms (lol):

We can put our catalog and databases with federated search in a widget or app that patrons can add to there Facebook, Apple iPhone, Smartphones (Blackberry, Sprint Smartphones) to search for items and articles.

Also, she mentioned having a tutorial for Professors to be able to add widgets to the Blackboard pages for article and journal entry searches.

Hopefully, I'm not speaking in a foreign tongue, I can explain it if you need more info.

This was a cool session. At the end, her assistant broke out in song. He rewrites popular songs to "library" friendly songs. It was pretty funny.

At lunch now, so I will post after session 3.

Session 1- Website Redesign Pitfalls

Hey all,

This session was very interesting. The speaker Jeff Winseiekekkeke--- (he had a long last name) is a Web Services librarian at the University of Pittsburg.

From Computers in Libraries 2009 Conference

The primary focus of this session was to avoid wasting valuable time and money redesigning a library website.

He mentioned excellent points about the main "pitfalls" that the Web designer will run into.

Here are a few:
- Failing to account for assessment time & effort
- Spend your money where the water is – Identify heavy user services, biggest return of investment
- Not knowing enough about old website before redesign
- Losing page rank
- Proceeding without consensus on goals
- Proceeding with TOO MUCH consensus- avoid death by committee
- Design constituencies and INCLUDE them in the process
- Thinking inside the box (think about CMS, Blog, Wiki alternatives)

These are interesting points, especially since one day we may redesign the Swilley Library website.

Well, next session is starting, gotta go!!
I will post again after next session is over.