Jessamyn West on librarian.net has a thoughtful discussion about why libraries should be socially networking. She mentions popular tools such as flickr, facebook and twitter, with helpful links to the ways in which some libraries are using them and recommends that all libraries should be offering 23 Things to help their staff get up to speed with the technology.
Sarah Houghton-Jan, the Librarian in Black has posted about Google Book Search API: LibraryThing and libraries grab it right up.
Google has released a new API that allows easy linking into any of the books included in Google Book Search. It's called "the Books Viewability API" and lets you more easily embed links to books on your own website. As an example, Google pointed to the Deschutes Public Library that uses "preview this book at Google" links in their catalog (here's an example). Tim at LibraryThing used the API immediately to fold Google Book Search content into LibraryThing results and has also released code that lets you fold Google book covers into your catalog too. Ooooh, sweet open goodness.
Does this mean that our library can use this feature instead of subscribing to Syndetics?
Libraries all over the world have adopted web 2.0 principles as a way of connecting with their users promoting their services. In my new role as Management & Business Librarian I am pleased to see that many businesses are also seeing the benefits of the new approach to knowledge management through openness and discussion in blogs, wikis and online chat. This may have been happening for some time but I have only recently become aware of it through scanning more business journals. An example is this report from FUMSI seen on FreePint.
"Web 2.0 + Intranet: Connected Users"
The buzz on Web 2.0 applications in the workplace is nearly deafening, but how are companies really putting all that user generated content to work? Helen Day gives a view of how BT uses discussion forums, blogs, RSS feeds and wikis of Web 2.0 on their corporate intranet.
Now if only I could persuade College management to read similar articles and become aware that Web 2.0 is not just another distraction ...
One of the ideas proposed by Michael Stephens was that libraries should be making active use of web 2.0 applications. This holds the same for all businesses and is another way of looking at how we are advertising ourselves. BusinessWeek Talks Widgets, reported by ILibrarian, discusses several article about using some of these applications for social marketing campaigns.
We seem to be very inept in marketing ourselves and should take note of what can be achieved by making use of the available technology. If you can send me examples of how your library is doing it I'd be pleased to post them here.
