Welcome to Libraries, Librarians & Library 2.0, an analysis of how libraries and librarians have adapted Library 2.0 technologies to their activities. I’ve subtitled my blog “Assessing the Reality,” but a better one might be “Libraries, Librarians, and Library 2.0: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” In this blog, I intend to cast a critical eye on libraries that have made efforts to embrace the social networking aspects of Web 2.0.

I think that many libraries are scrambling to keep up with the exponential changes brought about by new technologies. There is considerable debate about whether librarians should embrace Web 2.0 or not (see the next post for more on the debate).

What exactly is Library 2.0?

Who really knows? Yet it’s one of the most controversial aspects of librarianship in the early 21st century.

In essence, we can say that Library 2.0 is the adaptation of Web 2.0 technologies to enhance the library’s image and, in turn, increase their circulation/entrance figures. I like the following quote on the subject because it at least admits that part of this embracing of technology is reactionary:

Library 2.0 simply means making your library’s space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives … to make the library a destination and not an afterthought (my emphasis).

- Sarah Houghton, Librarian in Black.

The last time I checked my local library, it seemed pretty busy to me. But then again, my “system” (the Vancouver Public Library) has embraced Library 2.0. Which raises the question: How do we measure the impact of these media?

It’s hard to say how many libraries have joined the Library 2.0 bandwagon. For a list of some that have, please see “The List” which has links to libraries using 2.0 compiled by my Professor, Dr. Mary Sue Stephenson.

But just how well are libraries and librarians doing with these new social media? Sometimes (like Vancouver Public Library’s MySpace), the results are ridiculously atrocious. Some, like the British Library, have decided to join the world of YouTube, perhaps to reach out to a younger audience. The BL’s video is interesting, but alas, not too many YouTubers have viewed it.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on Libraries, Librarians & Library 2.0. I think you’ll find that I’m a bit of a sceptic (hence the “library two point zero” moniker). Then again, these technologies are new and we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water. I hope you enjoy the ride, and feel free to add your thoughts to mine.

mfm999

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

STUDENTS AT LANGARA COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN VANCOUVER ENJOYING THEIR NEW ENVIRONMENTALLY “GREEN” LIBRARY. SADLY, THE LIBRARY IS THE ONLY SPACE ON CAMPUS WITH WIRELESS ACCESS.

 

“A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING LIBRARIANSHIP—THE SPECTRE OF LIBRARY 2.0.” — the Annoyed Librarian

After reading the Annoyed Librarian’s rant, “A Librarian’s Anti-2.0 Manifesto, I wanted to balance it with something pro-manifesto. As I wanted to jazz up my blog a bit, I went to YouTube to see what might be available (there’s always something available on YouTube). Eventually I came across this pro-manifesto video:

 

That’s a lot of “I wills” for the average librarian to commit to.

It seems to me that this librarian, Laura Cohen, drank the whole pitcher of Kool-Aid at the Burning Man festival in the desert and then forgot to get back to her library.

Now, let’s take a closer look at Libraries, Librarians & Library 2.0 around the world. We’ll start in Canada:

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

FIRST EDITION COVER, 1953. Source: Wikipedia

My sister-in-law’s grandparents live in Fonthill, Ontario and well, I had no idea that their library was so on top of things. Fahrenheit 451: Freedom to Read is an extremely interesting and generally well-written blog on the topic of intellectual freedom.

FAHRENHEIT 451

IS THE TEMPERATURE

AT WHICH BOOK PAPER BURNS

The blog’s banner reads: “A discussion on censorship through the Pelham Public Library, Fonthill Ontario. Take the ‘Banned Book Challenge’.” What is a ‘Banned Book Challenge’? The library asks its patrons (or virtual patrons, as the case may be), to set a goal of reading x number of banned books between February 24 (Freedom to Read Week in Canada) and June 30. Stumped as to what to read? The blog has an extensive list of books available at the Pelham Public Library, plus 198 additional resources from LibraryThing.

I really like this site. For such a small community to be so proactive is a joy to see. The links are easy to navigate, the design is clear and clean, and the passion for the topic obvious. Using Bradbury’s novel as the blog name works for me—it conjures up images of the past (Hitler-jugend glee at mass book bonfires) and the possible future (ahh … Julie Christie!).

NAZI BOOK BURNING, BERLIN, 1933-05-10. Source: Wikipedia

The blog is actually better looking than the library’s website. The PPL’s homepage does have a link to the blog, but the blog may be losing customers who haven’t a clue as to what “Fahrenheit 451″ refers to. I like the blog’s PDFs of challenged books, which are great one-page summaries of some of these “controversial” tomes. However, only the 2006 list includes author names; I’d suggest that a better bibliography would facilitate searching and encourage more people to take the “Challenge.”

BOTTOM LINE: Very good. A wonderful use of Library 2.0 technology that is very focused on one area of librarianship. Stimulating stuff. My congratulations to those keeping the blog current and relevant.

  

POSTER FOR FAHRENHEIT 451 (1966). Source: Films de France

 

“Since I’m a library person—I’ve never made it to college, you see—I’m self-educated in the library, so anything that touches the library touches me.”

– Ray Bradbury on the inspiration for Fahrenheit 451

SOURCE: “The Novel: A Discussion with Author Ray Bradbury.” Fahrenheit 451. 1966. 112 min. Directed by François Truffaut. Universal. DVD.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

TPL surely has one of the ugliest logos around; especially for a city at the “centre of the universe” (that’s a Canadian thing for international readers) that sees itself as a trend-setting city (at least in Canada!). According to Wikipedia, “The Toronto Public Library is the largest public library system in Canada and the second busiest (by number of visits) in the world after the Hong Kong Public Library … In terms of circulation, the TPL is the largest in North America—over 1/3 busier than Queens Borough Public Library in New York (19 million circulated items).” So TPL is big, but what about quality?

TPL’s website is pretty bad, too (compare it with the recently redesigned Vancouver Public Library’s site). Moreover, TPL’s homepage says that the organization made improvements to its catalogue and website last week. I can’t imagine what it was like before if this is an “improvement.”

Nothing Library 2.0-ish jumps out from the homepage. So let’s check the link to “RAMP for Youth” as that might offer us something. Oh yes. There’s an “Express Yourself” link there. That must be it. No, nothing jumps out there either. This website is a mess, in my humble opinion. Under the “Drama Gallery” heading I see something called “Movie Magic: Movies Made by Teens.” Here is “Guests of War” by torontopopcorn, which ties in with the Kit Pearson trilogy:

Well, I suppose that’s cool if you’re a teen. However, the library itself (unlike the British Library or VPL) does not have a YouTube account.

TPL’s MYSPACE PROFILE: SO WHAT?

Finally, I see that MySpace and Facebook are part of TPL’s Library 2.0 strategy. Finding these links was difficult. The MySpace presence is here and the Facebook, here. TPL’s Facebook profile only has 53 “friends,” so it seems as though it is not the most popular kid at school.

The MySpace page says that RAMP is “Male, 88 years old, Toronto, Ontario Canada.” He’s also a Capricorn, if that interests you. That doesn’t seem too inviting to youth, does it? Their last login (as of 2008-04-10) was on February 27. So, who is checking messages? No one, it appears. RAMP has only five friends, so he’s even less popular on this social network than on Facebook. No one has made a comment to the MySpace profile, either. The MySpace blog for RAMP hasn’t been updated since January.

BTW, I was curious about that name, RAMP, so I fired off an email to the helpful virtual reference librarians in Toronto. Their response:

“Ramp, Toronto Public Library’s youth gateway, is not an acronym. The name was selected by teens because it evokes a sense of forward movement, excitement and exploration.” It’s nice that teens were actively engaged in naming their gateway.

As I was having so much difficulty finding Library 2.0 elements at TPL, I decided to fire off another question to their Answerline:

Just another quick question (I am a Library & Info Science student at UBC): what Library 2.0 media is TPL using? I notice that you have Facebook and MySpace profiles. Anything else? BTW, I see Ramp is sometimes RAMP in all caps. Which do you prefer?

Many thanks, once again.

Michael

Here’s what that fuzzy screenshot (I want to immortalize it, so I’m putting it in my blog) says:

Thank you for getting back to us.

We’re unfamiliar with the term “Library 2.0″ … perhaps you intended “Web 2.0″? If so, the Library does have internal bulletin boards and RSS feeds for staff, but the closest things we have so far for patrons are:

- RAMP bulletin boards (RAMP is indeed all caps): http://rampdiscuss.tpl.toronto.on.ca/webx 
- online book discussions: http://bookbuzzdiscussion.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ 

There are download services the Library subscribes to (noted on http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ebk_index.jsp), but one might not consider these to be “Web 2.0″ services … although exactly what “Web 2.0″ is is a bit nebulous.

In any case, we hope this helps.

Toronto Public Library

=================================================
Answerline
Toronto Public Library, Research and Reference Division
416-393-7131
You have questions? We have answers. Give us a call.
=================================================

I’m beginning to think that if professional librarians don’t know what Library 2.0 is, then I don’t either.

“Nebulous,” indeed. Which brings me back to my main point: are we as librarians scrambling to keep pace with the “Digital Native” generation? Is the Google Generation indeed laughing at our feeble attempts to embrace their culture? Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, but as a report about Library 2.0 from the UK states: ”How much libraries want to engage with these technologies should be dictated by strong, local business cases supported by the needs and demands of their public” (my emphasis).

If we are to engage in the new social media, then we ought to have clear objectives and make our social networks the best they can be. This includes excellence in design, content, relevancy, and currency. Sometimes having nothing is better than having something if it’s not well thought out. It seems to me that we as a profession are having some trouble adopting, and adapting to, these new social environments.

BOTTOM LINE: Very Bad. Not only is it extremely difficult to find any Library 2.0 elements at TPL, when one does find them, they aren’t really worth the time. I wrote TPL’s Answerline because I thought it quite possible that I missed something during the two hours I spent (wasted, really), trying to find them. Compared to little Fonthill, Ontario, just a couple of hours south of Toronto, I think TPL needs to either get on the Library 2.0 bandwagon or just give up on it completely. Fonthill has applied Library 2.0 judiciously, and has focused its efforts into a great blog that is stimulating and creative. In contrast, TPL is a dog’s breakfast of nothing.

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Vancouver Public Library has embraced Library 2.0. The library’s portal offers a link to videos posted on YouTube and, with a little bit of digging, one can find a MySpace profile and other Library 2.0 features.

Let’s start with the MySpace profile and get that out of the way. One has to wonder how this could possibly influence anyone to all of a sudden decide that VPL is cool and hip. Anthropomorphizing the library as a “person” seems strange, at least to me. Do we really need to know that VPL is a 26-year-old female in a relationship? What does that mean? What does the featured video have to do with anything? VPL’s “interests” are equally baffling. Here we have a list of links that might be of interest to the Google Generation: music, manga, and movies. Whoever established this “space” is not keeping it very current, either: the last time it was edited was way back in September 2007 (the profile was created in 2006). The “blog” attached to this profile hasn’t been updated for almost a year and includes exactly two posts, both concerning job searches, which may be of interest to some MySpacers. However, all in all, the MySpace profile for VPL seems rather tragic to me. In fact, if I were in charge of things, I’d have it taken off the Web.

This year, VPL did a major redesign and overhaul of its website. I’m a huge fan: it’s crisp, modern, and easy to navigate. However, others must find it a bit of a challenge, so the library has decided to post four tutorial videos on their website and YouTube (the library just joined YouTube a couple of weeks ago, so its menu of Library 2.0 options seems to be increasing rapidly). These instructional videos include: Getting to Know the New Site; Digging Deeper; Electronic Resources; and Research on the New Site.

Here’s the first one:

Pretty fuzzy, eh? That’s a pretty crappy screencast. I thought my eyes were going wonky from my Internet addiction and the hours I need to spend online just in order to become a librarian. Nonetheless, the YouTube logo on VPL’s website does jump out and will probably grab those who are interested in visual learning. It’s just too bad the quality is so poor. Also, the YouTube version of “Research” cuts out after 22 seconds (the VPL site’s version also cuts out early, but lasts for 2:36.

Under the Find Books, DVDs & More …  link, VPL offers patrons the option of sharing their thoughts on the following social networks: del.icio.us; DiggAdd; Ma.gnolia; StumbleUpon; and Technorati. These networks are described in brief blurbs on the Research Guides link. I suppose this would be useful and interesting to some, just not me.

Who has time for all these new social media? Certainly not this grad student.

I thought that the library already had RSS feeds for New, Popular & Recommended Books and DVDs, but, according to one page, that feature “will be available soon.” (Note: this has changed since I published this post; I think the response time for fixing this “electronic glitch” was pretty good). RSS Feeds at Vancouver Public Library offers concise explanations of RSS and how to subscribe, including DVDs and Popular Fiction.

It seems that, recently, VPL has been adding new Library 2.0 features every other week.

I think this is one library that is just now catching up with Web 2.0 and, overall, doing a pretty good job of it. I’m a fan.

BOTTOM LINE: Good. I find it difficult to criticize a past employer. I truly love VPL and think that it is moving in the right direction with integrating Library 2.0 features into its electronic world. With the glaring exception of the MySpace space and a few minor electronic hiccups, all is well in VPL-landia. 

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

“From Bones to Bytes” is the British Library’s first foray into the world of YouTube and perhaps, by extension, Library 2.0. The British Library posted this—the sole video in their account—on October 29, 2007. Neither the account nor the video seem too popular: it has zero subscribers and only had 105 views as of today. Not one of those 105 viewers has deemed the video worthy of comment (perhaps I should write something there to get the comments flowing!).

Anyway, three cheers for the British Library for actually posting this promotional plug for its new home.

The library and its website bill themselves as “The World’s Knowledge.”

I thought that tag belonged to Wikipedia, but I guess the librarians at the BL think that they have all the world’s knowledge in their new home (at least all the world’s knowledge published in Britain), and we’ll let them continue with this bit of false advertising.

Overall, this is a great video for the library’s image. I can imagine that the old British Library was a rather stodgy place, where Marx hung out and wrote Das Kapital. This is a new era and the BL has a new home, so drumming up some support for it entails a certain amount of “dumbing down” the message. The presenter (love that British word), Tim Campbell, won the BBC’s version of “The Apprentice,” so I suppose he would be well known over the pond and is an aspirational figure. He does a good job of making the library seem like a fun place in which to hang out. In a very subtle way, he invites us to this treasure house with phrases such as: “All sorts of people use the British Library … and it’s all for free.” He sounds particularly proud of the eleven reading rooms that “cover every subject … even newspapers and comics.” In case those antiquarian things called books should turn off the digital-age viewer, Mr. Campbell is quick to point out that, “In fact, loads of what the library does is on the Web.”

 

THE WORLD’S KNOWLEDGE? REALLY! GREAT LOGO; MEDIOCRE WEBSITE. THE WORLD’S HOMEPAGE IS A BIT CROWDED FOR MY TASTE. THEN AGAIN, IT COULD JUST BE MY BROWSER.

The library does a great job of selling itself as a so-called “Third Space.” Mr. Campbell says: “It’s a stunning place architecturally and a cool environment with a café where you can network, a WiFi zone (only a zone?), and shop full of gifts and books. That pretty much covers the details of a great destination space: culture, food, shopping, and Internet all under one roof.

As for the collection, the video points out the enormous range of material available (”All for free!”), including some one hundred and fifty million items “at last count.” As the presenter says, “that’s one serious collection.” He then goes on to point out that there is a serious side to all this material, and that visitors must follow some basic food and drink and coat policies.

I found it interesting that the BL does not have library cards. Rather, it has what it calls a Reader Pass. Nomenclature is important; having a Reader Pass sounds so much more, well, prestigious, than a simple library card. And reading is something that both the old fogies and the Google Generation do, albeit with different media

BOTTOM LINE: Good. On first view, I missed the oracle bones of the video’s title (which didn’t seem to make much sense at first). If a library is going to post something to YouTube, I think the proper tagging is important. Perhaps the library should have used “The British Library: From Bones to Bytes” as the name of the video (that would help searching for it, at least). Finding the video from the BL’s website was a bit tricky (searching on “YouTube” resulted in no hits). There is no direct link to it from the homepage (I would plug it in there if I had produced it). Searching their website under “Library 2.0″ I found this link, which is an interesting analysis of how UK libraries might rise to the challenge of 2.0:

“The public library web environment in the UK, especially as it is contained within the local government web environment, will be challenged to make the requisite changes at the systems and information architecture level to offer seamless integration of applications and services. How much libraries want to engage with these technologies should be dictated by strong, local business cases supported by the needs and demands of their public.”

I wonder how many libraries actually consider business cases before launching into the world of Web 2.0.

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

FLYING TO HONG KONG

Let’s leave Britain now, fly around the world, and take a look a what’s happening with Library 2.0 in the former colonies.

“Seek and ye shall find” is the title of the most recent post to  The KGV Library Zone Blogspot. I like that motto—it somehow suggests a friendly self-service attitude towards the delivery of library services.

According to Wikipedia, “King George V School (Chinese: 英皇佐治五世學校), often shortened to ‘KGV’ (pronounced as: K-G-Five), is a co-educational international secondary school of the English Schools Foundation, located in the Ho Man Tin area of Hong Kong. Currently serving 1,700 students in the Kowloon peninsula, and a member of the Headmasters Conference, it is one of the oldest schools in Hong Kong and consequently has a long history and many traditions.”

History and tradition are fine, but Web 2.0 is even better.

The school has embraced blogging as a method of reaching out to its students and making the “K-G-Five” library relevant. One thing about blogs, however: they must be kept current or what’s the point? After all, you want people to keep coming back to your blog to see what’s new and noteworthy. Nothing new has been posted on the “Zone” since December of last year. But then again, perhaps it’s summer holidays over there. Or, perhaps like librarians everywhere, Mrs. Chan and Ms. Tang find themselves stretched to the limit with their real-world activities and can’t find the time to keep this thing up-to-date.

The other thing about blogs is that in order to live, they need feedback. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case with this blog; most posts have 0 comments. So basically, this blog is a one-way conversation leading outwards. This is unfortunate. Perhaps the students are too shy or not encouraged to voice their opinions. Nonetheless, this is a nicely designed blog, with lots of visual material. Mrs. Chan and Ms. Tang have mastered the art of blogging and it would be nice if their students responded to their efforts.

The blog was launched in November 2005 and the first post was in memory of that great mythical Canadian, Anne of Green Gables (I knew Anne was hot in Japan, but HK too, eh?). The blog has a link to the LM Montgomery Resource Page, which is a nice touch.

Students and staff can social bookmark this blog through Socializer, whose slogan is “Simplifying Social Bookmarking.” That’s another nice touch. Links? Yes, they have links: KGV Online News: KGV Library Page; PageGV Book Club; and Hong Kong Public Libraries. Navigating these sites is simple. In order to access the School’s homepage, though, requires a side trip through the library’s homepage.

BOTTOM LINE: Very good. This blog could be great if it were kept current.

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Re:Generations blog has as its tagline: “”Re:Generations: reaching new academic librarians to re-energize the academic librarian profession.” I like that “re-energizing” bit; it’s slightly provocative and makes me think that, well, yes, this profession does need a bit of new energy.

Of the Library 2.0 sites critiqued in my blog, this is the only non-library site. And … it’s great!

Re:Generations is a committee of the Canadian Library Association’s Canadian Association of College & University Libraries (CACUL). The CLA’s CACUL website states:

The new CACUL Re:Generations Committee will encourage active engagement in CACUL from new or prospective academic librarians with the goal of revitalizing the organization and making it more accountable to the needs of new librarians. It will contribute to this goal by:

• Providing advocacy for the needs/issues/concerns of new librarians to CACUL executive.
• Dovetailing this new engagement with CACUL with the professional needs of new librarians by providing mentorships, networking events, internships, support for research and new programs that will be of benefit.
• Facilitating knowledge growth and sharing of memory within the profession.

Part of the last goal (I like the “sharing memory” bit) is being achieved using the Re:Generations blog.

The blog itself is very attractive. Soothing graphics and soothing colours help calm the nerves of aspiring academic librarians. It is kept up-to-date by a roster of about thirteen contributors. It is extremely easy to navigate and has links to the CLA, CACUL, the Regenerations’ Homepage, CLA’s New Librarians and Information Professionals Interest Group, and student chapters at the University of Alberta, UBC, Dalhousie, McGill, Nova Scotia Community College, UofT, and Western. So, this one page is a virtual store with easy one-stop shopping for the next generation of academic librarians. Very nice, indeed.

THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR OF THE NEW LANGARA COMMUNITY COLLEGE LIBRARY IN VANCOUVER.

I LIKE THE WAY THE ARCHITECTS HAVE MADE A TONGUE-IN-CHEEK HOMMAGE TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD’S ‘VANCOUVER SPECIAL’ ARCHITECTURE (THAT’S A VANCOUVER SPECIAL IN THE LAST PHOTO).

LANGARA HAS A LIBRARY TECH COURSE, OSTENSIBLY RE:GENERATING A NEW GENERATION OF LIBRARY TECHNICIANS.

This is a great blog. It’s current and generates comments. It’s thoughtful and interesting for those, like me, who are keen on the world of academic librarianship. Perhaps the best bonus on this blog is the link to the Re:Generations’ Résumé Review Service for New Librarians.

That’s so nice! Submit your résumé and get feedback from professionals. Sweet.

The blog started in 2005 and is kept very current. Due to the popularity of Facebook, the people at Re:Generations have started a Facebook profile to discuss how that social network can be used (or not!) in academic setting. Click here to read the blog’s post, “Libraries on Facebook: Should We or Shouldn’t We.” The end of the post reads:

“Should libraries build a presence on Facebook? I think they should, because even a less popular page is better than no page at all, since it will remind the patrons that you exist. And if you use your imagination and make it attractive, it could become an efficient marketing tool. What do you think?”

Well, personally, I still think the verdict is out on Facebook and MySpace. In researching this blog, I found the existing profiles stupid at best. Perhaps this group will come up with a better way to use these social networks. As I wrote in my critique of VPL, if I were in charge, I’d have the library’s MySpace profile removed.

BOTTOM LINE: Very good. I am so happy that my professor had this particular link in the list of suggested Library 2.0 websites. These people (academic librarian aspirants) are professional and interesting. I found their blog inspiring. Well done!

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

According to Wikipedia (my favourite Web 2.0 invention), The National Art School (NAS) sits on the site of a former gaol. That’s just an interesting tidbit; after all, convicts populated the continent.

Wikipedia’s NAS article is currently tagged: “This article or section is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this article from a neutral point of view.”

Is there a connection here?

How easy is it to find the NAS’s Library blog? Starting at the homepage for the school itself, I go to Library and see NAS Library Blog. Well, that was pretty easy. So, what does the NAS Library blog have to offer? Lots of links, for one thing. Links to Indexes and Databases: ANZRC, Art Index Online, State Library databases, AustArt, and Findarticles.com/arts. That’s great if you want to do some research and are at the blogsite instead of the library’s site. The blog also has Resource links to NAS Library’s favourites (which is a social bookmarking site with del.icio.us), New titles in the library, DVDs and videos in the library, Local art galleries, and Printmaking Web Resources. There is also a RSS link for those wishing to subscribe and keep current (the blog itself seems pretty current).

The blog seems to be more of a “News and Information” page than Wikipedia’s definition of what a blog is:

“A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.”

I expected, being an art school and all, that this blog would be an exciting space—an artlog with photoblogs, sketchblogs, vlogs, and perhaps even some music and audio thrown in the mix. Instead, it all seems rather dry to me.

Wikipedia also states: “The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.” This doesn’t seem to be the case with the NAS Library blog; instead, it’s more of a one-way communication link leading outwards from the library to the students.

Another thing: being an art school, I expected that this institution would offer some pretty cool design features. For comparison’s sake, I went to my city’s art school, the Emily Carr Institute, to see how they presented themselves on the Web. I don’t think there’s any comparison; the Emily Carr Institute wins hands-down. However, I couldn’t find a blog at the ECI, so there you have it. The ECI’s library website is also extremely attractive; just what you’d expect from an institution for artists.

NAS VS. EMILY. MAYBE I’M JUST A BIG FAN OF WHITE SPACE ON THE WEB; THE NAS LOOKS A TAD CONSERVATIVE FOR A SCHOOL OF ART.

BOTTOM LINE: Good but could be better. If I were a student at the NAS I would probably go to this blog, or even subscribe to it, just to keep current with what was happening at the library. However, if I were a student there, I might be tempted to offer my design skills (after all, I’d have to be an “artist” to get into the school, right?) to make the blog more attractive and interactive.

@ (*o*) @

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Here is the list of libraries using Library 2.0 technologies that I could choose from for this assignment. It’s a rather eclectic list of academic, public, school, and special libraries that are riding the Library 2.0 wave. I’m including it as a service to others who might be interested in further research into Web 2.0 applications for libraries. I also think I may come back to this list and continue this blog as time allows.

Choosing from the list was fun! The selections I made reflect my own interests; it’s kind of like a Rorschach inkblot test:

“What do you think of when you see the following list of libraries, Michael?”

The ones I eventually chose include places I’ve lived (Britain, Toronto), places I’ve visited many times (Sydney, Hong Kong), places I’ve worked (Vancouver Public Library), places I’d like to work (academic libraries), and a cause I believe in (Intellectual Freedom). My thanks to Dr. Mary Sue Stephenson for her amazing research skills.

Academic Libraries

American University Library
http://www.library.american.edu/ask/im.html

Antioch University New England Library Staff Training and Support Wiki
http://tinyurl.com/28672j

Babson College
http://www3.babson.edu/Library/
http://www3.babson.edu/Library/research/quicktutorials.cfm

Binghampton University Library
http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/

Brooklyn College Library
http://www.myspace.com/brooklyncollegelibrary

Carleton College Library
http://tinyurl.com/3cgzm2

Challenger TAFE Library
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=247388494

Curtin University of Technology Library
http://library.curtin.edu.au/index.html

Duke University Medical Center Library
http://www.mclibrary.duke.edu/

Fairfield University Library
www.fairfield.edu/lib_podcasts.html

Illinois Wesleyan University Ames Library
http://www2.iwu.edu/library/
http://www2.iwu.edu/library/information/meebo.shtml

K-State Libraries: Blogs and Feeds
http://ksulib.typepad.com/blogs/

McMaster University Library
http://library.mcmaster.ca/justask/
http://ulatmac.wordpress.com/

MIT Libraries
http://libraries.mit.edu/
http://libraries.mit.edu/help/rss/barton/
http://mitlibraries.techtv.mit.edu/
http://libraries.mit.edu/tutorials/video/index.html
http://del.icio.us/virtualref

Morrisville State College Libraries
http://library.morrisville.edu/
http://msclibraries.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/morrisvillecollegelibrary

National Art School in Sydney, Australia
http://www.naslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://del.icio.us/nationalartschoollibrary

NCSU Libraries Special Collections
http://flickr.com/photos/ncsu_scrc/

Ohio University Libraries Biz Wiki
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/index.php/Main_Page

Ohio University Alden Library
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/podcasts/

University of Alberta (NEOS)
http://www.library.ualberta.ca/newbooks/index.cfm#callnumber

University of Baltimore Law Library
http://www.myspace.com/ublawlibrary

University of Calgary
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/departments/INFO/library/
http://tinyurl.com/2vyofw

University of California San Diego Libraries
www.flickr.com/groups/ucsd_libraries

University of Central Oklahoma Chambers Library
http://library.ucok.edu/ask/index.cfm

University of Hawaii
http://www.sinclair.hawaii.edu/main.html
http://www.sinclair.hawaii.edu/music/grovetutorials.html

University of Houston Libraries
http://info.lib.uh.edu/news.html
http://wikis.lib.uh.edu/potluck/index.php/Main_Page
http://wikis.lib.uh.edu/wmcpp/index.php/Main_Page
http://wikis.lib.uh.edu/arc/index.php/Main_Page

University of Kentucky Libraries
http://www.myspace.com/uklibraries

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Undergraduate Library
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/
http://twitter.com/askundergrad

University of Maine
http://tinyurl.com/2wr8t7 [tutorials]

University of Michigan Libraries
http://www.lib.umich.edu/labs/maps/index.html

University of Minnesota Libraries Staff Wiki [read only for non staff members]
https://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Staff/HomePage

University of South Carolina Aiken Library
http://library.usca.edu/Main/HomePage

University of Texas
http://www.myspace.com/utlibraries

University of Waterloo Library
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/index.html

University of Winnipeg Library
http://cybrary.uwinnipeg.ca/

Yale University
http://artslibrary.wordpress.com/
http://www.library.yale.edu/mtblog/ulibrarian/
http://www.library.yale.edu/science/socialnetworking.html
http://www.library.yale.edu/instruction/

VCU Libraries
http://www.library.vcu.edu/

Wendt Library, UW-Madison
http://www.myspace.com/wendt_library

WSU Vancouver Library Weblog
http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/lib/weblog/

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Library Audio To Go
www.wpi.edu/Academics/Library/Borrowing/Podcasts

Public Libraries

Ada Community Library
http://www.adalib.org/
http://twitter.com/adalib

Allen County Public Library
http://blog.acpl.lib.in.us/blog/
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=askacpl&p=r

Ann Arbor District Library
http://www.aadl.org/
http://www.aadl.org/catalog

Arlington Heights Memorial Library
http://www.ahml.info/default.asp
http://www.ahml.info/find_information/
www.ahml.info/vlogA/ault.asp

Athens County Public Libraries
http://search.athenscounty.lib.oh.us/cgi-bin/koha/opac-main.pl
http://search.athenscounty.lib.oh.us/search?q=Sarah%20Ellis&limit=available

Bellingham Public Library
http://bplteensread.wordpress.com/

Bloomington Public Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bloomingtonlibrary/

Boulder Public Library
http://www.boulderteens.org/webcast.htm

Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library
http://www.bradford.library.on.ca/

Bull Run Public Library Patron Wiki
http://bullrunlibrary.pbwiki.com/

Casa Grande Library System
http://cglibrary.org/polaris/
http://twitter.com/cglibrary

Caestecker Library
http://www.greenlakelibrary.org/kidslit/

Calgary Public Library
http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/
http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/library/tutorials.htm [tutorials]

Cambridge Libraries & Galleries
http://www.cambridgelibraries.ca/main.cfm

Cleveland Public Library
http://www.cpl.org/
http://twitter.com/Cleveland_PL

Danbury Public Library
http://www.danburylibrary.org/
http://cat.danburylibrary.org/record=1149192

Denver Public Library
http://www.myspace.com/denver_evolver

Edmonton Public Library
http://www.epl.ca/EPLMaster.cfm?id=INFODESK

Eye4You Alliance Island - Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
http://eye4youalliance.youthtech.info/

Fahrenheit 451: Banned Books - Banned Books blog from Pelham Public Library
http://www.pelhamlibrary.blogspot.com/

Gail Borden Public Library - videos
http://www.elgin.lib.il.us/videoextras.html

Harris County Public Library eBranch Blog
http://www.hcpl.net/ebranch/news/

Hartford Public Library
http://www.hplct.org/
http://www.hplct.org/media/default.html

Haverhill Public Library Teen Department
http://www.myspace.com/haverhill_public_library

Hennepin County Library
http://www.hclib.org/
http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hennepincountylibrary

Houston Public Library
http://www.houstonlibrary.org/
http://twitter.com/houstonlibrary

Kankakee Public Library’s Podcasts and Streaming Media
http://www.lions-online.org/
http://www.lions-online.org/Podcasts.html

Kenton County Public Library
http://www.kentonlibrary.org/index.cfm
http://www.kentonlibrary.org/aboutus/feeds/index.cfm

La Grange Park Public Library
www.flickr.com/photos/tags/lagrangeparklibrary

Lansing Public Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lansinglibrary/

Lewis & Clark Library System
http://www.lcls.org/members/routemap.aspx [route map for deliveries]

London Public Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonpubliclibrary/

Los Angeles Public Library
http://www.lapl.org/ya/
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=203034179

Los Gatos Public Library
http://losgatosteenreads.blogspot.com/

Lucy Robbins Welles Library
http://lrwlnews.blogspot.com/

Madison-Jefferson County Public Library
http://mjcpl.org/

Metropolitan Library System in Illinois
http://flickr.com/photos/metropolitanlibrarysystem

Missouri River Regional Library
http://www.myspace.com/missouririverregionallib

Nashville Public Library
http://www.library.nashville.org/teens/teenweb.asp

New York Public Library
http://www.nypl.org/
http://labs.nypl.org/

Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=193273309

Olathe Public Library
http://www.olathelibrary.org/blog/

Orange County Library System
www.ocls.info/podcast
http://www.ocls.info/Programs/podcastAndRSS.asp?bhcp=1

Osceola Library
http://www.myspace.com/osceolalibrary

Park Ridge Public Library
http://www.parkridgelibrary.org/index.html
http://www.parkridgelibrary.org/askil.html
http://www.parkridgelibrary.org/csemail.html

Pierce County Library System
http://www.piercecountylibrary.org/
http://www.piercecountylibrary.org/blogs.aspx?blog_id=7

Princeton Public Library
http://www.princetonlibrary.org/
http://pplpoetpodcast.wordpress.com/
http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library

Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenberg County
http://www.plcmc.org/
http://www.myspace.com/libraryloft

Roselle Public Library
http://www.roselle.lib.il.us/AdultServices/IMALibrarian.htm
http://www.roselle.lib.il.us/YouthServices/bookclub/Bloggerbookclub.htm

St. Joseph County Public Library
http://www.sjcpl.org/

San Mateo Library
http://del.icio.us/SanMateoLibrary

Santa Fe Public Library
http://www.santafelibrary.org/
http://santafelibrary.blogspot.com/

Seattle Public Library
http://blog.spl.org/yablog/

Skokie Public Library
http://www.skokie.lib.il.us/s_info/getref.asp

Steele Creek Teen Library
http://www.myspace.com/steelecreeklibrary

Stevens County Rural Library District
http://www.scrldwiki.org/index.php/Main_Page

Sunnyvale Public Library
http://www.librarypodcasts.org/

Thomas Ford Memorial Library
http://www.myspace.com/thomasford

Thunder Bay Public Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tbpl/

Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
http://papercuts.tscpl.org/

Toronto Public Library
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/

Urbana Free Library
http://urbanafreelibrary.org/departments/young_adults/

Vancouver Public Library
http://www.vpl.ca/
http://www.myspace.com/vancouverpubliclibrary

Vaughan Public Library
http://www.vaughanpl.info/teenvortex/index.php

Waterboro Public Library
http://www.waterborolibrary.org/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waterloopubliclibrary

Western Springs History - a joint project of the Thomas Ford Memorial Library and Western Springs Historical Society
http://www.westernspringshistory.org/

Williamsburg Regional Library
http://bfgb.wordpress.com/

Worthington Public Library
http://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/teen/blog/

Yorba Linda Public Library
http://www.ylpl.lib.ca.us/index.php

School Libraries

Chiddix Junior High School
http://girlsread.edublogs.org/
http://guysread.edublogs.org/

Cold Spring School Library
http://csslibraryblog.blogspot.com/
Grandview Elementary School – Library
http://www.grandviewlibrary.org/default.aspx

King George V School
http://libraryzone.blogspot.com/

Livingston High School
http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/

Olson Middle School
http://omsbookblog.blogspot.com/
http://bookoftheweek.blogspot.com/

Special Libraries

British Columbia Courthouse Library Society News
http://www.bccls.bc.ca/

British Library (aka “The World’s Knowledge”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O_oyuAY2tE

Congregational Library
http://congregational-library.typepad.com/

Dysart & Jones Associates
http://dysartjones.com/

Indiana State Library Blog
http://lishost.org/~instate/

Lunar and Planetary Institute Library
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/library/library.shtml
http://twitter.com/LPI_Library

Newberry Library Genealogy Department - News
http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/news/

Robert Goldwater Library Online Resources - Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://goldwaterlibrary.org/

Sonoma County Library
http://www.sonomalibrary.org/ref/qanda.html

Stark County Law Library
http://temp.starklawlibrary.org/blog/

United Nations - Dag Hammarskjold Library Reference Weblog - UN Pulse
http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/lib/dhlrefweblog.nsf

Washington State Library Blog
http://wastatelib.wordpress.com/

Other

Canadian Association of College and University Libraries - Re:Generations
http://www.cla.ca/divisions/cacul/regenerations/index.htm

Canadian Library Association - CASLIS Ottawa - Canadian Association of Special Libraries and Information Services
http://caslisottawainformation.blogspot.com/

Friends of the Seattle Public Library Blog
http://friendsofspl.wordpress.com/

IPL’s Teen Poetry wiki
http://www4.ipl.org:8080/index.php/Main_Page

Maryland AskUsNow [service for Maryland residents]
http://www.askusnow.info/

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

“Do you ever read any of the books you burn?”
He laughed. “That’s against the law!”
“Oh. Of course.”

– Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

 

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •