Designing Research - A Seminar and Conference Series at the University of London

As I work at Senate House Library I noted on Facebook the following event Designing Research - A Seminar and Conference Series at the University of London. If your not a member of there facebook page, here's a link via there blog. Worth checking. And i'll be there to........

23 Things for Professional Development Thing 6......The network affect

The CPD23 thing 6, looked at the use of social networks for library and information professionals. These sites would include:-
1. LinkedIn (mine)
2. Facebook
3. Lisnpn.
4. Welcome to Librarians as Teachers Network.
5. CILIP Communities.

I always feel as a professional, linked in is one of the best sites, as their is no data smog. Lisnpn is one I don't use enough. Short blog i'm afraid.

Bookseller has launched a website against public library closures

Bookseller the British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry, has started a facebook page against closures entitled Fight For Libraries, campaign from The Bookseller. They also have a twitter address to.
The article says:-

The Facebook site hosts a manifesto and a set of demands, with The Bookseller supporting the calls for a national public enquiry into the library service, demanding a halt to the unfair and disproportionate targeting of libraries for cuts, and calling for the 1964 Libraries Act to be observed in letter and spirit. It also has a poll asking people to commit to supporting libraries.

"Libraries are under threat right now. A library lost today will not be re-opened tomorrow - the book trade has to take a stand," added Denny. "Please use the site to see what is going on and update it with developments in your own area. We'd like you to engage with our Facebook page, let us know who you are, give us your views and post useful links. Our campaign can offer a focal point for all interested parties and thereby form a stronger voice together."

Good to see the publishing industry getting behind librarians against library closures.

How do you keep ahead of the library game?

In a recent post I discussed the new facebook page for librarians. In the four years or so of blogging, the way I've kept out to date has been via blogs. I've also used twitter to some degree to keep ahead. I did also occasionally pop into the library 2.0 ning site. I also created a daily google alert for the term library and library 2.0.
Anyhow, anybody else get there information any other way.

Facebook group for librarians

(Found via here). Brian Kelly blog post pointed out that Aaron Tay has created a facebook page for librarians called Library Related People Facebook group. I had heard of Aaron previously via his blog and the recently deceased Ning site for Library 2.0, in which he was a prominant member of the community.
Seems the site as growing, and as Brian says in the article:-

Will be more to do with the extent of Aaron’s professional network and his esteem in the library community.

Anyhow, its certainly worth a visit and good on you Aaron for creating it.

Facebook film

As many of you may know, on 15 of October, 2010 the film The social network is released. Based on the excellent The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal, the film looks at the early life of facebook and Mark Zuckberg's company and falling out with friends in Harvard over the company. I'm really looking forward to it. I might even put it on my facebook page.

What future for the social web?

Recent news of the demise of Ning and the possible closure of Bebo has seemed to underline the disintegrating space for social websites. It seems the power of facebook has taken over the whole space.
Phil Bradley though has an interesting blogpost entitled Alternatives to Ning.

Is Library 2.0 dead?

With the closure today of Ning Library 2.0 happening today, the decrease in blog posts and increase in micro blogging, it seems that library 2.0 as a meme is on the demise. In some ways this is true.
This maybe seen in the closure of the Ning site, in which Bill Drew said of its closure:-

The network has not seen much traffic the last few months and most people requesting to join are posting profiles full of link spam. The return is no longer worth the work. I am not transferring it to anyone else......... It grew far beyond my wildest hopes. At one point it got over 50 posts a day but is now getting less than 4 posts a month.

It seems that library 2.0 had lost its cadre of zest for many users. Although Bill points out many users and post joined at first this dropped. Without a conversation (and too much spam), people would disappear.

Other area's where there seems a decline in what has been termed web 2.0 is a decline or at least change in blogging, especially with some of the early library 2.0 bloggers. Jenny Levine's Shifted Librarian has changed her blog into a lifestream rather than a blog. This she describes as:-

lets me run a stripped-down version of my own personal Friend Feed (but without the comments on individual items). It totally rocks.

Michael Casey's influential Librarycrunch has become the Michael Casey blog, therefore its become an individual blog, rather than a more group/borg blog.

Brian Mathews blog the Ubiquitous librarian said recently:-

However I’ve noticed a steady overall decline in post quantity in 2009. Walt probably has an algorithm to measure that. I think the probable cause is that many of us were moving past the newbie stage of librarianship and were really starting to sink our teeth into the profession. Now we’re just too busy for constant online reflection. Additionally, Facebook and Twitter have evolved to replace the long form narrative (blog posts) in favor of quick bursts of ideas.

In many ways, the Library 2.0 seems a fallacy of the past. A word we used to start a conversation about. A word we used to bind us and throw around idea's. It was something new at the time.

Now, even the word library 2.0 seems dated, and we are now in the realm of semantic web/web 3.0.

Its a shame the ning site has closed, but that shows the speed of change in the digital/library world. Anyway, library 2.0 is not dead, as I would have to change my blog and thats not likely to happen.

Facebook causing the End of USA yearbook page

(Found via here). Seems students at the University of Virginia won't have a hardcover memento of their college years. The school founded by Thomas Jefferson has become the latest college to decide there's no place for the traditional yearbook in the age of Facebook. See the whole story here.

Now, many might see this as the end of another American tradition. Or the end of print. Well, it maybe. But I find something far worst about this. My worry is all those horror movies that use the yearbooks to show who the baddies are are or who has been killed.

Facebook in libraries study

(Found via here). An ALA report called Facebook as a Library Tool: Perceived v. Actual Use has been released. An interesting read if you have time.

Interesting books

I've just quit smoking (or am trying to quit smoking). This has meant rather than going for a cigarette at breaks, I've started reading a lot more. I did read Groundswell. It focuses on how companies can take advantage of emerging social technologies. What a load of tosh. Felt like reading microwaved Clue Train manifesto but at 2 star Michelin restaurant price tag. If you've not read it, well done. I just felt Charlene Li was just trying to make money for Forrester's by underlining how good they are. The book was so bad I sold it on Amazon.
Then I read Cyburbia by James Harkin. He says of that Cyburbia, in his interpretation, is the place to which we go when we spend huge swathes of our time hooked up to other people via a continuous loop of electronic information, and online social networks are only its most visible manifestation. This was a more enjoyable read for me. Looking at the impact of the network society are affecting us and how we interact. Worth a look.
Then I just finished The Accidental Billionaires: Sex, Money, Betrayal and the Founding of Facebook. I really was not expecting much from this but its a good read, and feels more like a thriller. The author Ben Mezrich obviously seems to side with Eduardo Saverin than Mark Zuckerberg as the originators of facebook. This is not surprising as Eduardo gave him the most time in his researh for the novel. The author also does not have the greatest grasp of Facebook. At one stage he describes how open facebook is. Really? It doesn't even allow you to customise your page unlike Myspace. Its also open to data mining users profiles and is often seen as a walled garden.
Apart from that its a good read.

Facebook campaign is the Christmas story in the UK

X-Factor winner Joe McElderry has been the first winner not to get a UK christmas number one. A facebook campaign to stop it becoming number one and make Rage against the Machine Killing in the name of. The campaign, set up by couple Jon and Tracy Morter. Not only was this one of the most successful facebook campaign like his, but also Rage Against The Machine shifted 502,000 downloads achieving two new records in the process – the most British downloads in one week and the first download-only track to make it to number one.

Facebook buys friendfeed

Facebook it seems has bought friend feed, says the FT. Om Malik's blog has a good review of why facebook has good explanation for this here.

Web 2.0 in Higher education

Over on Information Literacy meets Library 2.0 they have an article Higher education in a web 2.0 worldin which it discussed JISC Web 2.0 in Higher education report. The part I liked is when Goodwin says:-

At present use of Web 2.0 is patchy in HE and tends to be driven from the bottom up. Web 2.0 technology has not yet been fully exploited for student learning yet. As this develops in HE it will challenge some students who expect traditional delivery. Surely the role of HE is to challenge and provide opportunities for adapting - that's what tomorrow's students will require. This is where the usefulness of Web 2.0 for supporting constructivist educational practice comes into play.

Its totally true. I've often tried to implement these technologies at Senate House (1, 2 & 3. But thankfully some projects have come off. This has only been internally, but this has happened only internally. Small steps, but all in the right direction.

Facebook continued from David Lee King

David Lee King has another interesting article on how to use facebook. He has some really great ideas on there.

Facebook in libraries? Can it ever succeed?

I recently discussed David Lee King's article looking into facebook in libraries. Well a few other bloggers have been discussing this article (1 & 2).

I then went back to the original article and looked at the comments Kings comments had got and at the relevant libraries that had been using it (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6).

In looking at this I noted that the highest of these facebooks pages was 349 and lowest 25. My question is, will facebook ever be able to replace the online catalogue? I mean, with figures these (fairly) low, how would we get are patrons to go to this site and make people comment on our services?

My idea for facebook libraries is to offer something free that the catalogue does not. I think search skills video's on youtube or something along those lines. Without people visiting the facebook page its just a dead link in my opinion. We have to offer more for less in these days of credit crunch.

Facebook aricle of interest

David Lee King has a great article on how libraries can use facebook. He discusses:-

I’ve done into three sections - Basic Info, Facebook Functionality, and Social Stuff.

I've passed it on to my manager to see if we maybe able to use it on our facebook page.

Senate House Library opens up to facebook

Senate House Library (where I work) has started a facebook page. Please join us, join us.......

Save Senate house appeal

Obviously as some of you may know I work at Senate House. Well, it seems HEFCE (the governing body for higher education) has slashed the funding of Senate house by £716000. This could possibly mean the closure of Senate house, and the splitting of the marvellous collections it has. Though I doubt London would agree to have a great early twentieth century building made into posh flats would they?

Anyhow, some students have set up a facebook page to save senate house. They have also set up a petition. Anyhow, if you have time please sign it and join this group.

New book on the way

Seeing I have started my dissertation on blogging (and it going very well, thanks very much), I have needed to find some anti-bloggers or at least anti-social networks. So whilst reading Information world review, I noted Andrew Keen's new book The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture and assualting our economy. Looks a fun read from the usual web 2.0 love in. If I hear one more feature has been added to facebook I might just scream.