Anne SilvaLIS 63110/29/2010
Web 2.0
Jackson library uses many Web 2.0 features on its website. Some of them are
more popular than others. The biggest problem in I see in general is a lack of interaction
and a lack of evolution based on user responses and interactions.
Blogs
There are many blogs available at the Jackson library website, and some of them
are surprisingly interesting and entertaining. The problem I see here is that while
comments are often enabled, there have been very few comments actually posted. I think
part of the problem here is that the blogs aren’t often visited. This may be due to a
marketing issue. The lack of comments may also be because the blogs aren’t presented in
a way that is conducive to discussion. I think one thing that could help is linking to
certain blog entries via the libraries Facebook and twitter accounts. While making the
blogs more interactive may take a little more time on the part of the staff member, the
time of input vs. the output of successful discussion would make it well worth it.
Reference chat, texting, and email
The reference chat and other technological ways to communicate with the
reference department are great, especially for commuter students. I also love that even at
times when UNCG reference staff isn’t available; there are easily accessible links to
NCKnows, which provides help 24/7. I would like to see a most frequently asked
questions page. This service poses a staffing issue, because someone has to be at a
computer ready to answer reference questions. I can imagine that is sometimes difficult if
there are a lot of people at the library in the reference section needing help as well. I’m
interested in how this is handled. I wonder if there is a person assigned to the reference
chat and that is their main responsibility or if whoever is available from the reference
department answers the incoming question. I would also like to see a subject database.
I’m sure, like many university students, students in a particular class every semester have
relatively the same assignments. What about an open source database where helpful
resources can be compiled for that specific class and that specific assignment? I know we
have research guides by subject, but they aren’t class or assignment specific. This may
offer some of the advantages of a metasearch, such as a wide variety of types of sources,
but it will eliminate some of the messiness.
Electronic Database Ratings
One of my favorite Web 2.0 features is the ability to rate databases. I wish this
were more popularly used and that raters could also leave comments, such as tips and
tricks that they’ve learned about in they’re research process.
Podcasts
The library has podcasts for a lot of things, including a lot of instructional ones. It
also has promotional videos that stream in certain places on the website. I’d like to see a
place where all of this media is listed in one specific place, because sometimes I’ll see
something and want to access it again, but once I’ve refreshed the page something new is
there, or in time it is replaced with something different.
RSS
While there is an index of RSS news feeds from departments and ejournals, they
don’t mean anything to non-techies like me. Maybe they aren’t supposed to. When I click
on a subject heading, I don’t know how to decipher what’s there. A how-to page or basic
information would be great.
Flickr
The Flickr page is absolutely hysterical and offers some great information, but at
the same time, doesn’t elicit a lot of interaction. It has tags and other web 2.0 features. It
has room for comments but there are few. I don’t know if this is because students are
apathetic or if there is something the library could be doing in order to better facilitate
discussion. Also, more background information on some of the collections may be
helpful to students to understand the “library culture” and feel more involved in it.
Getting students involved in the process and more prevalent in the collections may also
help.
The Facebook page announces great information and links to some funny and
useful things. But again, the conversation is one-sided, and the conversations that do exist
are usually between other librarians and staff members. The library has 821 friends, so
that means that people are getting the information, they just don’t use it as a
conversational platform. I know that there can be polls and such put on a Facebook page;
maybe this would foster more of a sense of community and garner more comments. Also,
if the person in charge asked more direct, open-ended questions, this also may facilitate a
conversation as opposed to just a listing of events, useful and funny links, etc.
Also, the library seems be registered as a person and not a place or establishment,
because you have to “friend” them. It also doesn’t disclose certain page features until
someone is a “friend” of the library’s on Facebook. This may hinder people from visiting
and commenting, Some people may just want to see the page for information and not go
through the political correct hoops of adding or “friending” the page.
Marketing tools
I think Irma Minerva façade used in many web 2.0 tools may confuse some
people. It took me a while to figure out what the relevance was when I got here and I still
don’t entirely know why it’s used or what its primary purpose is. While it’s a fun handle,
it may muddy the waters for people who just don’t know what it means or what its
relevance is. I think sometimes it might be more user-friendly and helpful to just say
Jackson Library or reference librarian. It seems this handle is in place more for the fun
and entertainment of the library and librarians than it is to help users in their quest for
information. While I suspect the point was to make the library staff more streamlined and
make it less personal, I think people like to know that they’re interacting with a real
person. I wonder what the point of it is sometimes.
Reservations, Etc.
I really like that you can see what computers at the library are available from the
website via the computer resources map. It helps students in planning when to go to the
library and where to go once they get there. I also like that you can reserve spaces online
and that the interlibrary loan process can be done online.
Conclusion
I think Jackson library uses Web 2.0 features well. The biggest problem I see is
the lack of discussion and interaction. Without these, the features can’t change and
evolve to better meet user needs. I think part of it is that undergraduate students tend to
be a little apathetic. I also think there are some things that library staff could do to foster
more interaction, discussion and participation by leaving things more open for students to
comment and asking more direct questions on social networking sites. I also think that
podcasts or videos could be used to help explain some of the traditions and background
of some of the “library culture” that seems to exist.
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