Emily RimlandInformation Literacy Librarian

Penn State University LibrariesUniversity Park, PA

In 2004, O’Reilly media coined the phrase Web 2.0.1

O’Reilly, Tim. “What is Web 2.0?” http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

Web 2.0 is:

A. A marketing buzz wordB. Things like blogs, wikis,

facebookC. An attitudeD. Both 1 & 2E. All of the above

Answer: All of the above• Web 2.0 = principles and practices that allow

users to have control over their online content

• Online environments that allow users to collaborate and participate

• It has also been called a marketing buzzword (business 2.0, learning 2.0, brain 2.0...)

Examples of Web 2.0 technologies in use are:

• Wikis• Blogs • Flickr, Picasa• Facebook, MySpace, social networking• Tagging, del.icio.us• RSS feeds• Second Life

Web 2.0 is also becoming an attitude

Having the mind set of providing:

• Users with ways to communicate & share

• More online functionality to organize info

Web 1.0 was:• Top down/authoritative• Static • One user• A destination• Consumers aren’t

producers

• Flattened/participatory• Dynamic &

customizable• Many users• A person or community• Consumers can also

produce

Web 2.0 is:

web 1.0 | web 2.0personal webpage blogs, facebook

Catalog searches using keywords

Tagging, Penn Tags

Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Encarta

Wikipedia

Database email alerts RSS feeds from databases

Online subject guides Blogs, squidoo, wikis, libguides

Bookmarking del.icio.us

Blogs—overview• Not just for personal reflections & deep

thoughts any more

• Blog = web + log = mixed media presented online in reverse chronological order

• Let’s watch: Common Craft’s Blogs in Plain English video

Quick Stats on Blogs• In 2007, 28% of teens have created an online journal

or blog, up from 19% in 2004 2

• Blog readership jumped 58% in 20043

• Demographics of bloggers from Technorati:

2 Pew Internet & American Life Project. “Teens and Social Media.” December 2007. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/230/report_display.asp

3. Ibid.

How many blogs are out there4?

A. 6 millionB. 32 millionC. 70 millionD. 95 million

4. Technorati blog: http://technorati.com/weblog/2007/04/328.html

Ways for libraries to use blogs

1. Communicate with your community and patrons

2. Facilitate communication between library staff

3. Stay in touch with & get ideas from other librarians

1. Communicate with community

• Use as a way to market new events, displays, etc.

• Enabling comments allows patrons to respond• Examples– Ann Arbor District Library– Topeka & Shawnee Co. Library– Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Co.

2. Facilitate communication between library staff

• Use a blog internally to keep communication flowing between staff, branches, depts.

• May work better if it revolves around a project/event (e.g. 23 things)

• Cuts down on email• Archived and searchable• Examples:

1. Penn Library Staff blog

3. Stay in touch with & get ideas from other librarians

• Blogs provide a plethora of ideas for programming, events, displays, etc.

• Keep abreast of professional developments• Examples:– Librarian.net– YALSA blog

Getting Started—Reading Blogs

• Find a few you like: try professional organizations (ALA) or technorati.com

• Sign up for an RSS aggregator (Google Reader, blog lines)

• Note and subscribe to the blogs that are linked in the blogs you started with

Getting Started—Creating A Blog

• Short & sweet (don’t need a blog version of War & Peace)

• Blog your opinions (but be respectful)• Link to other blogs/sites/images• Use punchy titles• Keep it updated (invite others to contribute)• Have fun!

The word wiki means:

A. quickB. sharedC. encyclopediaD. kiwi

Wikis—overview•Hawaiian word that means “quick”

•Web sites that allow users to easily add and edit content

•Built by users = good & bad

•Let’s watch: Common Craft’s Wikis in Plain English video

Quick Stats on Wikis

• Wikipedia is the largest & best known wiki to date (more than 8 mill. users & 14 mill. pages)

• The top 3 edited entries on Wikipedia last week were: The China Probrem, Bill Ayres, and Massospondylus. 5

5. Wikirage: Most edited articles, week: http://www.wikirage.com/top-edits/168/

What percentage of Wikipedia entries are in English?

A. 15%B. 25%C. 40%D. 65%E. 90%

“Evolution” entry in Wikipedia, 2001-06

Kruglinski, Susan. “Map: Evolution Evolving” Discover. July 2, 2006

Ways for libraries to use wikis

1. Organize an event (like in the video)

2. Highlight your collections- Chester Co. PA Wikipedia entry

3. Create guides and resource pages

4. Ideas, tools, & best practices for librarians

Final thoughts• These tools must add value

• Start small

• Our online spaces can inspire learning & collaboration just like our physical ones

• Digital natives don’t have to be library immigrants

• Be bold and brave!

Presentation Resources

• PowerPoint slides at: • Links referenced in presentation at:

http://delicious.com/gruenelf/cclsdiscovery• Feel free to contact me at:

Emily Rimlanderimland@psu.eduFriend me on Facebook