Integrating web 2.0 into ordinary everyday library life
Posted by Christine on 25 November, 2007 in Blogging, Public Libraries, Social Software
Today I see that Web 3.0 and the semantic web are the next things. Here at Yarra Plenty we are still working on web 2.0 and finding out how to integrate the various tools into our regular offerings. We are doing that a number of ways.
Firstly, our library blog is now a forum for me as Library Director to communicate with our users. It has been gratifying to have responses and comments, especially on our Collection Development Policy. I hope that this will grow into a meaningful dialogue.
We are working with two other library services to develop a community wiki which is to be launched at the end of February. Called Wikinorthia, it captures the history of people, places and events in the north of Melbourne - how we live now and how we lived in the past. The aim is for the community to contribute their stories and memories. We also have a summer reading club blog and are working on a book wiki too.
Yarra Plenty administered the 23 Things online learning program for 1,000 Victorian public library staff and this has been a great success. The program gives people the opportunity to find out how much fun it is to learn new things and start interacting on the web.
LibraryThing for libraries is integrated into our catalogue, making the catalogue a whole lot more useful. Yarra Plenty, like most public libraries, didn’t ever put subject headings into their fiction records, so this is a real bonus for people who use the catalogue to find something to read. We have a FaceBook account, and are trying to figure out how to enable people to search the catalogue from there. Go ahead and become a fan!!
Our staff are providing classes on RSS, blogging, LibraryThing and wikis which are proving popular.
So, I’m sure that we will embrace 3.0 with the same gusto, and find ways of using that to improve our offerings and connect with our borrowers.
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