For the final project, I decided to use a pathfinder on the topic of schizophrenia that I had already created in a previous class, Reference Sources in the Social Sciences.  Using established content allowed me to focus on coding and style.   My pathfinder tended to be text-dense as there was commentary on each entry.  The subject matter dictated a subdued style as well.  Both of these things influenced the appearance of the final result.

Story Board.  The first step was to set up a storyboard.  Although I followed the basic elements of my storyboard, I did not follow the page set-up too closely.  I can understand the importance of creating this visual outline but my limited understanding of HTML when I set up the storyboard limited how I was able to follow through.  This was complicated by the fact that as soon as I would see the format on the computer, I would want to change it and add something new.  This experimentation helped me learn HTML but  I ended up significantly changing the story board from the original.

Coding HTML.  There was a definitely a learning curve involved in doing coding.  After a slow start, I found that I was getting faster and more accurate and ultimately getting quite link-happy (“I could put link here…and here…and here!”)  Tables were a challenge at first but  I soon learned how to use tables to manipulate text allowing  for changes in format that I had not previously imagined.

Copyright.  After entering the text, I decided to look for some images that would enhance the page and break up the text-dense pages.  I began with some very exciting  images, including one detailed map of the brain which showed the effect of schizophrenia on various parts of  cerebral anatomy.   However, when I checked the copyright status of the image, I found that I would need written permission to use the image and I would not have time to apply for that.  It seemed as if I would have to make do with some rather boring black and white clip art  renderings of the brain until I followed the links that Michael Stephens, our professor, posted several days ago which took me eventually to www.stockxpert.com where I found some impressive color illustrations of brain anatomy.   

Deep-Linking.  Because this was an online pathfinder, I wanted to create links for all of the resources listed.  I had intended to link each of the books listed to a page in Amazon.com that featured the source.  I had noticed that one of the websites I listed as a resource had done exactly that. When I checked with Amazon.com, however,  I found that they only allowed linking to the home page.  So, I then decided to link to WorldCat.  This ultimately served the users better as the WorldCat page includes the abilty to search local libraries for a particular book.  As this was a pathfinder primarily for students with many of the resources listed being expensive reference materials, this was, in the end, a better choice.

Overall, the experience of designing a website was both exiting and frustrating.  The frustration was the result of my beginner skill level and wish to create something beyond my ability.  However, as my skills and understanding of HTML improved, I found that I really enjoyed completing this project.  View the completed project at:

http://domin.dom.edu/students/dougkath/LIS/main.html

link to website http://domin.dom.edu/students/dougkath/LIS/main.html

Folksonomy, the collective categorization of resources using personally chosen tags (keywords), are currently being used not only in social networking sites such as Flickr but also in commercial web sites such as Amazon.  Tags allow users both to ceate their own system of organization and to allow them to share that organization with others.  Jessica Dye, in her article Folksonomy: A Game of High-tech (and High-stakes) states the benefits of user-generated tags on the web.  These benefits include the ability to categorize content such as photos and videos that are inaccessible to search engine bots.  Tags can also organize content that is created too quickly to be indexed by search engines.  In addition, the flexibility of tags makes them useful with information that is changes quickly such as RSS feeds and blogs. 

Tags can also have downsides as well, including the fact that they are based on an assumption of like-mindedness in disparate groups of people.  Tag clouds can possibly become too cumbersome, requiring some additional categorization.  Having a large variety of tags  limits the specificity of a search as results may be found under a related tag.   In spite of these limitations, tagging remains a viable search resource on the web.  

Does folksonomy have a place in the library catalog? Although folksonomies will never completely replace the cataloging currently used, they can be an addition to the current system.  This can be especially true for library systems such as the Chicago Public Library which include websites in their online catalog.   Two libraries which include tagging in their catalog are:

Ann Arbor District Library of Ann Arbor, Michigan (www.aadl.org)

Danbury Library of Danbury, Connecticut (http://cat.danburylibrary.org)

Everyone should check out the Rollyo website at www. rollyo.com. Rollyo, which is named for its’ catch phrase, “roll your own web site”,  is a Web 2.0 tool that allows the user to customize search engines by limiting the search to previously chosen web sites. This allows a user to only search those sites which are already known and trusted sources of information.  

The custom search engines created by Rollyo are called searchrolls.  Users can view and utilize searchrolls that have already been created by other users, making Rollyo a social site.  The main Rollyo search page includes popular areas, such as health, top news, or reference which can be searched using preexisting searchrolls.  These areas can be modified to one’s own personal preference.   Searchrolls list the sources being searched and can be edited for personal use.  There is also a starter kit of searchrolls that can be personalized. Creating a searchroll is a simple process.  One simply names the roll, enters up to 25 web sites, and then can categorize and tag the roll, if desired.  Searchrolls can be made public or private. 

How can libraries use Rollyo?  Rollyo would be a boon to reference librarians who could create themed searchrolls based on frequent reference questions.  This would allow librarians to search multiple web sites at once, while at the same time limiting “noise” from their results.  Libraries could offer their users searchrolls on various themes with the assurance that the sites included have already been vetted for accuracy and usefulness.  

Some library themed searchrolls have already been formed.  Click on the following link http://www.rollyo.com/explore.html?rollterm=library&x=3&y=5  to find some of these searchrolls, including search engines that focus on ”Library Orgs” or “library blog search.”   A search for librarian searchrolls also turns up such customized search engines as “Librarian 2.0″  Click on the following link to view these search results  http://www.rollyo.com/explore.html?rollterm=librarian&x=14&y=11

According to Wikipedia, “wiki”, a word that in Hawaiian means “fast”, is computer software that allows users to create and edit web pages collaboratively.  Wikis are being used increasingly by businesses to provide information Intranets.  It is surmised that there are many more wikis behind firewalls than on the public web.  However, wikis have a use as a Web 2.0 tool.   Individuals may design their own wikis using “wiki farms.” Wiki farms are wiki hosting services.

Two very popular wiki farms are PBWiki and WetpaintWiki.   Both wiki services stress ease of use.  PBWiki’s (or PeanutButterWiki’s)  slogan is “Make a free wiki as easily as a peanut butter sandwich!”  WetpaintWiki also bills itself as user-friendly, a site where one can make a wiki in three easy steps. Both offer ad-supported free wikis, although PBWiki also offers a paid ad-free account option. 

The PBWiki home page is geared to providing information about how to set up a wiki and includes a link to a wiki demo.  Tabs allow users to see examples of wikis and wiki features.  Specific tabs are provided for businesses and educators.  PBWiki appears to more geared to this market.  This site stresses the services such as enterprise-grade encryption and automatic backup, as well as the more advanced security options such as hide-able and lockable pages, offered in its paid premium account. 

WetpaintWiki appears to be geared to more non-technical users wanting to collaborate online on interests such as art, music, and hobbies.  The main page offers many themed wikis that can be easily accessed by users.  Seasonal wikis (currently Halloween) are highlighted. In keeping with the emphasis on collaboration, WetpaintWiki has started a Facebook application entitled “Whiteboard” which allows Facebook users to “collaborate wiki-style” within Facebook.  There are business and education wikis available on WetpaintWiki but information on site security is not easily found.  

A more technical review of these two sites as well as a complete comparative listing of all wiki farms can be found at Wikipedia’s “Comparison of wiki farms.”  Both sites offer opportunities for libraries.  Libraries can create their own wikis on a topic of interest to their patrons, link to other wikis of interest, and teach patrons about wikis.

A very well-designed library web page is the Bowdoin College web site.   This page excels at both user-friendliness as well as at visual layout and aesthetics.  One nice element is the fact that the catalog can be accessed from the main page. This is important as many users, epecially undergraduates, who are accessing library sites remotely are wanting to go straight to the catalog. Placing the catalog on the main page reduces the number of links these repeat users will have to click on to reach their destination.  Catalog access is also very visible as it is offered at the very top of the page.  In addition, the Bowdoin College library web page takes an innovative approach in the way it offers links to searching databases, reserve articles, and journal titles.  These are offered as tabs together with the catalog on one search area seperate from the rest of the page.  Clicking on the tab “Find Articles” will allow the user to browse databases without changing the rest of the page.  This enables the user to still have access to the other links on the main page without having to toggle back and forth between pages.  The visual layout is also appealing with soothing colors and information arranged in an easy to read column format.  There is no need to scroll down much to find information.  The site also provides interactivity through its online help button and through instant messaging.  Both of these can be seen easily on the main page.  

Another web site that is as well-designed, if not as pretty, is the Walter E. Helmke Library site at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne.  This web site offers not only catalog access but also database access on the main page.  Here again, repeat users do not have to go through several pages to reach their destination.  Search aids are also offered for new users under each type of search.  An IUCAT tutorial is offered under the catalog search, an “Is Your Journal Scholarly” link is offered under database search.  Another positive element of this web site is the way in which population specific services are offered on the main page.  These services include not only the expected faculty and student services, but also information specifically for Distance Learners and People with Disabilities.  

So what can the Rebecca Crown Library main page learn from these web sites?   Although the site is visually appealing,  a sparser style with less text would make the site easier to navigate.  The amount of text describing the library changes, though interesting to newcomers, causes the repeat user to have to scroll down to find such important information as phone numbers.   Perhaps this text might have been better placed in a link?  Like many library websites, but unlike the two described above, catalog access is not offered on the main page, but requires two further pages to access.  This can be frustrating to remote users who are using the site repeatedly.  Less text also provides space for more keyword linking.  Despite these concerns, there are many positive attributes to the Rebecca Crown page.  Interactivity is promoted through the Library Blog and the Chat Reference.  Also, phone numbers and hours of service are posted without having to link to other pages.  It is good that this basic information is readily accessible.  Also, although not on the main page, most resources, such as Research Help are only one click away.

At the (mythical) public library where I work, we have decided to explore whether or not we would want to reach out to patrons through Facebook similar to the ways in which academic libraries have used Facebook to reach out to students.  Facebook, now the seventh most popular site (as of May 2007), is a social networking website that was started in 2004 as an online alternative to Harvard University’s paper college directory.  It expanded to other Ivy Leagues schools, then to other colleges, and now to high schools.  Unlike MySpace, the other popular social networking site, Facebook is only open to registered users with a valid education oriented email address.  Facebook works by providing a platform for sharing digital content (blog-like “notes”, photos, and videos) which can be tagged and searched across networks.  Facebook also offers security options for its content.

Before deciding to use Facebook, we looked at what other libraries are doing with the site.  It appears that there are three major ways that libraries are engaging with Facebook.  One, libraries use the service to post news, promote upcoming events, and to ask for feedback from patrons.  One good example is the Muhlenberg County Public Libraries group.  Sometimes, it is the community associations that support the library forming groups on Facebook, such as Friends of Nebraska Libraries, a group interested in “inviting ideas on how libraries in Nebraska can improve their services to patrons,” according to their Facebook entry. 

Two, libraries can also use Facebook as a tool for librarian-to-librarian resource sharing.  There are a number of groups devoted to library issues (Support Public Libraries) or library organizations (American Library Association members).  Many Facebook groups are devoted to using technology in the library.  Two good examples are Facebook Apps for Libraries, devoted to “the use of third-party Facebook applications for enhanced library services” and Library 2.0 Interest Group,“a place to connect with librarians, MLS students, LIS faculty, patrons and anyone else interested in 2.0 concepts and services.”  

The third, and most sophisticated, use of Facebook is the creation of a portal that allows for limited searching of the library’s collection from within Facebook.  A good example of this is Edmonton Public Library page “which connects people of Edmonton to the knowledge and cultures of the world.”   Many universities also allow limited searching of their collections from within Facebook. Examples include the University of Notre Dame, Penn State, University of Michigan, and Eastern Illinois University. 

A good how-to article which described one librarian’s use of Facebook is Vincci Kwong’s “Reach Out to Your Students Using MySpace and Facebook.” (Indiana Libraries, Vol. 26, Number 3).  Kwong informs us that account profiles must be created for individuals only.  Organizational profiles, profiles of the library as a whole, are not allowed according to Facebook’s Terms of Agreement and accounts set up this way are being closed by Facebook.  The way around this, says Kwong, is for a librarian to set up an individual account (does not need to reveal personal information) and create a group for the library  as a whole, using the “My Group” feature.

Another issue to be addressed is the use of Facebook at the public library.  Potential problems of allowing Facebook at a public library for use by high school students includes tying up computer time that could be used for more academic purposes and possible bandwidth and internet access issues.  Some public and academic libraries have even blocked Facebook access.  

My recommendation is that our mythical public library use Facebook.  We have already  identified a need to reach out to high school students.  Using technology with which they are already engaged will help to address this need.  I suggest we begin by posting  information about upcoming events, especially teen-oriented events, and other news, such as recent arrivals of books and games of interest to teens. We can monitor the usage of the technology through feedback and observation.  We can later decide to add to this service, leave as it is, or abandon it.

My creation

Originally uploaded by kaate_d@sbcglobal.net

This was easier to do than anticipated. Since I did not have any digital photos of me actuallly facing the camera (go figure!), I decided to play with my new scanner and scan in an old snapshot. Hmm. . .now I might try a motivational poster. . .

Libraries may choose to add a library blog to existing web services as a way to provide updates and generate feedback.  In class, Michael discussed the importance of allowing patron feedback on library blogs.  His points were that patrons come to expect interactivity and will go elsewhere if it does not exist and that patrons are better at self-regulating for appropriateness than library staff might think.  In her article “Why be transparent?” in the August 2007 issue of American Libraries, Meredith Farkas discusses additional reasons why blogs should allow for patron commentary.  She states that blogs make it easy to “connect and converse” with patrons unlike other feedback mechanisms, such as surveys and suggestion boxes.  She gives two examples of libraries who offer blogs and who give a staff response to “each and every question” even if it is just an explanation for why things are done that way.  Patrons often used the blog to give feedback about technologies that were not working properly or not meeting their needs, or services they wanted at branch locations. 

The article does not discuss how much time is taken by library staff to respond to “each and every question” or how timely the responses would have to be (daily, weekly) to keep patrons happy.  What do others think?  

A good article on ”Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Library Services”  can be found at   http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html.  This article provides information on how to start a library blog and what capabilities to consider, such as archiving and searching.  It also links to many library and librarian’s blogs to provide examples in the section entitled “Blogs in the Library Sphere.”  Links include public, academic, and special libraries.