Blog post #5: Wikis

There's a very interesting article in Wired discussing how wikis are being used by the U.S. intelligence agency, considering the Web 2.0 tool the "key to the future of American espionage." Apparently, the government is using a system called "Intellipedia" to create an intelligence report on Nigeria and country reports on terrorism. Currently, the Intellipedia system has 28,000 pages and 3,600 registered users. Obviously, the U.S. intelligence agency considers wikis to be an important and powerful tool. This article made me think about ways that libraries could innovatively use wikis. There are some general-library-practice oriented wikis out there (LibSuccess, Library Instruction Wiki); however, I think libraries could use wikis at a more individual level. For example, they could:

• Create a ready-reference wiki with pathfinders and monograph and journal citations in order to easily answer commonly asked reference questions
• Create a semi open-access wiki-based catalogue (this would need to be moderated) where both librarians and patrons can add book descriptions and recommendations for related titles and authors
• Create an intra-library wiki that outlines library policies, provides solutions to technical problems, describes administrative procedures, and/or pretty much anything related to the day-to-day operations of the library

These are just a few ideas I had, but I'm sure wikis could be used in libraries in a variety of innovative ways. If the U.S. intelligence community is using it, why not us?

Blog post #4: Squirrels need podcasting

While exploring my local library’s Website, I noticed it was lacking in some features, or that it could at least improve upon its Web-based services. I realize attempting to have a library blog can be an administrative and IT hassle, and sympathize with some libraries that decide against blogging. However, I feel that podcasting can be a powerful tool for libraries to reach out to their users. For example, the Oak Park Public Library has multiple book discussions throughout the year as well as descriptions of “Staff favorites.” I see great potential for podcasting in both of these areas. I think library users would respond well to having final book discussions and/or an audio description of staff favorites or featured titles available via podcasting. For an example of a library using podcasting for similar purposes, see the Denver Public Library. The DPL podcasts audio recordings of children’s books – what an amazing idea! Subscribe to this podcast, and now an individual has new stories to play to his/her child(ren) on a regular basis.

The advantages of library podcasting for squirrels are numerous. Besides informational podcasts on foraging skills, libraries could to many creative things. For example, they could podcast “Sounds of Predators” so that squirrels have easy access to informative survival multimedia.

Blog post #3: The Future of Libraries in a Web 2.0 World

While perusing some literature on the “future of the library” I came across some interesting comments by Thomas Frey (founder of The DaVinci Institute – a futurist organization oriented towards business and entrepreneurial consultation). In “The Future of Libraries:
Beginning the Great Transformation,” Frey describes libraries as historically being cultural reservoirs. He then envisions libraries of the future as “cultural centers”:

A culture-based library is one that taps into the spirit of the community, assessing priorities and providing resources to support the things deemed most important. Modern day cultural centers include museums, theaters, parks, and educational institutions. The library of the future could include all of these, but individual communities will be charged with developing an overall strategy that reflects the identity and personality of its own constituency.

Frey continues with recommendations for future libraries, including some “creative spaces” that should be considered for inclusion in libraries of the future:

a. Band practice rooms
b. Podcasting stations
c. Blogger stations
d. Art studios
e. Recording studios
f. Video studios
g. Imagination rooms
h. Theater-drama practice rooms

I find many of these recommendations exciting; the concepts of podcasting and blogger stations and recording and video studios reinforce “Library as a place” in a Web 2.0 world. After reading this piece, I thought of a few additional creative spaces to accompany Frey’s:

a. Gaming rooms

I think these should be designed to take advantage of all that modern day gaming has to offer. This means gaming over the Web, perhaps friendly library-vs-library competitions

b. “Social” stations

These should take advantage of all social software, not just blogging. That is, social stations would be devoted to the (legal) sharing of music, videos, photos, bookmarks, etc.

c. Tree rooms

For the squirrels, so that they can be educated on proper and safe tree climbing and jumping (can’t forget about the squirrels, they’re often overlooked)

Blog post #2: Extinction of the Grey Squirrel's tail

I’ve been thinking a lot about Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 lately. For instance, after our first weekend together in class, I became pretty excited about many of the online tools we played with. I ended up adding over 20 news feeds to the Bloglines account created in class. For about a week I kept up with all the different feeds, but eventually began to check the feeds less and less. Next thing I knew, I had more than 1,200 unread/unviewed feed & blog posts. I asked myself, “How am I going to filter through all of this ****?” That’s when I decided I was done with keeping up.

I think this personal experience demonstrates an important concept: Mooer’s Law. Mooer’s Law states that an individual has an information threshold – sometimes he/she doesn’t want or can’t handle additional information, or may not wish to be confronted with new information. What’s really interesting is that (I believe) Mooer’s law is manifesting in new ways with the continuing emergence of new social technologies. For example, in the Time article “The Multitasking Generation,” author Claudia Wallis discusses the effects of being “too wired.” It seems the M Generation is extremely efficient at multitasking, hence the name. However, neuroscience says there is no such thing as true multitasking. That is, the brain can only perform one non-practiced task at a time (i.e. walking and talking on a cell phone is manageable, but writing an english paper and talking on a cell phone is not). So while it may appear that the average 14-year old has the ability to IM, listen to music, Google, and do his/her math homework at the same time, this is just an illusion. What’s really happening is the 14-year old is constantly switching between various tasks. They are continuously consuming and evaluating information while simultaneously switching between information sources.

M Generation’s ability to multitask originally said to me that there is no such thing as “too much information” for this new generation. However, now it makes me wonder, “Are they really just choosing what information they consume in a different manner than myself?” “The Multitasking Generation” seems to answer this question with an affirmative. For instance, Wallis states that “professors are assigning fewer full-length books and more excerpts and articles” and students “demand clarity” and are “less tolerant of ambiguity than the students…taught in the past.” To me this means Mooer’s Law has manifested in Generation M in a preference for “easy information,” vs. my personal example of “too much information.” They want their information to be brief, to the point, and either black or white – there is no room for long and grey (like a Grey Squirrel’s tail). Because I don’t know the answer, I have to ask: “How do we (librarians) prepare for the possible extinction of the Grey Squirrel’s tail?”

Blog post #1: Squirrels need Long Tails

Having just finished reading Ambient Findability for my Digital Libraries course, I find myself becoming more and more fascinated with the evolution of the Web. Some intereseting concepts discussed in the book are The Semantic Web, Memes, and The Long Tail. Of particular interest is the concept of The Long Tail, or the idea that the success of online retailers such as Amazon and Netflix is a direct result of their ability to provide/sell generally "unpopular" or non-big-hit materials. As the Web continues to evolve, I believe the general population will begin to expect and demand similar availability of materials; failure to provide similar services could mean the extinction of libraries. I know libraries have always provided for the unusual or uncommon requests of their users through inter-library loan and other similar services, but I believe it will be necessary to make these services more effcient. How? Perhaps better designed OPACs (see "How OPACs Suck," Parts 1, 2, and 3), the use of RSS feeds, etc. Basically, I see the need to make libraries as easy to use as Amazon and Netflix, and the Internet overall.

Oh yeah, how does this relate to squirrels? Simple: Squirrels hoard food for the winter. In fact, they are scatter-hoarders. That is, they "gather nuts and store them in any accessible hiding place, usually by burying them." So, the ability to both gather and hide food is an important skill necessary for squirrel survival, not to mention the need to remember where they hid their food. What's really interesting is different squirrels will develop different preferences on where they hide their food, so obviously there will be a population of squirrels that find and hide their resources in "unpopular" methods or places. They need a Long Tail of information that meets their unique scatter-hoarder preferences. Sure, the Interenet is a good resource, but most squirrels don't get along with mice. So where will squirrels turn in the information age? Libraries!

More about social networking for squirrels

In the article Born with the Chip, authors Stephen Abram and Judy Luther describe describe characteristics of "Millenials" (individuals born between 1982 and 2002), or "NextGens." These characteristics can be applied to the squirrel library-user:

Format agnostic -- Squirrels want information on better foraging; they don't care what format it comes in, as long as they can find more food

Nomadic -- Squirrels commonly move from tree to tree

Multitasking -- Squirrels can perform many tasks at the same time, including jumping & chirping, playing & being watchful of predators, etc.

Experiential -- Squirrels develop foraging skills through experience

Collaborative -- Squirrels enjoy working (and playing) together

Integrated -- Foraging and life are inseperable for squirrels; without foraging, squirrels could not survive

Principled -- Squirrels are one of the most value-driven of all creatures

Adaptive -- Squirrels are particularly adept at adapting to various environments

Direct -- Squirrels will let you know when they fear you or the information you are trying to feed them

* Characteristics taken from the article Born with the Chip, which can be found here.

It is my contention that understanding these characteristics are vital for building more useful and better used libraries for squirrels.

Why squirrels need libraries...

Foraging is a necessary skill for squirrels. Libraries can provide a particular service to squirrels by providing access to information on developing foraging skills. Internet access can allow squirrels to form social networks; these networks will open lines of communication for finding foraging hotspots, etc.