LIBR 246-04/13 Web 2.0 (Fall 2010)

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When I enrolled in this course I was confident I knew all there was to know about social media in general.  What I wanted to learn was how it all fit in the scheme of library environments.  I was well-versed in Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, and some mobile apps on my phone.  This class provided me the opportunity to see how these applications are used--in some cases, not used-in libraries.  While some libraries were fairly successful in implementing certain social media tools, there were other libraries that implemented technologies that were not maintained and allowed to languish.  One thing I'll take away from this course is that one technology does not fit all--it's the content and not the tool.

I rely heavily on Facebook and Twitter for my daily updates more so than anything else. I have Google Reader, but I haven't looked at it for a few weeks now.  Many of the feeds I subscribe to are already provided by Facebook and Twitter.  Now that I have Tweet Deck on my phone, I update both accounts simultaneously.  I think Twitter and LinkedIn would be most beneficial to me professionally in that I can keep up with other librarians activities and post samples of projects to my LinkedIn profile.  Twitter and Facebook are also helpful when attending conferences.  Conference organizers post regular updates on presentations, schedule changes, and social events.  Attendees also post their thoughts on sessions, exhibits, and social events.  It's interesting to see the different perspectives on the same conference.

I'm still surprised I created a screencast and a LibGuide!  While the screencast wasn't my shining moment, I was proud of myself for getting through it.  I admire my classmates who made the process look and sound effortless.  I also contributed to wikis for the first time (class wiki and the SLIS wiki)!  The best experience was creating the LibGuide.  Once the basics are done it's easy to spend hours testing out the different features and widgets.  If I can't keep the Springshare account I'll have to find another way to get my fix; maybe a WordPress blog made to function as a LibGuide.  I also enjoyed learning about Edublogs and Netvibes.  Using these tools in libraries can serve to enhance the patrons' experience with the electronic databases and catalog.

I think the assignments, blog postings, and readings enhanced the hands-on learning aspect, but sometimes it felt a little much. At this time I don't have any suggestions for improvement.  I think mobile technologies and QR codes could be expanded and maybe consolidate or abbreviate blogging and RSS feeds.

I really enjoyed using Drupal as my classroom.  It gave us all the opportunity to get acquainted more so than in ANGEL.  The latter can feel remote and perfunctory, no matter how much the instructor tries to make it more "interesting".  Seeing my classmates' avatars made interaction more meaningful.

All in all, I learned how to better utilize social media to track library trends and issues, monitor my professional profile, and create meaningful content for patrons.

Thank you, Meredith for your support and enthusiasm! I wish my classmates good luck in their future endeavors and I hope to cross paths with you either virtually or in person!