How does this benefit us?
Social software tools are a big jump into the unknown for many. I’m right on the line there…I didn’t grow up with them, but I was still in high school and college when many of them first appeared. It’s not as scary for me as for some, but I’m probably not as comfortable as many. I think this fear of the unknown is probably the greatest barrier to implementing social software in the library. Because administrators are not familiar with social software, apart from occasional mention of the dangers of MySpace on the news, they will not be eager to begin using it in the workplace. Why should they be? They are looking at the problem from a very practical standpoint. If they can’t see why it would benefit them, then why should they spend staff time and perhaps even real money to have it implemented?
This is why a working model along with real examples of other libraries benefiting from new technologies is such a good idea. In my own organization, I am fairly lucky in that the administration is very open to new ideas. It’s a new college, and therefore almost everything they’re doing came from a new idea. However, because it’s a new college, money is not readily available, and neither is staff time. The huge hurdle there is convincing administration that all the time put into a social software project is tangibly beneficial. Putting together a little presentation or document with some actual examples would, then, be an excellent way to increase buy-in. A working model would solve the original problem of the fear of the unknown. If administration (and myself, for that matter) can see what the tool looks like and how it is used in a library setting, they will be much more likely to approach the question of implementation in an unbiased manner rather than simply rejecting without knowledge.
