A to Z of Social Networking for Libraries: an INF506 OLJ Blog Entry



After reading AnnaLaura's blog article "A to Z of Social Networking for Libraries," I was excited to find that the Ames Free Library, where I am the Assistant Youth Services Librarian, has accomplished many of the social networking tasks that are so important for libraries utilizing web 2.0.  For example, we have several Active (for the letter A) web 2.0 platforms we use including Twitter, Flickr, Facebook (the letter F!), Pinterest and three Blogs (the letter B!).  The majority of our staff actively use these social networking sites with Zeal (the letter Z) and we are constantly trying to think of fun new ways we can use them to benefit the library.  However, there were a few areas where we could use improvement.  They are:

1. D-Direction-We have recently discussed how we can strategically use the web 2.0 platforms that staff manages.  It's easy for libraries to adopt new technologies, but how will they be used? Until this recent discussing, we were kind of aimlessly tweeting, posting and pinning.  Staff has read up on ways to use these technologies and we have come up with a basic game plan.  The library will use Twitter to represent the library publishing and marketing world.  Facebook will be used to advertise and connect with our patron group.  Pinterest is being used as a reader's advisory site.  This is all in the beginning stages, and we will evaluate how these strategies are working as time goes on.
2. E-E-Books - The library lends e-books through the library consortium but many people don't know about them.  We need to think of ways to advertise this service better.  We also lend e-readers like kindles and nooks, and these devices can be used as a way to promote e-books.
3. O-Open source- I hadn't heard of open source programs such as Joomla or Koha until I read this article.  It would be interesting to find out how implementing these open source programs can help blend social networking with the library website and card catalog.
4. R-Reference- While we currently offer reference service in person and through email we don't use social networks for answering reference questions.  I think adding this service to these sites would help promote more people to ask questions!
5. Y-Youth- As the Assistant Youth Services Librarian, I have been brainstorming ways to better reach out to youth through our social networking sites.  I would like to create a blog just for teens and a Facebook page where teens and the library can directly interact for fun programs like a virtual book club!

As you can see, the A-Z guide is a great way to evaluate library services and think of innovative ways to implement social networking into the library!

Using Delicious: a Social Bookmarking Tool (an INF506 OLJ entry)

What is Social Bookmarking?

As I mentioned in my previous post, students enrolled in INF506, Social Networking for Information Professionals, are required to create accounts on Delicious, a social bookmarking website.  So, what is social bookmarking? It's actually quite convenient.  Delicious allows users to take information from the web (articles, pictures, videos, etc.) and save them all in one place.  Users can also upload favorite articles and posts  from other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to their Delicious account for easy access and organizing.  From a librarian's point of view, I find it similar to classification and cataloging.  For example, as I read the articles and watch the videos for class, I simply add the ones I find relevant to me to my Delicious account.  When I add something, I am able to "tag" the item, or classify it using a  folksonomy system, with a descriptive word such as "social networking" or "Facebook", allowing me to easily search and find the information I've saved so I can  refer back to it later.  Here is an example of what tags look like:

When I click on the tags, other documents will be retrieved so that I can find even more relevant information on the subject I'm searching for.  This also allows Delicious users to view what others have posted, enabling people to find users who have similar interests.  Delicious allows users to follow each other, so that when someone I follow posts something new I am able to view it in my feed and decide if I want to bookmark it myself.  So what's the point? All of this is a great way to group information together that I've found on the web and that I've been introduced to by other members.  I am then able to group items together by type through tagging for my own reference.

How is Social Bookmarking Helpful?

Using Delicious is helpful in many ways.  Right now, I am using it for educational and professional purposes.  I am bookmarking websites that will be helpful to me for class assignments and projects.  This is basically allowing me to build my reference list for these larger projects and allows easy, quick access to the information I need. This is a great way for all students to build lists of works that they can use for assignments, and librarians can refer students to this site and offer tutorials.

 I am also bookmarking articles relevant to my profession in library Youth Services, to be able to access ideas and other helpful tips on programming and services that I'd like to implement in the future.  Professionals in all fields will find organizing relevant information helpful using Delicious because it is a great way to collaborate on projects and share a variety of resources, ideas and media from a number of online places.

What are the Downsides?

For the most part, my experience using Delicious has been a positive one.  I love when social networking sites can help make my life easier.  Delicious allows me to organize and group similar information.  This is incredibly helpful for my projects in school and at work.  However, one thing to keep in mind is that technology doesn't always run smoothly.  Many classmates and I repeatedly got an error message every time we tried to follow someone on Delicious, making it difficult to find other users in order to share interesting and helpful information. After contacting Delicious, this problem has been resolved. This is a great example of users experimenting with social networking sites and trying to improve user experience.  Hopefully Delicious will use this feedback to address the issue and improve service.

INF506-Social Networking for Information Professionals

Hi all! My other class this semester has just begun! I am enrolled in INF506, Social Networking for Information Professionals at Charles Sturt University in Australia! Simmons College has a consortium of schools where students can take online classes towards their Master's in Library and Information Science.  The first week of this class has been intense but also fun and educational! We have begun by immersing ourselves in a number of social networking sites and will be learning how they can benefit libraries and library professionals! This class requires us to keep an Online Learning Journal where we document our learning experiences, which works out nicely for me since this whole blog has been created for that very purpose!

• What Is Social Networking?

When I think of social networking, I think of an online platform where people can share thoughts, ideas, opinions, pictures, write messages and basically stay in touch with one another.  I love that sites like Facebook allow me to see what family and friends that I don't  talk to very often are up to every day.  Social Networking is also a way to meet new people and find out about new places or products.  When you like something on Facebook, you learn more about companies and products by getting updates on your News Feed.  There are also sites like LinkedIn that are geared toward professional networking, and micro-blogging on Twitter allows users to interact closely with famous people like movie stars and musicians.  While there are many social networking sites out there, I think they all have a common goal: for people to connect by sharing content.

• Social Networking Sites I Use

I use quite a few Social Networking sites! For personal use, I am currently using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogspot, Google+ and Flickr.  I actually started using Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ for educational purposes for my Young Adult Literature class, which served the purpose of staying current and up to date in order to serve teens better.  I loved Twitter and Pinterest and still use them both very often! Google+ allows users to organize friends, acquaintances, co-workers, etc.  into different circles, so you can decide what they see about you.  It is a bit like Facebook but with more options for users.  Google+ also allows users to have "hangouts" where up to ten people can have a face to face chat, and that is how we had class discussions for my online class.  I've also used a few different educational platforms for school, such as Wikis, Blackboard and Moodle.

Ames Free Library (where I work) is very current as far as being involved in Social Networking.  We maintain Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, three Blogspot blogs and now even Pinterest! I manage the Twitter page for the library and one of the blogs-this one! The library advertises its services, fundraisers, new materials, programs and more on these Social Networking Platforms and is able to reach more users that way.  This week's readings discussed how library website use has declined over the past few years.  Could it be because libraries are not remaining current by adopting Social Networking? I think it's extremely important for libraries to do so in order to remain relevant.

• Learning Expectations for INF506

INF506 requires students to create Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Delicious, LinkedIn and Second Life accounts and we will be immersing ourselves in these technologies! I am excited to learn more about how these Social Networking tools can be used in libraries specifically to help promote learning, literacy, community and more! I hope to pass this knowledge on to co-workers and library patrons in order for them to become comfortable navigating the world of Web 2.0 and to keep them connected.

The Inspirational Fiction Genre- Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore

Inspirational Fiction is another genre that I don't read too often.  After learning the characteristics of this genre, I've learned what kind of books in this genre I would like and what I wouldn't.  I really enjoyed Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen because it is just a great feel-good book that is illustrates human imperfection and wonderfully drawn characters that make you laugh out loud.  Check out the characteristics of this genre below to determine if you'd like Inspirational Fiction.  In this genre you may find:

•  Christian principles, especially in resolving the conflict
• A spiritual search
• No sex or profanity 

Sound like something you may enjoy? Is so, here are  some resources to help you find the perfect book for you!

• The Christy Awards for exceptional Christian Fiction
• Gold Medallion for Evangelical Fiction
• Rita (Romance Writers of America, Inspirational Category)
• Christian Booksellers Association

For an introduction to this genre, I recommend Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen.  It's not over the top or preachy, but it deals with a young woman's struggle to understand her faith and how it defines her life.  Here is my review!

Gilmore, Susan Gregg. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen: A Novel. New York: Shaye Areheart, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-307-39501-6

This book is a coming of age story of a young girl growing up in the tiny southern town of Ringgold, Georgia.  Catherine Grace is the preacher’s daughter and comes from a long line of preachers of the Cedar Grove Baptist Church.  The story takes the reader through her childhood, where her father’s role as preacher has an immense impact on her own journey of faith, acceptance and personal beliefs.  The Dairy Queen is Catherine Grace’s favorite place because it represents the outside world, something she can’t wait to be a part of.  It is also where she comes to big decisions in her life while consuming copious amounts of dilly bars. When Catherine Grace turns 18 her dream of leaving her small town and living in the big city are realized, only to be called back by the death of her father.  When she returns home, she learns secrets about her father that contradict all he’s taught her about leading a Christian life.  This book illustrates the important message that everyone sins and forgiveness is an essential part of life.

This title covers many important Christian principles, as illustrated through Catherine Grace’s father as teacher, father and pastor.  Catherine Grace struggles to accept and understand her father’s teachings at times throughout the book such as accepting the “infallible authority of the bible” and “addressing life’s dilemmas through Jesus” as described in John Mort’s book “Christian Fiction.”  This book has no profanity and no sex scenes.  However, Catherine Grace’s preacher father gets the Sunday school teacher, Miss Raines, pregnant out of wedlock.  This turn of events was interesting because it is reminiscent of “The Scarlet Letter,” which is named as one of the first Christian Fiction novels written.

I loved this book! I’m not really a Christian Fiction reader, and I think this would be a great book to introduce someone to the genre.  While the book is focused on the Christian faith and principles, it is not overly religious.  It is still a great story with wonderfully charming and funny characters that are so well developed you feel like you will miss them when the book is over.  The relationships between Catherine Grace, her sister Martha Ann, and neighbor Gloria Jean are so well developed and are one of the best parts of the book.  The community is close knit, they all know each other’s business and it is laugh-out-loud funny at times!

This book takes place in the sixties and seventies in a small Southern town, and the style of writing and the sense of community reminded me of “The Help.”  I would recommend this to readers that enjoy women’s southern fiction.

Do you read Inspirational Fiction? What are your favorite authors and titles? I'd love to hear from you!

The Western Genre-True Grit by Charles Portis



I must say, I was a bit skeptical of reading a Western! I always wondered what the appeal was, but now I know! The great thing about this class is that I'm reading genres that I never would on my own and gaining a new understanding and broader knowledge of different types of books.  Here are the key characteristics of a Western novel:

• an adventure story usually taking place in the American West between the Civil war and the 20th century.
• There is a hero
• The landscape is so important and detailed it almost becomes a character in the book
• There is usually a struggle between good and evil

If you enjoy Westerns or want to try one for the first time, check out the Western Writers of America web page for more information and for a list of the 100 best Westerns!


The book I read for this assignment was True Grit by Charles Portis, which was actually recommended to me by Ames Free Library patron Brad Sultan (Thanks Brad)! As a librarian, it's important to remember  that Reader's Advisory works both ways and I have gotten a lot of great recommendations from patrons I talk to every day! Thanks to all of you! Here is my report on True Grit:

 Portis, Charles.  True Grit. New York, NY: Overlook, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-59020-459-7

True Grit, originally published in 1968, tells the tale of Mattie Ross, a fourteen year old girl out to seek revenge and redemption for her father’s murder in the 1870’s.  Despite being fourteen and female Mattie is incredibly sharp, intelligent and tough.  She seeks out U.S. Marshall “Rooster” Cogburn to help her hunt down Tom Chaney, her father’s killer.  She hears one-eyed Rooster has “true grit,” and hopes he will have what it takes to take on hunting Chaney down.  They travel through the rough Oklahoma landscape of Choctaw Nation where they encounter robbers, Indians and a harsh landscape until they find Cogburn and a scary confrontation ensues.

 True Grit has many characteristics of the Western genre.  It is an adventure story, of a young girl on a perilous yet brave journey to revenge her father’s death.  The story is action packed, particularly the scene where they find Chaney, which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.  The book is packed with gun fights, death, robbers, outlaws and Indians set against the backdrop of the beautiful yet dangerous Oklahoma Choctaw Indian Territory.  There are a few characters that take on the role of hero, most notably Mattie herself.  The fact that Mattie is a main hero strays from traditional Westerns being called “man’s tales.”

 Initially, I groaned at the thought of having to read a Western.  They've never been a favorite of mine.  At the library where I work, a patron actually recommended this book to me because he thought I would enjoy that the main character was female.  To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down when it got to the nail-biting end! The way Rooster and fellow traveler LaBoef treat Mattie at times is annoying, but taking into consideration Mattie’s age and sex in that time period and on that particular journey I believe they were just trying to protect her.  I loved Mattie’s hard-headed ways and how she could out smart and out talk anyone she came into contact with! I enjoyed the characters in the book, those that were bad and good.  They were all well developed and had interesting personalities.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting a good read because the writing is of high quality.   True Grit is told magnificently through Mattie’s perspective, through a narrative that is sharp and descriptive.  In the end, it is Mattie that has “true grit.”

In addition to fulfilling the requirements of a good Western, this book would be enjoyed and appreciated by fans of the adrenaline genre including adventure, suspense and thrillers because of the high energy scenes.  It would also be a good book to recommend to fans of historical fiction.  In addition, women and teens would also enjoy this title because Mattie is not only a good strong female character; she is also a young adult.  I love that Mattie diverged from the traditional Western hero because of the simple fact she is female.  However, that fact does not make the book less appealing to males, as Rooster and Leboef play important roles in this adventurous tale.

Are you a Western reader? What's your favorite Western? If you're not, I definitely recommend True Grit as a great introduction to the genre!

The Mystery Genre-If Looks Could Kill by Kate White

                                                                             

The first genre we are covering in my Adult Reading Interests class is Mysteries! I've always enjoyed mysteries, but never really put much thought into the characteristics of what defines the genre.  So, what defines a mystery novel? Here are some key characteristics:

• a crime
• an investigation of the crime
• an investigator
• solving the crime
• the criminal being brought to justice

There are many types of mysteries  including police procedurals, courtroom dramas and even cozy mysteries! If you are a mystery reader, you may enjoy some of these websites to find other authors:

The Mystery Reader

Mystery Readers International

Mystery Writers of America

Sisters in Crime

Whodunit in New England

Killer Books

The book I read for this assignment was Kate White's If looks Could Kill.  Here is my report on it:

White, Kate. If Looks Could Kill. New York: Warner, 2002.  ISBN: 0-446-53023-9



 True Crime writer and New Yorker Bailey Weggins freelances for a woman’s magazine called Gloss.  She and her boss, Cat, find Cat’s nanny murdered from what looks like a deadly poisoning.  Cat asks Bailey to try and conduct her own investigation and gather clues in addition to the police investigation.  As Bailey talks to the many suspects, it begins to look as though Cat was the one who was supposed to be murdered.  Bailey tries to find out if this is truly the case or if it’s a decoy to hide the fact someone really wanted the nanny dead.  That makes Cat herself a suspect and as her investigation heats up, Bailey experiences a series of scary events like a break-in, hang up calls and even a poisoning of her own until she finally solves the case-before the police do.
This book has many of the traditional characteristics of what the textbook, "The Readers Advisory Guide to genre Fiction" by Joyce Saricks, considers a mystery novel.  First, the book revolves around solving the murder of the poisoned nanny.  Bailey interviews various suspects, collecting information and clues and tries to piece it all together.  Secondly, Bailey is the “amateur detective,” a characteristic described in this week’s lesson, and her life is a main focus of the story.  This book also has two distinct settings, a key characteristic mentioned in this week’s mystery lesson and in the textbook.  The story mostly takes place in the glamorous New York City magazine world, but also on the sketchy New York streets and alleys, and in the quiet and sometimes dangerous New York countryside.

I have read two of Kate White’s stand-alone novels, Hush and The Sixes and thoroughly enjoyed them.  I had never read any of the Bailey Weggins series and I did find If Looks Could Kill to be a fun, engaging read.  However, the idea of Bailey writing true crime for Gloss, (loosely based on Cosmopolitan magazine, where author Kate White is editor in chief?)  and solving crimes on the side was a bit ridiculous.  The glamour of working at Gloss as a freelance writer and solving crimes on the side seemed a bit silly, yet the author does pull it off for the most part.  It was only until the plot begins to look like the murderer is out to get women’s magazine editors did it get a bit far fetched, but then the author draws the reader back in and the ending is satisfying.  The characters in the book are interesting, mainly the love/hate relationship between Bailey and her boss (Cat), Bailey’s love interests and Bailey’s relationship with her gay elderly friend Landon.

I think women who also like chick lit would enjoy this title.  In addition to the mystery characteristics, much of the novel focuses on a divorced thirty something woman trying to make her way as a writer in New York City.  The book has the glamour of working at a woman's magazine and also illustrates Bailey’s struggles to find a suitable man as a single divorced woman.

Let me know what mysteries you are reading and what authors you enjoy! Happy reading!

Fall 2012 Update

Fall 2012 is here and so is another semester! This semester is an exciting one because I am taking 2 courses online: one across the country in Texas and one internationally in Australia! I've also begun my countdown to graduation in May 2013!

I am enrolled in Adult Reading Interests through the University of North Texas, which is a reader's advisory course where we cover many popular genres of fiction.  The class is underway and I will be posting my picks for the genres I am reading in class, as well as helpful tips for reader's advisory at the library and for personal use!

My other class, Social Networking for Information Professionals, is at Charles Sturt University in Australia! As a blogger and the Ames Free Library "Tweeter", I am excited to delve into new and exciting social media sites to build on my knowledge and skills.  This class begins in November, as it follows a European class schedule.

I am enjoying learning on an online platform and look forward to being an International student! Stay tuned for my first genre in reader's advisory: Mysteries!