Raising Awareness in Library 2.0 way:

The UJ Sciences Librarian Virtual Experience

SANLiC Workshop, 28 May 2009

Web 2.0/Library 2.0 in Academic Libraries

• Web 2.0 emerged as a way to stimulate people’s participation, contributions and collaboration in the creation of a new content over the web

• The use of the Web 2.0 tools in the libraries have created the Library 2.0 term.

• The aim of the Academic Library 2.0 is to enhance the already existing electronic environment with its services and to contribute/be a part of the research process.

• The implementation of the social tools into the library environment, will keep the librarians current and will help them become an active participants in the building of a new knowledge society generation.

• Adapting the library services to fit the Social Networking environment would be a logical extension to what we do in the Library.

Raising Awareness of Library Resources & Services

• Traditional way- Newsletters- E-mails notifications- Visual Displays @ the

Department & the Library- Print-outs- Library website- ToC (print; via e-mail)- Search results sent through e-

mail /print /export - User Education

• Library 2.0 way- Blogs (posts & comments)- Social Networking- Social Bookmarking- RSS feeds- Wiki for subject guides- Instant Messaging/Chat Ask-a-

Librarian help- Mind Maps- Podcasts & Videos - Imbed widgets for visual

illustration- iGoogle (personal 2.0)

Raising Awareness: User needs

Meet users in their space- Library Links @ the

Departmental websites- Visual Displays @ the

Departments- Visits to the Departments- Make use of Virtual Learning

Environment (EduLink; websites)

- Make use of the Social Networking places (Facebook; Twitter, etc.)

Tempt users into the Library

- Visual & Virtual access- Interactive library websites- Games (sudoku; library quizzes,

widgets, Second Life, etc.)- Build personal relationship- Displays to promote the library

resources- Do Library special topic days

(Database of the week; Online books, etc.)

Raising Awareness: Library News BlogLatest Library News; Library Services; Projects & initiatives; Trial databases; New

databases; Publisher’s news and updates; etc.

Raising Awareness: Library Research BlogSciences Research News; Journals Impact factors; Ranking;

UJ Researchers articles (links to full-text); Research resources, etc

UJ Sciences Librarian Blogshttp://ujsciencelibrarianblog.blogspot.com/

http://ujscienceslibrarynews.wordpress.com/

Social Bookmarking

Social Bookmarking

• Social Bookmarking is the practice of saving bookmarks to a public website and “tagging” them with keywords

• It can be used for Current Awareness and Selective Dissemination of information (articles, news; ToC, websites; blog posts, etc.)

- EbscoHost, ACS, RSC, IoP, etc.- Elsevier: 2Collab/Blog this/ RSS

Implications for Librarians, Researchers and Learners

• Tagging information resources with keywords has the potential to change the way we store and find information

• Social Bookmarking simplifies the distribution of reference list; bibliographies, article; news and other resources among peers and students

Some Social Bookmarking sites:- Delicious- Digg- Google, etc.

Social Bookmarking: EbscoHost

Social BookmarkingSelect any service, you would like to implement in your library

Social Bookmarking: Results list http://delicious.com/sciencelibrarian

Social Bookmarking: Promotional Widget ScienceLibrarian on Delicious

Social Networking/Sharing: Facebook

• Use Facebook to raise awareness with the undergraduates

• Meet the “net generation” in their environment

- IM/Chat option - Pictures, videos - Links to the library

resources • Share knowledge and

information (on the wish list)

Social Networking/Sharing: TwitterUJLibScience (http://twitter.com/ujlibscience)

• Twitter let people send and receive messages (140 characters) in real-time

• What are you doing?• Links to useful websites • Raise an awareness to

library services and resources

• You can “follow” and see what are others saying

• I follow: Springer; Elsevier; Science Librarians, etc.

Social Networking: Instant Messaging (IM)MeeboMe: UJSciLibAPK

• IM is a real-time chat room. Users can ask short questions about databases, services, problems, etc.

• Opportunity to give their voice about the library

Raising Awareness: RSS Feeds• What it is?RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” RSS feeds publish frequently updated content from the sites you are

interested across the Internet.

• Make use of RSS feeds for:- Current Awareness and Selective Dissemination of information

> Journals Table of Content (ToC) RSS feed> Article search RSS feed

> News feeds, etc.

• Databases that provide this service: EbscoHost, ScienceDirect; IoP; Wiley Interscience, SpringerLink, American Chemical Society, etc.

RSS feeds for Journals

RSS feeds: Keywords/Articles

Easy to subscribe to the

RSS feed

Raising Awareness: Departmental websites

Raising Awareness: Wiki platform for Sciences Librarian Portal: http://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/

The portal is developed and maintained by the UJ Sciences Librarian @ APK.

Use of WIKI to collaborate in subject guides.

Provide access to:- Subject Portals- Teaching, Research &

Undergrads Support- Electronic Resources- Trials; User Education;- Twitter; IM/Chat; Library &

Research News (blogs); Bookmarking (articles)

Raising Awareness: Sciences Subjects Portals

One stop for users to find links to Top Electronic

Resources, Library Services, RSS news &

Journals feeds; Podcasts & Videos; Research

projects, etc.

Raising Awareness:

Virtual Learning Environment

Virtual Learning Environment: Mind MapUse Mind Maps to visualize your resources: Links to Library Books; Instructions materials;

Electronic databases; Online Reference works

Raising Awareness: Embedded Widgets on the Sciences Subject Portals

Raising Awareness Banners

Conclusion: Raising AwarenessTraditional meets Library 2.0

Web/Library 2.0 • Web 2.0 stimulates people’s participation, contributions and collaboration in

the creation of a new content over the web. • The 2.0 technological tools are available for free. They are easy and

convenient to use. They give librarians flexibility to provide current and relevant services.

• You don’t need special skills to implement Blogs; Wikis; Instant Messaging, Social Bookmarking; Social Networking, etc.

TraditionalAlthough we do made use of 2.0 to raise awareness of the library and its resources,

we are still going to use the traditional library services (e-mails; newsletters; print-outs, face-to-face visits, etc.

• Adaptable - The South African librarian need to cater for a diverse group of users: from disadvantage learners to highly qualified researchers.

• Traditional + Virtual (2.0) Librarian = Comprehensive Librarian?

Thank you

Virtual & Traditional Sciences Librarian

University of Johannesburg, APKPavlinka KovatchevaTel.: 011 559-2621

E-mail: pkovatcheva@uj.ac.za UJ Sciences Librarian Portal

http://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/