LibraryThing is wonderful!

I discovered LibraryThing at the 2007 SDLA conference One of the presenters was raving about it, and (I have to admit, my ears pricked up at the mention of free books!) I went straight back to my room that night and checked it out.

It didn't take me long, to run through the 200 book entries that a guest membership gets you. I splurged on the lifetime membership - all of $25 (three new paperbacks, or 10 cups of coffee bar java, more or less: not such a huge sacrifice). And oh, the authors I have discovered!!!

I'm fascinated by Janny Wurts way of putting words together, and I never would have discovered P.C. Hodgell on my own, but a recommendation by a fellow LibraryThinger in Britain got me hooked. I could go on with newly discovered authors (and the increase in our ILL stats), but....

In the library, I've used LT as a reader's advisory tool on multiple occasions, as well as passing the site along to a local author whose book was featured on the Early Reviewers list - he was thrilled. I add, rate, and review everything I read, and I've taken to blogging some of the topical title reviews on my personal blog. I've contemplated a YA blog in support of our children's collection, but haven't followed up on that yet. And of course, there are all those potentially free advance reading copies I might be eligible for as a member of the Early Reivewers group.

At present our library doesn't subscribe to LT as an institution. Since we can't fold the reviews and recommendations into our current OPAC, and I'm not sure we really want to link out to Amazon or Alibris rather than the catalog, I'm not sure we will pursue an institutional membership in the near future. But is was certainly interesting to see the use other locations are making of it.

If YOU haven't yet tried LT on for size, I HIGHLY recommend it!

Final thoughts? Not a chance!

This week wraps up the South Dakota Library 2.0 Challenge.

And I'd just like to say, THANKS, guys, for the opportunity to try out all of the nifty tools we explored in the last few weeks. They may not be one-size fits all, but trying them on for size has sure been a blast!

One minor miff, though - it's not very friendly to restrict comments on the Challenge site to team members only! How are we to comment, when we get bounced off?

But kudos & quibbles aside, I'm resolving to keep this up.

"This" being the exploration of new tools, widgets, and whatever other ideas I run across that might be of use. I've found that writing it out - especially for 'publication' as it were, gives me a chance to consider more aspects of what I'm looking into. Whether it be a website, and widget, or a tool, that's not a bad thing.

As those who know me quickly learn, I always have an opinion - just ask me, I'll tell you! *grin* Oh, wait, was that a rhetorical question? Never mind.

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In the interest of wrapping up - you might remember back in the Google Docs lesson (The Doctor is In - Lesson 6) I created a poll requesting folks rate their favorite lessons to that point. And I promised to post the poll results the following week - but I never did. That's because sadly, my poll had no takers :( Too bad, since I was looking forward to seeing how the results would display. But there will be other surveys, I'm sure.

Personally, I think my favorite lesson thus far was Flickr (Lesson 4a & 4B) and learning that it was possible to blog photos. And the most useful lesson was last week, learning what and how a Wiki operates (Lesson 9).

But I'm looking forward to the bonus lesson next week on LibraryThing - one of my favorite online spots. RA, personal interest, the occasional FREE book, and of course, lots and lots of book reviews. It's almost as good as chocolate!

Wiki=quick!

Alert reader nolajazz pointed out that "wiki" is actually Hawaiian for "quick!"

A wiki wiki trip to Dictionary.com confirmed it:

Main Entry:	wiki
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	a collaborative Web site set up to allow user editing and adding of content
Etymology:	1995; wiki wiki quick
Usage:	sometimes cap.*

*"wiki." Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 10 Dec. 2008. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiki>.

I missed it when I skimmed through Using Wikis to Create Online Communities yesterday, but it turns out, the tropical origin of wiki is covered there, as well. Sigh. Must learn not to speed read when tired. Oh well....

ON TO THE ASSIGNMENT!!!

Paging through the various library-oriented wikis was interesting.

I can certainly see the potential benefit to creating a conference wiki. Depending upon the structure of your conference, speakers could edit their presentation descriptions, upload handouts, etc. And (if allowed) conference-goers could provide commentary on sessions.

• Unfortunately, while the possibilities seem promising, the SDLA Conference wiki does not seem to have greatly benefited from a many-hands approach. The information on the wiki, and the structure itself, is fairly basic. Only a few page levels - no more than one might find a the usual conference site.
  

Speculating - I wonder if that's not because many of us SD librarians are a bit behind the curve when it comes to being brave and experimenting with things like wikis?

Perhaps the next conference wiki will show signs of more activity.

Wikis for libraries... better than a website, or just one more alternative? I don't know.

• The Bull Run Library wiki seems.... heavy on external links...? If this is the library's only web presence, that's okay, but if not... I found myself wondering, what's the point? If your wiki only announces events, or sends people away, then how is it really different from any other website? It doesn't really seem as if the folks at Bull Run are truly taking advantage of the tool's strengths.I think really in this case, the wiki just offers a different type of website, perhaps one more easily editable by multiple staff, and which doesn't require that the library have its own server.

In Which Wiki is Right for You? (SLJ, 5/1/07) Shonda Brisco states, "If you’ve never created a library Web page (and don’t intend to start learning HTML code anytime soon), but want your library to have a Web-presence, maybe it’s time to consider a library wiki."

That type of web-presence - for outward communication - seems to me like a stronger reason for a small library to start a wiki than enhancing staff communication - after all, if your staff numbers in the single digits and you can't manage to communicate in person, a wiki probably isn't going to help you much.

• On the other hand, many coming together to make a better whole - now that's a good reason for a wiki, especially if the community of contributors is active and interested. Pooling of information is what makes Library Success: a best practices wiki a worthwhile tag-it-in Delicious spot. I'm definitely finding some useful stuff in the IL-replated links, and there's a lot of detail I haven't had time to explore yet.

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But ILL needs attention,
and this isn't supposed to be a book.
I'm going to sign off now and go ship some books.

Wiki-stuff

Lesson elements: Wikis in Plain English was easy to watch and understand.

The second lesson element, Using Wikis to Create Online Communities was not nearly so entertaining. Still stuffed with good information, though. (And not everything has to have clowns & hand-puppets, right?).

So now I have a better grasp of what a wiki is & does. Which is good, since it seems as if they're ever more prevalent in the library community. LexisNexis, for example, is wiki-fying their help pages.

To kick things off, they even offered prizes - Amazon gift certificates!! - to anyone who'd submit guides. And it's probably a mark of just how many of us are still uncomfortable with wikis that they had a hard time giving anything away!

And they're not alone. SDLN has started a wiki using PBwiki so that SD libraries can better share information and help one another. (And if you're an ILL librarian in SD, or know one, recommend they access & explore!) And of course, there's the (bane or blessing) massive Wikipedia that's threatening the existence of all of our lovely print encyclopedias and driving teachers everywhere to pull out their hair - LOL!

I've run out of day for my time today, so I'll have to get back to this later - I'm looking forward to exploring the recommended sites, and I'm already thinking of ways that a wiki could be useful. Of course, getting people to participate would be key....

(heads off muttering to self)

Wiki, wiki, wiki

Sounds like something you'd find on a tropical island, doesn't it? No, that's tiki, isn't it. Oh well....

Have to say, I've been looking forward to this lesson in particular. I'll be the first to confess, I'm not really sure exactly what a wiki is, exactly.

That said, I'm going to go view a couple of the videos in Lesson 9 and see if I can't figure out what it is I'm missing.

Lesson-free week & a pair of (almost) widgets

No assignment this week, but I thought I might mention a couple of interesting (almost) widgets that have come in handy here.

Widget #1: A nifty promo-item that all SD libraries should have access to - netLibrary's e-book of the month

Last month (November) it was a book on surviving the mortgage crisis. This month - timely as always - the featured title is Barack Obama : the new face of American politics. netLibrary's widget embedded in your website could look like this:

Clicking on it will take patrons directly to netLibrary, where they can access the featured e-book (note: they will need to log in if not in a library or IP-verified location). The banner's available in horizontal (above), vertical-large, and vertical-small formats.

Once the script is embedded in your webpage, it automatically updates to each month's new feature - no maintenance required. That's great, but - bonus - netLibrary also provides lots of nifty promotional materials for your patrons. You can learn more about monthly ebooks, download the linking script, and find out how to get those free promotional items for your library in netLibrary's Tools for libraries section.

Which they don't exactly make easy to find, let me tell you!!!

But here's a great opportunity to use that delicious account you created last week and save the link for future reference :)

Widget #2 : Ever wondered about (or wanted your patrons to know) exactly how much the services your library provides are worth in today's economy? To find out, check the Value of Library Service Calculator

Originally created by the Massachusetts Library Association, and made freely available for any library's use, this is a nifty, customizable calculator that allows your patrons to see just how much their library use is worth in monetary terms. A quick Google search or the MLA website will produce a downloadable Excel file that you can edit to add your own values, or simply plug in to your library's website. Maine's State Library is using it to promote the value of libraries in their state, as is the Denver Public Library, and many, many others in communities across the country.

A few rough guesses as to my use of library materials and interlibrary loan - no databases or other services included - in the last year fixed an approximate valuation of my personal library use.
Here's an eyeopener: if I lived in Maine, I'd have to spend nearly $6,000 out of pocket to recoup my usual library activities. (And that's just books & serial use, not including online stuff!). In Denver the average value is calculated by monthly use. They've also added in an ROI (return on investment) calculation per dollar spent. There, I'd be spending about $491/month on books & periodical items, and my ROI for taxes would be $1=$118.08.

So there you have it. Two interesting tools you too can make use of on your library's site with only a bit of effort on your part.