Evaluative Statement
Over the
past 3 months I have read, watched, listened, interacted and reflected on what
I have learned about social networking and how it applies to my school,
libraries and other organisations. So here is an evaluation of that process.
Library 2.0,
it’s concepts, theory and practice were to some extent omnipresent in all
learning activities for this course, but were perhaps more explicitly
considered in the ‘4Cs at ASU’ post (Farley, 2013b). Essentially, the term
library 2.0 simply refers to the use of Web 2.0 tools and approaches, as laid
out by Miller (2005), in a library setting. Arizona State University (ASU)
provides a fantastic example of what library 2.0 can be, using a variety of
social media to communicate with its community, keeping them informed in about
services and resources that are available in an engaging way. It should be
noted, however, that to establish this kind of online presence must be the
result of a lot of hard work. As Partridge, Lee and Munro (2010) conclude,
becoming librarian 2.0 is more about skills and interpersonal abilities than
simply registering with a few social media sites. It’s all about how you use the tools to hand to become
more open and participative (Casey and Savatinuk, 2006).
In ‘Blog or
Bleaaaurgh?’ (Farley, 2013a) I was able to assess the social media use of my
own school library. While it was pleasing to see that the library had ventured
into the world of social media, the overwhelming impression was that their blog
was, well… underwhelming. With a relatively affluent youth audience as their
primary community there should be few limits to what media they could be using.
ASU (Farley, 2013b) demonstrates how tools such as Twitter and Facebook can be
effective for communicating with a similar audience, but also how the
integration of audio-visual material can enliven what you are presenting. ‘Blog
or Bleaaaurgh?’ (Farley, 2013a) reflected on how tools such as podcasting and
Slideshare could be used to make the school library blog more interesting, as
recommended by Brown (2010).
‘Blog or
Bleaaaaurgh’ (Farley, 2013a) also touches briefly on the need for direction
when implementing a social media tool such as a blog. However, this was reflected
upon in more depth by the ‘Marketing Strategy (Don't Fall Asleep Yet!)’ post
(Farley, 2013c), where Brown’s (2009) advice was considered in relation to my
own school and library. The first area discussed was the need for some kind of
market research to find out exactly who the users will be and what kinds of
social media will suit them best. Are you, for example, simply improving the
service to your current customer base, or are you trying to expand your
influence into new areas. As Casey and Savastinuk (2006) note, those who were
previously non-users can now potentially be reached by libraries if they
consider the ‘long tail’ and use their online presence to meet the needs of
minority interest groups. I see little value in the use of social media if it
is only being used to engage those who were engaged anyway.
Another
important issue considered was the profile of users, as laid out by Bernoff
(2012). In an era of accountability we need some kind of data to show that we
are not wasting our time on social media. Since the creators and
conversationalists form a minority of online users we will need to focus our
efforts if we are to bring them in and foster the community network we so
desire.
These are
but a couple of the issues facing the user of social media. With particular
reference to libraries we would also need to consider areas such as equity of
access (Bertot, Jaeger, McClure, Wright and Jensen, 2009). Not everyone has the
skills or access to the Internet, and while libraries do provide this they need
to ensure that a balance is struck between access provision for all and provision
for those who are most in need. There are also issues surrounding privacy and
the release of archived materials (Hodson, 2006). Exactly what is suitable for
general release online, and how do we protect people’s personal information?
Similarly, we have the issue of copyright and the need to use Creative Commons
(Partridge, Lee and Munro, 2010). Clearly it would be crazy to embark on a
social networking campaign without due consideration of these issues, and a
written policy that will hopefully help you avoid or deal with issues as they
arise, yet that is exactly what some organisations do, and as Brown (2009)
says, they are just wasting their time.
Reflective Statement
Well then,
having done all the heavy work, as it were, what have I learned from all this,
and has it had any impact on my professional development?
I have
increased my familiarity with social networking tools and sites, but I believe
I am now more aware than ever that this is really of little long-term value due
to the ephemeral nature of online sites and trends. Not so long ago MySpace was
king of the hill, but now skulks around outside the castle gates. What this
means in real terms is that what I know now will be worthless in a few year’s
time unless I stay connected to what is happening online, networking with other
information professionals to keep up to date.
In terms of
teaching practice, this means that there is little value spending vast amounts
of time educating students about how to use individual tools. The focus needs
to be upon enabling them to select the tools they need and create their own
understanding. More long-term value can be had from learning about digital
citizenship issues (Tan, 2011) that will remain relevant over time.
As well as
the need to keep up to date with what is currently available, I think I see a
need to stay in touch with ongoing trends and the direction that things are
heading. While I have enjoyed my involvement in Second Life and can see the
benefits of using immersive technology such as this I don’t know anyone outside
the course with any involvement in it, and the high network demands make it
difficult for everyone to use it. Also, many people still seem to be rather
suspicious of these kinds of virtual worlds. It would be very easy to simply
forget about it, but I think that as technology improves the online environment
may well become more of a simulated environment. Second Life is worthy of
involvement because it is potentially the future.
I’m not sure
that this is something I’ve learned, but I am more convinced of the
impossibility of being involved in too many networks at once. Utecht (2008)
lays out how most people’s journey progresses from total immersion through to
finding a balance. I can see that it would be very easy to get stuck in his ‘know
it all’ stage, spending increasing amounts of time online, but personally I need
to get some sleep at night. While I think it’s a good idea to immerse yourself
in a new network or tool to master it and decide upon its usefulness, I think
efforts need to be focused on one thing at a time, and long-term involvement in
social networks need to be limited to a manageable number. While I can find the
time and mental capacity to check up on two or three regularly, beyond that I
find it difficult to maintain any significant involvement.
Increased
involvement online necessitates increased awareness of certain areas, such as
copyright. While I was already aware of Creative Commons I have improved my
familiarity with it through further use. However, I haven’t really flagged
this up with my students. This is an area that requires my attention over the
coming months. Having said that, copyright issues are easily avoided by
self-producing material to post online, and to a large extent that is the
approach I have taken with my class. I think it would be a great introduction
for them to begin attributing licences to their work to build an understanding
of copyright and the value of open access to material (Mashup Australia).
My knowledge
and awareness of policy issues has definitely increased recently, partly
through my reading, and partly through the panic my blog seemed to cause the
school administration when they realised there was communication going on that
they had no control over. While I was lucky they didn’t shut me down they did
ban blogging for everyone else until they had a firm written policy in place.
It did make me realise that Li’s comments (Schwartzman, 2010) about managers
unable to release the reins of control as social media opens up new
conversations are still relevant. While we are continuously urged to integrate
technology in to what we do I think that there is still a lot of
misunderstanding and fear of what that means in reality. I see my role as an
information professionals as to show that those fears are purely reactionary.
References:
Bertot, J.
C., Jaeger, P. T., McClure, C. R., Wright, C. B. & Jensen, E. (2009).
Public Libraries and the Internet 2008-2009: Issues, Implications, and
Challenges. First Monday, 14(11).
Retrieved 29th April 2013 from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2700/2351
Partridge,
H., Lee, J., & Munro, C. (2010). Becoming "Librarian 2.0": The
Skills, Knowledge, and Attributes Required by Library and Information Science
Professionals in a Web 2.0 World (and Beyond). Library Trends, 59(1-2),
pp.315-335.
Tan, T.
(2011). Educating Digital Citizens. Leadership, 41(1), pp.30-32.
