Week 4 - Social Bookmarking: "Tag! You're it!!"

Oh my gosh! This tool is fantastic! I can't believe I haven't used it before now! How many times have I been using a computer not on my network and wanted to go to a particular site, but couldn't remember where it was and thought, "Dang, I wish I had my bookmarks!!" Well... that problem is now gone!

And what a great idea to be able to see what sites other people have chosen. Sharing information is one of the main reasons libraries are around, and tools that make it easier for our patrons to get at helpful and relevant resources are things we should really consider using.

Tagging is such a wonderful concept! Tags bring the human touch to cataloging. You can add tags that not only describe the site, but also relate how you "feel" about it. You can use terms that aren't included in an "official" thesaurus for one reason or another (eg: AIDS is still not an official subject heading in MESH), but mean a lot to people interested in the same topic. Tags can also be very individualized (eg: Academic libraries could use tags that are course names or lecture topics... or tags that describe who the source is directed toward). Tags can be useful for people working on the same research project or paper/poster. They are very cool, indeed!

The possibilities are endless, and all you have to do to get some terrific ideas for how tags can be used in a library setting (or for your own fun!) is to visit bookmarking sites like del.icio.us... or CiteULike... or Blinklist... or Connotea.

Week 3 - Social Networking Tools

Well... in a nutshell... I get it... but I don't get it.

It's been interesting to look at all these "online communities" (Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin)... I guess they do have a place in today's society, and they're pretty cool, technologically speaking, but they left me a bit ill at ease. I'm not sure why... maybe it's the privacy (or lack thereof) issue... or maybe it's the "busy-ness" of so many of the pages... or maybe it's because you hear the "scary" stories about them in the press... or maybe it's just a generational thing (did I really say that?!). But I'm doubtful that I'll do much with my page... or even keep it active after the course is finished.

I can see why personal MySpace and Facebook pages are popular, especially among younger people. They're a neat venue for expression and sharing... and they can certainly expand the numbers of folks you can communicate with. Your "network" can grow by leaps and bounds! This all sounds good, doesn't it? So why my hesitation? Who knows?

What place do social networking tools have in my library setting - an academic health sciences library? I'm not sure I see a bonus in using one of them instead of or along with a web page right now. But I've also learned never to say never. This is still pretty young technology, and if other libraries use it with great success, we can always try it, too!