Saturday 24 May 2014

Activity Six and Seven

Activity Six

Explore
Explore the social networking ideas in AnnaLaura Brown's four blog entries about top tools and trends for libraries on her Social Networking in Libraries [blog]:
Questions:
  1. Which of these tools and trends has already impacted on your library or organisation?
  2. Which of these tools and trends have been discussed by people within your library or organisation as having potential in supporting its goals?
  3. Which of these tools and trends have not yet hit your library or organisation's radar?
1.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter - not so much educational, but more informative about events and resources
  • Pinterest  
  • Goodreads (we have a online book-club)
  • Social media and technology classes
  • ebooks, e-audio books and e-magazines.  Loan of e-readers
  • YouTube video made as a silent film to give a tour of the library and its facilities and resources.
  • increased collaboration between librarians by use of social media.  

2. Interactive library website which allows users to review library items create their own personalised lists and alerts.

3.These tools have not hit our radar yet: 
Libraries will adapt more open source programs for all aspects of running the library. 
More libraries will find ways to use online gaming as a marketing and educational tool.



Activity Seven

Explore some of these following readings regarding critical evaluation and authenticity of information:

Garfinkel, S. (2008). Wikipedia and the meaning of truth. Technology Review, 111(6), 84-86. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier database. Availablehttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=35342513&site=ehost-live 

 Sessions, L.F. (2009). “You looked better on MySpace”: Deception and authenticity on Web 2.0, First Monday, 14(7), 6 July. Available http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2539/2242

 Yardi, S., Romero, D., Schoenebeck, G. & danah boyd. (2010). Detecting spam in a Twitter network, First Monday, 15(1), 4 January. Availablehttp://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2793/2431

 Lorenzo, G. (2007). Catalysts for change: Information fluency, Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and the new education culture. (March). Retrieved fromhttp://www.edpath.com/images/IFReport2.pdf

 Wittenberg, K. (2007). Credibility of content and the future of research, learning, and publishing in the digital environment. The Journal of Electronic Publishing,10(1). http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=jep;cc=jep;rgn=main;view=text;idno=3336451.0010.101


Based on your reading of three (3) of the above readings on issues related to finding authentic information within a socially networked world, identify two (2) essential take-home messages that you believe will inform your work as an information professional.
Post a 350 word summary outlining your two take-home messages to your learning journal.
Reading these articles has given me two take home messages for use as in my job as an information professional. Firstly, it's important to educate library users about the authenticity of information of the web with a mind to remind people that not everything is what it seems. The article by Lauren Sessions about My Space profile pics and their deceptiveness and effects on men and women using the site was very indicative of this. It's important to stress to people that individuals identity on the internet may not match their identity in real life. Simply being less attractive is not a big issue, but when it's scams people looking for dating partners or sexual partners that are really about getting money off vulnerable, lonely people have more serious consequences. It's important not to scare people too much about posting things online or having an online identity, but it is important to educate people who are new to using the internet and social media of the types of risks that are out there including spammers and fake identities. 

The second take home message I take from these readings is based around my opinion of why librarians are still relevant and important in this age of information proliferation and Google as a replacement for libraries and librarians.When people ask why we need librarians it's because librarians have the skills to locate and be selective to find accurate and credible information online. As Wittenberg (2007) says on the changing role of librarians who should become "leaders who integrate an understanding of the user, the learning process, and the value of selectivity and editorial development of digital information."  Wittenberg’s article explores ideas around how this leadership role can be developed with young students and how they can include librarians as a reference source when carrying out their work. She warns not to scold students for using Google, but show them how Google can be a useful tool through teaching good information literacy skills. 


The role of librarians is not longer to just provide the books and journals that give their users the information they need, but in a world where vast amounts of information is available to an overwhelming extent, help users apply good information literacy and selectiveness to ensure they are citing credible and accurate information. 
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