Web based tools for libraries

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Web based tools for libraries
getting something for nothing

• Kerry Webb
• ALIA
• kwebb_at_alianet.alia.org.au

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• Along with information on everything under the
  sun, you can also find plenty of tools and sites
  on the Web for professional librarians so many
  in fact that some managers may question the need
  for libraries and librarians. Many of these tools
  can help you do your job better, but despite the
  hype there is always a cost.

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What its about

• What you need to do your job now
• and in the future

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Before we get started

• Ive never worked as a librarian
• I do have my Dip. Lib. though
• but I have a fair idea of what librarians do, and
  therefore what they need
• Now, if you were expecting screens and screens of
  URLs of useful sites, youll be disappointed

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Before we get started contd

• Id rather talk in more general terms about the
  topic
• But there will be some URLs I promise
• The other thing to note is the old old question
  what is a librarian?
• We do a lot of different things
• Traditional Librarianship, Web publishing

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Before we get started contd

• Its also instructive to think about what the
  Internet is good at
• Finding stuff (but can we trust it?)
• Doing stuff (maybe buying and selling books and
  journals)
• Talking to all sorts of people (communication is
  good, but )

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Tools Finding Stuff

• First, some background
• There are people who know how to get stuff
• Story from Wombats
• But there are lot of people who dont
• Some of the stories from LibraryThing
• Result theres an ongoing demand for reference
  help

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Tools Finding Stuff contd

• Google (as used by experts)
• How many people (mis)use it
• Google add-ons Books, Scholar etc
• News and Blogs particularly useful
• The OCLC kerfuffle
• Dont ignore the other search engines (for
  completeness)

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Tools Finding Stuff contd

• Also, read beyond the first few pages
• Metasearch engines
• Not as popular as they once were
• Dont forget you arent typical users

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Tools Finding Stuff contd

• And then there are new developments
• Reference Extract
• http//arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081111-usi
  ng-crowdsourced-librarians-to-out-google-google.ht
  ml
• DeepDyve
• http//www.deepdyve.com/
• Carrot
• http//demo.carrot2.org/

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Tools Doing Stuff

• LibraryThing
• Flash Mob Cataloguing Parties
• http//www.librarything.com/blog/2008/10/flash-mo
  b-cataloging-party.php
• Want to buy some books?
• Addall (http//www.addall.com),
• AbeBooks (http//abebooks.com)

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Tools - Talking to People

• Librarians have been good at this since the start
  
• PACS-L (http//epress.lib.uh.edu/pacsl/pacsl.html)
  
• Web4Lib (http//lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/)
• Stumpers-L (http//project-wombat.org/)
• The things (and resources) that you can learn
  from these!

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Tools - Talking to People contd

• And of course, LINK (http//mailman.anu.edu.au/mai
  lman/listinfo/link)
• Not showing much of its Library background, and
  the personalities can be exasperating

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Tools - Listening to People

• Depending on your area of interest
• Cheryl Hardys eGov Victoria
• http//www.egov.vic.gov.au/
• Mostly reporting on the use of the Net for
  Government, but a lot of general stuff on new
  resources and Web development
• Laura Carlson for Web development
• http//www.d.umn.edu/itss/support/Training/Online
  /webdesign/webdev_listserv.html
• The best list of resources for all aspects of Web
  development

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Tools - Listening to People contd

• Craig Thomlers eGovernment blog
• http//egovau.blogspot.com/
• Regular editorial posts on EGovernment issues
  and a good number of responses
• David Goldsteins auDA Domain Name News
• http//www.auda.org.au/domain-news/
• Factual abstract of news items no
  editorialising

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Tools - Learning

• A taste of Web 2.0
• http//www.yprlconnect.blogspot.com/
• The Informed Librarian
• http//www.informedlibrarian.com/

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At last, the promised URLs

• LibrarySpots Librarians Shelf
• http//www.libraryspot.com/libshelf/
• Lynette Revilles New Librarians Resource Page
• http//www.alia.org.au/lreville/nlrp/
• Bruces Links for Librarians
• http//www.e-book.com.au/misc.htm

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At last, the promised URLs contd

• Yarra Plentys Web 2.0 Resources
• http//yprl.wordpress.com/

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But what is the cost?

• Remember what the introduction said?
• Mostly, its trust
• Trust that the information is reliable
• Wikipedia, as it was
• Trust that the host wont misuse your information
• Google and searches, and cloud computing

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But what is the cost contd

• Trust that you wont be defrauded
• Trust that the system will be around next week
• The Google Page Creator experience
• In the end, its all about them
• All of these require risk mitigation strategies
  (hurrah for buzzwords!)

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Finally, my advice

• Dive in you wont break the Internet
• or if you do, youll be quite famous