IM for the Library: How Instant Messaging Can Connect the Librarian with Kids and Teens

1. IM for the Library:How Instant Messaging Can Connect the Librarian with Kids and Teens Sarah Houghton Information and Web Services Manager, San Mateo County Library Librarian in Black: http://www.librarianinblack.net

2. What is social software? • Social software enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication and to form online communities. --from Wikipedia entry, revised 04.25.06

3. Examples of social software • Instant messaging • Internet forums • Blogs / RSS / podcasting • Wikis • Social network services • Social guides • Social bookmarking • Social citations • Social libraries • Virtual worlds and multiplayer online games

4. Why should libraries care about SS? • There is a great potential for new and enhanced services • There are free marketing opportunities just waiting for us • Our patrons are there—where are we?

5. What is instant messaging? • Instantaneous, simultaneous text chat • Add-ons like video, audio, file sharing Transcript Type here

6. IM client software: the holy trinity They’re all free—to you and users • Other Software • ICQ • IRC • Jabber • Google Talk • MySpace

7. IM aggregator software • Trillian: http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/ • Gaim: http://gaim.sourceforge.net/ Both let you monitor multiple IM accounts (AOL, MSN, Yahoo!) through one interface. Oh yeah…they’re both free!

8. Web-based IM with Meebo • Completely web-based—no installations • Sign in with multiple accounts at once • Even if IM is blocked, this still works

9. Principles of Virtual Reference • We want to serve all users equally: in-house and remote • We want to attract and serve new users • There is a user expectation of real-time online service from everyone, retail and community • We want to be where our users are: online (in whatever form that may take)

10. Why use IM for reference? • Traditional web-based chat has technical and service problems • Slowness • Stiff computer requirements, disconnects • User privacy issues • Non-local librarians • Cost For many users, not having IM is like not having a phone.

11. Your users are here already • 75% of online teens IM* • 42% of online adults IM* • 50% of IMing teens (32% of all teens) IM every single day* • Undergrad students, techies, kids and teens, stay-at-home parents, people using IM at work * Pew Internet and American Life Project. Teens and Technology. 07/27/2005.

12. IM Benefits • Easy to use for both the librarian and the user • You’re right there on the user’s buddy list • Features • Document sharing • Sending URLs, images, voice (w/ add-ons like Skype) • Speed…don’t get me started on the speed • Less demands on patron & librarian computers • Disconnects just don’t happen • Did I mention that everything is free?

13. Concerns to address • If user not already IMing, needs to download a small program • Library needs to actively secure user information (not keeping transcripts, buddy lists) • Commercial chat terms of service may include privacy concerns…warn users • No co-browsing…yet • No 24/7 availability…yet

14. Working with IT Staff • Be enthusiastic • Is IM banned or blocked? • Why? • The boogeyman of network security? Or “it’s a time-waster”? • E-mail and web browsing cause many more security problems than IM.

15. IM etiquette • Be brief • Use frequent shorter messages • Capitalization and punctuation are optional • Bad spelling happens • Use smiley faces (emoticons) responsibly • Don’t type in ALL CAPS PLEASE!!!!!!!

16. Abbreviations • OMG, I was AFK and my SO gave me an EG! LOL! Oops, BRB! • Oh my god, I was away from the keyboard and my significant other gave me an evil grin! Laugh out loud! Oops, be right back! • Familiarize yourself with some basics: http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm

17. Who’s using IM for reference? • Library Success Wiki list: http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Online_Reference • 79 libraries—up from 43 only six months ago • Public, academic, school, special • Contact us—we’re happy to help!

18. Example of Library IM webpage

19. Other social software for libraries • Internet forums • Blogs / RSS / podcasting • Wikis • Social network services • Social bookmarking • Social libraries

20. Internet forums • Website bulletin boards for discussion • Feedback and recommendation engines • Examples: • Google Groups: http://groups.google.com/ • Reviews and ratings on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com • Gnooks.com: http://www.gnooks.com • Storycode: http://www.storycode.com

21. Sample Internet Forum: Storycode

22. Blogs • Websites frequently updated with new content • Examples: • Lansing Library Teen News Blog: http://lansinglibraryteen.blogspot.com/ • St. Joseph County Public Library Game Blog: http://www.libraryforlife.org/gameblog/ • Framingham Public Library Teen Blogomatic: http://fplya.blogspot.com/ • Marin County Free Library - What’s New: http://www.marincountyfreelibrary.blogspot.com/ • Waterboro Public Library H20boro: http://www.waterborolibrary.org/blog.htm

23. Sample blog: H20boro

24. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) • RSS is more than just blogs • New books and other items • News at the library • New content in subscription databases • Examples: • EBSCO feeds for new articles (favorite searches) • Hennepin County Library feeds for all types of things • Edmonton Public Library feed for new teen books • Seattle Public Library feeds for favorite authors and subjects • FirstGov feeds for government information

25. Sample RSS feeds: Hennepin CL

26. Podcasting & Vidcasting • Creating audio and video content and pushing it to users through an RSS feed • Has nothing to do with iPods • Examples: • Thomas Ford Memorial Library audio teen book reviews:http://www.fordlibrary.org/yareviews/ • Manchester Public Library video book reviews:http://feeds.feedburner.com/primesboxlive • Cheshire Public Library - audio of local teen magazine:http://www.cheshirelib.org/teens/cplpodcast.htm • University of Sheffield Library audio library tours:http://www.lbasg.group.shef.ac.uk/downloads/mainlibrary.html

27. Sample podcast: Thomas Ford ML

28. Wikis • Collaborative resource creation • Multiple authors, ongoing creation and revision • Examples: • Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page • Wiktionary: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page • St .Joseph County Library’s Subject Guides: http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page • University of Minnesota Libraries Staff Website: http://wiki.lib.umn.edu/

29. Sample wiki: St .Joseph CL’s Subject Guides

30. Social network services • Places to meet people and communicate • Examples: • Friendster, Dogster, MySpace, Facebook • Libraries with MySpace accounts • Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (Teens) • Denver Public Library • Hennepin County Library • Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library • dozens of others

31. Library MySpace Page: Denver PL

32. Social bookmarking • Putting your favorite websites in a web directory to share with others • Examples: • del.icio.us: http://del.icio.us/ • furl: http://www.furl.net/ • La Grange Public Library’s del.icio.us ref links • Thomas Ford Memorial Library’s del.icio.us ref links • San Mateo City Library’s del.icio.us ref links

33. Library del.icio.us: La Grange Park

34. Social libraries • Keep track of collections • Often include recommendation engines • Uses tagging, user-created metadata: Folksonomies • Examples • Flickr.com for photographs • discogs.com for music • LibraryThing.com for books • Stuffopolis.com for everything else

35. Social library: Reading PL on Flickr

36. Again…why should we care? • Get our knowledge, helpfulness, and information expertise out there where the users are • Get people to think of us as the “go to” resource for their information needs • Make us findable in an online environment

37. Questions? Contact Sarah any time E-mail: sarahfaery@hotmail.com IM: LibrarianInBlack (AOL, Yahoo!, MSN)