I think that’s the lesson of Web 2.0 and its use in libraries.  Have it available to the degree it is wanted or needed, keep it up to date, and of course, encourage participation in the digital arm of the community presence.

St. Albert Public Library (of St. Albert, Alberta) uses Twitter and several blogs as its contribution to the social media stream.  The links are easily findable on the library home page and are focused by user group.  There are four blogs, each of which I will discuss briefly.

Pete’s Picks, compiled by the library’s public services manager, is a good, all-around book recommendation feed.  The layout is simple and he often includes book cover illustrations and other media to illustrate and liven things up.  He offers book lists by themes or subjects and gives background information on them.  While the library website does have a group of Top 10 lists, this blog is much more thorough, and updated on approximately a weekly basis.  These posts get occasional responses.

The Book Clubs blog serves as a newsletter for the library’s book club activities, updating approximately once a month to report on the next month’s schedule and any special events.  It is attractive and offers extra information about the books the clubs will be reading and their authors or context.  Again, this service is an improvement upon the tri-monthly schedule PDFs available on the library’s main website.

Teen Corner News and Reviews is a YA-geared blog updated a few times a month by the YA librarian.  Like the Birmingham YA blog, it doesn’t appear to attract much participation (though it is much classier).  It mainly does what it says on the package, offering news about upcoming teen events and reviews of YA materials by the librarian.  She lists links for teen and library related sites, particularly TeenRC.ca, a Canadian teen readers website and discussion board.  This is something that is not available at all on the library website, which has an Adult Services page and a Kid Zone, but nothing specifically for teenagers, who are a subcategory in the Adult Services page.  This in particular might benefit from some patron participation from a Teen Advisory Group or requests for additions from teen readers.

Kid Spot is St. Albert’s Children’s Programming announcement blog, with a sidebar full of seasonal links (at this point Christmas and other Winter holiday-themed literature, media, and websites.)  It updates a few times a month and has suggestion that people use the comment area to suggest books or review them, though there does not appear to have been much response.

While these four blogs certainly fill gaps in the library’s information structure and do it very well, they seem to be used less as participatory media and more as floating newsletters for their target groups.  They provide useful services, and I could imagine myself subscribing to Pete’s Picks, because those books on it that I looked over sounded interesting.  They are easy to access and easy to navigate.  Perhaps this is the service the community needs Web 2.0 to perform at this point; as a sort of town crier for their various demographics.  If they ever decide to participate, the tools are already there waiting for them.

Kansas City Public Library has a good heading for their Web 2.0 services – they call it “Stay in Touch with the Library” and list their newsletter, previous events, Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook accounts. They only use text, so they are not immediately obvious, but they are visible and clearly labeled on the front page.

The Kansas City Public Library – a central library with nine branches – uses Flickr in a different way than I have seen with the other libraries I have been examining.  Most use it primarily as a photo storage facility, to which they can link from other sites for pictures of current or recent events, but Kansas City has chosen to display other gems as well, like a terrific set of old photographs from their Missouri Valley Special Collections.  Their Web 2.0 setup in general is a little different from the others I have examined so far.  Rather than duplicate their efforts by using the photo album feature on Facebook and Flickr too, they have chosen to ignore Facebook’s abilities in that area and simply provided a link on their information pages to their Flickr account.  It’s a pretty sensible move, really.  Instead of having to organize, tag, label, and caption their photos twice or worry about a collection spread across two sites, they simply chose to link the networking site which deals in photos on the side to the site that is specifically for photos.

Likewise, the status updates and feeds on the Facebook site do not try to replicate the minutiae of Twitter, sticking to promoting special events and library write-ups or giving practical information about changes in library hours.  All in all, Kansas City has taken an unconventional approach, overlapping very little among their Web 2.0 tools, but in a way that seems fairly effective.  It lets library patrons know exactly what to expect from each of the media and sends them to a specific place for each piece of information – a practice catalogers deeply cherish.  On the other hand, it seems a little stodgy, and it might be worth their time to try some crossover to see how the patrons like it.  While it does keep the applications simple, it may not benefit those who are comfortable with one of the three technologies, but not the others.  At Tweeter may not consider looking for history on the Flickr page, and a photo enthusiast may appreciate having information about special displays without having to go to Facebook.  A Facebook fan may be disinclined to go offsite to look for the latest updates and media.  It is an interesting approach and one that could go either way as far as usability is concerned.

I have been running up against two problems when trying to find appropriate libraries for this project, as I chose not to use the links provided in the course assignment of libraries known to use Web 2.0♦ – finding libraries that would use the technologies, and then locating the links once I got there. Because some libraries are not yet comfortable with the emerging technology, they have come to no solid conclusion as to where to classify Web 2.0 sites. Most often they are located somewhere near contact information for the library, but they may also be in the news updates, or hidden elsewhere. If they aren’t visible, they can’t be used, and the library has stripped itself of any benefits they could gain from the outreach. Libraries that use the internet to promote and locate their library for their patrons should strongly consider implementing these tools. Though they may not, as Blyberg suggests on his Library-geek blog, be essential for individual community needs, they can keep library patrons connected to the library remotely and keep it in their everyday consciousness.

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♦I chose to do this after realizing that Missoula Public Library, my home library, did not appear on the wiki of library blogs, or in the list of libraries provided by Professor Susie. This inspired me to wonder whether I could locate a sufficient number of libraries that used Web 2.0 tools using only a search engine and my own examination of the websites. Some of my results do mirror hers, but they were found independently.

Birmingham Public Library from Alabama appears to be trying to offer its patrons everything they could possibly wish for in the Web 2.0 department. With a line of shiny icons at the bottom of the home page, they have included alongside their two blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, podcast blog, and virtual library tours, the links for their research help, downloadable collection, and children’s catalog, all wedged between the now classic staples of a library home page – “Ask a Librarian” and “Support Your Library.” A little overwhelming in scope, small, and unfortunately ill-labeled. With mirrored reflections glinting off the buttons, it can be quite difficult to decipher their purpose without clicking on them, which is definitely poor design.

Probably the most effective of Birmingham Public Library’s shiny new Web 2.0 tools is their main library blog, through which they incorporate a selection of the media from their YouTube account and provide sidebar links to their own Twitter feed, podcasts, and Flickr account. They have incorporated a nice mix of library information, instruction, and entertainment, and provide a sidebar list of other area library’s blogs, which is a great networking and reciprocity move. The set up is classy and simple without looking too bland. I really think that they could use only this tool and show off their auxiliary tools through it rather than the main website, which would cut down on the overload of shiny shiny buttons. It is well-organized and easy to use, and everything is legible! They include another sidebar list with links to a calendar of current events, new books, new DVDS, news releases, the library catalog and home page, and new downloadable audiobooks, as well as a link to their own digital collections blog. There’s even a widget that allows the user to perform a simple catalog search from the blog, which is awesome. Overall, it is a nice piece of work, well connected and attractive.

The YA blog is…significantly less awesome. It is purple, appears to update whenever someone gets around to it – a few times a month, and relies much more on flashy visuals. While they still retain a number of the useful sidebar links from the main blog – the link to the catalog and downloadable audiobooks, the catalog search box – they have oddly not kept the new DVD list link or added one for new YA acquisitions. I know that in physical libraries, one of the most highly-circulating parts of the YA collection is the new books set out for display. They do have the “Shelfari” widget enabled, to show off “hot picks,” which is a good touch. One of the strong points is an online form that readers can fill out to submit their own book review or creative writing, which is a good encouragement in a blog aimed at teens. I don’t know how well it is working, considering the slow rate of update, but quite a few of the entries are book reviews. (None are specifically labeled as written by teens.) This blog does not employ as much library-centered multimedia beyond book covers. I would say that this is a less-effective use of blogging technology, as it doesn’t seem to have attracted much user interest. There were no comments on any of the visible blog posts.

I think Birmingham could stand to look at number two on the list of suggestions for small businesses and new media, as related to libraries by librarian and computer geek Emily Clasper in her blog Library Revolution. While they are using some of their resources effectively they are also overwhelming their visitors and duplicating their efforts a little in ways they may not need to.

Toronto Public Library system has adopted several web 2.0 sites, utilizing YouTube, Twitter, blogs and Facebook to supplement their main library page. They are simple to find, strung along the bottom of the library home page, and listed by icon and name.

Toronto’s fan page has the same features as Missoula Public Library – it’s Facebook, so consistency is the name of the game. Interestingly, they do not include any information about individual branches, barring programming announcements. Presumably that’s difficult with nearly a hundred branches. Because I am not one of their patrons, I don’t know how well they are using the page. They seem to update on a regular basis and boast over 2,200 fans, though, which is more impressive than Missoula’s numbers. (They are a substantially larger library system than Missoula, with 99 branches to Missoula’s one.) Their notes – mainly used to announce major programs or library openings, and photos – pictures of some of the branches and events – are largely under-used, and have not been updated in around two months, but they include a set of six videos from the library on several subjects. Like Missoula, Toronto Public Library is attempting to build a rapport with its patrons and open lines of communication, but have had only one update receive comments in the last week and a half.

The Toronto Public Library has at least ten blogs, choosing to separate their blogs out by subject. Their blogs range in topic from Job Help to Arts and Culture, which seems like an effective way to help people filter their information intake, allowing them to subscribe to only the subject that interests them rather than a more general library blog. The category blogs also include a link to the library’s subject index in the catalog and they all appear to be hosted by the library’s site, rather than an external blogging site. That’s a good feature, keeping the blog connected – a click away – from the catalog and their account or branch information. I would call this an excellent use of blogging for the library, as it is connected to and complementary to the library home page and catalog and updated regularly, allows filtering of information by subject, and is in an easy to access format.

Toronto Public Libraries have done an excellent job with their blogging, creating a good source of information for their patrons there, but are doing less with their Facebook profile than they could be, updating less local information for their users about library doings and more general book and library-related material.

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People like to communicate and like to participate in discussion, no matter what format they are working in. Including the ability to comment on library services is a necessary part of library work, whether that takes the form of pieces of paper stuck in a suggestion box, email messages, responses to a Facebook post, or chalk notes on a sidewalk. Library 2.0 may be a good way to incorporate that option into their patron’s lives.

Besides their primary and offshoot MySpace pages, which I discussed in my previous post, Missoula Public Library maintains a regularly-updated Facebook account. The link is easily accessible from the Missoula Public Library homepage.

Missoula Public Library’s Facebook presence is a fan page, and a very active one. They regularly post notes – blog entries; updates on the library, Missoula or interesting facts; pictures of library events, personnel and the building; and have a very thorough events listing, allowing their watchers to stay apprised of a variety of events programming. Besides providing quite a lot of content, I would say that it is pretty accessible. The wall post format can be confusing to someone not familiar with the update format (newest entries at the top, time-dating downwards) used by many social networking sites, but it is fairly straightforward.

I have more experience with Missoula Public Library’s Facebook page than with MySpace, as I am one of their now more than 400 person fan-base on the Facebook network and I think they’ve used it really well. Not only do they include a lot of content, they respond to fan comments and queries posed to the page quickly and in a friendly manner. I consider it to be an effective supplement to their homepage because it is a convenient way for me to keep track of library happenings without having to go out of my way to check their website. I can follow their update feed easily. One of my favorite updating trends is “Random books from today’s return bins” and other random, top, or favorite book lists. They cater to all ages on the page (as they do, of course, at the library), offering things like a step-by-step photographic introduction to the new DVD dispenser and the schedule for children’s programming or their writing contest.

There may not be a very effective way to find out how well these web services are being used. While the MySpace and Facebook sites are all reasonably busy, Facebooking patrons respond to posts and updates on a more regular basis, while the MySpace sites seem to receive less visible notice. As Jessica Langlois discusses in her Cool Librarian blog, it’s hard to keep up with the social media that will be used by patrons, especially teen users.

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Librarians have been tracking the importance of online communities for years now. As libraries in the modern world tend to function as a community gathering space as much as a media repository or place of education, Librarian Ellyssa Kroski discusses the connection between these digital spaces and library space as a place for people to interact in a “public” sphere removed from home and work. In 2006 she predicted that more libraries need to begin examining these digital social spaces to decide how to incorporate some of them into the library to best serve their patrons‘ needs.  (Her blog, InfoTangle, has a lot of good discussion of libraries and Web 2.0 and the articles appear to be very well-researched and well thought out, though it unfortunately has stopped updating.)

Besides an official website, it’s own blog, and a Twitter feed, Missoula Public Library has two main web presences and one secondary. The blog, Twitter feed, Missoula Public Library MySpace page, and Facebook fan page are all linked directly from the library’s official homepage and are easy to find. First, I’ll be covering MySpace.

The Missoula Public Library MySpace page is pretty classy-looking in muted purple, grey, and light green with mostly white text. Unfortunately, it also uses some dark green text, which is difficult to read against the rest of the color scheme.  It describes the library as a 99-year-old single female (Zodiac sign Aries) librarian interested in making friends with all of Missoula’s readers and connects to the library catalog, library card sign-up, some recommended reading lists, and film showings.  While it appears to update its internal MySpace blog only infrequently, it does have over 1100 friends listed, ranging from “Missoula” to local artists, writers to the American Library Association to everyday people.  They give the physical address of the library as well as opening hours and photos of library events and changes.

While I am not a MySpace user, I believe that MPL’s site is simple enough that anyone who uses a computer regularly should be able to navigate it. Since they have opted to keep the layout uncluttered and fairly direct, there are not too many flashy distractions to make things confusing. There are three additions besides the main page – a blog, a photo album with pictures of librarians and library activities, and one outside application. That is a cute little widget that it has enabled called “Shelfari,” with some of the library’s newer acquisitions displayed on a virtual book shelf.  The book cover images link to reviews and synopses of the books. The blog, as I mentioned before, is only rarely updated (about once or twice a month, usually), as the library’s Blogspot.com blog is used much more frequently. Unfortunately, the Blogspot blog does not appear to be linked to the MySpace page, though the links are listed together on the library homepage. To fill in that gap, their Twitter feed runs through the MySpace page to keep it active.

In addition to their main MySpace page, Missoula Public Library has a sort of partner profile for “Cheap Date Night,” one of their monthly film showings. Cheap Date Night, a 29-year-old male is a Gemini with over 100 friends. It’s the library’s popular movies showing, which happens on the third Friday of every month and offers free popcorn as well as free entrance to the movies. The site is minimal and of simple design, with a blog post for each month’s movie appearing shortly after the previous month’s show. While it does provide a way to follow the Cheap Date showings, I don’t know how much that is utilized, as it is not linked directly from the official library page, only the main MySpace page.

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TheInfoBabe offers an interesting opinion piece at her blog Ridiculously Digitally Ubiquitous on why libraries should get and use web 2.0 tools and keep them up to date!