Integrating Libraries & Communities Online: Bookspace.org Glenn Peterson, Web Administrator Marilyn Turner, Manager, Web Services & Training Hennepin County Library

A county of readers! On average, every suburban Hennepin County resident checked out 17 books, DVDs and CDs in 2006 This is twice the national average Redesigning the HCL online readers advisory website in 2006 was a strategic goal

Goals of redesign Bring together relevant resources for a particular genre or subject. Allow librarians to easily contribute content to assigned pages without needing any programming knowledge Allow customers to contribute their own content and share their favorite books with each other. Allow customers to track and update their contributions and have access to services they are receiving

Bring together relevant resources Book lists Author lists New title information Librarian tips Websites Let’s take a look at the Fiction page

Who is doing this work? BookSpace Coordinator –Sharon Hilts McGlinn, Senior Librarian in Web Services, IT Division –Hands on developer BookSpace workgroup (5 librarians) –Chaired by BookSpace coordinator –Overall vision, planning BookSpace contributors (30 librarians) –Overseen by BookSpace Coordinator –Genre page teams (2 librarians on each) –Book list creators –Author list creators

Allow librarians to easily contribute content Add and maintain websites Post to Librarian blog 1-2 times/mo. Track comments added to blog Easy to use web forms

Librarian Tools

Goal: Customer Contributed Content Allow customers to contribute their own content / share their favorite books Allow customers to track and update their contributions

Social Features User Comments on books and other titles

Screen shot of comments

Social Features User Comments Blogs

Social Features User Comments Blogs Book Lists  staff-created  auto-generated  user-created

Social Features User Comments Blogs Book Lists “It’s Alive!”  current activity  most active contributors

Social Features User Comments Blogs Book Lists “It’s Alive!” User Profiles

Looking Ahead New ways to connect users  “Users who are reading __, are also reading __”  Facebook “wall”  “Friends”

Looking Ahead New ways to connect users  “Users who are reading __, are also reading __”  Facebook “wall”  “Friends” Challenges  control issues

Geek stuff Database-driven RSS everywhere ColdFusion (or ASP, PHP, etc.)

Takeaways Drawn on library staff Empower your users Create opportunities for serendipity Let users interact

Contact Information Marilyn Turner, Glenn Peterson, Slides