1. Ohio University Libraries Reaching Library Users: Delivering Dynamic Library Content with Blogs and Wikis Chad F. Boeninger NELINET IT Conference October 13, 2006

2. Ohio University Libraries Outline of Talk Overview of Blogs and Wikis Applications to complement or replace traditional subject guides/pathfinders Promote resources and research skills Pros and Cons of blogs/wikis

3. Ohio University Libraries What is a Blog? Initially a blog was a “log” of one’s daily “web” travels Blogs became popular as online journals Now blogs are used for a variety of purposes

4. Ohio University Libraries Common Blog Characteristics Frequently updated Posts appear in reverse-chronological order Often theme or topic oriented Many allow comments Sense of community Syndicated content

5. Ohio University Libraries Leveraging Blogs for Libraries Create Dynamic content Multiple Authors Reduce bottleneck of information Give others ownership of content Syndication Internal and External Communication

6. Ohio University Libraries Internal Communication Communicate with department or library Keep staff up to date Build a knowledgebase Refblog http://www.library.ohiou.edu/refblog/ (protected) http://www.library.ohiou.edu/refblog/

7. Ohio University Libraries External Communication Communicate with patrons Promote resources Announce events News Blog http://www.library.ohiou.edu/newsblog/ http://www.library.ohiou.edu/newsblog/ Syndicate Podcasts http://www.library.ohiou.edu/podcasts/ http://www.library.ohiou.edu/podcasts/

8. Ohio University Libraries Subject Blogs Subject blogs are tailored to a community of users Encourages knowledge of the community the library/librarian serves Encourages participation from the community

9. Ohio University Libraries Content of Subject Blogs New products, new book lists Promote resources Research hints Contact information FAQ resources “Nuggets” of Information Literacy Mortar for community building

10. Ohio University Libraries Why A Subject Blog Patrons can check the blog for the most recent entries Patrons can search the blog (knowledgebase) Librarians can link to posts To make your job easier To be a better librarian

11. Ohio University Libraries Examples of Posts Supermarket & Grocery Industry Trends Company and Industry Research Guides 100 Best Companies to Work for Top Business Resources Apparel Industry Resources Mutual Funds Resources Video

12. Ohio University Libraries Business Blog Readers

13. Ohio University Libraries Blogs for Assessment

14. Ohio University Libraries Dreams vs. Reality Originally used to complement research guides Aspirations for comments/ community building RSS slow to catch on

15. Ohio University Libraries Cons of Blog Measuring use is difficult Which posts are being read? RSS is slow to catch on Authors must regularly generate content Organization of archives can be an issue Spam-- Use a filter like AkismetAkismet

16. Ohio University Libraries What is a Wiki? A website in which content can be created and edited by a community of users Best example is Wikipedia Strength of the resource is often dependent on the strength of the community

17. Ohio University Libraries Wiki as a Research Guide Previously had 3 research guides Business Research Guide International Business Research Guide Marketing Research Guide Redundancy of resources No interlinking Multiple edits of the same content

18. Ohio University Libraries Why A Wiki Incredibly easy to add content More room for content and “nuggets” Organize by categories Searchable Huge potential for building community Familiar interface???

19. Ohio University Libraries The Biz Wiki Organized by area of research need Browse by category or alphabet Searchable by keyword Users can edit/add content Interlinked articles allow for increased access to information The Biz Wiki http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/

20. Ohio University Libraries Reference Content Key reference resources Guides to common questions Definitions of terms Examples: Regional Encyclopedia of Business & ManagementRegional Encyclopedia of Business & Management Doing Business in Another Country Company Annual Reports

21. Ohio University Libraries Instruction Content Wikis make excellent teaching tools Replace class handouts Broader scope than class specific handouts Example: Industry Research BasicsIndustry Research Basics Example: Marketing 379 AssignmentMarketing 379 Assignment

22. Ohio University Libraries On the Fly Content

23. Ohio University Libraries “On the Fly” Content 1.Email question from patron 2.Respond to patron 3.Similar question via IM 4.Use content of previous question to create wiki articlewiki article 5.Answer is out of email and on the web 6.Easier future access to information Reference Email Answer Email IM Question Wiki Article

24. Ohio University Libraries Creating Content Create an article Link to the article from another article Assign a category for the article

25. Ohio University Libraries Measuring Use

26. Ohio University Libraries Biz Wiki Usage 1 115055Academic Search PremierAcademic Search Premier 2 37955 Lexis-Nexis AcademicLexis-Nexis Academic 3 21845 PsycINFOPsycINFO 4 20621 ERICERIC 5 18874 Business Source CompleteBusiness Source Complete 6 11456 Science Citation IndexScience Citation Index 7 11224 JSTORJSTOR 8 10711 Business and IndustryBusiness and Industry 9 9793 BIOSIS PreviewsBIOSIS Previews 10 9605 Education AbstractsEducation Abstracts 11 8789 AnyWho DirectoryAnyWho Directory 12 8438 WorldCatWorldCat 13 7897 MedlineMedline 14 7883 Hoover's OnlineHoover's Online 15 7577 FactivaFactiva 16 6774 RefWorksRefWorks 17 6686 Communication & Mass Media CompleteCommunication & Mass Media Complete 18 6087 Biz WikiBiz Wiki 19 5911 Mergent OnlineMergent Online 20 5769 GoogleGoogle January 1-October 5, 2006

27. Ohio University Libraries Feedback on the Wiki “You weren’t around, so I showed them the Biz Wiki Guide to Doing Business in Another Country, and they were satisfied.”--Reference Librarian “I had no idea how to find a swot analysis, so I just searched for ‘swot’ in the Biz Wiki, and low and behold, you had an article on finding a SWOT analysis.” ---Reference Librarian

28. Ohio University Libraries Wiki Challenges Getting others to contribute Faculty, students, other librarians More content = more maintenance Maintaining organization and structure with growth of content Difficult to see new content Spam, Spam, and more Spam

29. Ohio University Libraries Other Wiki Applications Internal Communication and Knowledgebase Campus/Community collaboration tool Course content management system

30. Ohio University Libraries Other Great Wikis SJCPL Subject Guides Butler Reference Wiki

31. Ohio University Libraries Blogs and Wikis Extend the reach of the librarian Promote sources Teach research skills Make the job of the librarian easier Make information and knowledge more accessible Potential for contributing to the academic learning community

32. Ohio University Libraries Lessons Learned Blogs and wikis take time Blogs and wikis save time for librarians and patrons Blogs and wikis can make you a better/more effective librarian

33. Ohio University Libraries More Lessons Learned Don’t be surprised if usage is different than you expected Don’t expect to be “cool” because you have a blog or wiki Patrons/Community will appreciate your work

34. Ohio University Libraries Future of Blogs and Wikis Gather measurable feedback from users (librarians, students, faculty) Record usage of library resources Investigate Other Uses Student Research Blogs/Wikis First-year experience wiki

35. Ohio University Libraries Special Thanks Alden Library Reference Staff Alden Library Systems Staff Numerous Library Bloggers Ohio University Business researchers

36. Ohio University Libraries Questions?? Slides available at LibraryVoice.comLibraryVoice.com