User Responses to Social Bookmarking at MLibrary Ken Varnum [email_address] Web Systems Manager University of Michigan Library

What Is MTagger? Library-Based Tagging Tool delicious fURL Social networking tools (Flickr, Facebook, etc.) Way to organize academic bookmarks Always accessible Shared with others Build a common pool of knowledge

Library-Based Tagging Tool

delicious

fURL

Social networking tools (Flickr, Facebook, etc.)

Way to organize academic bookmarks

Always accessible

Shared with others

Build a common pool of knowledge

Why? Give our users a way to organize most library resources Demonstrate “2.0” technologies to ourselves Improve findability of resources Give users a stake in our collections

Give our users a way to organize most library resources

Demonstrate “2.0” technologies to ourselves

Improve findability of resources

Give users a stake in our collections

What MTagger Does Allows users to assign keywords to “library stuff” on our site Catalog Web Pages Digital Images Library publications Or anything, anywhere (via bookmarklet) Search, display, retrieve bookmarks

Allows users to assign keywords to “library stuff” on our site

Catalog

Web Pages

Digital Images

Library publications

Or anything, anywhere (via bookmarklet)

Search, display, retrieve bookmarks

Inherits from Delicious.com Penn Tags Flickr Facebook Many other social bookmarking sites

Delicious.com

Penn Tags

Flickr

Facebook

Many other social bookmarking sites

What Is Different? Collections MLibrary (library web pages) Mirlyn (library catalog) Digital Images Scholarly Publishing Everything Else Integration with Site

Collections

MLibrary (library web pages)

Mirlyn (library catalog)

Digital Images

Scholarly Publishing

Everything Else

Integration with Site

How MTagger Is Used Tags are generally tagger-centric Exception: Librarians tag differently

Tags are generally tagger-centric

Exception: Librarians tag differently

Usage Basic Stats (as of 3/26/09): 1357 total users; 603 actively tagging 3775 tags; 3159 unique 2820 unique URIs tagged Not as broadly / deeply as we’d like

Basic Stats (as of 3/26/09):

1357 total users; 603 actively tagging

3775 tags; 3159 unique

2820 unique URIs tagged

Not as broadly / deeply as we’d like

Perceptions of MTagger Interviews with users, non-users, and librarian users Personal motivations are stronger than social motivations Preference for tag display alongside traditional search results Tagging needs a marketing campaign Tagging is a "Librarian" thing

Interviews with users, non-users, and librarian users

Personal motivations are stronger than social motivations

Preference for tag display alongside traditional search results

Tagging needs a marketing campaign

Tagging is a "Librarian" thing

Privacy Tagging tied to U-M single sign-on (uniqname); guest accounts welcome Accountability & public face Balance of anonymity and sharing Most feedback on this issue from a single source

Tagging tied to U-M single sign-on (uniqname); guest accounts welcome

Accountability & public face

Balance of anonymity and sharing

Most feedback on this issue from a single source

Usability Study Conducted over four months in summer 2008 Two students at U-M School of Information Librarians on steering committee

Conducted over four months in summer 2008

Two students at U-M School of Information

Librarians on steering committee

Usability Recommendations Tag cloud display on pages Tag cloud display in MTagger Handling of “collections” Workflow

Tag cloud display on pages

Tag cloud display in MTagger

Handling of “collections”

Workflow

Lessons Learned Personal motivations are stronger than social motivations Focus on outcomes of tagging, not process Enable personal reference library Increase flexibility of tag display/retrieval Contextualize the material that users bookmark

Personal motivations are stronger than social motivations

Focus on outcomes of tagging, not process

Enable personal reference library

Increase flexibility of tag display/retrieval

Contextualize the material that users bookmark

When It’s not Enough to Say, “I Tag You” Easier sharing: Tags Tagged items User lists Publish to other social networking tools

Easier sharing:

Tags

Tagged items

User lists

Publish to other social networking tools

Alternate Catalog Integration

Favorites Will be Tags

New Library Web Site Better integration in new library web site Make tagging a byproduct, not a product Will influence search engine “ My Library” redux?

Better integration in new library web site

Make tagging a byproduct, not a product

Will influence search engine

“ My Library” redux?

Bigger Picture Benefit to scale (delicious) Benefit to academic focus Mechanism needed for sharing tags across libraries

Benefit to scale (delicious)

Benefit to academic focus

Mechanism needed for sharing tags across libraries

Thank You Email: varnum@umich.edu Blog: RSS4Lib http://www.rss4lib.com/ Usability Reports: http://www.lib.umich.edu/usability/projects/MTagger.html

Email: varnum@umich.edu

Blog: RSS4Lib http://www.rss4lib.com/

Usability Reports:

http://www.lib.umich.edu/usability/projects/MTagger.html