Image credit building online community at the UMass Amherst libraries emily alling, coordinator, learning commons & undergraduate services | acrl-nec-itig | 2008-11-14

Considerations

Audiences Undergrads Grad Students Faculty Departments/programs Members of a course Colleagues Donors/supporters …

Undergrads

Grad Students

Faculty

Departments/programs

Members of a course

Colleagues

Donors/supporters

…

Goals Outreach/promotion Research support Recruitment Dialogue Push out information Identity formation/affiliation Fundraising …

Outreach/promotion

Research support

Recruitment

Dialogue

Push out information

Identity formation/affiliation

Fundraising

…

Blogs Social networking Discussion boards Multimedia sharing Social bookmarking Instant messaging “ Official” library tools Media

Blogs

Social networking

Discussion boards

Multimedia sharing

Social bookmarking

Instant messaging

“ Official” library tools

Institutional constraints Control? Trust? Assessment? ROI? Time?

Control?

Trust?

Assessment? ROI?

Time?

What we’re doing

ISEL Update (2005-) Blog of the Integrated Sciences & Engineering Library Audience: Faculty, grad students, interested undergrads Goals: Highlight new resources, science in the news, developments in science x Web 2.0; liaison communicationt tool Medium: Blog (Blogger.com) Author(s): Started out with one author; is now a team effort. See also: LibGuides

See also: LibGuides

ISEL Update (2005-) Time investment : Few hours to set up; few minutes once a week or so to update Success metrics : Frequency/value of comments (Earlier): FeedBurner stats, FeedBlitz subscriber info; Anecdotal evidence (personal contacts, emails, etc.) Worth it? Yes.

Learning Commons Update (2007-) Blog of the UMass Amherst Learning Commons Audience: Undergrads, other users of the Learning Commons Goals: News and updates from the LC and partner services. Information. Promotion. Dialogue. Medium: Blog (WordpressMU) Author(s): Learning Commons Coordinator. See also: LibGuides, Flickr

See also: LibGuides, Flickr

Learning Commons Update (2007-) Time investment : Hour or two to set up; few minutes every week or two to update; hour or so periodically to tweak/maintain. Success metrics : Frequency/value of comments Why do YOU use the LC? Remote printing You never sleep… Worth it? Yes.

Time investment : Hour or two to set up; few minutes every week or two to update; hour or so periodically to tweak/maintain.

Success metrics : Frequency/value of comments

Why do YOU use the LC?

Remote printing

You never sleep…

Worth it? Yes.

Other blogs… Student worker communication Du Bois Information Desk (2005-) Learning Commons & Technical Support Desk (2005-) Resources for instructors of large undergraduate courses Undergraduate Services @ UMass Amherst Libraries (2007-)

Student worker communication

Du Bois Information Desk (2005-)

Learning Commons & Technical Support Desk (2005-)

Resources for instructors of large undergraduate courses

Undergraduate Services @ UMass Amherst Libraries (2007-)

Instant Messaging Meebo for IM at Learning Commons Desk and Reference & Research Assistance Desk Individual librarians share IM screen names with constituents See also: LibGuides

Meebo for IM at Learning Commons Desk and Reference & Research Assistance Desk

Individual librarians share IM screen names with constituents

See also: LibGuides

Facebook Multiple audiences. Multiple goals. Multiple approaches. Multiple creators.

Multiple audiences.

Multiple goals.

Multiple approaches.

Multiple creators.

Facebook Groups By students, for students. Identity formation/affiliation. I Study at the Du Bois Library All the Time (24 members) Library Lovers (75 members) I Want to Have Sex in the UMass Library Before I Graduate (149 members)

By students, for students.

Identity formation/affiliation.

I Study at the Du Bois Library All the Time (24 members)

Library Lovers (75 members)

I Want to Have Sex in the UMass Library Before I Graduate (149 members)

Facebook Groups By librarians, for students. Outreach, promotion, info sharing. Graduate Students @ UMass Amherst Libraries (49 members) UMass Amherst Learning Commons (13 members)

By librarians, for students.

Outreach, promotion, info sharing.

Graduate Students @ UMass Amherst Libraries (49 members)

UMass Amherst Learning Commons (13 members)

Facebook Pages By librarians, for users. Outreach, promotion, info sharing, identity formation/affiliation. Incorporate other tools (e.g. blog feed); push messages out to “fans.” Users can contribute content (photos, videos). UMass Amherst Learning Commons (44 fans) Integrated Sciences & Engineering Library (26 fans) See also: Blogs

By librarians, for users.

Outreach, promotion, info sharing, identity formation/affiliation.

Incorporate other tools (e.g. blog feed); push messages out to “fans.” Users can contribute content (photos, videos).

UMass Amherst Learning Commons (44 fans)

Integrated Sciences & Engineering Library (26 fans)

See also: Blogs

Facebook Ads By librarians, for …? Recruitment, promotion. Cost $$. Recruited undergraduate students for focus groups (Fall 2006) Recruited subjects for Web site usability testing (Summer 2007)

By librarians, for …?

Recruitment, promotion.

Cost $$.

Recruited undergraduate students for focus groups (Fall 2006)

Recruited subjects for Web site usability testing (Summer 2007)

Facebook Friends Person-to-person contact. Beware creepy treehouse . (How) do you want to use FB?

Person-to-person contact.

Beware creepy treehouse .

(How) do you want to use FB?

MySpace We started … …but I decided they’d need to pay me more .

We started …

…but I decided they’d need to pay me more .

Twitter “ Microblogging” Twitter vs. blog…? Very low threshold

“ Microblogging”

Twitter vs. blog…?

Very low threshold

Twitter To do: Follow more people. Insert into other environments (LC website, blog) via widget.

To do:

Follow more people.

Insert into other environments (LC website, blog) via widget.

Slideshare “ YouTube for PowerPoints” Easy to tweet when published

“ YouTube for PowerPoints”

Easy to tweet when published

Flickr (2006-) Goals : Promotion, outreach Audience: Users of our LC, others in library community interested in Learning Commons concept Author : one person so far (me) Time investment : Objectively, little. Somehow, has been prohibitive (also must remember camera, upload photos from home, etc. Worth it? Yes, but need to pick it up & do more. See also: Blog

Goals : Promotion, outreach

Audience: Users of our LC, others in library community interested in Learning Commons concept

Author : one person so far (me)

Time investment : Objectively, little. Somehow, has been prohibitive (also must remember camera, upload photos from home, etc.

Worth it? Yes, but need to pick it up & do more.

See also: Blog

YouTube (2009?-) Goals : Promotion, outreach Audience: UMass Amherst students, faculty, staff involved in learning or teaching information literacy skills Author : (hopefully) info lit team, liaison librarians, others? Grad student/ Time investment : Significant. Writing scripts, shooting & editing videos. Worth it? We think it will be.

Goals : Promotion, outreach

Audience: UMass Amherst students, faculty, staff involved in learning or teaching information literacy skills

Author : (hopefully) info lit team, liaison librarians, others? Grad student/

Time investment : Significant. Writing scripts, shooting & editing videos.

Worth it? We think it will be.

LibGuides Community-building features Ratings Comments Feedback forms Suggest resources Embeddable in other environments Courseware Facebook Tweet upon publication See also: Facebook, Twitter, IM, Blogs

Community-building features

Ratings

Comments

Feedback forms

Suggest resources

Embeddable in other environments

Courseware

Facebook

Tweet upon publication

See also: Facebook, Twitter, IM, Blogs

Institutional Repository [email_address] Amherst Goal: make scholarly output of campus findable, visible Email alerts, RSS feeds by subject, author Online journals Departments/individuals can use to dynamically generate lists of publications on their own websites

[email_address] Amherst

Goal: make scholarly output of campus findable, visible

Email alerts, RSS feeds by subject, author

Online journals

Departments/individuals can use to dynamically generate lists of publications on their own websites

LiveJournal Inspiration from Brian Mathews, Ubiquitous Reference Model UMass Amherst LiveJournal community >> Google Reader

Inspiration from Brian Mathews, Ubiquitous Reference Model

UMass Amherst LiveJournal community >> Google Reader

Next Steps

Overhaul LC website Embed widgets for IM, Twitter, Flickr Investigate other means for community-generated discussion, input (like NCSU Message Board ?)

Embed widgets for IM, Twitter, Flickr

Investigate other means for community-generated discussion, input (like NCSU Message Board ?)

Create & add multimedia More, newer, better Flickr photos Videos/screencasts for YouTube: tutorials, tours, events Audio tour of Library/Learning Commons

More, newer, better Flickr photos

Videos/screencasts for YouTube: tutorials, tours, events

Audio tour of Library/Learning Commons

Encourage user-generated content Video contest? (like Penn ) Flickr pool? Emphasize LibGuides community features when teaching

Video contest? (like Penn )

Flickr pool?

Emphasize LibGuides community features when teaching

Emily Alling Coordinator, Learning Commons & Undergraduate Library Services W.E.B. Du Bois Library University of Massachusetts, Amherst [email_address] Presentation available at: http://www.slideshare.net/ealling