10 LOL Cat Laws of Web Services for Smaller and Underfunded Libraries Sarah Houghton-Jan Digital Futures Manager, San Jose Public Library Author, LibrarianInBlack.net

LOLcats combine: - cat photos - grammatically wonky captions - all sorts of wisdom

Talk with customers

#1: Talk with customers Email – Gmail, Yahoo Mail Instant Messaging – AIM, GoogleTalk, Meebo Chat Widgets – Meebo, Plugoo VOIP/audio – Skype‏ Video – some IM clients, Skype‏ Text Messaging – Mosio ( $ ), AOL hack ( security? )‏ Social Networks – Facebook IM Twitter – “ask us a question with @...” Jing – screencast video on the fly

Email – Gmail, Yahoo Mail

Instant Messaging – AIM, GoogleTalk, Meebo

Chat Widgets – Meebo, Plugoo

VOIP/audio – Skype‏

Video – some IM clients, Skype‏

Text Messaging – Mosio ( $ ), AOL hack ( security? )‏

Social Networks – Facebook IM

Twitter – “ask us a question with @...”

Jing – screencast video on the fly

Put chat windows and Help links where customers are UPSET Screenshot courtesy of David Lee King, Topeka Shawnee County Public Library

Help via Text-a-Librarian Altarama My InfoQuest cooperative!

Altarama

My InfoQuest cooperative!

Interact with customers

#2: Interact with Customers Welcome comments on everything Respond like a human being Example: offer Online Book Clubs with a mix of staff and customers

Welcome comments on everything

Respond like a human being

Example: offer Online Book Clubs with a mix of staff and customers

San Jose Public Library's Teen Book Club on LibraryThing

Blogs for Recommendations Blogs (each entry is its own review)‏ - Blogger, WordPress Full participation Entry templates w/ tags/categories Pages for mysteries, picture books, graphic novels, biographies, books for teens, etc.

Blogs (each entry is its own review)‏

- Blogger, WordPress

Full participation

Entry templates w/ tags/categories

Pages for mysteries, picture books, graphic novels, biographies, books for teens, etc.

Be social

#3: Be Social Find out where your users are Be there, real, & reliably new Facebook, Ning, MySpace, elsewhere?

Find out where your users are

Be there, real, & reliably new

Facebook, Ning, MySpace, elsewhere?

Social network resources CheckUsernames.com : check many networks Open ID and ClaimID : claim and log into multiple site profiles Ping.fm or Hellotxt.com : simultaneous updates AtomKeep : simultaneously updates Twitter/Facebook : settings/apps to update both Filtrbox : monitor social networks in real time MyBUZZmonitor : hear what people say

CheckUsernames.com : check many networks

Open ID and ClaimID : claim and log into multiple site profiles

Ping.fm or Hellotxt.com : simultaneous updates

AtomKeep : simultaneously updates

Twitter/Facebook : settings/apps to update both

Filtrbox : monitor social networks in real time

MyBUZZmonitor : hear what people say

Events sites too Eventful Upcoming.org Going.com Craigslist

Eventful

Upcoming.org

Going.com

Craigslist

$10 = 5000 Facebook Flyers to targeted audiences Facebook Flyer image by Steve Lawson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tuttlibrary/1546577200 CHEAP ADVERTISING!!!

Use multimedia

#4: Use Multimedia Photos / Images Podcasts Videos

Photos / Images

Podcasts

Videos

Westmont Public Library http://www.flickr.com/photos/westmontlibrary/549380055/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/westmontlibrary/549380055/

Exploit Image Generators GeneratorBlog.blogspot.com ImageGenerator.org ImageChef.com

GeneratorBlog.blogspot.com

ImageGenerator.org

ImageChef.com

Podcasting & Videocasting people who can talk/sing digital microphone Audacity OurMedia people who aren't camera-shy + digital video camera ($100+)‏ + Avidemux (editing)‏ YouTube/Blip.tv (hosting)‏ free & low-cost hardware on Free After Rebate

people who can talk/sing

digital microphone

Audacity

OurMedia

free & low-cost hardware on Free After Rebate

Learning Multimedia screencasts – Wink, CamStudio class websites – WordPress, Blogger live office hours – FreeConferenceCall live webcasts – UStream.tv

screencasts – Wink, CamStudio

class websites – WordPress, Blogger

live office hours – FreeConferenceCall

live webcasts – UStream.tv

Offer treatsies

#5: Offer Treatsies People like shiny objects, Ask them what they want. Then find them some.

People like shiny objects,

Ask them what they want.

Then find them some.

There are many treats in HCPL's catalog

Staff Avatars! a la Nashville Public Library

a la Nashville Public Library

“ My Account” Text Messages

Surprisingly free stuff

#6: Exploit the Free

Tap the Google Wonderland

Marry free & paid content

#7: Marry Free & Paid Content Cease snobbery about paid content Find the free stuff & promote it Open source software for public computers - Gnu Cash - Open Office - GIMP - TypeFaster Typing Tutor

Cease snobbery about paid content

Find the free stuff & promote it

Open source software for public computers

- Gnu Cash

- Open Office

- GIMP

- TypeFaster Typing Tutor

Free eBooks Project Gutenberg AudioBooksForFree Escholarship Google Books ManyBooks Memoware Online Books Page Oxford Text Archive & many more!

Project Gutenberg

AudioBooksForFree

Escholarship

Google Books

ManyBooks

Memoware

Online Books Page

Oxford Text Archive

Free Databases ArticlesBase.com FindArticles.com + free language learning sites + free practice test sites + free sites in all disciplines Why not add this stuff to your website, or even your catalog?

ArticlesBase.com

FindArticles.com

+ free language learning sites

+ free practice test sites

+ free sites in all disciplines

Why not add this stuff to your website, or even your catalog?

Respect customers

#8: Respect Customers You never know when you're the lunch. Expect the best, not the worst. Treat customers with respect, regardless of age of which services they use.

You never know when you're the lunch.

Expect the best, not the worst.

Treat customers with respect, regardless of age of which services they use.

Offer users choices

#9: Offer Users Choices How to contact you How you communicate with them How they find digital services What they find online (content & format)‏

How to contact you

How you communicate with them

How they find digital services

What they find online (content & format)‏

Choices! People are mashing up your library's content. Why not advertise that? Library ELF - account tracking and alerts (email, SMS, RSS)‏ Library LookUp bookmarklet LibX Toolbar Google Maps mashups w/ branches, local resources iGoogle gadgets w/ library content

People are mashing up your library's content.

Why not advertise that?

Library ELF - account tracking and alerts (email, SMS, RSS)‏

Library LookUp bookmarklet

LibX Toolbar

Google Maps mashups w/ branches, local resources

iGoogle gadgets w/ library content

Good Catalog = Choices Can’t change ILS? Consider an overlay! VuFind (open source)‏ LibraryThing for Libraries (fewer $ )‏ AquaBrowser ( $ )‏ Bibliocommons ( $ )‏ Endeca ( $ )‏ WorldCat Local ( $ )‏

Can’t change ILS? Consider an overlay!

VuFind (open source)‏

LibraryThing for Libraries (fewer $ )‏

AquaBrowser ( $ )‏

Bibliocommons ( $ )‏

Endeca ( $ )‏

WorldCat Local ( $ )‏

LibraryThing for Libraries

Keep going!

#10: Keep going! Try new things! Push administrators (solid project plans, marketing plans, and statistical re-evaluation)‏ Rejoice in failures (it means you're pushing boundaries!)‏

Try new things!

Push administrators (solid project plans, marketing plans, and statistical re-evaluation)‏

Rejoice in failures (it means you're pushing boundaries!)‏

Questions? Sarah Houghton-Jan web: www.LibrarianInBlack.net IM: LibrarianInBlack Skype: LibrairanInBlack Facebook: facebook.com/librarianinblack Twitter: twitter.com/TheLiB email: [email_address]

Sarah Houghton-Jan

web: www.LibrarianInBlack.net

IM: LibrarianInBlack

Skype: LibrairanInBlack

Facebook: facebook.com/librarianinblack

Twitter: twitter.com/TheLiB

email: [email_address]