To blog or to wiki that is the question Wendy Sellors, MLWGS VEMA Spring Regional 2008

Context High school Solo librarian (no support staff) 700 students from 11 districts 80 teachers, 15% part-time Nearly 30 dual enrollment courses Over 20 AP courses Small physical space & print collection Modest budget

High school

Solo librarian (no support staff)

700 students from 11 districts

80 teachers, 15% part-time

Nearly 30 dual enrollment courses

Over 20 AP courses

Small physical space & print collection

Modest budget

By withoutyou

Moving from now to how? Challenges Many hats Physical space and budget constraints High expectations for research Diverse student body with wide range of tech savvy Opportunities Independence Diverse, high quality online resources available (subscription and free – esp. primary sources) High expectations for research Diverse student body

Challenges

Many hats

Physical space and budget constraints

High expectations for research

Diverse student body with wide range of tech savvy

Opportunities

Independence

Diverse, high quality online resources available (subscription and free – esp. primary sources)

High expectations for research

Diverse student body

Goals To convey the value of school library services in an increasingly digital world. To improve access to primary sources as well as the frequency and effectiveness of their use. To extend the reach of the library beyond the dimensions of conventional space & time. To harness the collective knowledge of faculty, students and parents. To engage the community in a manner comfortable to those with varying tech savvy. To make achievement of these goals sustainable in a solo-librarian context.

To convey the value of school library services in an increasingly digital world.

To improve access to primary sources as well as the frequency and effectiveness of their use.

To extend the reach of the library beyond the dimensions of conventional space & time.

To harness the collective knowledge of faculty, students and parents.

To engage the community in a manner comfortable to those with varying tech savvy.

To make achievement of these goals sustainable in a solo-librarian context.

Technology needs Quick way to share research tips & library news 1-3 x per week Space to organize most frequently used links / information Several access points Faster to maintain than traditional web site Update from home By PPDigital

Quick way to share research tips & library news 1-3 x per week

Space to organize most frequently used links / information

Several access points

Faster to maintain than traditional web site

Update from home

Blogs – what are they good for? Keeping patrons current Providing access to a (fairly) small amount of stable information/links Ability to search site or browse by tag or month Spend 15-30 minutes per week posting/editing Update/edit in browser

Keeping patrons current

Providing access to a (fairly) small amount of stable information/links

Ability to search site or browse by tag or month

Spend 15-30 minutes per week posting/editing

Update/edit in browser

Navigation menus at left and top of blog with this theme (Wordpress - Tarski)

Ability to access old posts by month, category, or search

Typical library web pages

Pages with slideshows inserted

Integrated stats (Wordpress)

Constraints of a blog Limited space for navigation links Links (a.k.a. blogroll) Page menu (if selected theme includes one) Not a good home for research guides (a.k.a. pathfinders, webquests, etc.) Individual voices vs. collaborative content Option to give others power to post, but voices separate Fragmented conversations Comments usually associated with a post Posts move down and off the main page

Limited space for navigation links

Links (a.k.a. blogroll)

Page menu (if selected theme includes one)

Not a good home for research guides (a.k.a. pathfinders, webquests, etc.)

Individual voices vs. collaborative content

Option to give others power to post, but voices separate

Fragmented conversations

Comments usually associated with a post

Posts move down and off the main page

Blog tips Update at least 1x per week Use links/blogroll for internal pages, providing 1-click access to more content Label links with user-centered wording Back up (export) your blog regularly Posts can double (with slight tweaking) as staff emails, brief newsletter articles, etc. Stream in “fresh” content using RSS feeds

Update at least 1x per week

Use links/blogroll for internal pages, providing 1-click access to more content

Label links with user-centered wording

Back up (export) your blog regularly

Posts can double (with slight tweaking) as staff emails, brief newsletter articles, etc.

Stream in “fresh” content using RSS feeds

Optional – integrate other free tools Google Calendar Del.icio.us Picasa photo gallery RSS feeds Yahoo! Pipes Google Custom Search Engines Ning social network

Google Calendar

Del.icio.us

Picasa photo gallery

RSS feeds

Yahoo! Pipes

Google Custom Search Engines

Ning social network

Common traits Free Web-based (platform-independent) Easy, fast, template-based set-up No HTML knowledge required

Free

Web-based (platform-independent)

Easy, fast, template-based set-up

No HTML knowledge required

Wikis – what are they good for? Facilitating collaborative building of content Organizing a growing body of content that you’d like to stay in the same place Good home for… Research guides / pathfinders Research / style manual Policy / procedure manual Patron-generated resource lists

Facilitating collaborative building of content

Organizing a growing body of content that you’d like to stay in the same place

Good home for…

Research guides / pathfinders

Research / style manual

Policy / procedure manual

Patron-generated resource lists

Course resource lists Research guides Search tips Tools for research Tutorials

Course resource lists

Research guides

Search tips

Tools for research

Tutorials

Research guides

Add attachments to research guides

“ How to” instructions

Embed Slideshare presentations

Embed YouTube videos

Widgets supported by Wetpaint YouTube and Google Video Google Calendar RSS Photo Bucket Vizu Polls Gabbly Chat Others (e.g. Slideshare)

YouTube and Google Video

Google Calendar

RSS

Photo Bucket

Vizu Polls

Gabbly Chat

Others (e.g. Slideshare)

Editing the wiki

Toolbar moves up/down as you scroll

Wiki limitations Anyone can edit content Transparency of work Template constraints Harder to back up (in some cases)

Anyone can edit content

Transparency of work

Template constraints

Harder to back up (in some cases)

Technology Triple Play: Communication, Collaboration, Control

Wiki tips Establish guidelines Invite community Reinforce positive participation Solicit content ideas from students Develop research guides off-wiki, then add the page when you have a completed draft Use available videos and slideshows instead of making them all yourself

Establish guidelines

Invite community

Reinforce positive participation

Solicit content ideas from students

Develop research guides off-wiki, then add the page when you have a completed draft

Use available videos and slideshows instead of making them all yourself

Common traits Free Ad-free versions available for educators Easy, template-based set-up No HTML knowledge required

Free

Ad-free versions available for educators

Easy, template-based set-up

No HTML knowledge required

Another perspective Yarmosh, K. (2005, September 19). Blogs versus wikis. Technosight . Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://www.technosight.com/blogs-versus-wikis/

By nick russill

What questions do you have?