The document discusses how social software can be used in libraries. It defines social software as tools that allow people to communicate, collaborate, build community online, or share and reuse content. The document suggests libraries can use social tools to highlight and create communities around collections, collect and disseminate knowledge, engage users where they are online, have transparent conversations, improve knowledge sharing among staff, and communicate with users when they need help. It provides strategies for implementing social software like knowing users, having a risk-tolerant and learning culture, involving all staff, and capitalizing on networks.

1. Social Software in
Libraries
Meredith Farkas
Norwich University

2. Web 1.0: Democratized
Access to Information

3. Web 2.0: Democratized
Participation

4. Social Software
My definition: A tool must meet at least
two of the following conditions:
1. It allows people to communicate,
collaborate and build community
online
2. It can be syndicated, shared, reused
or remixed, or it facilitates syndication
3. It allows people to easily learn
from and capitalize on the behavior or
knowledge of others.

5. Social software
Trends for
Libraries

6. Use social tools
to Highlight
Collections

12. Create Community
around
Collections

18. Collect and
Disseminate
Knowledge

26. Go Where our
Users Are

30. Have transparent
conversations
with our users

34. Improve internal
knowledge
sharing

37. Communicate with
users at the point
of need

40. Strategies for
implementing
social software

43. Know your users

44. Develop a risk-
tolerant culture

45. Develop a
learning culture

46. Involve staff at
all levels in
planning

47. Capitalize on your
network

48. Time must be
devoted to this

49. Questions?
mgfarkas at gmail
librarianmer at Twitter, FriendFeed,
Flickr, AIM, etc.