1. Web 2.0:
The Basics Every Librarian Should Know
New Hampshire State Library
April 2010
Class outline:
 Web 1.0 v. Web 2.0
 Why learn Web 2.0?
 Blogs
 News readers & feeds
 Twitter Searching
 Google Docs & Spreadsheets
 Online Photo Editing with Picnik
 Library Thing
 Facebook Fan Pages
Web 1.0 v. Web 2.0
Web 1.0:
 Computer users were usually passive online browsers.
 Required technical skills to create online content.
 Large organizations created most content
 Web 1.0 = reference
Web 2.0:
 Computers users create a variety of content.
 Limited technical skills are needed to create online content.
 Average people make content.
 Web 2.0 = self publication
Why learn about Web 2.0 technology?
 To stay current with technology trends!
 To be able to communicate in new ways with our patrons
 To be able to assist our patrons with new technologies.
 Web 2.0 is a critical component of Library 2.0!
 Learning about Web 2.0 will help librarians make better informed decisions
when purchasing library software and implementing new technologies in
libraries.
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2. Google or Gmail Account Needed
1. Visit: http://google.com
2. Click on the link, “Sign in” at the upper right hand corner of the page.
3. Do you have a Google or Gmail account? If so, log in and skip to the next
section.
4. If not, click on the link, “Create an account now.”
5. When creating the new account, remember that there are millions of Google
and Gmail users. Try to be flexible (and creative) when selecting a user
name.
6. Decide whether you want Google to remember your Web history or not.
7. Finish setting up your new account.
Start a blog
 A blog is a powerful Website built on a database.
 With a database-driven Website, content and site structure and design
are kept separate.
Name your blog
 Enter a blog title.
 Enter a blog address.
 Enter the verification characters.
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3.  Click on continue.
Don’t be surprised if the name you have chosen might already by taken by
someone else. Be prepared to alter your title if necessary.
Choosing a Template
 Select a template you like.
 If you don’t see one you like, don’t worry; there are more to choose from
later!
 Click on continue.
Anatomy of a blog post
Writing your first post
In the language of blogging, a new entry to your blog is called a “post.” Each new
post is added to the top of the blog. The purpose of this is to show the newest
information first. Blogs are intended to be updated by the blogger regularly – and
therefore, scanned for new information by the reader just as often.
 Click on the “Posting” tab.
 Click on “Create,” if needed.
You will see a text area that looks similar to other Web-based text editors, like
what you might use to write email. Notice that there are tools for changing the way
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4. your text looks (bold, underline, font styles, colors, etc.) Don’t forget to use the
most important tool: Spell Checker!
Tags or Labels or Subject Headings
As librarians, we understand that adding a keyword (or tag or label) to a digital
object provides the user with important information and added value to the digital
collection. Blogger’s uses the terminology “label” rather than keyword.
 Add one or more tags to your post.
 Separate your tags by a comma.
 After the comma, leave a space before writing the next word.
 Once you have finished writing your post and assigning labels, publish your
post.
 View your blog.
Setting up the iGoogle page
When you enter iGoogle for the first time, you’ll encounter a message that looks
like this:
1. Deselect all “Interests.” (We want to really customize this page.)
2. Quickly select any of the five available themes. (Trust me; there are many
others to choose from!)
3. Enter your zip code.
4. Click on “See your page.”
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5. Selecting a new theme
Ok, let’s do what you really want to do first – select an awesome new look to your
page.
1. Click on either “Get artist themes” or “Change theme from…” Each will
provide a different set of themes from which to choose your new page look.
2. Find a theme you might like and click on “Add it now.”
3. Repeat steps 1-4 as needed to change the page theme.
Deleting Feeds or Gadgets
Take a look around your screen. There are possibly many boxes of information
(gadgets) that you simply will not read or use. Delete any unwanted gadget by
clicking on very small dropdown arrow and selecting “Delete this gadget.”
Why Use iGoogle as a Newsreader?
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6. A newsreader does just what its name implies: It reads the news. Essentially, it is
software that gathers the news that is important to you and compiles it all in one
place for you to read. Your new iGoogle page is a logical page to add a few valuable
feeds, since you’ll probably see this page often throughout the day doing Web
searches.
Newsreader & Feeds
Pulling the news:
 Without newsreaders, we have to pull the information out of news
sources.
 We often do this by bookmarking Websites and trying to remember to
visit the sites on occasion in search for new content.
Pushing news to the reader:
 Using feeds, once we subscribe to a news source, all of the information is
automatically pushed to us. We can skim a variety of news articles
relevant to us from one location.
 It is like having your own customized newspaper.
Adding a feed
 Click on the “Add stuff” link.
 Scroll down to the “Add feed or gadget” link located at the bottom of the left-
hand column.
 Add the NHAIS Notes blog to the newsreader.
 http://nhais.blogspot.com
 Wait for the small checkmark to show that the feed was added.
 Scroll up the page and click on the “Back to iGoogle home” link.
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7. How you could use feeds in your library
 Imagine being able to post a closing notice on your library blog and having
that message go to everyone who subscribes to that blog.
 You could send out programming reminders.
 Patrons could subscribe to receive information about new books added to
your collection.
Twitter
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users
to send and read each others' updates, known as tweets. Tweets are text-based
posts of up to 140 characters, displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to
other users - known as followers - who have subscribed to them. Senders can
restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access.
Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service
(SMS) or external applications. The service is free over the Internet but access
through SMS may incur phone service provider fees. –Wikipedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter 7.16.09)
Browsing hot topics on Twitter:
You don’t need a Twitter account to see what people are tweeting about on Twitter.
Following popular topics on Twitter is easy! Just click on any of the popular topics of
the hour, day, or week.
Searching Twitter:
See what people are saying about your library, community, etc. on Twitter!
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8. Anatomy of a Twitter page
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9. Twitter communication tricks
It is possible to send followers private and public messages through Twitter.
 If you want to respond publicly to someone, use the “@” symbol prior to their
username.
 To send a private message to someone who follows you, use a “d” before the
username, separating the two with a single space (e.g. d jamesmhall).
 Note: There is a small “Reply to” icon located at the side of each person’s
Tweet; this is a public reply, not a private reply.
Why we care about Twitter…
Twitter is more than a flash in the pan phenomena; it has spearheaded a new way
to communicate, do business, and to send and receive information. Twitter’s
“Tweets” are essentially status updates. The modern status update has been in use
since the 1990s when AOL users set Instant Messenger to show their availability to
chat. Since then, the status update has spread like wildfire through popular Web
2.0 programs and Websites. We can expect the status update to continue to grow
in popularity and function.
Learning more about Twitter
http://help.twitter.com/portal
5 Minute Detour: Other Sources of News
http://blogged.com
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10. Google Docs & Spreadsheet Uses:
 Backup important files
 Transport data from one location to another
 Collaborate with others
 Surveys
Finding Google Docs & Spreadsheets
 From Google.com, there is a quick link to “Documents.”
 Also: http://docs.google.com
 The first time you log into the site, you’ll be asked
to provide some quick information.
Site Admin
 There is a personal administrative side to Google Docs & Spreadsheets. Since
you’ve just started your account, it is likely that the page will look pretty
bare.
 Notice that on the left side of the page is where you narrow down the
documents you wish to view.
 The center area of the screen will display the file names of the documents.
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11. Starting a new document
 Look at the menu across the top of the Webpage.
 Click on the “New” menu to start a new document.
 A new window or tab will open to a blank, unnamed document.
Name & save a document
 Click on the “untitled” document name and give it a file name.
 Save (OK) your changes.
Writing and editing the document
Writing and editing the document is similar to using a desktop-based text editor.
The only thing to remember is to use the editing tools and menu provided in the
Webpage. Take a minute to view the different editing tools.
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12. Sharing
You can share your document with others a few different ways:
 You can publish your document as a Webpage others can view, but not edit.
 You can email the document to others.
 But best yet, you can invite another Google Docs user to edit your document
at the same time you are editing it!
Let’s try that out…
 Click on the Share menu.
 Choose “Share with others.”
 Find out the Gmail or email address of the person
sitting next to you. (Make sure it is the same email address they used to
create their Google account.)
 Enter their email address and invite them as a collaborator to your
document.
 Ask them to let you collaborate on their document.
Navigate back to your original Google Docs page. This will probably be located on
another open window or tab.
 Look for your classmate’s document under “Shared with…” heading to the left
of the page.
 Click on the file name to open their document.
 Watch as the changes your classmate makes appear on
your screen!
Using Google Spreadsheet as a survey
Google can be used as a way of collecting short answers
(think: survey or contact information) from many people very
quickly and very easily!
 Visit your original Google Docs admin page and click
“New >> Form.”
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13.  Give your form a name and save it.
 Start adding questions to the form.
 Continue adding questions until your form is complete.
 Click on “Email this form.”
 Add the email address.
 Or copy the link of the live form at the bottom of the page…
 Check the responses by opening the original spreadsheet.
 Find the spreadsheet at: docs.google.com
5 Minute Detour: Zillow
Real Estate 2.0
http://zillow.com
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14. Picnik
Picnik is a free online photo editor. You can crop, resize, add graphics, add text, adjust
the color of your photos, and so much more – and so easily, too!
 Visit: http://picnik.com
 Click on “Get started now!”
 It will take a few seconds to load the page.
 If you have your own photos to edit, click on “Upload Photos.”
 If not, find some photos from Yahoo Search.
o Click on the “Library” tab.
o Click on Yahoo! Search.
 Search for an image.
 Select an image to edit
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15. Editing features
 Edit tab options
o Crop to exact size
o Resize to exact pixel size
o Rotate
 Create tab options
Note that the “Premium” features are not available.
o Apply effects (black and white, etc.)
o Add text to the photo
o Add shapes or stickers to liven up the photo
o Add picture frames to the image
Saving the edited photo
 Click on the “Save & Share” tab.
 Save the photo to the computer or, if desired, you can connect Picnik to your
Facebook, Flickr, or Picassa account, etc.
Why we care about Picnik
Picnik is a great example of an online productivity tool. The Web site, via your Web
browser, is acting like desktop software. This is a trend that will continue to grow as
computer programming for the Web advances and bandwidth grows.
Library Thing
The most fun you can have as a librarian on the Web!
Library Thing is an online catalog, similar to an opac that you can use to keep track
of books.
Getting started with Library Thing
The user signup process is very quick and easy; so quick and easy that you will
want to make sure that you write down your information and correctly type it in
each time!
 Visit: http://librarything.com
 Click “Join Now” if you don’t have an account.
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16.  Now you have an empty catalog; let’s add some titles.
Library Thing is free for personal use and collections containing less than 200 titles.
If you are starting an account for your non-profit library, select: organization, not
personal.
Adding Records to Your Catalog
 Click on the “Add Books” tab at the top of the screen.
 In the search box to the left of your screen, type in a book title or author of
your choice.
 Click on the title of the book.
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17.  Your book has now been added to your catalog.
 Quickly add tags to help you find your titles.
 Add tags (or subject headings) to the book. Remember, tags are any words
that help you find the book. You can also add a star rating to the record.
 Repeat this process a few more times so that you have a minimum of five
titles in your collection.
Viewing Your Catalog
 Click on the “Your Library” tab.
 Double-click in any field to make changes.
Editing Records
 Click on the small picture of a pencil next to the right of the record
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18.  Add additional tags, personal comments, a star rating, anything.
 Save your changes.
Editing Your Profile
 Click on the “Profile” tab.
 Click on “Edit Profile / Account Settings.”
 Change your account from public to private, if desired.
Searching Your Library
 Click on the “Search” tab.
 You can search by author or title within the “search for books” box.
 You can search for your unique tags within the “search tags” box.
Getting your Library Thing books on your new Blogger blog:
Want a great little sidebar widget that shows your Library Thing books on your
blog? Here’s how to do it:
 Look for the “More” tab
in Library Thing.
 Click on “Make a
standard blog widget”
link.
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19.  Visit your Blogger site and click on “Layout.”
 From the sidebar area, click on “Add a
Gadget.”
 Select “HTML/Java Script…
 Paste the code into the content area of
the gadget and give it a title.
 Save and view your blog.
Library Thing Uses:
 Readers’ Advisory
 Keep track of book displays
 Keep track of local book club selections
 Read alike titles
 Children’s Summer Reading Catalog
 Pre-release titles
 And many more uses!
5 Minute Detour: Google Bookmarks
Instead of saving your bookmarks to your computer, save them to your Google
account. They’ll be available to you no matter which computer you’re using!
http://google.com/bookmarks
 From the left sidebar, under Tools, click on “Add a bookmark.”
 Add the name, URL, some tags, etc.
If desired, you could add a gadget to your iGoogle page showing your recent
bookmarks.
 Go to iGoogle, and sign in, if necessary.
 Click on “Add Stuff.”
 Search gadgets for “Google Bookmarks.”
 Add it now.
 Return to iGoogle home.
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20. Facebook Fan Pages
There are two sides to Facebook. One side is for personal profiles and the other,
called fan pages, is for organizations. Let’s see what a Facebook fan page is all
about.
Visit: http://facebook.com/nhaudiobooks
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21. Fabulous job today!
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