by David Lee King on March 7, 2006
I just had an interesting thought about library websites and mashups. Look at Wikipedia’s definition of a mashup:
“A mashup is a website or web application that seamlessly combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience.”
… and it goes on …
“Content used in mashups is typically sourced from a third party via a public interface or API. Other methods of sourcing content for mashups include Web feeds (e.g. RSS or Atom) and JavaScript.”
I was thinking about how I could add the concept of mashups into my fledgling web 2.0 presentation, and trying to come up with a not-too-techie example or two (pass some along if you have them!). And it dawned on me – those pesky Subject Guides that I talk about frequently could be considered to be mashups!
Why? A Subject Guide for a library website combines information from different sources. It can point to and even house information from the catalog, like new books or videos on a specific topic. It can point to articles in a database. It can point to original content created by staff. It can point to global web content. The catch is that it focuses on one area, or topic.
And in the process, a subject guide can use a combination of HTML, RSS, XML, Javascript, PERL, ColdFusion (in my library’s case),etc to create these guides.
OK – a subject guide maybe doesn’t really catch the geeky essense of a mashup, because for the most part, we aren’t using APIs or public interfaces to capture the information. But still – the concept is the same. We are taking information from “more than one source,” and combining it into an “integrated experience” that will help our patrons quickly find the information they need.
Library 2.0, Web 2.0, Mashup, Subject Guide
by David Lee King on January 4, 2006
by David Lee King on December 8, 2005
Michael and Maire posted about their library’s awesome Subject Guide wiki. And awesome it is! It is easily accessible from their library’s main page, and already has 17 subjects listed (last Friday there were three, so those librarians are busy!). And nowhere on the website is the word “Wiki” mentioned, which is great – the term would just confuse most patrons (and those who know what wikis are will recognize it as a wiki anyway).
Click on a Subject Guide, and you get a variety of info, depending on the Guide. For example, the Business Guide currently includes Company Information, Personal Finance Planning, Programs and Events, links, etc. And the best part? They get the whole Subject Guide thing – they’re pointing to their content: linking to their databases, books, and events. They’re even pointing to a few non-library events that are focused on the particular subject guide’s topic – way cool.
Then the wiki part kicks in… each guide has a discussion section where customers can add comments to the guide – think instant feedback, content contributions, and a stronger sense of community. And – if you really want to – you can subscribe to the Recent Changes RSS feed (it’s sorta hidden, and sorta techie-looking – but it IS a way to see what’s being updated).
But that’s just for patrons… what about staff? The nice thing about a wiki, of course, is the built-in ability to edit pages without having to know HTML, PHP, Ajax, or any number of nasty coding languages. You can just edit, update, and creat useful content. The wiki is set up for library staff to log in and edit (and no one else gets to), which is fine in this instance.
Visual design: It currently looks very much like a wiki – which works for SJCPL. Their website currently uses a white background with images to brighten things up, and so the wiki’s white background and text blends in nicely. But I’m curious about how much can be changed, design-wise, with this wiki. I’d hate to go from my library’s tan/brown colors to the default wiki white – that’d be sorta jarring to our customers.
Are there other libraries using wiki’s for subject guides? Yes. Check out Ohio University Libraries Biz Wiki. And check out this great article on what librarians can do with a wiki, written by Meredith. So go – check out the wiki subject guides, read Meredith’s article, then sit and think: will this help my library meet our goals? If so, go for it!
wiki
by David Lee King on June 7, 2005
How many libraries can say they have a manga page? With links directly connected to your library catalogs?
By no means are these classics … but they are what a segment of our customers want. So my real question to you – are you using your website to point customers to content?
by David Lee King on April 5, 2005
I’m in the blogging mood today 
Go to this page from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, and glance through the list of Internet Activities. This list includes 61 things America adults do online. It’s either terribly exciting or terribly terrifying, depending on your inclination to change and technology.
Here’s the exciting/terrifying part: most of these activities are things people used to do at libraries. Take another look at that list, removing the obvious “internet-only” and “non-library” activities, like send email, gamble online, buy groceries online, and participate in an online auction. What’s left? Here’s a modified version of some of the activities, with a translation to a traditional library setting included:
| Pew Internet Activities |
Traditional Library Translation |
See what I mean? Many of the things Americans once did at the library they now do on the web. Most likely using Google.
How should a librarian respond to this huge change? Quit her job? Continue at his library job, despairing all the while that said job will disappear when Google adds a “catalog this” button to their website? Or embrace change and figure out how to make the library work in the 21st century? Personally, I’d go with choice #3. here are some ideas for you to play around with:
- Training. I recently heard that 99% of all Google searches are extremely simple searches using 1-2 keywords (no boolean, not + or -, no quote marks for phrases, etc.). A little training on proper search technique goes a long way – it will help customers create better searches, thus making them happy. It will also show them “who’s boss” – they’ll realize that librarians aren’t searchers – librarians are Finders. And they will remember that, and use it. Often. And that makes librarians happy.
- Subject pages. I’ve been talking about the concept of Subject Pages a lot lately at conferences, in articles, and on this blog. And I won’t stop. If you create topic-driven content, that content will be found in search engines. Example – Go to Google, and do a search for Russell Stover (no quote marks). Russell Stover is a Kansas City-based candy-making business. The first result found is for the actual company, but look at the 5th result – that’s my library’s biography page on Clara and Russell Stover, the founders of the company. And people are finding that page using Google – 25 in March 2005, according to our web statistics software.
- RSS. On the above-mentioned Subject Guide pages, include an RSS feed of updated library content. This can push a range of information to potential library customers, like new book or video lists for that topic, events that are going to happen that relate to that topic, etc.
There are probably more things that could be listed here. The point is that librarians don’t have to sit back and watch Google, Microsoft, or Dogpile (just threw them in for kicks) take over our library world. Instead, we can use new tools for our benefit – to get information to our customers, and to rope in unsuspecting new customers.
