Web 2.0 Librarianship

The following paper will trace the recently established field of Information Ethics through it’s various evolutions, from it’s origins in Librarianship to it’s role as a global player in areas as diverse as technology, media, global humanitarianism, and the philosophy of information. The praxis of the field will be outlined for the uninitiated reader, followed by an intimate history of the founding players and their continued contribution to this ever-evolving field. The current evolutions of Information Ethics will then be explored in the context of their application to the viral global phenomena of Intercultural Information Ethics (IIE), and finally, the paper will conclude with projections towards future evolutions in Information Ethics, as well as an exploration of potential definitions for the field.

For more than a decade, e-mail has been the preferred method of internal communication and information sharing in many libraries. However, relying on e-mail for organizational knowledge management seems a bit like keeping your birth certificate, car title, and deed to your home mixed in a pile with grocery store fliers and bills: the important pieces of information are mixed with items of only fleeting or minimal importance. The solution to organizing library policies, procedures, meeting minutes, and other documents that ultimately preserve an organization’s history seems easy—all it takes is an intranet. Developing library intranets, on the other hand, has left many Web librarians scratching their heads and wondering, “I built it; why didn’t they come?” Why are intranets such a challenge, even for information professionals? Intranet users are perplexed by the lack of adoption and use among their colleagues as well. In a recent intranet training session at Auraria Library, I paused...

Libraries were once the trailblazers for developing Web sites in the early 1990s, but today many library Web sites are bloated with outdated, irrelevant, and unfriendly content. Some institutions have recently turned to content strategy—the practice of planning “for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content” (Halvorson 2011, 23)—to address these problems. In this article, the authors argue that large libraries can benefit from creating a dedicated staff role for content strategy. They explore how the University of Arizona Libraries moved from its first forays in content strategy to adding a full-time, permanent content strategist to the staff. The authors describe the key elements that were important in making the case for this position and detail considerations for recruitment and hiring. They also discuss the role a content strategist can play for improving the overall user experience beyond just the library Web site.

information management programs and also advance the status of libraries within their respective host organizations. The comparative ease of digital publishing has opened an opportunity for librarians to follow the user as they use the Web in creative ways.

Although the library's Web site has become a standard tool for seeking information and conducting research in academic institutions, there are a variety of ways libraries approach the often challenging -and sometimes daunting -process of Web site development and maintenance. Three librarians at Western Michigan University explored issues related to this topic by conducting a Web-based survey, which was sent to two librarians -Web services and reference / public services -at 149 academic institutions. Survey findings are discussed, including references to Web departments and committees, priority setting, Web authoring, soliciting input, outsourcing, content management systems, redesigns, and user involvement. The participants' insights regarding greatest challenges and what seems to be working or not working well are also outlined, in addition to the authors' suggestions for future research in this area.

ABSTRACT This study explores the current status and features of Pakistan's academic library Web sites. A checklist describing features and content was prepared based on a review of the literature related to academic libraries’ Web sites. Then, all 85 library Web sites of Pakistani universities and degree-awarding institutions recognized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan were surveyed and analyzed using the checklist. Interviews with library professionals were conducted to learn more about the problems and issues with building and maintaining library Web sites. Results indicate that Pakistani academic library Web sites have effective features such as contrasting color schemes, easily readable text, minimal use of horizontal scrolling, and English-language text. Staff information, OPACs, and navigation features are also widely found on the Web sites. Features found less frequently include the use of Web 2.0 technologies, Web site aid tools, information about library buildings, and general library information. By offering information about the status of Pakistani academic library Web sites, the study can serve as a foundation for discussion between libraries and other parts of the university, as well as a benchmark for evaluating the progress of academic library Web sites in Pakistan

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ABSTRACT A Web site is often the first stop for a person trying to determine how to get to a person based in a library or a college campus building. The Web site, and the in-built online directory, may provide the building name and office number for a library staff or a faculty member, but these can be out-of-date and do not provide complete information for the person to find the office location. This article demonstrates an online wayfinding system that could show patrons, faculty, staff, and students not only the location of a library or another campus building, but also an individual office location on a building floor plan. A proof-of-concept was developed using HTML and CSS. The simplicity of the concept and implementation ensures that most libraries and college campuses can implement this wayfinding system using basic Web design skills, while greatly helping first-time visitors to specific offices. The system addresses the issue of frequent office moves and staff changes, and provides a richer cognitive map as compared to online directories and campus maps, which feature limited data and interactivity. This article concludes with a discussion of the benefits of interactive Web-based wayfinding tools including being more welcoming and scalable in large buildings and organizations.

Libraries today face an increasing challenge: to provide relevant information to diverse populations with differing needs, while competing with Web search engines like Google. In 2009 the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Libraries joined with other libraries and Innovative Interfaces as development partners to design a new type of discovery tool. Information portals as a concept best supports the research and instructional needs of our communities by organizing and presenting information that incorporates licensed databases, text, multimedia, and other relevant sources. The discovery tool under examination by UNL, Encore, integrates searches of the catalog, locally created full-text and image sources, and articles from licensed databases, with navigation options that facilitate narrowing and expanding search results. This information portal development is an ongoing process with the goal of providing a tool that is as easy to use as Web search engines but preserves the quality that library users expect. This article explores the requirements for an information portal and describes the challenges UNL faced when implementing Encore. Statistics from the initial implementation are presented, along with recommendations for future usability studies to evaluate where additional improvements should be made.

Data curation is a concept with many facets. Curation goes beyond research-generated data, and its principles can support the preservation of institutions’ historical data. Libraries are well-positioned to bring relevant expertise to such problems, especially those requiring collaboration, because of their experience as neutral caretakers and information professionals. This article details how one university library partnered with various campus entities, specifically the Office of Alumni Relations and the Photographic Services Department, as well as the Division of University Advancement, to further two data curation projects involving university yearbooks and a historical negative and photograph collection. Collaboration was necessary in order to achieve the desired result: the ongoing management and preservation of these resources for their promotional worth and as tools for scholarly research. These efforts allowed for the digitization, management, and preservation of the original resources as well as the creation and perpetuation of digital collections which are easily accessible to university stakeholders and the community at large. This cross-university effort illustrates how this type of data curation project can build both individual and departmental relationships, increase buy-in for all involved, and establish an infrastructure for the furtherance of future projects.

The COVID-19 infectious disease in 2020 caused a global and subsequent lockdown policies imposed by various governments. Public libraries were affected as well. For many public libraries, the only one that remained active and available to users was access to their digital content. The Njegoš public library in Knjaževac, Serbia, responded by improving access to, and promoting, its vast digital content. The library also monitored access to the digital library, hypothesizing that the conclusions from the statistical data would bring insights and future improvements. The statistical data from the website of the public library revealed users’ most popular times of day and days of the week during the pandemic and in normal times. Regarding the devices used for access, there was a trend toward more up-to-date operating systems and also toward mobile devices. The average time reading increased by approximately 130%, with the highest peak during the most restrictive lockdown in March 2020. T...

This article details the development of the Library Instruction Wiki (http://instructionwiki. org): an effort to develop a web-based, knowledge-sharing resource. Though some library instruction is specific to a given institution or class, much of what instruction librarians teach is similar. Library instructors have repeatedly expressed the desire to share resources, ideas, and expertise. With the increasing presence of social software applications, the options for technology-enabled knowledge sharing have grown ...

ABSTRACT A Web site is often the first stop for a person trying to determine how to get to a person based in a library or a college campus building. The Web site, and the in-built online directory, may provide the building name and office number for a library staff or a faculty member, but these can be out-of-date and do not provide complete information for the person to find the office location. This article demonstrates an online wayfinding system that could show patrons, faculty, staff, and students not only the location of a library or another campus building, but also an individual office location on a building floor plan. A proof-of-concept was developed using HTML and CSS. The simplicity of the concept and implementation ensures that most libraries and college campuses can implement this wayfinding system using basic Web design skills, while greatly helping first-time visitors to specific offices. The system addresses the issue of frequent office moves and staff changes, and provides a richer cognitive map as compared to online directories and campus maps, which feature limited data and interactivity. This article concludes with a discussion of the benefits of interactive Web-based wayfinding tools including being more welcoming and scalable in large buildings and organizations.