Thing 8. Communication

SSomething I have had some experience with--at last! Although we use Meebo IM/Chat at the UNF Library to communicate with students I have not seen IM used a great deal between co-workers. I can see positive aspects to using IM for quick conversations and answers to questions between co-workers. Meebo has already become very popular with our students. It is used more than our library email now (I know because I have to keep statistics on usage every month). Students like the quick response time. We only offer Meebo from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday and the response has been great. The drawback to any IM service is that someone has to monitor it. Be sure to include back-up personnel on your shifts to cover if someone is out. With email we had a 24 hour window for response. Has IM or email improved productivity? We are still analyzing that at UNF. I know the students like it and anything that helps them with their research needs, email or IM, I think is good. I like monitoring Meebo at UNF. I can help students from my office desk!



I personally do not use SMS but the Library webmaster recently added a "txt"cell phone icon on our library catalog. When one clicks on the icon it allows a person to automatically load a record onto their cell phone as a text message by typing in their phone number and clicking on their provider. I find that function really neat! I plan to "text" messages on my next cell phone if it comes with a keyboard. I find texting from a phone keypad ridiculously slow and cumbersome. If I receive a text message on my phone I will generally call that person back instead of texting. SMS is great for reference librarians. It would free them from the reference desk to walk around to the students and research reference questions instead of the students coming to the Reference Desk. Alot of libraries have started this already.



I have attended various webinars using Elluminate. This is the synchronous classroom tool UNF is looking at for using around campus and for distance learning. I have also looked at Horizon Wimba and Adobe Acrobat Connect products, and today, OPAL. Web conferencing tools all have the same general features: Screens and whiteboards, two-way communication both written and verbal and emoticons, the capacity for sharing a session or meeting, over distance, between more than two people, and a recording or podcasting feature for archiving and presentation at a later time. With some of these systems, one has to be more technical to handle the system, than with others. I found OPAL pretty easy to use. I listened to "A Conversation With Gary W. Moore, author of the book "Playing With the Enemy," conducted on January 30, 2009. Although the moderator's or facilitator's voice was clear there seemed to be some interference in Mr. Moore's response to the questions. His voice sounded soft and fuzzy. But, it was an interesting interview dealing with the book he wrote about his father. Four things about web-conferencing: 1) Beware of the expense of web conferencing technology--the money you save in travel may be spent in the technology so you end-up with no cost savings; 2) Have technical expertise on hand to fix things before or as they go wrong; 3) Make the webinar interesting--your audience may become distracted and you may never know it. Keep the presentation to no more than one hour; and 4) Practice before going live with a webinar!

Thing 2. What is Web 2.0

Okay, I get it. Obviously the web has become more sophisticated. Users are using it like previous generations used the phone, radio, and television for business and communications. We need to go out and seek our users and communicate with them through these tools--blogs, wikis, chat, virtual sites. However, I do have a problem with sites such as Second Life. Although one can sign-up for a free "basic" SL account. SL now charges for "real estate" to establish your building or site on their site. What happens when they start to charge users for basic sign-ups? I predict this will come with time. I feel if we are to be effective in reaching out to people (via these new tools) then we should be able to choose the free ways to communicate. Not everyone can afford to purchase a site on SL. Also, some people would rather deal with the "real" world rather than a "virtual" world when they do communicate. I think, as librarians, we should give serious thought and focus on what type of tools we use to reach out to patrons. I agree with the free chat, wikis, and blogs, and whatever else technology comes up with in the future--as long as it is free and open to everyone. If the "virtual world" decides to market itself with "land" and "buildings" free of charge then we should put time and effort into this. We need to be able to communicate with our patrons and they communicate with us without us having to purchase yet another site in another place. We have a variety of tools that are free of charge. Let us use them until better and freer "virtual sites" come along.