Archives for the Month of October 2006 on Roger Zender's Blog
Digital Library as a Third Place
An interesting piece.
From: http://mchabib.blogspot.com/2006/10/digital-library-as-third-place.html
Digital Library as Third Place
posted by Michael C. Habib @ 4:51 PM
A few days ago, Peter Bromberg of Library Garden posted a version of an essay called "Library as Place". I had the good fortune to meet Peter at Library Camp a few weeks ago, and I wholeheartedly agree with the arguments of his essay. However, I feel it is important that we, as librarians, look beyond the walls of the library when discussing library as place. We need to expand our vision to include digital library as place. We are already doing this implicitly by incorporating social tools such as blogs and wikis into our websites. However, by explicately acknowledging this phenomenon, we can utilize what we already know about the physical library as place when building online communities. In fact, I originally created my Academic Library 2.0 Concept Model to demonstrate the parallels between physical and virtual library places. It was only after completing the model that I took the additional step of recognizing the virtual library places as Library 2.0.
Academic Library 2.0 Concept Model Basic v2
Academic Library 2.0 Concept Model Basic v2
(green = third place)
When discussing library as place, Peter brings in the concept of "third place". It is exactly this version of physical library as place that my model hopes to parallel in the virtual world. Peter explains:
By our very nature we offer people a "third place" (not home, not work) where they can come to explore, imagine, think, learn, play, and reflect. Our function as a "third place" has never been more important to our continued health and relevance. If libraries are to survive and thrive we must redouble our efforts and refocus our energies to ensure that we are not only "third places" but destinations of choice.
Taken in a different context, isn't this exactly what we are trying to transform our web sites into? MySpace, Facebook, and Flickr are wonderful examples of the online third places that people spend their time. What is different about the virtual world is that it is easier to incorporate the library into other third places. For example, if a patron is on your library's MySpace page, then it could be argued that they are both at MySpace and your Library.
For those who are having trouble conceptualizing of the web as a place, lets look at the example of Second Life instead. As a 3D virtual world, Second Life is more obviously a place. The Second Life Library 2.0 is also the most obvious example of digital library as third place. If a patron is at their house on their computer in Second Life at Library 2.0, where are they? If they are focused enough, they are at the Second Life Library 2.0. Where we are is often more mental than it is physical. By embracing this concept, we will be able to build more compelling physical and virtual places. How might we go about this? Peter asks the following:
Why would someone in our community choose to spend their time here rather than somewhere else? Related questions might be: What does the library look like, smell like, feel like, and sound like? What do our signs communicate? What kind of environment are we offering to the community and how do library staff contribute to the creation of a friendly, welcoming environment?
Outside of smell, couldn't we apply all of these questions to our websites? To conclude, the next time you find yourself discussing "library as place", please ask how the discussion would apply to the online world.
5 Weeks to a Social Library
In case you've missed this... I plan on checking out the archive footage when it's made available.
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Five Weeks to a Social Library
Cost: FREE
When: Between February 12 and March 17, 2007
Where: Online
Who: 40 librarians interested in social software and it use in libraries
(Course content will be freely viewable to interested parties and all live Webcasts will be archived for later viewing)
The course will be taught using a variety of social software tools so that the participants acquire experience using the tools while they are taking part in the class. The course will make use of synchronous online communication, with one or two weekly Webcasts and many IM or Skype chat sessions made available to students each week.
By the end of the course, each student will develop a proposal for implementing a specific social software tool in their library.
Applications for course participantion are currently being accepted (deadline Dec. 1, 2006). The application process is designed to ensure that the course will benefit those librarians who have the most to gain from learning about social software and who would not otherwise have access to conferences or continuing education.
So all of you medical librarians who complain that you do not have time or insitutional support to attend conferences or continuing education should be very interested in this, because this class is for you!
The course will cover the following topics:
Blogs
RSS
Wikis
Social Networking Software and SecondLife
Flickr
Social Bookmarking Software
Selling Social Software @ Your Library
Participation Requirements:
Each participant will take part in a weekly small group chat (either via VoIP or IM) with four other participants and a facilitator and will have the opportunity to chat with social software experts throughout the week. They will also attend at least one of two live Webcasts offered weekly. There will be weekly readings, podcasts, and Webcasts for the users to peruse and discuss. Each user will have a blog on which to post reflections on what they are learning and will be able to read and comment on other participants' blogs. The final assignment for the course will involve developing a proposal for implementing a social software tool at their library.
Applicants must be self-directed, passionate about using social software to benefit their library, and willing and able to invest the time required to take part in the course. While it is not necessary to have had exposure to social software tools in the past, general comfort in the online medium is strongly recommended.
Users must have the following items to participate:
An AOL Instant Messenger account (free).
A Skype account (free).
Windows 2000 or XP or Mac OS 10.3 or later.
A recent version of IE, Firefox, or Safari.
A headset or microphone that connects to your computer (not sure if we will be using this -- we'll keep you posted).
A reliable and relatively fast Internet connection. While broadband is not required, it is strongly recommended as it may not be possible to fully take part in the course without it.
Time to invest in learning, discussion and reflection.