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Presented at GLA/COMO, 2006: Links checked 2007; Presentation online at:

How can libraries use web based tools to market their services, educate their patrons, and provide value added services?. A introduction to blogging, including comparisons of blogging, overview of RSS, and other web based tools.

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Presented at GLA/COMO, 2006: Links checked 2007; Presentation online at:

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  1. How can libraries use web based tools to market their services, educate their patrons, and provide value added services? A introduction to blogging, including comparisons of blogging, overview of RSS, and other web based tools. Presented at GLA/COMO, 2006: Links checked 2007; Presentation online at: http://robinfay.net/web2.0/getting_started/ This presentation will automatically advance or you may use the buttons.

  2. All links are available via a resource list at the end and at http://del.icio.us/webtechnologiespresentation/ Next up, a quick overview and table of contents. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  3. Blogging: • What is a blog? • Who is blogging in the library world? • Blog choices/comparisons (Wordpress, Blogger, Movable Type) • How does it work? • Getting started • RSS Feeds (Intro & Overview) • How a blog feed can work • So, what is RSS? • Other Web Tools • Web forms in the Libraries Catalog (GIL) • Web Presences for internal & external customers Table of Contents Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  4. Briefly about blogs What is a blog ? Briefly, a blog (short for weblog) is a web based publication which is updated in a periodic manner. The goal of blogging is to provide an easy means to put content on the web. Most modern blogging software functions very similar to word processor software. When you see this icon (think of satellite transmission beams), you know you are seeing a live site which is updating via a feed. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  5. Briefly about blogs …and why would a library want one? Libraries use blogs to promote events & services, provide access to up-to-date information about building issues (special hours, etc.), highlight new databases, and communicate a variety of information from readings to exhibits to new features in the catalog! Users can subscribe to ‘feeds’ via their phones, pdas, special web based reader services, as well as internet browsers and e-mail programs such as Firefox and Thunderbird to get the latest up to date information. Are libraries really blogging? You bet! Let’s take a look at some numbers. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  6. Briefly about blogs Chart permission of blogswithoutalibrary.net How did we get started blogging? Good question!

  7. Beginnings of The Libraries “Blog” UGA Libraries WAG (Web Advisory Group) which works with the Web Editor in oversight and maintenance of the UGA Libraries webpage, charged a subcommittee to investigate blog software as means of keeping our users up to date on Libraries news & events. Not only did we want to add some dynamic content to our website, but we needed another means to push information to our users. We formed a small group and started investigating potential blog options. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  8. Beginnings of The “Blog” This subcommittee investigated many different blog softwares including • Blogger (Free, Commercial, with ads) • Expression Engine/PMachine (Paid, Commercial) • Movable Type (Paid, Commercial) • WordPress (Free, Open Source) Let’s look at the wish list first. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  9. Desired features • Nos • Contracts/subscriptions • Preferably ad free • Coding experience or considerable training needed for contributors • Yes • Inexpensive • Easy to use • Categories • Multiple users with levels • Easily configured, support for CSS First, we tested blogger, which is now owned by google. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  10. Blogger • Cons • Ad oriented • No categories • No control over URL address • Limited ability to customize display • Pros • Free • No installation • Easy to use, one push publishing We found some libraries using blogger. We’ve included screenshots and links. Let’s take a look. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  11. Blogger examples (just a few) • Google Blog • http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/finding-wealth-in-your-library-and.html • Georgia Perimeter College at Decatur • http://gpcdecaturlrc.blogspot.com/ • Marion County Free Library • http://www.marincountyfreelibrary.blogspot.com/ We’ll take a peak at Google and GPC. Remember all links are also included at the del.icio.us site! Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  12. Blogger example Blogger

  13. Blogger Let’s get a peak behind the scenes.

  14. Blogger User interface Blogger The next product we tested was expression engine/pmachine.

  15. Expression Engine/PMachine • Pros • Very professional • Good Tech support • Categories & subcategories • Support multiple users with varying degrees of authority • Easily supports a blog within a blog • Cons • Expensive • Contract based • PHP database installation needed, Server We found a few libraries using pmachine/expression engine. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  16. PMachine/Expression Engine • Who is using it (a brief sampling) • Lannom Public Library • http://www.lannom.org/ • Douglas County Libraries • http://www.douglascountylibraries.org/blogs/ Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  17. Expression Engine Let’s get a sneak peak behind the scenes at the user interface. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  18. Expression Engine User interface Expression Engine Looks easy to use but a little more robust than blogger. The third product we investigated was movable type. Let’s see how that one looks. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  19. Movable Type/Typepad • Cons • Expensive • Contract based • PHP database installation needed, Server • Pros • Very professional • Good Tech support • Categories & subcategories • Support multiple users with varying degrees of authority • Support multiple blogs We found a few libraries using movable type, too. Let’s take a look. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  20. Movable Type/Typepad • Who is using it (a brief sampling) • University of Colorado, Bookends • http://library.coloradocollege.edu/bookends/ • Washington University in St. Louis • http://wulibraries.typepad.com/ • University of Minnesota (U Think) • http://blog.lib.umn.edu/ Let’s see what they’ve done with MT! Remember links are available at the del.icio.us site at the end of the presentation! Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  21. Movable Type Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  22. Movable Type Movable Type/Typepad Movable Type Example Well, those all look interesting, but are budget is limited YET we want control over the design and address. Wordpress, anyone? Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  23. WordPress • Pros • Categories & subcategories including separate pages (mini blog eseque) • Support multiple users with varying degrees of authority • CSS based and easy to customize • Open Source & “free” • Cons • Tech support mostly nonexistent but relies heavily on user forums • Multiple blogs are available as separate installations although pages can provide some customization and organization • PHP database installation, Server • Open Source & “free” Sounds good! Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  24. WordPress • Who is using it • ACRL • http://www.acrlblog.org/ • Auburn University Library • http://www.lib.auburn.edu/whatsnew/ • University of Alberta Libraries • http://blogs.library.ualberta.ca/libnews/ We found some libraries using Wordpress. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  25. Movable Type Example Wordpress.org Movable Type/Typepad Movable Type Example Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  26. Just to recap. Desired features • Yes • Inexpensive • Easy to use • Categories • Multiple users with levels • Easily configured, support for CSS • Nos • Contracts/subscriptions • Preferably ad free • Coding experience or considerable training needed for contributors Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  27. And the winner is WordPress! • WordPress fit our most basic criteria, and in July 2005, the UGA Libraries went live with our first blog. • 25 Blog Reporters • including a representative from every department • a collective average of a post a day • Design • Keep the look of the main site through coding CSS • Initially, no comments; only a link to a web editor mailbox. Of the 3000+ comments the Libraries received in first 6 months, 99% of them were spam (1 legitimate comment). Comments were later turned on after installing the Askimet spam plugin. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  28. Wordpress.org And the winner is WordPress! Go Live Let’s get a look behind the scenes. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  29. Behind the scenes with the user interface: welcome screen Write here Schedule news to post… News from wordpress, especially UPGRADES! Wordpress.org Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  30. So, let’s check it out! Behind the scenes…. Writing a post. Wordpress.org The title corresponds to the headline on the main page and is also what displays in rss readers. Note: We also have preselected categories for our writers to chose. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  31. Wordpress.org The title corresponds to the headline on the main page and is also what displays in rss readers. Note we also have preselected categories for our writers to chose. and more stuff…. Which all ends up in the blog. Why blog? Let’s take a look at the homepage. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  32. Title And the winner is WordPress! Categories Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  33. Our RSS Feed from the blog is captured here. What is RSS? Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  34. RSS feeds • So what is a feed? • RSS stands for (depending on who you ask) • Really Simple Syndication • Rich Site Summary • Basically, websites collect their stories and ‘send’ them out to various readers • A reader is a software that allows a user to view (and sometimes hear or see) headlines, summaries, complete stories, etc. • Examples of ‘readers’ include Firefox (live bookmarks), bloglines, newsgator, pluck, etc. • Think of RSS as the newspaper or the morning news you listen to. Each day is fresh, and the content is available to you. All you have to do is open the gateway (a newspaper, the tv, computer, radio, etc.) ..but how does it work? Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  35. In firefox, the rss feed will display as an orange icon in the address bar. To pick up a feed, click on the little orange icon. Go Live Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  36. RSS feeds By subscribing, you will receive the latest headlines linked from your bookmark. That is nifty, but how do you subscribe if you don’t use firefox? Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  37. RSS feeds: how to read http://www.newsgator.com/home.aspx Bloglines is a website to login to read news; Newsgator integrates with outlook; Thunderbird has built in capability Thunderbird, a free email client, also has a built in RSS reader Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  38. Thunderbird Email & News Reader Next steps?

  39. So, you’ve got your blog all set up… now what? • First, it starts with the participants aka writers. • You need at least one person who is willing to write regularly. • You may or may not need ground rules and writing/style guides (we did!). • You may or may not need to do training sessions (we did). • An editor of sorts is also necessary. Who writes for your blog? We use a group of volunteer contributors. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  40. Contributors • Bringing in Contributors: • Make them stakeholders. Emphasize that almost every department is doing something interesting or has something important to say to your patrons. They don’t want to be left out! • And once one department starts posting frequently, the fun really begins … they can’t help but be competitive. Who will teach them how to use the software? You will! Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  41. Training • Give them hands-on training and back it up with accessible training materials. We did a handout and put the same contents of the handout online. (www.libs.uga.edu/blogetc/) • Also be sure to give them a human they can contact with questions/problems. We still haven’t really addressed the question of WHY libraries should blog. A few ideas… Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  42. Marketing • “Look what we’ve got” • Events/programs/exhibits – events can have home page exposure and can also be archived, when they rotate off the home page • Collections – Again, highly visible announcement of acquisitions and addition to the archive • Electronic Resources – Avoid new databases getting buried in GALILEO. Highlight digital collections. This sounds easy and fun! Not so fast… Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  43. Additional Challenges • What should the blog look like? Does it need to maintain the look of other pages already on the site, or should it be distinctive? • How much real estate on the main page? And where will it be? • We have the happy problem now of so many posts that people want to see more headlines on the front page! • Making sure your blog doesn’t die – needs continuous care and feeding. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  44. Next steps and challenges • Most pressing, is to identify a better means of collecting statistics. There are plug-ins for WordPress statistics, which we are currently testing and evaluating. Out of the box, WordPress has very poor statistics collection. The Libraries website statistical information, while does not seem to be as good at tracking in-depth blog statistics. • Testing pages to provide a more unique blog experience for special collections. • A better workflow for doing upgrades. As WordPress is Open Source there is no one official tech support and no notice of new upgrades. However, there is a mailing list for notification. Perhaps, you are not ready for a blog. There are other simple webtools out there to provide a little interactivity. We’ll touch briefly on a few. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  45. Moving on to other tools • Possibly not as exciting as blogging, but a ‘classic’ in terms of communication via the web • HTML web forms (such as contact forms) are used in a variety of places including • within the Libraries catalog, GIL • on departmental and service related webpages • Examples include Ask a Question via email, Report an Error (in the catalog), suggest a purchase, request a classroom session, request software training, and collecting internal statistics Forms are simple enough that anyone can use.

  46. Other uses of web tools • Other examples of web based forms linked to the Libraries’ catalog • Request a book from the Repository: While in the Libraries’ catalog, GIL, if you want a book which is located at the offsite storage facility (Repository), you can request it from a form in the catalog. • Rush Catalog: Request a newly acquired material which is still in the queue Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  47. Other uses of web tools • The basic web form • Has been incorporated into the libraries catalog so that it integrates seamlessly with the user experience providing them a means to request newly received material be rush processed, report errors or other discrepancies/questions, and request materials from the Repository, an off campus storage • The Libraries’ Report an Error Form was used as the model for the Universal Catalog Report an Error Form. Javascript builds the links at the bottom of the GIL Catalog page and php wraps around the html form to capture information about the record the patron is viewing. ..and it’s sometimes possible to embed them into the catalog, too! Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  48. Other uses of web tools • Yes, people use the online forms! • In 2005, 321 errors/questions were reported by Libraries staff & faculty, UGA faculty & students, and visitors. • Not only has the form provided an easy way for Library staff to communicate with each other (much of the information is captured automatically from the screen) but it provides a quick means of identifying problems in the catalog… • among them…. Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  49. Other uses of web tools • Some errors/questions reported • No error. I just want to know what “discharged” means. Is the book on the shelf or not? – a patron • There is a typo in one of the subject heading dates – should not be 1957. – a patron • Do we really have 2 copies of this and is one still in the In process collection? Or do we really only 1 copy and the Inprocess one should be merged? Or do we have 2 copies and the In Process once should be made copy 2? – library staff Other ideas include… Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

  50. Other uses of web tools • Other examples of web tools include • Coldfusion: Database software which drives the Libraries’ Staff Directory, EndNote instructional materials, Reference instructional materials, and others in progress • Instant Messaging: Used by Reference ..and even a website! Robin Fay, Amy Watts 2006 GLA/COMO presentation: http://www.robinfay.net

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