I’m Not There

Entering content into the krl2pt0 wiki is as easy as entering a blog entry. All you need to know is basic editor features – a real no-brainer.

My content entry was kind of  a no-brainer too. Just added a little background on how the new website was developed, how it’s being currently maintained and the direction we will soon be going – all in very general terms.

I think the krl2pt0 wiki could be of great value as a source of “how-tos” and help files for patrons. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking mostly help required for patrons using the catalog but it could be used for all of our library services.

Wiki publishing is a collaborative online effort, in which, many people will post ideas or theories which are then edited or improved upon by other authors.  It’s quite something to harness all of this collective intelligence. Implementing this in the library world should be especially interesting … the possibilities are endless. 

Since videos need to be less than 10 minutes long, I’m thinking (off the top of my head), that this could be a great way to provide help files to our patrons!

My general thoughts regarding YouTube is that it can be as passive or social as you want it to be, just as the other social networking tools. And if nothing else, a great distraction for some down time.

I had to spam every book lover I know with this little treat! The new year generally brings the desire to get organized so you can make more room in your life for fun. LibraryThing provides both organization and fun! I don’t know if we will be adding the LibraryThing widget to our online public catalog, but I sure hope so.

Okay, I admit it … I love NPR! I have it on in the house and in my car all the time. There is nothing better than to have their podcasts at my fingertips. Better still, I have access to more stuff online than our local affiliated NPR stations could ever have time to air. It’s easy and fun and feels personal in some way. Like you want to go to someone you know can deliver a good story and just simply ask for it … just for you … here’s your story. Ahhh, very satisfying indeed. And if this doesn’t fit into our library offerings for new website development, then frankly, nothing does. Who better to deliver a book review (in their own words and voice!) than a beloved, trusted and local librarian. Can’t wait to get this one started too!

I had every intention of whipping right through this exercise because (as we all know) RSS truly is reeeeeally simple. Instead, I found myself reading through pages and pages of news, blogs, library design success tips … and fun stuff too, for the last several hours of my Saturday morning.

One of our first steps toward creating a more dynamic and relevant public library website will be to feed our web pages from our electronic resources (online catalog and databases, digital media, etc). We can then provide subscriptions (RSS feeds) to our patrons when new or updated information of these resources is made available. This way they can be conveniently kept up-to-date.

Currently, there is an RSS Feed on our KRL Homepage only. It allows the subscriber to receive our latest featured events without having to go to the website to find out. But like I said, the plan is to implement this functionality throughout our new website.

The social bookmarking tool (most prominently, delicious) has given our reference librarians at KRL a clear shot at controlling and organizing authoritative, well-organized information for their patrons’ web experience.

I have found Port Orchard’s reference librarians delicious page (http://del.icio.us/ptref/) to be created with so much care that I have since contacted their branch manager and suggested that we link to it from KRL’s public website. It’s a very small step toward including Web 2.0 technologies into the site!

For my own tags, I had to go with web development sites that I have grown dependent upon over the past several months. Most of the selected tags are forums for developers of open source solutions. The developer’s forums are a great way to research solutions to technical problems that others have undoubtedly come across in their own web development.

Just 3 1/2 weeks ago, our very old and static public library website was finally laid to rest. In its place, we have rolled out a new and improved Kitsap Regional Library website. Though the site is now cleaner and much easier to navigate, we are simply just getting started! The new site can be considered a continual work in progress as it attempts to harness the library user in the design and implementation of library services by encouraging feedback and participation.

One of our first enhancements will be to implement social computing that will increase the flow of information from the patron back to our library. We want to hear the patrons’ ideas and encourage their online participation, just as we do in our every day face-to-face library relations. KRL is committed to the updating and reevaluation our library services to best serve our library users. This participation will help to ensure that our patrons are heard.

Along with patron input, we have a very enthusiastic and highly skilled staff of professional public librarians. These librarians will engage in the process of steering the ongoing website enhancements, as required and requested by our community and by their own expertise.

So where do I (the humble web developer) come into play in all this web stuff? I’m not there for any other reason but to make it so. Make a website by community.