“Today’s new media tools are incredibly powerful communication vehicles that allow organizations to connect and engage with many different audiences.” (Kroski, 2009)
According to the subject guide there are five main learning objectives for INF506. These are mainly looking at the students development as an information professional and social networker, their understanding of the tools around them; what they implicate for libraries and information services in the future and what issues may arise from their use in a library setting. I have selected three posts to show how I have met the learning objectives of the subject; they are – It’s Delicious!, RSS and the Library and We are living in 2.0 world… These were selected as showing my development as a social networking information professional. Through these three blog posts you can see my improved understanding of not only the tools of social networking but also of the ideas and practice of Library 2.0 and the way they can support and improve the access to information provided by an information service, like a public library. While some learning objectives have been obviously meet, others are less obvious and show through only in a brief sentence or merely a suggestion. By examining these three chosen blog posts carefully, we will see how the learning objectives of the subject have been met.
Post 1 – It’s Delicious!
Only the second post made in this blog and yet it is one of the more focused. Having a limited word count as well as a specific goal to give a critical evaluation of its functions and how it could be used to support information services. Two main features (tagging and sharing) were analysed and shown to prove beneficial to supporting an information services learning and collaboration. Delicious was shown to be easy to use (Rethlefson, 2007) and to be useful in promoting learning, demonstrating the beginnings of an evaluative line of thinking and a willingness to understand social technologies and their benefits to an information service.
Post 2 – RSS and the Library
This post is interesting as it demonstrates an eagerness to not only try new technologies out for myself but also to investigate how others are using them and see what is being suggested for libraries uses of them. This post not only shows an understanding of the technology it is referring too but how it can best be used by an information service and what benefits it could bring. A look into what sort of policies would need to be developed would have added the post as well as insight into the issues surrounding the use of such technology within the information service environment.
Post 3 – We are living in a 2.0 world…
By this post we can see how much more comfortable I am with the medium. There’s a little bit of (corny) humour thrown in with the evaluation of Web 2.0 and this post shows more thought than the others by discussing the necessary qualities of a librarian working in the 2.0 environment. By speaking of these qualities, this post demonstrates an understanding of how to bring social networking to the library and be a strong supporter and user of Library 2.0 tools. More theory should’ve been referenced as, although I’m aware of the papers I read when compiling this post, it does not show in the post itself.
Although, upon evaluating these posts for this assessment, it is easy to see how they could’ve been improved, this awareness also demonstrates my meeting of the learning objectives. I have grown in my understanding of social networking technologies and I have a better comprehension of Library 2.0 and how it affects the working life of an information professional. Areas such as policy development and social, cultural, educational, ethical, and technical management issues need further addressing but through this subject I am now more aware of them and have gained knowledge on where to find information on them. Each post has shown more in-depth study, more commitment and more time spent on it and has aided in my development as student and information professional.
References
Kroski, E. (2009). Should your library have a social media policy? School Library Journal. Retrieved 15th May, 2011, from Interact website: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6699104.html
Rethlefson, M. (2007, 15 9). Tags help make libraries delicious. Retrieved 3 21, 2011, from www.libraryjournal.com: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6476403.html
Rethlefson, M. (2007, 15 9). Tags help make libraries delicious. Retrieved 3 21, 2011, from www.libraryjournal.com: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6476403.html
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