What I learned at Library Camp

from aliaaccess flickr group: snail's trail

On the last day of ALIA access 2010 I joined fellow campers in a great day of participatory library fun. ADHD_librarian, snail and the many other people involved did a fine job of running this unconference and my first ever library camp. They got me in simply by calling it a camp and creating expectations of fun, laughter, noise, stories, games, singalongs, dancing... there was no dancing but I wasn't disappointed. There were very few sit and listen sessions and from the start people were freely calling out thoughts, ideas and opinions. I loved the structured unstructure of it all. The camp wiki was our program for the day and I love that it changed and morphed as ideas for breakout sessions ebbed and flowed. I loved the beanbags but I agree with @dendrea that the room was a bit restrictive and didn't allow much moving about and getting comfortable, camp style. All in all it was alot of fun and there was a great buzz in the room all day. I was telling a friend about library camp this week and they asked 'did you actually camp there'?

So what did I learn at Library Camp? I loved Stephen Abram's presentation "Not the Keynote" (on slideshare) which described the internet and ebooks as in their 'infancy'. Such a good analogy. Both still have such a long way to go to reach maturity with great changes expected to continue for many years. There was alot of talk at the conference and camp about the future of reading and books with regard to personalisaton and digital rights management (DRM). 'Read how you want' was a trend that came up many times and applied to both print and digital formats. In Abrams unkeynote I tweeted 'we love books but we don't care about the container'. I also tweeted 'I'm excited about the 21stC book experience' with the possibility of Harry Potters spellbook becoming a reality! While I'm excited about how books will change and become more interactive, I actually do care about the container. I think it was flexnib and katiedavis who tweeted that they care about the container when they can't get the content they want on their container. I agree wholeheartedly, this is a very annoying DRM issue - which became a late addition to the final camp breakout sessions. You can have a great container but what is the use if you can't get what you want on it? Publishers need a more open and flexible approach that allows users to 'read how they want'. I was on a 'Loungin around' panel session after lunch and one of the questions was about print on demand books. I suggested that currently ebooks supplied to academic libraries are so restrictive that they can't be downloaded to a mobile device for better screen reading and often only one page or one chapter can be printed to allow mobility. This needs to change. However, this could take a while and in the meantime print on demand will allow users to print the chapter they need, 24/7 so they can read anywhere anytime. Printing allows mobility just like any other mobile device and until publishers change the way they allow their content to be used, print on demand will be necessary.

There's another reason why I care about the container. I recently acquired an iPad and really enjoyed reading on it however, I've discovered that I still desire of the object, I miss the physical book (I'm a bit of a collector). I love to hold the book, absorb the cover, and see it on my shelf as a reminder of how it affected me and shaped my thoughts. Now my ebooks are on my iPad shelf and it's not the same. So I think, if I'm reading something trashy that I don't really want on my physical shelf, I'll go for the ebook but if I think I'm gonna love it and want to hold it and gaze at it I'm gonna buy the paper book. So for me, the container does matter. IMHO I think it matters to other people too and I think ebooks and print books will coexist happily for a long time.

So that was one thing I learned at Library Camp and there were many others... I'll try to be more succinct. I loved that Abrams said we need to consider the community, learning, entertainment, social and research purpose of the library - it's not just about books. He also said we need to be present in social spaces of our clients so we can collaborate in their learning.

After Abrams we had a great talk by 2010 Library Journal 'Mover & Shaker' Paul Hagon from the NLA who debunked mobile myths and talked about that fast paced changes that have occurred in the online and tech worlds in the last 5 years. Interesting that only 4% of Aussie kids use a mobile to access the web (much lower than USA) and most of them are just accessing Facebook. Also interesting is that most people access the web on their mobile to find simple info such as directions, restaurants, weather, movie times etc. He noted that the NLA website gets only about 0.5% of its traffic from mobile devices. Best of all Hagon encouraged us all to think small, get dirty, experiment and play to learn about new tech and see what the potential is. I'm not being very succinct am I? There's more...

I loved all the lightening talks and found these little snippets really got the mind juices flowing and I was wishing I could hear more - so tantalising. I'm excited about the ALIA sustainable libraries group, enthused about social media in libraries, excited by the future of personalisation and impressed by the use of an iPad to give a presentation on how awesome the iPad is. That was my lightening paragraph on the lightening talks. I haven't even started on the breakout sessions! But me thinks that is enough for now. I certainly have a lot to ponder and will try to share more of my thoughts on Library Camp soon. Can't wait for the next one!

The growing use of QR codes

In my last blog post there was a poll about QR codes and most people responded that they'd like to know more. In case you missed the QR code boat entirely - I'll briefly explain what they're all about. Similar to a traditional barcode but better, QR codes can link to multi-media online content. All you have to do is scan the code ( i.e. take a photo on your camera phone using free software) and up pops a video, sound, blog, website or pdf optimised for mobile browsers. For example, QR codes have been widely used for marketing purposes to capture consumers reading magazines or walking the streets by directing them to online stores and promotional sites through their mobile phones. However, more creatively, they've been used by museums, street artists, fashion labels, musicians and activists.

Imagine the old business card (which has almost become a thing of the past) with a QR code that links back to your blog or LinkedIn profile! So much more information than you can fit on a tiny little card.


Street artists such as Bansky have used the codes alongside their impermanent work as a link back to more information, wikipedia entries, online galleries and video art. Public art enthusiasts need only scan the code with their phone to get a whole lot more information about the artist and where else to see their work. For example, geo-tagging is being used in this area so street art can be found in google maps.

QR codes are also being used in museums to direct visitors to more information, interactive content and images. For example, the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, trialled them in a recent exhibition of Japanese fashion with mixed success and recommend education as a way to combat low usage stats. The Mattress Factory in San Francisco have incorporated QR codes and have also pro actively educate visitors and guide them through downloading a free a QR code reader.

Musicians are using QR codes on gig posters and CD art to link back to their website, myspace, music videos, free song downloads or directly to the itunes store. Fashion has grabbed hold of QR codes are are using them as a branding and functional design element. For example, a stylish limited edition QR code scarf or a reconfigurable velcro QR code T-shirt? The space invader scarf holds messages 'from outer space' and the velcro T-shirt... presumably you could generate a QR code and then replicate it on the T-shirt to create a walking QR code platform.



Other uses include scavenger hunts where you have to scan the codes to get the clues to follow the trail that leads to the treasure! Or in activism, where a simple black and white code stuck on a building belies the power of the message and social network behind it.

Those are some of the uses of QR codes that I've uncovered. I would be interested to hear about any other interesting uses, particularly in libraries. So, in my last post I remarked that I thought I had some pretty cool ideas about how we can use QR codes in libraries. For a start I think we could print them on our flyers, pamphlets, bookmarks, posters etc, so people could scan them and link to online content such as video of search tips, database demos, library orientation, news and updates and more. I think the QR code is another example of the convergence of physical and digital worlds, and it will be exciting to see how the use of them develops.

The physical and virtual converge: social media influences

The rise of web 2.0 and social media has created an online world of interaction, sharing, and community engagement. This online behaviour is now so much a part of everyday life for many people that we expect the physical world to more closely mirror aspects of the virtual world. This convergence of the physical and virtual is already displayed in libraries for example, in the trend for group study spaces and 'information/learning commons'. However, certain aspects of online social media could be transferred to the physical world to better meet client expectations.

Social media is well known for allowing users to tag online content such as text, video, images, and bookmarks. This allows users to create a personalised metadata system that is shared with others to create folksonomies. While not replacing traditional classification systems, folksomonies make it easier for clients to find resources by allowling them to search and browse using everyday language. If the online world of information can be navigated more easily through this personalised classification system, why is the physical world not following suit?

A possible scenario
Traditionally, a new library client arrives and is confronted with the daunting prospect of finding books by number. Most clients have little understanding of Dewey numbers and find the system confusing and hard to navigate. The serendipitous finding of information in a Dewey library is limited because often, books on a similar subject area can be spread across many levels of the library. If we allow the physical space of the library to more closely mirror the online realm perhaps we can create a more engaging space with more opportunities for serendipity.

For example, resources could be arranged by subject area around an information common space. This would create a natural gathering place for people interested in that subject area to meet, share ideas and collaborate. In this scenario, the library catalogue is able to accommodate tagging and clients can tag items while they are at the shelf looking at them via their mobile phone. This could allow clients to physically browse the shelves and scan items with their phone to see user-generated tags, comments, ratings etc. to determine if the resource is worthwhile. They could then 'share' the resource with their project team, tutorial group etc. in much the same way they currently share items online.

The library could be responsive to user generated tags and move resources accordingly to allow more serendipity than is currently possible with Dewey systems. Of course, resources must to be located easily when a client knows what they need. In this scenario, the implementation of an RFID system would ensure that clients are directed to the exact location of the item they require.

The scenario described above creates a further integration of physical and virtual realms within the library. It enables the development of a more responsive and interactive physical space that more closely mirrors what clients have come to expect online. With the advancement of the semantic web there is even greater potential for user-generated tags to be a useful tool for the personalisation of information access and discovery (Specia & Motta, 2007). Information/learning commons already create a social space within the library but more can be done to create an interactive library that allows genuine community engagement and information sharing. Customisation of the physical space to more closely mirror virtual space is one way this can be achieved.

Semantic search and customisation

The words 'semantic web' fill some library folk with dread; mostly because the vague term seems to be lacking any real meaning for most people. Here are some examples of the semantic web in action.

Dorthy.com is a semantic search engine for dreams (RRW article). The idea is that you can enter your dream, ambition, aspiration and dorthy will find you articles, video, photos, tweets and more on your chosen dream. The more you share about your interests and background the more the search can personalise your results. For example, you might want to 'walk Mount Kilimanjaro' and Dorthy will help you get there. Dorthy is in private Alpha at the moment so there are some bugs and anyone outside the USA might find there is no way of limiting your results to content from your own country. Hopefully this will be improved as it moves out of Alpha. At this stage it is an interesting example of the direction search is headed and it's only a matter of time before the big search engines follow suit.

Hunch helps you make decisions so well, that you'll never have to decide anything for yourself again (RRW article). This is a fun search engine that asks you questions to build your profile and compare to others with similar traits. For example, I asked hunch 'where should I go on vacation' and it asked me a series of questions before suggesting 'Maldives' - who wouldn't want to go there? But in addition to this suggestion I get alternative options and pros and cons about the place from fellow hunch users. You can give your results a thumbs up or down and add to faves so you can keep a record of your searches and provide further information for refining your results. Beware, if you are addicted to quizzes - hunch could suck you in and never let go.

Pandia reviews what they consider the top 5 of the growing number of semantic search engines. However, after playing with some of these you'll see that they all act in different ways. If we are to customise library search we need to understand the possibilities of the semantic web and investigate ways it can be introduced to libraries in a sustainable and manageable way. Surely it should be possible for clients to login and enter their preferences, answer a few short questions and viola! The traditional catalogue is reborn as a semantic search engine of stunning proportions! We'll have to wait and see.

The Personal Web

There has been a growing trend in recent years towards a 'personal web' which allows people to have a personal online experience without clutter and information overload. Emarketing has been a leader in this field through personalised advertising by using profile data such as that available in Facebook. However, more and more the personal web has become about users deciding what they want to see and how they want to see it. For example igoogle, pageflakes and Netvibes allow users to create a personalised home page with only the gadgets, news and tools they want to see. These services make it possible for one page to contain your: email, calendar, RSS, docs, Twitter, Facebook, podcasts, YouTube and much more. This essentially creates a single personal web portal which diminishes the need to be constantly navigating between all these sites individually.

RSS was the first big step in personalising the web by allowing all the blogs, news and awareness services you follow to be aggregated by an RSS Reader such as Google reader. The personal web takes this idea one step further by collecting all your social networks, calendars, emails, news, blogs etc all to the one personal online portal. This process began with sites such as igoogle but now for example, Facebook has such a wide network and variety of apps available that it is able to compete as a personal web portal.

Mobile devices are also leading the way on the personal web front through the proliferation of apps and the improved technology of smart phones. Apps are available to help you with the usual tasks such as: email, news and social networking but some of the more unusual ones can also help you: create a personal soundtrack to your life, track and plan your daily exercise and hygiene regimes, help you find a public toilet or create a digital postcard from a photo to send to your friends. No two mobile devices in the world would have the exact same set of apps and the way people use these apps would be even more varied.

There is now so much information available, tools to use, news to follow and places to look that it can seem impossible to keep up. A personal web diminishes the stress and burden of keeping up with all of this by providing a single portal containing only the things you need. There are so many more examples of personalising the web and I aim to continue blogging on this theme. Future topics will include: Google wave, Hunch, augmented reality, Drupal, mashups and how these things could be used in future library contexts.

What is the library?

Libraries are changing faster than ever before. Historically libraries have been known as places of books but the digital age means more information is available than ever and much of it is not in book form. Perceptions of libraries are changing to include more social spaces, engaging communities and enabling access to reliable sources of information. Trends in social networking and mobile devices are impacting client expectations of libraries and we need to adapt in order to maintain relevance.

This blog is where I plan to get my thoughts out there on libraries of the future.