Participatory Networks brief
Tech brief from ALA OITP.
R. David Lanes, Joane Silverstein, Scott Nicholson from the Information Institute of Syracuse/ Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies presented powerpoint on Patricipatory Networks: The Library as Conversation. Here is information from the slides. The complete text of the technology brief is available at http://iis.syr.edu/projects/PNOpen.
Found knowledge is created through conversation.
…Books, videos, web pages, etc. are simply artifacts of knowledge creations.
Libraries are in the knowledge business, therefore the conversation business.
Libraries online and off need to facilitate conversation.
(Notes: in K-12 environment they talk about Metacognition, scaffolding, how knowledge is created through conversation)
Web 2.0 and Library 2.0
* Social networks
* Wisdom of crowds
* Loosely coupled API’s
* Mashups
* Permanent betas
* software gets better the more people use it
* Folksonomies
Let’s start a question so our users don’t feel stupid. Build better libraries through conversation.
Attach to larger frame so we have a participatory library including:
Community Repository
Community Involvement
Traditional Reference
Virtual Reference
Institutional reposittory
Digital collections
(Users should be able to add their own information, blogs, etc. by uploading it. Users should not only find out if we have something, but also if there is a discussion group about it)
Enhanced Catalog
Federated Search
Recommender searh
External Feeds and sites
Databases
Bibilographic Catalogs
Recommendations
Use data
Build better mechanisms for our libraries so we can be participatory libraries.
Recommendations - General
Libraries must be active participants in participatory networking.
This must be done at the core of the library, not on the periphery.
Anything less simply adds stress and stretches scarce resources even further.
Recommendations - Specific
1. Expand understanding of participatory networks and participatory librarianship.
2. Create a “Participatory Library Test Bed”
a. Provide shared services to libraries
b. provide librarians needed skills
c. Standing Research Agenda in Participatory Librarianship
http://iis.syr.edu/Projects/PNOpen
Scott Nicholsen will be around for further questions. This speaker David Lankes needs to run for a plane.
I actually asked a question because school libraries are filtered out and blocked from these resources, even those that are professionally based. David admitted this is true, but then told a story of how Joyce Valenza’s students are doing advanced projects. This isn’t enough of a recognition of this problem. Joyce does not have the typical setup across this country and we need to all be concerned about others.
Privacy issues arose through audience questions.
Greetings. I hope my answer to your question wasn’t taken as too terse or that I don’t see overly restrictive filtering as a problem in K-12. Quite the opposite. In fact earlier in the week I did a presentation on just how limited filtering makes the K-12 for information seeking (see http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/blog/?p=185 . It is tough in a 10 minute briefing to explore all the complexities of this concept, so I hope we can follow-up some more. What I was trying to say is that even in such a confined environment we can still see our libraries as participatory. In fact, by making teachers, students, administration and parents even more a part of the library, we can leverage that to address the deeper and more frustrating issues we face.
Anyway, I appreciate your question, hope the K-12 folks will continue to contribute.
Comment by David Lankes — January 21, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
Thanks for updating us David. I realize that the audience can throw weird questions at you, but I don’t want the general ALA audience listening to think that participatory libraries are easily obtained when community resistance is high throughout the country. In way too many school districts, librarians are complacently accepting that they can’t do anything about over-riding filters and finding ways for their patrons to participate. I simply felt the need to call everyone’s attention to this terrible barrier. There will always be barriers (time, personnel, training, equipment) to any technological social interface, but the issue of DOPA/INteractive Web Application censoring bills, etc., is one that all members of ALA need to know about and prepare to act.
Comment by Diane R. Chen — January 22, 2007 @ 12:20 am
Absolutely!
Comment by David Lankes — January 22, 2007 @ 8:39 am
Perhaps I don’t have “the typical set-up,” but I worked to create the set up I now live in. I know many others who are moving in similar directions. Seven years ago I arrived in a mess of a library without a budget or expectations for service. Before that, I chose to leave a library when I was denied academic freedom. I know you both know librarians can be leaders. This is the time to see whatever opportunities exist beyond the barriers. The meetings we attended this week are sifting into the blogs, our personal emails, and our conversations. I hope our colleagues will begin to discover their influence and that those who need to retool, will.
Comment by Joyce Valenza — January 24, 2007 @ 4:13 pm
Joyce, I know that you have worked very hard to establish the creative learning environment at your school. You are such an inspiration to all of us. I, too, have worked hard to push the boundaries and create a better environment. I hear from many school librarians who feel down-trodden and despair at the barriers they face. Emotionally I want them to know that I feel their pain on behalf of their students and that AASL, ALSC, and YALSA legislative committees are working hard for them.
Comment by Diane R. Chen — January 25, 2007 @ 10:06 am