5 Tips for Librarians Using Web Metrics
"The library and information community have often been at the forefront of adopting new web technologies, but generally less thought is given to measuring how these technologies are being used. An annual report may mention the number of followers the library's Twitter account has accumulated, or the number of article downloads from its institutional repository, but such a light-touch approach to web metrics neither recognizes its full potential nor acknowledges its limitations." -- Ed Patrick, CILIP, 7/15/14
A Liaison for a Classroom Building? Curating a Learning ecosystem.
"It is very common for librarians to serve as liaisons to academic departments. They teach classes, purchase materials, answer reference questions, assist with research endeavors, and generally get involved with the odds-and-ends of those units. Some librarians also liaise with defined user communities such as first-year students, international students, or students associated with particular residence halls."-- Brian Matthews, The Ubiquitous Librarian, 7/17/14
6 Tips for Managing your Professional Online Profile
"Professional online profiles are part of the toolkit of everyday life. You may have one (or more) and your services users may have one too. Here are six tips distilled from Matt Holland’s experience of creating and maintaining a number of profiles over time." -- Cat Cooper, CILIP, 7/22/14
Conflict in Academe
"All workplaces entail conflicts, of varying scales and of varying levels of importance or unimportance. One significant factor in the quality of our work lives is not so much whether conflict exists, but how it is handled within our departments and institutions. There are some situations in which we can merely avoid conflict, and it is by far the more prudent course of action to do so. Conflicts of any variety should not be courted, nor pursued unnecessarily." -- Nate Kreute, Tyro Tracts | Insider Higer Ed, 7/23/14
Friday, July 25, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Dr. Suess + Twitter = Fun
I have begun compiling - or gathering - a variety of Twitter resources, curating on Pinterest and using our session hashtag #tweetalao, for a presentation / workshop at the ALAO Conference later this fall. I found this fun infographic, from Hootsuite via the Daily Genius. What fun!
"Dr. Seuss, the writer and illustrator behind children’s classics The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and The Lorax, would have turned 110 on March 2nd. We think that if he were alive today, he would have been a social media master. So to honor his wit and wisdom, here’s our interpretation of the Seuss guide to Twitter." - Evan LePage
Monday, July 21, 2014
ALAO 2014: Posters, Discussion Tables &Tech Tables
The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Conference Planning Committee is now accepting proposals for Poster Sessions, Tech Tables and Discussion Table topics for the 40th Annual ALAO Conference, which will take place on November 13-14, 2014 at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in Sandusky, OH.
Applicants are encouraged to develop sessions that show thoughtful consideration of this year’s conference theme, “Engagement, advocacy and outreach: Empowering our communities,” which seeks to explore how academic libraries and librarians empower our communities in all the ways that we do. We would love to learn about your ideas, experiences, solutions, and best practices – even those that yielded results that were different than expected! For this round of proposals, sessions take the form of:
Submit your proposal online @ http://bit.ly/1oi4zS6
Questions? Contact Shelly Miller, ALAO CPC via email: shellym at ohionet.org
Submission deadline for proposals is August 1, 2014.
- Posters: Graphically represent a topic with text, tables, and images and chat informally with poster session attendees about your material
- Discussion Tables: Lead a small, informal group discussion to facilitate networking and information exchange about a specific issue that librarians face
- Tech Tables: Demonstrate a technology resource being used in your library.
Submit your proposal online @ http://bit.ly/1oi4zS6
Questions? Contact Shelly Miller, ALAO CPC via email: shellym at ohionet.org
Friday, July 18, 2014
Weekly Reader
At Sea in a Deluge of Data
"This spring, more college students than ever received baccalaureate degrees, and their career prospects are brighter than they were for last year’s graduates. Employers responding to this year’s National Association of Colleges and Employers’ "Job Outlook 2014 Survey" said they planned to increase entry-level hiring by almost 8 percent. But what they may not realize is that these seemingly techno-savvy new hires could be missing some basic yet vital research skills." -- Alison J. Head and John Wihbey, Chronicle | Commentary, 7/7/14
A Question of Quality
"If students in a face-to-face course emailed their provost with concerns that their professor had stopped lecturing, chances are that someone -- a department head or an administrator -- would intervene. But what if the students were scattered across different countries and time zones in a not-for-credit massive open online course?" -- Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed, 7/15/14
What Academic Librarians Need to Learn About the Common Core
"Today’s post is partly inspired by Steven Bell’s recent op-ed piece on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Library Journal. Bell gives an overview of CCSS and highlights its impact on libraries, not only K-12, but higher education as well. I’m very familiar with the standards, so today’s post will delve into the specifics of how CCSS will impact academic librarians, as well as information literacy programs. I will also give you some ideas about how you can support CCSS locally."-- Amanda Hovious, Designer Librarian, 7/15/14
33 Ethicists Defend Facebook’s Controversial Mood Study
"A group of bioethicists wrote in a column published on Wednesday that Facebook’s controversial study of mood manipulation was not unethical, and harsh criticism of it risks putting a chill on future research. The article was written by six ethicists, joined by 27 others."-- Andy Thomason, Chronicle | The Ticker, 7/16/14
Lessons Learned from the Facebook Study
"By now, anyone who is remotely interested knows that the Facebook data-science team, in collaboration with some researchers at Cornell University, recently published a paper reporting “experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks.” If you’ve heard about this study, you probably also know that many people are upset about it. Even the journal that published it, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has issued an “editorial expression of concern” about potential violations of ethical standards."-- Duncan J. Watts, The Chronicle | Conversations, 7/9/14
Misjudgements will drive social trials underground
"Some bioethicists have said that Facebook’s recent study of user behaviour is “scandalous”, “violates accepted research ethics” and “should never have been performed.” I write with 5 co-authors, on behalf of 27 other ethicists, to disagree with these sweeping condemnations (see go.nature.com/XI7szI). We are making this stand because the vitriolic criticism of this study could have a chilling effect on valuable research. Worse, it perpetuates the presumption that research is dangerous." -- Michelle N. Meyer, Nature | World View, 7/16/14
Random Reflections on Getting Published
"In my last article, I provided a handful of obvious tips for junior scholars on getting journal articles published. My aim wasn’t to provide a comprehensive guide to publication, but instead to highlight common (and easily rectified) issues that I see regularly as an associate editor of an academic journal. But there’s more to say. So as a follow-up, I thought I’d offer a few random reflections informed by my work as an editor and my experiences as an author." -- Kirsten Bell, Chronicle Vitae, 7/14/14
"This spring, more college students than ever received baccalaureate degrees, and their career prospects are brighter than they were for last year’s graduates. Employers responding to this year’s National Association of Colleges and Employers’ "Job Outlook 2014 Survey" said they planned to increase entry-level hiring by almost 8 percent. But what they may not realize is that these seemingly techno-savvy new hires could be missing some basic yet vital research skills." -- Alison J. Head and John Wihbey, Chronicle | Commentary, 7/7/14
A Question of Quality
"If students in a face-to-face course emailed their provost with concerns that their professor had stopped lecturing, chances are that someone -- a department head or an administrator -- would intervene. But what if the students were scattered across different countries and time zones in a not-for-credit massive open online course?" -- Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed, 7/15/14
What Academic Librarians Need to Learn About the Common Core
"Today’s post is partly inspired by Steven Bell’s recent op-ed piece on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Library Journal. Bell gives an overview of CCSS and highlights its impact on libraries, not only K-12, but higher education as well. I’m very familiar with the standards, so today’s post will delve into the specifics of how CCSS will impact academic librarians, as well as information literacy programs. I will also give you some ideas about how you can support CCSS locally."-- Amanda Hovious, Designer Librarian, 7/15/14
33 Ethicists Defend Facebook’s Controversial Mood Study
"A group of bioethicists wrote in a column published on Wednesday that Facebook’s controversial study of mood manipulation was not unethical, and harsh criticism of it risks putting a chill on future research. The article was written by six ethicists, joined by 27 others."-- Andy Thomason, Chronicle | The Ticker, 7/16/14
Lessons Learned from the Facebook Study
"By now, anyone who is remotely interested knows that the Facebook data-science team, in collaboration with some researchers at Cornell University, recently published a paper reporting “experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks.” If you’ve heard about this study, you probably also know that many people are upset about it. Even the journal that published it, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has issued an “editorial expression of concern” about potential violations of ethical standards."-- Duncan J. Watts, The Chronicle | Conversations, 7/9/14
Misjudgements will drive social trials underground
"Some bioethicists have said that Facebook’s recent study of user behaviour is “scandalous”, “violates accepted research ethics” and “should never have been performed.” I write with 5 co-authors, on behalf of 27 other ethicists, to disagree with these sweeping condemnations (see go.nature.com/XI7szI). We are making this stand because the vitriolic criticism of this study could have a chilling effect on valuable research. Worse, it perpetuates the presumption that research is dangerous." -- Michelle N. Meyer, Nature | World View, 7/16/14
Random Reflections on Getting Published
"In my last article, I provided a handful of obvious tips for junior scholars on getting journal articles published. My aim wasn’t to provide a comprehensive guide to publication, but instead to highlight common (and easily rectified) issues that I see regularly as an associate editor of an academic journal. But there’s more to say. So as a follow-up, I thought I’d offer a few random reflections informed by my work as an editor and my experiences as an author." -- Kirsten Bell, Chronicle Vitae, 7/14/14
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
ALAO 2014: Registration Open
Annual Conference: November 14, 2014
40th Annual Academic Library Association of Ohio Conference
The Kalahari Resorts • 7000 Kalahari Drive • Sandusky, Ohio 44870
Keynote Speaker: Courtney Young, ALA President
Head Librarian and Professor of Women's Studies Penn State Greater Allegheny
Keynote Address: Diversity, Professional Development & Participation: How Academic Libraries Empower Communities
Conference Website: http://www.alaoweb.org/conference
Register: http://www.alaoweb.org/event-830948
Pre-conference November 13, 2014
Pre-conference Speaker: Char Booth
Director of Research, Teaching, and Learning Services at the Claremont Colleges Library
ACRL Information Literacy Immersion Institute faculty
Pre-conference address: Who Gives? Advocacy & Outreach That Make Things Matter
Pre-conference Website: http://alaoweb.org/page-1820075
Pre-conference Registration: http://alaoweb.org/page-1820074
About ALAO Conference Registration:
Early Bird Registration ends September 19, 2014
Registration Closes: October 22, 2014
No Refunds after October 22, 2014
For information on lodging, please visit the conference website.
Questions about conference registration? Please contact Judy Cerqua, Registration Coordinator, at cerqua.1 at osu.edu
Questions about the 40th Annual ALAO Conference? Please contact ALAO President, Eboni Johnson at eboni.johnson at oberlin.edu.
Connect With Us!Follow the conference with the official Twitter hashtag #ALAO2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
More about #IRCshelfies
Marketing the IRC is an ongoing project; planning a semester long marketing and collection awareness strategy in late summer allows me to do a 'beta test' of sorts prior to the start of the fall term. That said, this is the second week of my #IRCshelfie project.
#IRCshelfie Tweets
All of the supporting pieces are in place. I took 'shelfies' of twenty four different collection areas in the IRC, library second floor; enough for weekly tweets from July 8th to December 16th - end of the fall term. Using the online photo editor PicMonkey, I applied a Polaroid style frame to each image (oh, the irony), detailed the collection type, and added the #IRCshelfie label. After finishing the images, I used TweetDeck to schedule weekly Tuesday tweets.
Why Tuesday? We have a number of Monday holidays during the term; Tuesday generally means students will be on campus and/or in class. I also scheduled them during the afternoon. If classes are using Twitter for back-channel conversations, there is an increased chance for viewing.
Why not Instagram? I considered the popular platform to use instead of a photo editor. At this point, featuring Twitter and Pinterest in conjunction with the IRC news and information blog works. Developing relevant content for Instagram beyond the shelfies is something to consider at a later date.
The IRC Pinterest site now includes an #IRCshelfie board. Each Wednesday after the tweet, #IRCshelfie images are uploaded to Pinterest. Mock Caldecott panels and IRC scavenger hunts are traditionally scheduled at the start of each term; both activities feature the IRC Pinterest site during the activity and on corresponding LibGuides. This will help me to promote collections as well.
Follow IRC's board #IRCshelfie on Pinterest.
The final step is crafting a blog post marketing the endeavor. It is simple enough to describe the process, but I hope to create a video to make it more engaging. I've successfully used Animoto and Tellagami for marketing and information. Yesterday a tweet from Heather Moorefield shared an animated video created using Explee.
And, there are always the button makers I have on order to consider.
All of the supporting pieces are in place. I took 'shelfies' of twenty four different collection areas in the IRC, library second floor; enough for weekly tweets from July 8th to December 16th - end of the fall term. Using the online photo editor PicMonkey, I applied a Polaroid style frame to each image (oh, the irony), detailed the collection type, and added the #IRCshelfie label. After finishing the images, I used TweetDeck to schedule weekly Tuesday tweets.
Why Tuesday? We have a number of Monday holidays during the term; Tuesday generally means students will be on campus and/or in class. I also scheduled them during the afternoon. If classes are using Twitter for back-channel conversations, there is an increased chance for viewing.
Why not Instagram? I considered the popular platform to use instead of a photo editor. At this point, featuring Twitter and Pinterest in conjunction with the IRC news and information blog works. Developing relevant content for Instagram beyond the shelfies is something to consider at a later date.
The IRC Pinterest site now includes an #IRCshelfie board. Each Wednesday after the tweet, #IRCshelfie images are uploaded to Pinterest. Mock Caldecott panels and IRC scavenger hunts are traditionally scheduled at the start of each term; both activities feature the IRC Pinterest site during the activity and on corresponding LibGuides. This will help me to promote collections as well.
The final step is crafting a blog post marketing the endeavor. It is simple enough to describe the process, but I hope to create a video to make it more engaging. I've successfully used Animoto and Tellagami for marketing and information. Yesterday a tweet from Heather Moorefield shared an animated video created using Explee.
And, there are always the button makers I have on order to consider.
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Another Weekly Reader
U. of Zurich Says Professor Deleted MOOC to Raise Student Engagement
"The University of Zurich says it has cleared up the bizarre case of the MOOC that went missing. But the university is offering few clarifying details to the public, which has been left to piece together theories from the university’s statements and from cryptic tweets by the course’s professor about an unspecified experiment he might have been trying to conduct." -- Steve Kolowich, Wired Campus, 7/8/14
How to Use Twitter for Prospecting
"Twitter has over 255 million active users a month – it is a massive database, buzzing with real-time information about individuals and communities around the world. Twitter is therefore a valuable source of information for online sales and digital content teams, as well as professional bloggers, who can benefit greatly from easy, personalised communication with prospects, as well as readers and consumers." -- Sophie Turton, The Blog Herald, 7/7/14
Room for Creativity
"I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: academic Twitter can be incredible. Natalie Dorfeld emailed me after the column featuring Jessica Lawless and Miranda Merklein ran and asked what she could do to help. Noting the “kick ass work” these columns have been doing — why thank you, Natalie — she volunteered to participate. After learning about some of her professional experiences and interests, I did what any academic connected to social media would do: I crowdsourced to find a partner for an adjunct interested in ESL pedagogy, creative writing, narrative theory, contemporary poetry, and contingent labor issues." -- Joseph Fruscione, Inside Higher Ed | Career Advice, 7/9/14
Stephen Krashen to LA School Board: Invest in Libraries
"The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) recently approved a new 6.6 billion budget for the strained school system, where 80 percent of attending students live in poverty. Earlier this year, literacy expert Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus at the University of Southern California Los Angeles, delivered a powerful, five-minute presentation to the LAUSD board, “Why Invest in Libraries.” His remarks addressed the stubborn intersection of poverty, poor literacy, and limited book access." -- SLJ, School Library Journal, 7/7/14
"The University of Zurich says it has cleared up the bizarre case of the MOOC that went missing. But the university is offering few clarifying details to the public, which has been left to piece together theories from the university’s statements and from cryptic tweets by the course’s professor about an unspecified experiment he might have been trying to conduct." -- Steve Kolowich, Wired Campus, 7/8/14
How to Use Twitter for Prospecting
"Twitter has over 255 million active users a month – it is a massive database, buzzing with real-time information about individuals and communities around the world. Twitter is therefore a valuable source of information for online sales and digital content teams, as well as professional bloggers, who can benefit greatly from easy, personalised communication with prospects, as well as readers and consumers." -- Sophie Turton, The Blog Herald, 7/7/14
Room for Creativity
"I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: academic Twitter can be incredible. Natalie Dorfeld emailed me after the column featuring Jessica Lawless and Miranda Merklein ran and asked what she could do to help. Noting the “kick ass work” these columns have been doing — why thank you, Natalie — she volunteered to participate. After learning about some of her professional experiences and interests, I did what any academic connected to social media would do: I crowdsourced to find a partner for an adjunct interested in ESL pedagogy, creative writing, narrative theory, contemporary poetry, and contingent labor issues." -- Joseph Fruscione, Inside Higher Ed | Career Advice, 7/9/14
Stephen Krashen to LA School Board: Invest in Libraries
"The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) recently approved a new 6.6 billion budget for the strained school system, where 80 percent of attending students live in poverty. Earlier this year, literacy expert Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus at the University of Southern California Los Angeles, delivered a powerful, five-minute presentation to the LAUSD board, “Why Invest in Libraries.” His remarks addressed the stubborn intersection of poverty, poor literacy, and limited book access." -- SLJ, School Library Journal, 7/7/14
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Early Weekly Reader
Caldecott 2014: The Year in Pictures
"Welcome to Las Vegas! City of lights, city of sin; of excess, exploitation, and glitter. It may be an unlikely spot for a library conference, but its unofficial slogan makes it an apt one: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I’m referring here not to mayhem and debauchery (although…feel free) but to the famed secrecy surrounding the deliberations of ALA’s Medal committees, which always seems to provoke a storm of speculation, second-guessing, and Monday-morning quarterbacking." -- Martha V. Parravano, The Horn Book, 7/7/14
How to Make the Most of Your Library Career
"Many thoughts percolated in my brain the day I started a new library position. I considered the new technologies, theories, and trends that I had encountered in graduate school, in journal articles, at workshops, and at conferences. I wondered how I could implement some of those ideas in my new position. I wanted to make my mark and show everyone what I was capable of accomplishing. I wondered, “How can I make everyone notice me as a leader and an agent of change and acknowledge what I can do? What changes can I put in place to make that happen?” -- Katherine Farmer, American Libraries Magazine, 7/7/14
The Shape of Higher Ed Yet to Come
"What might higher education look like a decade from now? Will it be pretty much as it is today? Or will cost pressures, debt burdens, shifting student demographics, and demands for accountability, affordability, and access produce fundamental transformations in how higher education is structured and delivered?I am a historian, and my hindsight is far sharper than my foresight. But as a thought experiment, let me speculate." -- Steven Mintz, Higher Ed Beta, 7/7/14
The Mystery of the Missing Mooc
"A massive open online course instructor was removed from his own course last week -- or was he? As confusion brews among students in the half-finished, suspended MOOC, some observers are asking if the instructor orchestrated a social experiment without permission -- or a farce." -- Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed Technology, 7/8/14
In a MOOC Mystery, A Course Suddenly Vanishes
"A massive open online course on making sense of massive open online courses caused massive confusion when the course content was suddenly deleted and the professor started writing cryptic things on Twitter." -- Steve Kolowich, Wired Campus, 7/8/14
Top Tips from Experts on What Makes a Great Infographic
"Over the last few months we have received a huge amount of questions as to what makes a great infographic and how you can stand out from the crowd. We did some research and found a great article by Eloqua that collected some expert opinions on the topic that we just loved, we also sprinkled in advice we found elsewhere that should serve you well." -- Easel.ly Blog, 7/7/14
Playing with the Possibilities
"Summer is a time many academics pause to consider professional possibilities. Should I go on the job market again this year? Do I really want to be a professor? What else is out there? How could I supplement my income this year? As a former tenured professor who left the academy to start a business, the summer is when my phone rings off the hook with people wanting to know: How did you go from Ph.D. to CEO?" -- Kerry Ann Rockquemore, Inside Higher Ed, 7/7/14
"Welcome to Las Vegas! City of lights, city of sin; of excess, exploitation, and glitter. It may be an unlikely spot for a library conference, but its unofficial slogan makes it an apt one: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I’m referring here not to mayhem and debauchery (although…feel free) but to the famed secrecy surrounding the deliberations of ALA’s Medal committees, which always seems to provoke a storm of speculation, second-guessing, and Monday-morning quarterbacking." -- Martha V. Parravano, The Horn Book, 7/7/14
How to Make the Most of Your Library Career
"Many thoughts percolated in my brain the day I started a new library position. I considered the new technologies, theories, and trends that I had encountered in graduate school, in journal articles, at workshops, and at conferences. I wondered how I could implement some of those ideas in my new position. I wanted to make my mark and show everyone what I was capable of accomplishing. I wondered, “How can I make everyone notice me as a leader and an agent of change and acknowledge what I can do? What changes can I put in place to make that happen?” -- Katherine Farmer, American Libraries Magazine, 7/7/14
The Shape of Higher Ed Yet to Come
"What might higher education look like a decade from now? Will it be pretty much as it is today? Or will cost pressures, debt burdens, shifting student demographics, and demands for accountability, affordability, and access produce fundamental transformations in how higher education is structured and delivered?I am a historian, and my hindsight is far sharper than my foresight. But as a thought experiment, let me speculate." -- Steven Mintz, Higher Ed Beta, 7/7/14
The Mystery of the Missing Mooc
"A massive open online course instructor was removed from his own course last week -- or was he? As confusion brews among students in the half-finished, suspended MOOC, some observers are asking if the instructor orchestrated a social experiment without permission -- or a farce." -- Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed Technology, 7/8/14
In a MOOC Mystery, A Course Suddenly Vanishes
"A massive open online course on making sense of massive open online courses caused massive confusion when the course content was suddenly deleted and the professor started writing cryptic things on Twitter." -- Steve Kolowich, Wired Campus, 7/8/14
Top Tips from Experts on What Makes a Great Infographic
"Over the last few months we have received a huge amount of questions as to what makes a great infographic and how you can stand out from the crowd. We did some research and found a great article by Eloqua that collected some expert opinions on the topic that we just loved, we also sprinkled in advice we found elsewhere that should serve you well." -- Easel.ly Blog, 7/7/14
Playing with the Possibilities
"Summer is a time many academics pause to consider professional possibilities. Should I go on the job market again this year? Do I really want to be a professor? What else is out there? How could I supplement my income this year? As a former tenured professor who left the academy to start a business, the summer is when my phone rings off the hook with people wanting to know: How did you go from Ph.D. to CEO?" -- Kerry Ann Rockquemore, Inside Higher Ed, 7/7/14
Monday, July 07, 2014
TweetDeck newbie
I use Twitter regularly for professional development and particularly enjoy weekly #libchat and #inaljchat sessions, webinar and conference back channel conversations, and connecting with other Pittsburgh sports fans. More often than not, I use the mobile app for convenience as it allows me to multitask online viewing with tweeting on another device. Oddly enough, Twitter has become part of my daily social media routine and helped me connect to a wide variety of educators and information professionals. It is not the result I imagined when signing up for an account prior to presenting at the 2011 ACRL conference.
I started using Twitter for the Instructional Resource Center in November 2011, revisited the idea in early 2012, and again later that spring. It remained a bit of a struggle remembering to post relevant content. Last fall I started using IFTTT in conjunction with IRC's Twitter account to tweet blog posts and Pinterest updates to generate interest. The IRC Pinterest site continues to be a vital resource, hence my willingness to use it to appeal to Twitter users. My strategy has been marginally successful; the number of followers consistently hovers in the vicinity of 100, tweets are often re-tweeted on campus, and stat notifications emailed by Twitter to users show a slight increase in connections. Cognizant of the fact what's missing is the conversational flow of user interaction, and understanding it may never have that capability, it is time to revisit how to best utilize the tool for marketing the IRC. I am using the IRC Twitter account to feature available collections, highlight news and information about the library and IRC, and connect followers to other IRC social media resources. To some extent, it is working. Are my expectations too high?
Consider this tweet sent out from an ALA session earlier in the week.
I agree; much of what I do via Twitter for the IRC is 'awareness building.' I have built lists of authors and campus accounts, I follow (and am followed) by a number of campus twitter accounts, and use the library's digital sign to feature the IRC's most recent tweet. However social media, whether for building awareness or connecting with users, remains a full time job in and of itself; time management is key. It takes time to craft well written blog posts, time to curate interesting boards on Pinterest, and time to schedule tweets of interest to followers.
To some extent, I have 'automated' tweets connected to Pinterest and the IRC and library news blogs using IFTTT. Why haven't I been using TweetDeck? It is easy to point out the number of articles discussing its demise and the recent hacking incident. Still, after further review, the web version fits nicely with a project to highlight IRC collections posting #IRCshelfies via Twitter.
Collections were photographed, shelfies created with a simple online editor, and tweets scheduled in TweetDeck to post each Tuesday beginning July 1st and continuing throughout the fall 2014 term. I personalized the web layout to display scheduled tweets, the #IRCshelfie hash tag, the general IRC feed, and a list of campus twitter accounts for east of re-tweeting events. The option to schedule tweets with images appears to be a new functionality, making my TweetDeck procrastination a bit ... timely. I will follow up #IRCshelfie tweets with a board on Pinterest and publish a blog post introducing shelfie tweets scheduled for the first week of classes in August. As to return on this particular investment, I hope to see an increase in followers for the IRC twitter. But more importantly, I hope it plays a role in increased awareness and use of the IRC and its collections.
I started using Twitter for the Instructional Resource Center in November 2011, revisited the idea in early 2012, and again later that spring. It remained a bit of a struggle remembering to post relevant content. Last fall I started using IFTTT in conjunction with IRC's Twitter account to tweet blog posts and Pinterest updates to generate interest. The IRC Pinterest site continues to be a vital resource, hence my willingness to use it to appeal to Twitter users. My strategy has been marginally successful; the number of followers consistently hovers in the vicinity of 100, tweets are often re-tweeted on campus, and stat notifications emailed by Twitter to users show a slight increase in connections. Cognizant of the fact what's missing is the conversational flow of user interaction, and understanding it may never have that capability, it is time to revisit how to best utilize the tool for marketing the IRC. I am using the IRC Twitter account to feature available collections, highlight news and information about the library and IRC, and connect followers to other IRC social media resources. To some extent, it is working. Are my expectations too high?
Consider this tweet sent out from an ALA session earlier in the week.
Think of marketing as awareness building. You're not always going to see Direct ROI. #alaac14
— Andrea Snyder (@alsnyder02) June 30, 2014
I agree; much of what I do via Twitter for the IRC is 'awareness building.' I have built lists of authors and campus accounts, I follow (and am followed) by a number of campus twitter accounts, and use the library's digital sign to feature the IRC's most recent tweet. However social media, whether for building awareness or connecting with users, remains a full time job in and of itself; time management is key. It takes time to craft well written blog posts, time to curate interesting boards on Pinterest, and time to schedule tweets of interest to followers.
To some extent, I have 'automated' tweets connected to Pinterest and the IRC and library news blogs using IFTTT. Why haven't I been using TweetDeck? It is easy to point out the number of articles discussing its demise and the recent hacking incident. Still, after further review, the web version fits nicely with a project to highlight IRC collections posting #IRCshelfies via Twitter.
Collections were photographed, shelfies created with a simple online editor, and tweets scheduled in TweetDeck to post each Tuesday beginning July 1st and continuing throughout the fall 2014 term. I personalized the web layout to display scheduled tweets, the #IRCshelfie hash tag, the general IRC feed, and a list of campus twitter accounts for east of re-tweeting events. The option to schedule tweets with images appears to be a new functionality, making my TweetDeck procrastination a bit ... timely. I will follow up #IRCshelfie tweets with a board on Pinterest and publish a blog post introducing shelfie tweets scheduled for the first week of classes in August. As to return on this particular investment, I hope to see an increase in followers for the IRC twitter. But more importantly, I hope it plays a role in increased awareness and use of the IRC and its collections.
Friday, July 04, 2014
Weekly Reader
Books Changed His Life
"It is with great sadness that we convey to you, this evening, news of the passing of a great friend of the Library of Congress and all people who know the joy of reading – author Walter Dean Myers, winner of two Newbery Honors and five Coretta Scott King awards." -- Jennifer Gavin, Library of Congress Blog, 7/2/14
Creating a Respectful Classroom Environment
"In our class: 1) everyone is allowed to feel they can work and learn in a safe and caring environment; 2) everyone learns about, understands, appreciates, and respects varied races, classes, genders, physical and mental abilities, and sexualities; 3) everyone matters; 4) all individuals are to be respected and treated with dignity and civility; and 5) everyone shares the responsibility for making our class, and the Academy, a positive and better place to live, work, and learn.” -- Maryellen Weimer, Teaching Professor Blog, 7/2/14
In Backlash Over Facebook Research, Scientists Risk Loss of Valuable Resource
"It was a remarkable result: By manipulating the news feeds of thousands of Facebook users, without their knowing consent, researchers working with the goliath of social media found that they could spur a significant, if small, effect on people’s behavior in the world beyond bits."-- Paul Voosen, Chronicle of Higher Ed | Research, 7/1/14
The Facebook Furor
"Tens of thousands of academics and other observers of Internet life who did not know the name Adam Kramer on Sunday night certainly now it now. But on the chance you’ve been “off the grid” for the past 24 hours, Adam Kramer is the Facebook data scientist who served as a the lead author on a research project that manipulated the positive and negative information in the Facebook News Feed to assess the emotional impact positive and negative news on some 690,000 Facebook users." -- Kenneth C. Green, Inside Higher Ed | The Digital Tweed, 6/30/14
Rising Tuition Discounts and Flat Tuition Revenues Squeeze Colleges Even Harder
"By now, the picture painted in a new survey of tuition discounting, net-tuition revenue, and other enrollment trends should be drearily familiar to many in higher education. The annual survey of private, nonprofit, four-year colleges, conducted by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, points to yet another year when discount rates for first-time, full-time freshmen reached a record high: 44.8 percent in 2012-13 and an estimated 46.4 percent for 2013-14." -- Scott Carlson, Chronicle of Higher Ed | Administration, 7/2/14
"It is with great sadness that we convey to you, this evening, news of the passing of a great friend of the Library of Congress and all people who know the joy of reading – author Walter Dean Myers, winner of two Newbery Honors and five Coretta Scott King awards." -- Jennifer Gavin, Library of Congress Blog, 7/2/14
Creating a Respectful Classroom Environment
"In our class: 1) everyone is allowed to feel they can work and learn in a safe and caring environment; 2) everyone learns about, understands, appreciates, and respects varied races, classes, genders, physical and mental abilities, and sexualities; 3) everyone matters; 4) all individuals are to be respected and treated with dignity and civility; and 5) everyone shares the responsibility for making our class, and the Academy, a positive and better place to live, work, and learn.” -- Maryellen Weimer, Teaching Professor Blog, 7/2/14
In Backlash Over Facebook Research, Scientists Risk Loss of Valuable Resource
"It was a remarkable result: By manipulating the news feeds of thousands of Facebook users, without their knowing consent, researchers working with the goliath of social media found that they could spur a significant, if small, effect on people’s behavior in the world beyond bits."-- Paul Voosen, Chronicle of Higher Ed | Research, 7/1/14
The Facebook Furor
"Tens of thousands of academics and other observers of Internet life who did not know the name Adam Kramer on Sunday night certainly now it now. But on the chance you’ve been “off the grid” for the past 24 hours, Adam Kramer is the Facebook data scientist who served as a the lead author on a research project that manipulated the positive and negative information in the Facebook News Feed to assess the emotional impact positive and negative news on some 690,000 Facebook users." -- Kenneth C. Green, Inside Higher Ed | The Digital Tweed, 6/30/14
Rising Tuition Discounts and Flat Tuition Revenues Squeeze Colleges Even Harder
"By now, the picture painted in a new survey of tuition discounting, net-tuition revenue, and other enrollment trends should be drearily familiar to many in higher education. The annual survey of private, nonprofit, four-year colleges, conducted by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, points to yet another year when discount rates for first-time, full-time freshmen reached a record high: 44.8 percent in 2012-13 and an estimated 46.4 percent for 2013-14." -- Scott Carlson, Chronicle of Higher Ed | Administration, 7/2/14
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
ALAO 2014: Posters, Discussion Tables, Tech Tables
The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Conference Planning Committee is now accepting proposals for Poster Sessions, Tech Tables and Discussion Table topics for the 40th Annual ALAO Conference, which will take place on November 13-14, 2014 at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in Sandusky, OH.
Applicants are encouraged to develop sessions that show thoughtful consideration of this year’s conference theme, “Engagement, advocacy and outreach: Empowering our communities,” which seeks to explore how academic libraries and librarians empower our communities in all the ways that we do. We would love to learn about your ideas, experiences, solutions, and best practices – even those that yielded results that were different than expected!
For this round of proposals, presentations may take the form of
Submit your poster, discussion table, or tech table proposal online @ http://bit.ly/1oi4zS6
Need help with your submission? Visit the Presentation Guideline Page for proposal resources.
Questions about this final round of proposals can be directed to:
Shelly Miller, ALAO Conference Planning Committee
shellym at ohionet.org
Submission deadline for proposals is August 1, 2014.
Applicants are encouraged to develop sessions that show thoughtful consideration of this year’s conference theme, “Engagement, advocacy and outreach: Empowering our communities,” which seeks to explore how academic libraries and librarians empower our communities in all the ways that we do. We would love to learn about your ideas, experiences, solutions, and best practices – even those that yielded results that were different than expected!
For this round of proposals, presentations may take the form of
- Posters: Graphically represent a topic with text, tables, and images and chat informally with poster session attendees about your material
- Discussion Tables: Lead a small, informal group discussion to facilitate networking and information exchange about a specific issue that librarians face
- Tech Tables: Demonstrate a technology resource being used in your library for cataloging, marketing, instruction, or staff training.
Submit your poster, discussion table, or tech table proposal online @ http://bit.ly/1oi4zS6
Need help with your submission? Visit the Presentation Guideline Page for proposal resources.
Questions about this final round of proposals can be directed to:
Shelly Miller, ALAO Conference Planning Committee
shellym at ohionet.org
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