Libraries in Social Software Land : Getting Started

 

I'm new in the social software universe, but somehow I found my way, creating accounts in MySpace and Facebook and even ning.com. But a some point, things got all tangled up as "Jolie Vandal" tried to set up a Law Library mascot site. Jolie seems to be in a couple of different locations and configurations these days. And, she'd like to feel more focused before she invites in a lot of new "Friends" and starts dispensing legal research tips.

Can some of our more experienced Library 2.0 types suggest an approachable "how to" site for beginning social software librarians like me?

Jolie Vandal: The most "fetching" law library mascot in Idaho!Jolie Vandal: The most "fetching" law library mascot in Idaho!

Last updated: September 12, 2007 - 11:02am by ruth

It might seem strange, but I've actually got a couple of books to recommend, rather than websites. If you're looking for a great primer on social software, I'd recommend (based on reviews alone) Meredith Farkas's recent book "Social Software in Libraries". (It's available from the Idaho Commission for Libraries as well as the BSU Albertson Library.) I'd also have to recommend Michael Stephen's "Web 2.0 and Libraries: Best Practices for Social Software" from ALA Techsource (though I don't know of any libraries in the area that already have it). I don't really know of any "how to" websites, but that's probably just because I haven't gone looking! However, I think that Wikipedia would be a great place to start for general information about any of the social networks. Beyond that, you might just want to try some keyword searching in a search engine. Good luck getting that Law Library website up and running!

I'd second Dylan's comment but for one link I think would be useful: http://tinyurl.com/2snzf8 . This is from the article "Begin at the Beginning" from Library 2.0, an academic's perspective. Simple, concise advice and some theory sprinkled in too. Her link to a Library Journal article is great as well. Then again, since you're already doing these 2.0ish things, the experience you gain from what works and what doesn't will tell you more than anything. Personal know-how, experimenting, and tweaking things to your liking will accomplish many of these things. After all, the whole 2.0 world perspective is all about experimentation :-) Memo

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