User-Generated Content And Its Impact On Web-Based Library S

Description:
This book examines the impact of user-generated content on web-based library services. It begins with an overview of Web 2.0 tools and technologies, and a brief look at the emerging semantic tools of Web 3.0 and their implications for libraries. It investigates the changing role of the end user as both a creator and consumer of web content, and what this means for society's perception and understanding of information. It goes on to discuss the advantages and challenges of using these tools to bring community expertise and opinion into the library, from reinvention of the library website as a community rather than a collection to the issues of moderating user-generated content.It also explores the notion of 'low-fidelity authority' - understanding that by acknowledging the value in content that does not necessarily meet our traditional definition of authority, we have the potential to achieve a much greater level of relevance and engagement with our users. Throughout the book, conceptual discussion is illustrated with real-world examples and practical suggestions for library practitioners.This title offers relatively new and extremely relevant topic, with which many libraries and librarians are currently grappling. It provides conceptual discussion and practical examples of sound strategies for managing user-generated content. The book is about rethinking what we do as librarians, and surrendering some of our traditional notions of authority and control to the expertise that exists in the community.

Table of Contents:
Introduction - an overview of Web 2.0 tools and technologies; their impact on libraries and libraries' web content; this include blogs, wikis, discussion forums, social networking sites and multimedia content enhancement and sharing; emerging semantic web technologies and their implications for libraries; Libraries as Online Communities - why are we inviting user-generated content into our library web spaces?; advantages of community engagement, with specific examples such as: ensuring the focus is on the patron; reinventing library websites as communities rather than collections; increasing the relevant of the library to its end users; embracing collective wisdom/the intelligence of the masses; bringing community expertise into the library; and the potential to reach wider audiences and bring traditionally socially excluded groups into the library; Flamewars and Tumbleweeds - challenges of user-generated content, including policy development; technical support; moderation; cataloguing and organization; and managing workload; impact of accepting the value in user-generated content and what this means for our traditional notions of authority and control; 'Low-fidelity authority' as a concept; Controlling the Firehose - strategies for coping with user-generated content and ensuring it brings value to your library; illustrated by examples of libraries that have done this effectively; understanding the technology, its potentials and risks; defining goals and success measures; understanding what resources (human and otherwise) will be required; ensuring organizational support; mash up rather than build up (take advantage of existing tools rather than reinventing the wheel); the secrets of successful moderation.; Conclusion - what this means for libraries and for the information profession.

Author Biography:
Kay Cahill is the Website and Community Development Librarian at Vancouver PUblic Library. With more than 14 years' experience in the library and information profession in the UK and Canada, she is a leading advocate for the strategic implementation of new web technologies to enhance library services. She has been published in a number of professional journals on topics including assistive technology in libraries, the impact of Google, and the changing nature of the information profession.