LIS 9763

1. Has your view of social software changed since starting this course? If so, how?
My views of social software have definitely changed over the past term.  I had originally viewed it as something that would be nice for libraries to have and use, but not really necessary.  After reading about some of the potential uses, and then writing my final paper on incorporating tagging in the OPAC, I have come to conclusion that these new technologies are essential for moving the library forward and keeping it relevant.
 
2. Of all the social tools we've reviewed this term, what are your "favourite" tools for libraries and why? What would you consider to be the low-hanging fruit, i.e. the tools that could be implemented easily and with the greatest impact?
My favourite tool for libraries is tagging, because I think it can revitalize the catalogue.  The OPAC is a valuable tool for information retrieval but it is outdated and is in need of a breath of fresh air.
I think the "low-hanging fruit" would definitely be online social networks because of the ubiquitousness of MySpace and Facebook.  It's easy, it's free and it requires minimal time commitment to create a social group and keep it updated.
 
3. What social software tools (if any) do you consider to have the least potential for library service and why?
In the immediate future, I just don't see virtual worlds such as Second Life having that much to offer libraries.  Mostly, this is because they just aren't that popular among users.  Other forms of social software such as delicious and facebook have much more widespread usage and so, it would make more sense for libraries to focus their efforts here since that is where the people are.  It doesn't matter how wonderful a service something is, because if nobody is using it then what's the point?
 
4. Tell us about your personal experiences with the social software tools we’ve used & looked at this term. Which tools have worked for you, which haven’t?
One social software tool that I began using much more this term was wikis.  I created a couple of them, one for a school project and one for a student group on campus.  It was a little intimidating at first, but once I got used to the interface, I found that it was extremely easy to contribute and manage content on the wikis.  However, I am still one of the only contributors for the one for the student group despite the rest of the group being invited to join, and so I think that it takes time for people to try new things and get used to using them.
 
5. How has the distance ed. experience been for you?
It was a little disorienting to participate in a class where you don't really get to meet anyone.  However, it also proved to me that it is possible to work and learn with people that you never get to meet face to face. 
 
6. Do you have any suggestions for improving the learning experience of this course?
It would be nice if the reading list was annotated.  I didn't always have time to read every single item, and I wasn't sure which were the most important readings to do.
 
7. How would you sum up your experience over the past 13 weeks?
This experience has been very useful.  I like that the course had a lot of practical components where I had to try using each of the different tools, rather than just reading about them.  Testing them all out taught me a lot more than a textbook ever could!