Collaborative Tools for Librarians
Web 2.0 has opened the door for a number of new collaborative tools that have made a librarian’s job easier and increased their production. It seems that a new website emerges each day that offers a freer flow of information among sources and it can be awfully difficult to discern what sites are helpful and what sites aren't actually all they’re cracked up to be. To assist you in your searches through the internet we've come up with a list of helpful sites that can hopefully make your life easier and enrich the lives of those that come into your library. Without further ado, here is our list that should help you improve your library:
- Wikitext – Wikitext is about to make textbooks extinct. This is great news for college students who unload tons of money each year at the bookstore and is about to make your job much easier. While textbooks will always be kicking around, the ability to make these cumbersome books available on the web is going to revolutionize the world of academia.
- Social Software for Librarians – Meredith Farkas penned an excellent guide to collaboration tools that are available for librarians. Farkas explains all the different tools that are emerging such as podcasts, instant messaging and so many more.
- Library Garden – This is an excellent blog for librarians and there are quite a few articles that will catch your attention immediately. It’s written by librarians and educators so you know the source is reputable. This brings us to another salient point: know the source of the blogger. This is the most important thing we can do to make sure that we’re utilizing only reputable sites.
- Wikipedia – There has been so much debate about wikipedia since its inception about whether it’s reputable or not. We have to be careful about our sources and it’s our recommendation that you use wikipedia with a grain of salt. It’s a great place to launch your research as it’s quick and easy. But we have to be careful with anything that’s quick and easy. There are usually catches involved. Our verdict: tread lightly with wikipedia.
- Mashups – Mashups refers to a site that culls content from all over the web and presents it in a neat display. Mashups is a great example of what Web 2.0 has added to the industry as it really makes your research easier and combines resources from all over the web.
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This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who is an industry critic on the subject of correspondence degrees. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
