Laren Niemla, from ULM posted her presentation and handout on her personal web site. Of note is the fact that her PowerPoint presentation includes her own notes for the presentation.
What I have below are some notes and highlights.
The theme of her presentation was about why libraries should use their own web app, what is available, finding a host site, and how to maintain it.
She noted that not everyone can come to your library, if you site looks like junk people may think your library junk. She noted that the NY Times has blogs which may or may not be by Times staff members and may or may not be edited to the same standards as the printed paper.
She suggested that you need to meet your needs. Do not find application and then find needs which it fills. Find your needs, then find the application.
She noted that librarians are far ahead of other people in their adoption of Web 2.0 – we already regularly use software like php and mysql. Hosting is a big deal, especially if you don’t have control. You need to be sure to find a hosting service that meets your needs. Hosting space is very competitive, and there are many choices. In making your decision you need to know what databases they have, and how many you can have at a time, what programming languages are available. And perhaps the most important is what support do they have?
She talked about WordPress which is blogging software that can be installed on your own host.
She noted that it is almost always true that upgrading is harder than the original installation of the software. “It is just a reality of the Internet.”
She concluded with the important idea: You can do almost anything.
Tbe bit about finding the need first, then the application - I am in 100% agreement with that, always banging on about it anyone who'll listen... quite a lot of early-adoption of social media by libraries seemed like the tail was wagging the dog. I think it's improving quite a lot now, though.
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