Building Community and Collaboration Madeleine Lefebvre Ryerson University, Toronto

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Building Community and CollaborationMadeleine
LefebvreRyerson University, Toronto

• Social Computing Tools for Learning and Knowledge
  Sharing

IFLA World Library and Information Congress,
Milan, August 2009
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Themes

• 1. The Library on Facebook
• 2. A Wikipedia faculty/librarian collaboration
• 3. Mobile services
• 4. RULA Learning 2.0 program
• Outcomes along the way

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1. The Library on Facebook
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2. Working with Wikipedia a Faculty/Librarian
Partnership

• Wikipedia is challenged by academics as
• lacking the rigour and depth of the peer review
  process
• Yet it is a key component of the social web
  (enabling communities to create, modify, and
  share content)
• And is popular with students!

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Working with Wikipedia

• Graduate course assignment in Social Work
• Developed and presented by professor and
  librarian
• Students chose their own topics
• Examined scholarly and non-scholarly discourse by
  critiquing entries and writing their own
  interventions for Wikipedia

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Working with Wikipedia

• The Wikipedia assignment encouraged students to
  think critically about the academic world they
  inhabit and to consider how marginalized
  communities might or might not be able to
  contribute to scholarly conversations

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3. Mobile Services
2008 Survey 811 responses, primarily
undergraduate
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Top 4 Uses
85
94
63
38
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Top Internet Use
46
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13
10
13
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New features wanted
33
45
45
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Texting from Catalogue
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Study Room Booking
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Mobile Catalogue
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Find a Desktop Computer
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Find aLaptop
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(No Transcript)
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In the works

• Library Resources
• Mobile Catalogue (available on Library website)
• Patron Record (available on Library website)
• Research Guides
• Relevant Information based on faculty and courses
  enrolled in
• Mapping Function
• Find buildings, offices, labs, facilities,
  services, etc
• Student contributed Apps

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Location Based and Context Aware Services

• Working with Computer Science
• Hossein Rahnama, PhD candidate
• Delivers relevant information based on students
  location and profile information
• Uses GPS and Wi-Fi positioning technologies
• Specific to iPhone, iPod Touch, Google Android

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Benefits to the Library

• Active participation in design and development
• Providing innovative services to the campus
  community (not just books and e-journal
  access...)
• Primary focus on student success
• Fostering collaboration with faculties and
  departments
• Seen as a neutral ground for launching new
  services

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For more information

• See full presentation by Sally Wilson and Graham
  McCarthy on Ryerson mobile services at
• http//ocs.sfu.ca/m-libraries/index.php/mlib/mlib2
  009/paper/view/35/33

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4. The RULA 2.0 Project

• Hands-on opportunity for staff to learn about Web
  2.0 tools and services and to see how these tools
  are impacting libraries.
• An online self-discovery program that encourages
  staff to explore Web 2.0 through a series of
  weekly exercises.
• Based on Stephen Abrams 23 things and Helene
  Blowers Learning 2.0 program

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Objectives of RULA 2.0

• To encourage staff exploration of Web 2.0 and new
  technologies
• To familiarize staff with Web 2.0 tools that can
  assist us in fulfilling our mission
• To foster team building, trust and open
  communication throughout Library staff during a
  period of reorganization and growth

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Evaluation

• 45 librarians and staff graduated
• Huge interest on campus, and requests to rerun
  the program for other departments
• Increased profile for the Library new branding
• Much better sense of community across staff
  lines, and learning about personal interests
• Fun during the winter months

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http//rula20.blogspot.com
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RULA Intranet
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Social Learning

• provides a place where each person adds value
• And each person feels valued
• Thank You!