2.0 @ your Library: Technologies, Tools, Tips & Strategies with Amanda Etches-Johnson

EI Program Calendar On-line Course November 5 - December 14, 2007 Six weeks. Member: $149.00 Non-Member: $194.00 Web 2.0, Library 2.0, blogs, RSS, wikis, tagging, Facebook, YouTube. Chances are, you've heard these terms tossed around over the past few months, and you're probably eager to get a grasp on what it all means for your library. If so, this course is for you! This 6-week, on-line course explores ways in which libraries can use 2.0 technologies & tools to serve users, improve their Web presence, and enhance the user experience. Through a series of on-line modules and hands-on exercises, participants will be introduced to a variety of 2.0 tools and will be encouraged to develop a proposal to implement one (or more!) of these technologies at their institutions. Who Should Participate? Any librarian/library worker interested in implementing 2.0 technologies at their libraries. Course topics and strategies will appeal to libraries in all sectors – public, academic, special, and school. The Key Benefits For Participants: This course provides a guided, hands-on exploration of some of the most cutting-edge tools on the Web. Participants will learn valuable strategies to evaluate 2.0 technologies to decide which tool(s) best suit their needs. All participants will be encouraged to develop a proposal to implement a 2.0 tool/technology at their library and to share their proposals with other course participants for feedback. Participants will gain techniques and strategies for ways to move their libraries along the path to 2.0 (including, getting buy-in and bringing all staff up to speed on emerging technologies). Key Topics to be Explored: How to create, maintain, and maximize the impact of your library blog. Ways in which RSS can be used for content delivery on your Web site. The potential of wikis as content creation and organization tools. Social bookmarking and tagging tools to make your library Web site more dynamic. On-line social networks (like MySpace and Facebook) and ways in which libraries can serve their users in these spaces. Getting buy-in from colleagues & ideas for how to get staff up-to-speed on emerging technologies. Amanda Etches-Johnson Amanda Etches-Johnson is the User Experience Librarian at McMaster University, a role that requires her to explore, test, and implement emerging technologies to ensure the best possible on-line experience for the library's users. She is also a Lecturer at the Faculty of Information & Media Studies at The University of Western Ontario, where she teaches grad students about social software literacies & affordances. Understandably, Amanda loves what she does. She also frequently writes and presents on emerging technology and social software and can be found on-line at blogwithoutalibrary.net. Developed for the Education Institute by the Ontario Library and Information Technology Division of the Ontario Library Association