LIS 768: Participatory Service &

Emerging Technologies
Fall 2010

Weekend Meetings:
September 25 & 26 (ONLINE via Elluminate)
October 23 & 24
December 4 & 5

Crown 330
Dominican University, River Forest, IL

Michael Stephens, Assistant Professor

Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Dominican University

Contact Information and Web Site

Contact Information: (708) 524-6603 / mstephens@dom.edu

AIM: mstephens7mac | Twitter: mstephens7 | Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
mstephens7

Office hours: Crown 334, during 2nd & 3rd class weekends or by appointment. Online
Office Hours/Chats: We may schedule some optional online group meetings/Q&A
sessions throughout the semester to work on troubleshooting, to share tips and have some
“social time.”

Main Course Web Site: http://lis768.tametheweb.com/

Course Overview

“The new tools provide powerful options for working with data, text, sound, and images.
…. There is, predictably, an increasing departure in information handling from the simple
pattern of read, think, then write. Computers are used for so much more than the
traditional notion of “computing.’”
--Michael Buckland, Redesigning Library Services, 1992

Library scholars have noted the ongoing impact of technology on libraries and have
called for a redesign of services to meet the evolving needs of users. Virtual communities
have thrived online since the early 1980s. Social media sites are part of the next
incarnation of the World Wide Web, where digital tools allow users to create, change, and
publish dynamic content of all kinds. Other Web 2.0 tools syndicate and aggregate this
content. The evolving Web and related emerging technologies are signifiers of a broader
cultural shift: toward an open, collaborative and participatory society. This course
examines emerging technologies within a framework of participatory, “hyperlinked”
library service: a model of creating,extending, updating and evaluating libraries via a
user-centered approach.

Casey & Savastinuk write: “The heart of Library 2.0 is user-centered change. It is a
model for library service that encourages constant and purposeful change, inviting user
participation in the creation of both the physical and the virtual services they want,
supported by consistently evaluating services. It also attempts to reach new users and
better serve current ones through improved customer-driven offerings. Each component
by itself is a step toward better serving our users; however, it is through the combined
implementation of all of these that we can reach Library 2.0.”

This course will examine various theories of library service, the social use of information,
the advent of social networking tools, the creation of online collaboration and
communities via those tools and their adoption by libraries as well as the rise of Library
2.0 thinking, a service philosophy born out of discussions of Web 2.0 and participatory
library services. Students will experience an immersive learning environment via a wide
range of tools. We will discuss the definitions of Library 2.0, examine the tools and
examine what this shift means for libraries in the 21st Century.

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

· demonstrate an understanding of Web 2.0 and social software

· demonstrate an understanding of the principles, concepts and ideas of
participatory library service
· demonstrate an understanding of emerging technologies and how they relate to
information services and environments
· utilize various online 2.0 tools to experience, discuss, and evaluate course
concepts as they can be related to library services
· describe the role of social software tools and online communities in the library
world
· understand of the social and cultural backdrop from which Web 2.0 and Library
2.0 thinking emerged

Requirements

Students will create blogs and get accounts at various social network sites. This is
required for success in LIS768.

Students will also be expected to use the course Web site multiple times a week to stay up
to date with readings, assignments, discussion and blogging. This is also a way for
LIS768 students to experience the emerging social nature of the web - similar systems are
being used in library settings all over the world. Librarians are working, writing and
sharing in open, online systems created for interaction with each other and with library
users. The LIS768 site utilizes the Wordpress software package to create an interactive
environment for sharing and discourse. You must create an account on the site but no one
in class is required to share their full name, photo or any other details. The use of avatars
and aliases is acceptable.

It is essential that you keep steady attention to the course, to the modules, to the
readings, and to the blog postings from your classmates.

Textbooks and Other Readings

Library 2.0 A Guide to Participatory Library Service by Michael Casey and Laura
Savastinuk, InfoToday, 2007.

Buckland, Michael. Redesigning Library Services: A Manifesto at

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Literature/Library/Redesigning/html.html

Readings for each module are posted on the course blog. Students are encouraged to
share articles, blog posts and sites they find with the class via their blogs and during
discussion.

Assignments

Class Participation, RSS Aggregation, Discussion, Web 2.0 Tool Exploration &
Blogging: Attend every class and participate in discussions. You are expected to have
read the assigned material and come to class prepared to discuss and critique these
readings. In addition, you will receive various readings in class for discussion and
reflection. Seven 200 word minimum blog posts will also serve as a reflection journal as
we move through the principles and tools of Library 2.0. Three 200 word minimum blog
posts will become the basis for your class research paper. Blog post due dates will be
posted on the course site. Commenting on student posts and experimenting with various
emerging tools is also part of participation for LIS768. 25 points

Brand Monitoring: Micro-conversations in Twitter, posts in blogs, and wall chatter in

Facebook have become the new online forums to discuss, well, anything.  Part of those
discussions, however, involves talking up – or down – one’s favorite stores, restaurants,
and other places: Including libraries. Students will monitor online conversations about a
library or other organization and write a 300 word reflective blog post about the
experience. 10 points
Social Media Policy: A clearly articulated policy for the use of social media within the
library setting can guide the development of enhanced 2.0 services and serve as a means
to handle unintended consequences. Students will draft a sample social media policy for
the library of their choice. 10 points

Context Book Reports: Students will read one book selected from a list provided in
class, and write a 300 word reflection relating the topic and focus of the book to libraries,
technology and participatory service. OPTIONAL: Instead of writing your report, create
a media presentation such as a podcast, video, Animoto show, etc. Let your creativity
flow! 10 points

Group Project: There are two options for this project:

Option #1:

Groups will create an interactive presentation exploring a topic covered in class readings
or discussion. This presentation will include an examination of recent literature, blog
posts, tweets, etc on the topic. Then the group will present their thoughts on the issue:
solving a problem, next steps, best practices.

Option #2:

Groups will brainstorm and design a 2.0 service targeting a specific user group or type of
library that solves a problem or improves service. Students will use open source software
tools to create a working model that could be implemented. Small groups of three to five
students each will collaborate to develop a plan to implement a new technology or social
software application in a library setting. The plan should address elements that will be
explored in the units on project planning and evaluation. The project should include a
presentation and prototype.

All groups should use social software applications to collaborate on project development
and document in an individual brief blog post how social software contributed to (or
hindered) project success. 20 points

Research Paper: There are two options for this paper:

Option #1

For this assignment, you will prepare a paper (12-15 pages, 12-point font, 1-inch
margins, double spaced) that centers on one of the theories, principles, issues, or tools of
participatory service or emerging technologies.  It should contain a thorough literature
review, reflect your logically expressed opinions, and offer ideas and solutions for the
future of libraries and information centers in a 2.0 world.

It may be helpful to identify a specific issue or problem discussed in class and follow up
with more research and reflection.  You may also identify an existing LIS problem or
issue that you think course content and emerging practice can be used to address.
You will review the literature to see what experts have written including Buckland,
Rheingold and other library theorists, mine the recent professional literature on
participatory service and related concepts, add your own analysis that advances the
discussion of the topic, and examine implications for practice.  In other words, you are
not merely summarizing what others have said.  Rather, you are reviewing existing
literature, developing your own argument, and then drawing meaningful conclusions that
synthesize your ideas with the historical perspectives and research done to date.

Opion #2:

For this assignment, you will prepare a paper (12-15 pages, 12-point font, 1-inch
margins, double spaced) that centers on the main concepts or ideas of your chosen
context book. You will demonstrate how those concepts or ideas apply to the value set,
philosophies, theories, or issues of participatory and/or Web 2.0.

While your paper will draw heavily from your context book, it should also contain a
literature review, reflect your own logically expressed opinions, and offer ideas and
solutions for the future of libraries and information centers in a 2.0 world.

Be sure to discuss the core issues of your context book, as it  must be briefly reviewed to
set up your response to the book and its applications to course content.  You are not
merely summarizing what others have said or what the author of your context book has
written.  Rather, you are using critical thinking, analysis and reflection of your book’s
issue(s) and existing literature to develop your own argument, and then drawing
meaningful conclusions that synthesize your ideas with the historical perspectives and
research done to date. It will be helpful to reflect upon and build off specific issues and/or
problems discussed in class and to reference theorists such as Buckland, Rheingold, etc.

For both options, please post a 200 word abstract of your paper on your blog the week the
paper is due.Use a standard citation format (MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian) and be
consistent. 25 points

Grading

There are 100 total possible points for this course, as broken down above. All
assignments will be due at the times specified in the course schedule. Late assignments
will receive a 10% reduction in grade for each day late. All written work should be clear
and error free. Writing style counts for this class.

A 94 -100 %
A- 90 – 93 %
B+ 86 – 89 %
B 82 – 85 %
B- 78 – 81 %
C+ 74 – 77 %
C 70 – 73 %
C- 65 – 69%
F 0 -- 64 %

Academic Honesty and Integrity

Students of the university must conduct themselves in accordance with the highest
standards of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to maintain academic integrity will
not be tolerated. The following definitions are provided for your understanding and
clarity.

Definitions of Plagiarism, Cheating and Academic Dishonesty: Student plagiarism is

the deliberate presentation of the writing or thinking of another as the student’s own. In
written or oral work a student may make fair use of quotations, ideas, images, etc., that
appear in others’ work only if the student gives appropriate credit to the original authors,
thinkers, owners, or creators of that work. This includes material found on the Internet
and in electronic databases.

Cheating entails the use of unauthorized or prohibited aids in accomplishing assigned

academic tasks. Obtaining unauthorized help on examinations, using prohibited notes on
closed-note examinations, and depending on others for the writing of essays or the
creation of other assigned work are all forms of cheating.

Academic dishonesty may also include other acts intended to misrepresent the authorship
of academic work or to undermine the integrity of the classroom or of grades assigned for
academic work. Deliberate acts threatening the integrity of library materials or the
smooth operation of laboratories are among possible acts of academic dishonesty.

Sanctions for Violations of Academic Integrity: If an instructor determines that a

student has violated the academic integrity policy, the instructor may choose to impose a
sanction, ranging from refusal to accept a work project to a grade of “F” for the
assignment to a grade of “F” for the course. When a sanction has been imposed, the
instructor will inform the student in writing. The instructor must also inform the student
that she/he has the right to appeal this sanction, and refer the student to the Academic
Appeals Process described in the GSLIS Bulletin.

Plagiarism is unacceptable and will result in project failure. It will not be tolerated.

See Purdue University's "Avoiding Plagiarism" at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

handouts/research/r_plagiar.html, Georgetown University's "What is Plagiarism," at yf, or
Indiana University's "Plagiarism: What It Is and How To Recognize and Avoid It" at
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml if you feel unsure about what is
and is not considered acceptable behavior when using other people's words and ideas.
 Accommodations

If you are a student with special learning needs for which you may be requesting an
accommodation, please contact the instructor no later than the end of the first class
period. If you have other life circumstances which arise during the semester for which
you may be requesting accommodations or exception to policy, please notify the
instructor as soon as possible.

See the class site for schedules and due dates.

Assignment
Brand Monitoring
10 points

Micro-conversations in Twitter, posts in blogs, and wall chatter in Facebook have become
the new online forums to discuss, well, anything.  Part of those discussions, however,
involves talking up – or down – one’s favorite stores, restaurants, and other places:
Including libraries.

In an age of micro-conversations like this it becomes important for librarians to find out
what is being said about their library.  This isn’t a defensive tactic so you can attack the
naysayers, but should be treated as an opportunity to discuss what is being done well and
what could be done better to enhance your users’ experience and to communicate with
your patrons in places the feel comfortable (like Twitter et al.)

For this assignment, your task to choose a library or library organization to monitor the
conversation for several weeks about that institution and write a blog post about your
research and experience. Include links, images, etc.

Note that some libraries and library organizations might not have as much online chatter
as others.  For example, you would expect the ALA to drum up a good amount of talk
because of the size of the constituency they serve.  On the flip side, a small, rural public
library might not garner that much attention.

Before you begin, review the resources in these modules.  You may find that using RSS
feeds to follow conversations and searching for particular key words in places like
Twitter will help you find and follow what is being said:

Twitter
Technorati
Flickr
Assignment
Context Book Report
10 points

Context Book Report: Students will read a book selected from the list provided below or
suggest another title for Michael’s approval, and write a 200-300 word reflection posted
to your blog relating the topic and focus of the book to libraries, technology and
participatory service. The course Web site has two links to more suggestions from LIS
practitioners and others.

OPTIONAL: Instead of writing your report, create a media presentation such as a

podcast, YouTube video, Animoto show, etc. Let your creativity flow!

Selections from the Online Reading List

Anderson, Chris. The Long Tail

Beck, John C. & Mitchell Wade. Got game
Bernoff, Josh. Groundswell
Breakenridge, Deidre. PR 2.0
Carr, Nicholas. The Big Switch: rewiring the World, from Edison to Google
Collins, Jim. Good to Great
Doctorow, Cory Content
Doctorow, Cory Little Brother
Frankel, Alex. Punching In
Fried, Jason & David Heinemeier Hannsen. Rework
Friedman, Thomas. The World is Flat
Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to teach Us about Learning & Literacy
Gilmore, James & B. Joseph Pine II. Authenticity
Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers
Godin, Seth. Small is the New Big
Godin, Seth. Tribes
Godin, Seth. Linchpin
Heath, Chip & Dan. Switch
Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture
Jenkins, Henry. Fans, Bloggers & Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture
Johnson, Steven. Everything Bad is Good for You
Keen, Andrew The Cult of the Amateur
Kelley, Tom with Jonathan Littman. The Ten Faces of Innovation
Kusek, David & Gerd Leonhard. The Future of MusicLevine, Rick et al. The Cluetrain
Manifesto
Meyer, Danny. Setting the Table
Palfrey, John & Urs Gasser. Born Digital
Penn, Mark J. Microtrends
Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind
Shirky, Clay. Here Comes Everybody
Solove, Daniel. The Future of Reputation
Sunstein, Cass. Infotopia
Tapscot, Dan. Grown Up Digital
Tapscott, Don & Anthony D. Williams. Wikinomics
Weinberger, David. Everything is Miscellaneous
Weinberger, David. Small Pieces Loosely Joined
Zittrain, Jonathan. The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It
Assignment
Drafting Social Media Guidelines
10 points

A clearly articulated set of guidelines for the use of social media within the library setting
can guide the development of enhanced 2.0 services and serve as a means to handle
unintended consequences.

Sharlyn Lauby writes at Mashable:

http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-musts/

There are generally two approaches to social media policy making. Some organizations
handle social media in an evolutionary way. Chad Houghton, the director of e-media and
business development at the Society for Human Resource Management, told me that he
thinks, “it might be beneficial not to create some arbitrary rules without first seeing
where the opportunities and risks really are.”

Other organizations, meanwhile, feel more comfortable establishing a clear policy from
the outset. IBM, for example, has published their social media guidelines publicly for
anyone to read. It’s a great policy, though rather long.

Whether you’re writing your social media policy from the get-go, or letting it develop
organically in reaction to situations as they arise, here are 10 things you should definitely
consider. These 10 tips will help you steer clear of pitfalls and allow you to focus on
what’s important: engaging the customer.

For this assignment, you will craft a draft version of a social media guidelines for the
library setting of your choice. The document should be no longer than two pages. Post it
to your blog with a brief paragraph explaining your thinking and choices.

Use these links for inspiration:

http://www.biblioottawalibrary.ca/files/OPL%20social%20media%20policy.pdf
http://candidcio.com/2009/08/12/social-media-policy-and-employee-guidance/
http://www.hightechdad.com/2009/05/11/crafting-your-companys-social-media-policy/
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6699104.html
http://www.briansolis.com/2009/09/implement-social-media-guidelines-now/
http://www.thesocialcmo.com/blog/2010/01/a-corporate-social-media-policy-do-you-
really-need-one/
Assignment
Research Paper
25 points

There are two options for this paper.

Option #1

For this assignment, you will prepare a paper (12-15 pages, 12-point font, 1-inch
margins, double spaced) that centers on one of the theories, principles, issues, or tools of
participatory service or emerging technologies.  It should contain a thorough literature
review, reflect your logically expressed opinions, and offer ideas and solutions for the
future of libraries and information centers in a 2.0 world.

It may be helpful to identify a specific issue or problem discussed in class and follow up
with more research and reflection.  You may also identify an existing LIS problem or
issue that you think course content and emerging practice can be used to address.
You will review the literature to see what experts have written including Buckland,
Rheingold and other library theorists, mine the recent professional literature on
participatory service and related concepts, add your own analysis that advances the
discussion of the topic, and examine implications for practice.  In other words, you are
not merely summarizing what others have said.  Rather, you are reviewing existing
literature, developing your own argument, and then drawing meaningful conclusions that
synthesize your ideas with the historical perspectives and research done to date.

Please post a 200 word abstract of your paper on your blog the week the paper is due.
Use a standard citation format (MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian) and be consistent.

Opion #2:

For this assignment, you will prepare a paper (12-15 pages, 12-point font, 1-inch
margins, double spaced) that centers on the main concepts or ideas of your chosen
context book. You will demonstrate how those concepts or ideas apply to the value set,
philosophies, theories, or issues of participatory and/or Web 2.0.

While your paper will draw heavily from your context book, it should also contain a
literature review, reflect your own logically expressed opinions, and offer ideas and
solutions for the future of libraries and information centers in a 2.0 world.

Be sure to discuss the core issues of your context book, as it  must be briefly reviewed to
set up your response to the book and its applications to course content.  You are not
merely summarizing what others have said or what the author of your context book has
written.  Rather, you are using critical thinking, analysis and reflection of your book’s
issue(s) and existing literature to develop your own argument, and then drawing
meaningful conclusions that synthesize your ideas with the historical perspectives and
research done to date. It will be helpful to reflect upon and build off specific issues and/or
problems discussed in class and to reference theorists such as Buckland, Rheingold, etc.

For both options, please post a 200 word abstract of your paper on your blog the week the
paper is due.Use a standard citation format (MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian) and be
consistent.