Creating an LIS course on social software

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Introduction

See also Academic libraries 2.0 & LIBR 559M - Social Media for Information Professionals

This entry is an overview to an EDST 580 directed study project under Dr. Mary Sue Stephenson. The project was a review of the library and information science literature in social media, social software and educational technologies as a basis for the development of a new course entitled LIBR 559M - Social Media for Information Professionals for the UBC School of Library, Archival and Information Studies. The project began in the summer of 2008 and went live in September 2009. The literature review was completed in early 2009, the outline of the course was written and as of June 2009, topics for the class were finalized, Vista was selected as the content management system and six modules were written.

Course overview - tools, social processes, the future

The term social media refers to a range of web-based tools and applications that people use to socialize and network in the 21st century. Social media is central to the rise of web 2.0 -- a set of trends that positions the web as a highly-social, interactive space, one that facilitates communication, networked communities and collaboration. Web 2.0 is often described as a social, participatory, grassroots, global community, attributes that are critical to collaborative work and learning in the information age. This course explores the use of social media technologies as channels of conversation (and information) as well as how web 2.0's underlying principles change the way people communicate and interact in the digital age. Of particular interest is how librarians and archivists use social media to connect with constituencies, engage in discussion (and debate) and how they use tools to improve on their delivery of innovative services and programmes. (Examples include: blogs, wikis, RSS, social networking, social tagging, Second Life and Library 2.0, etc). Near the end of the course, time is allocated to discuss some of the instructor's nascent ideas about the future of social software, in areas such as online performance and reputation management, over-technicization of our work and conducting research (i.e. evidence-based web 2.0) to support the application of social media. Developing web 2.0 strategies and policies for librarians and archivists within their organizations will also be introduced as an emerging or future planning and management tool for information professionals.

Course name, duration and delivery

• LIBR 559M - Social Media for Information Professionals
• LIBR 559M - Course description
• LIBR 559M - Online Course Design Strategies & Considerations

Brainstorming - objectives

• Use, evaluate and/or critique blogs, wikis, social networking sites and social tagging tools;
• Discuss how various social software tools are used to deliver and improve library and information services;
• Discuss how social software can solve information problems and build best practices;
• Discuss major web 2.0 themes and role in strategic planning
• Evaluate tools and web 2.0 issues within the context of different learning organizations;
• Position tools in a larger (macro) global and sociocultural context for collaborative learning and education in the digital age

Key stakeholders

• Mary Sue Stephenson - SLAIS Senior Instructor; Chair, MLIS Program, Coordinator of Information Technology
• E-learning at UBC. and Teaching online
• Brian Lamb and Abject learning blog
• Jeff Miller - MET coordinator within the Distance Education and Technology office at UBC
• Web 2.0 policy documents & strategies in higher education

1001 Web 2.0 Tools

• 1001 Web 2.0 Tools. World Mosaic.

LIS courses re: social software

• EC&I 834: The Nature of Online Education
• INF385T Social Media for Information Specialists
• LIS 697: Social Media. Anthony Cocciolo, Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science
• LIS9763 - Social Software & Libraries. University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Information and Media Studies.
  **Amanda Etches-Johnson.
• LIS 768 - St. Kate’s. A Course on Library 2.0 & Social Networking.
  **Michael Stephens and his syllabus
• Six Weeks to a Semantic Library
• Social Networking Tools: Hands on Learning. CE Course taught by Connie Crosby. UofT Faculty of Information Science.
• University of Michigan, School of Information - Social Computing Specialization
• Steve Garwood's "Social Software" course from Rutgers (Taught by Anselm Spoerri in 2009)
• Archive of Five Weeks to a Social Library
• UIUC Course on Second Life

Other social software courses

• SocialLearn: learning on the open social web. The Open University.
• Howard Rheingold's Social media course at Stanford

Key articles

see a full list here: LIBR 559M - Course Resources

• Aharony N. Web 2.0 in U.S. LIS Schools: Are They Missing the Boat? Ariadne January 2008; 54
• ARL - Social Software in Libraries: SPEC Kit 304
• "Critical Perspectives on Web 2.0", Special issue of First Monday, 13(3), 2008.
• Bawden D. Towards Curriculum 2.0: library / information education for a Web 2.0 world
• Maness JM. Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and its Implications for Libraries. 2006
• McLoughlin C, Lee MJW. Future learning landscapes: transforming pedagogy through social software. Pedagogy 2.0. Journal of Online Education. 4(5); June/July 2008
• Vickery G, Wunsch-Vincent S. Participative web and user-created content: web 2.0, wikis and social networking. OECD, 2007.

Key monographs

• Bradley P. How to use web 2.0 in your library. London: Facet, 2007.
• Caffarella RS. Planning programs for adult learners: a practical guide for educators, trainers and staff developers. 2nd edition. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA; 2002.
• Casey ME, Savastinuk LC. Library 2.0: a guide to participatory library service. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 2007.
• Cohen L. Library 2.0 Initiatives in Academic Libraries. 2008 (wiki version)
• Courtney N. Library 2.0 and beyond. Innovative technologies and tomorrow's user. Westport: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.
• Crawford W. Public Library Blogs. 252 Examples. Scotts Valley: CreateSpace, 2007.
• Godwin P. Information literacy meets library 2.0. (Introductory chapter, 2008)
• Kroski E. Web 2.0 for librarians and information professionals. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2007.
• Parkes DH. Web 2.0 and libraries: impacts, technologies and trends. Oxford: Chandos, 2007.
• Rigby B. Mobilizing Generation 2.0: a practical guide to using web 2.0. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.
• Sauers MP. Blogging and RSS: a librarian's guide. Medford: Information Today, 2006.
• Stephens M. Web 2.0 and libraries: best practices for social software. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006.