Podcast Project: Social Media in Academic Libraries

Interview with Anne

I have conducted almost 9 minutes interview with Anne Moon, UWC E-Resources Librarian,  on the use of Social Media at the University of the Western Cape Library. I have included the audio clip of the interview below.

 QUESTION 1

I manage two Twitter accounts on behalf of UWC Library, viz the below:

https://twitter.com/UwcResearchSupp

https://twitter.com/UWCLibrary

The LICT technicians on Level 6 sometimes assist me with the updating of https://twitter.com/UWCLibrary

I also manage my own personal Twitter account at https://twitter.com/moonlighter1965


QUESTION 2

The main purpose is information sharing.
For example, I have advised our users about an important new tool called UnPayWall. See: https://twitter.com/UWCLibrary/status/861485167558504448
I also advise them of database trials and of changes to our Open Hours (during, for example, #FeesMustFall).


QUESTION 3

UWC staff, students and researchers.


QUESTION 4

This question would need to be directed at Ricardo Davids as he is actually the Social Media Librarian. He uses analytical software tools and can see not only which resources are being accessed but also via which browsers and which devices, (e.g. smartphone types, tablets, PCs, etc).


QUESTION 5

Again, this question would need to be directed at Ricardo Davids. From my side, I can say that Level 6 staff and myself are the only people updating these accounts. There does not appear to be any commitment at all from the other parties who have a joint responsibility to do so, especially w.r.t. the account at https://twitter.com/UwcResearchSupp

 

02 April 2017 - LBS 708

02 April 2017 - LBS 708

This week's class was a combination of both theory and practical exercises.

We learnt the following:

1. Audacity.net - https://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/

Audacity® is free, open source, cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing. This exercise was conducted in support of the students who will be doing Podcast for Project 2.

2. Internet Archive - www.archive.org

 Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more. This is where one can search for archives of certain websites.

3. Library success - www.libsuccess.org

This is a wiki for Librarians. Any Librarian that wishes to upload the work can create an account and be able to upload their work or any information they think is worth sharing and that will be of professional benefit to the community.

4. 23 Things - www.23things.ed.ac.uk

This is a list of 23online  things that you can learn about and use to improve the communication and services in your library. These include blogging, twitter, facebook, Wikimedia, etc.

The University of Edinburgh’s 23 Things for Digital Knowledge is an award winning (LILAC Credo Digital Literacy Award 2017) self-directed course, run by Information Services Group. The programme seeks to expose you to a range of digital tools for your personal and professional development as a researcher, academic, student, or professional. The aim is for you to spend a little time each week building up and expanding your skills (http://www.23things.ed.ac.uk/how-to-take-part/).

Digitisation

The second session which was a theory session was on Digitisation.

Digitisation - is the transferring of print document into a digital format for easy access on a computer

Why digitising?

 Single point of access

Accessible to those who were unable to visit the physical location, saving time and travel costs.

Ability to access existing resources previously limited by their format, such as large maps and materials stored on microfilm.

Generating income

Many documents contain information that can have a commercial value when presented to the right audiences. Digitisation unlocks this potential to create new income streams.

Brand - Opening up your archives can benefit your brand by inspiring new audiences and raising the profile of the institution. Many modern brands are rediscovering the value of their ‘brand heritage’.

Searchability - Capturing the right descriptive data from a digitised document makes finding relevant content much easier and helps maximise research efficiency.

Preservation - Physical documents will not need to be accessed as often, therefore reducing potential damage caused by handling.

Interaction - Digitised content is versatile and can be used to communicate with customers across a range of channels. It is a particularly strong tool for social media, opening a dialogue with customers and encouraging activities like crowdsourcing and blogging.

Integration - Records can be integrated with digital systems and made readily discoverable within digital catalogues.

Disaster recovery - Paper records are vulnerable to many risks. Digital copies ensure information remains retrievable if a site disaster leads to loss of analogue formats.

What should be digitised?

- Fragile material and housed in a distant place.

- Non-replaceable material

We were also advised to visit Mayibuye Archives at UWC  to see more digitised and rear material