Institutions

Reference bookmarks

Lorcan 1 min read

When to use general network level services to get library work done, and when to develop library-specific approaches?: this is a question that now comes up in several places.
Here is an interesting intiative from the National Library of Australia, using del.ico.us to support collaborative virtual reference.

AskNow librarians need to balance the time necessary to search for reliable and freely accessible web-based resources, with user expectations that they will receive relevant information instantaneously. The challenge lies not only in searching for, but also evaluating websites, in a short space of time. Librarians involved with the AskNow service (www.asknow.gov.au) recently started using the social bookmarking tool, del.icio.us (https://del.icio.us), to help them meet that challenge. [AskNow’s del.icio.us Useful Resources – GATEWAYS – National Library of Australia]

AskNow’s del.icio.us webpage, at https://del.icio.us/usefulresources, assists librarians in finding relevant websites and online resources quickly, whilst also satisfying user expectations and matching their information needs. When a question is received the librarian can search within del.icio.us/usefulresources for an appropriate website and share it with the patron. [AskNow’s del.icio.us Useful Resources – GATEWAYS – National Library of Australia]

Share
Comments
More from LorcanDempsey.net
So-called soft skills are hard
Institutions

So-called soft skills are hard

So-called soft skills are important across a range of library activities. Existing trends will further amplify this importance. Describing these skills as soft may be misleading, or even damaging. They should be recognized as learnable and teachable, and should be explicitly supported and rewarded.
Lorcan 12 min read
The technology career ladder
Institutions

The technology career ladder

Library leaders should be drawn from across the organization. Any idea that technology leaders are overly specialised or too distant from general library work is outmoded and counter-productive.
Lorcan 7 min read
icon

Lorcan Dempsey dot Net

The social, cultural and technological contexts of libraries, services and networks

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to LorcanDempsey.net.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.