7) Commenting on other blogs

• The first blog I commented on was Susana's excellent blog titled Social Media and Libraries:

Comment 1: "Hi Susana. Your blog looks very professional. I really like the background design. I hope   you and your family are well."
Comment 2: "This is an excellent summary of the Randwick government area. The map looks good and you have included a lot of important information which appears to be well organised. Is Randwick Council amalgamating with any other councils? I know that there has been a lot of drama and controversy on the Northern Beaches as a result of forced local government mergers."

• Still waiting for another blog to comment on...

        
       

6) Change the colour of your blog

• I tried a few different templates but in the end I preferred to keep the same template, "watermark". After experimenting with a few background colours and images I changed the colour from a dark brown to a beige colour and the background itself to a blogger provided background photograph. It is from the "Arts" selection of background photographs and is a close-up image of some text.

5) Recommendations

Local Studies: I would recommend that Manly Library take greater advantage of Flickr to present its local studies section to the public. Manly Library could look at how the State Library of NSW or the National Library of Australia present their historical photographs through Flickr and thus proceed. I would also suggest that Manly Library creates a separate but linked Facebook page for its local studies section. Manly Library already has an excellent local studies blog and this could be linked to the prospective Facebook page and Instagram page. Manly Library could also make use of YouTube to create a channel of historical local film, although this might be subjected to copyright constraints. Of course, all of these Web 2.0 applications need to be linked back to the Manly Library webpage.

Adult Fiction: As with "Local Studies", I suggest that Manly Library makes use of its already excellent adult fiction blog and link it to an "Adult Fiction" Facebook page and also link it back to the Library website. A Pinterest page or other social bookmarking page would be useful as well. This page could bookmark webpages and images of pertinent adult fiction or literary webpages such as goodreads and novelist.

Information/Reference: This is perhaps the area where Manly Library could make the most use of Web 2.0 technology. By utilising a wide range of social media applications, Manly Library could become a leading institution for local information and community networking on the Northern Beaches. I would suggest a multi-faceted campaign which would inlcude a dedicated Facebook page, a Twitter feed, a seperate Flickr account, a YouTube Channel and a blog. These applications would all be closely linked, perhaps under one specific title such as "Manly Library Community Information and News". The network would address a wide range of information, news and events pertaining not only to Manly Library but to the wider Northern Beaches community. The possibilities are literally endless. The content could feature interviews, reviews, news, art and culture, local history and educational materials - just to name a few. The benefits of a campaign such as this would be multi-dimensional: it would provide a valuable service to the local community and would also increase the value that Manly Library has to the local community. This, as a result, could create more funding and business opportunities for the library and local government.

Some examples of best practice libraries:

• The State Library of NSW: uses a wide range of Web 2.0 technologies. Uses professionally presented social media pages such as facebook, twitter, instagram, flickr, blogs, podcasts and pinterest and all are linked to the main webpage. Link:  http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/
• New York Public Library: one would expect a strong social media/web 2.0 presence for an operation as large as this and this is certainly the case. The New York Public Library utilises blogs, facebook, twitter, youtube, instagram, tumblr and podcasts. Link: https://www.nypl.org/
• The Boston Public Library: makes excellent use of web 2.0 applications. They use facebook, twitter, instagram, flickr, youtube and pinterest as well as blogs. The Boston Public Library also uses an online catalogue where users can tag, comment, review, rate, and add other content to any item. This is perhaps the best example of Web 2.0 technology use by a library that I have seen, so far. Link: http://www.bpl.org/contact/socialmedia.htm 

4) Evaluation of Web 2.0 technologies at Manly Library

• After having closely examined the Manly Library webpage, there appears to be a dearth of Web 2.0 technologies on this webpage. The Manly Library webpage appears to be very small and is really only a minor adjunct to the Northern Beaches Council webpage. There are a series of blogs for people to access and comment on, all of which use Blogger by Google. The library also uses "historypin.org", "photosau.com" and some film and video websites (beamafilm.com and rbdigital.com). However, these last two webpages are not really good examples of Web 2.0 technology because they allow only limited user engagement (i.e. comments etc). Manly Library incorporates a small "MyAccount" section of its ILMS, where library clients can create online reviews of library books. Manly library has a facebook page (with very few posts) and also several other connected facebook pages that promote events and programs, however, these facebook pages are completely unlinked to the Manly Library webpage. Manly Library does not have a twitter feed, does not have a youtube channel and does not appear to use social bookmarking sites such as pinterest. Manly Library does, however, have a flickr account and an instagram account, but these accounts contain what appears to be a random assortment of photos without any perceivable classification or organisation. The problem for Manly Library, as with its facebook pages, is that none of these social media applications are linked to the Manly Library webpage. In summary, it is reasonable to say that Manly Library could greatly improve its social media presence and its use of Web 2.0 technologies.

• - Local studies: Manly Library publishes a blog titled "Manly local studies", and also uses historypin.org and photosau.com to post historical local photographs. 

- Children's: Manly Library publishes a blog titled "Youth at the beaches" and the Manly Library            facebook page contains information about children's programs and events.

 - Adult fiction: Manly Library publishes a blog titled "Novel ideas" which contains adult fiction book     reviews and recommendations from staff, upcoming events and other book news. The Manly Library facebook page also contains informationa nd news pertaining to adult fiction.

 - Information / Reference: Manly Library publishes other blogs titled "Manly families" and "Green and groovy @ Manly Library" that discuss information such as geneaology, environmental sustainability and arts and crafts. The Manly Library facebook page also contains information such as opening/closing times and address details.

• Some of the reasons for the lack of Web 2.0 technologies associated with Manly Library are a) a lack of government or private funding; b) social media presence may be considered a lower priority by the library management; c) staff may lack the time or appropriate skills to take full advantage of Web 2.0 technologies.

3) Community profiles

• I live in the suburb of Manly which is part of the newly amalgamted Northern Beaches Council area of Sydney
• Community Profile: the Northern Beaches Council area is situated on Sydney's Northern Beaches of which Manly is perhaps the cultural centre. Manly library seeks to tailor its services to the local community so as to best match the following demographics (from Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). Manly has a population of about 45365. About 30% of Manly's residents were born overseas. Manly residents have a median age of about 37. Manly has a negligible number of indigenous Australian residents (less than 3). Manly residents have a median household income of  $2208 per week. People with university degrees make up about 20% of Manly's population. The population of Manly almost doubles in the summer months, with backpackers and tourists making up a significant portion of the population. People from non-English speaking backgrounds make up about 10% of the population.    
• Source: http://atlas.id.com.au/manly#MapNo=10173&SexKey=3&datatype=1&themtype=3&topicAlias=population-density&year=2011 
• Council website link:  http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au
• Library section of council website: http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/library/ 

•  Northern Beaches Council logo and map:      
  
  
  Manly local government area, now known as Northern Beaches Council area.
  
  

2) Podcasts

1)  A podcast as a digital audio file that is uploaded to the internet for other people to listen to through downloading or streaming to a compatible device. Uploaders often create a series of podcasts that are available at regular intervals (e.g. once a week). Examples of podcasts are radio programs, educational materials and musical presentations. Some podcasts are free and others are by subscription only.

Libraries have been taking advantage of podcast technology for some time now. Libraries can create podcasts on topics ranging from literary discussions, collections that they curate, educational programs, book club meetings and technology. Many libraries upload their podcasts onto the libraries webpage so that library clients can listen remotely at their discretion. Like most podcasts, library podcasts attempt to be entertaining and engaging so that listeners will want to continue to listen. Library podcasts are usually available for free to library members.


2) Example of a library podcast:

• The National Library of Australia
•  "Lecture Launch: Janet Venn-Brown"
•  https://www.nla.gov.au/audio/lecture-launch-janet-venn-brown
• Summary of podcast: Australian artist Janet Venn-Brown and author Peter Manning discuss Janet's life as a travelling artist. She moved to Rome in the 1960s to become more involved in artistic life. In 1972 she was engaged to Wael Zuaiter, a Palestinian poet who was assasinated by the Israeli secret service (Mossad) on suspicions that he was involved in the 1972 Munich Olympic terrorist attack. There is, as yet, no direct proof that he was involved. As a result of this experience Venn-Brown spent much of her time as a Palestinian activist. Janet Venn-Brown is now in her 90s and still painting and living in Rome.
  

1) Introduction to Tim Edison

Hello, my name is Tim Edison. I have spent much of my professional life working as a music therapist and carer for adults with intellectual disabilities. I enjoy music, reading and exercise. About fifteen months ago I decided to study for a Diploma of Library and Information Services. I spent most of last year working as a School Library Assistant.

My interest in libraries is focused mainly in my passion for literature. I am interested in many genres of literature including classic literature, American literature, history, science and philosophy. I also enjoy the challenge of helping students of all ages find the information they need for their research and studies.