For the background on this issue, see Quis custodiet isos custodes.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the American Psychological Association has decided to offer copies of the second printing of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed as replacements for July’s first printing, which was found to contain a significant number of errors.

A quick search of the APA website hasn’t found any announcements or instructions, but a quick search of the social networks has turned up the following:

• A notice on the Inside Higher Ed Quick Takes site, linking to…
• A posting on the Boycott the APA Manual, 6th Edition Facebook page (membership required to view) by John Foubert, a faculty member from Oklahoma State, which states the following:

“I have just received word that After November 2, call APA at 1-800-374-2721, ext. 5510. Ask for instructions on how to go on-line and print a mailing label you can use to return your copy and receive a corrected copy.”

Whether this is all correct remains to be seen (and any incorrect information will be changed or removed as I learn more), but it appears that there is a window between November 2nd and November 15th to initiate replacing copies of the manuals.

found via Bill Drew on Facebook (more of that social networking)

Jenny Levine makes a great case on The Shifted Librarian for adding a feature to your sites that allows users to easily share your content via social networks.  Not only will this offer a way for your users to help spread the work about services and activities that you offer, but it can help them keep track of information they find so that they can revisit it later.  This will be a benefit for users of mobile browsers, which are rapidly becoming a more significant portion of visitors to our web sites.

You may notice that I have followed her advice and have added the Add to Any service to this blog, visible at the bottom of every post (and checked to ensure it validates against XHTML and CSS standards, of course; a requirement I have for any add-on).

Shane Fitzgerald, a Sociology student at University College in Dublin, Ireland (not Ohio), performed an experiment in March in which he placed several fake quotes about death in the Wikipedia entry for Maurice Jarre, who had just died, including this one:

“When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head and that only I can hear.”

His intention was to see how the fake, but seemingly relevant, information would be used on the internet.  He expected it to be picked up by blogs and social networks, and wanted to see how far it would go.

To his surprise, the quotes were picked up by the major media, and appeared in many publications considered far more authoritative than Wikipedia.  Fitzgerald notified many of the media outlets of the experiment, and many have issued corrections, including the Guardian.  To his additional surprise, however, many have not issued corrections.

For most library people, there is a healthy respect for Wikipedia.  It is a powerful tool, one that can save time and effort in research, and can answer many questions for which we do not require a high level of authority.  One does need to understand how far the information is to be trusted.  We see quite a few people who scorn any reliance on Wikipedia, some even in the library world (who should know better).  One would expect that journalists would have at least the same level of skepticism.

Today I present a modified version of a (hopefully properly remembered) Japanese saying.  The original, which refers to Fugu, a delicacy made from a toxin-containing pufferfish, is, to my memory:

Those who eat fugu are stupid.  But those who don’t eat fugo are also stupid.

My version of this quote is:

Those who rely on Wikipedia are foolish.  But those who don’t rely on Wikipedia are also foolish.

found through ResourceShelf

The 2008 ECAR (EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research) survey has been released, and they have added a section on social networking (pdf version of chapter here).  Among the findings:

• Slightly over 85% of those surveyed use social networks, with Facebook and MySpace topping the list.
• Younger students (under 30) tended to use Facebook, while older ones tend towards MySpace.
• About 50% use social networking for discussing classwork with other students; only about 5% use it for discussing classwork with instructors.

The only one of these three that surprised me was the tendancy towards Facebook/MySpace by age.  I have thought of MySpace as appealing to younger users than Facebook.

Social networks are definitely here to stay.  In five years we may not be discussing Facebook or MySpace (because they might have been superceded by a yet un-created network), but people will be more interconnected, not less.

The third point is one that should make us take notice.  Half of the surveyed students have used social networks to discuss classwork; the main reason they haven’t discussed it with instructors (and by extension, the library folk) is that we view it as some sort of cyber malt shop, a place only for their peers.

If we make ourselves available on social networks, we aren’t going to find ourselves becoming an overnight sensation.  We will, however, give people one more way to view us as being there to assist them.

Whether we create OPAC search tools to embed (or even highlight the good ones that exist, like WorldCat and CiteMe in Facebook – also here), create an institutional identity, or just make ourselves more visible as individuals, there is much we can do to assist students and promote our services.

We can jump on board the trolley, or be left behind.  The choice is ours, both individually and collectively.  I am on Facebook and LinkedIn, btw… and you should be too.

found via Web4Lib — thanks Gerry McKiernan!

Brian Mathews – Social Computing

When do we reach Library 2.0? No final destination; no “library 2.0″ finishing point: it’s an evolving picture.

Sisyphus analogy: it’s not what you do when rolling the rock up the hill, it’s what you do walking back down… “how do I do it differently this time?”

Website: LiveJournal – geared towards blogging to friends

We use social networks as:

• assessment tools
• opinions
• use
• non-use
• etc.
• outreach tools
• reference
• institution
• tutorials??
• search
• relationship building / collaboration
• etc.

He discussed library storefronts (comment: makes me think of a portal)

• blogs
• photo
• IM
• calendars

Facebook has lots of librarians, and for academic and school libraries, a lot of your patrons

the key to using these tools / sites = social interaction… “not manipulating, but causing ripples”

• They are ready-made for groups
• how do people find out about ???
• can we use new tools to create new messages? new images? experiences?
• can we match our product offerings with their needs?
• the right message to the right person at the right time

Products Needs

• targeted message
• “marketing”

blogs, facebook, myspace, posters, classroom sessions, etc.

• “Don’t just do it because everyone else is”
• “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Experiment! And be prepared to make a mess.”
• “Don’t expect students to get excited.”

Website: Google Groups

q&a question:

Tools for self forming groups (his campus system implemented one; he has generated groups relating to library, i.e. distance learning library resources)

Notes: Social networking is the area I am least familiar with, so this was a great learning experience. I like his emphasis on these services being the means to communicate with our patrons, not the end in and of themselves.

I especially think his approach towards finding campus social computing groups that the library would be a natural part of (study groups, class projects, etc.) and introducing his services into the equation. Very proactive.