Libraries with genealogy and local history collections spend a great deal of time and effort in collecting, preserving, cataloging, indexing, digitizing, and providing access to their materials. However, these activities may be wasted if potential researchers are unaware of the existence of these materials, or are lacking the knowledge and skills to navigate the materials. Many libraries have long used traditional methods to market their collections, such as printed newsletters, and to educate their patrons, such as printed handouts and face-to-face workshops. These methods are increasingly expensive, time-consuming, and limited in their audience reach.
This paper describes a wide variety of social networking tools as they are already being used by genealogy and local history libraries to publicize their collections, services, and activities; to provide new forms of access to materials and services; to instruct their users
in general research methods or in the use of specific materials; and to collaborate with researchers, other libraries, or other organizations. For each type of tool, the paper defines the tool, provides an example of the tool, identifies one or more genealogy or
local history libraries already making use of the tool, and outlines the tool’s potential benefits and drawbacks.
Blogs are being used to alert the public in an easy, timely manner as to special library events and the additions of new items or databases to the collection, while simultaneously providing a mechanism for feedback from patrons. Wikis, such as the FamilySearch Wiki, make it possible for libraries to harness the specialized research knowledge of its users to help other patrons. Photo and video sharing sites, such as Flickr and YouTube, are being used by libraries to showcase their historic photo archives to a wide audience
or to publish video tutorials. Social bookmarking sites, such as Delicious, are enabling libraries to create easily accessible sets of useful links to Internet resources and to see what websites patrons are already using. Book sharing sites, such as LibraryThing, are
providing a new way for collection development librarians to more quickly identify possible additions to genealogy collections by examining what materials are already held in personal genealogy libraries.
Facebook and Genealogy Wise are examples of social networking sites that can be used by genealogy libraries to create a virtual fan club. Google Wave is a tool that combines several types of social networking features that can be used by libraries to manage
projects and events. Podcasting tools make it possible for libraries to inexpensively create occasional or regular audio programs that give a human voice to the library and that can be enjoyed by patrons while they commute, exercise, or engage in household
chores. Screencasting tools such as Jing can be used by genealogy and local history libraries to quickly and easily generate brief online tutorials that highlight a particular collection and explain how to use it.
A family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success. Read more »
Recently I have found myself cooing over visualisation maps (and heat maps) of health and well being resources. The content rich data is overlayed with mapping technologies, and some interesting themes and patterns are emerging.
A lot of the talk around social media in the last year has been around information overload. Social media has provided us with new and exciting ways to create content. But it has also meant learning new ways to manage and engage with social media tools. Are we teetering on the edge of an information overload precipice?
Information overload is a figment of your imagination. Or a failure of your filter. Or a symptom of your technological submissiveness. Depends on who you ask.
What if you had to sort through 3.5 million articles and social media posts a day and try to pull out the most relevant items for your organisation? What if you then had to cobble it all together into something readable for your top groups and executives in your organisation?
Alacra Compliance saves time by aggregating information from both free and fee-based sources and enabling users to conduct an accurate federated search across these sources (coined “simultaneous search” by Alacra).
FreePint Family
Quilting big data threads
The fallacy of information overload
Information overload: fact, fantasy or filter failure? 
