Poster Board Number: 23
Title: Implementation of Web 2.0 Tools in Health Sciences Libraries: A Nationwide Survey of the Landscape
Objective: To assess the level of Web 2.0 implementation in health sciences libraries by examining 189 library websites for the presence of blogs, social media tools, short message service (SMS), LibGuides, and optimized mobile websites. By measuring the level of Web 2.0 implementation, the results might contradict notions that libraries are “slow to change.”
Methods: To compensate for historically low response rates from electronic surveys, a manual evaluation of websites was used. With the list “Medical/Health Sciences Libraries on the Web,” maintained by University of Iowa's Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, 189 health sciences libraries were identified. Due to the abundance of Web 2.0 tools available, the analysis was limited to the most commonly discussed service tools in library and information science literature. For each of the 189 websites, navigation links, site indexes, and search boxes were utilized to identify the presence of blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and SMS. To identify the use of LibGuides, Springshare’s “LibGuides Community” list of participants was consulted. Two methods were used to detect the presence of a mobile website: accessing the desktop versions with Opera mobile and iPhone mobile emulators for automatic detection, and searching the desktop versions for links to optimized mobile websites.
Results: At the time of data collection, the most commonly implemented tool was chat, at 35%. The least commonly implemented tool was SMS, at 15%. Only 2% of libraries had implemented all 8 tools, and 40% had implemented no tools at all.
Conclusions: Web 2.0 tools are ubiquitous today, providing an Internet platform for interactive applications. Because they are easy to use, many health care professionals and organizations have adopted them for information discovery and sharing. As information professionals, it is our responsibility to keep current with technology that supports and enhances health sciences communication and education. With 40% of examined libraries having none of the selected Web 2.0 tools on their sites, the authors believe that health sciences libraries are indeed “slow to change.” To overcome this challenge, librarians should participate in MLA webinars, online tutorials, and hands-on workshops that teach effective implementation of Web 2.0 tools.
Authors: Peggy Cruse, Health Sciences Librarian, Reference and Research; Sheila Yeh, Web Sciences Librarian, Information Technology; Health Sciences Library; University of Colorado-Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
