Library of Congress | 2010 Library of Congress Web 2.0 Pilots Michelle Springer Office of Strategic Initiatives

2 Key Strategies Key LOC Web 2.0 Strategies:  Offer Web 2.0 tools on loc.gov (where the content is)  Provide content via additional channels (where the users and more Web 2.0 tools are)  Communicate at the point of need--where people are interacting and looking for information on the Web-- about LOC news, events, lectures, collections, and the Library generally

3 Library of Congress Web 2.0 Pilots Pilot distribution of LOC content to sites that use Web 2.0 technologies  Set Clear Objectives  Identify Distribution Channels  Make Agreements/Legal Stuff  Develop and Refine Processes to Create and Load Initial Content  Launch Sites  Assess Quantitative and Qualitative Outcomes

4 Objectives A clear understanding of objectives will guide pilot management and resource allocation LOC Objectives:  Increase awareness of Library collections  Increase engagement opportunities  Develop new communication channels  Develop relationships  Reach new audiences  Experiment and explore new technologies

5 Identify Distribution Channels Content used in any pilot must be already available on the Library’s Web site. This offered several advantages and the Library and the public can be confident that the material will remain accessible regardless of the long- term viability or future access policies of the non-Library site. Any agreement to place content on a non-LC site must be non-exclusive. Access to the Library’s content must be free (i.e., without cost). Notwithstanding advertisements that might appear on various search results pages, no advertising should appear on the Library’s account page in close proximity to the Library’s content. An option to control or entirely exclude advertising on the account is preferred.

6 Identify Distribution Channels The Library should be clearly identified as the source of the content. Pages with Library content should be branded both graphically and through account naming conventions. The material uploaded by the Library must be clearly distinguishable from any non-Library generated content. The site must allow the Library to remove and moderate user-supplied content to ensure that inappropriate material, if found, could be promptly removed (or in a pre-moderation model, not be posted).

7 Library of Congress Web 2.0 Pilots Pilot distribution of LOC content to sites that use Web 2.0 technologies  Set Clear Objectives  Identify Distribution Channels  Make Agreements/Legal Stuff  Develop and Refine Processes to Create and Load Content  Launch Sites  Assess Quantitative and Qualitative Outcomes

8 Identify Distribution Channels LC Hosted:  RSS Feeds (2006)  Library of Congress Blog (2007)  Sharing tool (2009) External sites through which the Library is communicating and/or distributing content in pilot projects:  Flickr (2008)  Twitter (2009)  YouTube (2009)  iTunes U / iTunes (2009)  Facebook (2009)

9 Sharing Tools

10 LOC Blog LOC Blog: Launched April 24, 2007 One of the first federal agency blogs Inside Adams: Launched Oct 30, 2009 Focus on Science, Technology and Business In the Muse: Launched Dec. 15, 2009 Focus on Music Joined the blogosphere to reach beyond standard media channels, increase transparency, and connect with the community Posts build interest in LOC events, news, collections, acquisitions, lectures, exhibits, initiatives, etc. 17, & feed reader subscribers

11 Twitter Pilot Launched Jan. 27, ,000+ followers and growing –Press, library community, general public Short original posts designed to build interest in LOC events, news, jobs, announcements, lectures, collections, and exhibits Links to LOC web pages Redistribution of LOC RSS feeds Launched Oct. 22, 2009

12 Twitter Pilot Engagement of the Twitter community, “re-tweeting” LOC messages and reaching beyond LOC followers

13 Flickr Pilot

14 Flickr Pilot Three Objectives Increase awareness by sharing photographs from the Library’s collections with people who enjoy images but might not visit the Library’s own Web site Gain a better understanding of how social tagging and community input could benefit both the Library and users of the collections Gain experience participating in the emergent Web communities that would be interested in the kinds of materials in the Library’s collections.

15 Flickr Pilot of_congress Launched Jan.16, 2008 with 3100 photos; over 8000 images today 23 million views total; 800,000+ views a month High User Engagement: 28,000+ contacts 19,800+ user comments 22,542+ unique tags 97,700+ total tags 93,200+ favorites 940 in groups

16 Flickr Pilot Unexpected Outcomes: Flickr Commons Initiative 31 Libraries, archives, and museums are adding collections with no known copyright restrictions to the Flickr Commons International Participation: U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, and Sweden

17 Flickr Pilot

18 Flickr Pilot Unexpected outcomes (cont.): Huge outpouring of appreciation for old photos Major search engines are giving added weight to the photos loaded onto Flickr Over 1000 records in the Prints and Photographs catalog have been enhanced with new information from the Flickr community.

19 Flickr Pilot “Power commenters” provide corrected place names, precise dates, event names, and fuller names for individuals History detectives contribute historical info & links to NYT archive, Wikipedia, and highly specialized Web sites /

20 Flickr Pilot Then and Now Comparisons

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23 YouTube & iTunes U iTunes UYoutube.com/loc

24 Facebook Pilot gress Launched July 9, ,000+ Fans Branded LOC “Home” page Information on Library news, event notifications, and promotions for Library content (photos, videos, etc)

25 Facebook Pilot folklifecenter Launched January 12, Fans in the first week Branded AFC “Home” page Information on upcoming public programs, events, and new projects, as well highlights and updates about AFC collections.

26 Library of Congress Web 2.0 Pilots Assessment of Outcomes:  Quantitative Measurements/Metrics Views and Visits Downloads Referrer Traffic to loc.gov Subscriptions & Contacts/Friends/Fans/Followers Rate of Comments/Tags  Qualitative Measurements/Engagement Positive Word of Mouth Uncovering New Communities Secondary Referral Traffic / grassroots intermediaries (ex: ReTweets, Blog Posts) Being Part of the Conversation Building Connections (Press, Returning Commentors)

27 Library of Congress Web 2.0 Pilots Challenges:  Moderation and associated resources  Disrespect for collections and smart aleck chat  False perception that formal cataloging is not valuable or needed  Loss of meaning (authoritative, contextual info)  Responding to reference queries submitted via these external channels  Sustainability-incorporation into existing workflows  Single signon/Administrative access

28 Library of Congress Web 2.0 Pilots Benefits:  Make collections available (Core mission)  Gain information about collections  Increase the visibility of specific items (photos, video, etc.)  Win support for cultural heritage organizations  Mix past & present for a better informed world  Being present at the point of need and where conversations are taking place and users are looking for information

Library of Congress Web 2.0 Pilots