February 9th

Building Collaboration, Participation, and
Community in Libraries

Social software has changed the way we all work and play online, leading us into an age of participation. It is also opening up new opportunities for reaching out to patrons, providing library services and transforming our websites from static sources of information to vibrant and interactive virtual branches. Farkas, author of the book Social Software in Libraries, will explore the world of social software and how libraries can capitalize on these tools to improve communication between the library and its patrons, build online communities, and collaborate professionally. Practical tips on implementing social software will be offered, illustrated by libraries that are using the technologies in innovative ways.

Keynote Speaker

Meredith Farkas is the Head of Instructional Initiatives at Norwich University in Vermont. She is also an adjunct faculty member at San Jose State University's School of Library and Information Science.

Meredith is the author of the book "Social Software in Libraries:

Building Collaboration, Communication and Community Online"

(Information Today, 2007) and writes the monthly column "Technology in Practice" for American Libraries. A 2006 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, Meredith was recently honored with the 2009 LITA/Library Hi Tech award for Outstanding Communication in Library and Information Technology.