Multitasking is the brain seeking novelty

There is multitasking and there multitasking!  The former is what I do throughout the day, balancing various duties that must be done, website updates, reference assistance, library instruction, resource evaluation, etc.  I can’t do all of my duties every day, that would be impossible.  So I try to focus on specific ones and occasionally I get pulled away to attend to something unplanned such as a database bill that needs to be paid, or answer a phone call by a vendor.  The latter form of multitasking I am referring to is the dangerous kind.  It’s the kind that will pull me in several different directions, or as some have called “task switching.”  It’s checking email every few minutes or updates on my favorite news website when I am working on updating EBSCO AtoZ records or creating a LibGuide.  It’s having my phone attached to me all day buzzing me about appointments coming up, or text messages from friends, and phone calls from anyone and everyone.  It’s the kind of thing that can completely destroy my agenda for a week, month, or year if I don’t keep it in check.  I read a fascinating blog post today by a neuroscientist who suggests that multitasking and our attachment to our smart phone and other forms of technology has much to do with the brain’s craving for novelty.  He says that dopamine is more of a “gimme more” neurotransmitter than it is a “feel good” neurotransmitter like many believe.  It is like an addictive drug that keeps us coming back for more.  Furthermore, he states that like drug cravings, we can lessen that impulse to keep going back to these various stimuli by giving ourselves little vacations from them, thus allowing us to go back to living a “normal life.”  I often find myself needing to do this.  I will shut down Outlook for a good portion of the day to avoid distractions.  Or I may shut my cell phone off while at home and keep the computer off for several evenings so that I can simply “be home” and enjoy it.  I highly recommend reading the article for further information.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russell-poldrack/multitasking-the-brain-se_b_334674.html

But I would like to reflect for a moment on attractions to Web 2.0 technologies.  Having jumped headlong into Library 2.0 implementation for my library in the past year, I have found myself constantly experimenting with different platforms.  I find that I get excited about something different and use it extensively, then I move onto something else.  For me, it has become somewhat of a drug.  Some technologies have stuck while some I have let fall by the wayside.  I think what is important is to stay focused on a set of goals and objective and apply these tools as a means to accomplish these goals and not a means in themselves. I am very interested in hearing from other librarians, especially Web 2.0 junkies like myself, who may have some thoughts on this topic.

Lost in a Sea of Web 2.0

OK, so I am exploring a research topic which in part will evaluate which Web 2.0 applications our students use for communication and various other productivity applications.  I know the quantity of internet tools has been growing over the years, but I am lost in a sea of applications that can be used.  The number of options for “add this” buttons comes to almost 200.  I don’t know what the overwhelming majority of them are for.   My first step would be to classify them by type, social network, social bookmarking, , etc.  Anyone know of an easy way to explore, categorize, and list these resources for an online survey?

http://thisthatotherthing.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/lost-in-a-sea-of-web-2-0/

Becoming Library 2.0 the Right Way

http://thisthatotherthing.wordpress.com/?p=132
As Logan Library moves towards Library 2.0 by integrating Web.2.0 technology, there is already discussion in the blogosphere about Web 3.0.  Any discussion of this by librarians at this point is premature at best.  Many libraries have rushed to embrace Web 2.0 technologies without having asked themselves why they should.  Many have jumped headlong and into creating a library blog and adding other features without it being tied into their library’s strategic goals.  An article in Information Today “Making Web 2.0 Work—From ‘Librarian Habilis’ to ‘Librarian Sapiens’ by Milica Cvetkovic makes the point that it must be tied into a library’s strategic goals.  Without doing so, two problems soon become apparent.  First, technologies are adopted by the library and not by their patrons.  Second, librarians often do not have the time to work on these technologies once they are launched.  It is something extra that they take on their own and considered secondary to their job.  On both of these points, I have something to say.

On the first point, I have always been reluctant to adopt something without foreseeing a direct benefit to our users.  However, I did try a few things through trial and error.  First, we started virtual reference a year and a half ago, it was hardly ever used.  But we used an external commercial service where we could only have one librarian logged in at a time and we had the link to the service only on the library’s main page.  With our implementation of LibGuides, we have placed chat widgets for each of our reference librarians (2) on every LibGuide.  Every Libguide page has at least one chat widget.  Thus, they can see if we are available wherever they are on our website doing research.  The response has been excellent; we get several IM reference requests per day.  The second experiment was to use Twitter to inform a class on updates to a specific LibGuide as well as for other library news.  In three weeks, we have only gained only four followers.  I have conducted a survey by show of hands of over 300 students during Freshmen College and Life Skills classes, asking how many use Twitter.  I often got zero hands or occasionally one or two.  But Twitter does have a scrolling ticker widget that we were able to put on our webpage so it was not a total waste.  On the second point, the title of my blog says it all.  I already do many jobs and so engaging in blogging and managing Web 2.0 platforms is just more work for me…and more stress.

It was quite timely that I read this article today (it came out today) because just a few hours before, I decided to conduct a study.  The study will 1) survey our users on what Web 2.0 technologies they are currently using (social networks, social bookmarking, communication, etc;  2) Reevaluate how our library resources are being utilized by all of our user population (database usage, location usage, etc); and 3) survey our students on their research practices.  This purpose of the study will be for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and for our own knowledge as we revise our strategic goals and objectives.  As Logan Library wades into the murky waters of Library 2.0, we will do so armed with factual knowledge of our users and not just assumptions.