Boston – Pioneers in Librarianship

Boston

Boston was the first place in North America to have a public library (and they have a gorgeous building), so it follows that they might be leaders in the new frontiers of librarianship.

Boston Public Library (photo by p_a_h)

But we’re actually here to visit UMASS Boston Healey Library, not the Boston Public Library.

UMASS Boston Healey Library Homepage

The Healey Library Course Resource Hub

I’ve really got to hand it to the folks at the Healey Library (UMASS). Not only have they really embraced wikis as learning tools, they also do it with humour! Their wikispaces wiki is packed with useful information: course lists, subject guides, info about research help (under the apt heading of Research Survival Workshops and with a great cartoon of a stressed-out student!), resource lists, links to their virtual reference, news and updates.

Stressed-out student?

It’s clearly laid out and I found it very easy to use and navigate. I liked their clear invitation to participate in the wiki, as that is a “fundamental principle of true wikiness” (from Elements of Wiki Essence, but which I read in Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not, by Brian Lamb, his blog). I was particularly impressed that they have a discussion tab on their courses lists. People can post resources (I found useful information about databases), and opinions. I also liked their Library Services for Distance Learners Page.

Their wiki clearly fits into the rest of their webpage, which also has a nice, clean design. They also have a Bird Blog about the To Kill a Mockingbird Big Read (an attempt to get more Americans reading for pleasure, similar to our Canada Reads and One Book, One Vancouver). And they have virtual catalogs, which give access to shared resources, one for academic libraries throughout New England and one for academic and public libraries throughout Massachusetts. And I thought their FAQ was very relevant, aimed helping on-line users get up and running.

I didn’t find it easy to find their wiki from the library homepage (possibly due to pressure of graduate school), but I did eventually find it ( I knew it was there and I kept looking). I was looking for Healey Resource Hub wiki and it was called course wikis (which is probably how their users think of it).

A possible improvement would be to tighten up the layout of the Resource Hub Home page. There is a lot of space between course titles, and if students are in a hurry (when are they not?) they might never scroll down and find the rest of the content.

I would certainly use this wiki if I were a UMASS student/library patron. As a somewhat stressed-out grad student, I can say that stressed-out students would find it easy to use.