[Web4lib] Library link list collections

[Alan Cockerill]

We maintain lists, but I'm not a fan.  I think if you want to offer subject
resource 'browsing' why not point your students at an Intute
(http://www.intute.ac.uk/) for example, and help the Intute people identify
sites. Why have thousands of libraries maintain lists of links to generic
subjects?

While the sites identified might be better (on average) than a site found
via Google users still want to search more than browse, so I've toyed with
the idea of using Google custom search to search the sites listed in a
specific subject guide. 

I've been trialling it at
http://www.library.jcu.edu.au/subjectgds/Fac2/NetResources/accounting.shtml#
beta

One way of highlighting 'cons' of maintaining lists of links to your link
list owners is to get serious about maintaining them. So get a link checker
and send the reports to the respective maintainers regularly (monthly or
quarterly) - and - send them the usage statistics (minus crawler activity)
regularly.  Then they have the evidence they need to make their own
decisions about ROI.

I blogged about it early in the year
http://jculibrarytechnology.blogspot.com/2008/02/new-approach-to-web-resourc
e-discovery.html if you're really bored.

Cheers, Alan.

Alan Cockerill
Library Technologies Coordinator
James Cook University, Cairns 

PO Box 6811
CAIRNS QLD 4870
Phone:+61 7 4042 1737
Fax: +61 7 4042 1516
Email: Alan.Cockerill at jcu.edu.au
Skype: alan.cockerill.jcu
http://www.library.jcu.edu.au/Staff/alan.shtml

CRICOS Provider Code: 00117J (QLD)


-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Cecily Walker
Sent: Thursday, 4 December 2008 5:13 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] Library link list collections

Hi everyone,

I'm working on a project regarding library link lists/link
collections. I'm interested in finding out whether your library
manages a list or collection of web links for your patrons. If your
library does have such a list, would you mind sharing:

(1) the average number of links in your collection;
(2) your method for managing the links;
(3) weeding policies;

and any other items you think might be useful?  Our library currently
uses delicious to manage approximately 5800 links, and managing these
links has become quite a chore. I'd like to see this collection go the
way of the dodo, because I think many people turn to Google find the
answers these lists used to provide.

If your library decided to stop collecting and publishing links lists,
I'd also love to hear the reason why.

Thanks,
Cecily Walker
Web Services Librarian
Vancouver Public Library


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