Social Content Curation - which tool is best?

Social content curation refers to collection, organisation and categorisation of the increasing amount of information available online. 

Potential online tools for this purpose include:

·      Pinterest - is a visually appealing dite for a type of online corkboard for storing selected resources. It is easy for users to locate desired information

·      Scoop.it - often used by professionals, this is a good way of sharing and learning professional information

·      Learn.ist

·      Tumblr

·      Storify

·      EduClipper

·      Diigo and Delicious allow online bookmarking of sites. Diigo allows sites to be highlighted and sticky noted to point out significant information and content can be easily tagged for retrieval and sharing.

·      LibGuides is a commercial site which can also be used here. LibGuides are useful for the library as can be used as a teaching tool such as creating pathfinders for tasks as well as library curation. 

Whilst the ease of use and visual appeal of online bookmarking sites provide significant benefits for libraries and learners, several issues exist. The ability to quickly ‘grab’ online content to store on personal sites, has been argued to encourage copyright violations (Educause, 2012, p. 2). Further, the lack of privacy controls on many sites and the inability to restrict access to the site, pose potential problems for libraries to consider (Educause, 2012, p. 1-2).

From module 2, when selecting a curation tool, important considerations include:

• Tags – is it easy
• Ability to post to multiple channels
• Is it possible to provide comments, evaluations or reviews and is there space available
• Can images be posted easily
• Can licence information be labelled clearly and easily
• Available as an app for curation on the go on a mobile device
• Compatibility with devices and browsers used by students and staff
• Is it visually appealing to users

Reference:

Developing collections to support teaching and learning [ETL 503 Module 2]. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://interact.csu.edu.au/portal/site/ETL503_201330_W_D/page/cc27bbe6-e6e0-4c57-0010-f556b9fde7d2

7 Things You Should Know About … Social Content Curation. (2012). Educause. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7089.pdf

Social Content curation - LibGuides

LibGuides is a commercial site is used successfully by school libraries for content curation. The library can customise the site including school identification such as crests and images, as well as colour schemes and layout as desired. A range of widgets can be added to personalise the site, one of which can show where users are accessing the site from across the globe, providing an interesting point for students. Links to the school catalogue and databases are also useful so that students can have access to school purchased resources as well as selected online resources to provide balance.

LibGuides are useful for the library as can be used as a teaching tool such as creating pathfinders for class tasks as well as library curation.  As this happens, students become familiar with the site increasing ease of use when locating information.

The Brisbane Grammar School LibGuide is one excellent example of the usefulness of this tool for content curation.