Social Bookmarking

Introduction

Definition

Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to organize, store, manage and search for bookmarks of resources online. Unlike file sharing, the resources themselves aren't shared, merely bookmarks that reference them. Social bookmarking tools can include annotations and tags to assist in locating resources again and in sharing with others. These tools can foster collaboration and sharing of collections of online content. Reviewing collections made by others can be a valuable source of new resources.

Within the broad category of social bookmarking are similar activities including social citation and social reference management. These latter activities are generally more oriented toward academic research.

Social Bookmarking Services

• Delicious Provides a bookmarklet that allows the user to create "themed stacks" which can be shared and viewed by others. The focus of Delicious has changed somewhat over time- it started as primarily a social bookmarking site and is more about curation since it was acquired by Yahoo! in 2011.
• Diigo A research tool and information sharing tool, Diigo allows users to highlight or add sticky notes to webpages, which persist when the user returns to that particular page. Within Diigo, users can create lists, groups, search tags, and identify other users with similar interests.
• CiteULike A tool to facilitate storage, organization, and sharing of scholarly papers. CiteULike includes tagging, formation of groups, and can identify others with an interest in similar academic resources as a user.
• Connotea Allows researchers to save, organize and share reference links.
• Mendeley A reference management tool that allows researchers to collaborate, form groups, identify academic research papers. Users can store papers, organize them, and generate bibliographies.
• StumbleUpon
• Pinterest
• Clipboard

Further Info on Social Bookmarking

• Common Craft. "Social Bookmarking in Plain English." 6 August 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
• Hammond, Tony, Timo Hannay, Ben Lund, and Joanna Scott. "Social Bookmarking Tools (I): A General Review." D-Lib 11.4 (2005). Retrived 8 April 2008.
• Educause Learning Initiative. "7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking" May 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
• Iowa State University. "Social Bookmarking" 1 October 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
• Wikipedia. "Social bookmarking" Retrieved 16 July 2012.
• "Social bookmarking, citation and reference management" Retrieved 16 July 2012.
• Secker, Jane. Review of social citation tools March 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
• Barnes, Laura L. Social Bookmarking Sites: A Review October 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2012.

Uses in Libraries

• Collect and share a list of links to key sources in a topic area- a library subject guide
• Collect and share resources around an event or local happening
• Collect and share resources for staff professional development
• Illustrate the use of a valuable resource to patrons who are learning research skills
• Provide a mechanism by which library patrons can contribute resources to a topic area as well as tag (label) the content areas

Sharing Set of Links

• Assumption College for Sisters Library: bookmarks on delicious
• Bibliothèques de l'Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris-IV): bookmarks on delicious
• Chelmsford Public Library: bookmarks on delicious
• Dublin City Public Libraries: bookmarks on deliciousstack on delicious
• Seldovia Library: bookmarks on delicious
• La Grange Park Library: bookmarks on delicious
• Marathon County Public Library (MCPL): bookmarks for children on delicious
• McMurry University Library: bookmarks on delicious
• Nebraska Library Commission: NLC_Reference’s bookmarks on delicious
• Sandhills Branch Library: bookmarks on delicious
• Springfield Technical Community College Library: bookmarks on delicious
• Witkin State Law Library of California: bookmarks on delicious
• UC Berkeley Library bookmarks on delicious
• ALA delicious stack around theme of book donations

Republishing Link Lists on Library Web Sites

A number of libraries use social bookmarking tools to maintain a set of links to key resources.

• Holdrege Public Library uses delicious tag clouds on their "Links we Love", Kid’s Zone and TeenSpace.
• MIT Libraries Virtual Reference Collection
  • Uses delicious to maintain links and to publish list on library web pages. Details on the MIT Libraries Betas site.
• Rapid City Public Library: Links from library page to lists of collected resources on diigo
• Haverhill Public Library: Links to various social media resources including Delicious

Other Uses

• Duke University Libraries: Connotea
  • Library web page explains to students/faculty at Duke University how to connect to licensed resources that are bookmarked in Connotea.

Further Information on Social Bookmarking and Libraries

• Rethlefsen, Melissa L. Tags Help Make Libraries Del.icio.us 15 September 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
• Delicious Retrieved 16 July 2012
• Herzog, Brian. Pinterest is the new black March 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012. Reviews a number of library sites using Pinterest along with other resources for libraries considering using Pinterest.