Nuria Lloret Romero

ROI. Measuring the social media return on investment in a library

Purpose – In all projections for 2011, ROI has become of the great challenges of social media marketing for the business environment. However in the case of non‐profit organizations, there is no need for such calculations. It is not as necessary to know how the effort made in these media compares to the benefits that can be obtained. This paper aims to compare the parameters governing social media ROI at an enterprise level and at the level of non‐profit institutions. Additionally, the use of social media tools in a strategic plan and to save costs in the institution is discussed.Design/methodology/approach – Where ROI is defined as a mere indicator of return on investment, it involves the direct costs and revenues of each transaction. Combining the world of social media marketing, which is full of intangibles, with the current crisis makes knowing “real” return one of the greatest current needs. When demanding returns from institutions that have never been analyzed from this standpoint, it is important t...

“Cloud computing” in library automation: benefits and drawbacks

Purpose – In recent years it has become common to hear about the virtues and benefits of the so‐called “cloud” for the use of corporate software. Although the use of the cloud in the business environment has already transformed the concept of data storage and resource management, its use in the field of libraries and information centers is somewhat less widespread. This article aims to outline its benefits and drawbacks.Design/methodology/approach – The article describes the features of cloud computing, how it can be used in a professional environment, and its benefits and drawbacks,Findings – Cloud computing is a highly scalable platform promising quick access to hardware and software over the internet, in addition to easy management and access by non‐expert users. It relies on technologies such as virtualization, programming techniques such as multi‐tenancy and/or scalability, load balancing and optimal performance, to ensure that resources are offered quickly and easily.Practical implications – In the ...

Recovery of descriptive information in images from digital libraries by means of EXIF metadata

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a study case of the digitization of documents kept by the Reino de Valencia Archive and its description and recovery through EXIF metadata from the digital images obtained. The control of digital images, in terms of identification of their number and the batches they belong to, can be achieved by naming the digital file with digits that the user can identify.Design/methodology/approach – The papers objective is to provide image descriptions far better than by naming the file. For that reason the paper analyses the tools and results obtained with each one of them.Findings – Results about using commercial software for metadata image description.Originality/value – The paper describes a novel use of metadata for historical archives documents.

The management of e‐book collections and their implication on the economic management of the library

Purpose – The addition of digital formats such as specialised magazines and e‐books to libraries has led to a dramatic change in management format with respect to those involved in the reading process: users, publishers, distributors, booksellers, and authors; and in turn, the way in which libraries are planned and managed. This article aims to focus on these issues.Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses the implementation of e‐books and the relevant literature on the implementation of electronic books, not only in the library field but in other sectors. The article uses various sources to offer conclusions on the interest not only economic but also to improve the quality of service offered by its implementation in libraries or centers of documentation.Findings – Not only is there space‐saving in libraries but also a new manner in which to consume information that libraries must adapt to as soon as possible given the increasing demands of users in this connection. All of the previous has given r...

Disclosing the network structure of private companies on the web: The case of Spanish IBEX 35 share index

Purpose – It is common for an international company to have different brands, products or services, information for investors, a corporate blog, affiliates, branches in different countries, etc. If all these contents appear as independent additional web domains (AWDs), the company should be represented on the web by all these web domains, since many of these AWDs may acquire remarkable performance that could mask or distort the real web performance of the company, affecting therefore on the understanding of web metrics. The purpose of this paper is to determine the amount, type, web impact and topology of the AWDs in commercial companies in order to get a better understanding on their complete web impact and structure. Design/methodology/approach – The set of companies belonging to the Spanish IBEX-35 stock index has been analysed as testing bench. The authors proceeded to identify and categorise all AWDs belonging to these companies, and to apply both web impact (web presence and visibility) and network ...

Social reading and the creation of customer loyalty clubs or communities to improve communication with our users and reduce costs in marketing and advertising

Purpose – The so‐called customer loyalty clubs or communities are a proven marketing strategy used by companies to create positive commercial and emotional relationships between companies and their actual or potential customers. In the world of libraries the use of social networks has become institutionalized as a communication tool, and alongside the librarys website and its profiles on Facebook and Twitter, the library has reduced costs on marketing and advertising to a minimum. However, the use of the so‐called loyalty clubs and communities as well as social and collaborative reading is still not widespread in libraries worldwide. This paper aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines social or collaborative reading, a practice that has always existed, but it has become particularly relevant given the digitization of texts and the rising popularity of e‐readers. In essence, social reading consists of sharing recommendations, dates, notes and comments, and highlighting t...

Outsourcing as a change management tool in libraries and documentation centers

Purpose – Outsourcing is a tool that has been used in companies for decades. However, it has taken much longer for this tool to be implemented in libraries and documentation centers, especially since they are eminently public entities at an international level. The use of such services has increased in recent years and has been especially heightened by the economic crisis in all areas of the aforementioned centers. However, it is important to understand the basis of this type of tool in order to look beyond the fiscal and economic benefits and attempt to see the possibilities provided by the use of these types of services for improving the dynamics of organizations and even creating new professional profiles within the organization itself This study aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approach – The outsourcing of services need not always lead to a loss of know‐how, and when working from the heart of the organization it is a tool that can even be used to support a culture of change and the revit...

Experiencia en el uso del portafolio por medio de las redes sociales

En la UPV los equipos EICE:QtalNET e IEMA realizan conjuntamente el proyecto PIME “Social ePortafolios” en el que se ensayan diferentes tecnicas de evaluacion por medio de portafolios electronicos y en redes sociales. El objetivo principal del proyecto es elaborar un protocolo que permita usar las redes sociales durante el proceso de creacion de portafolios electronico para la evaluacion de las competencias adquiridas por los alumnos. En este articulo se presenta el proyecto, asi como la experiencia que se esta realizando consistente en experimentar en diversas asignaturas de diferentes titulaciones el portafolios para evaluar. Los alumnos pueden implementar el portafolio a traves de las redes sociales (grupos experimentales) o por medio de un documento (grupos de control). La realizacion en todos los casos es individual. El peso del portafolio en la evaluacion va desde un 60% a un 100% (dependiendo de la asignatura). La defensa se realiza oralmente y a todos los alumnos (tanto si son del grupo experimental como de control) se les proporciona una breve guia para que la estructura pueda ser comparable entre los diferentes portafolios. En el presente articulo se expone el metodo seguido asi como las reflexiones sobre su uso.

Soundcool Project: Collaborative Music Creation

This paper addresses four criteria that the Soundcool project meets: to “be sustainable”, “be future-oriented”, “be transformative” and “be innovative”. Soundcool is a pedagogical and technological project. A brief description of the technology behind Soundcool will be useful for the reader before addressing the four criteria. Soundcool is like a “Lego” for sound; Soundcool is composed of a series of software modules that run on a central computer, or host computer. Each module is sort of a musical instrument; it could be a synthesizer, a sampler, a sound effect processor, etc. these modules can be interconnected in different ways allowing the users, i.e. the students, to create their own arrangements, as we call the module creations and interconnections. Then, each module can be controlled either with the mouse or, what is more interesting, with a mobile device through WiFi. This way, every student can control one or several modules of the whole arrangement from their mobile device contributing to a collaborative and participative experience.

Model for the centralized acquisition of collections in times of crisis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how, in many cases, the conversion of analog collections to digital collections is still a paradigm shift with regard to the ownership, use and enjoyment of the collections.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses how the inclusion of digital collections has led to a new licensing model that has changed the financial management and administration of budgets for the purchase of collections, starting with the acquisition of scientific journals for specialized centers and extending to all types of resource materials.Findings – In the traditional library collection management model, the documents deemed to be most suitable for the libraries were chosen title by title, and the amounts paid were based on the volume of titles chosen. In the analog model, this resulted in a large investment in similar collections in libraries located in close proximity to one another. In research centers and related universities, attempts were made to make coordinated pur...