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Friending our Users: Social Networking and Reference Services

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Abstract

Social networking sites are changing the way that libraries engage their users. Sometimes called social networking software or social networking services, these Web sites are designed to let users share their lives with friends, family, and the general public. Many librarians immediately saw the possibilities in the proliferating social networks--by connecting with our users in "their space," we are making ourselves readily available and removing many of the obstacles to their information needs. As reference librarians, our first reaction to new technology is to "set up desk"--to provide the same services we have traditionally offered, only in a new medium. However, new technologies demand a new approach, and recent years have seen librarians offering reference, instruction, and other services in unique and innovative ways.
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
FriendingourUsers:SocialNetworkingandReferenceServices
CliffLandis
Introduction
Socialnetworkingsitesarechangingthewaythatlibrariesengagetheirusers.
Sometimescalled“socialnetworkingsoftware”or“socialnetworkingservices,”theseWeb sites
aredesignedtoletuserssharetheirliveswithfriends,family,andthegeneralpublic. Many
librariansimmediatelysawthepossibilitiesintheproliferatingsocialnetworks—byconnecting
withourusersin“theirspace,”wearemakingourselvesreadilyavailableandremovingmanyof
theobstaclestotheirinformationneeds.
Asreferencelibrarians,ourfirstreactiontonewtechnology isto“setupdesk”—to
providethesameserviceswehavetraditionallyoffered,onlyinanewmedium.However,new
technologiesdemandanewapproach,andrecentyearshaveseenlibrariansofferingreference,
instruction,andotherservicesinuniqueandinnovativeways.
Whatisit?
Socialnetworkingsitesallowuserstointeractwitheachotherinthreedifferentways.
First,ausercreatesaprofilethatwillrepresenthimorhertootherusers.ThisprofileisaWeb
pagethatincludeselementssuchasdemographicinformation,hobbies,andinterests(suchas
favoritebands,movies,books,andTVprograms).Second,socialnetworkingsitesallowusersto
interactwith eachotherbysharingmediasuchasvideos,photos,music,andWeb sites.Third,
socialnetworkingsitesallowuserstocommunicatewitheachotherusingpublicmessages,
privatemessages,andblogs.Socialnetworkingsiteshavebecomepowerfulsocialtoolsbecause
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
userscan quicklyidentifyindividualswithsimilarinterests,sharemediawithfriends,and
directly communicatewith otherusersallinthesameWebsite.
The“networking”partofsocialnetworkingsiteshappenswiththeactionof“Friending.”
ToFriendsomeone(verbformcapitalizedforthesakeofclarity)meanstoadd thatperson to
yourlistofFriendssothatyourtwoprofilesareconnected.Thisconnection showsthatyou
belongtoeachothers’socialnetworks. Itdoesnot,however,imply thatyouareactuallyfriends
withthatpersonindailylife—Friendingissimply awaytopubliclydisplaythatyouareinsome
wayconnectedtoapersonforanynumberofreasons(Donathandboyd2004,71). danahboyd,
speakingaboutthesocialnetworkingsiteFriendster,showsthatusersareawarethatthereisa
differencebetweenfriendsandFriends:“Overheardconversationsmightincludestatementssuch
as‘She’snotmyfriend,butshe’smyFriendster’ and‘DidyouseethatAlexisDrew’s
Friendster? (boyd2004).ByFriendinganindividual(suchasalocallibrarian)ororganization
(suchasthelocallibrary),theuseriscreatingaconnectionthatcanbeseenbyothers.
TheHistoryandPower BehindSocialNetworkingSites
ThefirstsocialnetworkingsitewasSixDegrees.com,whichbeganin1997andclosed
fouryearslater(Donathandboyd2004).Manysocialnetworkingsitesfollowed,including
Friendster,Hi5,Bebo,Orkut,and,ofcourse, thenowubiquitousMySpaceandFacebook.
Facebookwillbetheprimarydiscussionpointofthispiece,butmanyothershaveproliferated,
oftensettingthemselvesapartbyspecializingindifferentareassuchasbusinessrelationships
(Ryze,LinkedIn),schoolrelationships(Classmates.com,Graduates.com),andhobbies(Catster,
CarDomain,Sportsvite).Profilescan alsobeseenbeyondsocialnetworkingsites,sincemany
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
popularWeb sitesgiveuserstheoptiontocreateprofilesandconnectionswithotherusers
(LiveJournal,YouTube,Xanga,LibraryThing,Flickr).
Themoreusersasocialnetworkingsitehas,themorepowerfulatoolitistoconnectwith
otherpeople.Alargesocialnetworkallowsuserstostayintouchwithindividualsthroughout
theirlives.AccordingtoDunbar'sRuleof150,wehavetheabilitytomentallymaintain
relationshipswithapproximately147.8individualsthisnumberisconventionallyroundedto
150(Dunbar1993,682). Aswemeetnewfriends,welosecontactwithsomeoldfriends.Social
networkingsitesallowustomaintaincontactwiththoseindividuals(suchasabestfriendfrom
middleschool).Althoughtheusermaynottalktohisorhermiddleschoolbestfriendsanymore,
byFriendingthem,theusermaintainsaconnectionandcanstillvisittheirprofilesandseewhere
they areandwhattheyaredoing.
SocialnetworkingWeb sitesarechangingtheInternetasawhole.Asof May14,2007,
fiveofthetoptwentyfivemostvisitedWeb sitesweresocialnetworkingsites(MySpace,Orkut,
Hi5,FacebookandFriendster,inthatorder),andmanyoftheothertoptwentyfivehadthe
abilitytocreateandconnectprofiles(Alexa.com2007).Userslooktoeachotherforinformation,
andsocialnetworkingsiteshelptomakethatcommunication possible.Peoplemakeuseofsocial
networkingsites’builtinanduserdesignedapplicationstodiscovernewmusic,planparties,
catchupongossip,findinterestingeventstoattend,watchTVshows,andcreativelyexpress
themselvesthroughblogs,videos,quizzesandcomments.
Thedifferencesbetween socialnetworkingsitesareimportanttonote. Some,suchas
MySpace,allowuserstocreatebothpersonalandinstitutionalprofiles.Thisflexibilityallows
librarianstorepresentthelibrary,theReferenceServicesdepartment,orjustthemselves.
MySpacealsogivesuserstheabilitytoedittheoverallappearanceandorganizationofthepage,
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
allowingyoutobrandyourprofileappropriately.Othersites,suchasFacebook,limitprofilesto
individualsanddonotalloweditingof theprofile'sappearance.Instead,Facebookallows
institutionstocreate“Pages,”whichgivesomeofthefunctionalityofprofiles(suchastheability
tosendmessagesandcomment). Inaddition,aPagecreatorcanmonitorhowmanytimesthe
Pagehasbeenviewedandcreateadvertisementcampaigns.Although theinabilitytocreate
institutionalprofilesmayseemlikeadrawbacktoFacebook’sservice,itemphasizesthepersonal
socialnetwork,andalsogivesusersthebenefitofaconsistentinterface.Additionally,Facebook
allowstheaddition ofusercreatedapplications.Somearerelevanttolibrarianprofiles,suchas
librarycatalogandpollingapplications;others,suchas“(fluff)Friends”and“MyAquarium”are
primarilyforentertainmentandcanunnecessarilyclutteralibrarian’sprofile.Similarly,Google
hascreatedOpenSocial,ausercreatedapplicationsetthatwouldallowthesharingof
applicationsbetweensocialnetworkslikeOrkut,MySpace,Friendsterandothers.Thiswould
proveparticularlybeneficialforlibrariesthatwouldwanttospreadtheircatalogsearch
interfacesintosocialnetworkingsites.Thedifferencesinsocialnetworkingsitesshouldbetaken
intoaccountasyoudevelopyour(oryourlibrary's)profiles.
Reservations
Aswithanynewtechnology,manylibrarianshavereservationsabouttheplacethat
socialnetworkingsitesshouldhaveinthelibrary.Thesereservationsarepartially dueto
negativemediaportrayalsinrecentyears.Thereisalsotheperceptionthatlibrariesaremoving
awayfromtheirmissionofdeliveringinformation,andareinsteadturningintocommunity
playgrounds.BeforeImoveontotheroleofsocialnetworkingsitesinreferenceservice,Iwould
liketoaddresstheseandotherconcerns.
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
Privacy,Predators,andFreedomofInformation
Librarianshavelongstoodattheforefrontonthebattleforprivacyrights,soitisnot
surprisingthatlibrariansareskepticalofsocialnetworkingsites,whichconnectpeoplethrough
thedisclosureof personalinformation.Yet,librariansarenotaloneintheirconcernsabout
privacy;socialnetworkingsiteusersareconcerned,too.InSeptember2006,Facebooklaunched
its“minifeedfeature,”whichaggregatedallofauser'sbehavioron Facebookandputitintoan
RSS(ReallySimpleSyndication)feedontheirfriends'homepages—makingallauser'sactions
(fromaddingfriendstochangingrelationshipstatus)visibletoeveryonetheylistedasafriend.
Immediately,therewasabacklash,includingabarrageofcomplaints,apetition,andthecreation
ofaprotestWeb site(Cashmore2006a).Facebookrespondedbycreatinga“MyPrivacy”
feature,whichgreatlyenhancedusers'abilitytocontrolwhatinformationwasvisibletoother
users.Thisreactionwasasurpriseforsocialnetworkingsites,which discoveredthattheirusers
arequiteawareoftheprivacyimplicationsoftheirbehavior,andarewillingtofighttoprotect
theirprivacy.
MySpaceandFacebookgainednegativeattentionwhenthemediahighlightedinstances
of sexualpredation onsocialnetworkingsites.However,LarryRosenstudiedover1,400
teenagedMySpaceuserstodeterminetheinstancesofpredation,withthefollowingresults:
First…stalkingisextremelyrare,happeningabout1.3%ofthetime,whilebeing
approachedforsexhappensslightlymoreoften,roughly 5.1%ofthetime.Second,given
theexplanationsfromMySpacers,itappearsthat,for thevastmajority,theepisode[of
beingapproachedforsex]wasbrushedoffandhadnolastingimpact. (Rosen2006)
Mostteensandadultswhousesocialnetworkingsitesaresavvywhenitcomestoblocking
communicationsfromsexualpredators. Unfortunately,governmentsrespondtothefears
drummedupbymediareportsbylegislatingblocksagainstsocialnetworkingsitesfromlibraries
andschools,ratherthanbyeducatingstudentsonappropriateandsafewaystousethem.This
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
restrictionofaccesstoinformationdoesnotstopstudentswhousesocialnetworkingsitesfrom
home,butinsteadfurtherlimitstheopportunitiesforstudentswhoaccessthesesitesfrom
schoolsorlibrariesforeducationalpurposes.
ButIt'sKidStuff!
ManylibrariansseetheseWeb sitesasinappropriateforeducationalinstitutionsor
faculty.ThereisstillaperceptionthatMySpaceisgearedtowardhighschoolstudents,andis
thereforeinappropriateforcollegesanduniversities.However,accordingtoacomScorereportin
October2006,“Internetusersbetweentheagesof3554nowaccountfor40.6percentofthe
MySpacevisitorbase,an8.2percentagepointincreaseduringthepastyear”(comScore2006).
IndividualsofallkindsareusingMySpacetoconnectwithfriends.
In2006,Facebookopenedtononstudents. Therewereinitialfearsthatitwouldloseits
coreofcollegeanduniversitystudentsasmembersofthepublicjoinedthesite.However,as
PeteCashmorepredicted,sinceFacebookopenedtheirservicetothepublic,therehasnotbeen
an“exodusof Facebookusers”(Cashmore,2006b).Thefuturewill showwhetherFacebook's
demographiceventuallygrowsbeyondthecollegecrowd,butfornowFacebookisanexcellent
waytoreach academiclibraryusers.
WhoCanKeepUp?
Somelibrarianshavecommentedthatsocialnetworkingsitesarejust“onemorething”to
addtothelistofthingstokeepupwith,andthattheyfalloutsideofourmission—todeliver
informationandinstructiontolibraryusers.Admittedly,intherealm ofreferenceservices,things
arechangingalmostdaily—astheyalwayshavebeen.Thelibrary professionhasahistoryof
workingwiththelatesttechnologytohelpusers,whetherthrough punchcardsorinstant
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
messaging,microfilmordatabases.Wehavealwaysstruggledtokeepabreastofthesechanges,
andnowhavenewtools(suchasblogsandRSS)tostayuptodatewiththesechanges.
WenowhavetocompetewithservicessuchasYahoo!Answersandsearchenginessuch
asGoogle.Forlibrariestostay relevantinthisnewinformationenvironment,wemustprovide
excellentservice—servicethatouruserscannotgetelsewhere.Thekeyistodiscoverbothwhat
userswantandwhatusersneed—andthensupplyboth.Socialnetworkingsitescanbeagreat
waytodiscoverthesewantsandneeds,becausetheycanbeusedformarketing,reference,
instruction,andimprovementofservices.
CurrentUses
LibraryMarketing
Librarymarketingoftenfallstoreferenceandinstructionlibrarians,sincethey provide
theindepthhumanresourcesthatstudents,facultyandstaffturntoforresearchhelp.Yet,most
librarianscanrelateanexperienceinwhichlibraryuserscomplainaboutthelibrarylackinga
particularserviceorresource,wheninfacttheresourcewasthere,butunknown.Thistypeof
complaintshowswherelibrarymarketingisvaluable:
Librarieshavealongtraditionofbringingserviceswherevertheirpatronsarelocated,
throughsuchapproachesasbookmobilesandbranchesinstripmallsandcommunity
centers.Thishasalsobecomethecaseintheonlineworld.Whilemostlibrarieshave
theirown Web sites,somearealsostartingtopushtheirservicestotheonlinesitesat
whichpatronscongregate. (Farkas2007,27)
Socialnetworkingsitesarethenextgenerationofwordofmouthmarketing.Anexampleisthe
Universityof IllinoisatUrbanaChampaign’s(UIUC)Undergraduate Library’sMySpacepage
(http://www.myspace.com/undergradlibrary).ThelibraryhasoverfourhundredFriends,
includingstudents,localbands,andotherlibraryrelatedusers.Changesinhours,eventsandnew
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
servicesareadvertisedviaMySpace’sbloggingtool,whileacatalogsearchboxhasbeen
embeddedintothe“AboutMe”section.Additionally,theUIUCUndergraduateLibraryhas
createda FacebookprofileandjoinedotherlibrariesincreatingFacebookapplicationswhich
allowuserstoaddacatalogsearchboxontheirprofiles(http://apps.facebook.com/uiuclibrary/).
Eachoftheseeffortsincreasesthelibrary’sonlinevisibility.
Marketingusingsocialnetworkingsitescanbeatimeandbudgetsavingwaytoreach
outtolibraryusers.AsJudithA.SeissexplainsinTheVisibleLibrarian,“Ifyou’rewondering
whentomarket,theansweriseasy—always.Everyencounterwithacustomeroraprospective
customerisamarketingopportunity”(2003,33). Socialnetworkingsitescanreachusers
whenevertheylogon through aninterfacetheyarealreadyfamiliarwith.Thiscanbemore
invitingthanlibrary Web siteswhichare(toooften)hierarchicalanddifficulttonavigate.
Socialnetworkingsitesarealsoafreewaytoreachouttopotentiallibraryusers.By
performingadvancedsearches,youcandiscoverindividualsatyourinstitutionwholist“books”
or“reading”asoneoftheirinterests, orifyouremployeesarethinkingofsettingupagaming
nightatyourlibrary,asearchfor“gaming”asaninterestwillprovideyouwith aquickinvitation
list.Createaneventanduserswillbeabletoconfirmwhethertheyareattending. Doyouhavea
marketingbudget? Considerpurchasing“flyers”on Facebook—shortadvertisementsthatappear
tousersatyouruniversity.Nomoney?Youcanstillpostbulletinson MySpaceandnoteson
Facebooktoletusersknowaboutupcomingevents.
WhetherornottoactivelyFriendlibraryusersisadebatabletopic.Millennialstudents
areusedtoreceivingadvertisementsfromcorporationsandorganizationsthroughsocial
networkingsitesthatallowsuchaccounts.Therefore, organizations(suchaslibraries)can often
Friendlibraryuserswithoutappearingtooassuming.However,individuallibrarianswho
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
activelytrytoFriendusersmaybeperceivedaspushy.So,itmaybebesttoreach outtousers
throughothermeans,andallowthemtoFriendyou;
However,thisactuallyworksoutstudentslikecountingfacultyastheirfriends.If
you'vecreatedarichprofile,itshowsstudentsthatyoucareaboutFacebook,anduseit
somewhatregularly.Withtheadventofnewsfeeds,studentswillbroadcastthefact
they've[F]riendedyou,andthiswillstartthefriendrequestscomingin.(Stutzman2006)
Regardlessofwhichtoolsormethodsyouchoose toemploywithsocialnetworkingsites,they
shouldbepartofalargermarketingplan.Theplanwillensurethatinformationsuchasblog
posts,pictures,andeventinvitationstieintothelargerpictureofthelibrary.
Reference
Manyofthesametoolsthatcanbeusedformarketingviasocialnetworkingsitescan
alsobeemployedtoprovidemoretraditional referenceservices.Messagescanbesentdirectly
betweenusers(similartoemail),sothatdirect,privatequestionscanbeasked.Publicmessages
canbedisplayedontheuser'sprofile(called“commenting”on MySpace,and“writingona
user’swall”on Facebook).Also,groupscanbecreatedtogiveusersaforumtoaskreference
questions.AtValdostaStateUniversity,Icreatedan“AsktheLibrarian”Facebookgroup.
Groupsin Facebookhavebothpublicmessagespace,aswellasdiscussionboards.Studentsask
questionsinbothoftheseforums,whichallowotherstudentstoseeboththequestionsaskedand
theanswersprovided(Landis2007,6). Somelibrarieschoose toprovidereferenceservices
directlywithinthesesocialnetworkingsites.Intheseinstances,Istronglyrecommendthat
librariansmakeuseof anyemailnotificationsystemsprovided.Thesenotificationsystemswill
alertstafftonewquestionsimmediately,sothattheywillnotbeforced tologinseveraltimesa
daytocheckthesocial sitefornewquestions.Inadditiontocommunicationtoolsprovidedby
thesocialnetworkingservices,somelibraries(suchasthePublicLibraryofCharlotte&
MecklenburgCounty—http://myspace.com/libraryloft/)areusingpluginsandwidgetsto
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
providechatreferenceservicesdirectlyfromtheirprofile,allowinguserstoseekreferencehelp
withoutleavingthepage.
Thelargestriskassociatedwithprovidingreferenceservicesthroughsocialnetworking
sitesisstretchingservicestoothin.Forexample,creatingindepthreferencediscussionboards
onseveraldifferentsocialnetworkingsitescandilutetheservicethatusersreceive.An
alternativeistosetupaknowledgebaseatyourlibrary'sWeb site,andtoallowusersto
(anonymously)postquestions.Alinkto theknowledgebasefromeachofyour onlineprofiles
allowsuserstoaskquestionsandsearchforanswers.
Instruction
Inadditiontoprovidingreferenceservicesviasocialnetworkingsites,librarianscanalso
provideinstruction.InhisblogpostFacebookasaToolforLearningEngagement,Fred
Stutzmanoffersanintroductorycaveatregardinginstructioninsocialnetworkingsites:
Facebookisn'tBlackboardoranyothercoursemanagementsystem.Itisn'tawiki,ora
blog,oranysortofsilverbullettool.Facebookisthedigitalsocialcenterofthecollege
campus.Itisasocialtool;itsuseisprimarilythemanagementofthesociallifeat
college.Ofcourse,collegelifeisgearedaroundacademics,soinherentlythesocial
worldsofcollegestudentsintersectwithacademics—butonlytoacertainextent.
(Stutzman2006)
Keepingthisinformationinmind,itshouldbenotedthatFacebookhasbeenusedbystudentsfor
organizingstudygroups,andbyprofessorstodeploycoursecontent.Bymakingconnections
withusers,librarianscanembedthemselvesintobothkindsofgroups,offeringusersthe
instructionthattheyrequireatthepointofneed.
Oneofthelamentsofinstructionlibrariansisthatthereisneverenoughtimewiththe
students.Bymentioningyourprofileatthebeginningandendofaninstructionsession,youcan
encouragestudentstocontactyouiftheyhaveanyquestions.Thisattentionmakesanimpression
onstudents;althoughtheymaydiscardhandoutsorneglecttowritedownanemailaddress,a
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
quicksearchfor“librarian”willrevealyourprofile.Later,whenstudentshaveresearch
questions,theycanaskforhelpandreceiveinstructionatthepointofneed.
FortheOtherFolksintheLibrary…
Referencelibrariansarenottheonlypotentialbeneficiariesofsocialnetworkingsites. In
thecaseoflibrarytechnology,thereisoftenadisconnectbetweenthe“frontend”servicesand
“backend”servicesoflibraries—particularlywhenuserswanttoreporta problemorrequesta
service.Socialnetworkingsitescan oftenhelptoreducethisgap.Byprovidingaforumfor
offeringsuggestions,thelibrarycanreachouttousersandimproveservice.
In GoingWherePatronsAre:OutreachinMySpaceandFacebook,MeredithFarkastells
thestoryof Bennington(Va.)College'slibrarydirectorOceanaWilson,whousesherFacebook
profiletosolicitcollection developmentsuggestions.AsFarkasexplains,“Althoughmost
librarieshaveanacquisitionssuggestionform,studentsmaynotfeelcomfortableusingitormay
thinktheformisonlymeantforfaculty.Inthiscase,Benningtoniscomingintostudents'virtual
spacetosay,'Wecareaboutyouropinion'”(2007,27). Thisoutreach isanexcellentexampleof
makingtheefforttoremovebarriersbetweenusersandlibraryservices.
WhereLibrariesareHeaded—AndHowtoGetThere
CreatingyourBrand
Alsoonthetopicofmarketing,manylibrariesarelookingattheconceptofbranding—in
otherwords, tyingallofalibrary'sadvertisingefforts underasinglesloganoricon.Anexcellent
exampleisAnnArborDistrictLibrary,whoseWeb site(http://www.aadl.org/)andMySpace
profile(http://www.myspace.com/annarbordistrictlibrary)sharethesamecolorschemeandfont.
TheMySpacepagehasayounger,funkierfeel,butisstillrecognizableduetotheconsistencyof
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
thebranding.Whenusersvisitthesepages,theyknow thattheyarelookingatAnnArbor
DistrictLibrary,regardlessoftheWeb site'sURL.
Aslibrariescreatebrandidentity,theyseparatethemselvesfromothersourcesof
informationanddefinewhatmakesthemdifferentandvaluable.Thisidentitycanthenbespread
throughoutdifferentsocialnetworkingsites,aswellasotherWebbasedandfacetofacetools
(suchasIMandTwittericons,wikis,nametags,flyers,andlibrarysignage).
YourFriendlyLibrarian
Someservicesdonotallowforthecreationofinstitutionalprofiles(suchasFacebook
andHi5).Inthesecases,librarianscreatetheirownprofilesandengagewithlibraryusers
directly.Itmay seemtemptingtocreateafake“MariontheLibrarian”profile,andtomake“her”
partofyourlibrary’sbrand,butthisgoesagainsttheideaofsocialnetworkingsites,whichisto
connectwithpeopledirectly.Sowhatdostudentsreallywanttoseeonalibrarian’sprofile?
First,theywanttoknowalittleaboutyou.Theywanttoknowsomeofyourfavorite
books,moviesandTVshows.Yougetnopointsforloadingyourprofilewithpretentious
interests—studentswanttofeelconnectedtoyou.IfyouliketheFamilyGuyorCurb
YourEnthusaism[sic],shareit.Second,studentslikepictures....Thekeyincreatinga
profileissharingalittlebitoftherealyouwhenyoucanmaketheseconnectionswith
yourstudents,youwillengagethem.(Stutzman2006)
Thepersonalprofileofalibrariancandomorethanjuststakeyourlibrary'sclaiminasocial
networkingsite.Referencelibrariansarefamiliarwithhavingstudentsidentifyaparticular
librarianas“mylibrarian.”TheabilitytoFriendalibrarianprovidestwosignificantbenefits:the
potentialtoreducelibraryanxietyandtheabilitytoofferusersaconsistenthumanresourcefor
researchhelp.
MakingtheILSFriendly
Integratedlibrarysystemsarealready changingtoallowformoreinputfromusers.
LibrariessuchastheAnnArborDistrictLibrary(http://www.aadl.org/),aremodifyingtheir
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
catalogstoallowuserstowritereviewsandaddtags.Otherlibraries,suchastheUniversityof
WashingtonLibraries(http://www.lib.washington.edu/),areintegratingWorldCatintotheir
catalogswithWorldCatLocal.Atthesametime,book lovershavecreatedWeb sitessuchas
LibraryThing,whichallowsuserstocreatetheirownprofilesandcatalogsandtoFriendother
users.Thissocialsiteallowsuserstosharetheirfavoritebooklistsandreceiverecommendations
forbookstheymightlike.
Featuresliketheseallowuserstoaddvaluetothecatalog,andimprovetheoveralluser
experience.Theseefforts,ofcourse,shouldalwaysbedesignedasoptin,allowingusersto
protecttheirrighttoreadandtheirrighttoprivacy.Yetmanyindividualsarewillingtosetaside
theirprivacyinordertointeractandshareintheirinterestswithothers.
Keepingup
Ifyouarefeelingabitoverwhelmedbyallofthis,donotworry.Whereveryoucan
dreamofgoing,alibrarianisalreadythere.IneverysocialnetworkingsiteIhavejoined,there
isatleastonegrouppagecreatedbylibrarians,forlibrarians.Ifyouarecurious,search asitefor
theword“librarians”or“libraries,”andyouwillfindyourcolleaguesreadytohelp!
Conclusion
Socialnetworkingsitesaretakingreferenceservicesbeyondthetraditional reference
desk.Thesesitesallowlibrarianstoreachouttousersinafamiliarinterface,andtoprovide
userswithinstruction,researchhelpandtheopportunitytohavetheirvoicesheard.Byjoining
usersin“theirspace,”librariansareabletoreducelibraryanxiety,markettheirservices,andstay
connectedtowhatuserswantandneed.AllittakesisbeingagoodFriend.
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
SourcesforAdditionalResearch
Casey,M.E.,andL.C.Savastinuk.2007. Library2.0:AGuidetoParticipatoryLibrary
Service. Medford,NJ:InformationToday.
CaseyandSavastinukprovideanaccessibleguidetounderstandingandimplementingan
overallLibrary2.0plan.Thisbookincludesinformationontheunderlyingconceptsand
valuesofLibrary2.0,technologiestoconsider(includingsocialnetworkingsites),
achievinglibrarywidebuyin,andhowtokeepa2.0serviceplanrunning.
Farkas,M.G.2007.SocialNetworkingSoftware.In SocialSoftwareinLibraries,109124.
Medford,NJ:InformationToday.
Farkasprovidesanindepthlookattheorigins,history,andvarietyofsocialnetworking
sites.Shealsoprovidesinformationondoingmarketresearchandoutreach,and
considersprivacyandintellectualproperty implicationsof usingsocialnetworkingsites.
Library2.0.http://library20.ning.com/.
Sinceitscreation,theLibrary2.0networkon Ning hasquicklybecomeagatheringplace
forlibrariansusingtechnologytoreachandservelibraryusers.Explorethissitetogetan
introductiontoeverythingLibrary2.0,andtostartcollaboratingwithotherlibrarians.
Mashable:SocialNetworkingNews.http://mashable.com/.
Mashableisacommunitywrittenblogthatcarriesallthelatestnewsintheworldof
socialnetworkingsites.Itisupdatedseveraltimesaday,sousethecategorytabs
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
(MySpace,Facebook,YouTube,etc.) toreadonlythosestoriesdealingwiththesocial
networkingsitesyouareusing.RSSfeedsareavailableforeachcategory.
McKiernan,G.2007. Friends:SocialNetworkingSitesforEngagedLibraryServices.
http://onlinesocialnetworks.blogspot.com/.
TheFriendsblogwillhelpyoustayuptodateonhowlibrariesareusingsocial
networkingsites,andwhatthemediaandacademearesayingaboutthem.
Schmit,A. 2007.walkingpaper.http://www.walkingpaper.org/.
Aaron Schmit’sblogisagreatresourceforinformationonLibrary2.0technologies.He
haswrittenandpresentedextensivelyonlibraries’useof MySpaceandFacebook.
Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
ResearchLibraries.
Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
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http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_sites?ts_mode=global&lang=none.
Boyd,D. “FriendsterandPubliclyArticulatedSocialNetworks.” ConferenceonHumanFactors
andComputingSystems(CHI2004). Vienna:ACM,April2429,2004.
Cashmore,P.2006.FacebookBacklash. http://mashable.com/2006/09/06/thefacebook
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DemographicCompositionContinuestoShift".comScore,Inc.
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Originallypublishedin:
S.Steiner,&L.Madden(Eds.),TheDeskandBeyond:NextGenerationReferenceServices.Chicago,IL:AssociationofCollegeand
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Available at:http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteS olution.taf?_sn=catalog2 &_pn=product_detail&_op=2635
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... It can be geographically induced, connecting people who are from a particular place or who live close to one another, or can be based on a common hobby or interest, such as scrapbooking, playing a particular instrument, belonging to the same political party, or studying at the same university. Landis (2008) asserted that social networking sites allow users to interact with one another in three different ways. First, a user can create a profile that will represent him or her to other users. ...
... The Reference and User Services Association (2004) postulated that online reference service, often called virtual reference service, is a service initiated electronically, often in real time, where patrons use computers or other Internet technology to communicate with reference staff, without being physically present in the library. Landis (2008) stated that social networking sites are taking reference services beyond the traditional reference desk. These sites allow librarians to reach out to users in a familiar interface and provide users with instruction, research help, and the opportunity to have their voices heard. ...
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The study evaluated online reference services through social networking sites in selected university libraries in Nigeria. A survey approach was adopted to ascertain patrons' level of awareness, their preferences, and the sources from which they were informed of the existence of the service. Findings revealed that patrons are aware that their university libraries are on social networks but are still not familiar with reference services. Facebook, Twitter, and Ask-a-Librarian were ranked as the most preferred methods for delivering online reference services, and online reference service was indicated as more convenient than traditional desk reference service because communication is available anywhere and anytime with a reference librarian and is easily accessible.
... The study recommended a number of recommendations including the need to increase efforts to activate social networking characteristics because of their role in the marketing process. [1] ، [2] ، [3] ‫؛‬ ‫الويب‬ ‫تقنيات‬ ‫تبني‬ ‫نحو‬ ‫المكتبات‬ ‫توجهت‬ ‫فقد‬ ‫لذلك‬ 2.0 ‫عام،‬ ‫بشكل‬ ‫المقد‬ ‫وخدمات‬ ‫األنشطة‬ ‫يز‬ ‫لتعز‬ ‫خاص‬ ‫بشكل‬ ‫االجتماعي‬ ‫اصل‬ ‫التو‬ ‫وشبكات‬ ‫وتحسين‬ ‫جديدة،‬ ‫خدمات‬ ‫وتقديم‬ ‫مة،‬ ‫المستفيدين‬ ‫من‬ ‫اسعة‬ ‫و‬ ‫يحة‬ ‫شر‬ ‫إلى‬ ‫الوصول‬ ‫و‬ ‫ومكانتها،‬ ‫تها‬ ‫صور‬ [4] . [15] . ...
... [13] ، [16] . [4] . [25] . ...
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... -one thousand nine hundred eighty-two users reached on library Facebook Page. One thousand six hundred twenty-three users liked, one thousand twenty-two engaged, thirty-six comments, and sixty-two users shared the library posts. Maximum of 35 posts related to the notices shared by the users and a maximum of 11 comments also given on the same posts.(Landis, 2008) ...
... One of such platform is social media. Social media integration to library services Readiness of Librarians in Public Libraries towards Integration of Social Media Tools in Library Services Delivery in South-East Nigeria allow librarians to reach out to users in a familiar interface, provide users with instruction research help and the opportunity to have their voices heard (Landis, 2008). Social media is gradually becoming part of people's everyday lives. ...
... Breeding (2007), who urged librarians to join Facebook felt that the constant development and new features to explore as one of the reasons behind Facebook's success. Landis (2007) explained that SNS such as Facebook can be a great way to discover what library user wants and needs, because they can be used for marketing, reference, instruction, and improvement of services. He explained further that library marketing is effectively done through SNS because it is time and budget saving to reach out to users as it can be done anytime and free. ...
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Information Today. Farkas provides an in­depth look at the origins, history, and variety of social networking sites. She also provides information on doing market research and outreach, and considers privacy and intellectual property implications of using social networking sites
  • Nj Medford
Medford, NJ: Information Today. Farkas provides an in­depth look at the origins, history, and variety of social networking sites. She also provides information on doing market research and outreach, and considers privacy and intellectual property implications of using social networking sites.
alastore.ala.org/SiteSolution.taf?_sn=catalog2&_pn=product_detail&_op=2635 (MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) to read only those stories dealing with the social networking sites you are using. RSS feeds are available for each category
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Available at: http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteSolution.taf?_sn=catalog2&_pn=product_detail&_op=2635 (MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) to read only those stories dealing with the social networking sites you are using. RSS feeds are available for each category.