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I:\Sam-publications\published materials\conference papers\Chu (2012) Using social media to enhance inclusion and outreach by libraries.docx
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Cited As: Chu, S.K.W., Rajagopal, S., Wan, W.W.T., & Yeung, K.M., (2012). Using social
media to enhance inclusion and outreach by libraries. Paper presented at The 4th
International Conference on Libraries, Information and Society (ICoLIS) 2012, Malaysia.
Using Social Media to Enhance Inclusion and Outreach by Libraries1
Authors: Samuel Kai-Wah Chu, Sandhya Rajagopal, Wan Wai Tung Abigail and Yeung Kwong
Man
Abstract
As James Smithson said in his Last Will and Testament of 1826, the founding of the Smithsonian
Institute was for ‘the increase and diffusion of knowledge’ (quoted in Kalfatovic, Kapsalis,
Spiess, Van Camp, & Edson, 2008, p. 276). The function of libraries should embody such
essence, with due consideration for social inclusion. According to the Department for Culture,
Media and Sport in Britain (DCMS, 1999), social inclusion constitutes the promotion of
participation in culture and leisure activities of the disadvantaged and marginalized groups in the
society, thereby causing an improvement in quality of life. Libraries share the mission of
promoting social inclusion. This talk will first discuss inclusion/outreach activities that are
commonly implemented by libraries in the past few decades. Current developments in
technology have led to the use of social media tools by libraries, and the exploratory study that
will be presented examines the application of social media to enhance inclusion and outreach
activities by libraries.
1.0 Introduction
An inclusive society has been defined by the United Nations as “a society for all” where every
individual has rights, responsibilities, and an active role to play in the society (United Nations,
1995, para 66). Libraries support social inclusion by promoting equal opportunities and
accommodating diversity to facilitate the active participation of each individual in the library
program and services (Department of Economic and Social Affairs-United Nations, 2012). One
mechanism instituted by libraries to support social inclusion are outreach programs. These are
1 Based on this paper, a keynote speech under the same title was presented at The 4th International Conference on
Libraries, Information and Society (ICoLIS) 2012.
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channels to “reach out to their users, to encourage use of the library and its resources, and to
promote a positive image on campus and often in the community” (Carter & Seaman, 2011, p.
164) and are believed to empower libraries to be agents of social inclusion.
Muddiman et al. (2001) examined the ability of libraries to embrace inclusion and report
that “public libraries have the potential to play a key role in tackling social exclusion, but in
order to make a real difference they will need to undergo rapid transformation and change.” (p.
157). Alongside a host of processes that promote social inclusion, the use of information and
communication technology (ICT) has been identified as one of the new instruments that could be
used (van Winden, 2001).
In the recent years, the Internet has transformed from being a static repository of
information into a socially interactive web. The development of what has been touted as Library
2.0 has introduced collaborative development of content in libraries using social media
instruments such as Facebook, Twitter and Delicious (Bolan, Canada, & Cullin, 2007). Such
social media web sites were thought to constitute a form of technology that creates outreach
opportunities for libraries (Dickson & Holley, 2010). In this current study, we investigated
whether the use of social media could augment capabilities of different libraries around the world.
The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of social media as a strategy for
libraries to promote social inclusion and outreach.
2.0 Literature Review
Train, Dalton and Elkin (2000) noted that the key concept of social inclusion is parallel to the
ethos of public library service – that opportunities should be equally available to all. They further
stated that in attempting to apply such mandate, public libraries have confronted the challenges
of social deprivation and disadvantage through outreach work with excluded communities. It can
be surmised, therefore, that there are various library outreach programs that exist, some of which
are specifically for promoting social inclusion.
2.1 Outreach programs in libraries
Traditionally, libraries have used outreach programs to connect with the communities they serve.
For example, Dennis (2012) studied academic libraries and identified outreach initiatives such as
‘Bathroom stall Newsletters’, ‘Novel writing month’, ‘African American Heritage and cultural
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Read In’, Webinars, iPad Forum and annual Technology Conference. It appeared that a variety
of initiatives are considered by librarians as outreach programs, and are primarily directed
towards engaging patrons to participate in library-initiated activities. Similarly, Carter and
Seaman (2011) noted that outreach initiatives by libraries tend to aim at promotion of library
services.
2.2 Social inclusion programs in libraries
In the general conference and council of the International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions (IFLA), Byrne (2007) emphasized that when libraries promote social inclusion, they
contribute to creating a community that celebrates diversity. The importance of the library’s role
in social inclusion has also been stated in government policy statements, such as in the UK,
where libraries are deemed to have “an important role to play in helping to combat social
exclusion and promote lifelong learning” (DCMS, 1999, p. 7). For example, the library’s role in
social inclusion was apparent in children’s services (e.g. Homework Clubs) that support the
development of children and young adults, by providing them a safe, non-threatening
environment and opportunities for growth at their own pace (Train, Dalton, & Elkin, 2000).
2.3 Social media (SM) in libraries
While an increasing number of younger adults are becoming Internet users, the popularity
of Social Network Service/Site (SNS) has also gone up dramatically. Enders and Wineland (2012)
stated that, “to lack a social media presence in 2012 is like not having a telephone twenty years
ago” (p.16). In the contemporary times, students are not likely to engage with entities that do not
utilize the currently popular forms of technology. These developments have affected libraries too,
who now utilize different forms of social media for different purposes. Social media, tools such
as Facebook, Blogs, Wiki and Twitter, have been adopted by libraries (Browne & Rooney-
Browne, 2008; Chu & Du, 2012; Loudon & Hall, 2010). The use of social media by libraries has
been suggested to enhance efforts to promote inclusion and outreach (Dickson & Holley, 2010).
While a number of associated problems arise, Enders and Wineland (2012) pointed out that “a
social media policy to guide postings and set limits on use can address several of these concerns”
(p. 16). Despite such suggestions, studies that contribute to the understanding of the use of
social media tools for the purpose of social inclusion in libraries remain scarce.
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3.0 Research Methods
This study conducted a survey among libraries that already use social media tools, and
investigated the use of such tools for social inclusion/outreach. The following research questions
were asked:
1. What types of social media do the surveyed libraries use?
2. Is social media used for enhancing inclusion/outreach activities?
3. What is the perceived usefulness in applying social media for inclusion/outreach?
4. Do libraries institute policies to encourage social inclusion and outreach?
5. What are the benefits and challenges associated with using social media in libraries?
Out of 110 libraries that were invited to participate in the survey, 27 responses were
received and analyzed. Academic libraries make up 70% of the respondents and the remaining
30% are from public libraries. These libraries were located in Greater China (Hong Kong,
Mainland China, and Taiwan) and from Non-Chinese speaking countries (Switzerland, United
States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand), providing information from an
international sample.
One member of each participating library was invited to complete a self-administered
questionnaire, consisting of eight questions. The first four questions elicited information about
the duration and the most commonly employed social media tools for varied purposes. The last
four questions were open-ended and requested participants to provide details about the benefits
and advantages derived, the challenges and difficulties faced and of existing policy statements, if
any. The distribution of surveyed libraries across countries and their type is shown in Table 1.
Table (1)
Composition of surveyed population
Academic Public
Chinese-speaking countries 10 1*
Non-Chinese speaking countries 9 7
* This institution is a repository, but is considered a public library for the purpose of this research
Responses to close-ended questions were analyzed quantitatively, and were supported by
participants’ responses to open-ended questions. Where a 5-point Likert-type scale was used,
responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. Respondent libraries were coded as R1
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to R27 and the corresponding librarian representatives, labeled L1 to L27. A number of
responses to open-ended questions are reported in this paper accordingly.
4.0 Findings
4.1 Types of social media tools used in libraries
Table (2) shows the type of social media tools used by the libraries, and the duration of use in
years. Blogs and RSS feeds are the two tools that have been used longer by the participants.
Other tools include: Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter. Overall, 24 of the 27 library
respondents used at least two or more social media tools for four or more years.
Table (2)
Types of SM tools used in libraries and the duration of use in years
Social media tools Mean (SD) Median
RSS 4.15 (1.32) 5
Blogs 3.93 (1.52) 5
Facebook 3.07 (1.36) 3
Flickr 2.93 (1.75) 3
YouTube 2.89 (1.60) 3
Others 2.83 (1.34) 2
Twitter 2.70 (1.44) 3
Wiki 2.44 (1.74) 1
Delicious 1.62 (1.36) 1
Note: Rating scale is: 1 – ‘Never’, 2 – ‘<1 year’. 3 –‘1-2 years’, 4 –‘3-4 years’, and 5 –‘> 4 years’
4.2 Social Media in inclusion/outreach programs in libraries
Participants listed the types of social media tools that were employed in their libraries for various
activities, and specifically indicated whether they were applied for inclusion, outreach or for both
kinds of activities (see Table 3). Only two libraries – R3 and R12 used social media tool
exclusively for inclusion purposes in activities such as virtual reference, library tour and online
library user guide. All other libraries applied social media tools for outreach only or for both
outreach and inclusion.
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Table (3)
Types of library activities that have applied social media tools
Inclusion/Outreach activities Most frequent social media used
Library tour YouTube (5)
Book talks Facebook (8) ; Blog(4); Twitter(4)
Exhibition Facebook (9); Blog(5); Twitter(3); Flickr(3)
Virtual reference Facebook (4)
Online library user guide [Others: LibGuides (4)]; Blogs(4)
Book recommendation Facebook (5); Blogs(5)
Library news posting Facebook (12); Blogs(7); Twitter(6)
Others Blogs (4)
Note: Numbers in brackets refer to the number of respondents using those SM tools for inclusion/outreach.
The primary library inclusion/outreach activities for which social media tools were applied
included: library tours, exhibitions, virtual reference, online library user guide, book
recommendation and library news posting. Of the social media tools used for these activities,
Facebook has been frequently applied to several events including book talks, exhibitions, virtual
reference, book recommendation and library news posting. The next most often used tool is the
Blog, employed for book talks, exhibitions, book recommendation and library news posting.
Twitter, where used, was primarily for posting library news and book talks. A number of
libraries have adopted YouTube particularly for virtual library tours. No social media tools were
used by any of the participants for storytelling and inclusive story times. Inclusive story telling is
designed specifically for those who have difficulties in learning and communication to develop
narrative skills.
The libraries which have not adopted social media technologies, have however been
implementing inclusion/outreach programs for many years without them. For example, library
news posting, exhibitions, library tours and online library guides are popular tools that have been
used for four or more years (see Table 4).
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Table (4)
Duration of types of library activities for which social media tools have not been used
Outreach/ inclusion activities Mean (SD) Median
Library tour 4.43 (1.45) 5
Book talks 1.80 (1.69) 1
Storytelling sessions 1.57 (1.43) 1
Exhibition 4.60 (1.26) 5
Inclusive story times (including children with special needs) 1.19 (0.87) 1
Virtual reference 3.38 (1.93) 4.5
Online library user guide 4.57 (1.09) 5
Book recommendation 3.71 (1.86) 5
Library news posting 5.00 (0.00) 5
Others 5.00 (0.00) 5
Note: Rating scale is: 1 – ‘Never’, 2 – ‘<1 year’. 3 –‘1-2 years’, 4 –‘3-4 years’, and 5 –‘> 4 years’
Storytelling that caters to children with special needs is a particular social inclusion
program reported by a number of respondents. However, social media tools have not been
utilized for this activity. Certain social media tools could have the potential for use in inclusive
storytelling. For example, YouTube, which has been used for library tours, could also be a
platform for storytelling that could reach audience beyond the physical location of the library.
Children with physical disabilities and mobility issues might benefit from library programs that
could reach them, without having to visit the library physically.
4.3 Perceived usefulness of social media tools for inclusion / outreach activities
Table 5 presents a summary of the respondents’ perceptions of the usefulness of social media
tools for different inclusion/outreach activities. It appears that Blogs, Facebook and YouTube
are considered useful in the library. Blogs and Facebook are preferred for activities such as,
library news posting, book recommendations, exhibitions, storytelling and book talks. YouTube,
on the other hand, is the preferred tool for virtual library tours and for storytelling. RSS feeds
and Twitter are rated high for application in book recommendations and library news postings.
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Table (5)
Usefulness of SM tools for outreach/inclusion in libraries
Note:
(i) Participants rated according to the scale: 1-‘Strongly disagree’; 2-‘Disagree’; 3-‘Neutral’; 4-‘Agree’; 5-‘Strongly
agree’. (ii) Numbers in brackets where shown, refer to the number of respondents who rated the usefulness of social
media tools for library activities
4.3.1. Comparison of perceptions of usefulness across libraries in Chinese speaking and non-
Chinese speaking participants
In the Non-Chinese speaking sample comprising of 16 libraries, Twitter and RSS feeds are
rated high for posting library news, closely followed by Facebook and Blogs. Facebook is quite
popular at exhibitions too. YouTube is by far the most popular tool for library tours in these
regions also. These few tools are preferred more than any other SM tools. These observations
can be discerned from the tabulation below which shows the mean ratings for perceived
usefulness, wherein higher scores meant greater perceived usefulness of the tool.
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Table (6)
Usefulness of SM tools for outreach/inclusion at libraries in Non-Chinese countries
Note:
(i) Participants rated according to the scale: 1-‘Strongly disagree’; 2-‘Disagree’; 3-‘Neutral’; 4-‘Agree’; 5-‘Strongly
agree’. (ii) Numbers in brackets where shown, refer to the number of respondents who rate the usefulness of social
media tools for library activities
In the 11 libraries located in Chinese-speaking countries, most of the participants rated
Blogs as a very useful tool primarily for library news postings, book recommendation and online
library user guide, while Facebook is the preferred tool for book talks and exhibitions. In these
libraries, YouTube is the most popular for library tours. Similar with the perceptions of the Non-
Chinese speaking group, RSS feeds were perceived to be useful for Library news postings. These
findings are reported as mean rating of perceived usefulness is shown in Table 7.
Table (7)
Usefulness of SM tools for outreach/inclusion at libraries in Chinese countries
Note:
(i) Participants rated according to the scale: 1-‘Strongly disagree’; 2-‘Disagree’; 3-‘Neutral’; 4-‘Agree’; 5-‘Strongly
agree’. (ii) Numbers in brackets where shown, refer to the number of respondents who rate the usefulness of social
media tools for library activities
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4.4 Administration of library policy for inclusion
Of the 27 surveyed libraries only six (22%) had library policies in place for inclusion and two
others have instituted guidelines. The library R7 was the only one which has established a
policy referred to as Social Media Policy and a Mobile Strategy which states the library’s
position with regards to social media tools. The same library is currently in the process of
drafting what they call the Social Media Strategy and Social Media guidelines “to enhance
confidence for staff using social media on behalf of the Library” as reported by L7. Libraries R8
and R10 followed the inclusion policies of their respective governments. The site
http://www.trade.nsw.gov.au/policy/TI-A-124 is a sample reference to R10’s guidelines for
posting blogs on the library site, that can be viewed by the public. R14 adopted its parent
university’s guidelines, which L14 said was “with regard to usability, disability services and the
like.” R10 and R15 mentioned that policies for social media technologies were currently being
drafted.
4.5 Benefits realized and challenges faced
4.5.1 Benefits in using social media tools in libraries
A majority (63%) of the respondents cited reaching out to library users as the foremost benefit of
using social media tools. The opportunity to engage users in an environment comfortable to
patrons is considered a significant advantage. As stated by L11, “greater reach, putting content in
spaces where customers interact, there’s a match in demographics between our customers and the
platforms we’ve chosen to keep using.” L5 said, “When done well, it (social media) allows us to
connect with our users and build a relationship.” A finding in a previous study by Chu and Du
(2012), that “benefits associated with use of social networking tools were also reported to
include the quick spread of information with simple steps; communication and promotion;
enhanced interaction between library and students; and access to students’ comments and
suggestions” (p. 6), corroborates the results in this research.
The ability to communicate promptly with their audience was regarded as a considerable
benefit in five of the respondent libraries (R7, R12, R19, R22 and R24). Such communication
serves as a means of instant information dissemination about library events and services and to
promote the library’s philosophies, enabling “immediacy of information transference” as L3 said.
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Other benefits stated include an improvement in efficiency of interactive processes (R17, R18,
R23, R27), low costs of outreach efforts (R10, R23) and the ability to keep up with
contemporary technology and information trends.
4.5.2 Challenges in using social media tools in libraries
The types of challenges expressed by the respondents are grouped as shown in the table below.
Table (8)
Challenges voiced by participants
Challenges Participants Number of
responses
Understaffed R19, R23, R9, R10, R18 5
Staff lack skills R2, R7, R10, R18, R27 5
Time consuming R8, R13, R17, R20 4
Inability to assess return on investment in SM tools R5 and R13 2
Content updates to engage users’ interest R3, R7, R20, R21, R26 5
Note: Participating libraries are represented by their codes (R1-R27)
A number of the participants (37%) expressed issues relating to staffing as a primary
concern. Participant L10 noted that “many staff has been here 20-30 years and have little
exposure to social media.” Staff training is highlighted as a key requirement to adapt to new
technology environments which require frequent content updates and maintenance of services.
Five participants felt they are under-staffed and five felt their staff lack necessary skills to
manage the necessary upkeep of social media tools.
Four librarians in the survey also found the implementation of social media tools time-
consuming. A couple of the respondent libraries (R5 and R13) pointed out the inability to assess
the impact that such tools had on their audience and hence unable to evaluate whether it is worth
the cost, time and effort expended. An interesting challenge perceived by 19% of the participants
is the continuous need to update content to engage the interest of their capricious audience, who
demand instant results. L7 voiced concern about the “ongoing pressure to respond quickly and
adapt to changing trends in the communications landscape.”
Overall, participants expressed a positive sentiment in adopting social media tools for
library activities. As L15 said: “Our social media outreach efforts have been a resounding
success. Social media tools are particularly effective at reaching the youngest of our users: the
undergraduates.” However, the adoption of SM tools for inclusion/outreach activities is at its
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early stages with expectation of better future utilization, as opined by five of the participant
libraries (R1, R4, R8, R9 and R23). L9 noted that the use of social media is “a growing area of
interest and our goals are to become more organized and methodical in our efforts”.
5.0 Discussion
5.1 Use of social media for inclusion/outreach
This study reiterates findings from earlier studies (Browne & Rooney-Browne, 2008; Casey &
Savastinuk, 2006; Loudon & Hall, 2010) that libraries have adopted inclusion/outreach activities
such as library news posting, online library user guide, exhibitions and book recommendations
for many years. Libraries have also adopted social media tools as a part of their activities for at
least four years. However, it has been found during the course of this research, that while RSS
feeds are used extensively in many of the library activities, very few apply them for
inclusion/outreach activities. This may present an opportunity for these libraries to extend
existing and accepted service delivery platforms such as RSS feeds to develop their
inclusion/outreach activities.
For instance, YouTube appears to be an immensely popular tool especially for library
tours, and it would seem logical to use it for other similar inclusion/outreach activities that could
be supported by this social media tool. In this study majority of the participants considered
YouTube useful for storytelling (section 4.3). However, none of them have implemented it in
their own libraries, despite the potential of YouTube for supporting libraries’ outreach activities.
Alexander and Levine (2008) suggested that one of the applications of current social media tools
could be in storytelling. The range of social media tools used for inclusion/outreach programs is
limited primarily to Facebook, Blogs and YouTube. The strengths of each tool would be better
utilized if the most suitable one is chosen for each inclusion/outreach activity, keeping in mind
the culture and needs of the people it serves. For example, RSS feeds and Twitter have potential
application in library news posting, Blogs for book talks and recommendations and Flickr for
exhibiting collections or displaying events (section 4.3). The Flickr Commons offers good
direction for adoption of this method and it has provided the Simthsonian Museum with,
“…insights into how the knowledge, skills, and abilities of libraries, archives, and museums
(LAM) can converge in the Web 2.0 environment to provide collection access to new, and in
some cases unknown, audiences.” (Kalfatovic, et al., 2008, p. 267 ).
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This study has also highlighted the underutilization of tools such as Delicious and Wiki,
whereas previous studies have shown the benefits of adopting them. A study of 48 academic
libraries by (Chu,2009) suggests the use of Wiki as a popular tool in university libraries. (Green,
2010) describes the successful generic application of Delicious by librarians. There appears to be
potential for libraries to learn from these experiences and promote the use of social tools for
inclusion/outreach.
5.2 Usefulness and benefits
In an overall analysis of data, for libraries categorized as those located in Chinese speaking
countries and those in Non-Chinese speaking countries, it was found that Twitter was rated
highly in the Non-Chinese speaking sample. While part of the reason for this may be attributed
to socio-cultural differences across the groups, it may be a worthwhile to experiment with
Twitter in libraries in the Chinese-speaking countries, especially for library news posting. This
study has established that connecting with people and building relationships with them are the
primary benefits in using social media tools. This finding is consistent with those of other
researchers who showed that social media supports relationships between users (Bolan, et al.,
2007; Browne & Rooney-Browne, 2008; Enders & Wineland, 2012). Vincent (2007) emphasized
that “Working in libraries is a job that should be all about connecting and linking, networking,
communicating, solving problems, information-handling,” (page??). Given the characteristics of
social media tools, it is likely that such technology will enhance library services, particularly in
developing activities that accommodate the diversity of users.
5.3 Overcoming challenges
This study has highlighted staffing issues as the primary concern for librarians in implementing
social media tools. Explicit policy directives need to be formulated and initiatives should also be
taken to address staff issues such as skills upgrade, allocation of resources, explicit definitions of
roles and responsibilities. Moreover, library policies that direct an inclusive environment need to
be developed. Such policies could promote the identification of marginalized and underserved
user groups, and the implementation of activities that would enhance their participation in library
activities.
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6.0 Conclusion
Libraries have an essential responsibility to contribute to social inclusion using outreach
programs as their instruments of delivery. Internet and communication technologies represent a
potentially convenient means of delivering this goal. In this field, the continuous development of
social media tools seems to have taken root in the routines of the young and impressionable. This
strategically provides opportunities for libraries to adopt social media platforms to reach out to
the communities they serve. This study has shown that libraries that have already incorporated
social media tools, and to some extent for inclusion/outreach activities. While these tools are
deemed useful, very few methods are currently in place. However, participants in this study
indicated a general acceptance of the benefits of using social media and the inclination for future
application. A mismatch seems to exist between intention and actual execution.
The use of Social Media can help build the image of an organization. However, when methods
are ill-defined or the tools improperly applied, it could prove detrimental to that image. Policy
directives can be regarded as top-down commitment to ensuring the execution of the library’s
intended processes. Instituting specific policies for social media use can be a powerful tool to
improve the library’s services to promote inclusion/outreach. The use of social media tools could
be streamlined and optimized, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders could be clarified,
objectives could be defined and execution of social media as a means of promoting social
inclusion could be ensured. However, a lack of specific policies that clarify the responsibilities of
libraries in promoting social inclusion has been brought to light by this exploratory study. This is
possibly something libraries can give thought to.
The need for staff training and upgrading skills is another finding of significance in this study.
Libraries and librarians need to be well-equipped in order to serve those in need. The small
sample size of this study limits the generalization of results, but the findings motivate further
research in this area for further investigation.
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