Are You On Facebook?
A comprehensive guideBy Kerry BruceLIS 5313 – Web 2.0 Article
Media Component
Social Networking for Libraries
You have to be where your patrons are!
Social Network sites combine the abilities to: Create profiles; Acquire friends (your
network); and Explore the
connections between you and other people
Sites to take note of…
MySpace – www.myspace.com The largest of the online
social networks, with more than 100 million users
Facebook – www.facebook.com The fastest growing, and
most associated with colleges & universities
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com For business networking
Flickr – www.flickr.com To share images and
video Twitter – www.twitter.com
A microblog, answering the question: “what are you doing?”
LiveJournal – www.livejournal.com A journaling/blogging tool
where you can share your thoughts with your friends or the world
Facebook – a history
Founded by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, for Harvard students
Opened to other colleges and universities as demanded
Membership open to high school networks in 2005
Membership open to all since 2007
Librarians Invade Facebook
Librarians and Journalists form two of the largest networks on Facebook
Professionals 25 and up are the fastest growing demographic
Build a network through your colleagues
Facebook for Librarians and Libraries
And estimated 85% of undergraduates have Facebook profiles
Librarians can build personal networks while promoting their library through Groups and fan pages
Market your library’s web services or offer them directly with Facebook Applications
Visit the Group “Librarians and Facebook” to discuss Library 2.0 activities with more than 7,000 librarians http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/group.php?gid=221
0901334
Your Guide to Getting Your Library on Facebook
Create a personal profile Include a picture Update your status Upload some images Find your friends and
colleagues “Friend” any students
you know Join a group or two Update often – use the
feed as advertising!
Group Pages for student workers
MSU libraries (Powers, et. al., 2007) began their presence on Facebook as a tool for their student workers
Group pages were created for student workers in each department to communicate with library staff and each other
Students were encouraged to contribute content and edit the group page, to make it their own
It was found that students were more likely to communicate works concerns/comments on Facebook than email, and their was greater response to work related-discussion, etc.
Going where your patrons are…
Creating a fan page: Show them the library
(literally) Include updated hours Include links to
important pages on the library’s website
Add services using Facebook Apps – upload WorldCat, JSTOR, or create your own
Facebook Applications
Flickr’s app. allows users to display images from their Flickr accounts as a mashup
JSTOR’s app. allows searching directly from Facebook
WorldCat’s app. allows users to search libraries in their area and beyond
“CiteMe” by WorldCat creates citations of books looked up in user’
And many more…
Create Your Own App…(Facebook Platform)
Facebook allows outside developers (including you) to create applications for your page
Many libraries create search tools for their own catalogs within their fan pages
The Olin Library @ Rollins College fan page includes a Meebo widget that the library’s electronic resource librarian created to embed in Facebook
Final Thoughts…
“The focus is shifting away from the traditional library as place and toward a more ubiquitous presence, striving to meet users where they are” (Mathews, 2007, pg. 82)
Like a good profile, a good librarian never remains static!
References Consulted
Cooper, J.D. (2008). Facebook applications for the library community. The Alabama Librarian, 58(1), pp. 8-11.
Mathews, B.S. (2007). Online Social Networking. In N. Courney (Ed.) Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow’s Users (pp. 75-90). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Miller, S.E. and Jensen, L.A. (2007). Connecting and communicating with students on Facebook. Computers in Libraries, 27(8), pp. 18-22.
Powers, A.C., Schmidt, J., and Hill, C. (2007). Why can’t we be friends? The MSU libraries find friends on Facebook. Mississippi Libraries 72(1), pp. 3-5.
Images
The Library at Trinity College by winkyintheuk Lykkeoft viser Facebook by Jacob Botter Facebook by Alessio85 The independent guide to Facebook by Moe_
Music
Wired but Disconnected by duckett (ccmixter)