Story time and Social Networking

Does your library have a social media presence for their weekly children’s program?  With over 23 million moms on Facebook according to an article posted on eMarketer on October 19, 2011 (http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008649) using social media to connect parents with children’s library services is an ideal method to promote library connections with a regular user base.  With many parents connecting to social networks using those same networks to encourage participation in library programs and events is an ideal method to turn users into advocates.  Social networking creates networks of families that use library activities and in turn they can spread their experiences with library resources to others in their networks.  Libraries that have strong social media programs can include children’s programming updates to active users and develop stronger connections with the library.  Some libraries have developed specific weekly programs that are then shared through Facebook and other networks.  With the creation of new social network providers such as Ning the possibilities that libraries could develop closed networks for the patrons who use their services the most may allow for patron requested programming with a guaranteed audience.

            In the book Doing Social Media So It Matters:  A Librarians Guide, by Laura Solomon one of the ideas that is discussed is that using tactics to increase library advocacy across technical formats can have the benefit of reinforcing library engagement with the technically adept.  The patron base that uses social networking programs often uses multiple formats and this will require libraries to develop strategies that include the most commonly accessed networks to encourage patrons to interact with their library.

            Another book that discusses some of the issues that come up in creating Facebook connections with families is From Board book to Facebook by Adele M. Fasick.  In the book some discussion is made about creating effective strategies within programs to use the technological tools available can effectively increase the technological literacy of children as well as developing the traditional literacy skills that library story times have historically been expected to provide.  Using social networking products like Facebook, or Cafemom to connect library services with patrons is only a part of the larger outreach and community engagement strategy of the library.

            Being Facebook friends with your local children’s librarian may be just one aspect of the library engagement in your community but it personalizes that connection.  Facebook groups that have formed because of library programming do offer a unique advocacy ally within the community which can be informed about events or issues in a way that ensures messages are received.  Programming for infants and new parents also benefits from these connections becoming more responsive to the needs of their most likely participants.

            Social networking and story time don’t seem to be a natural fit, but they have a great deal that they can do together.

What Should I Read Next?

Reference librarians hear this question asked nearly every day.  Readers advisory is helping readers find the next book, through the reference interview process, .  The reference interview doesn't have to be in person though.  Social media can change how libraries interact with patrons.  Tools on book ratings sites like Goodreads have created a forum that gives reviews on many books that aren't reviewed normally in traditional publications that library staff has used to provide reviews for newly released materials.

One of the exciting changes to reference services is the use of social media in providing readers advisory.  Applications on social media networks allow for instant messaging readers advisory services.  Reader’s advisory services have also been internalized through tools and applications.  Some public libraries have applications for instant messaging within their websites an example is the North Kingstown Free Library which has its own reader’s page at http://www.nklibrary.org/online-readers-advisory.  Facebook has also become a leader in social media readers’ advisory methodology. In an article published in Library Journal last year reference library staff used Facebook for the first time and they discussed the aspects of social media use for readers advisory.  (http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communitylibraryculture/890008-271/facebook_ra.html.csp)  Readers advisory at arranged times on social media sites can reach a larger audience with less staff than traditional in person reference interviews.

            Traditional readers advisory methods transfer fairly well into the social media setting.  As more libraries develop social media reference advisory programs the literature and studies about RA through social media will begin to define what the best practices will be in the future for developing social media programs with readers advisory activities.  Social media is still a developing tool; Facebook was only developed in 2004.  Though it is the most widely used social media program currently this area of library services is rapidly changing but it is also leading other library programs into new uses of technology use.

Social Media and the Promotion of Reading

There’s a very common practice I’ve noticed nowadays where if someone is looking for a book to read, their first instinct is to turn to Facebook and post a status that reads along the lines of, “I’m looking for something new to read. What do you recommend?” Social media has not just become a way of connecting people, but brain storming as well. This is helping to boost readership, not just among children, but people across the board.  How can this be?  According to an article in The Bookseller, Dan Martin states, “many having acted--and spent money--as a result of recommendations made across the social networks. One crucial factor is that social media is a communications mechanism in which you can have a constructive dialogue with people” (Martin, 2010). 

The website GoodReads took this aspect of social media one step further.  With over five million members, the website specializes in everything book-related, from recommendations, personal reviews, queues and bibliographies, to even author bios, interviews, and blogs  (Mulvihill, 2011). By making the website a center for literature, it becomes a promotion for reading in all aspects. One does not even have to ask the question, “What are you reading?” A member can click on a friend’s profile and see what they have read, what they thought of it, and if there are any other books by that specific author.

Writers have also started using social media to promote their work in a marketing aspect.  From My Space to Facebook, authors are getting their work out to the public (and I would be a liar if I said I didn’t use this practice myself).  Robert Patterson took this opportunity by starting a campaign to get children to read and spread the word on the interactive website for CNN. Within a day his campaign’s launch, it had over 23,000 supporters on the site alone  (Donahue, 2011).

While social media may be keeping children (and people in general) on the computer longer, it has become a great tool for helping to promote a classic, and sometimes rare, type of recreation.

The Dangers of Social Media in Libraries and in the Public

As librarians, we are tasked with giving information to those who seek it. With the advent of the Internet and the world wide web, it would seem that we are given a gift of seeking out anything we find useful in our daily lives. Yet, as with all weapons, when put in the wrong hands, it can do nothing but harm.  Social media has now found a way to turn connecting people to one another into a danger zone. Cyber bullying is on the rise with little supervision or firewalls in place to block such acts. During most occasions, the culprits are not adults harassing one another.  According to Ramesh’s article, “cyber stalking is the new face of this evil that experts believe is mainly because of increased usage of social media among school children” (Ramesh, 2012).

For libraries, it becomes a question of how to monitor public use. Libraries have computers for patrons to use, but is it necessarily a librarian’s duty to watch over a young patron’s shoulder and watch what a child is submitting online? And as it is not only children who are prone to using computers, should every patron be monitored with what they send and receive? 

In the Gale article “Cyberbullying,” the definition of the specific type of abuse is laid out.  “Cyberbullying is the use of the Internet, cell phones, or other electronic communication devices to spread harmful or embarrassing information about another person. This information can be in the form of text, photos, or videos. Internet safety organizations make a distinction between cyberbullying and cyberharassment. The latter term refers to harassing behaviors targeted at adults. The term cyberbullying refers to the behavior when it is targeted at minors” (Cyberbullying, 2010).   Hmm…so the public could not only be in danger, but could be the cause as well.  So how does one stop this vicious circle?

The best advice is for everyone (especially children) to be on guard when working on the Internet, whether at home or in a public setting.  Be smart when online and using social media since one never knows who may be on the other end of the chat. Colin Thakur of Durban University of Technology set out to do this in September 2012 when he gave a speech on web dangers.  “I consider myself to be a digital activist and was surprised, even annoyed by the lack of advisory material for parents in the cyber world”  (Talk to inform on webdangers, 2012).  He quotes basic smarts that one teaches children when being confronted with strangers. “We taught our children not to tell strangers their telephone numbers, yet they innocently post pictures on Facebook, of themselves in front of their house with the street address visible. A cyber predator now has information to stalk and befriend the child.”

In my humble opinion, this leads back into the question that yes, there should be public use of information, but to what extent and what restrictions should be in place? And how in this process should children be affected (and made a part of)?

Libraries and Distance Education

Standards for Distance Learning Library Services emphasize an equal access of appropriate library resources and services for distance education students to ensure their superior academic achievement.

Twenty-first century technologies allow libraries provide their services 24/7 with the potential to achieve high level of expertise ( Guidelines for E-Reference Library Services ).
Middleton, M & Peacoc, J. in “Library Services to External Students from Australian Universities”(The Reference Librarian , No. 69/70, 2000, pp. 205-217) provide many examples how libraries meet the above mentioned standards, such as assigning distance student librarians, making arrangements with local libraries, videoconferencing, providing instructions how to use online databases, etc.
 Among other librarians and authors, Meredith Farkas (The Desk and Beyond) highlights the role of embedded librarian and embedded library in providing library services in online courseware, such as Blackboard, WebCT, and others. For online students a course management system (CMS) is the central space for learning, and, in many cases, the only one. Academic libraries invest a significant part of the budget into online library services, such as synchronous virtual reference, but if students are not aware of them, the investment is not worth it. The integration of the CMS and library would definitely bring undeniable benefits to distance learners.
Lockerby, R. & Stillwell, B. from San Diego National University Library (“Retooling Library Services for Online Students in Tough Economic Times”, Journal of Library Administration , October/December 2010, Vol. 50 Issue 7/8, p779-788) share the experience of meeting a challenge of providing quality library services to increasing numbers of online students within the  budget constraints. Just a few out of many successful decisions were a newly established Multimedia Department, developed tutorials and online learning materials, assigned an outreach librarian position, expanded the roles of liaison librarians.
The Brooklyn Campus library can serve as another positive example of integrating technological solutions into library services for online students (Wang, Z. &Tremblay, P., “Going Global: Providing Library Resources and Services to International Sites”, Journal of Library Administration; January/March 2009, Vol. 49 Issue 1/2, p171-185). LivePerson software is being used to chat with or send e-mails to a reference librarian; Interlibrary Loan Journal Request forms enable distance education students submit a request at any time.
Virtual reference services, simplified remote access to licensed indexes and full text, purchases of electronic texts for non-circulating print titles, patron-initiated requests, document delivery, reciprocal borrowing, library blogs, wikis, RSS, and other library services for distance learners are shaping and influencing the organization. Many more online services are to evolve over the coming years along with those that we already provide. Without a doubt, all of them are of great importance and value for distance education students.

Using Social Networking Tools for Reference in Academic Libraries

We, as librarians, have a unique role to link our patrons and information by using Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, podcasts , instant messaging (IM), Flickr, vodcasts, mashups, and others ( Kane, L. T., pp.48).

Today campus culture includes the online campus. In order to effectively do our job as information specialists, we have to understand this new campus reality
 ( Alemán, A. M. M. & Wartman K. L., pp. 90).
“Today’s social networking technologies offer a myriad of possibilities to support reference and information literacy instruction, as well as research, collaboration, by putting librarians where the users are”. ( Zabel, D., pp. 98).
The social networking technologies, such as Facebook, Twitter (microblogging), Flickr (image sharing) facilitates the librarians to achieve their goals by letting to insert library catalog, database searching into a Web site, chat, RSS. We are able to provide reference services within the student social spaces.
Also, almost every library today has a social site of its own
( Ottawa Public Library’s Social Media Policy ).
IM, or texting (SMS) reference services are in high demand in academic libraries. Integration of these services into library’s social networking site is a powerful way of reaching more patrons ( Landis, C., pp. 30 ).
“…academic libraries that offer an IM-based service as well as a Web-based chat service have reported that their IM service seems to be best for handling questions that are … easy to answer (such as ready reference questions) and their Web-based chat service is better poised for dealing with in-depth, research questions”
( Francoeur, S., pp. 73 ).
No matter if patrons are at the reference desk or looking at library’s social site, they will have questions to ask. Providing links to tutorials, research guides, FAQs, and other resources on the social site, makes reference services proactive.
Another important feature of the virtual reference service is the ability to reach people with disabilities. An excellent example of such service is Info Eyes. It provides reference assistance for patrons with visual impairments or other print limitations by using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) such as Skype or GoogleTalk. iVocalize software includes co-browsing and chat as well as VoIP. It is important to offer virtual reference services in as many formats as possible, as this will appeal to the widest audience. ( Farkas, M., pp. 165).

            If we learn to learn, it doesn’t matter that this week’s shiny tool is Twitter and next week’s even shinier tool is something else. We can still play around with it, figure it out, use our foundational knowledge to make sense of it, and decide if it works in our situation. Not every tool will work for every library, but learning to experiment and explore will help us spot those that will fit well…Finally, please remember to focus on encouraging the heart. This is important as we move into a more emotionally rich, experience-based world. Social networks enable us to extend the heart across cyberspace. User-centered planning, engaging and exciting spaces, and opportunities to follow one’s curiosity are all part of the heart of libraries. ( Zabel, D., 2011, pp. 213 ).

Patron IT “Help” through social networking

Anywhere you have computers you will most likely find a bevy of “technologically challenged” individuals as well.  The library is no exception.  From those curmudgeons that resist anything other than a card catalogue, pencil, and scrap of paper to locate a book in the “stacks”, to those dependent on the Internet to take their next breath who is suffering withdrawal while their own PC is in for repairs, the computers provided by the library can offer a link to the present.  Some of the patrons will know the “ins” and “outs” of the programs and not want assistance; other patrons will not be able to find the “on/off” button.  Libraries can use this need to create another resource for the patrons by providing basic IT instruction and assistance.   Using a blog, the library could post a daily quick tip for maintaining or troubleshooting, and answer any resulting questions.  Teaching a computer neophyte what a “blog” is and how to access it could open up a whole new world of resources.  Links to obvious questions and obscure questions can be posted to help the beginner and advanced word processor user.  The same can be done on the library’s Facebook page.  An obvious byproduct and advantage of a question and answer board is that the library staff might even be able to increase their expertise and refine their skills by researching a question they had not formerly had to address.  We as information providers should follow the trend and provide this resource for our patrons and solidify our position as information providers to the masses.