5 Reasons why libraries should be on social media

I have chosen 3 libraries from the literature that have been suggested being early adopters of Web 2.0 technologies and looked at how they are using social media to support their collections, programs, events and services. The table below summarizes my findings.

Based on this table I have come up with 5 reasons why libraries should be on social media.

1. Libraries should be on social media because there is an audience.

Libraries are choosing to use social media technologies such as Facebook Twitter and Pinterst because they are popular so there is an audience that they can potentially interact with. For example Worthington Libraries has a presence on 9 of the most popular social networking sites

2. Libraries should be on social media to promote their collections, services and programs

Social media allows libraries to promote themselves in new ways. Kansas Library uses Pinterest for visual promotion of the collection that is reminiscent of themed book displays. Worthington's photo promotion of events gives users a glimpse into the excitement. Ann Arbor gives more people access to events such as author talks via podcast/vodcast.

3. Libraries should be on social media to improve their services

Social Media makes it easier for patrons to ask information related questions. For Kansas City library has added IM to their reference services which allows patrons to ask library related questions over the internet. Ann Arbor regularly answers ready reference questions via Twitter.

4. Libraries should be on social media to provide information

People are going online for their information rather than visit their libraries. By being in social spaces libraries can share their information online. Worthington Libraries use Facebook and Pinterest to link to their finding aid and Kansas City Libraries use Facebook video and YouTube to instruct patrons on finding information at the library.

5. Libraries should be on social media to engage with patrons

This engagement can be active or passive on the part of the library. Each of the social media used by the library have features that allow for dialogue, usually though comments of posts. At anytime users can choose to enter into a dialogue by commenting on library content. Worthington Libraries is actively engaging users on Facebook where during July Worthington libraries asked users for feedback and input into their strategic plan.

Pinterest for Libraries

In an earlier post   I wrote that I had just realized that Pinterest was not just a place to pin pretty pictures but was a social book-marking site similar to Delicious  but instead of text each bookmark was represented by an image. This changed using Pinterest for me as it meant I could bookmark instructions for making crafts and not just images to inspire me. In creating pins I now think of them as resources and not images.  Check out my Pinterest profile.  I have learned how to manipulate the placement of my boards and to set board covers so that they display the most visually appealing or relevant images. I have done lots of repinning and get excited when other repin or follow my boards.  

I have interacted more in Pinterest by repinning, liking and commenting on images and I have created a collaborative board. The board is called Social Media in Libraries which now has 8 collaborators including people from my course and library colleagues. I have also joined and collaborated on other boards such as The Librarian's List: All Time Favourite Books and What Are You Reading? 

As I am interested in how libraries are using Pinterest I have began following libraries. Most libraries are using Pinterest for promotion  Somers library  promotes books in many categories such as teen reads, bullying resources, staff picks, action and adventure. However the library has used Google to source the images and all the bookmarks or pins link back to Google. This is a missed opportunity for the library to direct traffic back to the library catalogue. The library could select a book cover image from Google and customize the URL to link to the item on the catalogue. Fullerton Libraries has linked all its book recommendations to the library catalogue.  

Libraries are also promoting events and services on Pinterest with images of flyers and photo of events and the best libraries are directing user back to the library websites

One of the essentials of social networking is participation. Followers of library boards can like, repin or comment on a library pin. Some libraries are more active in encouraging participation by inviting patrons to collaborate on boards. New York Public library invites patrons to pin images with the hashtag #NYPLLittlelions images of cats that represent the library logo of a lion. NYPL then searches on Pinterest for this hashtag and pins the image to their Little Lions board. Fullerton Library has 68 collaborators on its Patron Favourites board 

The one issue I have encountered in the literature about Pinterest is that of copyright and intellectual property on images that are pinned (Ferguson, 2012, p.84). Anecdotally, many companies are happy to have their contents pinned as it increases traffic to their website, however if in doubt libraries should not pin images that they don't have the copyright of or permission form the artist (Hayden, 2012, p.169).

Summary for using Pinterest in Libraries

• Use Pinterest for both promotion and to engage users

• Link image such as book recommendations and new acquisitions back to the library catalogue

• Pin Regularly to keep users engaged and giving them content to like, repin or comment on

• Look for ways to collaborate on boards with patrons

• Be aware of copyright issues.

References:

Ferguson, Cris (2012). Technology Left Behind — Pinning in the Library. Against the Grain, 24(3), 83-85. Retrieved from http://www.against-the-grain.com/2012/07/v24-3-technology-left-behind/

Hayden, Beth (2012) Pinfluence : The Complete Guide to Marketing Your Business with Pinterest. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.

Libraries and QR Codes

Image: QR code for the shelf location of  Princess Bride by William Goldman at UQ Library

I have seen QR codes in magazines and at the movies but I really had no idea of what they were. For those of you in the same situation as me, I can tell you that QR codes stands for Quick Response codes and are a type of barcode but can hold more information as they are two dimensional (Walsh, 2009 p.7). They are readable by smart phones and mobile phones with cameras which use a downloadable QR reader. QR Codes can store different types of information such as text and more often a URL and links you a website.

I have difficulty with the concept of QR as social media or social networking software, as on its own it doesn't involve any social interaction. However it is certainly a tool that facilitates social networking as is a means of sharing information and leading people to places where they can collaborate and create content. To me they are more of a marketing tool that is the digital equivalent of business cards. A QR code could be displayed on a shop front which links people to a website which contain more information than could be typed on a business card.

However when I look at how libraries are using QR codes it can be used from more than marketing, and does link people to sites where they can create and share content. QR codes on book can link to information about the author and other books they have written, they can be added to the catalogue to get the shelf location of books, can be linked to library services (Massis, 2011, p.467). QR codes can link patrons to content sharing sites such as Blogs, Facebook pages and Flickr streams which invites them to dialogue with the library on these sites. It can also encourage creation of content. For example a QR code on a book can link patrons to a site where they can review the book. For more ways on how libraries are using QR codes see QR codes on Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki

The benefits of QR codes to libraries is that it joins together the physical and the virtual spaces of the library. They are low cost, easy to implement and have the potential to link patrons to lots of information (Ashford, 2010, p.527). One issue with QR codes is that users require a mobile device that can take photos and those patrons who do not have this technology will not be able to access this added information.

References:

Ashford, R. (2010). QR codes and academic libraries: Reaching mobile users.
College and Research Libraries News, 71(10), 526-530. Retrieved from http://crln.acrl.org/content/71/10/526.full
Massis, Bruce E. (2011). QR codes in the library New Library World, 112 (9), 466-469
Walsh. Andrew. (2009).Quick response codes and libraries. Library Hi Tech News, 26(5), 7-9.

Library 2.0: I Want it All Verses What Patrons Want

(Image by Vespertin via Flickr)

I feel I may be getting carried away with wanting to use Web 2.0 technologies in libraries. I have been guilty for bemoaning why the library I work at doesn't have any social software for patrons. I want it all for my library. I want blogs for teens and for book reviews. I want a Facebook page where I can promote library events and share witty library related photos. I want a new library website that links to all our social networks sites. I want a library twitter account, I want a wiki, I want.... I want.... I want.....

This week I read Meredith Farkas’s post The essence of Library 2.0 and at first it was like a wet blanket to my enthusiasm. I want my library to be part of the online conversations that are happening all around me using great tools and she was encouraging me to look past the tools to focus on my patrons needs. I was like a child a Christmas with all my nice new shiny toys, who had forgotten about all the other toys. I had forgotten all about what I had learned throughout my library course, about always being user-focused. I was focusing on myself and what I wanted for the library. I was also fueled by the fear of being left behind by not using social networking tools. However having a tool and using it well are not the same. As I have been searching for libraries using social technologies I have found many libraries have them but that they are not being used. There are library Facebook pages with the most recent status updates in 2008, library Pinterest pages with no pins, Twitter accounts with only 2 tweets, library blogs that have been abandoned. While it may look great to have Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, blog symbols on a library website linking to pages, it is disappointing to a user who may want to dialogue with the library in this way to find them out-dated or unused. I will not let that happen to my library!!

Frakas suggests the way to stop this happening is for needs assessments. To discover what users want and to assess what tools, social or not, would best met these needs. This course is helping me to explore social technologies and what they can do for a library. Armed with this knowledge, when I assess the needs of our users, I will know if a social media tool would help to address a need. Making a needs assessment doesn't seem as exciting as introducing all my shiny new social networking technologies, but it is the only way to ensure that patrons will engage with the social technologies I introduce.

References:
Frakas, M. (2008, January 24). The essence of Library 2.0 [Weblog post]. Retreived from http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2008/01/24/the-essence-of-library-20/

RSS Use In Public Libraries

I used to think that RSS was the poor sister in the range of social media tools that were available, but after seeing is ease of use and its benefits, I am changing my tune. RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication others refer to it as Rich Site Summary (Wusteman, 2004 p. 404). It is an application used on sites that are regularly updated. Users subscribe to a feed using a newsreader which then checks that site on a regular interval and notifies users of changes to those sites of pages(Wusteman, 2004 p.404). It is a fantastic time saver. Instead of visiting these sites regularly to note updates, new blog posts, or the lastest news all you need to do is regularly access your newsreader and it pulls on the new information from your feeds into a central place (Mu, 2008 p.10).

I have been investigating how Australian public libraries are using RSS, and I selected two examples  Eastern Regional Libraries and Yarra Plenty Regional Library to explore how they are using RSS.

Many libraries now have their own blogs either on their library websites or on a blog hosting site with links to them. Many of these have a RRS feed that notifies subscribers of a new post and pushes it out to them. YPRL has a quite a few blogs but not all of them offer a RSS feed.  ERL has 4 blogs,  all that can use RSS technology.

Some libraries use RSS to alert subscribers to changes in library locations and opening times. ERL's Find a library page has a google map of all the branches of the libraries, has the phone number of each library and the opening hours. RSS allows subscribers to be alerted to any changes on this page which means that patrons would be quickly notified of any change in opening hours that may occur, especially relevant for public holidays  or emergency closings.

Usually the RSS feed symbol is found on the address bar in your browser, ERL has placed symbols direction on their pages which makes it much more prominent – especially to people who are not so familiar with RSS. Many individual pages on the ERL website have RSS feeds. ERL has possible gone overboard with its use of RSS. RSS is particularly use for pages that regularly contain new information. ERL has RSS on pages such as on online resources and newspaper holdings  which are quite static pages. However, for those users that particularly use online resources at the library being notified of a new resource can be invaluable.  Interestingly, there is both a ERL newsletter and a YPRL newsletter  but at the time of this blog entry they can only be subscribed to via email and not RSS.

Getting feedback from patrons is an important aspect the social media technologies offer. Eastern Regional Libraries has a feedback page that is part of the I love Libraries campaign in Victoria. Visitors to the website and library users are invited to share their memories and experiences of the library. These are posted to a page entitled 'Why I love my library” It has an RSS option. As subscribers are notified when changes are made to the page they will be able to read of new memories other have of the library and builds a feeling of connectedness to the library and those who use it especially if people have similar experiences.

A great way of keeping patrons informed about new acquisitions to the library is to create a RSS feed linked to the catalogue. This way subscribers are the first to find out the new books and can reserve them. Although ERL and YPRL don't  Central West Libraries  has RSS feeds of the new titles added to the catalogue.  Users can subscribe to new titles, series issues and rating and reviews of books.

Another option for using RSS that none of these libraries are using (yet) is linking an RSS feed to a users library card. This then alerts the user to any changed on their card, overdues, fines, and reserves ready to pick up. An example of this is the University of Sydney's Myloans 

References:
Wusteman, J. (2004). RSS: the latest feed. Library Hi Tech, 22(4), 404-413.
DOI 10.1108/07378830410570511

Mu , Cuiying (2008). Using RSS feeds and social bookmarking tools to keep current . Library Hi Tech News 25(9) 2008, 10-11. DOI 10.1108/07419050810946196



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Twittering about spam

I joined Twitter over a year ago, sent my first tweet and felt proud! However that was the extent of my tweeting experience. Now my account has become more active as I interact with students from my class and as I post tweets to do with social networking. I have found that more of my friends are on twitter than I thought and I am  communicating with them and I am tweeting support to Australian athletes in London for the Olympics.
However, it has not been all smooth sailing, actually I am finding things about Twitter quite frustrating. I was happily tweeting away adding tags to my tweets that would allow my classmates to search from my tweets. However after a while I began to notice that some of my tweets were not being captured in a search. Any tweet with a URL link would not show up in the #tag search. This was frustrating as I had felt that these tweets with links were important articles that I wanted to share, yet unless my classmates specifically subscribed to my tweets, they wouldn't be able to see these tweets.
Unsure of what was going on as all my setting seemed fine I went to Google to investigate and found that there were other users that have reported other problems, but had no solution. I searched Twitter help and information about why tweets weren't appearing, but none of they quite fit my situation of why only some of my tweets were missing from search.
This is when it was suggested to me that perhaps it has to do with spam protection. My account had very little activity and suddenly I was tweeting a lot and using links. It could look a little suspicious. One of the ways in which twitter looks at spamming is “If your updates consist mainly of links, and not personal updates” I was wondering if Twitters spam protection was stopping these links from coming up in search.
A question to Twitter support suggested that “The best course of action is to continue tweeting, re-tweeting and mentioning others to gain resonance amongst your followers” So it seems that I have to gain authenticity as a Tweeter for all my tweets to show up in #tag searches. It seems disappointing that spammers do make it difficult for everyone else.  This raises the question of how this need to gain resonance amongst followers affects a library that is just starting to tweet and wants to link to their library site.

Defined by the technology I use

Photo courtesy of umpcportal.com

What Kevin Kelly (2009) says about ethnic technology resonates with me and perhaps explains my behaviour. He examines examples where primitive cultures do not adopt technologies at the same time, at the same rate even then they live in close proximity to each other, even though these technologies may be more efficient that what is being used.

“ Technologies have a social dimension beyond their mere mechanical performance.  We adopt new technologies largely because of what they do for us, but also in part because of what they mean to us. Often we refuse to adopt technology for the same reason: because of how the avoidance reinforces, or crafts our identity”(Kelly, 2009 para.8). I can imagine that in some of the examples that Kelly gives of they types of traps that are set, that not using a specific type, even if effective, is a statement of identity. It is them that use that type, not us.

He goes on to suggest that,“in the modernized west, our decisions about technology are not made by the group, but by individuals. We choose what we want to adopt, and what we don’t. So on top of the ethnic choice of technologies a community endorses, we must add the individual layer of preference. We announce our identity by what stuff we use or refuse”(Kelly, 2009 para.10). This is so true. My use or non-use of technology helps define who I am.

• I am a Linux user, mainly because of my partner's influence on me. I don't use Microsoft or Apple products, although a times it can be more difficult to avoid these.

• I don't have a mobile phone. This is a choice as I don't want to be in contact with people all of the time. I like having times that I am not contactable. And sometime it would be nice to contact my husband when he goes shopping to add something extra to the shopping list, however I have to rely on my powers of telepathy and try and let him know what I have forgotten off the list :)

• I have an e-reader, as it is practical for me as a prolific reader to be able to load multiple books onto a devise. However more than likely I read a pbook (print book) as I like the experience of reading a book, the smell of paper, and the sharing of reading experiences on trains where people can see what you are reading by the cover.

• I don't have TV. Well, this is not technically true, we have a TV (not a flatscreen), but we don't tune it, and just use it to watch DVD. However with the Olympic Games about to begin, I may get a set top box just to get into the Aussie spirit.

• I love my computer and that it gives my access to the online world. I  have a laptop that I can take places with me, so I can connect anywhere. The first thing I do in the morning is to check my emails and my social networking sites, particularly Facebook to see what has been happening overnight. It is also the first thing I do when I come home from anywhere, and I check in multiple times during the day.

• I sent emails, but I love letters. Some days I can't wait for the postman to come, even though most of our snail mail is bills and impersonal letters. The experience of walking the short distance to the mailbox, in the hope that there is that golden gem of personal mail, is like walking on sunshine.

I use the technology that is useful to me, that I enjoy, and that feels comfortable and works for me. I select which technology I want, when I want it, and how I want it. I am a selective adopter of technology.

References:

Kelly, Kevin. (2009) Ethnic technology. Retrieved from http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/03/ethnic_technolo.php