Social Networking: Adoption and Impact on Libraries and Information Centers By Kristin Falls, Jonathan Gazdecki, Shannon McDermitt, and Catherine Sossi TEAM 11
What is social media? The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines social media as:
Types of Social Media This illustration represents the most popular social media communities and websites in use today.
Who is using social media? According to a survey from the Pew Research Center Facebook is the most popular social media site with LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter receiving less than half the amount of engagement from
Facebook in the Library Setting Allows libraries to: Promote library services Create and publicize library events Display pertinent information including contact information, address, and hours Connect with patrons in the form of ‘likes’ and comments Link to useful web content including library webpage Create a communication channel through message function
Pinterest is a visual social networking tool where a user can ‘pin’ images to a designated board which is then shared with the user’s followers. Libraries use Pinterest to: Promote library activities, events, and programming Provide reader’s advisory through curated reading lists Create community book recommendation boards where followers can submit their recent reads Pin crafts, DIY projects, and recipes Pin interesting infographics about reading, librarianship, and information science The US National Archive utilizes Pinterest by creating boards themed with related archival material – one such board is FLOTUS Fashion and another is Handsome, Hunky, and Historic. Pinterest in the Library Setting
Twitter in the Library Setting Twitter is a micro-blogging platform where users can ‘tweet’ messages of 140 characters or less to followers and into the twitter-verse. On the next slide is a screenshot of Wayne State University Library System’s twitter account. WSU actively tweets content related to: Library events and programming Changes and updates to the library website Links of interests (in the form of retweets, ‘RT’), pictures, and quotes Tips and guidelines for using library resources Questions posited towards students Additional uses of Twitter by library and information centers are explored on the Team 11 blog
WSU Library System on Twitter
Blogging in the Library Setting Blogging via Blogger, Wordpress, and various other platforms is a viable way to engage with the community. A rundown of why blogs are beneficial to libraries in available in the post Benefits of Blogging. In short, blogging allows libraries to:Benefits of Blogging Publish information quickly Create a forum for in-depth communication Connect with a wider audience Market library events and programming Provide links to additional social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
tumblr in the Library Setting tumblr is another microblogging platform that features written posts, pictures, gif images, audio clips, quotes, and videos to generate content. A blog-twitter hybrid, tumblr provides quick and useful content in the form of mini-blog entries. Content is discovered by searching for ‘tags’ – a tumblr- specific keyword search for specific information. Libraries create tumblr accounts, many of which repost library-related content. To find out more about these ‘tumblarians’ please reference Libraries and Tumblr.Libraries and Tumblr
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogging, and tumblr are just a few of the social media networks libraries use to reach patrons. Flickr (a photo sharing social network) and YouTube (a video sharing social network) are also used by libraries, although less frequently. As new social media technology emerges, libraries will have to adopt and adapt to these technologies in order to remain relevant, viable and accessible pillars of information.