Social Media Training Plan for the Prototypical Academic Library (PAL)

Presented by:Bryan Carnes Roen JanykErin Rickbeil

Social media training committeeLIBR559M Student Librarians, December 2009

Introduction – what is social media?

“Social media is a rapidly evolving field of interest for

information professionals. As the world wide web grows and progresses from Web 2.0 onwards, it is likely social media will grow exponentially…”

- PAL Social media training committee, 2009

The goal of a social media program

"To have a plan in place to train library staff members requiring higher levels of social media literacy and knowledge, and to provide them with a social media guide to turn to as a

continuing resource."

- PAL Social media training committee, 2009

Objectives of project

• Conduct needs assessment of library staff

• Provide social media training plan and manual

• Introduce staff to basic concepts and tools

• Develop learning goals for library staff to achieve

• Provide opportunities to implement tools

Why academic libraries?

• To acquaint library staff with social media trends and tools used by Net generation students

• To help library staff learn new skills to meet the emerging needs of University community

• To explore potential of social media at PAL

• To implement digital innovation using social media

Social media usage by researchers

(Corsa, Van Der Heyden, Kersten, 2009)

Opinions of researchers

‘In the next five years, how influential will social applications be in research?’ (Csora, Van der Heyden, & Kersten, 2009).

• Environmental survey of “skill levels” of PAL librarians• Program based on needs assessment• Examine levels of social media knowledge:

o External uses: Connecting with users Example: Using Twitter to send event updates

o Internal uses: Organizational enhancement Efficiency in terms of time and money Example: Using a virtual conference platform

PAL Needs Assessment

• A proposed 8 week immersion • One social media module or topic per week

• Social tools used in academic libraries

• Provide hands-on, guided learning paths

• Allow for content creation & ideas sharing

 

Social media training plan

• Introduction to social mediao Review introduction o Read articles (2) providedo Watch YouTube video providedo Keep notes & keep track of questionso Present questions on your blog

Week 1, Module 1

• Blogso Create a blog

Use Blogger, Tumblr or WordPress o Post 2x week during programo Use real information & post pictureo Compare blogging platformso Track progress & questionso Use RSS to subscribe to blogs

Week 2, Module 2

• Educational & promotional useo “on average, a new blog is created every second of every

day – and 13.7 million bloggers are still posting 3 months after their blogs are created” (p. 40)

• Dynamic information environmentso Duke University Library Digital Collection Blogo Levy Library Mount Sinai School of Medicine

• Example applicationso WordPress, Blogspot

Blogs or “Web-logs”

• Instant messaging (IM)o Explore IM aggregators & establish account

Digsby, Meebo o Start chat with others o Take screenshot of chat, add to blogo Discuss +/- of an IM aggregatoro Track training progress on blog

Week 3, Module 3

Instant messaging (IM)• Provide real-time reference services ‘now’• Integrate many IMs into one application• Examples in academic libraries

o Digsby University of Pittsburgh, University Library System

o Meebo University of Chicago Library

• List of IMs and SMS sites

• Media sharing in academic librarieso Focus on most popular

Flickr Pod/Screencasts Audacity Jing YouTube Screenr

o Break into categories:Photo sharing, voice & video

Week 4, Module 4

Module 4: Media sharing• Objectives:

o Create Flickr accounto Screencast site & YouTubeo Upload 10 photos to Flickr o Create screencast

o Post to blog & upload to YouTubeo Subscribe to several YouTube sites or channelso Track training progress

• Flickro Storing and managing images

Tagging and RSS capableo Documenting events

Colorado College’s Tutt Libraryo Creating technical service manuals

• YouTubeo Video Sharingo Documenting Eventso Advertising Programs

Media sharing

• Microbloggingo Create Twitter account, upload a picture, change layouto Follow organizations, friends, libraries and librarianso Explore common URL shorteners

Bit.ly, tinyURL o Explore compatible Photo & Video sites

TwiPic,TwitVido Send at least 2 tweets dailyo Track progress on blog o Inset Twitter widget on blog if possible

Week 5, Module 5

Microblogging• Quickly disseminate information to users• Provide short, direct updates• Two-way communication • Follow other libraries & innovative leaders• Examples in academic libraries

o Twitter University of Illinois Undergraduate Library Santa Barbara City College Luria Library

• Social bookmarking Capture & store web linksApply tags for findability

Delicious.com

o Social cataloguingCreate catalogue of books, tags, comments, search

your own & other cataloguesLibraryThing.com

Week 6, Module 6

• Establish Delicious.com & LibraryThing accounts

• Tag web 2.0 news & articles

• Add 30 books to Your LibraryThing catalogue

• Track training progress on blog

• Insert widget into blog if possible

Social bookmarking & cataloguing

• Feedback and social connections• User communities, folksonomies and thinking• New classification schemes & processes• Examples

o Delicious.com Penn Tags, University of Pennsylvania

o LibraryThing Museum of Anthropology at UBC

Social bookmarking & cataloguing

• Social networkingo Create new profile

Facebook, MySpace,LinkedIn

o ‘Friend’ at least five peopleo Upload 10 photoso Create an event, invite friends to join o Upload a video to SNS profile pageo Track progress in blog

Week 7, Module 7

Social networking sites

• Facebooko Harvard Law School Libraryo UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

• LinkedIno Academic Libraries Advancement and Developme

nt Network• MySpace

o Ball State University

Hendrix, Hiarella, Hasman, Murphy, & Zafron. (2009)

Social networking sites (cont…)

• Wikiso For online collaboration with people & organizations

o Web-based or server-basedoPBWorks, WikiSpot, Wet Paint, Wikipedia

o Experiment with PBWorks & WikiSpoto Compare the 2 sites & note differences

o Note how Wikis can be used, discuss +/-

o Track training progress and discuss on your blog

Week 8, Module 8

Wikis• As an Intranet

o University of Minnesota Library• As training tool

o USC Aiken Gregg-Graniteville Library• As subject guide

o Ohio University Library• For in-house use (daily staff updates)

o Emily Carr University of Art + Design

• UBC TOTS (Tools for Outreach and Teaching Series) offers training for librarians o Wikis, Virtual Worlds, Social Networking Tools, RSS,

Social Bookmarking, Google, Real-Time Communication and Mobile Devices.

• Courses offered in 2-hour sessions o Speakers, ‘sandbox’ & discussion

• Tools for evaluation and assessmento Google Docs, PBworks and Survey Monkey

UBC TOTS & Social Media

• Evaluation of modules, updating modules

• Completion certificates

• Program offered to university community

• Liaison librarians as facilitators

• Introduce SM tools to department(s)

Future directions

References• Connell, R. (2009). Academic Libraries, Facebook and MySpace, and Student Outreach: A Survey

of Student Opinion. portal: Libraries & the Academy, 9(1), 25-36. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

• Csora, C., Van der Heyden, M., & Kersten, F. (2009). Practising what we preach: Working together to further scientific collaboration. Learned Publishing, 22(4), 304-311. Retrieved from ArticleFirst database.

• Hendrix D, Chiarella D, Hasman L, Murphy S, & Zafron ML. (2009). Use of Facebook in academic health sciences libraries. Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA. 97 (1), 44-7. DOI: 10.3163/1536-5050.97.1.008

• Rethlefsen, M., Engard, N., Chang, D., & Haytko, C. (2006). Social Software for Libraries and Librarians. Journal of Hospital Librarianship. 6 (4), 29-45. DOI : 10.1300/J186v06n04_03

• Ure, L., Atkey, K., & Miller, K. (2009). Exploring Social Software at UBC Library: The TOTS Series. Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 4(1), 1-5. Retrieved from http://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/932/1471

• Weaver, A. (2009). Attending conferences virtually. Access – Caulfield East Then Alice Springs, 23(3), 26-27. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=098780048443873;res=IELHSS