Social Networking & Libraries
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Transcript of Social Networking & Libraries
Social Networking Sites & Libraries
Sharon Clapp
Web Resources Librarian
Connecticut State Library
What are “Social Networking Sites”?
• social networking site (plural social networking sites)
• (Internet) Websites that provide a virtual community in which people with a shared interest may communicate
[from Wiktionary -http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/social_networking_site]
• Most popular = MySpace
Why do libraries care about social networking sites?
• “If there’s a consensus in technology, it’s that the next big thing after Google (Charts, Fortune 500) is social networking.”
[from “As Facebook takes off, MySpace strikes back.” Kirkpatrick, David. Fortune: Sept. 19, 2007.]
Stats on Social Networking Sites
• September 2007 – Unique Visitors– Facebook visitors, 24.2 million– MySpace visitors, 67 million– Google visitors, 124.5 million
• Page Views: MySpace Gets More than Google!
Stats on Library Sites
September 2007 – Unique Visitors– Library of Congress visitors, 1.6 million– Worldcat, 912,180– Cslib.org, 28,538
[from Compete.com]
Social Networking Sites
• MySpace• Facebook• Orkut• Friendster• Bebo• Xanga• Plaxo• Yahoo Mash - BETA• LinkedIn• Ning• Manage them all via ProfileFly
Social Networking @ the Trustees’ Boot Camp
Audience participation time…
Why Social Networking Sites?
• Free
• Easy to Use
• Popular – where your community is at!
• Continuously being developed
How Libraries Use Social Networking Sites
• Youth outreach• Creation of online groups to support library
(e.g., Friends, teen advisory)• Lead into catalog, highlight collections, provide
online reference through messaging• Promote events• Staff development & communication /
professional networking [instead of intranet?]• Create Facebook applications for searching
library resources, keeping up with library news…
Good or Evil?
• Dark side of sites like MySpace
• Awareness of tools allows programming for youth, parents/caregivers – how to use social networking sites safely
• Importance of social networking site literacy for future employability
CT Libraries on MySpace
• http://www.myspace.com/danburylibrary• http://www.myspace.com/darienlibrary • http://www.myspace.com/windsorlibrary• http://www.myspace.com/westportlibrary• http://www.myspace.com/qvcclibrary
(Quinebaug Valley Community College Library)
• http://www.myspace.com/ccclibrary (Capital Community College Library)
Danbury Public Library - http://www.myspace.com/danburylibrary
Windsor Public Library - http://www.myspace.com/windsorlibrary
Jennifer – YA Librarian for Otis Library - http://www.myspace.com/yabooknerd
InfoAnytime 24/7 Virtual Reference Service - http://www.myspace.com/infoanytime
Brooklyn College Library – http://wwwmyspace.com/brooklyncollegelibrary
• Ways it’s different than MySpace• MySpace still tops, but Facebook is gaining
significantly in popularity• Facebook’s advantage is its applications feature
[little programs that you can browse through, add to your Facebook, and/or create yourself]– In August 2007, 14 million people interacted with their
applications– Opened to developers on May 29th, by September,
5,000 applications created– Facebook activity grew 32% from May to August,
while MySpace activity decreased.
• http://www.facebook.com
• Friends groups (e.g., Westport Library Pals)
• Library staff development groups
• Creation of Facebook Applications
• Login and demo
Facebook Demo: Groups – The Discussion Board
Facebook Demo: Applications
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com
Ning – www.ning.com
Microblogging – What are you doing now (in 140 characters or
less)
• Jaiku
• Pownce
Twitter – www.twitter.com
What would a library use Twitter for?
• Virtual reference – quick ?s
• Keeping up with the latest in professional development by following library leaders
• Fun way to market library activities or events
Neat Twitter features
• Mobility & flexibility – use from cell phones via text messaging or from web (or Facebook)
• Creation of instant short web addresses for articles you find online (tinyurls)
What next? Things for libraries to consider…
• What if search begins at social networking spaces – not at Google?
• Q. Where should our librarians be?[A. Online] …
• How?
Thank you!
If you’d like a copy of this presentation, or would like to discuss any of these topics further – contact Sharon Clapp, Connecticut State Library:
• 860-424-3617
• Twitter – http://twitter.com/sclapp