#libr246

Social media is something that is constantly in motion, changing all the time. New platforms are being created every day and it’s just a matter of time for one of the little known platforms makes it big in everyone’s daily lives. Because of the rapid pace of changes and popularity based on what people are using, it makes it hard to pinpoint where a future direction of social media will take society. 

That said, I think that it’s evident that social media is in fact here to stay. I don’t necessarily think that it will die down and people will always use social media. While everyone’s use of social media is different depending on their interpretation of how they would like to use social media, I think that we as a society are headed towards a time where it’s hard to get away from social media. It’s everywhere. People use it. Organizations use it. School use it. You name it, it probably has a social media affiliation attached to it. 

I think the main point of the future of social media needs to be first and for most the future of people’s privacy. As more and more people are using social media for more than just personal use, there’s bound to come a time where privacy is seriously compromised. It’s a drawback of social media that’s for sure, but it’s not one that stops people. Looking towards the future I think that people need to be more aware of terms and conditions of social platforms they are using in order to gain a better understanding on how their information will be used. 

So, where do libraries fit into all of this? I don’t see library usage of social media slowing down anytime soon. In fact, I think that there will only be discoveries made that will enhance the way that libraries use social media and will really make the library’s online presence an extension of library services. After all, it’s technology. The future holds so much and there will be new advancements that will blow everyone away and make people wonder how we ever survived with out it. 

The main point that libraries will need to consider going forward is as I mentioned previously, the topic of privacy. Library systems are heavily run on privacy laws and there are restrictions of data that can be given out if the cardholder isn’t present. Social media will always have that danger of privacy being violated, but there are ways to minimize the likelihood. While a lot of privacy concerns fall directly to the user, as it’s them who is ultimately deciding what and how much information to share, it’s still a concern libraries should keep in the forefront of their planning for future use of social media. 

But what does that mean, exactly? What are we measuring when we go to those analytics or  Insight pages? Do we care how many people like or follow us? Or are we more interested in how many people we've interacted with?

Social media monitoring doesn't happen willy-nilly. Libraries cannot jump into a social media tool without a goal in mind. This goal is key to determining what constitutes success on a given platform. This week's question asks for a concrete answer, though, not an 'it depends on the goal'.

Social Media. All the essays, gurus, and executives say that social media is a conversation. But marketing, what I know of it (most of which I learned from Mad Men), is more one way, rather than two-way. Maybe that’s just advertising, but aren’t advertising and marketing two sides of the same coin?

Over on the SJSU246 Pinterest board for this week, there is a pin from Valerie about optimum times to post. Why, though, do we target the 1p-4p range for Facebook and Twitter? Do we only want people to see our posts during their lunch breaks? This is an interesting thought, because, if I, as myself, were to post on Facebook between 1p-4p, I can expect almost no one to see it. Why? Because people are at work. They have daytime lives. Is the library only a part of the daytime life of our patron? Am I getting too philosophical with this? I have the same question for Twitter. I would think that Twitter’s optimum posting times would be in line with Tumblr, 7p-10p, to go with TV shows, live tweeting, live blogging, leisure time. Mind blown.

But on to the question for this week: How should libraries market the social media tools their using?

Be fun. Be relevant. Be engaging.

Study the social media greats of the demographic you’re going after, and emulate them. If you want Millenials, study the things they like. Watch Youtube channels. Do the research, then engage. One thing to remember: Social media marketing is not just being online all the time. The physical entity of the library, including collections and programming, has to match the online presence being projected (King, 2015). 

This module, this entire class, has left me with a lot to think about regarding both mine and my library’s social media campaign. On the personal side, I don’t use it as a conversation. On the professional side, we’re a bit all over the place, and while I understand that different platforms have best practices, we could stand to be more cohesive. 

It’s a waste of time to use social media in a library setting if people don’t know that the library is utilizing these tools. So how does the library go about informing people that they are on social media? 

The main way that the library can inform their patron’s that they are using social media is to have access available from the website. There should be links to each social media platform, that would ensure that those that are visiting the library’s website access to those social media tools. Without providing constant links to these site, it’s likely that people will not know the library is using such sites. It’s also a form of convenience, people don’t have to necessarily type in and search for the library as a user, they can simply click a link. 

There is also the idea of in branch marketing of these social media sites. For example, when my public library first began their Facebook page, they placed a window sticker on main door patron’s use that says “like us on Facebook”. This way people were able to see it as they came both in and out of the library. People can’t find you on social media if they don’t know you’re there, so libraries have to make it known they are using these sites. 

This week we're looking at big data, privacy, and what both mean to libraries and librarians in this social media optimized, highly technological world in which we live. The question asks whether libraries should collect, store, and utilize big data in service to our communities. I have mixed feelings about this.

Jennifer Helfrich (2015) defines big data as "data sets that are extremely large and complex," kinda obvious there. However, she goes on to explain, albeit implicitly through her examples, that this data includes personally identifiable information, such as name, email address, phone number, and geo-location, as well as photos, emails, and social media posts (Helfrich, 2015). That's a lot of information to collect about a single person. We, as consumers, tend not to think about the applications we use as collecting all of this information from us and using it or selling it or whatever. Every time we hit "agree" or "accept" to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy without actually reading it, we're consenting to an entity using our information for their own purposes. Often these conditions and policies are so vaguely worded that even if we were to read them, we wouldn't truly understand what they were saying anyway (Scherker, 2014).

It's different for libraries, though. And if it isn't, then it should be. We, as librarians, have been told time and again that we adhere to the American Library Association's Code of Ethics. This means that we have a responsibility to protect the privacy and personal information of our users, as well as the library institutions commitment to intellectual freedom and fair representation. How can we do either of those things if we are collecting, storing, and using customer information? Is that not the complete opposite? We want our users to trust us not to do such things. We are the library, a community center, not a faceless corporation.

On the flipside,  I can see where collection of some user data could be useful. I don't mean all that which is traditionally defined or thought of us big data, and indeed, it still feels as though it would go against the very nature of the library. But. Libraries already track circulation statistics for materials. Items go out, they come back, they have circulated. They have been used. Normally, we have no idea what the item was, who checked it out, if they liked it, none of that.  Some ILS' have a "reading history" feature where users can opt-in and keep track of everything they've checked out. What is interesting to me, and makes me think that this could be a good thing, is that users think we do this automatically. Some are confused and downright disappointed that we don't keep track of what they checked out after they've returned the item.

I propose that we do automatically track user check outs. It doesn't have to be the title. It could be just the author's name or the genre. This way, when the user comes looking for a readers' advisory, but can't remember the last book they read, we can look at it, and continue the interaction. Such data collection could also lead to a collection that better reflects the service community. Of course, we can't leave the entire collection up to user whims and publishing trends, but the usage statistics of a collection based heavily on concrete user wants would be a strong indicator of value added to the community. There would be challenges, to be sure. One major objection I can see already: How do we ensure that users personally identifiable information is protected while simultaneously tracking their reading habits? I don't know yet. Another issue that would need to be addressed: The creation of a policy/procedure/guideline and related press release for the collection and use of this data, as well as something that states explicitly that the library will never sell, rent, share, or otherwise utilize the personally identifiable information of users beyond the bounds of current usage. Tis a very fine line to navigate.

What I worry about, though, in tracking reading habits is that people will feel less free and able to read what they want. They may feel as though we are watching them and will only pick socially acceptable books like Hamlet, rather than what they want to read, which may be Fifty Shades of Grey. I would hate for that to happen.

Helfrich, J. (2015). Plugged in or tuned out?: What do our students know about big data? Knowledge Quest, 43(4), 76-77.

This week’s question asks us to think about how education has changed, as well as some of the advantages and challenges of learning in a social media/web 2.0 world. What's the most obvious change? Wikipedia and Google Scholar.

Wikipedia taught us that all information is not created equal. Maehre (2014) argues that Wikipedia is not only a good thing, but can be useful in teaching information evaluation. We can all agree that there are great Wikipedia articles and there are trash Wikipedia articles. The great ones have references that are almost as long as the article, hyperlinks that aren't broken, headings and subheadings to get lost in. The trash ones are plagued with this:

A great Wikipedia article lights a spark, makes you want to read more, makes you feel as though you've learned something. A trash Wikipedia article will make you question your educational choices. Maehre (2014) sees this as good. For him, learning is a process, a journey, with no particular end in sight. You should always be engaged in thinking critically about the information that you come into contact with, and using Wikipedia, in conjunction with other educational techniques, can teach you how to do that (Maehre, 2014). The background or authority of the author takes a backseat to the quality of information presented.

Google Scholar is something that I've only just discovered in graduate school. Google is fast becoming a one-stop shop. It's a verb, for Pete's sake! Access to scholarly articles without having to be connected to an academic institution. Who would have thought that was possible 15 years ago? It is here that a student may come when searching for that magical combination of keywords and phrases combination that will net us a good 5 or so pages of results that we can sift through. We do this, because we want general information.

It has always been my understanding that a good research project moves from the general to the specific. Starting with internet searches, whether through Google or Wikipedia, is a tried and true technique of graduate students, indeed of undergrad students as well (Liyana & Noorhidawati, 2014). From the internet search for general information, we begin to form our thesis; we begin to frame our research. Then we move on to library research, online or physical.

The advent of web 2.0 and social media, I think, has forced us to become more discriminating in information sources. We know, now, that we can't trust everything someone tells us and/or that we read on the internet. We know, now, that some news outlets report without gathering all of the facts in an attempt to be first. Ever heard the phrase, "It's not true until it's on the BBC"? From all accounts, the BBC doesn't worry about being first. They worry about being right. I could be wrong here, but that's my impression. Web 2.0 has brought the hows of information evaluation to the forefront of the conversation. Rather than saying "don't use bad sources" or "beware of biased authors", web 2.0 and social media has made it possible to gain multiple perspectives, so that we may determine what a bad source is, what it is about the information that makes it unsuitable.

Liyana, S. & Noorhidawata, A. (2014). How graduate students seek for information: Convenience or guaranteed result. Malaysian Journal of Librar & Information Science, 19(2), 1-15.

While I’ve been following my own public library on their social media every now and then, it really wasn’t until this course that I really looked at the root of how libraries use social media. How exactly are they engaging students and library users? It’s been interesting to look into a variety of different libraries around the country and read through their posts and see how people are commenting on the posted content. 

An article from Library Journal interviewed some people about library social media use and one person had some really great advice about what to post. It was stated that “’We keep it fun. I tell my staff that they should follow a very simple rule, don’t post anything you wouldn’t be comfortable saying at a service desk. Beyond that they are using their voice, following their passions, and engaging with our community’” (Dowd, 2013). I found this to be fantastic advice and felt I needed to share that quote here. It’s a good rule to follow when posting on library social media sites. 

From some of the library social media sites I’ve looked at this week, I think that the majority of libraries are using social media as a mostly promotional tool. Many public libraries are posting a variety of promotional posts for summer reading, summer programming, variety of library services, and new materials that are coming out or are available for placing holds. These are the main categories that I would expect to be posted on library social media. 

It can be used as a promotional tool and that’s what libraries are doing. Sharing information in the digital world can help spread the word on different programming and services sometimes even faster than by word of mouth. Some library users are strictly digital users. They only use eBooks and don’t really set foot in the physical library building. Being able to keep up on library happenings through social media would allow these users a chance to learn about new programs and services that they may otherwise have missed out on. 

Now that we’ve gotten intros and personal use out of the way, let’s get into a bit about how and why libraries use social media. One of the biggest whys, probably the only why, is the same reason individuals use it: to connect with people. Libraries have long been searching out new ways to remain relevant in their communities, and social media is one of the easiest places to start. 

Professor Jumba reiterates constantly that social media is a two-way conversation. What better way to prove to governing bodies the usefulness of the library in the community than by being able to show them virtual interactions? True, it is only one way, but a significant one. We’re not just trying to promote services and programs, we actually want to chat about that new movie you saw, the new cafe/restaraunt that just opened, and other things that are happening in the community. For this week, then, I’ve chosen to highlight some of the libraries that I think use social media really well.

The average person sees the library as a place for books. They aren’t wrong to see us that way. It’s what we do. Lawrence Public Library knows this and embraces it. 

This is LPL’s most recent tumblr homepage. It’s a beach read book rec post. What I want to showcase here are the links. Right above LPL’s logo are four links. One of which will lead to links to LPL created booklists. Across the top is the Ask A Librarian! LPL wins on two fronts. They embrace the literary tradition of libraries and offer a way to talk to them, in addition to te reblog/comment features of tumblr.

The library is more than a place for books, though. New York Public Library, arguably one of the most well known libraries in the world, showcases their lighter side on Pinterest.

As a repository of knowledge, NYPL has a lot of artifacts like old photos and fashion magazines, and they showcase them on Pinterest. I really love the Little Lions board of cat photos, riffing off the two lions that guard NYPL’s main branch. Who says cats are mean?

Jessica McPhee (2014) mentions photos as a top 5 way to engage with social media as a library. Instagram is nothing but photos! Sure one can add captions and people can comment, but it’s mostly about the pictures.

Shameless plug time. This is actually my library, Charles County Public Library. We’re new to the IG world, having just launched earlier this month. The IG team is still working out how to introduce us to our community. We post photos of programs that have happened & book spine poetry. While this one isn’t an example of an already succesful social media campaign, it is a great place to showcase how a library starts to engage with social media.

Finally, we come to my favorite social media/web 2.0 tool:  Twitter. DC Public Library is one of the most social library Twitters that I’ve come across so far. They host weekly chats, have a #BookoftheDay, interact with followers outside of chats. They are really an account that I look up to, and I use them as a model for my library’s Twitter account.

Based on McPhee’s (2014) top ten, DCPL models #2 Featuring features, #5 A picture is worth a thousand words, #6 Earned media is worth it’s weight in gold, & #9 Two way is the way.

So. Long post is long, I know. I’m sorry about that. I felt is was necessary, though, because I can showcase how libraries use social media with photographic (screenshot) evidence, rather than just telling you. Makes it more fun, yes?