Social Networking Sites and Reference Services

Social Networking Sites and Reference Services Stephen Francoeur Baruch College New York, NY [email_address] Presentation at ALA Midwinter, Philadelphia, PA January 12, 2008

Social Networking Sites

Social Media Sites

Social Network Aggregators

Photo by Phil Hollenback Some web sites offer a welter of ways to connect.

Photo by Jessamyn West Some don’t.

Current Library Uses

Promoting of Library Resources & Services

Relationship Building

Searching Library Resources

Reference Services

Communicating in Facebook and MySpace

Direct messages

Bulletin boards

Wall posts or Comments

IM

Screen name links

MeeboMe

Libraries in MySpace and Facebook

Links to digital reference services

MeeboMe widget in Facebook

Listed as ref communication channel on library web site

MeeboMe widget on Facebook page for Merrill-Cazier Library at Utah State University.

Facebook as communication channel on library web site.

Twitter feed of recently asked reference questions at Nebraska Library Commission.

Librarian Pages

Academic librarians in FB mostly

Same communication tools that library pages feature

Librarian profile pages on library web sites

My profile page in Facebook.

Iris Jastram’s profile page on the library web site at Carleton College.

A librarian’s Facebook page is promoted on personal page on the library web site.

New Uses for Reference Answers

Post screencasts on video sharing sites

Post screen shots on image sharing sites

User may then share link with others

Librarians can re-use content

Do We Belong?

Do users want us there?

Do they expect us there?

Do they think of social networking sites for information needs?

Do We Want Do Reference There?

Questions asked publicly

Servers not under our control

Enhanced interpersonal relationship for digital reference interaction

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