Hazel Hall's invited presentation for the New Directions in Management series, University of Edinburgh Business School, 11 November 2011.

1. More than mere information assets
The reach of social media in
information services delivery
University of Edinburgh Business School New Directions in Management series
Professor Hazel Hall, Director, Centre for Social Informatics, 11 November 2011

2. Thank you for inviting me
Thank you for inviting me

3. Thank you for inviting me
Thank you for inviting me
Thank you for coming!
Thank you for coming!

4. http://about.me/hazelh
http://about.me/hazelh
Twitter: @hazelh
Twitter: @hazelh

6. Centre for Social Informatics
 e-democracy, e-government, e-participation,
e-petitioning
 information society
 information and knowledge management
 library and information science research

7. Research, evaluate, advise,
Research, evaluate, advise,
train on for example:
train on for example:
Systems
Systems
Markets
Markets
Centre for Social Informatics Communities
Communities
Impact
Impact
 e-democracy, e-government, e-participation,
e-petitioning
 information society
 information and knowledge management
 library and information science research

9. Provide strategic
Provide strategic
approach to LIS
approach to LIS
research in the UK
research in the UK

10. Provide strategic
Provide strategic Develop a formal
Develop a formal
approach to LIS
approach to LIS UK-wide network
UK-wide network
research in the UK
research in the UK of LIS researchers
of LIS researchers

11. Explore the extent
Explore the extent
Provide strategic
Provide strategic Develop a formal
Develop a formal to which LIS
to which LIS
approach to LIS
approach to LIS UK-wide network
UK-wide network research influences
research influences
research in the UK
research in the UK of LIS researchers
of LIS researchers practice in the UK
practice in the UK

12. http://lisresearch.org
http://lisresearch.org

13. This presentation aligns with personal research
interests
 Information sharing in online environments
 Communities
 Tool adoption/adaptation

14. This presentation aligns with personal research
interests
 Information sharing in online environments
 Communities
 Tool adoption/adaptation
Within specific professional context
 Information services delivery

15. Key points
 Social media deployment in information
services delivery (generally) replicates
traditional models of provision

16. Key points
 Social media deployment in information
services delivery (generally) replicates
traditional models of provision
 Personal professional use of social media
amongst library and information services staff
points to possibilities for sophisticated services
enhancement

17. Key points
 Social media deployment in information
services delivery (generally) replicates
traditional models of provision
 Personal professional use of social media
amongst library and information services staff
points to possibilities for sophisticated services
enhancement
 Tool uncertainty, role traditions and
restrictions of external environment limit
scope

18.  Social media deployment in information
services delivery (generally) replicates
traditional models of provision
 Treated as information assets to be integrated into
existing service models

19.  Social media deployment in information
services delivery (generally) replicates
traditional models of provision
 Treated as information assets to be integrated into
existing service models
 Information access and discovery (think cataloguing)
 Reference services
 Current awareness
 User education

20. Information access
Information access
and discovery
and discovery
e.g. book-marking
e.g. book-marking

21. Reference services
Reference services
e.g. instant messaging,
e.g. instant messaging,
online chat
online chat

22. Current awareness
Current awareness
e.g. microblogging
e.g. microblogging

23. User education
User education
e.g. video sharing
e.g. video sharing

24.  So, in general…
 Broadcasters (librarians) create
 Customers (users) consume
 There are few opportunities (if any) for user
collaboration, co-production, contributions to
decision making
 To take advantage of the “social”, recognition that these
tools aggregate more than data/information:
relationships, experience…
 Communication is prioritised over community

25. News and current awareness
News and current awareness

26. News and current awareness
News and current awareness
An extreme example
An extreme example
of “twinforming”
of “twinforming”

27. Key points
 Social media deployment in information
services delivery (generally) replicates
traditional models of provision
 Personal professional use of social media
amongst library and information services staff
points to possibilities for sophisticated services
enhancement

28. Key points
 Social media deployment in information
services delivery (generally) replicates
traditional models of provision
 Personal professional use of social media
amongst library and information services staff
points to possibilities for sophisticated services
enhancement
Loudon, L. & Hall, H. (2010). From triviality to business
Loudon, L. & Hall, H. (2010). From triviality to business
tool: the case of Twitter in information services
tool: the case of Twitter in information services
delivery. Business Information Review, 27(4), 236-241.
delivery. Business Information Review, 27(4), 236-241.

29. Community, collaboration and co-production
 “Meeting” in social media space
 A “place” for members
 Collaborating in social media space
 Platforms for membership co-production

30. Community building
Community building
Networking based on
Networking based on
career stage
career stage

31. Community building
Community building
Networking based on
Networking based on
career stage
career stage
Community building
Community building
Networking based on a
Networking based on a
particular interest
particular interest

32. Community building
Community building
Networking based on
Networking based on
career stage
career stage
Meeting, making
Meeting, making
connections as peers
connections as peers
Collaboration with view
Collaboration with view
to co-production
to co-production
Community building
Community building
Networking based on
Networking based on
a particular interest
a particular interest

33. Shared meeting space at
Shared meeting space at
events for co-located and
events for co-located and
remote participants
remote participants
Possibilities for
Possibilities for
collaboration and co-
collaboration and co-
production derived from
production derived from
discussions
discussions

34. Shared meeting space at
Shared meeting space at
events where all
events where all
participants are remote
participants are remote
Possibilities for
Possibilities for
collaboration and co-
collaboration and co-
production derived from
production derived from
discussions
discussions

35. Wikis for community co-production
Wikis for community co-production
Workplace and repository
Workplace and repository

36. Other sophisticated information behaviours
exhibited by librarians using social media
 To support staff development and career
direction
 To promote productivity and efficiency at work
 To inspire innovation and services
development

37. Blogging supports development and
Blogging supports development and
career direction, e.g. peer review –
career direction, e.g. peer review –
ideas, work (and profile raising)
ideas, work (and profile raising)

38. Twitter promotes
Twitter promotes
productivity and efficiency
productivity and efficiency

39. Twitter promotes
Twitter promotes
productivity and efficiency
productivity and efficiency
Twitter is the big surprise here.
Despite being a disorganised
and unstructured approach to
finding information I continue
to come across amazingly
relevant and useful material.

40. Experimentation with applications
Experimentation with applications
inspire innovation and services
inspire innovation and services
development
development

41. Key points
 Social media deployment in information
services delivery (generally) replicates
traditional models of provision
 Personal professional use of social media
amongst library and information services staff
points to possibilities for sophisticated services
enhancement
 Tool uncertainty, role traditions and
restrictions of external environment limit
scope

42. So many tools…
So many tools…
http://www.bite.ca/bitedaily/2010/07/social-media-monopoly-board-game/

43. So many applications…
So many applications…

44. Tools have multiple functions
Tools have multiple functions

45. Where should you focus
Where should you focus
your attention?
your attention?

46. Role traditions evident in tool preferences amongst information and
Role traditions evident in tool preferences amongst information and
knowledge professionals in 2008
knowledge professionals in 2008
http://www.soc.napier.ac.uk/~hazelh/esis/soc_comp_proj_rep_public.pdf
http://www.soc.napier.ac.uk/~hazelh/esis/soc_comp_proj_rep_public.pdf
Availability Usefulness Usage
Wikis Wikis Social networking
Blogging Blogging Instant messaging
Social networking Instant messaging Wikis
Instant messaging Social networking Blogging
Microblogging Microblogging Microblogging
 Ready availability of a tool does not guarantee popularity
 Under-exploitation of most valuable tools?
 Microblogging barely on the radar in 2008

48. Role traditions
Role traditions
Here’s something new and
Here’s something new and
interesting. How could we use it?
interesting. How could we use it?

49. Role traditions
Role traditions
Here’s something new and
Here’s something new and
interesting. How could we use it?
interesting. How could we use it?
Users can pin historic data such as
images, photographs, videos,
audio clips, descriptive and
narrative text on to a map. It’s a
superb resource for local history,
and if your library has a collection
of images, why not consider
digitizing and adding them?

50. Role traditions
Role traditions
Here’s something new and
Here’s something new and
interesting. How could we use it?
interesting. How could we use it?
Users can pin historic data such as
images, photographs, videos,
audio clips, descriptive and
narrative text on to a map. It’s a
superb resource for local history,
and if your library has a collection
of images, why not consider
digitizing and adding them?
Phil Bradley in CILIP Update,
Phil Bradley in CILIP Update,
August 2011, p. 23
August 2011, p. 23

51. Users can pin historic data such as
images, photographs, videos,
audio clips, descriptive and
narrative text on to a map. It’s a
superb resource for local history,
and if your library has a collection
of images, why not GET USERS to
digitize and add them?

52. Role traditions
Role traditions
Advocacy is the exception, but
Advocacy is the exception, but
consider who else is involved
consider who else is involved

53. Social = leisure
Social = leisure
Social media = danger
Social media = danger

54. http://ulh.nhs.uk/for_staff/information_for_employees/documents/policies_and_gene
http://ulh.nhs.uk/for_staff/information_for_employees/documents/policies_and_gene
ral_information/Social%20Networking%20Protocol.pdf
ral_information/Social%20Networking%20Protocol.pdf

56. The reach of social media in information services
delivery is limited when
 Social media are treated as additional
information assets and communication is
prioritised over community
 Tool uncertainty discourages adoption
 Role “traditions” dominate
 Employers restrict use

57. The reach of social media in information services
delivery is likely to extend as
 Lessons from sophisticated personal
professional social media use are applied
elsewhere
 Service delivery strategies consider users not
as passive consumers, but as active
collaborating partners

58. Professor Hazel Hall
h.hall@napier.ac.uk @hazelh