Should Libraries Create a Facebook Account?

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Yes they should! Why, you may ask..Well, let's find out!

First, here’s an interesting fact: There are currently 600 million users on Facebook as of January 2011 and most of them visit Facebook daily and interact with approximately 130 friends and other people they may know. [1] This can mean many things for a librarian thinking to start a Facebook Page for his or her library.

What You Should Consider Before Creating a Facebook Page

King (2011) suggests that before creating a Page for your Library—as opposed to a personal Facebook profile—librarians must consider the following questions:

1.          Who will be responsible for working on the Facebook Page and updating content?
2.          Who will answer questions that may be raised by patrons?
3.          Who will update the Events section, like post Events?
4.          And how often will updates happen? And who will be in charge of tracking user names and passwords?

These are crucial details that must be decided among the library staff before a Facebook Page for the Library is even created. King (2011) suggests that it is better to have more than one person manage the Facebook Page as having more people means that monitoring and answering questions can be better handled. [2]

But even before creating a Facebook Page for your library, you may ask yourself, is it even worth it? Will students “Like” the page and become fans? How do students actually feel about librarians using Facebook as a tool for outreach?

Well, the Valparaiso University Library conducted a survey in the months of January and February in 2008 in which they surveyed 366 students to determine how students felt about librarians using the social media, such as Facebook and MySpace, to reach students. They survey generated both positive and negative comments. When asked about how they felt about being contacted by the library through Facebook, most respondents say they did not mind, but a smaller portion reacted negatively. [3] What can we conclude? That feelings are mixed when it comes to librarians approaching users by befriending them. Since this survey and article were conducted and written before the option to create a Facebook Page was available, the these results may not be as relevant now.

With a Facebook Page, there is no “friend request.” Davis (2011) states that students felt that requesting a librarian to become his or her friend was “creepy.” [4] Users can simply “Like” the Library’s Page and through this “Like,” they will be receiving any updates that the library will post on its Page, same as a with having it as a friend.

Benefits of Using Facebook

Davis (2011) suggests a few reasons why Librarians should use Facebook. She quotes Mathews (2006) who suggests that one of the reasons why librarians should use Facebook is because “your customers are using Facebook” and that “your community is on Facebook.” [5] That is, the librarian should go where the users are and keep up-to-date with what the community is doing. Mathews (2006) described his Facebook outreach campaign to engineering students at Georgia Tech and stated the numerous ways he was able to help these students: “He was able to answer patron questions including which software was available on library computers, how to renew items online, recent building changes, and information about library study spaces.” [6]

Other benefits include free marketing. Because Facebook has so many users, with each user connecting approximately with 130 friends and family members, “…this venue becomes a very compelling place for a business or organization to be.” [7] That is, libraries can easily connect with more users through their main subscribers or "fans." In other words, as King (2011) puts it, some users who are already part of the Library Facebook Page can become advocates for the library. He cites Jamie Hollier of the Colorado State library who stated that “[u]sing Facebook to post events brought new users to events by making our users the advocates.” [8] That is, if the “fans” of your library page share the library’s new event on their Walls, then their friends will also be able to view this information. These fans are then acting as advocates for the library which then could lead to much more traffic on the library’s Facebook Page. [9]

How to Lure In “Fans”

King (2011), by citing others, suggests numerous approaches:

1. Update your status in a way that will attract and invite individuals into joining a conversation
2. Update the library’s status daily
3. Make status comments that are friendly and that would make you look personable and approachable.
4. Make some status comments that are controversial, as these can stir conversations
5. Ask questions about books, such as “What is your favourite author?” or “What books are a must if you were trapped on a deserted island?”
6. Share interesting things about your library or information that can be found there. [10]

Best Ways to Use the Library’s “Facebook Wall”

Miller (2007) and Davis (2011) recommend the following ways in order to keep the Library’s Profile and Wall active and friendly:

1. Like mentioned before, update your status!
2. Posting up to date contact information or office hours
3. Sharing favourite books, TV shows, interests or quotes
4. Reply to questions posted by users
5. Start conversations about issues that affect librarians and libraries, such as current changes that are happening in databases, journal subscriptions, or publisher mergers.
6. Introduce a new database or resource that’s now available at the library.
7. Share the library’s blog link.
8. Inform the public about new events that are open to everybody, such as film series or exhibits.
9. Post trivia questions and have a prize for the first person to message the answer. [11] [12]

Best Ways to Use the “Albums,” “Events” and “Applications”

For Albums, you can take a picture of new books or you can take a picture of any employee with the books and then tag them in the picture so their Friends can see them with the new books. You can take a picture of all the staff members, introduce them by providing a brief description below the picture and tag them. You can create a building tour of the library, taking picture of all the hot spots and guidelines to use them. Lastly, you can take print-screen shots of software or hardware and include instructions for ways of using it. [13]

For Events, Miller (2007) suggests to host at least one of the following Events at your library:

1. “Plan a drop-in workshop on a new tool at your library…”
2. “Create Events for book groups, exhibit openings, or student appreciation festivities”
3. “Publicize Banned Books Week celebrations, National Library Week activities, or Friday afternoon library coffees” [14]

Lastly, Secker (2008) suggests the first two Facebook Applications for Libraries while I am suggesting the last two.

1. JSTOR Search http://www.facebook.com/JSTOR.org?ref=ts
2. “Ask a Librarian” http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ask-a-Librarian/107073355995337 in which you can register yourself as a librarian and  provide answers to any queries individuals may have. [15]
3. Good Reads http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=41517697371
4. Book Reviews which is an application “…that lets you share book reviews and see what your friends are reading”  http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=145168322181871

Based on this, should Libraries create a Facebook Page? Do you think they could use Facebook to their advantage? Or will patrons not care?

References

[1] King, D.L. “Facebook for Libraries.” The Magazine of the American Library Association. 27, May 2011. Retrieved from http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/05272011/facebook-libraries

[2] King, D.L. “Facebook for Libraries.”

[3] Connell, R.S. "Academic Libraries, Facebook and MySpace, and Student Outreach: A Survey of Student Opinion." Libraries and the Academy. 2009.  Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 25–36.

[4] Davis, H. “Reconsidering Facebook.” In the Library with the lead pipe.org. 26, Jan 2011. Retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2011/reconsidering-facebook/

[5] Davis, H. “Reconsidering Facebook: Section Drawbacks of being a Facebook dropout in Light of the Evolution of Facebook.” In the Library with the lead pipe.org. 26, Jan 2011. Retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2011/reconsidering-facebook/

[6] Davis, H. “Reconsidering Facebook: Section Drawbacks of being a Facebook dropout in Light of the Evolution of Facebook.” In the Library with the lead pipe.org. 26, Jan 2011. Retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2011/reconsidering-facebook/

[7] Davis, H. “Reconsidering Facebook. Section: Drawbacks of being a Facebook dropout in Light of the Evolution of Facebook.”

[8] King, D.L. “Facebook for Libraries.”

[9] King, D.L. “Facebook for Libraries.”

[10] King, D.L. “Facebook for Libraries.”

[11] Miller, S. E. “Connecting and Communicating with Students on Facebook.” From the Selected Works of Sarah Elizabeth Miller. 2007. Retrieved from http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=sarahmiller

 [12] Davis, H. “Reconsidering Facebook. Section: Drawbacks of being a Facebook dropout in Light of the Evolution of Facebook.”

[13] Miller, S. E. “Connecting and Communicating with Students on Facebook.”

[14] Miller, S. E. “Connecting and Communicating with Students on Facebook.”

[15] Secker, J. “Case Study 5: Libraries and Facebook” LASSIE: Libraries and Social Software in Education. London School of Economics and Political Science. 2008.