Libraries on Facebook: Fan Pages:The Open University Library

The Open University Library website hosts a lot of its own social media applications. It offers videos and online training sessions instructing users on how to access the library from the library website. The Open University Library also website links to Facebook and other social media applications using a small bar in the bottom left corner. I suspect that users who are looking for links to social media will find this bar, but most people will not discover it by accident.

From the Open University Library Website.

The Open University’s Library Facebook page is a business page, like VPL’s. The library has a whopping 5,650 fans, or people who “like” the library. However, the university has 180,000 distance education students, so perhaps this number is not so grand.

Like VPL’s Facebook page, the OU Library’s Facebook account lists location, phone number, and links to the library website and Twitter account. The location links to Google maps. The library’s photos are of the facilities.

The OU Library Facebook page gets a lot of more use than VPL’s perhaps because all courses are completed online and over distances. Students post a lot of questions on the wall and the discussion pages. Many of them are as general and vague as, “I’m taking AA100 and I don’t know where to start” or “How do I get a library card?” Librarians basically provide reference services on the discussion posts, providing links to resources and asking follow up questions. The librarians also start discussions by anticipating questions that students may have. They post news about library services and interesting websites on their wall.

A wall post from the OU's Library Facebook Page.

In the discussion section, lots of students have asked questions and solicited several responses. Additionally, the OU librarians have asked people what kind of information they want to have made available on Facebook. The amazing thing is, lots of people responded. Some asked for writing help, citation assistance, and more networking functions such as student lists. Others suggested adding technologies like Skype. I find it really interesting that these students go to the Facebook library page to find networking opportunities rather than creating their own Facebook groups. Many of the discussion and suggestions indicated that these (typically older) students fail to grasp the limitations of Facebook. For example, how can the academic library establish a Skype conference service for students in the same (enormous) courses over Facebook?

Notes are added through RSS updates from the library.  There is also a links page, directing fans to links that the librarians find useful or interesting. Finally, like VPL, the OU library has posted two videos: a screencast instructing students on using the online library, and a promotional video about m-libraries from the 2009 conference in Vancouver.

In sum, I was struck by how students at the Open University are eager to participate in the library’s Facebook discussion pages. But since so many of their comments were incredibly general (as in, “How do I begin AA100”), or fairly clueless about how Facebook works (maybe the Facebook gods can set up Skype for us), I suspect that their eagerness indicates that the University does not provide sufficient student support and guidance for doing coursework online.

Libraries on Facebook: Fan Pages: Vancouver Public Library

I was unable to find a link from Vancouver Public Library’s website directly to its Facebook account by simply browsing the homepage, as most users will do. Facebookers can find Vancouver Public Library on Facebook using Facebook’s search box.

VPL's Facebook Page

Vancouver Public Library has a Facebook business page. Anyone on Facebook can choose to “Like” VPL or recommend the page to their Facebook friends. The Like button is basically the same thing as becoming a “fan” of the library. The Info tab lists the Central branch’s address, phone number, hours, and links to the library’s website. The address links to Google maps directions.

VPL’s side tab gathers and displays pictures, videos, and favorite pages. The photo albums show library buildings, such as the new Mount Pleasant branch. Facebookers have commented on these pictures and indicated that they “like” them. VPL’s Facebook videos are unique. They are Screencasts designed to teach users to use the library’s databases and electronic resources. At present there are five instructional screencasts teaching users to navigate the VPL website, find electronic resources, find video games in the catalog, and find newspapers with a database called Press Display.

Like NYPL’s Twitter account, VPL’s favorites include Facebook pages from other branches, Teens@VPL, and the virtual reference service, AskAway.

VPL’s Facebook account also includes an Events tab. Each event includes a description, images (usually of the author, film, or book), directions, time and date, and the type of event. Users can sort events by type in order to see all of the music events, for example. Users can also RSVP and see the guest lists. Events are also posted on VPL’s wall. Users can “like” events and post comments about them. Users can also post external articles, events etc… on VPL’s wall.

The Events tab and VPLs wall seem to be used for publicity, as a way to inform people about services, programs, and events. The business page does not accept friends, only fans. Although the wall posts are often longer than is typical for Facebook, they are succinct and informative.  The screencast as an instructional tool does not fit in with the rest of the library’s Facebook account. I’m not sure how users would find or search for these videos. There also seems to be holes in VPL’s strategies for building an online presence through Facebook. For example, there is no link from the home page of the website to its Facebook page.

All-in-all, VPL’s Facebook account is non-intrusive and provides a good amount of vital information for users. Although all of its information is also available on their library website, I appreciate being able to look at events and programs in a simple format. I also appreciate seeing the library’s Facebook presence without the catalog. It provides a communal feel and emphasizes the fact that the library is about people, not just materials. I revoke my initial sentiment that libraries have no place on Facebook.

Libraries and Facebook: Friends, Fans, or Groupies?

Facebook has transitioned from being a communication tool used only by college and university students (circa 2004-2007) to a tool used by high school students (from 2007). Now people of all ages use Facebook to post pictures, status updates, and communicate with one another. The standard and most popular functions of Facebook are:

-posting, viewing pictures (and occasionally videos)

-instant messaging

-writing mail messages

-commenting on walls, pictures, status updates and groups

-Search by name, email address, or school for long lost friends and relatives

All of the above functions are forms of communicating with other people. There are some Facebook activities that people engage in outside of these categories. They join groups, allow applications such as Bookshelf, add games such as Sudoku and FarmVille, take quizzes, and become fans of people, events, or organizations.  These non-traditional applications are used by Facebookers to decorate profiles and occupy time.

A common argument for Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 is that these technologies bring democracy to the internet by allowing people to create content and collaborate with one another. The traditional communication functions of Facebook do enable people to create content, but they don’t help people collaborate. There are two unique Facebook functions that come close to supporting collaboration: Events and Groups. Groups are becoming less popular than they were originally (2004-2007). I think this is because the networks are expanding beyond the University campus and becoming global. For example, in 2005 I joined a Facebook group for students who worked in the English department. Now Groups are usually either humorous or vindictive or both, such as the group, “Can this garden nome get more fans than Sarah Palin.” The Events function also allows you to invite people to an event and allows attendees to indicate if they are attending.

I’ve identified three types of Facebook functions: traditional communications (messenging etc…), account decoration and accessorizing, and limited collaboration. When libraries use Facebook, which function are they using? Blogger, Krafty Librarian, gives some very useful advice for librarians who are considering using Facebook. In sum, KL recommends that individual libraries should invite users to become fans of the library. Network libraries may create groups to share news and events. But in general, libraries should not try to act like individual Facebookers. They should not expect individuals to befriend them. “Facebook Group vs. Fan Page: What’s Better,” Ann Smarty provides a useful chart for comparing fan pages and groups. She concludes that, “Pages are generally better for a long-term relationships with your fans, readers or customers; Groups are generally better for hosting a (quick) active discussion and attracting quick attention.”

Both of these bloggers provide great advice, but what kind of information do libraries share with their Facebook-fans? Is this information any different from what’s available on Twitter or the library websites?

In “Use of Facebook in academic health sciences libraries,” published in the Journal of Medical Libraries Association (Jan 2009), Dean Hendrix, a Health Sciences librarian at the State University of New York in Buffalo, argues that Facebook enables libraries to create some impressive Facebook applications to “answer reference questions, search online public access catalogs, and host multimedia collections.”

In subsequent posts, I will consider libraries that build Facebook Fan pages and groups, and I will examine how libraries have incorporated their traditional library services, such as reference, into these Facebook accounts.

Micro-blogging: Denver Public Library and Twitter

According to its Twitter page, Denver Public Library has 940 followers. This library system is only 60 followers short of the next bracket, 1000 followers plus.

Denver Public Library actually has two Twitter accounts with almost an equal number of followers. The second account is called eVolver and it’s exclusively for teens at DPL. The equivalence indicates that Twitter is more commonly used by younger people. It also suggests that teens in Denver have formed a real community through the library.

Neither Twitter account is easily visible from the library’s website homepage. In fact, I was only able to find the general DPL Twitter account by searching Twitter itself or by linking from the DPL Teen Twitter account. Why is DPL’s Twitter account so hard to find? I suspect it is because the web designers want to keep people on the DPL website. The home page of the website has a live news feed (RSS) with abstracts of its articles displayed clearly and prominently. The website also displays a Denver Library news feed, and various types of notices about events and services.

Center of DPL website home page

So what does DPL use Twitter for, if they use their home page to provide updates about services and programs? First, like NYPL, DPL tweets about its own programs and events. It tweets accolades and media coverage. It also tweets about news that is important to the library world such as budget cuts to the NYPL system.

Second, DPL’s Twitter account follows almost 700 other Twitterers. They follow everyone from NYPL to Deals in Denver: nonprofits, Colorado organizations, Colorado businesses, health professionals, librarians, and other libraries. I wonder how they select whom to follow and what to retweet?

The DPL Teen Twitter account is linked from the  bottom of the bright orange DPL Teen home page. The DPL teen or YA department has established a virtual presence on Twitter, Myspace, Flickr, and Youtube. Right above the invitation to follow, there are links to the virtual reference service, AskColorado, and a teen specific DPL online newsletter.

Links to social media on the bottom right corner of the DPL Teens home page

DPL Teens/eVolver has 808 followers and it follows 773 Twitter accounts. Many of its tweets are retweets from DPL. eVolver’s main addition is YA events at the library, YA news about non-library events and contests, and links to YA book and materials recommendations from YA librarians.

eVolver tweets daily and updates its Myspace status nearly every day. The Youtube channel actually belongs to the whole of DPL, but most of the videos are either produced by teens or are of interest to teens and young adults. For example, one of the channel’s listed favorites is a video recording a Harry and the Potters concert that was held at the central library in 2006. The recorded song is called “Save Ginny Weasley.” (BTW, I’m pretty sure my sister attended this concert). The lead singer, Paul’s, introductory words made me laugh,

“It’s truly truly awesome to have all you guys here with us because this is … really the kind of thing that Voldemort hates. He hates it when a bunch of awesome people like you guys, come down to the library to party with a bunch of wizards like  us.”

I will be talking more about vodcasting in later posts, but I wanted to introduce DPL’s use of Youtube because it provides some context for discussing Twitter.