internet resources Cliff Landis Social networking sites Getting friendly with our users

ocial networking sites have grown in of librarians within these sites, as well as the Spopularity over the last few years, par­ body of research on these topics. This article ticularly among teenagers and young adults. introduces a few of the many examples of These are often the populations that academic how libraries are using social networking institutions reach out to for both recruitment sites. Additionally, it gives both librarians and retention. It is not surprising, then, that and researchers the initial points for staying academic libraries and librarians have joined current on this topic. the movement to include social networking sites in library marketing, outreach, instruction, MySpace and reference efforts. • MySpace. The largest social networking At its most basic, social networking sites site, MySpace began with a strong teenage consist of individual profiles that are publicly presence but now has a diverse age range. viewable. Users can then link their profi les This site allows users to custom design their by “Friending” one another, to draw a con­ profiles, which many libraries have taken nection between them that others can see. advantage of as they have created profi les Additionally, a user can interact with their that reflect their main library Web pages. Friends by leaving comments on their Friends’ MySpace profiles have built­in , calendar, profiles. Beyond these three basic criteria, so­ bulletin, and music sharing capabilities. Ac­ cial networking sites may include additional cess: http://www.myspace.com/. features, such as private messaging, sharing • Brooklyn College Library. The li­ music/videos/photos, , groups, and brary uses the calendar and blog features user­created applications.1 of MySpace to market upcoming pro­ Growing alongside social networking sites grams. Access: http://www.myspace.com have been other Web sites that include social /brooklyncollegelibrary. networking features (sometimes referred to as • Bryant University Library. This library sites). Web sites primarily dedicated uses a similar color scheme as the library’s to sharing photos, blogging, or podcasting may Web page to brand its presence, provides include user profiles that other users can Friend ample linking to library services, and even and comment on. Librarians have begun to has a cell phone number to text message a extend their outreach efforts to these services librarian. Access: http://www.myspace.com as well, and entire communities of librarians /bryantuniversitylibrary. and library users have sprung up within each • Libraries on MySpace. With nearly 400 of these sites. As social networking sites add members, this is one of the largest groups for more tools, and as more social media sites add institutional library accounts on MySpace. profiles, the line between these two types of Web site will continue to blur. Cliff Landis is reference librarian at Valdosta State Social networking sites are quick to grow University, e-mail: [email protected] and change. This is also true of the efforts © 2007 Cliff Landis

December 2007 709 C&RL News The group page provides resources for learn­ college students. The site does not allow ing about designing a library presence on institutional profiles, but individual librarians MySpace, as well as free Web tools for craft­ can join to reach out to students. Although ing a profi le. Access: http://groups.myspace. profiles cannot be changed in com/myspacelibraries. appearance, users can add individual ap­ • UIUC Undergraduate Library. In­ plications to increase interactivity. Access: cludes videos, pictures, a library catalog http://www.facebook.com/. search box, and a link to the library’s Face­ • FacebookAppsForLibraries. For book group. Access: http://www.myspace. librarians interested in creating Facebook com/undergradlibrary. applications, this group serves as a place to • walking paper. This is the blog of view examples, get help coding, and discuss Aaron Schmidt, director of North Plains issues. Access: http://www.facebook.com/ Public Library, who publishes and presents group.php?gid=2469777131. extensively on social networks in libraries, • JSTOR Search. JSTOR is in the lead as particularly MySpace. Schmidt also provides the only database provider offering a Face­ a lighthearted and passionate review of user book application to search its database. Ac­ services, and explores ways to remove obsta­ cess: http://apps.facebook.com/jstorsearch/. cles to excellent customer service in libraries. • Librarian. This Facebook application Access: http://www.walkingpaper.org/. was written by library school student Brad Czerniak. It allows users to access scholarly Facebook resources provided by both users and librar­ • Facebook. Often discussed by college ians. Additionally, the application provides an and university librarians, Facebook remains Ask a Librarian service, staffed by librarian the standard social networking site for many volunteers who use Facebook. Access: http:// apps.facebook.com/fblibrarian/. • Librarians and Facebook. A place for general discussion of the intersection of Facebook and libraries, this group allows li­ brarians to relate their views and experiences on privacy, censorship, outreach, and mar­ keting within Facebook. Access: http://www. facebook.com/group.php?gid=2210901334. • Mini Library. This Facebook applica­ tion performs a federated search of the na­ tional libraries of Europe. Library consortia and not­for­profits have begun using social networking sites as marketing tools and ac­ cess points. Access: http://apps.facebook. com/minilibrary/. • UIUC Library Search. This Facebook application allows users to perform a UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign) federated search from its Facebook profi le. It is one of many applications that has taken libraries’ catalogs and spread them to social networking sites. These efforts can improve both the library’s visibility and access for its users. Access: http://apps.facebook.com /uiuclibrary/.

C&RL News December 2007 710 Selected other sites tration. Access: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki • . At one time considered a con­ /List_of_social_networking_websites. tender for MySpace’s throne, Bebo continues • Social Networking God: 350+ Social to grow in popularity, particularly in the Networking Sites. This Mashable list breaks United Kingdom. Access: http://www.bebo. down social networking sites according to com/. categories of site focus, such as books, busi­ • Classmates.com. Appealing to an ness, hobbies, friends, family, and students. older audience, Classmates.com reconnects Access: http://mashable.com/2007/10/23 old friends from colleges, workplaces, /social­networking­god/. and military service. Access: http://www. classmates.com/. Research • . Originally appealing to ur­ • apophenia. The blog of danah boyd, ban young adults, Friendster was one of the a PhD student in the School of Information first social networking sites to really take off. at the University of California­Berkeley, who Friendster’s demographic has since opened studies social networking sites and their up, and it is now especially popular in Asia. influence on and relationship to culture Access: http://www.friendster.com/. (particularly youth culture). She provides • . Oriented toward a broader inter­ clear (and often humorous) explanations national audience, Hi5 has remained popular of developments in the world of social net­ with Indian and Spanish­speaking users. Ac­ working sites. Access: http://www.zepohria. cess: http://www.hi5.com/. org/thoughts/. • OpenSocial. Not a social networking • Association of Internet Research- site, OpenSocial allows users to create ap­ ers Listserv (AOIR). With more than 1,500 plications that are not restricted to a single subscribers, this is the largest electronic list social networking site, but work with multiple for Internet studies. The AOIR is a member­ sites. This is Google’s response to Facebook’s driven organization dedicated to the cross­ applications, and promises to bring a new disciplinary study of the Internet. Access: level of both cooperation and competition to http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air­l­aoir. social networking sites. Access: http://code. org. google.com/apis/opensocial/. • Dr. Larry Rosen. Rosen researches • . A social networking site owned the psychological impact of technology on by Google, Orkut is noted for being popular individuals on this blog. He has also re­ in Brazil. Orkut is gaining ground in the searched the experiences and attitudes of United States, which may speed up with the teenagers and parents who use MySpace. Ac­ creation of OpenSocial. Access: http://www. cess: http://drlarryrosenmemyspaceandiblog. orkut.com/. blogspot.com/. • . Tied in with • Journal of Computer-Mediated Com- MSN Hotmail and MSN Messenger, Spaces munication (JCMC). JCMC has been in is ’s native social networking site. publication since 1995 and covers a broad Access: http://home.services.spaces.live. range of social science research on com­ com/. puter­mediated communication. An upcom­ ing theme issue will cover social networking Lists sites. The journal is both open­access and • List of social networking websites. peer­reviewed. Access: http://www.black­ Although no list of social networking sites can well­synergy.com/loi/jcmc. stay absolutely current, Wikipedia’s list pro­ vides helpful additional information, such as the description and focus of each site, a user count, and any restrictions on regis­

December 2007 711 C&RL News • Sharing, Privacy, and Trust in our ies. Access: http://onlinesocialnetworks. Networked World. This report from OCLC blogspot.com/. surveys members of the public from six • Mashable. The “world’s largest blog countries and library directors from the Unit­ on social networking,” Mashable provides a ed States on social networking and privacy. constant stream of news on the ever­chang­ The report covers both social networking ing world of social networking sites. The sites and social media sites, and provides a blog covers a wide range of developments revealing look at how the public uses and and is updated several times a day. Readers feels about these tools. Access: http://www. can subscribe to RSS feeds for news on par­ oclc.org/reports/sharing/default.htm. ticular sites, such as MySpace, YouTube, and • Unit Structures. This is the blog of Facebook. Access: http://mashable.com/. Fred Stutzman, a PhD student in Information Science at the University of North Carolina­ Chapel Hill. Stutzman is a researcher and commentator on social networking sites, and offers balanced views on the place of • Wired Campus Blog. Produced by social networking sites in academia. Access: the Chronicle of Higher Education, this blog http://chimprawk.blogspot.com/. covers a broad range of news on the impact of technology on education. Access: News http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/. • Friends: Social Networking Sites for Engaged Library Services. Written by Notes Gerry McKiernan, science and technology 1. boyd, danah. (2006). sites: librarian at Iowa State University, Friends my defi nition, www.zephoria.org/thoughts is a blog that selectively republishes social /archives/2006/11/10/social_network networking news that is relevant to librar­ _1.html.

(“Homeless instruction librarian” continued from page 692) of a class period to address renovation issues tions or services will remain in the library, and a 50­minute bibliographic information start instruction sessions by acknowledging session the following class period to deal the students’ reluctance. Encourage profes­ with library instruction. This tactic not only sors to schedule tours and browsing time, increases face time with the students, but it offer incentives to get the students in the also allows students to consider follow­up building, create assignments that pull them questions for the second visit. I have found in, or organize rides to the storage facility. that most professors are willing to give up It will take extra effort to ensure that print the additional 15 minutes at the end of one of materials are used. their lectures to address students’ anxiety. If your library remains open during the Finally renovation, as ours has, it can be a very There are as many ways to teach library scary, dusty, and noisy space. Students may instruction as there are librarians. The uncer­ not want to come if they can avoid it. I see tainties of the library renovation have caused students every day who avoid using print me to re­examine my teaching techniques materials if it means coming to the library or and philosophies, as well as reconsider the initiating a delivery from temporary storage. needs of the users. While a library renova­ They are intimidated by the construction tion poses unique challenges for instruction, zone and convinced that retrieving print those trials can lead to exploration and materials is an unmanageable task. If collec­ growth for instruction librarians.

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