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An Analysis of Ten Canadian Public Library Websites and Social Media

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An Analysis of Ten Canadian Public Library Websites and Social Media Online Library Communities: An Analysis of Ten Canadian Public Library Websites and Social Media by Alison Jessica Pitcher A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Library and Information Studies School of Library and Information Studies University of Alberta ©Alison Jessica Pitcher, 2015 Abstract This thesis addresses the question of whether or not Canadian public libraries are creating online communities through their websites and social media pages. Studies into what sense of community entails, both physically and digitally have been conducted outside of the library and information studies [LIS] field, but never within it. And in today’s world where more and more people access the internet and social media, libraries cannot afford to be serving their members in a physical setting alone, especially if e-visits are starting to outweigh in-person ones. There is a gap in current LIS research surrounding online communities and this lack of research and awareness could be hurting the impact that libraries might have. Focussing on the ten Canadian public libraries that serve the largest populations, this study analyzes a set of screen-captures of major library websites and social media. Each library’s website was analyzed by utilizing three personas in order to create pathways through each and determine if sense of community was being created through the four aspects of community: membership, influence, integration & fulfillment, and shared emotional connection. The analysis showed that shared emotional connection and influence were the two weakest aspects overall. Following that, each library’s accessible social media sites were captured and then analyzed for content as well as for obvious invitations to communicate. This analysis showed that there needs to be more of a focus on inviting communication, as well as an awareness that member interests are varied and posts need to cover a broad spectrum in order to attract member interactions. The results of all steps of analysis were used to create a simple set of best practices from which libraries can begin to better their online communities. This research is limited in scope and the results create a foundation upon which further research can occur and on which libraries can begin to better understand their online communities. ii Preface This thesis is an original work by Alison Pitcher. No part of this thesis has been previously published. The research project, of which this thesis is part, required no ethics approval from the University of Alberta Ethics Board (see Appendix E for details). iii Acknowledgements I would like to recognize the libraries that I used for this research; this project would not have been possible without them. I also want to express my gratitude to my committee members, particularly my advisors, Dr. Margaret Mackey and Dr. Dinesh Rathi for their continued support and advice. Finally, I want to thank my family for their constant support and encouragement. This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council through a Joseph- Arman Bombardier Canada Graduate Master’s Scholarship. iv Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ......................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ ix List of Appendix Tables ................................................................................................................................. x List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... xi List of Appendix Figures .............................................................................................................................. xiv Chapter 1 – Research Problem ..................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Research Problem ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Q1-Are libraries creating a sense of community through their websites and social media? ............... 2 Q2-If online library communities exist, do they need work? ............................................................... 2 Q3-How are libraries using their social media? .................................................................................... 3 Q4-Are libraries creating an invitation to communicate? .................................................................... 3 Libraries ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Chapter 2 – Literature Review ...................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 5 Community ................................................................................................................................................ 5 What is community? ............................................................................................................................. 5 Four factor model of sense of community ........................................................................................... 6 Why is community important? ............................................................................................................. 9 Social capital ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Library as community .............................................................................................................................. 11 Gap in Library and Information Studies research on sense of community ............................................ 12 Library/non-profit organization websites/social media and their use ................................................... 12 Community online ................................................................................................................................... 14 How to test its existence ..................................................................................................................... 15 Communication ................................................................................................................................... 17 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 18 v Chapter 3 – Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 19 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 19 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 20 Capture Parameters ................................................................................................................................ 21 Websites ............................................................................................................................................. 21 Social Media ........................................................................................................................................ 22 Issues and Biases ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Libraries ................................................................................................................................................... 24 Toronto Public Library (ON) ................................................................................................................ 24 Bibliothèque de Montréal (QC) ........................................................................................................... 24 Calgary Public Library (AB) .................................................................................................................. 25 Ottawa Public Library (ON) ................................................................................................................. 25 Edmonton Public Library (AB) ............................................................................................................. 25 Mississauga
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