Social Networking and UK Libraries
Encyclopedia
Information and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
and internet provision and literacy. Libraries are now engaging more with users through tools such as Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
http://www.facebook.com, Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
http://www.twitter.com, YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Libraries+UK&aq=f and Flickr
Flickr
Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
http://www.flickr.com to promote services and resources. Less popular social networking sites, such as Bebo
Bebo
Bebo is a social networking website launched in July 2005. It is currently owned and operated by Criterion Capital Partners after taking over from AOL in June 2010....
http://www.bebo.com and MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
http://wwww.myspace.com, are less used.
Social networking by library patrons has grown as it has become more popular. Kerr has noted that "the Internet has changed forever our interpretation of the role of the information provider as a repository of information" (Kerr, 1996). Library 2.0
Library 2.0
Library 2.0 is a loosely defined model for a modernized form of library service that reflects a transition within the library world in the way that services are delivered to users....
adapts and extends the concept of Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
, in which websites (such as social networks) become online platforms for users to share information or data with other users. Library 2.0 is: "the application of interactive, collaborative, and multi-media web-based technologies to web based library services and collections...it is user-centred; a multi-media experience; socially rich; and community innovative" (Maness, 2006) http://www.webology.ir/2006/v3n2/a25.html. Libraries are currently embracing these trends to keep their services and remain relevant in a changing and increasingly digital world.
Patrons use of libraries as a venue for social networking is an ongoing debate. Some critics believe this devalues the library's traditional role as an information provider and centre of learning. Others argue that it infringes on services used by researchers and those with more traditional information needs while patrons browse social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
. Most libraries use filtering software that can block social networking sites. A 2008 study of fourteen UK public libraries found that chat rooms and social networking sites were commonly blocked by library filtering systems, in 50% of all cases http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0024-2535&volume=57&issue=7&articleid=1740622&show=html. Also, critics point out that social networking sites are businesses outside of libraries' control and claim these companies might not meet the same standards of privacy as the librarian profession grants its patrons (Fernandez, 2009) http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1250&context=libphilprac. Social networking in libraries can also lead to a range of concerns over privacy, data protection and liability affecting both patrons and librarians (McMenemy, 2008).
But to block social networking sites in libraries can seem counter-productive given their reach and utility. Sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, are a richly used source of information on topics from news http://twitter.com/#!/bastrike to events https://www.facebook.com/edfringe as well as staying in touch with friends or celebrity gossip. The debate on social networking in library venues is grounded in a distinction between important and trivial information reflected by discussions on the demise of librarian's traditional role as gatekeepers of knowledge (Nageswara Rao & Babu, 2001)http://www.inform.nu/Articles/Vol4/v4n1p025-034.pdf. Should libraries not be a place for celebrity gossip? One key role of the traditional library is to provide a place of leisure (McMenemy, 2009). Although there are arguments for and against, social networking does partly fulfil this role.
Professional librarianship has welcomed, cautioned against, and often considered social networking (and Facebook in particular http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/lita/ital/262007/2601mar/charnigo.pdf) as outside their professional role. Nevertheless, the benefits to libraries from social networking are apparent and are discussed further in relation to public, national and academic libraries in the UK. UK public librarians are now writing blogs to engage with the public and promote serviceshttp://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue64/hammond/ in greater numbers. At the same time, the UK librarian community has recently used social media to oppose funding cuts, with Voices for the Library
Voices for the Library
Voices for the Library is a UK-based public library advocacy campaign, supported by individuals and professional bodies and associations, including CILIP, Special Libraries Association Europe and UNISON.-History:...
cited as a success in organising supporthttp://zine.openrightsgroup.org/comment/2011/a-social-networking-success-story.
Public Libraries
UK public libraries have official Facebook pages which they use to inform users of services and events more and more. Some public library Facebook pages are user-created although libraries have become more active. Facebook has made a 'conscious effort to embrace libraries and librarians'; focusing on East Renfrewshire Council, Rooney-Browne 'et al' examined the effects of the council library's engagement with Web 2.0, through the service joining Facebook. They argue that this helped attracted new users and increased service profile while also maintaining the belief that the physical libraries would flourish (Rooney-Browne & Browne 2008). A 2010 survey into UK public libraries engaging in online blogging explored libraries' efforts to engage with social media (Hammond, 2010). Many active library blogs such as the Manchester Lit Listhttp://manchesterlitlist.blogspot.com/ show the trend is increasing despite some criticshttp://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue64/hammond/. Manchester Libraries Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/manchesterlibraries promotes their services, particularly Manchester Central Library in St Peter's Square, providing photostreams and a means for dialogue between users and the service.In Glasgow, the cultural body Glasgow Lifehttp://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/Pages/default.aspx engages users through their website and other avenues such as users following Glasgow Libraries on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/GlasgowLibraries and Twitterhttp://twitter.com/#!/GlasgowLib. In London, Tower Hamlet's Idea Storeshttp://www.ideastore.co.uk/ re-branding of their libraries project includes innovative designs such as Whitechapel Idea Store
Whitechapel Idea Store
The Whitechapel Idea Store is a library in Whitechapel, London, England. It opened in September 2005 and was designed by the architect David Adjaye and constructed at a cost of £12 million by William Verry with engineering by Arup....
and has an extensive presence on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/ideastores and Twitterhttp://twitter.com/#!/ideastores. Birmingham's new project for the new Library of Birminghamhttp://www.birmingham.gov.uk/libraryofbirmingham, the biggest new library project in Britain, keeps the public up-to-date on the progress of the project and on library events and services in the city via Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/libraryofbirmingham. Liverpool libraries also use Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Liverpool-Libraries-Information-Service/25167958645 to keep patrons and interested parties involved. This trend will no doubt continue, with libraries seeking to stay relevant and promote their services during technological and social change. In the face of potential cuts to UK public services, social networking may also be crucial in promoting libraries' value.
National Libraries
All National Libraries of legal deposit within the UK such as the British LibraryBritish Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
(BL)http://www.bl.uk/, National Library of Scotland
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...
(NLS)http://www.nls.uk and the National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
(NLW)http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=2 make extensive, and often interactive, use of social networking both to engage with patrons (including publishers) and to digitise their collections (largely on Flickr for the public). The BL, NLS and NLW also make use of RSS feeds to inform their patrons of up-to-the-minute news of the library's events and collections.
The National Library of Scotland's Flickr resource includes many rare photographs, from a map drawn by David Livingstone to photographs of WW1 trenches, which the community can comment uponhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/nlscotland/. The National Library of Scotland also uses social networking, through Podcasts on YouTube and Facebook, to engage in discussion and debate with the wider society as withNational Library of Scotland YouTube Channel: Who has the power to decide what to censor? Such Podcasts also allow curator's to share their expert knowledge with patrons who might have the same interest as withNational Library of Scotland YouTube Channel: Modern Scottish Language. The NLS Facebook page has many followers and advertises events and for library usershttps://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Library-of-Scotland/14754995380?sk=pe. The National Library of Scotland also has blogs such as the John Murray Archivehttp://digital.nls.uk/jma/blog/index.cfm with curators blogging on items from this huge collection of works once owned by a former publisher. Also the NLS's twitter pagehttp://twitter.com/#!/natlibscot allows for genuine patron feedback, albeit persuasively positive, moving slightly from a model of strictly controlled library social networking to one where the public can be genuine participants. In other words, the basis of social networking.
The British Library's photostream on Flickr includes repository of images on events at the libraryhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/ while their YouTube page provides similar information, along with interviews and features for users to viewhttp://www.youtube.com/user/britishlibrary#p/u. Although it has not been updated since 2009, the BL also provide patrons the means to upload Podcasts to the British Library, forming an archive of Podcasts overseen by the British Library, in the form of Audioboo
AudioBoo
AudioBoo is a website which allows users to post and share sound files. AudioBoo was developed by UK-based and partially funded by Channel 4 and was launched in March 2009.-Technology:...
fileshttp://audioboo.fm/.
Academic Libraries
Social networking tools allow networking among academics, between academics and students, and between students. Most UK universities use Twitter and Facebook to keep students informed about events and current announcements; and are used to attract potential students. In a globalised education market, use of these tools may be especially important for informing and attracting international students. The University of StrathclydeUniversity of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
uses Twitterhttp://twitter.com/#!/unistrathclyde and Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfStrathclyde accounts regularly updated to keep students, and others, aware of current events and University announcements, procedures and activities. Academic libraries not only use social media for communication purposes, but have adapted their research strategies to this environment (Bell 2007).
Some specialist collection departments within Academic Libraries are also using social networking sites to digitise and make available resources to the public that might otherwise be underused. Sirling University's Scottish Political Archivehttp://www.scottishpoliticalarchive.org.uk/wb/ ensures that information and material from political campaigns in Scotland are put into the public domain through theScottish Political Archive Facebook page and that campaign leaflets, current and historical, can be compared at theScottish Political Archive Photostream. The opening of special collections housed in University Libraries is certainly an important route in educating the public about what the diverse and unique collections and objects that libraries hold.
Academic staff use opportunities for collaborative research through professional social networking tools such as LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. , LinkedIn reports more than 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. The site is available in English, French,...
http://www.linkedin.com/. In the UK, JISCMail is a service utilised by staff for collaboration and research services 'facilitating discussion, collaboration and communication within the UK academic community'http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/. JISCMail's popularity shows that social networking aids research and collaboration across universities in the UK.
Personal social networking by students or staff in academic libraries is often viewed as negative if it detracts from individual learning and studying and if it stops others using computers for this. However, some academic librarians have been proactive in incorporating sites like Facebook as a tool for communicating with students. Some academics recommend using Facebook to accept reference enquiries and organise research consultations. Given that undergraduates are the largest users of Facebook there are potential benefits for universities to use the site in order to engage with students (Mack et al, 2007).
Professional bodies
Librarians and information professional associations in the UK use social networking to provide a tool for communication and collaboration. It can also provide a platform for organizational initiatives, such as supporting library advocacy. The Chartered Institute of Library and Information ProfessionalsChartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is a professional body representing librarians and other information professionals in the United Kingdom.-History:...
(CILIP) has profiles on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter as well as on LinkedIn. These networking tools can keep members connected and informed on CILIP events, announcements and activities as well as notifying members of current research, events and professional news. Social networks are also used by CILIP to promote library use and encourage support. The Scottish arm of CILIP,CILIPS, is less active in social networking media. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council is a non-departmental public body in England and a registered charity with a remit to promote improvement and innovation in the area of museums, libraries and archives...
(MLA) have yet to embrace social networking sites to the same degree as other library and information professional bodies; their Facebook page] is currently unofficial.
Social media campaigns in the UK library sector
The UK library community has used social media to oppose cuts in funding with Voices for the LibraryVoices for the Library
Voices for the Library is a UK-based public library advocacy campaign, supported by individuals and professional bodies and associations, including CILIP, Special Libraries Association Europe and UNISON.-History:...
. Threats to individual libraries have resulted in much publicised protests and in Twitter and Opinion Boards, the debate has been at times passionate and largely positive. Love Scottish Librarieshttp://www.lovescotishlibraries.org is a Scotland-specific advocacy group who also make ample use of social networking. The Save Our Libraries Dayhttp://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/advocacy/public-libraries/pages/savelibrariesday.aspx was a day of protest across the UK to support public libraries, with Voices for the Library prominent.
A popular Facebook Library Voices pagehttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Library-Voices/25889251432 was set up in collaboration with the Voices for the Library campaign. The page publicised the Save Our Libraries Day event and allowed supporters to discuss ideas and activities, the essence of social networking, and keep up-to-date with developmentshttp://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122818911117148. The protest supporting libraries was defined by social networking technology, creating a buzz on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/#!/ijclark/voices-for-the-library and the wider social networking spherehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/culture-cuts-blog/2011/feb/05/save-our-libraries-day-live-coverage. The campaign was supported by many well known novelists such as Philip Pullman, Margaret Atwood and Zadie Smithhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2011/apr/16/celebrity-activists-hugh-grant?INTCMP=SRCH. The campaign was sparked by a Shropshire ICT lecturer who initiated the #savelibraries hashtag in January 2010, with this initial tweet being followed right up to, and during, the Save Our Libraries Dayhttps://twitter.com/#!/MarDixon. YouTube has also been used as a resource by library supporters, with testimonials and user messages of support and opinion being uploaded; a good example of this was the Save York Gardens Library video on Youtube, referred to by the Guardian in their coverage of the Save Our Libraries Dayhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f9HLfxgyvg&feature=player_embedded http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/culture-cuts-blog/2011/feb/05/save-our-libraries-day-live-coverage.
See also
- British LibraryBritish LibraryThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
- Chartered Institute of Library and Information ProfessionalsChartered Institute of Library and Information ProfessionalsThe Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is a professional body representing librarians and other information professionals in the United Kingdom.-History:...
- Information AgeInformation AgeThe Information Age, also commonly known as the Computer Age or Digital Age, is an idea that the current age will be characterized by the ability of individuals to transfer information freely, and to have instant access to knowledge that would have been difficult or impossible to find previously...
- Library 2.0Library 2.0Library 2.0 is a loosely defined model for a modernized form of library service that reflects a transition within the library world in the way that services are delivered to users....
- National Library of ScotlandNational Library of ScotlandThe National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...
- Social mediaSocial mediaThe term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
- Social networkSocial networkA social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
- Virtual CommunityVirtual communityA virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...
- Voices for the LibraryVoices for the LibraryVoices for the Library is a UK-based public library advocacy campaign, supported by individuals and professional bodies and associations, including CILIP, Special Libraries Association Europe and UNISON.-History:...
- Whitechapel Idea StoreWhitechapel Idea StoreThe Whitechapel Idea Store is a library in Whitechapel, London, England. It opened in September 2005 and was designed by the architect David Adjaye and constructed at a cost of £12 million by William Verry with engineering by Arup....