“Just like putting a library branch in a strip mall, creating presence in social networking software makes the library more visible.” ~Meredith Farkas
The above concept rings more true than any other information about social networking sites. The goal of most, if not all libraries is the goal to reach more patrons because it is they who are liable for the continuing existence of libraries. Some libraries may be skeptical about using MySpace and Facebook because they either do not know how to use it or they find it frivolous and something that only young adults would use. The unknown is taking the time to learn how these sites can best benefit your library. While researching this topic, I realized that each library have their own way of utilizing these social networking sites to the best advantage of the library itself and its patrons. We will analyze how academic libraries, special libraries and school libraries can use these sites to promote themselves within their respective communities.
Academic libraries will probably benefit the most from these sites along with school libraries, which will be discussed later. Now some may say that an academic library has no need to be on a social networking site because it is really not very “academia”. As recited above, the unknown is what scares most librarians when it comes to using these sites. It is because they are unaware that the library offers more things that are beneficial to them than just a physical building where there are books and you can study in peace. The sites offer a great way to promote the library’s services such as any events that may be coming up or links to your catalog and/or databases. A college in New York has a MySpace page that they have set up for their library. On their MySpace page, they list the current events; have pictures and links to their official library website www.MySpace.com/brooklyncollegelibrary. They even have blogs about their events, which I believe is the best way to inform your students about the library happenings (Farkas 27). This is a great way to integrate our students’ habits with our library services. Students eventually learn to appreciate how the library operates and the many benefits they offer. Sites such as Facebook and MySpace are trends that any and maybe all students use and you cannot ignore this because it does not conform to your mission. Just imagine these sites as another way to advertise your services to your patron base.
Some questions pertain as to how does social networking sites impact special libraries when their patron base is so limited to whatever specialty they are in? If you look at a special library it is just like a social network site. Special libraries exist in a large organization, i.e. the company. Social networking sites are the same whereas you as a “person” exist in the larger organization, i.e. the host. Special library provide services and support to their organization. Special libraries can learn from these social networking sites. How do they get so large in such a short amount of time? They can learn to emulate the concept of these sites into their own special services, i.e. website, special services, intranet, etc. These sites would give special libraries an insight as to how the current generation is using these sites so that they themselves can be prepared when this generation enters the working world (Abrams 34).
Like academic libraries and special libraries, school libraries can and should incorporate the concept of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook to promote the further education of their students. Most if not all young children these days are always on the Internet. If a school library were to use these social networking sites, they should promote the further education of the students by showing them how to search the libraries catalog and get them involved in events that the library sponsors. School media specialist can learn the hows and whys of these sites so that they can use the concept of it in their own libraries to further promote student’s use of the libraries as more than a place to go only when you have homework. A student who is aware of how the library works and how to distinguish good information from bad information will do great in post-secondary education when they have to prepare research papers.
When talking about social networking sites being used in school libraries, we also have to talk about the Deleting Online Predator Act (DOPA). It was introduced and passed by the House in 2006 but was not considered by the Senate before the 2006 session ended. The DOPA, if it was made into law would have made accessing social networking sites at any libraries and/or schools that receive federal funds impossible. The DOPA would have required that these places block all access to the social networking sites (Engdahl 74). How would you as a librarian possibly follow this law when your whole ethics is based on access of information for all? The DOPA was mostly geared towards secondary education. Of course the American Libraries Association (ALA) opposed these bill passionately. Beth Yoke, who is the executive director of the Young Adult Library Services Association, testified on behalf of the ALA stating that they had three primary concerns about this bill. The first being that the bill as written is too broad; the second being that it would widen the digital divide for students who uses school and libraries computers as their primary access to the Web; and the third being that parental involvement with their children are the best tools for making sure that their children are kept safe online (Engdahl 100). The best way to protect your students is for parents to get involved and also let librarians and teacher teach them the correct way to use these social networking sites and how to analyze the profile that is requesting friendship.
Now, therefore, how can we as librarians simply ignore these social networking sites? We obviously cannot do that. These sites and other interactive sites are the trends of the future and we cannot put it into a “fad” category that may disappear as times go by. These sites are great tools, even though it takes time to make connection. If a librarian takes the time to make these connections with their patron base that are always on the Internet, they will be able to promote the library’s services and outreach to students more effective than ever (Breeding 32). Also, these social networking sites provide a great way for your students and/or patrons to provide feedbacks (Greenwell and Kraemer 15). As was discussed in class, librarians and libraries have to learn to adapt to these constantly changing trends with respect to these social networking sites. As librarians and libraries, we must figure out a way to incorporate these things into the everyday library life that will make the library more visible and more vibrant than ever.
Questions:
How would you as a librarians use these social networking sites in your library?
What can you as future librarians do to protect your students from predators using MySpace and Facebook as a “feeding” ground?
How would you use these sites as a learning experience?
Will sites like MySpace and Facebook be the learning of our future?
How will these sites impact the future librarian?
Works Cited:
Abram, Stephen. “What can MySpace teach us in school libraries? Just as I get nice and comfortable with Web sites and learning mobile applications, blogging, and downloading streaming media, the Web world goes and mutates yet again!” Multimedia & Internet@Schools. 13.4 (July-August 2006): 22.
Abram, Stephen. “What can MySpace teach us in special libraries?” Information Outlook. 10.5 (May 2006): 34.
Albanese, Adnrew Richard. “Google Is Not The Net.” Library Journal (1976). 131.15 (September 15 2006): 32-4.
Breeding, Marshall. “Librarians Face Online Social Networks.” Computers in Libraries. 27.8 (September 2007): 30-2.
Engdahl, Sylvia, ed. Online Social Networking. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007.
Farkas, Meredith. “Going where patrons are: outreach in MySpace and Facebook. (Technology in Practice).” American Libraries. 38.4 (April 2007): 27.
Greenwell, Stacey and Beth Kraemer. “Internet Reviews: Social Networking Software: Facebook and MySpace.” Kentucky Libraries. 70.4 (Fall 2006): 12-6.
Miller, Sarah Elizabeth and Lauren A. Jensen. “Connecting and Communicating with Students on Facebook.” Computers in Libraries. 27.8 (September 2007): 18-22.
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19 comments:
Sites like Myspace and Facebook are exactly what libraries and librarians need to transition themselves into a more active role in their community. The younger generations are searching these social networks out and the library should provide them with the software to do so. But not just for younger patrons, social networks can be beneficial to librarians as well. Librarians can now have access to one another and form social networks from across the country or the world. To be able to share ideas, concerns, and problem share can be a great benefit to the profession.
In an effort to make libraries more visible, I think these social networks are an important ingredient; however, I’d like to think that patrons would visit a library for more “scholarly” pursuits than making a beeline for the computer terminal. But alas, I should be pleased that they are visiting the library at all, right? I still struggle with the quest for making reading a more regular, and engaging habit for the general public. I am secretly a book pusher. Anything in moderation is well and good, so how can we balance Myspace and Facebook with the old fashioned shelves of literature?
Roby, you are absolutely right. Most younger patrons are on these websites. Also, getting more patrons into the library is always a good thing, even though they are running straight to the computers. At least it gets them into the library and then from thereon it will be up to the library to market itself with other services using posters, flyers, etc.
I love to read books as well. As a balance, librarians should use these sites to push books by posting book club events, list new books that are currently published and/or will be published. These sites are a great conduits for all kinds of purposes. Librarians should be able to use it to the best advantage of the library.
I also agree that getting people into the library is always an important first step, and that from there libraries need to take the lead in promoting themselves and teaching patrons the value of good old fashioned books.
In this respect, I think that school media specialists and children's librarian's in public libraries need to make sure that they are guiding children towards books. They also need to teach them that while useful, the online environment may not always be the best place to look for information, or the most reliable.
If librarians make sure to do these things I think they will be able to make good use of the social networking tools for purposes such as promoting events and communication between librarians and patrons, or as suggested, even between librarians around the world. I think we can keep the best aspects of the old an mix them with the new to make libraries even better.
Mary-
I really like your point that social networks and blogs are a way for libraries to integrate their services into students’ lives, even before the student sets foot into a library. I think you’re right that, by doing this, students will learn to value library services, and, because a connection has already been made, may be more likely to actually go to the library for help in the future. Before social networking and other Library 2.0 services, getting people in the door was the first problem faced by libraries, and this is no longer necessarily true.
But I think several obstacles to Library 2.0 social networks exist, in addition to sexual predators, which you already mentioned. On the light side, most social network sites are designed for people not institutions. (Kribble, 2008) These sites “require[] users to provide information that is not relevant to an academic institution. The University of Baltimore Library is therefore a 25-year-old single female graduate student whose astrological sign is Scorpio1.” (Kribble, 2008) According to Kribble, a law librarian, the “site has connected the library with nearly 75 MySpace friends”, but some question the site’s professionalism. (2008)
Another more serious problem is privacy generally, not just as it relates to predators. The ALA Code of Ethics, in part, provides:
“III. We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.”
As libraries encourage users to interact with them on social network sites, today’s librarians must also realize that they are encouraging patrons to reveal to the world a lot of personal information, including what information they are seeking and resources they have consulted, as well as likes and dislikes, and contact information. Some people, like professors may be uncomfortable with revealing personal information to students—one complained that his site was “watered down” because he couldn’t “have pictures of [himself] playing beer pong" – whereas, “many users (especially students) neglect to hide embarrassing information and photos. “ (Kribble, 2008)
Susan B. Barnes, a Professor in the Department of Communication at the Rochester Institute of Technology, notes that people perceive that they have privacy online, when in reality they do not. “‘New users and those engaged exclusively in recreational domains probably feel this illusion most strongly.’” (Barnes, 2006) One student “stated that she was concerned about revealing personal information online. When the reporter asked to see her Facebook page, the page contained her home address, phone numbers, and pictures of her young son. Without being aware of the dangers of online social sites, she had revealed too much personal information.” (Barnes, 2006)
Furthermore, companies who own sites like MySpace put the information that they include in the profiles to other profitable uses. (Kribble, 2008) “The information is often used to target the ads that generate revenue for the company, but companies have been known to change their policies about other uses of personal information with little or no notice.” (Kribble, 2008) How can libraries protect patrons’ privacy if the abdicate control over the patrons’ information?
I agree that librarians must adapt and learn to incorporate Web 2.0 tools into the services they offer. But when you ask “[h]ow will these sites impact the future librarian?” I think the future is today. And librarians must nail down what exactly their obligation to protect patron privacy means in a Web 2.0 world, and how to achieve it, before jumping into social networking with both feet.
Cite:
Barnes, S (2006, September). A privacy paradox: Social networking in the United States. First Monday, (11) 9. Retrieved on March 5, 2008, from http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue11_9/barnes/#b7.
Kribble, M and Ginsburg, D. (2008, January 19) Social Networks for Law Librarians and Law Libraries, or How We Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Friending. LLRX.com. Retrieved on March 5, from http://www.llrx.com/features/socialnetworks.htm.
"Creating presence in social networking software makes the library more visible" is so true especially in attracting teens who are trying to define themselves. There is a place for myspace in the public and school libraries although, if they are fortunate enough not to be filtered, the library and school systems should work together to educate the students. Its fairly unrealistic to think teenagers will use the social networking sites responsibly if not monitored somewhat. And in the public library, only so many resources could be dedicated to that monitoring. If the school libraries could actually teach classes on social networking and its responsible use, by hands on exploration of i.e. myspace,perhaps even developing their own sites and evaluating them, the positive utilization of these sites could be emphasized. The following exerpt comes from "Social Networking & DOPA", Young Adult Services Association, a division of the ALA. It demonstrates how myspace could be positivey used to draw teenagers into and engage them in the library- the more ways we show them how to be constructive with myspace, the more often they will be.
"The Bulletin feature in MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/) and other social networking tools, is a powerful tool that enables librarians to connect with teens in the community. A librarian can use bulletins to get the word out about library programs and services to all of her friends on My Space. Instead of putting up posters around town and handing out flyers in the library and local businesses, the bulletin feature in My Space gives librarians the chance to spread the word in a much more instantaneous and
powerful way. Even more powerful is when a librarian works with the teens, bands, schools, businesses, etc. in the community to advertise each other's news.
For example:
• A popular local band library promotes library programs with MySpace bulletins
• Authors who are popular with local teens announce their library visits via MySpace bulletins.
• Local coffee shops that have a MySpace presence announce library programs as a bulletin.
• Teens announce in a MySpace bulletin what's happening at the library.
Why is publicity of this kind, that the library can do on its own, perhaps more successful when it comes
from outside of the library? Because, by getting the community, and people and groups that teens are
interested in involved, the library becomes a part of a larger community. Teens that might not be a friend on the library's MySpace page, but are friends on the band or local coffee house page will see information about the library's events. (Instead of the 100 or so friends the library has that will see the bulletin, the 500 friends of the local coffee house will see the bulletin.) Perhaps, coming from an entity outside of the library, the announcement might hold more sway and interest with/for teens. (We might not like it but that's very possibly true.)
The other side of this is, of course, that the library should start using bulletins on MySpace to announce the goings on of organizations, schools, bands, etc. in the local community. That way these organizations will reach a larger audience AND the library will serve teens with information that goes beyond its four walls."
It seems that if we are creative, which will entail keeping up with technology and perhaps involving teenagers in the content and design of the library's myspace page itself, social networking can really reach out and touch someone. (I wonder if that is copyrighted?)
Sources:
"Social Networking & DOPA". Yalsa, Young Adult Library Services Association, A Division of the Amercan Library Association. www.ala.org/yalsa. Accessed March 5, 2007.
The use of MySpace in the context of libraries is a very complex issue. Generally speaking, social networking sites and academia do not intermingle. I've heard many complaints in academic library labs about people "taking up computers" by looking at these sites, which is bothersome because others have to use the computers for "more important" papers and research. I've also heard of corporations and businesses checking up on employees by searching for their social network pages, which are often found unprofessional.
I'm not sure how well something like MySpace would translate in the library world. Obviously, teens use these sites frequently and it may be beneficial for libraries to have a MySpace page to post events and hold an easily accessible web presence. Like Anne mentioned, there is a lot of possibility for bulletins to be posted and shared through other community groups and resources. But K. Gordon brought up a very important point on privacy. Even if a patron is commenting on a library's page, that information is available for any other patron to see. People do have false ideas of how private the internet is.
The idea of sharing information between libraries through social networking seems helpful, however. It would be a great way for libraries to communicate with one another, and for librarians to share ideas amongst themselves. This execution of the technology does not directly involve the patrons or public, though.
Offering classes on responsible social networking seems like a wonderful tool for patrons and a great way for libraries to show they are aware of technology. But this idea might bring in more parents than teens.
With all that said, I fail to see a brilliant, fool-proof way for libraries to integrate social networking with their programming and services. It would be up to each individual library to decipher which form adequately meets the needs of both librarians and patrons. There are many issues to consider, including privacy, professionalism, audience, and effectiveness.
Or perhaps there are other ways to better integrate libraries with technology. Maybe a library would benefit more from hosting a blog, where events could be posted and comments from patrons and librarians alike could be made anonymously. Maybe RSS feeds or email services would be more effective in relaying information.
I find the topic of myspace in libraries very interesting because I am the person mainly in charge of maintaining the myspace page of the young adult department at my library. We only started it near the end of last year and while it is not as popular with the teens as I think we would like, I feel there is hope for it.
Saying that, I think some communities are ready for it and some aren't. I work for a library in a rather conservative community where parents would rather forbid their children from using myspace than talk to them about safe internet practices. In our community, we were expected it to take awhile for it to catch on and to be honest we actually expected some protest form parents, but luckily those haven't happened yet.
As for how we are using it... I spend some time every week making sure our events calander is up to date, I blog about new programs or special contests. For instance, this month we have a Women's History Month Crossword Contest where teens can win a border gift card. I posted all the details in our blog. I also blog about neat things that come to my attention like online magnetic poetry or video clips with interviews with popular teen authors. I also send out bulletins as reminders of upcoming programs.
At the moment most of our friends on myspace are authors or other libraries so much of what I am doing isn't directly reaching teens. However, I am creating relationships with other librarians and I can find out what popular authors are up to so when I see a teen with a book by that author at my program I can start a conversation and connect with that individual.
My hope is that eventually more teens will become part of our myspace community, give feedback for programs online, visit the myspace pages of authors that are our friends on their own and discuss what books or other media they are currently enjoying. For now though, I have to say I feel that the time I spend working on myspace every week is time well spent and hopefully an investment into the interaction I want.
If you want to see our myspace:
www.myspace.com/indeteens
I found on article through Library Literature that talked about the efforts of one librarian to use Facebook to let students ask reference questions. This librarian noticed that students were using Facebook at the library when researching. The idea was that students could use a web interface that they were familiar with to connect with reference staff; it also allowed common questions to be archived so that students could has access to a bank of common answers. Here's the cite:
andis, C. Connecting to Users with Facebook. Georgia Library Quarterly v. 43 no. 4 (Winter 2007) p. 6
Kelly: Guiding children towards books is always the best way for them to learn. Educating students how to disseminate between good information and bad information is will be a great learning tools.
K. Gordon: You bring up a very good point as to the privacy issue. The Internet is really not as private as people may thing but I know from personal experience that MySpace gives you a choice to make your page private, whereas, only your friends can view your profile. So you can still be a friend of the library but anyone using the library's page to get to you will be blocked because of the private option on your page.
But like everything else, nothing is ever foolproof. I cannot say anything about Facebook having never used it before. And you are absolutely right in that the "future" is now and we need to realize that these concepts are probably not going to go away and learn to adapt.
Anne: You gave great examples of how to uses these social networking sites. I never thought about using it as a way to advertise each other's news, i.e. schools, businesses, etc. and the library. Like I said before, educating students on the use of these sites are always the best way to protect themselves.
It makes me wonder if a teen would really "friend" the library? I think it is awesome if a library could make up a myspace page. I was even thinking about mentioning it to my supervisors at BTPL. You will have to let me know how well it is doing Keegans. Knowing how well bands, comedians, authors do on myspace.
Facebook is alive and kicking in my library although it is mostly just the staff commenting back and forth, we haven't taken it to the patrons.
I think these sites will definely impact the future librarians. We are the future librarians and here we are discussing them. By using these sites we will be able to reach a larger audience.
Nicole: I understand that having one of these sites might not look professional in the academia setting but most patrons who uses the academic libraries are young adults who utilize these sites way more than an average adult patrons. For libraries in acamedic settings to be visible, they have to go where the patrons are, like my quote "...creating [a] presence in social networking software makes a library more visible." I also understand the privacy issue but as I commented to K. Gordon, there are ways to protect themselves with a Myspace page by choosing to make their page private, but there is no fool-proof, at least, it's a start. Libraries hosting blogs and RSS feeds are certainly great ideas but does it reach out to those students who do not use the library at all. MySpace at least gives you a chance (even if it's slim) to connect with a wider range of audience.
Keegans: I am happy that your library have a myspace website. I did take a look at it and I think that it is a great page. You are right in saying that being friends with teen authors are certainly a great way to start a conversation with a teen who is carrying the same book. And during that same conversation, you can promote the library's myspace page and all that it's got to offer such as your blogs and events. Who knows, maybe they will visit it one day and realize that the library really does have a lot of neat things to do besides being a building with books that you can check out.
I have always considered myself computer literate. I often keep up (know what's coming) with the new technology without actually purchasing it. Social networking..........! This is going to be a big adjustment for me. My career in law enforcement has made me shun social networking. I worked in a prison and I currently supervise convicted felons. I have been told on many occasions I'll see you when I get out of here. So posting my face on a publicly accessible webpage leaves something to be desired. As a parent of a teenager and having viewed some sites my daughter has come across, as well as shutting down her myspace page, bebo and face book are not places I had plan to frequent. As I sit in class and realize that these sites will be a part of my reality, it feels like someone is choking me. However, I am very excited about this field and I am slowing coming to terms with the fact that I have to get with it.
No matter how much technological instruction I soak up in the LIS program I will be that patron, who still wants to go and sit down with a real book and just read quietly in a corner. I do believe that social networking will be an asset to libraries, as it will bring a different type of patron. In the article Building a Social Networking Environment in the Library, Steve Campion of Pierce County Library in Tacoma Washington stated, “Once patrons know we're sharing these tools and welcoming their participation, a host of additional opportunities will open up. Fun community events might spring from a social site geared toward seniors; an online teen photo project could ignite untapped creativity; monthly book clubs could add discussion opportunities between meetings; the library can spotlight its special collections or services; and social web workshops for the public could enrich the community and foster still more interest in the library's networks. The library is already a community space. Let's make the social web a new meeting room. We already interact in person. Let's begin interacting online.”
I agree with Roby, hoping that the library trip will be a scholarly pursuit. I believe if we get them in the door, scholarly curiosity may follow.
Campion, S. (n.d.). Building a Social Networking Environment at the Library. Retrieved March 6, 2008, from Web Junction: www.webjunction.org
Social networking is something that should be integrated into libraries and schools not only for the younger generation, but for all ages. People can communicate from all over and share thoughts and information and can even collaborate on ideas. But there can be a downside to social networking.
I have to agree with Roby that sometimes the library is mainly used for MySpace and reading is put on the back burner for many of the younger children. After school lets out in the afternoon, many of the kids come directly to the library and log onto MySpace and sit there for hours on end. Kids can be on the computer for 2-4 hours at a time and all they want to do is network with other friends, where is the homework? Social networking is preferred over the book. Even in the summer, there are reading programs for teens and kids, but they rather be on the computer, don't get me wrong, there are kids out there that still enjoy reading a good book, but many want to be on the computer. Over the summer, I would see the same teen everyday and all he would do is sit at a computer for hours on end, one day he was there for over eight hours. Yes, it brings in the younger generation, but how many of them can actually say they go to the library to read a good book?
Here are a couple of examples of blogs in local libraries. The first is a blog of a business reference librarian at the Southfield Public Library, using the blogging software that we're using right now.
http://splbusiness.blogspot.com/
I wonder whether the absence of practically any comments has anything to do with the fact that the librarian doesn't seem to post regularly to the page (last blog posted February 12, it seems).
The second is at the Public Libraries of Saginaw. I just signed up to participate in 2 of the book clubs.
http://www.supportlibrary.com/su/su.cfm?x=222784
Apparently over the course of a business week, you get selections from a book emailed to you (for a total of 2 to 3 chapters that week). And from within the email, you can post comments to a blog. What's good about this is the variety of genres--fiction, non-fiction, horror, business, good news, mystery, romance, others.
And I guess that the fact that you're reading only a portion of the book is supposed to entice the reader to actually get to the library to check out the entire book--or maybe it's done this way just because of copyright restrictions.
Anyway, the use of a blog to have a discussion group like this is a natural extension of many people's enjoyment of reading in the first place. We like to exchange thoughts on the ideas that we've just read about--fiction or non-fiction.
The Saginaw book discussion blog doesn't seem to be run by Saginaw itself. They seem to have outsourced this function to an individual located at www.dearreader.com. And this service provides the service to libraries across the U.S. apparently. But I guess that this way, Saginaw readers are linked with a much larger community of readers. The only real problem I see so far, though, is that the blog postings don't seem to be published in real time. According to www.dearreader.com, postings are approved for publishing only twice a day. That might discourage people from rushing to post. We'll see.
I don't know how to delete that last comment, which I meant to post to another thread within this blog. Please disregard it here. Thanks.
OK. Here's what I want to say in this thread. Anissa, I'll be in that corner with you enjoying my book--in part because I view the library itself as the destination and the place to hang out and read, around other people who are doing the same thing. There's some kind of synergy of enjoyment there. At the same time, though, I appreciate the ability for people to enjoy things like online book discussion groups.
But here's my question. And I think that maybe Dr. Hunt asked a question like this one in class last week. Based on the uses to which MySpace and Facebook could be put by libraries, which department in the library should take charge of the MySpace and Facebook sites? Should it be simply the marketing department--or the department that does things like book clubs? Is the focus SIMPLY getting the library's presence out into the community, or is to treat social networking sites as another information resource for patrons to have access to, like a book or newspaper?
The legacy of networking sites is likely going to be a mixed bag. While they do connect people across barriers of time, space, and background, these sites also facilitate unhealthy behaviors. To see some of the negative impacts of networking sites please see the PBS documentary "Frontline: Growing Up Online." This program shows how young people can develop unhealthy habits and come to depend on online interaction over human contact. A young person's sense of self can be drastically altered by misuse of what should be a light, entertaining site like Myspace or Facebook. Bullying and predation are also real concerns.
Do libraries need to embrace new technologies and take their message to young, online patrons? Yes! In my opinion libraries do have responsibilities that require them to remain current technologically but not without doing a cost/benefit analysis of the venues which they intend to use. Libraries, as respectable institutions of learning, need to be concerned about what they endorse by association. K. Gordon's comment iterates an important point about the ALA's policy of privacy in reference to the openness of the internet and specifically networking sites. Anissa A.'s comment makes a good point about the potential pool of users a library would put itself, along with its clientele in contact with. Keegans' comment details the positive work that has been accomplished by a library on a Myspace page.
In conclusion, libraries are the same as the average internet user because they are inundated with information and offers for services that may or may not be useful. The real value of networking sites is in the experience of the end user, whether they happen to be an institution or an individual. In the same stroke, few services come without strings attached.
Source: PBS Frontline series episode "Growing Up Online". 2007
Social networking sites are a good outreach technique to get to people (especially young ones) that might not otherwise consider going to the library. I think it breaks down the image that a lot of people have in their minds of a library being a stuffy and possibly intimidating place. Having a MySpace of Facebook page shows that a library is paying attention to the community.
As far as usefulness for educational purposes though, I think social networking sites are a stretch. It's true that they have things like book reviews and groups you can join about different social causes or organizations, but it's not as valuable as a more reliable publication. The way I see it, a library should have social networking pages the way musicians do. People can see a calendar of events, learn a little bit about the library in question, and decide if they want to go see it. The experience of going to the library (as in seeing a musician for instance) comes after getting the idea from the MySpace or Facebook page. All in all, I feel like it's an outreach too above everything else.
Here's a brief anecdote about how some libraries are really wrestling with new technologies and how to use them.
The library I work at has a myspace page that they are attempting to use to attract younger people, particularly through its obnoxious focus on manga. The page has been up for at least a year now, yet until a few month ago, patrons were blocked from accessing MySpace on the internet computers.
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