Circulation » libraries

Libraries & lifestreaming

lindybr1 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:56:15 +0000

From Musings about Librarianship, Aaron posted something I wanted to share with the greater blogospere: Libraries on FriendFeed.

With the ever-increasing numbers of libraries using sites such as Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, Delicious, etc, Aaron was curious about how many libraries are using lifestreaming services to aggregate all accounts making up their on-line presence. He did a small survey of libraries and FriendFeed and discovered what types of web 2.0 technologies that libraries are using and which technologies were the most popular amongst libraries.

He has a disclaimer that the information he found is not representative what all libraries are doing with social media; rather, it shows what libraries with FriendFeed accounts are doing. Nonetheless, I find it fascinating.

The post is a great read, providing lots of background information about libraries and social media. Aaron also uploaded his data to a Googledocs to share. Check it out!

The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library is on Twitter!

lindybr1 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:56:39 +0000

I have a bit of a soft spot for the Corvallis-Benton County Library– after all, I volunteer there a couple days every week! They are on Twitter now and have started their own blog.

Cheers to the CBCPL!

More on Twittering Libraries

lindybr1 — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:34:18 +0000

Earlier in January, I sent Michael Stephens a copy of my LIS 5313 web 2.0 article regarding Twittering Libraries. Since he wrote a lot about the value Twitter has for libraries, I thought the information I collected from my survey might be of some interest. He probably gets a million emails from other random folks all the time, but what the heck, I thought – it’s worth a shot, so I emailed it to him — and he responded back!

I can see why he is well-revered in the librarian community – even though he is probably one of the busiest guys in the profession, he took time to read what I put together and replied back with an offer to do a guest posting on his blog, Tame the Web. I am still so happy and grateful of that opportunity!

You can read the original post here, but I thought I’d go ahead and post it below as well.

More on Twittering Libraries…a TTW Guest Post by Lindy Brown

Lindy shared her project for LIS5313 with me via email and I asked her to share her study with TTW readers. Thanks Lindy! Michael

Recently, I read a post from Mashable.com about Twitter’s staggering growth in 2008: Twitter grew 752 percent in 2008 for a total of 4.43 million unique visitors in December! What does this mean for libraries? As Twittermania spreads, more and more of their patrons are will use it to communicate, socialize and make connections. As such, libraries should see the unlimited potential Twitter can have to connect them to their community and beyond.

Libraries must adjust to reflect the expanded use of social media by our youth (see the recent John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur report from the Digital Youth Project). Much has been debated and discussed about the library staying relevant; I believe we must meet our users “where they’re at.” One way to do this is through social media, and Twitter is part of that repertoire.

This past fall I wrote an article titled Twittering Libraries for my LIS 5313 (Design & Production of Media) graduate class at Florida State University. The article provides background information and a brief history of Twitter, notes the pros and cons reported by libraries using it, and shares findings on innovative ways libraries are using the service.

At the time, I found about 90 libraries on Twitter and I emailed the survey to all of them. Sixty-five libraries/librarians replied. From that information, I wrote my article. I found out that overall, most librarians said Twitter is easy, fun, free to use, is a great marketing and public relations tool, allows for collaboration amongst staff and community, provides opportunities for professional development and networking, has strength in its brevity, and allows libraries to, as one librarian put it, “build street cred.”

My article is just a little window into the endless possibilities that Twitter can provide for libraries/librarians. Since then, I have found many more libraries using Twitter. Furthermore, recent comments on blog posts by Jenny Levine (The Shifted Librarian) and the ACRL blog show continued expansion and ingenious uses of Twitter. (Definitely check out Brian Mathews’ paper, Twitter & the Library: Thoughts on the Syndicated Lifestyle, that is connected to the ACRL post).

Some may argue that Twitter is yet another web 2.0 fad, but I believe we’re only seeing the beginning of its utility. Even with a limited reach, Twitter is a free and not-so-time-intensive tool that libraries/librarians can use to improve their services, create relationships with their patrons and community, and use for assessment and promotion. I believe that with 752 percent growth in just the past year, Twitter is more than just a fad, and its reach currently has limitless potential.

If you or your library is using Twitter in a way not discussed in the LIS 5313 article, please share!

Libraries on Twitter (updated list)

lindybr1 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:02:00 +0000

updated 4/27/2012

Here is an updated list of Libraries on Twitter. I decided to create a new post instead of continually updating the old post. Some folks on here haven’t updated their profiles in a long while, but I thought I’d include them anyway…

Also, in response to several comments about International Libraries that twitter, I created a new list in a separate post, for organizational purposes.

If your library is not on here, please leave a comment below or contact me. I’d love to keep this as close to accurate as possible. Thanks!

Libraries Using Twitter:

Zion-Benton Public Library

Brigham Young UniversityBrigham

New innovative uses of Twitter

lindybr1 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:59:00 +0000

I’m pretty psyched in that my Twittering Libraries web 2.0 article from LIS 5313 is receiving some notice. The Shifted Librarian mentioned it in her post An open letter to [libraries] on Twitter and the ACRL mentioned it in their post Proselytizing for Twitter.

I’m not writing here to publicize myself; rather, I wanted to briefly highlight a few comments that were shared from the Shifted Librarian and ACRL blog posts.

The first comment was from Jenn who works at the College of DuPage Library. They have a Library Secrets Twitter account they use not only to promote the Library Secrets program but to promote online tools and applications that their patrons (students, faculty and community members) might find useful. I checked out the Library Secrets program and it looks really cool!

The second comment was from the ACRL blog. Brian Matthews, a User Experience Librarian at Georgia Tech, shared a paper he wrote for the Journal of Web Librarianship titled Twitter and the Library: Thoughts on the Syndicated Lifestyle. After reading his article, my head was spinning with ideas and thoughts because he provided so many practical uses for libraries using Twitter: it is a great tool for not only communication and collaboration (which many libraries are doing), but for assessment.

I thought I had most ideas for Twitter covered in my lil‘ article, but that truly isn’t the case. Doh! Because of the rapid growth of Twitter (it grew 752% with 4.43 million users in December 2008!), the chance for innovation is immense.

I love learning about how others are doing things!

If you have any ideas or thoughts to share or innovative ways libraries and librarians can use Twitter, please share!

Kansas City Public Library's Twitter Trivia Contest

lindybr1 — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:00:00 +0000

How cool is this?

The KC Public Library is having a trivia contest and they’re using Twitter as the forum for folks to submit answers. What a great idea for getting more people involved and connected to the library! Follow their stream at KCPubLib.

The Librarian (1947)

lindybr1 — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:30:00 +0000

I have an affection for old, retro stuff. It’s funny to watch these old movies to see how much things have changed (and stayed the same!)

The Librarian

I cannot seem to get the movie to upload to WordPress.

The original post of the film can be found on the Internet Archive.

Twittering Libraries Article (on LIS 5313 wiki)

lindybr1 — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:34:00 +0000

Finally done fine-tuning! Check it out on the LIS 5313 wiki: Twittering Libraries.

I also created a page on this blog and posted the same article there (ya know, just in case the wiki disappears — I don’t own the wiki, after all).

Twitter survey, Q2b: What are the cons of (libraries) using Twitter?

lindybr1 — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:31:00 +0000

While most libraries say there are few negatives to using Twitter, they do share some problems with the service: its brevity, the fact it hasn’t caught on with patrons quite yet, it’s another thing to update, fellow staff members are hesitant to use it, and the fact that it can be a time-waster. A few librarians mentioned technological problems as well.

Brevity. Some librarians note it is difficult to keep their announcements brief and had to repackage messages to fit within the 140-character limit keystroke. Comments:

“The 140 character limit is sometimes too short to be adequate.”

“We have to repackage some of our entries to fit within the keystroke limits of Twitter.”

Lack of Support or Interest from Colleagues. Despite the ease of use of Twitter, not all librarians, libraries and administrative staff have warmed up to it yet. Some librarians are hesitant to try the service or are already overworked and not open to adding another thing to monitor on their plate.

“Some of us in the office enjoy it, but the rest of the office doesn’t quite embrace it – thus when only two people are tweeting, it’s pretty limited to what us two are specifically involved with.”

Technological Problems. While Twitter hasn’t had many technological problems recently, there was a time where the famous “Fail Whale” was a very familiar sight to see on the website. One library mentioned that recent lapses or delays in service made Twitter unreliable for them. (When using Twitter for announcements regarding climatic weather closings, the need for a reliable announcement and emergency service was especially important). There was a period of time when Twitter crashed often due to the increased overload on their servers. The addition of many third-party applications that enhance Twitter’s service has tapped its servers.

“Twitter filled the bill for posting emergency notices…Recent lapses or delays in the service (some of the accounts did not update for several days after posting was done) plus the length of characters limitation, have made us move to a more reliable service (WordPress) for most of our purpose.”

“Reliability issues – although Twitter service has improved recently, there was a period of time it wasn’t working too well.”

Reaches only a select audience/Not popular amongst patrons…yet. Twitter only reaches a select audience of tech-savvy patrons. Many librarians note that because Twitter hasn’t caught on yet with many of their patrons and clientele, their library’s reach with Twitter is limited. (This may be a challenge depending on a Library’s location. A library that is in a larger city will likely have a more tech-savvy clientele that they can connect with through Twitter. Another library, for example, that serves a high population of Amish will probably not rely as heavily on Twitter to connect with their clientele).

“I don’t think a lot of people in the real world are aware of it yet, so its reach is limited.”

“You may not have that many people online for your library. A majority of your patrons may not use it or care to use it.”

“The only con may be that not all our customers use twitter, but we have a printed newsletter, an email newsletter, our web site, printed flyers, a blog and word of mouth for those who do not follow us on Twitter.”

“Some patrons do not “get” Twitter… Oftentimes, social profiles such a Twitter and MySpace tend to only attract other libraries or librarians and not the target audience.”

Yet another thing to update. Remembering to do updates is a difficulty noted by some, especially when the librarian has many other duties to tend to while at work. Many of the libraries using Twitter also have blogs, Facebook/MySpace pages, and the website to continually update, thus making Twitter yet an additional responsibility to an already full workday.

“It’s another account we have to keep active.”

“Posting [to twitter] can get lost in the midst of busy days (just like with the blogs).”

“Requires somebody to update it (sometimes this is the hardest part).”

“I don’t think there are any cons if it is used appropriately, but the devil is in the details, as they say. The biggest problem with being present in any social media space lies in the time involved in the commitment to be present. It doesn’t’ work unless you keep it up to date and engage with a community.”

Time waster/Not necessary. Some librarians find Twitter time consuming and discovered other programs (e.g., IM between staff and Meebo for patrons) that serve their purposes better for communication.

“We found Twitter to not be useful for us. It was a little too intrusive and time consuming. We use Messenger IM between staff members and Meebo for answering questions from patrons.”

“It takes time away from other work.”

LIS 5313: Lil' update on my web 2.0 article

lindybr1 — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:58:00 +0000

Wow! I contacted over 90 libraries with Twitter accounts and have received around 50 responses back so far. Not too shabby. I have a lot of information to read through, but am very excited to get crackin’.