by Christina Stoll, MLS

Become a Fan of my Library on Facebook!  Will you be my friend on MySpace?  It seems like everyone is joining Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking tools, including libraries.  Why are libraries joining these social networking sites, how are they managing their online presence, and what impact are they experiencing?  This article visits a few MLS libraries to learn what being a Friend @ Your Library means.

Last year, the staff at the Oak Lawn Public Library (http://www.oaklawnlibrary.org) took part in a free class called GSU Library Web 2.0 Tools, offered by Governor’s State University http://www.govst.edu.  Within the class they created Blogs, Flicker, YouTube, Delicious, and a page on Facebook, which resulted in the staff initiating a desire for the library to have its own Facebook account. 

The OLPL staff use their library’s Facebook account to promote upcoming programming, new services, and to connect with what they see as a community in itself, where some of their own patrons may exist.  Their hope is by having a presence in Facebook, this will encourage patrons to visit their physical building one day. Patty Lerner, Computer Center Supervisor at OLPL, is the administrator of the library’s Facebook page. OLPL’s 82 Facebook fans come from all over the state as well as AZ, CO, NY, and the Netherlands.

To set up and manage a library Facebook account, Patty reports that in the beginning she averaged of an hour a day for 2 weeks, her work including researching new applications or other Facebook information.  “It takes a lot of work to get it started but when it is done it was worth the effort. You need to keep up on the information.  Keep looking for new ideas, [with] Facebook always changing”.  Questions contact Patty Lerner at plerner@olpl.org.

New to Facebook, the Downers Grove Public Library (http://www.downersgrovelibrary.org) joined earlier this year, as part of their Library 2.0 staff training movement.  A prelude to going public with a new web site later this year, the library created a Facebook profile so staff could learn more about it.  

Several library staff contributed to their page, including reference, teen, and the library’s publicity staff member. They use their Facebook profile to post links to new books and other readers’ advisory information, list upcoming programs, and feature photos of library happenings.   With 40 fans, the Dowers Grove Library’s Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Downers-Grove-IL/Downers-Grove-Public-Library/65026684936.

Advice from the Downers Grove library staff to other libraries thinking about joining Facebook or a similar tool includes being aware that users expect dynamic content. Libraries need to update their Facebook information frequently or patrons will not view it as a reliable source of current information.  Determining who is responsible for updating content and even setting a goal of how many updates per day or week may be needed. Questions, contact Carol Kania, Publicity and Program Coordinator, at ckania@downersgrovelibrary.org.

The Indian Prairie Public Library (http://www.indianprairielibrary.org) joined Facebook last summer. With 48 fans and growing, their page offers a RSS of the library’s weekly events, the latest teen Flickr photos, and discussions from teens regarding the library’s game tournaments.  Questions contact David Bunn at bunnd@indianprairielibrary.org.

Debbie Griggs, Head of Reference at the Brookfield Public Library (http://www.brookfieldpubliclibrary.info)   is trying a different twist with Facebok and other social networking tools. The library will debut online networking classes during National Library Week (www.ala.org/nlw). The library staff intend for these classes to aid their patrons during the current economic situation, as another facet for job searching.  Questions, contact Debbie Griggs at dgriggs@brookfieldpubliclibrary.info.

Academic libraries are also joining Facebook.  Northeastern Illinois University’s Ronald Williams Library has a fan page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chicago-IL/NEIU-Ronald-Williams-Library/7250437773. With 58 fans, the library’s page offers live chat via Meebo during library hours, the LibGuides (research guides) module, a slideshow tour of the library featuring Sock Monkey, and photos.   Questions, contact Lisa Wallis, Web Services Librarian, Northeastern Illinois University at L-Wallis@neiu.edu.

Social Networking isn’t just for entire organizations. Individual departments within a library are finding uses for joining Facebook and MySpace.  Here two Youth Services Departments and an Adult Services Department in three different public libraries share their stories.

The Homewood Public Library Youth Service’s Department (http://homewoodlibrary.org/kids) has a profile on Facebook, which the staff say is easy and fun!  With 73 friends, the Homewood YS Department uses their Facebook profile to publicize their story hours.  The staff post the books they read in storyhour, pictures of the kids (a photo permission request is included with storyhour registration), and links. 

While several staff at Homewood use Facebook personally, the idea to create a library profile resulted from staff attending a tutorial given the by the computer services department.  “This [training] made us realize what a great opportunity [Facebook could be] for us to share books we were reading, publicize events, and get to know our community,” states youth services librarian Sarah Mercier.

The reaction by staff and the community has been very positive.  Parents enjoy interacting with each other as well as getting updates on youth events.  The library’s presence on Facebook has also brought the staff together by becoming friends with each other online, and allows the staff to get to know their patrons better, which has an impact on the programs they create and offer, providing a much better fit based on community needs.

To promote their presence on Facebook to their community, the library staff offer tutorial sessions, hang flyers at the Youth Services Desk, and spread by word of mouth to parents signing their children up for events at the library. To other libraries thinking about joining Facebook or MySpace, the staff at Homewood did have reservations about privacy issues, but they have yet to receive any complaints.

Sarah adds “The outcome is worth the effort.  It is such a valuable, free and easy tool that libraries can use to publicize events and their collection, as well as answer reference questions. It also builds a sense of community between staff and patrons. As a librarian I really feel that we have to embrace using social networking technologies in an informed and relevant way in order to serve our patrons to the best of our abilities.”  Questions can be directed to Sarah Mercier at sarahm@homewoodlibrary.net.

The Forest Park Public Library’s Youth Service Department (http://fppl.org/stuff_to_do.aspx) went with a MySpace profile.   The staff average two posts a week, which comes to a couple hours of work a week to update.  Managing their page also includes having a disclaimer regarding the posting of inappropriate language which gives the library the right to not add you or drop you as a friend. The staff also made the decision to approve all comments posted to their MySpace page.  As an incentive to increase traffic to their MySpace page, last summer the library provided extra coupons to teens during their summer reading program, to those who added the library as a friend. Susan Kunkle, Youth Services Outreach Librarians reports that this effort was very successful. “It got a bunch of kids to go to our page that hadn’t been there before and they kept us on their lists.” Questions, contact Susan Kunkle skunkle@fppl.org.

The Adult Services Department at the Alsip-Merrionette Park Library (http://www.alsiplibrary.net) signed on to Facebook at the end of September 2008.  With 43 fans of their library you can check out their page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Alsip-Merrionette-Park-Library/34136341834.

The staff at Alsip-Merrionette credit a MLS workshop they attended on teen websites in getting them to join Facebook.  At the training session they also learned to set up their page as an institutional account, so the staff had fun and created a "fun mascot" in the library's name - Alsi-Merri Brary.  The library sees their presence on Facebook as a way to stay connected with their patrons, and to share library news, upcoming programming, and post pictures. A recent connection made through their account was a former staff member who moved out of state got back in touch with the library by becoming a "fan”!  Questions contact Colleen Dearborn, Reference Librarian / Adult Services Department at cdearbor@sslic.net.

Questions about this article can be sent to the MLS Consultants at consultants@mls.lib.il.us.

Published April 1, 2009 in vol. 3, iss. 7 [View]