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Emphasizing the Importance of Social Media to Engage and Build Community

Social Networking in Libraries

By IGI Global on Aug 15, 2013
Contributed by Kristen Stauffer, Discipline Manager

Social Networking in Libraries “If there are over 1 billion people on Facebook and the Twitterverse can help topple governments, then it only makes sense that libraries would also be using these two social media channels to connect with their communities, right? Well yes and no.”

This is the opening of a recent post entitled, “Social Media: Libraries Are Posting, but Is Anyone Listening?” by Nancy Dowd of Library Journal.

The use of social media to network has been on the rise as institutions look for ways to engage students and to create an awareness of products, services, and events. However, many libraries looking to engage in social media cannot simply abide by the turn of phrase, “if you build it, they will come”. The trick is for university libraries to discover the most effective ways in which to capture the attention of the communities they serve. As Dowd outlines in her article, this is best accomplished with an overall social media plan, analyzing the level of engagement with the content being posted, making modifications based on the community response, and reaching out to the faculty and student populations to gather support and an active following.

In the recent IGI Global chapter entitled, “Social Networking in Libraries: A Case Study of Post Graduate Students and Research Scholars of Panjab University Library, India", authors Rupak Chakravarty (Assistant Professor, Department of Library & Information Science, Panjab University, India) and Anu Kiran (Army Institute of Law, India) study and analyze the social media and online behavior engagement level of postgraduate and research scholars pursuing PhD at Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, members of the Panjab University Library.

This chapter presents research conclusions and advice to reference librarians in building a presence on social networking sites. It suggests creating an online identity by using the same personal, professional, or institutional profile across multiple sites such as YouTube, Flickr, Facebook or Twitter. Their analysis contains the following realization:

“Social networking software is a new approach in some academic and public libraries today in order to make libraries not only “cool” in the public’s eyes, but also as a third space in which potential library users can participate in a collaborative exchange with their libraries. It also may allow users to build relationships with the library staff and other library users.[...] This chapter examines libraries and their importance in embracing the Web 2.0 phenomenon of social networking…If libraries fail to adopt this technology, they are in danger of finding themselves extinct.”

Professor Chakravarty and Professor Kiran’s chapter is part of the recent IGI Global title, Challenges of Academic Library Management in Developing Countries, edited by Associate Professor S. Thanuskodi of Alagappa University, India. This publication provides the latest theoretical frameworks and empirical research in academic libraries, investigating concerns such as illiteracy, budgeting, software development, technical training, and others.

To read more about the library and information science subject area, check out the IGI Global Advances in Library and Information Science (ALIS) series collection. The ALIS Book Series aims to expand the body of library science literature by covering a wide range of topics affecting the profession and field at large. The series also seeks to provide readers with an essential resource for uncovering the latest research in library and information science management, development, and technologies.
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Knowledge ManagementLibrary and Information ScienceDigital Divide & Developing CountriesLibrary Information SystemsBook SeriesBooks & E-BooksChaptersConferencesIndiaNorth AmericaResources for LibrariansResources for Researchers

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