homework for just Prof Daisy M

MEDA 5950

Renee Lyons

Activating Library 2.0: A Research Proposal

INTRODUCTION

The continually evolving role of the library in communities and schools calls for regular reevaluation of the the library's approach to fulfilling that role. One of the most significant shifts in community interaction in recent years has been the explosion of interactive, collaborative, socially-focused, web-based media, commonly referred to as Web 2.0 or social networking applications. Preliminary research indicates that these new, user-focused internet applications offer a variety of excellent tools that libraries and librarians are beginning to take advantage of in order to network with, market to, and engage users on new levels (Carscaddon, 2009; Fiehn, 2008; Mon, 2009; Shamel, 2009). Thus, the intent of this research is to evaluate the potential for popular social networking sites to be used by young adult librarians to increase teen patrons' interest in and awareness of library resources.

Social networking media are by their very nature flexible, changing constantly in response to the manner in which they are used (e.g., the evolution of microblogging in response to the popularity of blogs). Libraries are finding it ever more necessary to develop a similar adaptability. By adopting preexisting and publicly available social networking technology, young adult librarians have the opportunity to experiment with a broad range of possible tools at no cost to them. Since many teenagers are already avid users of this technology, it provides the perfect forum in which to seek their attention. In return, teenagers are given the opportunity to give feedback directly to the library via such tools as Twitter conversations, Facebook wall posts, blog comments, and student-created booktalk podcasts. A new feeling of involvement in the creation and adaptation of library resources and content can help to instill in young adults a sense of community, responsibility, ownership and pride in their libraries.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Why Does Web 2.0 Matter to Libraries?

Overall internet use has increased dramatically in the last few years, and physical use of libraries has also increased; however, from 2004-2007, use of individual library websites showed a marked decline (Hill, 2009). With the library and the internet both thriving, this decline indicates a failure to integrate the two in ways that appeal to and attract information seekers. In order to keep pace with current societal and information trends, the library must develop and maintain an active and engaging online presence that utilizes the tools and technologies that appeal to contemporary patrons. The increasing popularity of Web 2.0 tools, particularly among teenagers and young adults, suggests a need for libraries to explore and utilize these tools.

Web 2.0 technologies have been growing more and more prevalent throughout the Internet over the past several years, resulting in the proliferation of social networking sites and web-based communities such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LibraryThing, among many others. Web 2.0 applications are designed to be interactive and collaborative tools that enable users to create, share, alter and enhance content on the Web. These applications are a significant shift from older "Web 1.0" sites, with which users were simply passive recipientss of information. (Fiehn 2008; Mon 2009).

In recent years, the annual Internet Librarian conference has focused on determining the potential of newly emerging Web 2.0 technology. With the theme "Beyond 2.0: User-Focused Tools and Practices," the October, 2008 conference shifted away from emerging technologies to focus on possible uses for existing tools. Speaker Danah Boyd noted that web-based networks have shifted their hubs from topical or interest-based axes to social ones (Shamel, 2009). These networks frequently include large social groups: for instance, a student's network may include their entire class, public figures, and celebrities as well as close friends.

The ubiquity and expansion of the Web has led to information overload, in which users are faced with constant, instantaneous access to vast quantities of unfiltered, unverified, often irrelevant, and possibly inaccurate information. Online social networks help users to filter out less personally relevant content in order to discover what is most useful and interesting to their friends and associates, and, by extension, what the users themselves are likely to find useful and interesting. Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed and related applications "turn information dissemination on its head, using friends and subscribers as a filter for the best, most credible, and most engaging information out there" (Carscaddon, 2009).

Because students are already using social networking sites and software, establishing a library presence in these same spheres offers the opportunity to be regularly " 'sprinkling library content into the library user's workflow' [in order to] facilitate access to library resources without requiring the user to navigate to the library's homepage" (Shamel, 2009). Utilization of social networking tools and sites like blogs, Twitter and Facebook enable the library to extend its presence and its influence into a number of environments at one time.

In school libraries, Web 2.0 technology can be used to supplement and enhance established educational tools and practices in a way that conforms the system to the learner, rather than the learner to the system. Social networking platforms can facilitate peer-to-peer learning, customization, collaboration, personalization and "informal learning opportunities that... can better suit young people who have struggled with the industrial one-size-fits-all style of teaching that still characterizes the mainstream school systems in most developed nations" (Notley, 2008).

Educational technology advocates argue that it's not enough for educators to maintain a passing familiarity with new technologies, but that schools now need social media experts, due to the fact that "social media platforms such as Facebook, and, of course, Twitter are critical to 21st-century learning" (Carscaddon, 2009). Valenza and Johnson (2009) suggest that, as librarians and educators, "We need to stop fighting against Wikipedia and Twitter... Demonizing any particular information source that the world values makes us look clueless." As digital technologies continue to evolve, libraries and librarians must be willing to evolve along with them if they are to have any hope of remaining relevant.

Research has suggested that young people can gain significant social and educational benefits through online networking. These benefits are not inherent, however, but context-based, stemming not from technology itself but from the manner in which technology is used. Rather than unilaterally banning social networks, "we need to start by asking which networks different young people inhabit, how they make use of these networks, and then consider how this use interacts with and impacts upon their lives" (Notley, 2008). A 2007 study indicated that Australian teenagers aged 15-17 spent, on average, two and a half hours online each day, and that the majority of this time was spent interacting with social networks that they have joined voluntarily. In another study, "young people aged 11-19 years rated the Internet as the fourth most important source of advice and support after friends, parents and relatives/family friends" (Notley, 2008).

Facebook and Twitter: Use Patterns and Possible Applications

Facebook, which grew by 149 percent between February, 2008 and February, 2009, continues to gain attention as a potential library marketing tool. As of August, 2009, Facebook ranks as the fourth most-trafficked website in the world. A free and imminently customizable website, Facebook is already heavily visited by students with Internet access. As such, it is ideally positioned for use by school libraries as a marketing and communication tool. Extending the library's presence to Facebook -- going where the students are -- increases visibility and awareness of the library's available resources and services.

One of the site's unique features is its applications, which are small, free programs developed specifically for Facebook, usually by third-party developers. Individuals can choose to use and embed applications in their personal profiles, where they are readily accessible at any time. A recently developed application called Book Clubs shows clear potential for fostering book-centered conversation among teens. In the first half of 2009 the application was heavily trafficked by readers wanting to discuss Stephanie Meyers' popular Twilight series (Whelan, 2009; Rethlefsen, 2009; Sekyere, 2009).

Twitter is a free social networking site that originated the concept of "micro-blogging." Users register for an account and begin posting messages, called tweets, of up to 140 characters. A user's tweets are visible to anyone who elects to "follow" that user. Since the site was founded in 2006, a spectrum of online communities have developed within the "Twitterverse," often focused around common personal or professional interests.

Twitter is currently being used by librarians in order to connect with other library professionals, educators, and even authors; to keep current on news, products, and trends in the field; to share ideas, brainstorm and collaborate; and to seek and share recommendations of all kinds (Carscaddon, 2009; Cole, 2009; Valenza, 2009). Librarians can use Twitter to consult colleagues on policy issues or to get opinions on products and services before buying them. Because tweets can be sent and received via cell phone text message, the service provides unprecedented portability that many librarians are presently using to keep updated, make or change plans, and network during conferences and at other times when it is not feasible to remain connected to a computer.

Sonja Cole (2009) suggests "20 ways for librarians to use Twitter," including tips on professional networking, marketing library programs and services, and asking for and offering help and advice. Librarians can recommend books or ask for recommendations, share book lists, start Twitter-based book clubs, and share links to web-based library resources such as book talks, podcasts and blog posts. Such measures are designed to quickly and easily distribute library content and information to the widest possible audience.

Hashtags, a word or phrase attached to the # symbol (e.g. #Web2.0, #AASL, or #Twilight), create searchable topics allowing Twitter users to track and participate in topically specific discussions. Hashtags are already heavily used during library conference times (Carscaddon, 2009), but their potential is broad. Since users can search for, initiate and participate in conversations relating to any topic of choice, the medium could easily be utilized to create short-form book clubs across the entire Twitterverse.

Current thought trends amongst library professionals indicate that employment of Twitter and other social networking applications has become a necessity in the field -- at least, that is the indication amongst those library professionals who are already making use, personally, professionally or both, of Web 2.0 tools. Karl Fisch, director of technology at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, CO., asks via his Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/karlfisch), "What's the point of having a media specialist if they aren't specialists in the media forms of the day?" (Valenza, 2009).

Embedding Web 2.0 Tools in Library OPACS

Developers of library software have for several years been exploring the possibilities of integrating Web 2.0 and social networking technologies into the school library OPAC. Follett Software Company's aptly named Destiny Quest, released in July of 2008, is specifically designed to appeal to students who are accustomed to the colorful, interactive and social nature of the internet. Destiny Quest allows students and teachers to rate and review books, upload audio and video, offer recommendations, and request items for purchase. Many other OPAC developers have released or are working on similar products. A far cry from the traditional OPAC, which is generally little more than a computerized card catalog, this sort of collaborative tool invites users to create and share content rather than passively absorbing it (Feihn, 2008).

Studies indicate that digitally knowledgeable patrons have different expectations of the library catalog than do librarians. These patrons want the OPAC to function much like other web-based tools, with graphics, summaries, reviews and interactive content (Feihn, 2009). One-dimensional library websites designed according to outdated information standards are no longer viable options.

There is evidence that collaborative features such as those utilized by booksellers, allowing website users to rate and review books, may help to increase circulation. These features may be particularly valuable in schools, where peer-to-peer recommendations are one of the primary sources students cite in book selection. Language arts instructors can collaborate with librarians to produce high-quality student-written book reviews for OPACs, thus allowing students not only to search for books but to contribute to the catalog's content (Fiehn, 2009). Still, even in school libraries which enjoy access to these tools, there is often minimal use of these additions due to "hesitation based on lack of knowledge of how this will really work" in schools (Feihn, 2008). Though the use of Web 2.0 in library OPACs is outside the scope of this study, it is worth noting that there is a need for more research in order to determine whether interactive, multimedia features in OPACS are worth the time investment they require for utilization.

Information Technology and Credibility

It is necessary for librarians to demonstrate an active presence on social networking sites if they wish to to establish authority and credibility in those venues. Studies show that, in general, college undergraduate and graduate students do not feel that librarians possess the skills necessary to assist patrons in using Web 2.0 tools. When asked about their preferred sources of help with Web 2.0 applications, the most frequently cited were "the Internet" and "friends." One undergraduate specifically stated "I would ask Google, the best librarian" (Mon & Randeree, 2009).

College and graduate students often cited younger people -- namely "teens," "kids" and "high school students" -- as a good source of information regarding Web 2.0. Studies show that, as of 2007, 55% of all connected U.S. teenagers had Facebook or MySpace pages, and that social networking sites were among the sites most frequently accessed from library computers. Mon and Randeree's findings (2009) indicate the possible emergence of a new digital divide based not on access but on a participation gap between those who understand and utilize new information technologies, and those who do not.

As the nature of technology, information, and education evolve, so do the students themselves. In order to maintain its relevance and usefulness, the school library must strive to keep pace not solely with the changing information landscape, but also with changing student behaviors. "If we are truly information professionals, we need not only to keep up, but also to be on the cutting edge of changes in the search and information landscapes" (Valenza, 2009). If librarians wait to adopt new tools and process until they become so ubiquitous that they have no choice, they lose credibility for expertise, and thus their relevance, within that particular sphere.

Conclusions

With information more available and accessible than ever, "Libraries need to change from places just to get stuff to places to make stuff, do stuff, and share stuff" (Valenza, 2009). Multimedia web-based tools offer libraries the opportunity to be ubiquitous: to be and to teach everywhere, any time through blog posts, tweets, interactive OPACs, podcasts and more.

Though some academic libraries are already using Web 2.0 applications such as Facebook and Twitter to market to and interact with students, there is at present minimal data indicating how this presence is perceived and received by students, and whether it has had any marked impact on students' library use. Mon and Randeree (2009) note the need for continuing research and observation in order to determine the usefulness and possible necessity of integrating Web 2.0 training into standard LIS curriculum: "The advent of Web 2.0 information resources and services brings with it the need for research to understand its impact on libraries, librarians, and library and information science (LIS) education -- an area increasingly being referred to as Library 2.0."

METHODOLOGY

This study is intended to evaluate the potential for popular social networking applications to be employed in the promotion of library media and services to teens. The study will focus on teenagers, age 14-18, currently attending high school in the U.S., who are able to access the internet and who voluntarily make use of social networking sites. The study will not attempt to influence student use of social networking sites; nor will it examine the use or implications of internet filters on library or school media center computers. There will be no attempt to control the geographical distribution of participants within the parameters of the United States, though geographical data will be collected and analyzed for relevance at the end of the study.

The hypothesis is that social networking applications such as Facebook and Twitter, when used by librarians as a motivational tool, increase teen patrons' interest in and awareness of library resources. The assumptions are that the popularity of these social networking applications will continue; that teens will continue to make use of these applications; and that the teens who respond to the initial survey, and those who attend the schools that participate in the study, are representative of the collective body of American high school students currently making use of social networking applications.

A pilot study will be completed in order to determine which social networking applications teens are currently using, and which features of these applications they particularly enjoy. The pilot study will take the form of a questionnaire (see prototype, Attachment A), which will be distributed digitally in order to reach a large number of possible respondents.

The questionnaire will be distributed and promoted through the social networking utilities being studied. On the social networking website Facebook (http://www.facebook.com), for example, survey applications are tremendously popular and tend to be extremely viral, spreading quickly through interconnected networks of friends. On the microblogging site Twitter (http://twitter.com), which allows users to share thoughts, ideas and links in posts up to 140 typed characters long, a link to a survey may be shared, or “retweeted,” countless times, thus appearing in a large number of users' feeds. In addition to exposing the survey, at zero cost, to the largest possible number of potential respondents, a digital approach has the additional value of directing the survey specifically at the exact market we wish to study: those who already make use of these social networking sites.

Sample

Based on the information gathered by the survey, a small sample of librarians will be asked to establish a presence for their libraries on select social networking sites. Five to ten school librarians currently working in U.S. high schools will be solicited for voluntary participation via the existing Facebook page for the Young Adult Library Services Association, or YALSA (http://www.facebook.com/yalsa), and the existing Twitter page for the American Association of School Librarians, or AASL (http://twitter.com/aasl). The researcher will attempt to select participants representing varied geographic regions and student body size and composition. A minimum of five participating libraries allows for a diverse sample, while a maximum of ten limits the scope of the study to a manageable size.

Instrumentation

Participants will be asked to actively maintain their newly established social media presence over the course of ninety days by using social networking utilities in ways similar to the student use patterns reflected by the pilot surveys. For example, if students express a strong interest in Twitter, the librarians will be asked to establish Twitter accounts, “follow” as many Twitter users from their student body as can be readily found, and maintain a regular feed of posts, or "tweets," intended to interest students in books, reading, and available library media and programs.

Librarians will be issued guidelines outlining basic expectations for participation. Again using Twitter as an example, librarians will be asked to tweet at least once per weekday, but not more than five times (direct responses to individuals excepted from the maximum). Tweets should vary in subject matter, and include such information as new book information, library event details, links to interesting articles and blogs, and book recommendations. Communication between participating librarians will be encouraged in order to foster as much balance and creativity as possible. (In fact, simply following one another's tweets would likely foster a degree of collaboration amongst participants.)

Librarians will need to monitor teen responses for appropriateness. Where possible, such as on a Facebook wall, inappropriate responses will be deleted. Students who post inappropriately on library sites will be contacted privately (an option on most social networking sites), informed that their post has been removed, and asked not to post inappropriate comments or materials in future. If the same student posts inappropriate material a second time, the library will sever his or her contact with the library page.

The researcher will be an active participant throughout the duration of the study, interacting directly with the students on a regular basis through the research tools. In this respect, the consistency and validity of results will be dependent on the effectiveness of the researcher's involvement. The researcher's commitment to the project, enthusiasm, and ability to engage the students' interest is a variable which can only be recorded and analyzed, not controlled.

Correspondingly, the tools utilized in the study (e.g. initial surveys distributed via social networking sites) will necessarily be adapted to the specific social media being examined. Given this, the tools cannot be defined in advance, but only loosely outlined. Their final form will be dictated by the exact nature and course of the study itself.

Data Collection

Over the course of the study period, the researcher will visit each of the participating libraries' pages on a weekly basis in order to record statistical data such as number of friends or "followers"; number of library-generated posts or tweets; and number of responding posts or tweets. At the end of the proscribed time frame, a new survey will be administered directly to students at the participating schools soliciting feedback on their impressions of the library's use of social networking media. Were they aware of the library's presence on various social networks? If so, did they have positive, neutral or negative feelings about this presence? In what ways, if any, did it affect their perception of the library and/or books and reading? Did library posts featuring or reviewing books influence their reading selections? Did they use the library more as a result of this online presence? Did they make new or additional use of library technology as a result? Do they better understand ways in which the library may help with homework or projects? Would they welcome the library's continued participation in these forums? In what ways would they like to see the library involved?

Additionally, at the end of this time frame, the participating librarians will be interviewed in order to gather their impressions regarding the experiment. This interview will attempt to discern whether the librarians feel that the experiment was successful in raising students' awareness of and interest in library resources, and whether there was any apparent increase in student usage of these resources during the trial period. It will also seek to determine whether the librarians were able to maintain regular and enthusiastic participation in the experiment.

Participants will be given the opportunity to express any conclusions they may have drawn from their involvement, and any thoughts or ideas they may have developed during the course of the experiment. They will be asked whether they intend to continue to maintain their library's social media pages after the conclusion of the experiment, and given the opportunity to explain why or why not.

Data Analysis

Data analysis for this study will be both quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative analysis will focus on the numerical statistics collected by the researcher, such as the number of friends or followers for each participating page and the number of outgoing and incoming posts for each page. Some student responses gathered from the concluding surveys may also be studied qualitatively, such as how many new resources students became aware of, or how many new books they read, as a result of social networking interaction with the library. These data will be graphed and analyzed in order to determine patterns in student involvement over the course of the study period. The data will be compared both independently, on a school-by-school basis, and as a whole.

Data collected from the student surveys and the participant interviews given at the end of the study, as well as participant feedback gathered from tweets, wall posts, etc., will be analyzed qualitatively. Positive, neutral and negative responses from both students and librarians will be examined and compared in order to determine what impact, if any, the libraries' presence had on students' awareness and utilization of library resources, and on their opinion of the library and its resources. This analysis will necessarily be somewhat subjective.

Importance of the Study

As information becomes more and more digitized, access to that information is becoming more and more socially centralized online (e.g. on the user-controlled Wikipedia). As we move toward a post-literate society, defined as a society in which multimedia electronic culture supplants written culture (Valenza and Johnson, 2009), libraries must strive to maintain a distinct, active and valuable presence wherever people are seeking information. If libraries fail to maintain this presence and utility, they cease to have a viable role in contemporary society. Libraries must keep pace with technology and its changing applications, or risk being supplanted by them.

The emphasis in library development needs to shift away from the concept of industry-wide best practice ideals, and toward more locally focused customer service ideals. The concept of "best practice," once focused on asking what libraries should be and do and offer, must now ask what this specific library should be and do and offer, in accordance with the particular wants, needs, and behavior patterns of its users.

Many libraries are, on the whole, beginning to move away from a content-focused model and toward a user-focused one, in which content and information flow back and forth between the media center and its users, rather than in a traditionally unidirectional pattern. Existing research indicates that this shift offers great potential for exploitation by libraries (Carscaddon 2009, Shamel 2009), and that potential is perhaps most significant and exploitable where children and teenagers are involved. Social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs have valuable potential to seek out teens where they live, in a manner of speaking, rather than waiting for teens to seek out library resources.

CONCLUSION

Preliminary research indicates promising possibilities for the application of social networking utilities in the promotion of library resources to young adults. However, existing knowledge in this field is extremely limited due to a variety of factors. Among these are the novelty of this technology, limitations on young adults' ability to access these utilities in a library setting, and librarians' hesitation to devote their limited time and energy to exploring unproven approaches. With this study, the researcher hopes to prove the validity of these new technologies as they may be applied to the field of young adult librarianship, and to encourage the creative use of social networking applications in the library setting.

References

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Attachment A

Preliminary Survey: Sample Questions

Age:___________ Grade:____________

Which of the following Web sites/applications do you use?

___Facebook ___blogs ___(other)

___Twitter ___News feed/reader ___(other)

How often do you use these sites/applications?

___Daily ___Weekly ___Never/not applicable

___A few times a week ___Less than once a week

Do you ever use the internet to look up information about books? ____Yes ____No

Site-specific questions: Facebook: What features/applications do you enjoy using?

Would you be interested in a library Facebook page? How might such a page be useful or informative?

Twitter: Would you be interested in following library- and book-related tweets, such as announcements about events, new books and popular authors?