WebJunction

In the last two years, libraries have awakened to the previously geek-dominated territory of social networking.  Pioneering advocates have discovered the marketing and patron interaction possibilities and ached to show their colleagues the new world. Not all librarians, however, have had the desire to leave the familiar surroundings of programs, catalogs, and websites. Social networking has the potential of connecting all three of those pillars and take patron interaction to a new dimension. The challenge lies in convincing the doubters.

Many people simply misunderstand the concept. Just last year several coworkers were lumping all social sites into a single category labelled "MySpace." The social web, however, is much richer than MySpace alone. It represents a cultural shift towards expression, collaboration, and interaction. Increasingly, Internet users are not satisfied with simply reading web pages. They are beginning to expect the opportunity to interact online with their bank, retailer, and (why not?) their library. 

A snapshot of Pierce County Library's foray into social networking.

The first step toward becoming an interactive library is education. Last fall Pierce County Library began offering a four-hour Social Web Literacy class to anyone on staff —regardless of job position. It was an instant hit: our first ten classes filled within two days. As of this writing, Susan McBride and I have taught 170 staff, two library board members, and a contingent of visitors from another library system. Not everyone has walked away from the class excited, but enough staff have discovered something meaningful to have a noticeable effect throughout the organization. 

Many staff found delight in sharing photography on Flickr, reading interests on LibraryThing, or thoughts on Blogger. Not interested? There are also social sites for genealogists, cat owners, music lovers, vloggers, crafters, and collectors. Learning about social networking through a site that interests a specific individual helps him/her understand why millions of people — some of our own patrons — invest time in the social web. Social web education can lead to a greater understanding and acceptance of this new global phenomenon, and more open-minded policy-making within the library. 

The second step mixes this education with a little imagination: Apply the social web to the library. Some of our students — newly aware of the tools and dynamics —moved on to become bloggers on the library's website.  One lent his talents to recording and editing podcasts. I launched a library Flickr page. A youth services librarian opened a MySpace account. Our webmaster started a wiki. Within only a few months, and with few dollars spent or custom computer code written, we had all the components of a vibrant online social library.

At that point, we were missing only one thing: getting the word out to our patrons. We began receiving comments on our social sites from across the country and around the world, but since our library's media plan hadn't put the social web on its radar, our own patrons knew little of the activity.

The next step in building an interactive library — the most difficult and frustrating part of the project for us —involves convincing a few key people in the organization to consider integrating social networking into existing library activities. This means adding endorsement and coordination to the social web work we've already set in motion.

Let's say, for instance, the library hosts an author visit. We already have a book blog, so we can review the author's latest book. We have podcasting abilities, so perhaps we can arrange a short telephone interview in advance. The same publicity that advertises the program can now mention the review and the podcast.  That magnifies the vitality of the library: not only have we arranged for the author to visit, but we’re showcasing his work, linking to the catalog, and providing avenues for his readers to talk back, share their thoughts, and get excited about the upcoming program. The event host should mention the blog and podcast and announce that photographs from the evening will be available on the library's Flickr page. Patrons visiting those photos later in the week might leave their thoughts, discover pictures from other library programs, and partner with the site or subscribe to the blog so they don't miss the next event. Coordination helps every social web tool reinforce what we already do, and the tools themselves add an online interactive dynamic we've never had before.

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.

Discuss how to create an interactive library in the discussion forum.

Read Steve's related article, Create a Flexible Social Web Class

 Steve Campion is the system trainer at Pierce County Library, Tacoma, Washington.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License.