Facebook for the Library Amanda Nichols June 28, 2012 Why should the library and library

staff have a Facebook page/profile? According to an article by Frederic Stutzman quoted in Reaching Students with Facebook, undergraduates are the largest users of Facebook. In an evaluation of identitysharing behavior in social networking communities, more than 90% of undergraduates and 22% of graduates surveyed at UNC-Chapel Hill reported that they use Facebook. Its simple Facebook is where the users are. Brian Matthews, an academic librarian, sent 1,500 Facebook messages to students from his personal page; these students were members of the department for which he was the library liaison. He received a total of 48 responses back, which was a 3% return rate. While the response rate was small, he writes in his article, Do you Facebook? Networking with students online, that he did receive reference questions, and was friended by some of the students. His goal overall was to promote the library, and although the initial return was small, it was a return. In Reaching Students with Facebook, the authors state that a Facebook profile is an excellent mechanism for communicating with our students because it allows us to go where they already are; it is an environment that students are already comfortable with (4). They support this statement with proof: Librarians at Penn State have found that since they have created and promoted their own Facebook profiles during instruction sessions and reference interactions they have seen increased research assistance traffic in not only their Facebook message boxes, but also in their institutional e-mail, and in person (4).
Mack, Daniel, Anne Behler, Beth Roberts, and Emily Rimland. "Reaching Students with Facebook: Data and Best Practices."Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship 8.2 (2007): 1-8. Web. 13 June 2012.

From Friending Our Users, Cliff Landis writes that: The library profession has a history of working with the latest technology to help users, whether through punch cards or instant messaging, microfilm, or databases.We have always struggled to keep abreast of these changes,and now have new tools to stay up-to-date with these changes. For libraries to stay relevant in this new information environment, we must provide excellent service service that our users cannot get elsewhere. The key is to discover both what users want and what users need - and then supply both. Social networking sites can be a great way to discover these wants and needs, because they can be used for marketing, reference, instruction, and improvement of services. Facebook is a useful tool for marketing and research, as well as reference services and outreach.
Landis, Cliff. "Friending Our Users: Social Networking and Reference Services." The Desk and Beyond: Next Generation Reference Services. Ed. Sarah Steiner and M L. Madden. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2008.n. pag. Web. 13 June 2012.

What Makes an Effective Page 1. Interesting and eye-catching status updates. From Yale: famous quotes with photos of the library and collections From UIUC: this day in history status updates, relevant to collection library related humor; photos, jokes, etc. using the weather to advertise AC and heat to promote foot traffic From UW: photos of study spaces (Can you name this space?) images with questions to promote student response (What do you see when you visit UW libraries?) video interviews with faculty and staff about research, events, etc. featured librarian Friday Foto feature with trivia; photos are pulled from their databases and collections; used to promote use of resources like ARTstor From UD: Welcome back! Come get your work done for the week - were open til 5 5 oclock in the morning (like the T-Pain song). 2. Advertising and hosting events centered in and around the library. From Yale: national and international literary/library events creative excuses to waive library fines; a whole week; statuses were excuses From UIUC: resume review service; two hours of review for free hosted in the library electronics recycling event researching event; hosted sessions ranging from beginner to advanced From UW: Library Snapshot Day; photos of students using library resources celebration from the librarys 40th birthday student employee appreciation week celebration From UD: library awards (future teachers, international students, student writers,etc.) hosting instruction events for specific skills; Do you go gaga for Google? Well show you how to Google like a Librarian tomorrow at 6pm in KU310! I hear theres going to be rice krispies treats... (and I Googled to make sure I was spelling that right! student art installation Free Cookie Day in the Reference Room Research Help Days; one-on-one and group research consultations text a librarian! research service Edible books day (we could do this for faculty and staff), photos uploaded 3. Advertising the collections, including updates, new additions, and useful resources. 4. Links, articles, and pages of interest to students. From Yale: a feature on students graduating 100 years ago From UIUC: job openings and postings From UW: faq posts for library questions links to style guides and citation help 5. Holiday updates. From Yale: Happy ________ from the Yale library with a themed photo of staff creative ways to advertise holiday hours From UW: updates/posts advertising summer services 6. Advertising campus events, sharing other content from college pages From UIUC: held booths at campus events with library paraphernalia (shirts, pens, etc.) From UW: hosting a booth at orientation weekend; beginning to facilitate relationships with incoming students