OLJ Task: A-Z of social networking for libraries

The Task:

READ the post A to Z of Social Networking for Libraries (22 January, 2010) on the Social Networking for Libraries blog.

Consider this advice in terms of a library and information agency that you know (as an employee or user). Select advice from five (5) letters of this A-Z list and consider how these may be applied to this library to help it embrace a Library 2.0 ethos. Write up your findings as a post.

My Response:

Background

My school is P-12 on two campuses with nearly 1000 students. There is an eLearning coordinator, Library Assistants and IT staff but no Teacher Librarian. There is no use of Web 2.0 technology by the library.

N – Ning

With teacher-student interaction on social media being so heavily discouraged and frowned upon at our school, using Ning to create a safe and contained social networking site specifically for our school library would be a way the library could safely venture into social media while staying within school policy.

M- Mobile, Y-Youth. 

Our school is going through the process of purchasing iPads for every teaching staff member, every student from Yrs 7-12, and class sets below year 7.  A very simple idea would be to use the iPads as links to a library social networking site. The current library staff could team up with the IT staff and our eLearning coordinator (as we do not have a Teacher Librarian) to create a library app.  If this were advertised through the school newsletter and free, it could be downloaded not only on school iPads but staff and parent phones or other mobile devices. This would enlarge the library’s presence digitally and advance their use of Web 2.0. It would simultaneously connect with the older students in the middle to senior school: Y-Youth.

R-Reference

There would be many common questions, especially from staff, that could be complied into a “Frequently Asked Questions” section on social media. Our eLearning Coordinator could include ideas for iPad use and examples of what other teachers or year levels are doing.

K-Koha

A frequent email to the Library Assistant is one that asks what do we have in the library around this topic, is it any good, is it available, if not who has it, and can we have it please?  If the library catalogue were available online using a programme that includes social media, staff could not only find out what was available but get reviews and opinions on various resources from teachers who have actually used these resources: how well did this work?  Does anyone know any good resources for push and pull forces?  Can I use the metre ruler set on Tuesday please?

Concluding thoughts

Although my school has avoided social media, these suggestions are achievable in the school considering the technology currently available and the experience of the staff.  I would personally like to see some sort of adoption of social media.  The reading I did in Module 4 (Andy Burkhardt’s post Four Reasons Libraries Should be onSocial Media (August 25, 2009) gave me more reasons why this needs to be dealt with at my school. 

1.    Communication

2.    Respond to positive and negative feedback.  No, the school can’t control what is said but at least our voice is in there.

3.    Marketing/Advertising – it’s just another way of getting the library noticed.

4.    Understand you users better – library staff can’t possibly know everything, something may surprise us.

 

Burkhardt, A. (2009). Four reasons libraries should be on social meida.  In Information Tyrannasaur. Retrieved 3^rd December from http://andyburkhardt.com/2009/08/25/four-reasons-libraries-should-be-on-social-media/